FAMOUS KAIJU OF THE MONSTER WORLD!

Written By: August Ragone (Via Facebook)

FAMOUS KAIJU OF THE MONSTER WORLD! Okay folks, here's the phantasmic Bob Eggleton cover for our next "All Kaiju Issue" of "Famous Monsters of Filmland," the theme of which is Giant Monsters vs. Giant Robots, hitting newsstands this August — check out how Jet Jaguar leaps off the cover in a 3D-style effect! You can also order the Diamond/Subscriber variant "Monster World" cover you see on the right from The Captain Company! Or you can purchase yours in advance this July during Comic-Con International at the FM Booth!

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPIES TODAY: http://www.captainco.com/collections/famous-monsters-magazine/products/pre-order-famous-monsters-269-newsstand

Christmas Time In Monsterland

A quick look at my Facebook timeline this morning produced a wonderful collection of Christmas images from some of the top names in the monster movie genre. Who says that creatures from the dark side can't share in holiday cheer?

Above in a great Creature from the Black Lagoon holiday image posted by Universal Horror Films

This classic Batman cover (# 33) was shared by the nationally syndicated horror host Mr Lobo.

Author and Japanese monster maven August Ragone shared this gem. I want Godzilla to pass out gifts at my house!

This is how Famous Monsters of Filmland wished all it's fans merry Christmas!

Horror actress Sarah French sure is in the holiday spirit!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good aaaaaarrrrrrrggghhhhh

USA Today Article On Criterion's "Godzilla" Blu-ray

by Armand Vaquer


USA Today is carrying an article on the upcoming Criterion Blu-ray edition of the original 1954 Godzilla and the 1956 Americanized Godzilla, King of The Monsters!

The article also includes interview comments by kaiju historians David Kalat and August Ragone.

The article starts with:

From terms like "Bridezilla" to films like Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, the thought of Japan's most famous monster usually evokes a chuckle, not a roar.

But the roots of the Tokyo-stomping beast are dark and terrible. Long before its 27 sequels and endless spinoffs, the original 1954 film, called Gojira in Japan, was a fearful atomic fable from expert filmmakers, a metaphor for the bombing of Hiroshima that ended World War II just nine years earlier.

On Tuesday, the highbrow Criterion Collection, which usually traffics in the world of Hitchcock, Truffaut and Japan's Akira Kurosawa, will add digitally restored editions of Toho Studios' Gojira and the watered-down American version from 1956, Godzilla: King of the Monsters with Raymond Burr, to its prestigious DVD and Blu-ray catalog.

To read the full USA Today online article, go here.

Honda Estate vs. Toho: Delving Deeper

by Armand Vaquer

Above, the Godzilla statue at Toho Studios. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The story of the alleged lawsuit by the family of late director Ishiro Honda against Toho Co., Ltd. over the Godzilla copyright may have some legs after all.

Over on Facebook, some of us were mulling over the story.

It was asked by one participant: "Couldn't we have somebody in Japan verify if a Complaint has actually been filed? Those are a matter of public record·"

Noted Godzilla historian August Ragone replied that he had looked into it and he is currently "writing up something about this now [for his blog]."

Once he does, I'll post a link to his blog post. This should be interesting!

It appears we may be on the verge of learning something about Japanese copyright law.

It's Official: Media Blasters To Release "Godzilla vs. Megalon" and "Destroy All Monsters"

by Armand Vaquer

Above, the U.S. poster of "Godzilla vs. Megalon."

After weeks of speculation and rumors, it is now official: Media Blasters has Godzilla vs. Megalon and, also, Destroy All Monsters.

According to their Facebook page:

Talking about Godzilla we can make it official now, we have DAM and Godzilla vs. Megalon. DAM is scheduled for October and will be both Blu-Ray and DVD releases. Do not know all the details about the extras yet. We will post with it later as they become available. Now for the funny part, we were not looking at Godzilla vs. Megalon till everyone said we have it so we asked they said ok so we picked it up.

There is no word as yet on the release date of Godzilla vs. Megalon, but it will likely be in 2012.

The last sentence from Media Blasters' announcement is interesting:

Now for the funny part, we were not looking at Godzilla vs. Megalon till everyone said we have it so we asked they said ok so we picked it up.

As mentioned previously, Robert Dunham's daughter Emiko Jade Frost said she was approached by someone working on the extra features for the DVD some months ago. Then, the word about it was announced by August Ragone. I posted the news as Ragone has been a reliable source for news in the world of kaiju. Then Media Blasters said they don't have Megalon. After this, all hell broke loose and Ragone found himself on the receiving end of attacks by irate fanboys.

Perhaps the hullabaloo surrounding the Ragone announcement was a good thing in the end as Media Blasters acquired Megalon and it'll finally receive an official release.

As far as Destroy All Monsters is concerned, I have the ADV VHS and DVD releases. Unfortunately, both have Toho's international dub instead of the original A.I.P. dub. It is hoped that Media Blasters can release Destroy All Monsters with the A.I.P. dub or, at least, the Japanese language, but subtitled version. The international dub is atrocious.

Nevertheless, this is good news! (Now if we can only get Return of Godzilla (Godzilla 1985) and Godzilla vs. Biollante released on DVD.)

Rondo Awards: 10 Days Left To Vote!

by Armand Vaquer


Right, Miki Hayashi with "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan." Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Ten days from tonight (March 27), voting for the 9th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards will end.

So if you haven't placed your votes for the best of 2010, you have ten days to do so.

Two things near and dear to me have been nominated: The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan for "Best Book" and Monster Island News for best blog. I wrote the former and contribute to the latter.

Also, please consider the following nominees (who are also friends of Monster Island News):

BEST COMMENTARY

August Ragone, Jason Varney, GAMERA VS. BARUGON

FAVORITE HORROR HOST OF 2010

KARLOS BORLOFF (Monster Madhouse, Washington, DC)
COUNT GORE DE VOL (Creature Feaures)
PENNY DREADFUL (Shilling Shockers, New England)

and ...

MR. LOBO (Cinema Insomnia, California)

BEST HORROR COMIC

BELA LUGOSI'S TALES FROM THE GRAVE (Monsterverse). Colorful and clever anthology features Bela as a very sinister host..

VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS (Bluewater). Anthology includes Witchfinder General tales.

To vote, go to the offical Rondo Award website at www.rondoaward.com.

Thank you for your vote!

Rondo Awards Voting To March 27

by Armand Vaquer



Regarding the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards, voting continues up to March 27. So if you haven't cast your vote on the Rondos, please take the time to do so.



From the Rondo Awards website:

The Rondos, now in their ninth year, are fandom's only classic horror award, decided by fans, for fans, and dedicated to preserving the undying spirit of monsters past.

Every Rondo nominee below is being recognized for a significant achievement in the genre during the year of 2010. So please take a look at the ballot and let the nominees know how much we appreciate their work by voting.

Be sure to read the directions on how to vote (it's really simple, just copy and paste the ballot onto an email, mark your votes with an 'x' and address it to taraco@aol.com). Be sure you include your name so your ballot is counted!

Above, the masthead for Monster Island News.

Above, Miki Hayashi with "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan." Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When voting, please vote for Monster Island News* for Best Blog and The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan for Best Book of the Year.

And please consider these friends of Monster Island News...

BEST COMMENTARY

August Ragone, Jason Varney, GAMERA VS. BARUGON

FAVORITE HORROR HOST OF 2010

KARLOS BORLOFF (Monster Madhouse, Washington, DC)
COUNT GORE DE VOL (Creature Feaures)
PENNY DREADFUL (Shilling Shockers, New England)

and ...

MR. LOBO (Cinema Insomnia, California)

BEST HORROR COMIC

BELA LUGOSI'S TALES FROM THE GRAVE (Monsterverse). Colorful and clever anthology features Bela as a very sinister host..

VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS (Bluewater). Anthology includes Witchfinder General tales.

*I am a contributor to Monster Island News.

"Destroy All Planets 2010": The Case of the Missing DVD

"Destroy All Planets 2010": The Case of the Missing DVD

by Armand Vaquer

An alert fan discovered today that the Retromedia DVD, Destroy All Planets 2010 has "mysteriously vanished" from Amazon.com's website.

No doubt this may be due to the issues Ryan Clark and other fans raised pertaining to the rights issue at Amazon.com and several kaiju-oriented message boards.

This is probably a cautionary move on Amazon.com's part until the rights issues are resolved.

UPDATE: The DVD is still being offered at Amazon.com.

FOR THE RECORD: Kaiju historian August Ragone commented on several message boards about the rights issues. I had quoted him as he has the most knowledge on Japanese movie companies, DVD & screening rights and many other facets. As his comments are on several public message boards, I took the liberty in quoting him. Unfortunately, I should have given him a "head's up" first. It was not my intention to box him into the fray which may give someone the impression that this was an "August vs. Retromedia" situation. It wasn't. He also expressed that he'd like to also hear what Carl Craig has to say in his commentary. He was only speaking as a fan and not in any official (or otherwise) capacity with his role in Shout! Factory's Gamera releases. I apologize if that is the impression given.

"Destroy All Planets 2010" Controversy - Part II

"Destroy All Planets 2010" Controversy - Part II

by Armand Vaquer

Avery Guerra, who has been a reliable source for news and behind-the-scenes info on many movie productions, posted this message from Fred Olen Ray at the Monster Zero message board about the Destroy All Planets 2010 DVD controversy:

"I have never been contacted by anyone associated with these films in the ten years we have distributed them except about five years ago when I emailed Daiei to ask about buying rights to the wide screen versions and they told me they didn't own the US rights. Toei likewise denied knowing anything about THE MAGIC SERPENT which we also tried to buy the wide screen rights for at the AFM three years ago.

Otherwise as far as we know there are no rights issues "a'brewing".

The biggest point that everyone is missing is that I only put this out because I was led to believe that the fans wanted it. I had no intention, or desire, to do this, all my usual distribution outlets had turned it down... but I was encouraged by fans to invest in doing the commentary, which we did, but then thought better of putting the show out as it would have to compete with a plethora of other editions.

Continual and repeated emails from fans made me want to offer it to them, but I didn't believe there was enough people really wanting it to do a big run so I went the Amazon.com route so copies would only be created for those who really wanted it... why can't anybody see that I only tried to give them what they kept asking me for? I could give a OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE otherwise... this could have stayed on the shelf for the rest of my life and I wouldn't care. I'm not going to make any real money off the Amazon release, it was done strictly for the fans who asked me for this. It might move a grand total of 25 copies, who knows? Get a life guys, I have bigger and better things to do. The DVD company is my hobby, not my business, I do it for the fans... but probably should have known better.

On different points "Ryan" posted his slander in Amazon's "Customer Review", a section created so that people who have actually bought products on Amazon can view them, then create a review of them. It's not your private flame forum, dude. If this basement dweller doesn't understand the concept of "customer review" then maybe someone should cut him off from a word processor.

Secondly, Copyright registrations begin with the letters PA, not V... don't you kids ever do your homework? The copyright registration the other ignorant guy puts forth is also BS... that's a transfer letter and has nothing to do with registration. Period. He hasn't a clue about copyright laws.

The item you mention is probably a transfer for banking purposes, I don't even need to look at it to know it's not a registration of copyright. Please write 100 times "I will know what I'm talking about before embarrassing myself on-line again".

Third, I'm legally not able to disclose the details of the settlement we made regarding this film and its legal action. However, drop your own dime and search the LA Court records... it's there as far as I know...

After all is said and done DESTROY is already out on 30 different labels and has NEVER been out of print on Retro in almost 10 years... I'd say the horse is out of the barn on this one."

FRED

Removed by request of the quoted person for failure to seek permission and being taken out of context

I wonder if Ray tried to contact Kadokawa Pictures through their Los Angeles office when he began this project. It would have only taken a simple phone call at the very least. (I even have their number programed into my cell phone.)

He said he sent emails to Daiei five years ago (was he aware that Kadokawa took them over around about that time or earlier and released Gamera The Brave in April 2006?). We all know that emails get lost, deleted (people thinking they're spam and other reasons) and it appears he might have emailed the wrong person. A traditional business letter would have been more appropriate in this instance (but that's just my opinion), sent via registered or certified mail if need be.

For the record, I happen to like Ray's output and have posted articles about his movies my blog and at Monster Island News, so I have nothing against him. In the blog posts on this DVD, I tried to be even-handed (by posting both sides of the matter) and just stuck to the facts as we know them. He can get permission to release the documents giving him the DVD rights from the parties involved. Doing so could possibly put to rest this matter.

It appears something fell though the cracks involving this particular DVD.

Fight Over "Destroy All Planets" Rights Brewing

Fight Over "Destroy All Planets" Rights Brewing

by Armand Vaquer

A new controversy is brewing over whether or not a Gamera DVD being issued by Retromedia is legitimate or not. Cries of "bootleg" are being posted at the Monster Zero message board. Is it?

The movie in question is Retromedia's DVD of Destroy All Planets 2010 which features a commentary by one of the movie's stars, Carl Craig.

At issue is whether Retromedia has the rights to issue the U.S. version of this movie. Shout! Factory is slated to release the same movie (the subtitled Japanese version) in a few months and this is seen by some as a bit of one-upsmanship by Retromedia.

The movie was originally released in 1968 by Daiei, which was bought out by Kadokawa Pictures.

Removed by request of the quoted person for failure to seek permission and being taken out of context

Fred Olen Ray, who is the owner of Retromedia, said this in a response to Ryan Clark's review post at Amazon.com:

Since this program only became available yesterday it's physically impossible for "Ryan" to have seen it or even have received a copy of the DVD. Your "review" is a lie and obviously fueled by a personal agenda. Retromedia was the first company to ever present the AIP-TV Gamera films to the public on DVD and quickly became the source of material for all the cheap DVD labels that flooded the market afterwards. Retromedia also successfully initiated and won a copyright case based on their release of DESTROY ALL PLANETS, so your claim of illegality is BS as well. This DVD doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. It's simply the best edition of the AIP-TV version of the film ever released on DVD and it has an actors commentary track with star Carl Craig. That's all it advertises as being and that's what it is. Next time try watching the film first before rendering your "opinion", and if you happen to work for a rival DVD company, I'd have to say I'm disappointed... these kind of smear tactics are nothing less than juvenile.

[Note: Ryan Clark never claimed to have viewed the DVD nor received a copy of it.]

In a comment post at the Classic Horror Film Board, Ragone took note of Ray's assertion of rights with:

Fred Olen Ray (who is Retromedia) has retorted to Ryan's comments on the Amazon page (Ryan is just a fan, and not an employee of Shout!), where Ray asserts that "Retromedia also successfully initiated and won a copyright case based on their release of DESTROY ALL PLANETS, so your claim of illegality is BS as well." I'd like to see the paperwork on that, because the rights to the AIP Gameras reverted back to them [i.e., Kadokawa Pictures. - Armand] once their contract with AIP expired. Now, I'm not accusing anyone of any wrong doing, but I'm curious to sort out the truth here (and not through second and third-hand parties).

If all U.S. rights to this film reverted back to Kadokawa (by virtue of buying Daiei), then Retromedia would be in hot water. However, if Fred Olen Ray is correct in claiming that he has the U.S. rights over the U.S. version (and can provide the paperwork to back that up), then he should be able to continue to offer the movie. At this point, no back-up material has been provided by Ray (he's welcome to send it me me and I'll be happy to post it).

Removed by request of the quoted person for failure to seek permission and being taken out of context

To see the CHFB thread for the above quotes, go here.

Removed by request of the quoted person for failure to seek permission and being taken out of context

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out. The courts may have to be the ultimate decider in this matter.

Anime.com Japanese Monster Book Reviews

Above, Yuu Asakura. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Anime.com Japanese Monster Book Reviews

by Armand Vaquer

Anime.com has posted reviews of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan along with Steve Ryfle's Japan's Favorite Mon-star and August Ragone's Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters on a page entitled, Godzilla and Other Monster Movies.

Each were reviewed by Brian Cirulnick.

There are also reviews of kaiju DVDs on this page.

To check out the reviews, go here.

Shout! Factory To Release Gamera DVD

Shout! Factory To Release Gamera DVD

by Armand Vaquer

For years, fans of the Showa Gamera series have been waiting for a quality DVD to be released in the United States. They needn't wait anymore!

Kaiju fandom is abuzz over the news that Shout! Factory is going to release a Gamera DVD May 18th.

Shout! Factory's news release is as follows:

From Japan – the country that brought us such mythical movie monsters as Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah – storms Gamera, the titanic terrapin feared by adults and loved by children. On May 18, 2010, Shout! Factory will unleash Gamera, The Giant Monster – Special Edition on DVD for the first time in its unedited original version, with English subtitles — in anamorphic widescreen from an all-new HD master. The DVD includes a 12-page booklet with an essay by director Noriaki Yuasa, a photo gallery, trailers and more. The collectible Gamera, The Giant Monster Special Edition DVD is priced to own at $19.93.

Like all classic monster movies, it is the folly of man that unleashes a ginormous beast upon the world. This time it is literal fallout from the Cold War — a Soviet bomber is shot down over U.S. airspace in the Arctic Ocean, with the massive radiation from the resultant atomic explosion awakening the ancient, gargantuan Gamera. A long-forgotten legend of the lost continent of Atlantis, the 200-foot-long, fire-eating turtle isn't in a good mood, and proving impervious to all manmade weapons, the colossal chelonian smashes a cataclysmic swath across the globe. But when he arrives in Tokyo, a small boy forms an odd connection with him, allowing authorities to unleash “Plan Z.”

The classic Gamera was directed Noriaki Yuasa, who helmed all seven of the original Gamera entries in the Showa era series between 1965 and 1971, and stars Eiji Funakoshi (Fires On The Plain), Harumi Kiritachi, Junichiro Yamashiko and Jutaro Hojo (Wrath of Daimajin). The subsequent franchise was more kid-friendly (yet ironically bloodier) than Godzilla, who became less menacing and more cuddly himself during the Sixties. The Gamera series was creative in the monstrous nemeses that it pitted against the towering turtle, the most famous being the flying, pointy-headed Gyaos, who was resurrected for the successful trio of movies in the Heisei-era series between 1995 and 1999.

Created by the same company who brought Zatoichi to the screen, Daiei Studios’ titanic terrapin is the only true rival to Toho’s King Of The Monsters, able to hold his own at the box office and secure a place in the hearts of kaiju eiga (Japanese monster movie) fans around the world. The original films have woefully been underrepresented on DVD, a especially release featuring the authentic Japanese versions.

About Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. With its fingers on the pulse of pop culture, Shout! Factory continues to impact the entertainment media landscape through acquisition of top quality programming for home entertainment releases. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com

Above, Gamera director Noriaki Yuasa (1933-2004) (left) at G-FEST in 2003. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

August Ragone, author of Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters, is the Special Features Producer for Shout! Factory's Gamera series.

G-FEST XVI Flier

Jeff Horne, who is working with me on publicizing G-FEST XVI, has created the official G-FEST XVI flier that will be distributed to Chicago-area comic shops, etc. Nice job, Jeff!




Click on it to see it full size.

G-FEST XVI News

Here's the latest news on G-FEST XVI:

June 2, 2009


News Release


For Immediate Release

North American Godzilla fans will be gathering July 3-5, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza O'Hare International in Rosemont, IL for G-FEST XVI. The special guests for G-FEST XVI are Kenji Sahara, who has appeared in more Godzilla films than any other actor, including the classics: King Kong vs. Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla, and Destroy All Monsters; Robert Scott Field, who appeared in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah as android M-11; and August Ragone, one of the most authoritative historians of Japanese science-fiction and fantasy films.

G-FEST XVI will feature panel discussions with Kenji Sahara, August Ragone and Robert Scott Field along with fan movie historians. There will also be a giant dealers room, video game contests, video contests, art contest, modeling contest, costume contest & parade, special programming for young fans and more. Movie screenings will be held at the Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge, Illinois. This year Godzilla, Mothra & King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-out Attack, The Mysterians and Godzilla vs. The Thing (Mothra vs. Godzilla) will be screened.

Weekend admission tickets are $40.00 for adults, $20 for youth (12 and under). Daily admission (at the door) is $25.00 for adults, $10.00 for youths. Children 5 and under are admitted FREE. For more information, log onto www.g-fan.com.

-30-

G-FEST XVI Is Fast Approaching

G-FEST XVI Is Fast Approaching!

G-FEST XVI is a little over a month away. If you haven't registered or made your room reservations at the special G-FEST rate, now's the time to get a-crackin'!

North American Godzilla fans will be gathering July 3-5, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza O'Hare International in Rosemont, IL for G-FEST XVI. The special guests for G-FEST XV are Kenji Sahara, who has appeared in more Godzilla films than any other actor, including the classics: King Kong vs. Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla, and Destroy All Monsters; and Robert Scott Field, who appeared in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah as android M-11.

G-FEST XVI will feature panel discussions with Kenji Sahara and Robert Scott Field along with fan movie historians. August Ragone, "the living encyclopedia of kaiju", plans to be on hand at the convention. There will also be a giant dealers room, video game contests, video contests, art contest, modeling contest, costume contest & parade, special programming for young fans and more.

Movie screenings will be held at the Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge, Illinois. The movies to be shown will be announced shortly.

Weekend admission tickets are $40.00 for adults, $20 for youth (12 and under). Daily admission (at the door) is $25.00 for adults, $10.00 for youths. Children 5 and under are admitted FREE. For more information, log onto www.g-fan.com.

Godzilla & The Monsters Of Mass Destruction Trailer

Source: August Ragone

“GODZILLA & THE MONSTERS OF MASS DESTRUCTION”

Japanese Monster Film Festival in San Francisco Celebrates the Man Who Played Godzilla on August 21-23, 2009.

San Francisco (March 23, 2009): Stomping into San Francisco’s historic Castro Theatre this summer, GODZILLA & THE MONSTERS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, is a weekend celebration of Japan’s monster cinema, featuring ten classic films, presented in glorious 35mm, from the producers of the annual SHOCK IT TO ME! Horror Film Festival. Our special guest will be in the man in the Godzilla suit himself, Haruo Nakajima.

Starting his film career in the late 1940s, Mr. Nakajima appeared as one of the bandits in Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954). After volunteering for the first Japanese fire stunt in the war film Eagle of the Pacific (1953), the team making Godzilla (1954) knew that he was the man for the job. From 1954 through 1972, Mr. Nakajima played Godzilla and various monsters on screen and television.

Mr. Nakajima will be in attendance throughout the weekend to meet with fans and sign autographs in the Castro Theatre’s 200-capacity Mezzanine. He will also take to the stage to speak about his first-hand experiences in making these films, during our evening screenings. This is Mr. Nakajima’s first-ever visit to San Francisco.

Japanese film historian and author, August Ragone (Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters, Chronicle Books), who is organizing the event, will be on hand to illustrate how the visual effects for the films were achieved. The San Francisco native will also sign copies of his book all weekend.

All ten of the films screened during GODZILLA & THE MONSTERS OF MASS DESTRUCTION will be presented in five double features. All films are 35mm and projected on the Castro’s gigantic screen—the last large single-screen theater in San Francisco.

Tickets for all of the screenings will be available at the Castro Theatre box office or through ticketweb.com. Prices for each Double Feature are only $10.00 (Adults) and $7.00 (Children/Seniors). A special Event Pass will also be made available to the public in the near future.

For more information on the event, please visit http://shock-it-to-me.com
For more about the Castro Theatre, please visit http://www.castrotheatre.com

See Also: Steve Bissette Creates Special Artwork For New Hampshire Screening Of King Kong vs Godzilla / G-FAN #87 Summary / Ishiro Honda Bio Being Negotiated / Robert Scott Field Is Joining Kenji Sahara At G-FEST XVI / King Kong And Godzilla Invade The London Subway / King Kong vs Godzilla (1962)(Toho) / G-FEST XVI To Host Kenji Sahara / Photo Of The Week - Godzilla Goes On A Date / New Wooden Godzilla Figures Cost More Than Most Cars / Rare Video - Haruo Nakajima Puts On The Godzilla Suite One Last Time For Magazine Shoot / Toho Is Renting Out Godzilla And MechaGodzilla Movie Costumes / Yumiko Shaku Looks For love At The Blood Bank / Godzilla To Add His Fire To Hot Atlanta / Godzilla Vs The Netherlands / You Can Do Anything But Lay Off Of My Kaiju Shoes / Haruo "Godzilla" Nakajima Turns 80 /King Kong, Godzilla And The Creature From The Black Lagoon At The Rose Parade / The Top Ten Hottest Monsters Of 2008 / Godzilla Rodan Ultraman And Mothra Invade The Miami Beach Art Scene / James Morrow Satirizes Hollywood, Secret Goverment Projects And Godzilla In Shambling Towards Hiroshima / Godzilla 3D Poster / Will Silent Night Be Replaced By Godzilla Christmas? / Rare Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Items Go Up For Auction / Godzilla Godzooky Plush / Todd Tennant To Return To Godzilla 94

August Ragone at G-FEST XV

Daikaiju Enterprises is pleased to announce that August Ragone, author of a new book on Japanese special effects pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya, has agreed to be a part of G-FEST XV. Eiji Tsuburaya was the creator of Godzilla, Ultraman and a multitude of Japanese sci-fi characters. Mr. Ragone, a noted expert on Japanese

fantasy films and television, will be participating in several panels and presentations at G-FEST. Also, he will be available for signings of his book, Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters, at the Clawmark Toys booth during the convention.

G-FEST XV will be held July 4-6 at the Crowne Plaza O'Hare International in Rosemont, Illinois.

Weekend admission tickets are $29.00 for adults, $10 for youth (12 and under). Daily admission (at the door) is $20.00 for adults, $5.00 for youths. Children 5 and under are admitted FREE.

For more information, log onto www.g-fan.com.