SciFi Japan

    HAEUNDAE director/producer/co-writer Youn Je-kyun will next make the 3D monster movie SECTOR 7. Photo courtesy of CJ Entertainment. © 2009 JK Film / CJ Entertainment

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    Author: Kim Song-ho Source: Live Action Korea, The Seoul Economy Newspaper On May 9th, CJ Entertainment officially confirmed financing for SECTOR 7 (Je chil gwanggu, aka MINING AREA 7), a 3D monster movie that will be directed and produced by Youn Je-kyun. CJ reportedly was very impressed by a creature effects demo shown at a recent presentation and expects the film will be successful in the wake of the 3D boom caused by James Cameron`s mega-blockbuster AVATAR (2009). Fiming is scheduled to begin next month. The amount of money CJ Entertainment will invest is expected to be 10 billion Korean won (about 8.67 million USD). CJ previously financed, co-produced and distributed Youn`s 2009 disaster film HAEUNDAE with great success. HAEUNDAE attracted 11.3 million admissions last year to top the domestic box office and become the 4th highest-grossing Korean film of all-time. SECTOR 7 is about a

    Advertisement for the VINTAGE MONSTERS FESTIVAL. © 2010 Andreas Schiefler and Ralf Lorenz

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    Three Days of Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror Movies Official Site: http://www.vintagemonsters.de/festival.php (Germany) Special Thanks to Ralf Lorenz Classic monsters and heroes return to the big screen in Germany with the VINTAGE MONSTERS FESTIVAL, running May 7-9, 2010 in Hamburg. Event organizers Ralf Lorenz (GUALAGON, Pranke: Das Filmmagazin für Monsterfreaks) and Andreas Schiefler (Vintage Movie Posters) will be screening 35mm prints of the German language versions of nine fan favorites at the Metropolis Kino, Steindamm 54, 20099 Hamburg, Germany. The following movie list was provided by Ralf Lorenz... Friday, 7th May 2010 -CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982): The festival starts cine-flexing with two hours of pectoral muscles, swordplay and swirling heads. -GODZILLA VS GIGAN (1972): Our monstrous friends from Japan come over to floor the entire metropolis. This Trash-Classic is one of the most colorful and funniest of the Godzilla series and offers four monsters for the price

    Scorpions attack! Advertisement for the new CLASH OF THE TITANS. ©2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

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    Remake of Ray Harryhausen Classic Opens In Theatres Friday, April 2 Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Official Website: clash-of-the-titans SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a new movie. In "Clash of the Titans," the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds, leading a daring band of warriors, including Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), an experienced soldier who encourages the defiant Perseus to make

    Perseus (Sam Worthington) seeks information from the devious and deformed oracles the Stygian Witches in Warner Bros. Pictures` and Legendary Pictures` CLASH OF THE TITANS, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. © 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

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    Author: Kim Song-ho Official Website: clash-of-the-titans CLASH OF THE TITANS is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name. The original film, based on the Greek mythology about the adventures of Perseus, was directed by Desmond Davis and featured stop-motion visual effects by the legendary technician Ray Harryhausen. It was the last film in which Harryhausen produced the visual FX, and many of the fantastic creatures in this film, especially Kraken, Medusa and Pegasus, are still lovingly-remembered by fans. The 2010 remake was co-produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures which brought us such international hits like BATMAN BEGINS, THE DARK KNIGHT, 300, THE HANGOVER and WATCHMEN (the companies also recently announced another big property to remake - Godzilla. See the previous SciFi Japan coverage). Louis Leterrier of THE TRANSPORTER, UNLEASHED and THE INCREDIBLE HULK fame, directed. This new take on

    Japan`s yokai as they appeared in the classic YOKAI MONSTERS trilogy made by Daiei Motion Picture Company in the 1960s. © 1968 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

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    Authors: Melanie Bourgeois and Dan Ross Source: VIZ Media Special Thanks to Erik Jansen From October 23rd though November 6th, Viz Media and the New People Center in San Francisco`s Japantown hosted a spooky gallery of Japanese goblins known as yokai. The "Yokai University: San Francisco Campus" exhibit located in the lobby of Viz Cinema showcased original woodblock prints from classic Ukio-e master Hokusai to more contemporary manga artist Shigeru Mizuki, creator of GeGeGe No Kitaro. Along with the prints were video reels of yokai street parades and in glass cases, many classic and modern netsuke and toys. All in all a colorful, fun and educational display. On October 31st at Viz Cinema, Matt Alt, founder of AltJapan and co-writer of the book Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide, gave a free presentation on what yokai are all about. My wife Melanie

    Kitaro and his yokai friends appear in promotional art for the free

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    NEW PEOPLE Yokai Event Celebrates the Halloween spirit Japanese style! Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Official Site: NewPeopleWorld.com Special Thanks to Erik Jansen Did you know that the Japanese yokai (immortal spirits) are attending their fall semester in San Francisco? NEW PEOPLE, the new pop culture center in San Francisco`s Japantown, delivers Halloween— Japanese style— as it opens "Yokai University: San Francisco Campus", a fun and spooky free exhibition of demons, monsters and other creepy creatures running October 23rd through November 6th at the VIZ Cinema lobby. To complement the exhibit, VIZ Cinema will host a special premiere of the new yokai combat action-comedy film BATTLE LEAGUE HORUMO (Kamogawa Horumo, 2009). Yokai refers to a class of preternatural creatures from Japanese folklore that range from the evil Oni (ogre) to the mischievous Kitsune (fox) or Yuki-onna (snow woman). All possess some sort of spiritual or

    EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE promotional art courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment. © 2007 Khara

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    Source: FUNimation Entertainment, NTV (Nippon Television Network) Official Movie Site: Evangelion 1.0 (US), evangelion.co.jp (Japan) Special Thanks to Jackie Smith On October 4, 1995, the animated TV series NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (Shin Seiki Evangelion) premiered on the Japanese station TV Tokyo. Produced by the animation studio Gainax Co., Ltd., EVANGELION started slowly in the ratings but soon became a international hit that spun off successful videos, books, and toys as well as two feature films; EVANGELION: DEATH AND REBIRTH (Shin Seiki Evangelion Gekiji-ban: Shito Shinsei, 1997) and THE END OF EVANGELION (Shin Seiki Evangelion Gekijo-ban: Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni, 1997). A decade later, the franchise returned to theaters with EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Jo), the first of four new movies labeled the "Rebuild of Evangelion" (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban) series. The movie immediately shot to the top of the Japanese box office,

    CG test shot of the original Gwoemul created by Macrograph Co., the Korean FX studio that will be handling THE HOST 2. © 2009 Chungeorahm Film, Macrograph Co., Digital Actor Research Team of Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute, KAIST Graduate School of Culture Technology

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    Korean Ministry of Culture Backs Sequel to Award-Winning International Horror Hit Author: Kim Song-ho Source: Korea Creative Content Agency, Yonhap News, Chosun Ilbo, Joynews 24 The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), a public institution which oversees the country’s cultural and entertainment industries, announced on September 1 (Korean date) that it will support technical development of the upcoming monster movie THE HOST 2 (Gwoemul 2). The movie was chosen as the winner of `2009 Global Project Technical Development Support Enterprise`, which is part of a research and development project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea. The Ministry of Culture established the Korea Creative Content Agency in May 2009 by combining several existing independent organizations including the Korea Culture and Content Agency, the Culture Contents Center, the Game Industry Agency, the IT Industry Promotion Agency, and the Korea Broadcasting Institute. The newly-formed agency is designed

    Plans for a sequel to the 2006 international hit THE HOST took a major step forward this week. © 2006 Chungeorahm Film

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    Singapore Company Funds Upcoming Korean Monster Sequel Author: Kim Song-ho Source: Chungeorahm Film official press release Chungeorahm Film, the company behind the Korean monster hit THE HOST (Gwoemul, 2006), has announced that Singaporean film company Boku Films will invest 5 million USD for the upcoming sequel, THE HOST 2 (Gwoemul 2). A signing ceremony for the investment was held on July 21 (Korean date) in Puchon, where the 13th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival is currently transpiring (the festival takes place from July 16 to 26). Chungeorahm Film CEO and THE HOST 2 producer Choi Yong-bae, Boku Film CEO Kelvin Tong and director of the Singapore Film Commission Kenneth Tan attended the signing ceremony. Tan is also in charge of MDA (Media Development Authority), by which Boku Films could invest 50% of the film`s whole production cost. The amount of 5 million USD

    GEHARHA: THE DARK AND LONG HAIR MONSTER is one of three daikaiju films showing at Fantasia this Sunday. © 2009 NHK `Geharha` Project.

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    MOTHRA, GEHARHA, BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE Triple Feature in Montreal Authors: André Dubois and Ed Godziszewski Source: 2009 Fantasia Festival The Fantasia International Film Festival, taking place now through July 29th in Montreal, Canada, will include a Japanese monster triple feature this upcoming Sunday. CLASSIC DAIKAIJU SPECIAL 10:00 am July 26th, 2009 • Hall Theatre BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE: THE ART OF JAPANESE SPECIAL EFFECTS Canadian Premiere USA 2008 • 69 min • video • English/Japanese with English subtitles Director: Norman England Screenplay: Ed Godziszewski, Steve Ryfle Cast: Alex Cox, Yasuyuki Inoue, Tsutomu Kitagawa, Hiroshi Koizumi, Haruo Nakajima Producers: Ed Godziszewski, Steve Ryfle Distributor: Classic Media In the entire history of motion pictures, Japan`s giant radioactive reptile is the only monster to sustain a film franchise spanning more than 50 years while enjoying international popularity. The unique appeal of

    Guilala— the X from Outer Space— returns in MONSTER X STRIKES BACK: ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT. © 2008 Guilala Production Committee

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    Who Will See Two New Daikaiju Films for Free, Courtesy of NYAFF and SciFi Japan? Source: Subway Cinema/New York Asian Film Festival Special Thanks to Toyah Attwell and Grady Hendrix Thank you to everyone who entered New York Asian Film Festival and SciFi Japan`s contest for free passes to MONSTER X STRIKES BACK: ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT! and GEHARHA: THE DARK AND LONG HAIR MONSTER. The screening takes place at the IFC Center on Sunday, June 28 at 11:00am. The IFC Center is located at 333 East 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues), New York, NY 10014. The following randomly drawn entrants correctly answered all contest questions: Bill Pierson Andrew Wong William D`Annucci Congratulations to the winners! Each of you has won a pair of tickets to see the feature film MONSTER X STRIKES BACK, the short film GEHARHA, and the DEATH KAPPA sneak preview. Your

    The New York Asian Film Festival is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance for free tickets to the premiere screenings of two new Japanese giant monster movies! MONSTER X STRIKES BACK: ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT! photo courtesy of Shochiku Co., Ltd. © 2008 Guilala Production Committee. GEHARHA: THE DARK AND LONG HAIR MONSTER photo courtesy of NYAFF. © 2009 NHK `Geharha` Project.

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    See a Japanese Monster Double-Feature for Free, Courtesy of NYAFF and SciFi Japan Source: Subway Cinema/New York Asian Film Festival Special Thanks to Toyah Attwell and Grady Hendrix Next week sees the launch of the 2009 New York Asian Film Festival and Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Films. Running from June 19-July 12 at the IFC Center (323 Sixth Avenue, at West 4th Street) and from July 1 - 5 at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues) in New York City, the combined festival will feature more than fifty movies, Q&A`s with filmmakers, and special events. The lineup also includes two new Japanese giant monster movies; MONSTER X STRIKES BACK: ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT! and the short GEHARHA: THE DARK AND LONG HAIR MONSTER. The films will be shown as a double feature at the IFC Center on Friday, June 19

    The Korean monster hit THE HOST will be remade for American audiences by Universal Pictures. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. © 2006 Chungeorahm Film

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    After Two Years, Producers, Director, and Screenwriter Named for English Language Adaptation Source: Variety, Korean news sources, various Special Thanks to Kim Song-ho (Loomis) By 2004, South Korean movie director Bong Joon-ho had achieved the critical and commercial success most filmmakers struggle their whole career for. His second film, the crime drama MEMORIES OF MURDER (Salinui Chueok, 2003), topped the Korean box office in 2003 and won Best Movie, Best Director, and Best Actor at that year’s Grand Bell Awards, the Korean equivalent of the Academy Awards. But when he announced his next project would be a monster movie called THE HOST (Gwoemul) the reaction was decidedly mixed. Monsters had never been a popular genre in Korea. Prior to THE HOST, only a handful of films such as YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP (Daekoesu Yonggary, 1967), A*P*E (King Kongui Daeyeokseub, 1976), and Shim

    The cast and crew will be on hand for screenings of the cult favorite THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA and the new sequel THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN. THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA © 2003 TriStar Pictures, Inc. THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN © 2008 Bantam Street

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    THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA and the All-New Sequel THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN Play the Egyptian Theatre Official Movie Website: THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN Event Website: American Cinematheque Special Thanks to Michael Schlesinger THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA was an affectionate, meticulous and hilarious re-creation of the notoriously cheap and cheesy black and white sci-fi/horror movies of the mid-1950s... those films quickly made in the wilds of Bronson Canyon for a few thousand bucks. Writer/Director Larry Blamire headed a cast including Fay Masterson (THE QUICK AND THE DEAD, EYES WIDE SHUT), Andrew Parks (DONNIE BRASCO), Brian Howe (CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, DEJA VU) and Jennifer Blaire (THE MAJESTIC) as a gaggle of beloved stereotypes in pursuit of "that rarest of all radioactive elements - atmosphereum." THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA premiered at the 2001 Mill Valley Film Festival in California.

    The legendary savior Take-Majin battles the space monster Guilala in the new kaiju comedy MONSTER X STRIKES BACK/ ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT! Photo courtesy of Shochiku Co., Ltd. and 65th Venice International Film Festival. © 2008 Guilala Production Committee

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    Author: Ed Godziszewski Official Movie Site: MONSTER X STRIKES BACK SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a new movie. Every now and then, a film comes along that helps to redefine a genre, offering a fresh take on a familiar subject. Unfortunately, MONSTER X STRIKES BACK/ ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT! (Girara no Gyakushu / Samitto Kiki Ippatsu!) is not that film, although you get the idea that the director thinks that is what he has done. Going into this film, I knew what to expect…an off-the-wall comedy made by Minoru Kawasaki, one of Japan’s most eccentric filmmakers who specializes in offbeat concepts, starring a giant monster who was a less than successful (box office) one-shot character from the monster boom of 1967. When the director’s resume boasts titles like EXECUTIVE KOALA and THE CALAMARI WRESTLER, you know to expect more lowbrow

    The monster Guilala returns from the depths of space to menace the G8 summit in Hokkaido. Photo courtesy of Shochiku Co., Ltd. © 2008 Guilala Production Committee

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    The Japanese Studio Provides News and Photos for the Upcoming Sequel to THE X FROM OUTER SPACE Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Movie Site: MONSTER X STRIKES BACK Introduction by: Keith Aiken On January 29th, 2008, Shochiku surprised kaiju fans with the announcement that— 41 years after THE X FROM OUTER SPACE— they would be reviving Guilala for a new film, MONSTER X STRIKES BACK/ ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT! (Girara no Gyakushu / Samitto Kiki Ippatsu!). The studio also revealed that Guilala`s return would be written and directed by Minoru Kawasaki, the cult filmmaker responsible for such movies as THE CALAMARI WRESTLER (Ika Resuraa, 2004), EXECUTIVE KOALA (Koara Kachou, 2005), and THE WORLD SINKS EXCEPT JAPAN (Nihon Igai Zenbu Chinbotsu, 2006). In keeping with Kawasaki`s sensibilities, MONSTER X STRIKES BACK will feature the traditional trappings of the daikaiju genre (such as monster suits

    (Left to right) Rob (Michael Stahl-David), Marlena (Lizzy Caplan) and Lily (Jessica Lucas) are on the run from a terrorizing monster in CLOVERFIELD. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures. © 2008 Paramount Pictures.

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    Author: Kim Song-ho (Loomis) Official Website: Cloverfield Movie SPOILER WARNING: The following review contains plot details for CLOVERFIELD. CLOVERFIELD may not be the greatest giant monster film of all time, but it is the most realistic one. As with other genres, giant monster films have long been made from a simple premise without much drastic change - a giant creature which possesses overwhelming might causes unprecedented disaster. CLOVERFIELD overcomes it with style. This film even blows the audience out of their seats sometimes. The film confines every aspect of the story within the first person point of view. Except for the opening and end credits, the body of the film consists of footage from a single camcorder. It easily reminds the audience of the similarly constructed THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, but there is an important difference between BWP and 1-18-08. A camcorder can shoot new footage

    Advertising art for CLOVERFIELD, the highly-anticipated giant monster movie opening this Friday. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures. © 2008 Paramount Pictures.

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    The Cast and Crew Discuss the Highly-Anticipated Monster Movie Source: Paramount Pictures Official Website: Cloverfield Movie On the eve of his departure for Japan, Rob (Michael Stahl-David) sees his going-away party as an opportunity to confess unresolved feelings and tie up loose ends. His agenda takes an unexpected turn when a jolt shakes the revelers. The crowd quiets down to watch news reports of an earthquake, then rushes to the roof to assess the damage. A fireball explodes on the distant horizon. A power failure follows. Confusion gives way to panic as the partygoers stumble through the blackout and into the streets. Amid the human screams and one inhuman roar, Rob and his friends must traverse a landscape that has changed, overtaken by something otherworldly, terrifying, monstrous… Paramount Pictures Presents A Bad Robot Production CLOVERFIELD Executive Producers Guy Riedel, Sherryl Clark Produced by J.J. Abrams, Bryan

    The Konami SF Movie King Kong Collection. Photo by John DeSentis. © 1933 RKO Pictures, Inc./ © 2006 Konami

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    A look at King Kong toys from Japan Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis Special Thanks to Kevin Frederick A SciFi JAPAN RETROSPECTIVE Japan has always been renowned for the great wealth of collectibles and toys that have been manufactured there over the decades. While the United States is certainly not lacking its own heap of quality items, there is one character that the Japanese have lately seemed to get right when the US has dropped the ball considerably: King Kong, or more specifically the 1933 incarnation of King Kong. What is most surprising about this is that King Kong is an American icon that frequently rivals Godzilla in popularity among fans. That is not to say that there haven’t been serviceable attempts to produce good likenesses of Kong in America. The release of Peter Jackson’s KING KONG remake in 2005 saw a great amount

    In 1966, the Daiei Motion Picture Company released three films about the angry god Daimajin. © 1966 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

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    Author: Ed Godziszewski Revised and Updated from Monster Attack Team #7 (1997) 1966 was a vintage year for Japanese fantasy and science fiction films- the Golden Age of Toho was still in full bloom, with THE ADVENTURES OF TAKLAMAKAN (Kiganjo no Boken), WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (Furankenshutain no Kaiju: Sanda tai Gaira), and GODZILLA VS THE SEA MONSTER (Gojira, Ebira, Mosura: Nankai no Daiketto) all seeing release. Rival studio Daiei was likewise enjoying a Golden Age of its own, following up the success of GAMERA (Daikaiju Gamera, US title GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE, 1965) with GAMERA VS BARUGON (Daikaiju Ketto-Gamera tai Barugon, aka WAR OF THE MONSTERS) as well as a unique trio of period fantasy films in which the title character was a giant statue called Daimajin. MAJIN (Daimajin), THE RETURN OF MAJIN (Daimajin Ikaru) and MAJIN STRIKES AGAIN (Daimajin Gyakushu) all followed

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