Friday, December 31, 2010

Godzilla Star-Power In Ginza

by Armand Vaquer

Source: Clawmark Toys

Above, past Toho Godzilla stars join Tom and Diane Dougherty at the Godzilla Fan Club's event in Ginza. Left to right: Kenji Sahara, Hiroshi Koizumi, Diane, Tom and Akira Takarada. Photo courtesy of Clawmark Toys.

The Santa & Mrs. Claus of Japan, Tom & Diane Dougherty, attended a Godzilla Fan Club event on Christmas Day that was held in Ginza, Tokyo. The event was held in a building across Ginza Crossing from the Wako Department Store.

Says Tom Dougherty:

We were lucky enough to get invited to a Godzilla Fan Club function on Christmas day. Check out our site for the full story and all the photos.

Lots of Godzilla star power. The event was held right across from the Wako Dept. Store (how fitting). I am attaching a couple of photos you might enjoy. Anyway check our site under "Monster Happenings In Tokyo."


Above, with Godzilla in the foreground, the Wako Department Store clock tower can be seen from the party room's window. Photo courtesy of Clawmark Toys.

A Look Around Godzilla's Old Stomping Ground

by Armand Vaquer

The print edition of The Daily Yomiuri article, "A Look Around Godzilla's Old Stomping Ground" showed up (faster than I expected) in the mailbox today.

I scanned the article and here it is below (click on image to view larger):



The interview for the article and photo were done on December 7th in Hibiya and published in the December 24 edition.

In case you haven't read the article or the image isn't clear enough, here's the full text:

A look around Godzilla's old stomping ground

Tom Baker / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

Godzilla was the embodiment of war in his eponymous 1954 debut film, but he saved the Earth from ecological doom in Godzilla vs the Smog Monster in 1971. The giant reptilian monster has meant many things to many people.

But did you ever imagine him as a tourist? According to The Monster Movie Fan's Guide to Japan (51 pp, 15 dollars, available via www.comixpress.com), Godzilla has ranged as far north as Sapporo, where he destroyed the TV Tower in one of his many films, and as far south as the Sakurajima volcano in Kyushu, near which he came ashore in another.

One place he hasn't visited is New York. Or perhaps that point is arguable. Armand Vaquer, the guidebook's author, told The Daily Yomiuri in a recent interview that devoted fans refer to the 1998 U.S. film in which Godzilla took a bite of the Big Apple as GINO ("Godzilla In Name Only").

For fans devoted enough to make a pilgrimage to Japan, Vaquer's book will tell them where to find landmarks associated not only with Godzilla, but also with his titanic terrapin counterpart, Gamera.

Some of the practical information in the book is a bit dated. For instance, it has been a few years since a plane-to-terminal bus ride was a routine part of arriving at Narita Airport.

However, most travelers are likely to rely on more conventional guidebooks for such details, using this one for it specialized insights. Those begin at the airport, too, about which Vaquer writes: "Interestingly, a video of the procedures at the Immigration desk features G-FEST XIV [monster fan convention] guest and Godzilla actress Shelley Sweeney. So at least you will be able to see a familiar, friendly face."

Vaquer's devotion to his subject shines through in his book and also in person, but it is not uncritical devotion. In the entry on the Seto Ohashi bridge, which connects Okayama and Kagawa prefectures, he writes, "In Godzilla vs King Ghidora (1991) King Ghidora blasts the bridge (in a not-too-convincing effect) during a fly-by."

A more positively memorable scene involved what Vaquer described in the interview as a cake-shaped cinema that stood on the site of the present-day Yurakucho Mullion building in Tokyo.

"That was in the 1954 Godzilla, where Godzilla steps on the train tracks, and the power surging through him causes his tail to whip about, and it smashes into the building. The inside joke there is that the patrons that were seeing the movie in that actual theater got to see the tail just hit the building they're sitting in watching it," he said.

In another part of town, the Diet Building has suffered abuse in several films, by Godzilla, Mechagodzilla, Mothra and King Kong, which must have been a cathartic experience for at least some members of the audience each time.

The book includes a page about the Daigo Fukuryu Maru Exhibition Hall in Koto Ward, Tokyo, which houses the Japanese fishing boat whose 1954 irradiation by fallout from a U.S. hydrogen bomb test was a real-life reference point for the original Godzilla film.

For monster movie fans, a stop at this spot will mark a solemn pause in an otherwise lighthearted journey.

The Top Monster / Sci Fi Stories Of 2010

Compiled By: Ken Hulsey

Here we are with 2011 about to begin within the next few hours, so I thought this would be the perfect time to post about the top stories published during 2010 here at MIN.

How do I know what are the top stories of the year are? Well, I am a control freak, so I constantly keep track of the number of hits that each article gets. Based on those hits, here are the stories that got the most visits and were linked to by the most "outside" news sources and web sites.

If you are a fan of giant monster movies, either with or without 80s pop stars in them, namely "Godzilla", then 2010 was your year. Fans all over the world went loco when Legendary pictures announced that they were going to produce a brand-new "G" film in 2012. Also the numerous monster epics produced by The Asylum for the SyFy channel were very popular.

The top story, however, did not involve a giant lizard, but a group of popular paranormal investigators, who have their own TV show, that manged to walk through the busy hallways of Comic Con undetected.

Here is this years top stories:

10. Long Lost Print Of KING KONG Discovered In London Cinema

It seems that a rare print of the 1933 classic film "King Kong" has turned up in a rather unlikely place, buried in the wall of a London cinema.

During recent renovations to the Grosvenor Cinema, a worker named Ross McMillan was working on knocking down a partition wall in the projection room when he noticed something odd looking in the rubble. To his amazement he discovered that it was a copy of "King Kong." Not just any copy, mind you, a copy that has been missing from the vaults of RKO for more than seventy years. An original print, that may very well contain scenes cut out of the film, including the long-lost Lizard and Spider canyon sequences.

READ MORE

9. Godzilla 3-D, Godzilla 2012, Rumors And Misinformation Abound

It seems that I may have been duped? Earlier today I posted an article about the possible hiring of Keith Melton as the director of Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros upcoming "Godzilla" movie.

Now, that I have had time to do some research, it seems that this report was in error......or was it? Frankly, I'm not sure, there seems to be some confusion.

Now, first off, my source for the Melton hiring, was IMDB, which I have learned from fans, is about as reliable a source for movie info as a drunk at a party.

READ MORE

8. "Xena" The Movie? Lawless Still Wants To Resurrect The 'Warrior Princess'

Back in 2008 actress Lucy Lawless made it public that she wanted to reprise the role that made her a fanboy....and fangirl....favorite, that of "Xena, The Warrior Princess."

Well her we are almost two years later, and Lawless is echoing the same desire to strap on the leather again. This time, however, the New Zealander doesn't think that reviving the series is the answer. No, Lawless thinks that it is time for a "Xena" movie.

The actress recently told reporters, "I love that character. I would do it if it was a movie. I doubt I would do it as a TV series. I can't see how you would make it fresh."

Just like before, Lawless understands that she isn't getting any younger, and the time may be now to get the ball rolling on any "Xena" related projects.

READ MORE

7. The First Look At Roger Corman's 'Dinoshark'

Isn't it wonderful that giant mutant monsters are popular again. After J.J. Abrams unleashed his giant monster movie, "Cloverfield", in theaters two years ago, there has been a non-stop parade of independent features where the motto, "bigger is better", has really been taken seriously.

Last year, The Asylum, made a huge media splash with their film "Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus". The film featured former 80s pop sensation, Debbie Gibson, playing second fiddle to a titanic shark and an equally gigantic octopus. Likewise, films of the same vein like, "Dinocroc vs. Supergator", "Megaconda," and even The Asylum's follow-up to "Mega Shark", called "Megapiranha", were all rushed into production by the end of 2009.

Now it seems that the king of B movie monsters, Roger Corman, was feeling a little left-out by all of this, so he has developed his own giant monster film for the SyFy Channel called, "Dinoshark."

Lets see....Megaconda....Dinocrock.....Mega Shark........Dinoshark. Makes perfect sense in the grand scheme of things, doesn't it?

READ MORE

6. New Legendary Pictures GODZILLA Design To Be Revealed At Comic Con!

Many things can be determined from looking at this really cool artwork, the most important of which is the fact that the studio is going to go with the 'classic' Japanese Godzilla look, instead of trying to reinvent the monster like Tristar tried to do back in 1998.

That should put a lot of the fears expressed by the fan base to rest.

It is obvious from this that Legendary is taking this project very seriously and like in the very first Godzilla film (Gojira 1954) the monster will be 'true' bringer of mass destruction.

Which means plenty of city stomping action that should make all of us Godzilla movie fans very, very happy.

Am I reading too much from just a simple t-shirt image. Possibly, but at least you can gauge the 'general' idea of where Legendary Pictures is intending to go with this.

"Old School"

READ MORE

5. Gemma Arterton To Replace Sigourney Weaver In New ALIEN 3D?

Ever since Sigourney Weaver turned down a chance to reprise the role of Ripley in Ridley Scott's upcoming "Alien 3D" prequel, the film maker has been searching for a strong, yet beautiful, woman to take on H.R. Giger's most famous creation.

There have been plenty of names floating around, but none of them seemed to be in any serious contention for the lead role in the film, that is, until now.

Though her publicists were trying to deny it like mad, "Prince Of Persia" star Gemma Arterton has come forward publicly to announce that she has the inside track to land the coveted role. At the Toronto International Film Festival this past weekend, where Arterton was in attendance promoting her new film "Tamara Drewe" the actress let it slip that, "The honest truth is that Ridley Scott has approached me to meet with him about something in the next few weeks."

READ MORE

4. Zack Snyder To Helm New Superman Movie

While the last Superman movie, Superman Returns, had spectacular special effects and it made over $200 million, it is considered a flop as it failed to re-start the franchise.

It is rumored that the movie is to feature the Kryptonian villain, General Zod. Right now, Legendary Pictures and Warner Brothers are being tight-lipped.

But who will play the Man of Steel? Whomever it is, he has to look like Superman, not Superboy. And ditch that last costume design!

READ MORE

3. Jurassic Park 4 Has Risen From The Grave..And So Has 5 & 6?

Back in 2008, immediately after the death of Jurassic Park author writer Michael Crichton, Universal and producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy announced that they had decided to abandon any hopes of producing a fourth film.

That was two years ago, it it seems that everyone involved has gotten over mourning the loss of Crichton and are now ready to go forward with "Jurassic Park 4", plus "5" and "6", for that matter.

"Jurassic Park 3" director Joe Johnston has now come forward and announced that Universal is ready to launch a brand new trilogy that will be a whole new bread of cat.

"There is going to be a Jurassic Park IV. And it's going to be unlike anything you've seen. It breaks away from the first three - it's essentially the beginning of the second Jurassic Park trilogy. It's going to be done in a completely different way.

"If you think of the first three as a trilogy, number four would be the beginning of a second trilogy. We just want to make them justified in their own right. We don't want to make sequel after sequel just because there's a market for it. We want to tell different, interesting stories."

The last time anyone heard about "Jurassic Park 4", was way back in August of 2007. At that time, Laura Dern had been reportedly cast to reprise her role as Ellie Sattler from the first film.

READ MORE

2. It's Official! A New Godzilla Movie Is Coming In 2012!

Rumors that Legendary Pictures were in the process of making a new, American, "Godzilla" film first surfaced last August, and now they have been officially confirmed.

Yes, my friends, the studio has just announced that they have struck a deal with the famed Toho studios in Japan to produce a brand-new "Godzilla" movie, which will be released through Warner Bros in 2012.

According to the deal, Warner Bros will co-produce the film, and pony up some of the cash for it, while Toho will release the film in Japan.

There isn't a director yet, but the studio has announced that Dan Lin, Roy Lee Brian Rogers, Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will all serve as producers.

Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary Pictures, commented, "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. 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."

Sources close to the deal note that it will be similar in scope to other Warner/Legendary films, co-productions, such as "The Dark Knight" and "300".

READ MORE

1. GHOST ADVENTURES - Zak Bagans, Nick Grof And Aaron Goodwin At Comic Con 2010

Like I mentioned in my previous article, my experience at Comic Con was a little 'different' than that of the 'typical' fan. Instead of lusting after the 'trendy' movies and shows, my family and I were excited about a lot of things that weren't so mainstream.

One of these was the television series, "Ghost Adventures", and my wife April, son Christopher and I were really looking forward to meeting the shows stars Zak Bagans, Nick Grof and Aaron Goodwin at an autograph signing later in the afternoon.

As luck would have it, the very same people, Zak, Nick and Aaron,that we so strongly wanted to see, arrived at the convention at the exact same time that we did. Amazingly, they were just milling around in the area adjacent to the check-in and autograph areas. To our delite, we were able to snap a few photos and talk to Aaron for a few seconds. My wife was very happy to have told him that 'he was the shit!'

To our surprise, no one else even recognised them.

READ MORE

Indie Film Maker Sets The Record Straight On His Werewolf Epic

Source: Jeremiah Sayys

Independent Filmmaker Jeremiah Sayys, who made is directorial debut with the psychological horror film “Of Silence” (www.ofsilencefilm.com) due to begin hitting film festivals next year, is being linked to many projects that’s being developed by his independent production company,
WorldsLastHero Productions. Sayys’ next project seems to be the werewolf film “WULF”, but with
many rumors floating around and misinformation being spread, Sayys’ has decided to clear up the rumors and misinformation.

Sayys, “My next official project is “WULF”, a werewolf horror film that we will go into production on in April. Any rumors regarding me doing any other film project other than “WULF” is simply not true. I’m very excited about the project.

It’s a very tragic, intense story and it’s going to be an amazing experience. However, at the very beginning of this year we were set to go into pre-production on the film “DeadLands Cry”, but because of budget reasons we had to push that film back on the company’s film slate and “WULF” took its place. As far as misinformation goes, is the casting of “WULF”. A couple of actors and actresses have been linked to the film and is said to be attached, but they aren’t. We’re “in talks” with some talent, but that’s all and nothing
more as of yet.”

Sayys’ also elaborated on his next project after “WULF”.

Sayys, “I have two films that I haven’t really decided on which one I want or should do first, after WULF. One of the films is an adaptation of my sci-fi graphic novel of the same name called “Miscreation” that’s set in a semi post-apocalyptic world. The other film is called “Being”, a sci-fi/horror/thriller. “Miscreation” is a high concept story that needs a big budget to be done right. “Being” is also a high concept story, but doesn’t really need a very big budget to be done right. So it really comes down to which one we can do financially, at the time.”

Sayys wrote the screenplay to “WULF” and will be producing, directing and starring in the film. His producing partner, Sheila Ryan and their new producing partner Kira Willoughy will also serve as producers on film. “WULF” tells the story of Preston Cunningham, a mechanic struggling to make peace with his tragic past while battling an inner monster from folklore legend, after being attacked by an injured wolf in Alaska.

“Miscreation” is an action/sci-fi/horror/thriller. It takes place in the year 2065, when the United States economy has completely collapsed and the middle class has devolved to slavery. The story follows mysterious survivalists, Tristan and Haven, as they travel a disastrous landscape searching for a ruthless killer on a murdering spree. Sayys will direct from his own screenplay and will produce and star in the film. Sheila Ryan and Kira Willoughby will serve as
producers on the film. “Miscreation” is the first graphic novel in Jeremiah Sayys’ graphic novel series, “A Nothing Place”, that he is currently developing.

“Being” tells the story of an eighteen year old college student and a thirty year old plumber, who develop an uncommon relationship that is tragically put on the line when the student begins to go through terrifying phases of inner body transformations after coming in contact with an unfamiliar insect. Sayys will once again direct from his own screenplay and will produce and star in the film. Ryan and Willoughby will serve as producers.

Other films on Sayys’ plate for the future are the following:

“DeadLands Cry” - A morally upstanding single father and his strong-willed teenage daughter are put to the test when volunteers renovating an old schoolhouse find themselves trapped and hunted by an inconceivable monster with an ominous past that reaches deep into local legend.

“Amoral Prodigy”, a dark and gritty horror/thriller about a solo detective investigating a case on a serial killer whose victims are showcased in gruesome and disturbing ways.

“The Bogeyman”, a sci-fi/horror/thriller that tells the story of a philosopher and her recovering alcoholic best friend that encounter a folkloric being, when a violent storm blacks out the entire neighborhood they live in.

“Glimpses of Being”, a sci-fi/horror/thriller about a corporate operative who’s sent on a job to categorize materials stored in a storage station, located on the realms of another solar system. He begins to reflect on his life and the people who were once in it he left behind on Earth, while battling the inner demons trying to destroy him.

Visit Sayys’ production company’s website, http://www.worldslastheroproductions.com/, to find out more about his projects.

See Also: Jeremiah Sayys Talks 'Deadlands Cry'

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Its Debbie Gibson vs Tiffany (Oops) I Mean Mega Python Vs Gatoroid On SyFy

Source: NBC / Universal

In what promises to be the television movie event of 2011, 1980s singing sensations Debbie Gibson and Tiffany get down and dirty in their long-awaited pop princess smackdown when they co-star in the ripped-from-the-headlines Syfy Saturday Original Movie, Mega Python Vs Gatoroid, which will premiere Saturday, January 29, at 9PM (ET/PT).

A production of The Asylum, Mega Python Vs Gatoroid takes an up-close-and-personal look at the crisis in the Florida Everglades where invasive Burmese pythons are threatening the indigenous alligator population. Gibson portrays a fanatical animal rights advocate who spends her evenings “liberating” illegally imported exotic snakes from pet stores and setting them free in the Everglades, where the pythons grow and thrive.

Tiffany plays an over-zealous park ranger worried about the growing ecological damage. To save her beloved alligators, she’s willing to employ dubious methods, overdosing them with steroids so they grow mega, setting off a war between the species – and putting her on a collision course with Gibson.

Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary) is director of Mega Python Vs Gatoroid – the first time a woman has directed a Syfy Saturday Original Movie. The writer is Naomi Selfman (Evil Eyes).

In their most recent Syfy roles, Tiffany starred in Mega Piranha, while Gibson starred in Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus.

Tiffany at age 15 was the youngest female artist to have a #1 debut album. Her global smash hits include I Think We’re Alone Now, Could’ve Been, I Saw Him Standing There, and All this Time…selling more than 15 million records worldwide. To this day, her groundbreaking “mall tour” sets the precedent to launch young musical careers. Venturing into acting, Tiffany starred as the voice of “Judy Jetson” in Jetsons: The Movie and has appeared in many award winning indie festival films. In 2002 Tiffany graced the cover of Playboy; her pictorial became one of the best selling issues of all time. Her album The Color of Silence was named “one of the finest pop albums of 2000” by Billboard. 2007 marked her return to the Billboard charts with three Dance Hits. Tiffany makes her home in Nashville with her husband and son, and is currently writing and recording her country music debut.

Debbie Gibson began her career at 16 with the hit Only in My Dreams. She has sold 16 million albums and still holds the world's record for being the youngest writer/producer/performer of a #1 hit. She went on to star in critically acclaimed Broadway shows such as Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, and Cabaret, among others. She originated Sandy in the West End revival of Grease, breaking box office records. Gibson received rave reviews for her sold-out, one-woman show, Pop Goes Broadway, with critics calling it "the best show of the year at Harrah's." She also guest starred in Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy at MGM/Foxwoods. Currently, Gibson runs her "Electric Youth" summer camp and music programs throughout the year to mentor young aspiring songwriters and performers, as well as awards scholarships through her “Gibson Girl Foundation.” She’s also a spokesperson for Murad, Inc. As the new spokesperson for Children International, she recently spent time in impoverished villages in Manila. Her new album for Sony Japan, Ms. Vocalist, is presently Top 10 in the Billboard Charts with the first single I Love You at #1. She will be doing a concert tour overseas in February 2011.

See Also: THE CHEETAH WHORES Score A Hit For SHARKTOPUS And SyFy / MEGA SHARK vs GIGANOTOSAURUS! Okay, Enough Is Enough! / The Trailer For The Asylum's 'Mega Piranha' - Get Ready To Laugh Your Butt Off! / Tiffany To Star In The Asylum's 'Very Brady' Megapiranha Movie / Traci Lords To Play The Princess Of Mars / The Dinosaurs That Time Forgot - New Photos And Trailer / Exclusive Pics From Transmorphers: Fall Of Man / Not To Be Confused With Transformers - The First Trailer For Transmorphers Fall Of Man / Transmorphers Fall Of Man: Transforming Cell Phone Effects Shot / An Early Effects Shot From Transmorphers The Fall Of Man / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus: How Big Is Too Big? / Its An Aquatic Monster Free For All In Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus.....Oh And Debbie Gibson / DVD Art For The Land That Time Forgot / The Trailer For The Asylum's Terminators / The First Photos From The Land That Time Forgot / The Land That Time Forgot Remake Begins Filming / The Trailer For Asylum's Dragonquest / Exclusive Images From Asylum's The Terminators / The Top Ten Hottest Monsters Of 2008 / New Photos From Next Weeks Big Monster Movie Release / Monster (2008)

Vampirella Goes Toe-To-Toe With Dracula

Source: Dynamite Comics

Vampirella #5 will be a "5 Star" issue written by Eric Trautmann (Action Comics co-written with Greg Rucka), illustrated by Wagner Reis and Fabiano Neves and will arrive at comic shops next March 2011 with amazing covers by Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic, Paul Renaud, Ale Garza, and Stephen Segovia!

Carving a bloody swath through Dracula's forces, facing down the Lord of the Vampires himself, Vampirella is now face to face with an ancient, unknowable evil, a terrifying force that plans to make Vampirella its eternal queen.

"Sometimes, I really love my job," says writer Eric Trautmann. "It's not everyday you get to create a Lovecraftian horror, begin codifying an ancient religion, and pit Vampirella against Dracula himself. And working with talented co-creators -- pencillers Wagner Reis and some beautiful dream sequences by Fabiano Neves -- well, that's just the icing on the cake."
Dynamite also has several other Vampirella products that will entice fans. Dynamite Entertainment is offering a Vampirella #1 Tim Sale cover, which is a first prints that were printed at the same time as the other covers.

With Vampirella Archive Vol. 1 HC, Dynamite is collecting all Vampirella stories from the beginning in a hardcover archive collection FOR THE FIRST TIME! In September 1969, Vampirella #1 debuted with a stunning cover by the legendary Frank Frazetta - and quickly made publishing history! The writers and artists that contributed during the magazine's original run included Jose Gonzalez, Archie Goodwin, Doug Moench, Bernie Wrightson, Barry Windsor Smith, Esteban Maroto, Frank Brunner, Mike Ploog, Rudy Nebres, Richard Corben, Pablo Marcos, Wally Wood, and many more! Featuring work by Forest J. Ackerman, Don Glut, Tom Sutton, Neal Adams, Ernie Colon, Billy Graham, Alan Weiss, Jeff Jones, and Frank Frazetta, Volume One collects the first seven terrifying issues of the magazine's original run, reprinted in its original magazine-sized format, and features the very first Vampirella cover by the immortal Frank Frazetta!

The Art of Vampirella features a retrospective of artists that have contributed the most memorable imagery of Vampirella. The book features such names as Jose Gonzalez, Adam Hughes, Dave Stevens, Jim Silke, Jae Lee, Joe Jusko, Amanda Conner, Mark Texeira, Mike Mignola, Mike Mayhew, Joe Quesada, Bruce Timm, Arthur Suydam, Dan Brereton, Michael Golden, J. Scott Campbell and MANY more!

Vampirella debuted in 1969 in a black & white magazine titled simply VAMPIRELLA. With a stunning cover by legendary artist, Frank Frazetta, Vampirella #1 quickly made publishing history with its depiction of a vampire heroine, and its success prompted comics giants DC and Marvel to launch horror titles of their own. Vampirella appeared in this magazine format throughout the 1970's. Many of these classic stories were illustrated by the legendary artist Jose Gonzalez and have remained quite popular with comics fans to the present day.

After a brief publishing hiatus, Vampirella returned in 1992 and quickly regained her reigning status as the queen of all female comics characters! In continuous publication since her early 90s comeback, Vampirella has been written by top talents including Alan Moore, Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, James Robinson, Jeph Loeb, Warren Ellis, and illustrated by fan favorite artists such as Joe Quesada, J. Scott Campbell, Michael Turner, Jae Lee, Adam Hughes, Mark Texeira, Joe Jusko, Arthur Suydam, and many more! A Vampirella feature film premiered on Showtime Networks in 1996, and the character continues to appear on numerous items of licensed merchandise. Earlier this year, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the Vampirella property from Harris Publications.

Vampirella is now a part of Dynamite's thriving comic book line-up, which will propel Vampirella to new heights just as we did with Green Hornet, The Lone Ranger, Zorro, Red Sonja and more.

See Also: A Sneak Preview Of VAMPIRELLA #1 From Dynamite Comics / VAMPIRELLA To Be Reborn Courtesy Of Eric Trautmann And Dynamite Comics / Vampirella - Grave Beauty T-Shirt / Vampirella - Monster Scenes Model Kit / New Toy Wednesday! - 11 Doctors, Limited Edition Spock Kit, Gundam, Vampirella And Some Killer Anime Cleavage! / RIP Forrest J Ackerman (1916-2008) / Forrest Ackerman's Health Is Failing Now Is The Time For Fans To Contact Him

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

"Monster Japan Travel Guide vs. The Japanese Media"

PRESS RELEASE


For Immediate Release




"Monster Japan Travel Guide vs. The Japanese Media"

The world's first travel guide tailored to fans of Japanese science-fiction and fantasy movies, "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan," has made a big splash in the Japanese media.

Author Armand Vaquer of Tarzana, California recently visited Japan and was interviewed by "Japan Today," "The Daily Yomiuri" and "Metropolis" magazine on the travel guide.

"I was kept pretty busy during my trip to Japan, " said Vaquer. "During the Tokyo portion of the trip, I was interviewed by several publications and even had my photo taken with the Godzilla statue in Hibiya, Tokyo. The questions ran the gamut of monster movie locations in the travel guide to who would really win a fight between King Kong and Godzilla."

While the interviews did take up much of Vaquer's time in Tokyo, he did manage to tour around Tokyo to see the new Godzilla statue at the main gate at Toho Studios and the Tokyo Sky Tree Tower now under construction. A photo of Vaquer with the Toho Studios Godzilla statue was included with one of the interview articles.

On the Tokyo Sky Tree Tower, Vaquer was asked if Toho should resume production of Godzilla movies, "Would the Sky Tree make an appearance?" His response, "Without a doubt! Many new sites were featured in Japanese science-fiction movies over the years including the Saikai Bridge in Kyushu in "Rodan" (1956), Tokyo Tower in "Mothra" (1961) the Fukuoka Tower in "Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla" (1994) and the Atami Castle in "King Kong vs. Godzilla" (1962). These locations are featured in the travel guide. The Tokyo Sky Tree Tower would be a natural location for Godzilla to attack."

"The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan" is available through ComiXpress.com.

###

Monday, December 27, 2010

Wako Dept. Store Spotlight

Above, the Wako Dept. Store in November 2001. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

by Armand Vaquer

The Wako Department Store building in the Ginza district of Tokyo is one of the most iconic locations used in Godzilla movies.



It first appeared in Godzilla (1954) when Godzilla (above), during his nighttime rampage through Tokyo, is angered by the gonging clock on top of the building. Godzilla then proceeds to demolish the clock along with the rest of the building.

Later, the Wako Dept. Store building appears in the U.S. version of King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) via inserted stock footage.

Once again, the building appears in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) during the exploding Godzilla scenario sequence.

Above, the Wako Dept. Store in December 2010. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to Wikipedia:

From 1894 to 1921, the Hattori Clock Tower stood on the site that Wako occupies today. In 1921, the Hattori Clock Tower was demolished to rebuild a new one. The reconstruction was delayed due to the Great Kanto Earthquake of September 1, 1923. The new tower was completed in 1932 as the K. Hattori Building. In homage to its predecessor, the new store was also fitted with a clock.

Its 1932 Neo-Renaissance style building, designed by Jin Watanabe, with its curved granite façade, is the central landmark for the district and one of the few buildings in the area left standing after World War II. The building functioned as the Tokyo PX store during the Allied Occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1952. The clock tower plays the famous Westminster Chimes.


Above, the Wako Dept. Store clock in December 2010. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There are photographs of the Wako Dept. Store standing almost untouched while the rest of Ginza is in rubble due to Allied bombing raids. It is not too difficult to locate them on the Internet.



During my recent trip to Japan, the building was adorned in Christmas lighting (above).

The Wako Dept. Store is one of the must-see locations for G-fans visiting Japan. The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan covers the Wako Dept. Store building.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #11 - #20

20. The Klingons

Klingons (Klingon: tlhIngan, pronounced [ˈt͡ɬɪŋɑn]) are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe. They are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films. Initially intended to be antagonists for the crew of the USS Enterprise, the Klingons ended up a close ally of humanity and the United Federation of Planets in later television series.

As originally developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon, Klingons were darkly colored humanoids with little honor, intended as an allegory to the then-current Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, though Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry did not aspire to any political parallels. With a greatly expanded budget for makeup and effects, the Klingons were completely redesigned in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), gaining ridged foreheads that created a continuity error not explained by canon until 2005. In later films and the spin-off series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the militaristic traits of the Klingons were bolstered by an increased sense of honor and strict warrior code.

Among the elements created for the revised Klingons was a complete language, developed by Marc Okrand off gibberish suggested by actor James Doohan. Klingon has entered popular culture; the works of William Shakespeare and even parts of the Bible have been translated into the guttural language. A dictionary, a book of sayings, and a cultural guide to the language have been published. In addition, according to Guinness World Records, Klingon is the most popular fictional language by number of speakers.

19. Zombies

A zombie is asserted to be a reanimated corpse, or a human who is being controlled by someone else by use of magic with some media renditions using a pandemic illness to explain their existence. Stories of zombies originated in the West African spiritual belief system of voodoo, which told of the people being controlled as laborers by a powerful wizard. Zombies became a popular device in modern horror fiction, largely because of the success of George A. Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead and they have appeared as plot devices in various books, films and in television shows.

The modern conception of the zombie owes itself almost entirely to George A. Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead.[23][24] In his films, Romero "bred the zombie with the vampire, and what he got was the hybrid vigour of a ghoulish plague monster". This entailed an apocalyptic vision of monsters that have come to be known as Romero zombies.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times chided theater owners and parents who allowed children access to the film. "I don't think the younger kids really knew what hit them," complained Ebert. "They were used to going to movies, sure, and they'd seen some horror movies before, sure, but this was something else." According to Ebert, the film affected the audience immediately:

The kids in the audience were stunned. There was almost complete silence. The movie had stopped being delightfully scary about halfway through, and had become unexpectedly terrifying. There was a little girl across the aisle from me, maybe nine years old, who was sitting very still in her seat and crying.

Romero's reinvention of zombies is notable in terms of its thematics; he used zombies not just for their own sake, but as a vehicle "to criticize real-world social ills—such as government ineptitude, bioengineering, slavery, greed and exploitation—while indulging our post-apocalyptic fantasies". Night was the first of six films in the Living Dead series.

Innately tied with the conception of the modern zombie is the "zombie apocalypse", the breakdown of society as a result of zombie infestation, portrayed in countless zombie-related media post-Night. Scholar Kim Paffrenroth notes that "more than any other monster, zombies are fully and literally apocalyptic ... they signal the end of the world as we have known it."

Night made no reference to the creatures as "zombies". In the film they are referred as "ghouls" on the TV news reports. However, the word zombie is used continually by Romero in his 1978 script for Dawn of the Dead, including once in dialog. This "retroactively fits (the creatures) with an invisible Haitian/African prehistory, formally introducing the zombie as a new archetype".

Movie poster for the 1968 film Night of the Living DeadDawn of the Dead was released under this title just months before the release of Lucio Fulci's Zombi II (1979). Fulci's gory epic was filmed at the same time as Romero's Dawn, despite the popular belief that it was made in order to cash in on the success of Dawn. The only reference to Dawn was the title change to Zombi II (Dawn generally went by Zombi or Zombie in other countries.)

After the mid-1980s, the subgenre was mostly relegated to the underground. Notable entries include director Peter Jackson's ultra-gory film Braindead (1992) (released as Dead Alive in the U.S.), Bob Balaban's comic 1993 film My Boyfriend's Back where a self-aware high school boy returns to profess his love for a girl and his love for human flesh, and Michele Soavi's Dellamorte Dellamore (1994) (released as Cemetery Man in the U.S.). Several years later, zombies experienced a renaissance in low-budget Asian cinema, with a sudden spate of dissimilar entries including Bio Zombie (1998), Wild Zero (1999), Junk (1999), Versus (2000) and Stacy (2001).

In Disney's 1993 film Hocus Pocus, a "good zombie", Billy Butcherson played by Doug Jones, was introduced, giving yet a new kind of zombie in an intelligent, gentle, kind, and heroic being.

The turn of the millennium coincided with a decade of box office successes in which the zombie sub-genre experienced a resurgence: the Resident Evil movies in 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2010; the Dawn of the Dead remake (2004), the British films 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later and the homage/parody Shaun of the Dead (2004). The new interest allowed Romero to create the fourth entry in his zombie series: Land of the Dead, released in the summer of 2005. Romero has recently returned to the beginning of the series with the film Diary of the Dead (2008).

The depiction of zombies as biologically infected people has become increasingly popular, likely due to the 28 Days Later and Resident Evil series. More recently, Colin (UK, 2008) has taken the step of using an artisanal hand-held camcorder to provide the zombie point-of-view of the eponymous central protagonist, who is bitten (twice), turns yet retains some residual memories of his pre-revenant life. The short film screened at Cannes in 2009 and was released by Kaliedoscope Entertainment in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2009.

2006's Slither featured zombies infected with alien parasites, and 2007's Planet Terror featured a zombie outbreak caused by a biological weapon. The comedy films Zombie Strippers and Fido have also taken this approach.

As part of this resurgence, there have been numerous direct-to-video (or DVD) zombie movies made by extremely low-budget filmmakers using digital video. These can usually be found for sale online from the distributors themselves, rented in video rental stores or released internationally in such places as Thailand.

18. Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Lecter, MD is a fictional character in a series of novels by author Thomas Harris. The character is introduced in the thriller novel Red Dragon (1981) as a psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. The novel and its sequel, The Silence of the Lambs (1988), feature Lecter as one of two primary antagonists. In the third novel, Hannibal (1999), Lecter becomes the main character. His role as protagonist and anti-hero occurs in the fourth novel, Hannibal Rising (2006), which explores his childhood and development into a serial killer. Lecter's character also appears in all five film adaptations.

The first film, Manhunter, based on the novel Red Dragon, features Brian Cox as Lecter, spelled as "Lecktor". In 2002, a second adaptation of Red Dragon was made under the original title, featuring Anthony Hopkins, who had previously played Lecter in the motion pictures The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. Hopkins won an Academy Award for his performance of the character in The Silence of the Lambs in 1991. In 2003, Hannibal Lecter (as portrayed by Hopkins) was chosen by the American Film Institute as the #1 movie villain

Red Dragon was first adapted to film in 1986 as the Michael Mann film Manhunter. Due to copyright issues, the filmmakers changed the spelling of Lecter's name to "Lecktor," who was portrayed by Scottish actor Brian Cox.

In 1991, Orion Pictures produced a Jonathan Demme-directed film adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs, in which Lecter was played by Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins' Academy Award–winning performance made Lecter into a cultural icon. In 2001, Hannibal was adapted to film, with Hopkins reprising his role. The ending for the film was changed from the novel due to the controversy that the novel's ending generated upon its release in 1999: in the film adaptation, Starling attempts to apprehend Lecter, who cuts off his own hand to free himself from her handcuffs. In 2002, Red Dragon was adapted to film again under its original title Red Dragon, with Hopkins once again as Lecter and Edward Norton as Will Graham.

In late 2006, the script for the film Hannibal Rising was adapted to novel format. The novel was written to explain Lecter's development into a serial killer. In the film, the young Lecter is portrayed by Gaspard Ulliel. Both the novel and the film received generally negative critical reception.

17. The Borg

The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe.

Whereas cybernetics are used by other races in the science fiction world (and in recent times the real world) to repair bodily damage and birth defects, the Borg voluntarily submit to cybernetic enhancement as a means of achieving what they believe to be perfection (they also force their idea of perfection on others).

Aside from being the main threat in Star Trek: First Contact, the Borg also play major roles in The Next Generation and Voyager television series, primarily as an invasion threat to the United Federation of Planets and the means of return to the Alpha Quadrant for isolated Federation starship Voyager, respectively. The Borg have become a symbol in popular culture for any juggernaut against which "resistance is futile". The Borg manifest as cybernetically enhanced humanoid drones of multiple species, organized as an interconnected collective, the decisions of which are made by a hive mind, linked to subspace domain. The Borg inhabit a vast region of space in the Delta Quadrant of the galaxy, possessing millions of vessels and having conquered thousands of systems. They operate solely toward the fulfilling of one purpose: to "add the biological and technological distinctiveness of other species to [their] own" in pursuit of perfection. This is achieved through forced assimilation, a process which transforms individuals and technology into Borg, enhancing - and simultaneously controlling - individuals by implanting or appending synthetic components.

In their first introduction to the franchise (Q Who?), little information is forthcoming about the Borg or their origins and intents. In alien encounters, they exhibit no desire for negotiation or reason, only to assimilate. Exhibiting a rapid adaptability to any situation or threat, with encounters characterized by the matter-of-fact statement "Resistance is futile", the Borg develop into one of the greatest threats to Starfleet and the Federation. Originally perceived on screen as a homogeneous and anonymous entity, the concepts of a Borg Queen and central control are later introduced, while representatives for the Borg collective are occasionally employed to act as a go-between in more complicated plot lines.

In Star Trek, attempts to resist the Borg become one of the central themes, with many examples of successful resistance to the collective, both from existing or former drones, and assimilation targets. It is also demonstrated that it is possible to survive assimilation (most notably Jean-Luc Picard), and that drones can escape the collective (most notably Seven of Nine), and become individuals, or exist collectively without forced assimilation of others. They are notable for being a main antagonist race in more than one series who never appeared in the original Star Trek.

16. The Terminator

"The Terminator" refers to a number of fictional characters portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger – a cyborg, initially portrayed as a programmable assassin, main protagonist, and military infiltration unit. "The Terminator" character first appeared in the 1984 movie of the same name, directed and co-written by James Cameron, and its sequels. The first film in the series features only one cyborg: the one portrayed by Schwarzenegger, although a second Terminator played by Franco Columbu is shown in a future flashback scene. In two sequels, Schwarzenegger's Terminator is pitted against other Terminators, and appears briefly in the fourth as a CGI model.

In the sequels, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Schwarzenegger reprises the role, but with a twist: Schwarzenegger is the hero instead of the villain playing a different but visually identical Terminator in each of the three films. Within the Terminator universe created by Cameron, Terminators of the same "model" share identical characteristics. In the production of the films, this has allowed multiple Terminators to be portrayed by Schwarzenegger. In the context of the stories, this plot device provides a certain continuity for the human characters, by exploiting their emotional familiarity with a particular "human" visage.

"The Terminator" is the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in the credits of the three Terminator movies. At different times, the character is given more specific designations such as model and series numbers, in efforts to distinguish Schwarzenegger's character from other Terminators.

The Terminator appears in Terminator Salvation. Schwarzenegger reprises the role via facial CGI, while the character itself is physically portrayed by Roland Kickinger.

15. HAL 9000

HAL 9000 is the sentient on-board computer of the Discovery One spacecraft in Arthur C. Clarke's fictional Space Odyssey saga.

HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) is an artificial intelligence which interacts with the crew, usually represented only as a red television camera "eye" that can be seen throughout Discovery. He speaks in a soft voice and a conversational manner, in contrast to the ship's crew who speak in a terse way, with little inflection. The voice of HAL 9000 was portrayed by Canadian actor Douglas Rain.

HAL became operational on 12 January 1997 (1992 in the film) at the HAL Laboratories in Urbana, Illinois as production number 3. His first instructor was Dr. Chandra (Mr. Langley in the first film). HAL is capable not only of speech, speech recognition, facial recognition, and natural language processing, but also lip reading, art appreciation, interpreting and expressing emotions, reasoning, and playing chess, in addition to maintaining all systems on an interplanetary mission.

HAL was ranked No. 13 on a list of greatest film villains of all time on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains.

In the French-language version of 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL's name is given as "CARL", for Cerveau Analytique de Recherche et de Liaison ("Analytic Brain for Research and Communication"). The camera plates, however, still read "HAL 9000".

In 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL begins to malfunction in subtle ways, and as a result, the decision is made to shut HAL down in order to prevent more serious malfunctions. The sequence of events and manner in which HAL is shut down differs between the novel and film versions of the story. He is the film's main Antagonist.

In the film, astronauts David Bowman and Frank Poole consider disconnecting HAL's cognitive circuits when he appears to be mistaken in reporting the presence of a fault in the spacecraft's communications antenna. They attempt to conceal what they are saying, but are unaware that HAL is capable of lip reading. Faced with the prospect of disconnection, HAL decides to kill the astronauts in order to protect and continue its programmed directives. HAL proceeds to kill Poole while he is repairing the ship. When Bowman goes to rescue Poole, he is locked out of the ship, and HAL proceeds to disconnect the life support systems of the other hibernating crew members, killing them in their sleep. Dave manages to force his way back onto the ship by jumping through space and prying open an emergency airlock, outside of HAL's control.

In the novel, the orders to disconnect HAL come from Dave and Frank's superiors on Earth. After Frank is killed while attempting to repair the communications antenna, Dave begins to revive his hibernating crewmates, but is foiled when HAL vents the ship's atmosphere into the vacuum of space, killing the awakening crew members and almost killing Dave. Dave is only narrowly saved when he finds his way to a spacesuit which has its own oxygen supply.

In both versions, Bowman then proceeds to shut down the machine. In the film, HAL's central core is depicted as a crawlspace full of brightly lit computer modules mounted in arrays from which they can be inserted or removed. Bowman shuts down HAL by removing modules from service one by one; as he does so, HAL's consciousness degrades. HAL regurgitates material that was programmed into him early in his memory, including announcing the date he became operational as 12 January 1992. When HAL's logic is completely gone, he begins singing the song "Daisy Bell" (this being a reference to the first song played on a computer, the UNIVAC I, was "Daisy Bell"). HAL's final act of any significance is to prematurely play a prerecorded message from Mission Control which reveals the true reasons for the mission to Jupiter, which had been kept secret from the crew and not been intended to be played until the ship entered Jovian orbit.

14. Predator

The Predator is a fictional extraterrestrial species featured in the Predator science-fiction franchise, characterised by its trophy hunting of other dangerous species for sport, including humans and its fictional counterparts, Aliens. Other franchises that have been based on this film include the comic books "Aliens vs. Predator" and the "AVP" film series as well.

First introduced in 1987 as the main antagonist of the film Predator, the Predator creatures returned in the sequels Predator 2 (1990), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), and Predators (2010). The Predators have also been the subject of numerous novels, video games, and comic books, both on their own and as part of the Alien vs. Predator crossover imprint. While a definitive name for the species is not given in the films, the names yautja and Hish have been alternatively used in the expanded universe.

Created by brothers Jim and John Thomas, the Predators are depicted as large, sapient and sentient humanoid creatures who possess advanced technology, such as active camouflage and energy weapons, and are capable of interstellar travel.

Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally cast as the Predator, the idea being that the physical action star would use his martial arts skills to make the Predator an agile, ninja-esque hunter. When compared to Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, and Jesse Ventura, actors known for their bodybuilding regimens, it became apparent a more physically-imposing man was needed to make the creature appear threatening. Ventura's autobiography also alleges that Van Damme intentionally injured a stunt man. Eventually, Van Damme was removed from the film and replaced by actor and mime artist Kevin Peter Hall. Hall, standing at an imposing 7 foot 2, had just finished work as a sasquatch in Harry and the Hendersons. Peter Cullen did the creature vocals in the original film, and said the inspiration for the Predator sounds were horseshoe crabs. Hal Rayle did the Predator vocals in the second movie.

Hall played the Predator in the first and second movies. He was trained in the art of mime and used many tribal dance moves in his performance, such as during the fight between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Predator at the end of the first movie. In Predator 2, according to a "making of" featurette, Danny Glover suggested the Los Angeles Lakers to be the other Predators because Glover himself was a big fan. Hall persuaded some of the Lakers to play background Predators because they couldn't find anyone on short notice. Hall died not long after Predator 2 was released in theaters.

In Alien vs. Predator, Welsh actor Ian Whyte, a fan of the Predator comics and movies, took over as the man in the Predator suit, portraying the "Celtic" Predator during Celtic's fight with an Alien warrior. Whyte returned to portray the "Wolf" Predator in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.

In Predators, actors Brian Steele and Carey Jones both portrayed a new breed of Predator known as the "Black Super Predators", who have been dropping humans on their planet for many years to play a survival game against them. In a nod to the first film, Derek Mears played the Predator as the creature appeared in the original, dubbed the "Classic Predator".

13. Norman Bates

Norman Bates is a fictional character created by writer Robert Bloch as the central character in his novel Psycho, and portrayed by Anthony Perkins as the villain of the 1960 film of the same name directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The character was inspired by serial killer Ed Gein.

Both the novel and Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film adaptation explain that Bates suffers severe emotional abuse as a child at the hands of his mother, Norma, who preaches to him that sex is evil and that women (except herself) are whores. The two of them live alone together in a state of total codependence after the death of Bates' father. When Bates is a teenager, his mother takes a lover, Joe Considine, driving him over the edge with jealousy; Bates murders both of them with strychnine and preserves his mother's corpse. Bates develops dissociative identity disorder, assuming his mother's personality, repressing her death as a way to escape the guilt of murdering her. He inherits his mother's house, where he keeps her corpse, and the family motel in fictional Fairvale, California.

Bloch sums up Bates' multiple personalities in his stylistic form of puns: "Norman", a child dependent on his mother; "Norma", a possessive mother who kills anyone who threatens the illusion of her existence; and "Normal", a (barely) functional adult who goes through the motions of day-to-day life.

Bates is finally arrested after he murders a young woman named Mary Crane (called Marion Crane in the film) and Milton Arbogast, a private investigator sent to look for her. Bates is declared insane and sent to an institution, where the "mother" personality completely takes hold; he essentially becomes his mother.

In Bloch's 1982 sequel to his novel, Bates fakes his death in a car accident while escaping from the asylum and heads to Hollywood, where a film based on his murders is in production. In the next book, Psycho House, Norman appears only as a novelty animatronic on display in the Bates Hotel, which has been converted into a tourist attraction.

The characterization of Bates in the novel and the movie differ in some key areas. In the novel, Bates is in his mid-to-late 40s, short, overweight, homely, and more overtly unstable. In the movie, he is in his early-to-mid-20s, tall, slender, and handsome. Reportedly, when working on the film, Hitchcock decided that he wanted audiences to be able to sympathize with Bates and genuinely like the character, so he made him more of a "boy next door." In the novel, Norman becomes Mother after getting drunk and passing out; in the movie, he remains sober before switching personalities.

In the novel, Bates is well-read in occult and esoteric authors such as P.D. Ouspensky and Alistair Crowley. He is aware that "Mother" disapproves of these authors as being against religion.

Bates was portrayed by Anthony Perkins in Hitchcock's seminal 1960 film adaptation of Bloch's novel and its three sequels. He also portrayed Norman Bates, albeit more lightheartedly, in a 1990 oatmeal commercial.[10] Vince Vaughn portrayed Bates in Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake, while Kurt Paul took on the role in Bates Motel. Henry Thomas played a younger version of the character in Psycho IV: The Beginning.

12. Jason Vorhees

Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th (1980), as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S. Cunningham, and Tom Savini, Jason was not originally intended to carry the series as the main antagonist. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, comic books, and a cross-over film with another iconic horror film character, Freddy Krueger.

The character has primarily been an antagonist in the films, whether by stalking and killing the characters, or acting as a psychological threat to the lead character, as is the case in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning. Since Lehman's portrayal, the character has been represented by numerous actors and stuntmen, sometimes by more than one at a time; this has caused some controversy as to who should receive credit for the portrayal. Kane Hodder is the best known of the stuntmen to portray Jason Voorhees, having played the character in four consecutive films.

The character's physical appearance has gone through many transformations, with various special makeup effects artists making their mark on the character's design, including makeup artist Stan Winston. Tom Savini's initial design has been the basis for many of the later incarnations. The trademark hockey mask did not appear until Friday the 13th Part III. Since Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, filmmakers have given Jason superhuman strength, regenerative powers, and near invulnerability. He has been seen as a sympathetic character, whose motivation for killing has been cited as driven by the immoral actions of his victims. Jason Voorhees has been featured in various humor magazines, referenced in feature films, parodied in television shows, and been the inspiration for a horror punk band. Several toy lines have been released based on various versions of the character from the Friday the 13th films. Jason Voorhees's hockey mask is a widely recognized image in popular culture.

11. Jack Torrance

John Daniel "Jack" Torrance is a fictional character, the antagonist in the 1977 novel The Shining by Stephen King. He was portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the 1980 movie adaptation of the novel, and by Steven Weber in the 1997 miniseries. The American Film Institute rated the character (as played by Nicholson) the 25th greatest film villain of all time. In 2008, Jack Torrance was selected by Empire Magazine as one of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters. Premiere Magazine also ranked Torrance on their list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

Jack Torrance is a writer and former teacher who is trying to rebuild his and his family's life after his alcoholism and volatile temper costs him his teaching position at a small preparatory school. Having given up drinking, he accepts a position maintaining the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado for the winter, in the hope this will salvage his family, re-establish his career, and give him the time and privacy to finish a promising play. He moves to the hotel with his wife, Wendy, and young son, Danny, who is telepathic and sensitive to supernatural forces. Danny receives guidance from an imaginary friend he calls "Tony."

Jack Torrance is portrayed in a less sympathetic manner in the 1980 film. In the novel Jack is a tragic hero whose shortcomings lead to his defeat, while the film implies that he is insane from the start. It also omits his traumatic childhood.

The film's first major deviation from the source material occurs when Jack attacks Hallorann. Instead of merely injuring him with the mallet, Jack brutally kills Hallorann with an axe wound to the heart.

In the film, Jack hears Danny scream, and chases his son to a hedge maze outside the hotel (in the novel topiary animals come to life and threaten Danny). Danny walks backwards in his own footprints to mislead Jack, then jumps to a side path and slips out of the maze. While Wendy and Danny escape the hotel in Hallorann's Snowcat, Jack gets lost trying to pick up Danny's tracks, sits down to rest, and quickly freezes to death.

While Jack redeems himself in the book, in the 1980 film, he succumbs to his demons and is ultimately damned (much to Stephen King's chagrin). The film ends featuring an old photograph of a dance at the hotel from the 1920s that shows Jack in the event.

All monster info from Wikipedia

See Also: The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #21 - #30 / The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #31 - #40/ The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #41 - #50 / The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #51 - #60 / The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #61 - #70 / The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #71 - #80 / The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #81 - #90 / The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #91 - #100

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Daily Yomiuri Article On "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan"

by Armand Vaquer


The Daily Yomiuri has its article on The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan posted at its online site.

As mentioned earlier, it was scheduled to be published/posted on Christmas Eve. Since Japan is 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles, it is already Christmas Eve in Japan. So they're right on schedule!



The article starts out with:

Godzilla was the embodiment of war in his eponymous 1954 debut film, but he saved the Earth from ecological doom in Godzilla vs the Smog Monster in 1971. The giant reptilian monster has meant many things to many people.

But did you ever imagine him as a tourist? According to The Monster Movie Fan's Guide to Japan (51 pp, 15 dollars, available via www.comixpress.com), Godzilla has ranged as far north as Sapporo, where he destroyed the TV Tower in one of his many films, and as far south as the Sakurajima volcano in Kyushu, near which he came ashore in another.

One place he hasn't visited is New York. Or perhaps that point is arguable. Armand Vaquer, the guidebook's author, told The Daily Yomiuri in a recent interview that devoted fans refer to the 1998 U.S. film in which Godzilla took a bite of the Big Apple as GINO ("Godzilla In Name Only").


We didn't discuss Godzilla's New York visits except for GINO, as fans are aware the real Godzilla did pay a visit to the Big Apple in Destroy All Monsters. Besides, the Guide is on Godzilla's Japan locations, not New York.

Above, Ai. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One bit of information in which the article noted as "dated," the bus ride from newly-arrived planes to the Narita Airport terminal:

Some of the practical information in the book is a bit dated. For instance, it has been a few years since a plane-to-terminal bus ride was a routine part of arriving at Narita Airport.


Prior to this month's trip to Japan, my last trip there was in 2007 in which I did have to take the shuttle bus ride from the plane to the airport terminal. It didn't happen all the time in my previous trips, just when there wasn't a gate available. It is nice to know that Narita totally did away with the shuttle bus ride. A welcome change.

The article did note Immigration's video featuring G-actress Shelley Sweeney.

To read the full article, go here.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

"The Show Will Go On!" CINEMA INSOMNIA'S 10th Season Fully Funded!

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Mr. Lobo

When the host of the nationally syndicated late-night horror showcase "Cinema Insomnia" decided to make the 10th season something special he knew that he would have to get a little help to raise the funds necessary to make his vision become a reality. As most of you already know, independent productions sometimes don't rake in the kind of cash that say.....oh I don't know..... films like "Avatar" do, so finding the resources to get things rolling can be a bit tight.

Lobo decided to put his pride on the shelf for a bit and go directly to his fans, via Kickstarter, to ask for their donations to get the $10,000 he would need to produce his shows 10th season. It was a big risk for the Sacramento, Ca based production. A big risk that payed off in a big way.

In late November the campaign to launch the 10th season of CI went into full effect, and early on things didn't look good. Money began to trickle in slowly and about half-way through the 30 days allotted to raise the needed funds only about $3,000 had been pledged. The early returns weighed very heavily on Lobo who knew that his fan base was very loyal, but people had families to feed and Christmas was just around the corner. Perhaps the horror host had chosen the wrong time to petition for funds?

Despite these early setbacks, the CI fans ultimately didn't let Lobo down and as the time ticked off on the last evening of the Kickstarter program the money came in ...... and how. A late surge in donations pushed the tally past the projected $10,000 mark to an amazing $11,140!

Mr. Lobo was moved to say the least.

In response to the overwhelming response to all of the generosity bestowed by his loyal fans, Mr. Lobo had this to say:

"Mr. Lobo is the luckiest boy in the whole world! The CASH-O-METER exploded at $10,000—sending springs and sparks showering everywhere! We are still getting donations and we have two hours to go. Sources say we’re creeping up on $11,000!

You did it CINSOMNIACS, INSOMNIACS, SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, FAIR WEATHER FANS, FRIENDS, LOVED ONES, FELLOW HORROR HOSTS, ART-LOVERS, MONSTER KIDS, FILM GEEKS and COLLEAGUES…

YOU DID IT!

Together, we made indie television history and saved the world for misunderstood movies!"

He then went on to personally thank every single person who donated their hard-earned money to back the show. You can read all of those "thank yous" here - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cinemainsomnia/cinema-insomnia-10-year-anniversary/posts

This just goes to prove that even in country such as ours, though times may be tough all around, people still will find ways to keep something that brings them joy alive. Mr. Lobo and CI are proof that the American dream is still very much alive and that quality entertainment can be produced without the backing of mega studios and huge corporations.

Indeed Lobo is the "luckiest boy in the whole world", his fans have stood by him for ten years, far longer than the attention span of the average TV viewer. About 99% of the television series that have been launched during CI's run have come and gone, which is a true testament to just what Lobo has been able to produce with a small crew and independent actors.

Bigger is not always better and CI proves it.

See Also: Mr Lobo Goes IN SEARCH OF ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS - Celebrating 10 Years Of Cinema Insomnia / Mr. Lobo Is Set To Begin Production On The Tenth Season Of CINEMA INSOMNIA / Zoinks! Mr. Lobo Makes A Guest Appearance On SCOOBY DOO?/ Bigfoot Pummels Both Peter Graves And Mr Lobo / Mr Lobo Invades Los Angeles To Host American Scary Tonight! / Lobotronic Film Show 7 To Feature The Best In Indie Horror / It's A Two Night Cinema Insomnia Loboween Spectacular! / Virginia Creepers: The Horror Host Tradition Of The Old Dominion - Following Virginia’s Rich Horror Hosting History / What Are Celebrities Doing For Halloween? - Part 1 / Plan 9 Remake Gets A Bigger Budget - Trailer On The Way / Mr. Lobo Is Going To Have A Very Busy Weekend! / Mr Lobo Hosts Nonstop Movie Party Zombies / Mr Lobo And Cinema Insomnia Triumphantly Return To The National Spotlight / Mr. Lobo Enters The 3rd Dimension For Virtual Fan Gathering / Mr Lobo Interviews Monsters From The ID Director David Gargani / Mr Lobo Continues To Be The Busiest Man In Showbiz Announcing New Appearences And DVDs / Plan 9 From Outer Space Strikes Again / A Public Memorial To Bob Wilkins In Sacramento / Is There Something Bold And Creative Brewing In Sacramento? / Support Your Local Horror Host....Or In This Case Mr Lobo / Bob Wilkins 1932-2009 The Passing Of A Bay Area Icon / Merry Christmas From Monster Island / Mr Lobo Composes A New Halloween Song / Silicon Presents The Lobotronix Film Show / Mr Lobo And Conrad Brooks Cast In Plan 9 From Outer Space Remake

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Israeli Air Force Shoots Down UFO Over Dimona Nuclear Plant

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Shalom Life

Did the Israeli Air Force really shoot down an alien space craft Negev Desert on Friday?

Well, that is what is being reported out of the Middle East.

Details are, of course sketchy at best, but from what we know for sure is that the Israeli Air Force scrambled several fighter jets after a "unidentified" object was reported in the sky in the area of the Dimona Nuclear Power Plant. After the fighters came into range of the craft they opened fire on it, and shot it down.

Only question now is, what was it?

As of this moment, no one knows ........ and no debris has been found of whatever it was that the Israeli Air Force shot down.

As to be expected, the Israeli government is reporting that the object may have been a "weather or party balloon". They always say UFOs are balloons, don't they.

I think that anyone with half a mind would have a hard time believing that one of the best trained Air Forces in the world would identify and shoot down your average party balloon.

Seems like a good waste of ammo to me.

So if the story is some sort of cover-up, did they shoot down a UFO? ...... an alien space craft I mean.

Well, with no debris to analyze and a government who isn't likely to come forward and admit that they downed a ship from another realm it isn't likely that we will ever find out for sure. That is, unless the Israeli's have their own version of Mulder and Scully on the case.

See Also: More Info On The Indie UFO Horror UNAWARE


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