Wednesday, October 3, 2012

"Godzilla vs. Biollante" Coming December 4

by Armand Vaquer

Since the late 1990s, whenever I wanted to watch Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), my only recourse was to pop in the HBO VHS tape.  It has some of the silliest dialog in a modern Godzilla movie ("Godziller" and "Eggs is eggs").

That's about to change as Godzilla vs. Biollante is about to be released on DVD ($6.99) and Blu-ray ($14.99) by Echo Bridge on December 4.

Godzilla vs. Biollante is the follow-up to Return of Godzilla (1984) (a.k.a., Godzilla 1985 (1985)).  In the previous movie, our hero fell into the cauldron of Mt. Mihara on Oshima Island.  In Biollante, he is released from his confinement and goes on a rampage into Osaka, Japan.  Meanwhile, a grieving scientist mixes cells from a rose bush, his late daughter and Godzilla to create (unintentionally) a giant plant monster.

The movie also introduces psychic Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka) into the series.

Godzilla vs. Biollante contains the best special effects work done by Koichi Kawakita in the Godzilla series (in my humble opinion). It is one of the better Godzilla movies of the second (or Heisei) series, although the pacing is a bit plodding.

My grade:  B+.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Haruo Nakajima At Mad Monster Party Convention

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Armand with Haruo and Sonoe Nakajima.
East Coast Godzilla fans are in for a treat! The Mad Monster Party Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina will be hosting Haruo "Mr. Godzilla" Nakajima at the March 22-24, 2013 event.

Above, Armand with David Hedison.
Other guests include David Hedison (The Fly, Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea, Live and Let Die, License To Kill), Linnea Quigley, David Naughton and more.  I will also be on hand for the panel discussions with Mr. Nakajima.

The convention will be held at the Blake Hotel in downtown Charlotte.

For more information, go to Mad Monster Party.com.
"LEGENDARY PICTURES TO DEVELOP AND PRODUCE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE BASED ON TOHO COMPANY’S ICONIC MONSTER, GODZILLA

Burbank, CA – March 29, 2010 – Legendary Pictures announced today that they will develop and produce a new film based on Toho Company’s famed GODZILLA character. Through the terms of the agreement, Legendary Pictures has acquired the rights to produce a movie inspired by Toho’s Godzilla, a franchise the Japanese company created and has nurtured for over fifty years.

Toho’s GODZILLA franchise boasts one of the most widely recognized film creatures worldwide, resulting in a series of books, television programs, video games and more than 25 films worldwide. Legendary intends to approach the film and its characters in the most authentic manner possible. The company will, in the near future, announce a filmmaker to helm the film for an intended 2012 release. The film will fall under the company’s co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. Toho will distribute the film in Japan."

"Godzilla" is coming back -- this time, with Legendary Pictures taking the lead, co-producing and co-financing with Warner Bros. for release in 2012.

Legendary announced Monday it had obtained rights to the iconic monster character from Japan's Toho Co., which has overseen more than 25 "Godzilla" films. Toho will release the pic in Japan.

Legendary said it's planning to announce a director shortly.

In addition to Legendary, producers on the new film will be Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Brian Rogers. Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will exec produce.

"Godzilla is one of the world's most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise," said Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary. "Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has."

Legendary noted the film will fall under its co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. Legendary's productions with Warners have included "The Dark Knight," "300" and "The Hangover."

Speculation about a new "Godzilla" has been active since last summer. The Bloody Disgusting web site reported in August that the project was in development.