With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013

With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013
With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013
Showing posts with label Godzilla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Godzilla. Show all posts

Thursday, February 01, 2018

Reminder - GODZILLA coming to Japan Society NY tomorrow!

Japan Society NY
presents
Godzilla (c) 1954 Toho Co., Ltd.
Godzilla / Gojira
Directed by Ishiro Honda
With Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura 
Japan 1954, 96 minutes 
DCP, b&w, in Japanese with English subtitles

When: Friday, February 2, 2018 at 7:00 PM
Where: Japan Society NY
333 East 47th Street, NYC
Map
Tickets: $13/$10 seniors & students / $5 Japan Society members

NOTE: This screening is sold out.
However a waitlist will begin at 6:00 PM at the Box Office
Being on the waitlist doesn’t guarantee a seat, of course,
but it at least gives you a chance to see this fantastic film.

The seminal classic that introduced the world to kaiju eiga and everyone's favorite city-stomping radioactive monster.

Directed by Ishiro Honda, Godzilla provided the ultimate allegory for post-war nuclear anxiety through the story of a prehistoric sea creature rampaging through Tokyo after being awakened by underwater H-bomb testing.

A domestic box office hit that went on to enrapture international audiences and spawn over two dozen sequels and countless imitations, the original film still retains the power to inspire awe in its evocation of humanity's confrontation with the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation.

Related Event:
Directing Godzilla: The Life of Filmmaker Ishiro Honda
Wednesday, February 21, 6:30 PM

Special Offer: Save $2 on the Directing Godzilla: The Life of Filmmaker Ishiro Honda talk with your ticket purchase to this screening. To redeem, add both tickets to your cart and the discount will automatically be deducted. (No code necessary.)

Monday, December 18, 2017

"Directing Godzilla: The Life of Filmmaker Ishiro Honda" a talk by Steve Ryfle on February 21, 2018

Japan Society NY
presents
Photo Courtesy of Honda Film, INc.
Directing Godzilla: The Life of Filmmaker Ishiro Honda
A talk by Steve Ryfle
When: Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 6:30 PM
Where: Japan Society NY
333 East 47th Street, NYC
Tickets: $14/$11 Japan Society members, seniors & students 

Godzilla, Mothra, The Mysterians — Japan’s most celebrated monster movies and sci-fi classics were brought to the screen by filmmaker Ishiro Honda. A long-overlooked talent, Honda is now considered one of the most influential directors of Japanese cinematic history, wowing audiences with fantastical special effects while expressing the anxieties of Japan’s postwar reality.

At this talk, Steve Ryfle, noted scholar of Japanese science fiction cinema and author of Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, From Godzilla to Kurosawa, draws back the curtain on the man behind the monsters. Followed by a book signing reception.

Special Offer: Save $2 on the "Directing Godzilla: The Life of Filmmaker Ishiro Honda" talk, with your ticket purchase to the Godzilla film screening on February 2. To redeem, add both tickets to your cart and the discount will automatically be deducted. (No code necessary.)

Sunday, December 17, 2017

GODZILLA coming to Japan Society New York on February 2nd, 2018

Japan Society NY
presents
Godzilla (c) 1954 Toho Co., Ltd.
Godzilla / Gojira
Directed by Ishiro Honda
With Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura 
Japan 1954, 96 minutes 
DCP, b&w, in Japanese with English subtitles

When: Friday, February 2, 2018 at 7:00 PM
Where: Japan Society NY
333 East 47th Street, NYC
Map
Tickets: $13/$10 seniors & students / $5 Japan Society members

The seminal classic that introduced the world to kaiju eiga and everyone's favorite city-stomping radioactive monster.

Directed by Ishiro Honda, Godzilla provided the ultimate allegory for post-war nuclear anxiety through the story of a prehistoric sea creature rampaging through Tokyo after being awakened by underwater H-bomb testing.

A domestic box office hit that went on to enrapture international audiences and spawn over two dozen sequels and countless imitations, the original film still retains the power to inspire awe in its evocation of humanity's confrontation with the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation.

Related Event:
Directing Godzilla: The Life of Filmmaker Ishiro Honda
Wednesday, February 21, 6:30 PM

Special Offer: Save $2 on the Directing Godzilla: The Life of Filmmaker Ishiro Honda talk with your ticket purchase to this screening. To redeem, add both tickets to your cart and the discount will automatically be deducted. (No code necessary.)

Friday, May 05, 2017

Godzilla Legend - Music of Akira Ifukube - live performance at Japan Society NY reviewed


Special guests Charan-Po-Rantan and Makigami Koichi (center) performed in Godzilla Legend—Music of Akira Ifukube at Japan Society on April 28, 2017. The concert was conceived and arranged by Inoue Makoto (far left) and performed by the band Hikashu and other special guest musicians. Photo by Ayumi Sakamoto. 

Last Friday, April 28th, I had the extremely good fortune of having a press seat at Japan Society's presentation of Godzilla Legend - Music of Akira Ifukube, a live performance by the innovative and talented Japanese band Hikashu, which was founded in 1978, and several guest artists.

The Godzilla Legend project leader was Inoue Makoto, a founding member of Hikashu, who plays synthesizer. Although he left the group in 1991 to pursue other projects, he still performs with them for the Godzilla Legend concerts. He arranged several Ifukube compositions for Hikashu's debut concert and has been involved in several other Ifukube-related projects, as well as serving as score manager on the Shin Godzilla film (2016). At Friday night's performance, he also provided brief introductions to the event's six sections.

The current members of Hikashu include:

- Makigami Koichi (vocals, theremin, gong); a co-founder and now the current leader of Hikashu
- Mita Freeman (lead guitar)
- Sakaide Masami (bass guitar)
- Shimizu Kazuto (piano, synthesizer)
- Sato Masaharu (drums)

Appearing as guest artists were:

- Tatsumi Kogoro (trumpet)
- Goto Atsushi (trombone)
- Yoshida Ryuichi (baritone sax)
- Charan-Po-Rantan, a sister duo comprising vocalists Momo and her older sister Koharu, the latter who also plays accordion

If you are familiar with Frank Zappa and his group the Mothers of Invention, and can imagine him as a Japanese musician in love with Ifukube's Godzilla music, you'll have some idea of what the performance was like. If I had to use one word to describe the evening, it would be "spectacular."

After performing the planned program of music from various Godzilla movies, including the 1954 original, Rodan (1956), Mothra (1961), and others, the band came back onstage for  two-number encore. A vocal number was followed by an incredible version of the original Godzilla theme that built to a rousing crescendo.

I didn't see anyone still in their seat after this final number ended, but if anyone was, I'm sure it must have been due to a medical infirmity.

It was one of the best concert's I've ever attended, and I've seen Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and other great musicians perform live.

Wednesday, June 01, 2016

Section23 Films announces its September 2016 schedule of releases


The Return of Godzilla® Available September 13th

Home video distributor Section23 Films has announced its September slate of releases; including the first U.S. release of the complete and uncut THE RETURN OF GODZILLA® by Kraken Releasing, which will be available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Product details in order of release:

Title: HANAUKYO MAID TEAM: LA VERITE COMPLETE COLLECTION
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 300 min.
Street Date: 9/6/2016
Format: DVD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Moving is seldom easy, but when newly orphaned Taro Hanaukyo arrives in Tokyo to live with his wealthy grandfather, what he finds literally blows his mind. Because Gramps has skipped off to a remote island, leaving his estate and its huge staff at Taro’s beck and call. A staff that seems to consist entirely of maids: maids in charge of cooking, maids in charge of cleaning, maids in charge of computer programming, maids in charge of technological research and development, and, of course, maids in charge of making the garden grow. Except that Taro doesn’t just have pretty maids all in a row; he’s got them in regiments and battalions! What was his grandfather thinking? And what will Taro do with them? Did we mention that he’s a middle school student with otaku tendencies? Head maid Mariel and her staff may be in for a rough period of adjustment as the new master of the house takes charge in HANAUKYO MAID TEAM: LA VERITE!


Title: RIN-NE COLLECTION 2
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 300 min.
Street Date: 9/6/2016
Format: BD, DVD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $59.98, $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Sakura Mamiya’s life was odd long before she started helping her fellow student and half-Shinigami Rinne Rokudo assist lost souls in reaching the land of the dead. However, as strange as the various spooks, specters and other other-worldly entities that Sakura has encountered on a daily basis may have been, nothing is as out and out bizarre as finding herself and Rinne involved in a complicated web of perceived romantic relationships that also include a former childhood friend and now frustrated exorcist, Tsubasa Jumonji, and the air-headed and extremely gullible Shinigami Ageha. After all, Sakura’s not really sure she’s even attracted to Rinne! On the other hand, given the dangers inherent in foiling the efforts of the soul-stealing Damashigani, worrying about anyone’s love life is going to have to take second place to avoiding becoming part of the afterlife herself. It’s a second round of second thoughts and second chances in the second stunning collection of RIN-NE!


Title: CLAMP SCHOOL DETECTIVES COMPLETE COLLECTION
Published by: Maiden Japan
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 650 min.
Street Date: 9/13/2016
Format: DVD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $49.98

SYNOPSIS: If it weren’t for the small matter of age Nokoru, Suoh and Akira would be perfect ladies’ men. Akira is a world-class chef, Suoh is a world-class martial artist and Nokoru is so brilliant that he stands out at their exclusive academy for conspicuous overachievers, CLAMP School! Not to mention, all three are smart, conscientious and attractive! However, since they haven’t reached seventh grade and aren’t ready to date yet, Nokoru has come up with a different way to ingratiate the trio with the feminine gender: forming a detective team that specializes in helping ladies in distress! Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Nokoru can detect girls in trouble from a mile away, while Suoh comes from a family of Ninjas and Akira has inherited a similarly useful set of skills from his father, an infamous thief! Recess is on and the mystery is afoot as the famed all-female creative team CLAMP unleashes the sleuthing prowess of the CLAMP SCHOOL DETECTIVES!


Title: SAKURA TRICK COMPLETE COLLECTION BLU-RAY
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 300 min.
Street Date: 9/13/2016
Format: BD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Haruka and Yuu have been best friends forever and they’ve sat next to each other in class since junior high. But, on the first day of high school, the new seating plan has them separated! So, since everyone knows that long distance relationships don’t work unless the parties involved put extra effort into it, they decide they need to do something special to permanently seal their friendship. However, deciding to kiss each other awakens a whole new level of feelings, and it doesn’t help that some of their classmates seem to be “involved” in similar circumstances. What’s a girl to do when her best friend suddenly seems more like a girlfriend? It’s a life lesson that the school curriculum isn’t normally prepared to teach, but our two young heroines are about to get a private education you’ll never forget! Discover the truth about the birds and the... er… birds, as two young ladies learn to deal with the pros and cons of intramural osculation in SAKURA TRICK!


Title: THE RETURN OF GODZILLA
Published by: Kraken Releasing
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 103 min.
Street Date: 9/13/2016
Format: BD, DVD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $14.98, $9.98

SYNOPSIS: With a higher budget and more advanced special effects than any previous film in the series, THE RETURN OF GODZILLA® returns Japan’s greatest monster to his intended role as an epic force of destruction and the film’s spectacular success re-launched the Godzilla® franchise after nearly a decade in suspended animation. Unfortunately for North American audiences, this direct sequel to the original 1954 feature film has previously only been available in a highly edited version that cut over twenty minutes of original footage and effects, changed key plot points and altered the dark dramatic tone and narrative by inserting additional scenes and humor in an attempt to “Americanize” the film. But now, at long last, the acclaimed kaiju masterpiece finally hits American shores in all its uncut original glory! Get ready for the biggest Godzilla® epic that you’ve never seen as Kraken Releasing proudly presents the complete and unedited THE RETURN OF GODZILLA®!


Title: DEN-NOH COIL COLLECTION 2
Published by: Maiden Japan
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 325 min.
Street Date: 9/20/2016
Format: BD, DVD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $69.98, $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Tracking down the secrets concerning Kana’s death has led Yuko “Yasako” Okonogi into a new series of virtual rabbit holes. Like Alice through the looking glass, Yuko discovers that the digitally augmented world on the other side of her glasses is far more complex and confusing than she could have imagined. With shocking e-spaces filled with mysterious un-erased levels of data, and virtual creatures that act and think as if they’re truly alive, how many other secrets might these parallel worlds hide? Who is responsible for hiding them? As new memories from her past begin to surface, she must now confront whether the e-spaces themselves are somehow affecting the real world and how this involves the “other” Yuko. Their destinies may be intrinsically linked as the real and virtual worlds collide in the climactic conclusion of DEN-NOH COIL!


Title: ROZEN MAIDEN: ZURUCKSPULEN COMPLETE COLLECTION BLU-RAY
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 325 min.
Street Date: 9/20/2016
Format: BD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $69.98

SYNOPSIS: Every choice we make leads us down a different path… but is it possible for the actions taken on one path be used to affect the choices made in another life? In his darkest hour, Jun Sakurada receives just such an opportunity: a chance to communicate with a future version of himself who did not wind the key and bring forth the Rozen Maidens, and to fix his own shattered world. For Jun-who-did-not-wind, the messages from his younger self are a beacon of hope, and when the adult Jun discovers a box with parts and building instructions for a familiar red dressed doll, the goal becomes clear: to revive Shinku in his world and save both worlds from succumbing to the evils of Kirakisho, the seventh Rozen Maiden. The Alice Game becomes a war of dimensions as two worlds hang by the threads of fate in ROZEN MAIDEN: ZURÜCKSPULEN!


Title: CHAIKA THE COFFIN PRINCESS ~ AVENGING BATTLE
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 275 min.
Street Date: 9/27/2016
Format: BD, DVD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $69.98, $59.98

SYNOPSIS: The battle on the floating fortress is over, but the quest to recover the scattered remains of Emperor Gaz is too important to delay. As Chaika and her companions seek out the hero Claudia in order to obtain the heart, they race against Red Chaika, who seeks the hero, Guy, who possesses one of the arms. Even as Chaika struggles to learn the new magical skills required to defeat Claudia, a startling new revelation comes to light which may change their mission entirely: not all of Gaz’s magic research was destroyed, and information regarding the creation of the Chaikas may have been taken to a mysterious island! With the possibility of uncovering the secrets behind their mysterious origins dangled in front of them, the Chaikas must decide whether or not they want to find the hidden island and brave its unknown perils. Could the entire thing be a trap? It’s highly likely, but how can they resist the bait as the spellbinding adventure continues in CHAIKA THE COFFIN PRINCESS – AVENGING BATTLE!


Title: CORPSE PARTY (Live Action)
Published by: Switchblade Pictures
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 94 min.
Street Date: 9/27/2016
Format: BD, DVD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $24.98, $14.98

SYNOPSIS: Horror Movie Lesson Number One: if you want to stay in touch with your friends, performing a binding ceremony on the grounds of a school that was demolished after a series of horrific murders may not be a great idea. Otherwise, as a group of Japanese teens quickly learn to their horror, the simple ritual may open a doorway to an otherworldly dimension where the infamous Heavenly Host High still exists, and the demonic occupants within seek to redecorate the gore-soaked and carnage-strewn halls with a new set of bloody corpses. Now, it’s a brutal education in supernatural survival as the students fight both the resident spirits and each other, where the odds of graduating alive, let alone in one piece, are sliced shorter and shorter with every heart-pounding second. Japan’s ultra-violent videogame and anime phenomenon becomes a shocking live action feature film as hell is unleashed at the CORPSE PARTY!


Title: LABYRINTH OF GRISAIA / EDEN OF GRISAIA
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 300 min.
Street Date: 9/27/2016
Format: BD, DVD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $59.98, $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Yuji Kazami fulfilled a promise, but that promise was made long before he reached Mihama Academy. The seeds of the future are sown as young Yuji’s family is ravaged and his psyche is shattered, only to be reshaped in the fires of violent training and war in THE LABYRINTH OF GRISAIA. However, Yuji’s saga continues as his past catches up with him, and he is defended by the most unlikely guardian angels in THE EDEN OF GRISAIA. Follow the grisly journey as the boy is forced to become a man, and delve into the aftermath of THE FRUIT OF GRISAIA in this special complete edition that contains both parts of the untold story: THE LABYRINTH OF GRISAIA and THE EDEN OF GRISAIA.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

THE RETURN OF GODZILLA to be released on September 13th



You can’t keep a good giant monster down, especially when he’s being very, very bad! Kraken Releasing will continue the tradition of releasing the very best in kaiju (giant monster) entertainment with the first U.S. release of the complete and uncut The Return Of Godzilla®! Available on both Blu-ray and DVD, and featuring both the original Japanese version with English subtitles, as well as an English dubbed version, this special release is the Godzilla® epic that fans and collectors have been waiting for.

With a higher budget and more advanced special effects than any previous film in the series, The Return Of Godzilla returns Japan’s greatest monster to his intended role as an epic force of destruction and the film’s spectacular success re-launched the Godzilla® franchise after nearly a decade in suspended animation. Unfortunately for North American audiences, this direct sequel to the original 1954 feature film has previously only been available in a highly edited version that cut over twenty minutes of original footage and effects, changed key plot points and altered the dark dramatic tone and narrative by inserting additional scenes and humor in an attempt to “Americanize” the film. But now, at long last, the acclaimed kaiju masterpiece finally hits American shores in all its uncut original glory! Get ready for the biggest Godzilla® epic that you’ve never seen as Kraken Releasing unleashes the complete and unedited The Return Of Godzilla!

The Return Of Godzilla will be released on September 13th.

About Kraken Releasing:
KRAKEN RELEASING is a new international video distribution label specializing in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror genre entertainment for mainstream audiences. Together with sister labels MAIDEN JAPAN (DEN-NOH COIL, PAT LABOR, ROYAL SPACE FORCE) and SWITCHBLADE PICTURES (CORPSE PARTY, IRON GIRL 1& 2, ATTACK GIRLS SWIM TEAM VS. THE UNDEAD) Kraken’s goal is to bring the best filmed entertainment from around the world to our customers.

About Section23 Films:

Section23 Films provides home video marketing and distribution services for a variety of companies, including Sentai Filmworks, Switchblade Pictures, Maiden Japan and AEsir Holdings. With its special focus on genre entertainment, Section23 Films distributes some of the very best anime, martial arts, and horror titles on the market today.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Three Godzilla films from Kraken

It's been a very busy spring for Godzilla.

At the end of April, Rialto Pictures' Godzilla: The Japanese Original opened in New York City. Starting in May it began rolling out in other cities in the U.S. and will continue to do so into this coming August.

On May 16th Gareth Edwards new version of Godzilla opened. It was so successful that a sequel was promptly given the go-ahead.

And early in May, Kraken Releasing published, and Section23 Films distributed, three Godzilla films. The widescreen (2.35:1 aspect ratio) films are available separately on either Blu-ray or DVD, with an SRP  of $14.98 for Blu-rays and $9.98 for DVDs. Each single-disc edition offers two soundtracks: both the English dubbed and the original Japanese version with English subtitles. Extras are limited to each film's Japanese trailer.

The three films, in chronological order of original release, are:

Ebirah™, Horror of the Deep
Directed by Jun Fukuda
Japan, 1966, 88 minutes
 
Ebirah™, Horror of the Deep was originally released in the U.S. in 1968 under the title Godzilla® Vs. The Sea Monster!. Godzilla® and another of Toho’s most popular kaiju, the giant moth Mothra™are paired against a wide variety of adversaries. These include the sea monster of the title, giant birds and a mysterious terrorist organization. Eiji Tsuburaya served as director of special effects.

Godzilla® vs.Hedorah™
Directed by Yoshimitsu Banno
Japan, 1971, 86 minutes 

Godzilla® vs.Hedorah™, released theatrically in the U.S in 1972 as Godzilla® vs. the Smog Monster, pits Godzilla® against the forces of pollution in the form of Hedorah, a constantly mutating, acid-spewing behemoth from outer space.  The film boasts eye-popping 1970’s “mod” costumes, hairstyles and psychedelic visuals that include conventional cel animation alongside the special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Godzilla® vs. Hedoarh™ ecologically focused take on the world’s greatest monster is easily one of the most unique films in the series.

Godzilla® vs. Gigan™
Directed by Jun Fukuda
Japan, 1972, 90 minutes

1972’s Godzilla® vs. Gigan™ ups the giant monster ante once with a series of tag team battles featuring four classic kaiju.   Released theatrically in the United States in 1977 as Godzilla® on Monster Island and again directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano, the film unites Godzilla® and spiny ally Anguirus™ against two of the series’ most popular opponents: the three headed monster King Ghidorah™ and the new alien cyborg Gigan™.

All three of these films are what I call "kiddie-Godzilla" movies. By this I mean that by the time these films were released, Toho had transformed the Big G into a child-friendly monster who's on the side of humanity.

So if you have kids, or the kid in you loves giant Japanese monsters, or if you're a total Godzilla-phile, each and every one of these films will be welcome additions to your collection. Especially at the very affordable prices they're offered at.

About Kraken Releasing:
Kraken Releasing is a new international video distribution label specializing in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror genre entertainment for mainstream audiences. Together with sister labels MAIDEN JAPAN (TOKYO MAGNITUDE 8.0, PAT LABOR, ROYAL SPACE FORCE) and SWITCHBLADE PICTURES (BIG BAD MAMA-SAN, ATTACK GIRLS SWIM TEAM VS. THE UNDEAD) Kraken’s goal is "to bring the best filmed entertainment from around the world to our customers."

Friday, April 18, 2014

GODZILLA returns!

Rialto Pictures
presents
Rialto Pictures
Godzilla: The Japanese Original
Directed by Ishirô Honda
Japan, 1954, 96 minutes

Yes, that's right, Godzilla is back. Not Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the 80 minute, 1956 U.S. travesty with substantial cuts from the original and additional footage featuring Raymond Burr, but a new restoration of Ishirô Honda’s complete, uncut original landmark kaiju eiga (monster movie). Featuring new subtitles by Bruce Goldstein and Michie Yamakawa, Godzilla: The Japanese Original will play at Film Forum, at 209 West Houston Street, in New York starting today, Friday, April 18 through Thursday, April 24 to commemorate the picture’s 60th anniversary. Showtimes daily at 1:15, 3:15, 5:15, 7:30, & 9:45. Godzilla: The Japanese Original will subsequently roll out in other U.S. cities in May, July and August. For a complete list of cities, theaters and opening dates, click here.


I am sure that I saw Godzilla, King of the Monsters as an eight year old back in 1956, with additional viewings on TV over the years. I only got to see the original Japanese version when it was released awhile back on a very good two-disc DVD edition from Classic Media that featured both versions of the film. Subsequently, The Criterion Collection also put out a two-disc edition that included both versions.

So I was very excited when I got to see this new restoration at a press screening at Film Forum, and overall it was a wonderful experience. Truth be told, a few shots on the first boat that sinks seemed to be a bit on the dark side, which I verified by watching both the Classic Media and Criterion DVDs. (The darkness may have had something to do with the movie being a digital projection.) Other than that, the imaging was first-rate, as were the subtitles. And part of me did wish that I was watching it on one of the large theater screens of my youth. But except for The Ziegfeld Theater and a few other dinosaurs (no pun intended), multiplex-sized screens are now the norm.

Still, it was wonderful to sit in a dark theater and watch the big guy wreck havoc on Tokyo once again. The original version is very powerful, even with the obvious miniatures, the use of toy models, and the occasionally visible wires. One thing that I've come to appreciate -- at least to some degree -- is what it must have been like for Japanese audiences to watch the film in 1954, roughly nine years after the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were all but obliterated by the two atomic bombs that were dropped on them, leading to the end of World War II.  Certain buildings Godzilla destroys would have been readily recognizable to them, whereas they're just buildings to Western eyes. And i can't begin to describe the incredible feeling I had when Akira Ifukube's Godzilla theme came blaring out of the theater's audio system. Let's just say I applauded enthusiastically.

This original, uncut restoration of Godzilla is the way to see this seminal film, and a theatrical setting is the place in which to do it. While watching either the Classic Media or Criterion DVDs in your living room is a wonderful thing to be able to do, seeing Godzilla: The Japanese Original at Film Forum or one of the other theaters where it will be playing is hands down the way to go.

A Toho Film / A Rialto Pictures Release

Other Godzilla news:

- Legendary Pictures’ remake of Godzilla, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan Cranston, opens nationwide on May 16.

- This summer Kraken Releasing will be putting out three Godzilla features: 1971’s Godzilla® vs.Hedorah™ (released theatrically in the U.S in 1972 as Godzilla® vs. the Smog Monster), 1966’s Ebirah™, Horror of the Deep (originally released in the U.S. in 1968 under the title Godzilla® Vs. The Sea Monster) and 1972’s Godzilla® vs. Gigan™ (released in the U.S. in 1977 as Godzilla® on Monster Island). Each title will be available on Blu-ray and DVD and will include both the English dubbed and original Japanese soundtrack with English subtitles.

Sunday, April 06, 2014

Theatrical run of new restoration of GODZILLA: THE JAPANESE ORIGINAL coming April 18 thru 24

Rialto Pictures
GODZILLA: THE JAPANESE ORIGINAL / GOJIRA
Directed by Ishirô Honda
Japan, 1954, 96 minutes

Here's exciting press release information about the one-week long theatrical release of the original Godzilla later this month.

A new restoration of GODZILLA: THE JAPANESE ORIGINAL, Ishirô Honda’s landmark of the kaiju eiga - or Japanese monster movie - will run at Film Forum [at 209 West Houston Street] in New York from Friday, April 18 through Thursday, April 24 (one week) to commemorate the picture’s 60th anniversary. Showtimes daily at 1:15, 3:15, 5:15, 7:30, & 9:45. The restored original will also play in other major cities the same week. [For further information, showtimes and to order tickets for screenings at Film Form, click here.]

On a sunny day and calm waters, a Japanese steamer sinks in flames when the sea erupts; a salvage vessel sent to the rescue disappears the same way; exhausted, incoherent survivors babble of a monster. Could it be...? Godzilla was the biggest budgeted film in Japanese history at that time, costing nearly twice as much as the same studio’s The Seven Samurai, released the same year. An enormous hit, it spawned 50 years of sequels, countless rip-offs, and a new genre: the kaiju eiga. Released in the U.S. two years later as Godzilla: King of the Monsters, a butchered [80 minute] version with the Japanese footage re-cut, re-arranged and atrociously dubbed, it added new scenes (shot in Hollywood) of a pre-Perry Mason Raymond Burr observing the action from the sidelines. This, the Godzilla most American fans remember, is a mere shadow of the original. [Note that for several years very good two-disc DVD editions featuring both versions have been available in North America, first from Classic Media, more recently from The Criterion Collection.]

A TOHO FILM.  A RIALTO PICTURES RELEASE.

To make room for Burr and to excise a strong anti-nuclear subtext, King of the Monsters deleted 40 minutes of the Japanese version — its very heart — including the opening credits and ominous main theme by the great Akira Ifukube; Tokyo commuters wisecracking about surviving yet another disaster; a vituperative session in the Japanese parliament; the original cautionary ending; and more scenes with the real (human) star of the movie, Takashi Shimura, best known for his Kurosawa roles, including the doomed central character of Ikiru and as the leader of the Seven Samurai.

The original Godzilla is truly terrifying — a 30-story Jurassic behemoth intent on destroying an exquisitely detailed miniature Tokyo – a tour de force by special effects genius Eiji Tsuburaya, whose use of “suitmation,” the often-belittled “man in a monster suit” method, was due to time and budget restraints. But, in concert with noirish cinematography, this low-tech approach is still as thrilling as ever. This stunning new restoration of the complete, uncut version features new subtitles by Bruce Goldstein and Michie Yamakawa.

Legendary Pictures’ remake of Godzilla, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan Cranston, opens nationwide on May 16.

Friday, February 21, 2014

GODZILLA - new restoration of the original, uncut Japanese version to debut April 12th in Hollywood

Godzilla - a TOHO Film a RIALTO PICTURES release
GODZILLA: The Japanese Original

60th Anniversary of Landmark Monster Movie

New Restoration of Uncut Version to premiere at
TCM Classic Film Festival in April followed by
national release from Rialto Pictures

A new restoration of GODZILLA: THE JAPANESE ORIGINAL, the monster classic that has spawned six decades of sequels, imitations, and remakes, will debut April 12 at the fifth TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, followed by a national release beginning at New York’s Film Forum, April 18-24.

GODZILLA was originally released in the United States in 1956 as Godzilla: King of the Monsters, a cut, dubbed and re-edited version that inserted American actor Raymond Burr into the action; only an hour was used of the original’s 98 minute running time. Burr does not appear in the original, uncut version, which has an all-Japanese cast including Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura, who the very same year appeared as leader of the Seven Samurai.

As directed by Ishirô Honda, with special effects by the legendary Eiji Tsuburaya, GODZILLA: THE JAPANESE ORIGINAL is much darker in tone than the dumbed-down U.S. release version, which entirely eliminated the original’s underlying theme: in the Japanese version, the monster is clearly a metaphor for the nuclear menace and the film itself a cry for world peace and disarmament. The American version also cut out all of the original’s astonishing Strangelove-like black humor.

The original GODZILLA holds up as one of the greatest science fiction/monster films ever made, boasting still-impressive special effects, as the radiation-breathing prehistoric monster, awakened after millennia by Hydrogen Bomb testing – and impervious to repeated shelling by the Japanese army – wreaks destruction on Tokyo.

GODZILLA became Toho Studio’s #1 box office hit of 1954 (its #2 that year was Seven Samurai) and was so popular worldwide that the company has since produced nearly 30 sequels and remakes; a statue near Toho headquarters in Tokyo pays tribute to their most valuable property. In 1984, the prestigious film journal Kinema Junpo rated it among the top 20 Japanese films of all time. In 1989, a published survey of 370 Japanese movie critics, Nihon Eiga Besuto 150 (Best 150 Japanese Films), ranked Godzilla the 27th greatest Japanese feature ever made.

A new American version of Godzilla from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, directed by Gareth Edwards (2010’s Monsters), will be released nationally May 16.

Saturday, February 01, 2014

Section23 Films announces May slate of releases, including 3 Godzilla flicks


Home video distributor Section23 Films has announced its May slate of releases; including classic GODZILLA® titles from the new international video distribution label KRAKEN RELEASING, which has acquired  “GODZILLA® VS. HEDORAH™”, “EBIRAH™, HORROR OF THE DEEP” & “GODZILLA® VS.GIGAN™”, which will be available on both DVD and for the first time, Blu-ray.

Product details follow, in order of release.

Title:                 EBIRAH™, HORROR OF THE DEEP
Published by:    Kraken Releasing
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         88 min.
Street Date:      5/6/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $9.98

SYNOPSIS:  When Ryota's brother Yata disappears at sea, the intrepid youth and his friends join forces with a slightly trustworthy bank robber, steal a boat and go after him!  Of course, there's the little problem that Yata may be lost on a mysterious island where the evil terrorist organization Red Bamboo has enslaved natives to make heavy water for nefarious purposes. And that means dealing with the island's monstrous, 164 feet tall guardian Ebirah™, as well as Red Bamboo's arsenal of super advanced weaponry.  On the plus side, help may be at hand in the form of a nubile island girl, two tiny fairies, their giant protector Mothra™ and the big G himself, the mighty Godzilla®.  Surviving the results of all that "assistance" may not be guaranteed, but Red Bamboo will never want to tangle with teenagers AND Godzilla® at the same time again!  Take a South Seas cruise to non-stop mayhem and giant monster destruction with EBIRAH™- HORROR OF THE DEEP!


Title:                 EBIRAH™, HORROR OF THE DEEP BLU-RAY
Published by:    Kraken Releasing
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         88 min.
Street Date:      5/6/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $14.98

SYNOPSIS:  When Ryota's brother Yata disappears at sea, the intrepid youth and his friends join forces with a slightly trustworthy bank robber, steal a boat and go after him!  Of course, there's the little problem that Yata may be lost on a mysterious island where the evil terrorist organization Red Bamboo has enslaved natives to make heavy water for nefarious purposes. And that means dealing with the island's monstrous, 164 feet tall guardian Ebirah™, as well as Red Bamboo's arsenal of super advanced weaponry.  On the plus side, help may be at hand in the form of a nubile island girl, two tiny fairies, their giant protector Mothra™ and the big G himself, the mighty Godzilla®.  Surviving the results of all that "assistance" may not be guaranteed, but Red Bamboo will never want to tangle with teenagers AND Godzilla® at the same time again!  Take a South Seas cruise to non-stop mayhem and giant monster destruction with EBIRAH™- HORROR OF THE DEEP!


Title:                 GODZILLA® VS.GIGAN™
Published by:    Kraken Releasing
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         90 min.
Street Date:      5/6/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $9.98

SYNOPSIS: When alien invaders, plans for a children's theme park and four giant monsters with six heads between them all collide, the result is the inevitable battle for the fate of the Earth. At least, that's how it is for Godzilla®, who teams up with his former spiky foe Anguirus™ for a tag team match against two of his greatest adversaries: the legendary three headed King Ghidorah™ and Gigan™, the cyborg hench-monster for insidious insect aliens whose plot to wipe out all human life is cleverly disguised as plans for the construction of a new children's theme park.  Unfortunately for the bug's diabolical designs, their secret monster control codes are accidentally discovered by comic book artist Gengo Kotaka, who broadcasts the master tape and brings Team Godzilla® into play.  It's not going to be an easy fight, though, as the odds are four heads to  two, and King Ghidorah™'s one of Godzilla®'s toughest opponents.  With his cybernetic weaponry Gigan™ is equally ruthless, and his alien masters are as hard to kill as the cockroaches they resemble.   Will Earth's biggest defenders finally fall?  Or will Godzilla®, and insecticide, triumph over all?  Find out in GODZILLA® VS. GIGAN™!


Title:                 GODZILLA® VS.GIGAN™ BLU-RAY
Published by:    Kraken Releasing
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         90 min.
Street Date:      5/6/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $14.98

SYNOPSIS: When alien invaders, plans for a children's theme park and four giant monsters with six heads between them all collide, the result is the inevitable battle for the fate of the Earth. At least, that's how it is for Godzilla®, who teams up with his former spiky foe Anguirus™ for a tag team match against two of his greatest adversaries: the legendary three headed King Ghidorah™ and Gigan™, the cyborg hench-monster for insidious insect aliens whose plot to wipe out all human life is cleverly disguised as plans for the construction of a new children's theme park.  Unfortunately for the bug's diabolical designs, their secret monster control codes are accidentally discovered by comic book artist Gengo Kotaka, who broadcasts the master tape and brings Team Godzilla® into play.  It's not going to be an easy fight, though, as the odds are four heads to  two, and King Ghidorah™'s one of Godzilla®'s toughest opponents.  With his cybernetic weaponry Gigan™ is equally ruthless, and his alien masters are as hard to kill as the cockroaches they resemble.   Will Earth's biggest defenders finally fall?  Or will Godzilla®, and insecticide, triumph over all?  Find out in GODZILLA® VS. GIGAN™!


Title:                 GODZILLA® VS. HEDORAH™
Published by:    Kraken Releasing
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         86 min.
Street Date:      5/6/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $9.98

SYNOPSIS: Forget about acid rain and global warming!  The worst ecological nightmare is actually Hedorah™, which starts off small but quickly mutates into a giant flying monster capable of wiping out all life on whatever unfortunate planet it lands on!  And since Hedorah™ grows by consuming the toxic gases and chemicals mankind has spilled into the air and water, in the early 1970s that means that its potential growth is unlimited!  Fortunately for the human race, the Earth has an ultimate green defender who doesn't need to sing protest songs or try to enact new laws to get things done.  Because nobody, and nothing, can stop Godzilla® when he decides to push an environmental issue, and while Hedorah™ may be the dirtiest opponent Godzilla® has ever faced, his name is going to be mud by the time he's been stomped into the whole Earth a few dozen times.  Get ready for the wildest Godzilla® film ever as the social concerns and way out fashions of the seventies collide head on with the ultimate in big monster brawls in GODZILLA® VS. HEDORAH™!


Title:                 GODZILLA® VS. HEDORAH™
Published by:    Kraken Releasing
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         86 min.
Street Date:      5/6/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $14.98

SYNOPSIS: Forget about acid rain and global warming!  The worst ecological nightmare is actually Hedorah™, which starts off small but quickly mutates into a giant flying monster capable of wiping out all life on whatever unfortunate planet it lands on!  And since Hedorah™ grows by consuming the toxic gases and chemicals mankind has spilled into the air and water, in the early 1970s that means that its potential growth is unlimited!  Fortunately for the human race, the Earth has an ultimate green defender who doesn't need to sing protest songs or try to enact new laws to get things done.  Because nobody, and nothing, can stop Godzilla® when he decides to push an environmental issue, and while Hedorah™ may be the dirtiest opponent Godzilla® has ever faced, his name is going to be mud by the time he's been stomped into the whole Earth a few dozen times.  Get ready for the wildest Godzilla® film ever as the social concerns and way out fashions of the seventies collide head on with the ultimate in big monster brawls in GODZILLA® VS. HEDORAH™!


Title:                 PERSONA 4: THE ANIMATION COMPLETE COLLECTION
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         670 min.
Street Date:      5/6/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $79.98

SYNOPSIS: When Yu Narukami moves to the country town of Inaba to stay with his uncle and cousin, he's expecting a lot more peace and quiet than he's been used to in the big city.  What he isn't expecting is for his uncle's job as a police detective to spill over into his own life.  Or for the murders that are occurring across town to be somehow linked to Yu's own strange experiences: odd local weather patterns, and a mysterious TV show world that seems to be attempting to get Yu to enter it!  Now, together with a new group of friends, Yu must plunge into a bizarre alternate reality where he gains unique abilities that will either help him solve the riddle of the mystery killer, or lead him to his doom.  Journey into the Velvet Room and beyond as the hit PlayStation 2® game becomes a spectacular anime in PERSONA 4: The Complete Collection!


Title:                 BOOK OF BANTORRA COMPLETE COLLECTION
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         675 min.
Street Date:      5/13/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $79.98



Title:                 BOOK OF BANTORRA COMPLETE COLLECTION BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         675 min.
Street Date:      5/13/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $99.98

SYNOPSIS: In another time and place, on a world of pain and sorrow, when someone dies, their soul doesn't go to Heaven or Hell - it becomes a book.  A book that reveals the deceased's innermost secrets and that can be read by anyone.  Protecting these priceless treasures is the elite organization known as the Armed Librarians.  It's their job to keep the books and the knowledge within them safe from those who would misuse or destroy them.  It's a tough, dangerous job, so Chief Librarian Hamyuts Maseta recruits only the best and the brightest psychics to join her team of expert fighters.  Even so, will they be able to stop the fanatics of the Shindeki Church from wreaking vengeance on the entire world?  Only time will tell, but that book hasn't been written yet.  Don't miss the non-stop action of The Book of Bantorra Complete Collection.


Title:                 HAKKENDEN: EIGHT DOGS OF THE EAST SEASON 1
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         325 min.
Street Date:      5/20/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $59.98

SYNOPSIS: When their village was wiped out five years ago, there were only three young survivors: Shino Inuzuka, Sosuke Inukawa, and the girl Hamaji.  Through a quirk of fate, both boys share the same peony-shaped birthmark.  Genpachi Inukai and Kobungo Inuta were raised hundreds of miles away as foster brothers, but they too share the same birthmark.  When they went north as part of the army three years ago, they went to confront demons and came back forever transformed.  Now the Imperial Church has come for Shino and Sosuke and they must find eight mystical gems and their owners or face a fate worse than death at the hands of the Church.  One of Japan's greatest works of literature is born again in HAKKENDEN: EIGHT DOGS OF THE EAST!


Title:                 HAKKENDEN: EIGHT DOGS OF THE EAST SEASON 1 BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         325 min.
Street Date:      5/20/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $69.98

SYNOPSIS: When their village was wiped out five years ago, there were only three young survivors: Shino Inuzuka, Sosuke Inukawa, and the girl Hamaji.  Through a quirk of fate, both boys share the same peony-shaped birthmark.  Genpachi Inukai and Kobungo Inuta were raised hundreds of miles away as foster brothers, but they too share the same birthmark.  When they went north as part of the army three years ago, they went to confront demons and came back forever transformed.  Now the Imperial Church has come for Shino and Sosuke and they must find eight mystical gems and their owners or face a fate worse than death at the hands of the Church.  One of Japan's greatest works of literature is born again in HAKKENDEN: EIGHT DOGS OF THE EAST!


Title:                 LOVE, CHUNIBYO & OTHER DELUSIONS COMPLETE COLLECTION
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         325 min.
Street Date:      5/27/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Yuta Togashi has a problem.  He used to be a "chunibyo", one of the thousands of Japanese students so desperate to stand out that they've literally convinced themselves that they have secret knowledge and hidden powers.  But now that he's starting high school, he's determined to put aside his delusions and face life head on.  The trouble is Rikka Takanashi, his upstairs neighbor, is JUST a little bit delusional herself.  And she knows all about his past indiscretions.  Yuta thought his delusions were all behind him.  Now he's not so sure.  "Crazy in love" gets a whole new meaning as fantasy worlds collide in LOVE, CHUNIBYO & OTHER DELUSIONS!


Title:                 LOVE, CHUNIBYO & OTHER DELUSIONS COMPLETE COLLECTION BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         325 min.
Street Date:      5/27/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Yuta Togashi has a problem.  He used to be a "chunibyo", one of the thousands of Japanese students so desperate to stand out that they've literally convinced themselves that they have secret knowledge and hidden powers.  But now that he's starting high school, he's determined to put aside his delusions and face life head on.  The trouble is Rikka Takanashi, his upstairs neighbor, is JUST a little bit delusional herself.  And she knows all about his past indiscretions.  Yuta thought his delusions were all behind him.  Now he's not so sure.  "Crazy in love" gets a whole new meaning as fantasy worlds collide in LOVE, CHUNIBYO & OTHER DELUSIONS!


Title:                 MOTTO TO LOVE RU SEASON 2 BLU-RAYCOLLECTION
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      5/27/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $59.98

SYNOPSIS: The insanity that began when a very naked (and very female) alien teleported into Rito Yuki's bathtub (while he was in it) continues.  And even though Princess Lala has finally started to admit her true feelings for the young man she's inexplicably engaged to marry (as a result of what happened in said bathtub and Develuke customs,) her sometimes erratic technology and the snags and snarls of intergalactic politics and intrigue are still causing major problems.  That transporter?  Yeah, it still has the nasty habit of leaving the clothes behind.  Alien bounty hunters?  Yep, even more of them and they're even more devious.  Add body switches, alien skunks, a bathroom that changes size and shape, the inevitable sleepover that you just know it's going to go horribly, horribly wrong, and worst of all, Valentine's Day, and even in space you'll be able to hear Rito scream!  Love takes a quantum shift into the wrong gear and the star brakes are broken in the extra-special, extra-crazy extraterrestrial romance to end them all, MOTTO TO LOVE RU - The Complete Collection! Now in high definition!

Monday, April 30, 2012

ACF 1450: GODZILLA coming to Japan Society this coming Saturday! Admission FREE; RSVP suggested

GODZILLA” (a.k.a. “GOJIRA”) © 1954 Toho Co., Ltd. “GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS” © 1956 Toho Co., Ltd. Godzilla, Gojira, the character designs and King of the Monsters are trademarks of Toho Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
Godzilla / Gojira
Directed by Ishiro Honda
With Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura
Japan, 1954, 96 minutes
When: Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 4:00 PM
Where: Japan Society
333 East 47th Street, NYC
Between 1st and 2nd Avenues
In Japanese with English subtitles
Co-presented with Subway Cinema

Godzilla is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning almost 30 sequels. Japan Society id showing the original, 1954 Japanese version (not to be confused with Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the far inferior 1956 “Americanized” version with additional scenes featuring actor Raymond Burr).

Admission is free, but RSVP is suggested. Please RSVP by Wednesday, May 2, noon, at rsvp-openhouse@japansociety.org

Part of the Open House Weekend, May 5-6, 2012.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

ACF 741: GODZILLA comic coming from IDW Publishing early in 2011!!!

Godzilla® Finds New Stomping Grounds at IDW

The King of the Monsters™ returns to comics…
and this time, he’s not alone

The biggest star in motion pictures prepares to wreak havoc once again! IDW Publishing is thrilled to announce a partnership with Toho Co., Ltd. to create all-new GODZILLA comics. Starting in 2011, Godzilla will smash his way back onto the scene with a cast of characters from his films never before seen in comics.

“This new series will be monsters and mayhem, but most importantly, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Yukio Kotaki of Toho. “Godzilla has been gone from comics for too long and we feel that IDW is the perfect company to welcome him back in 2011.”

In addition to the King of the Monsters himself, the new comics from IDW Publishing and Toho Co., Ltd. will feature many of Godzilla’s friends and foes, including MOTHRA™, KING GHIDORAH™, RODAN™ and more that have never before been featured in an American comic book series alongside Godzilla. With an impressive cast of monsters both old and new, IDW’s series will treat fans to both familiar themes and original takes on the pop culture legends that have stomped, smashed, and fought their way across movie screens for over five decades.

“Not only is Godzilla known worldwide, he’s loved worldwide, too. Having a film career with more than 25 movies and going on a 56-year span pretty much solidifies you as a legend, and IDW is really looking forward to contributing to that legacy,” said Chris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer and Editor-in Chief for IDW Publishing. “We wanted Godzilla to return to comics, but this time we wanted him to have some company. I think fans will be pleased with the monster guest appearances, which will really offer something for every fan of these films. There are the classic characters, but there are also a few surprises, too.”

Debuting in February 2011, fans can expect to see a number of unique storylines from some of the industry’s top creators.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.