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.

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The Movies of G-FEST XVI

We now have the movie line-up for G-FEST XVI. All movies will be screened at the Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge, Illinois.

J.D. Lees has announced the movie line-up for this year's G-FEST XVI:

GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH:
GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK
The twenty fifth Godzilla movie in the series, with direction by Shūsuke Kaneko following his highly acclaimed Gamera trilogy. This 2001 release saw Godzilla take on a truly evil role, being a more powerful and dangerous threat than ever before.

Thursday evening, July 2nd
Time: 10:30 PM

***

THE MYSTERIANS (EARTH DEFENSE FORCE)
A Toho classic, combining the alien invasion and kaiju sub-genres by the golden-age team of Honda, Tsuburaya, and Ifukube. The Mysterians was the first Tokusatsu to be filmed in TohoScope. Our feature is to be introduced by the star, and our guest of honor, Mr. Kenji Sahara.

Friday evening, July 3rd
Time: 10:30 PM

***


GODZILLA VS. THE THING (MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA)
(With bonus “Best of G-FEST Video Contest” features)
Considered the best in the series by many fans, Godzilla vs. the Thing is nearly perfect on all fronts: direction, special effects, and score. This would be Godzilla’s last role of a serious villain until he was resurrected in the 1980s.

Saturday evening, July 4th
Time: 10:30 PM

For more information, go to www.g-fan.com

Karlos Borloff To Return To G-FEST

Above, Karlos Borloff met Haruo Nakajima at G-FEST XV last year. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Karlos Borloff To Return To G-FEST

I received this message from TV horror host (Monster Madhouse) Karlos Borloff on G-FEST XVI:

I WILL BE THERE !!!!!!!!! OUR TV FANS REALLY LOVED THE G-FEST COVERAGE FROM LAST YEAR, HOPING TO GET LOTS MORE GREAT FOOTAGE & INTERVIEWS W/ FANS & FIENDS ALIKE !!

For more information, go to http://www.monstermadhouse.com/

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.

G-FAN #87 Summary

G-FAN 87 Summary

by Ryan Clark with additional notes by Armand Vaquer

Since I haven't received the current issue of G-FAN (#87) as of yet, I haven't been able to do my usual summary. However, Ryan Clark received his issue and he sent me his summary. I am happy to post it here. Thanks, Ryan!

Son of Ackermonster? intro by J.D. Lees

Godzilla: My Old Friend Akira Takarada Interview by totorom

Mystery Photo (Famous Monsters tribute)

Godzilla Takes A Holiday: Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster Retrospective by John LeMay

Adapting Godzilla 1985: Easier Said Than Done, Interview with Lisa Tomei by Brett Homenick

Tales of King Komodo: Episode 5 by Mike Rogue & Todd Tennant

Dracula vs. Godzilla: A Tale of Two Studios by John LeMay

Chasing FM #30 by Mike Bogue

Master Monster Maker by James Babbo

Ichiro's Mom's Fond Memories, interiew with Machiko Naka by Brett Homenick

Gfantis: Heart of the Beast! by Matt Frank and Daniel Arias-Maduro

G-Fan Retro Review: The Monolith Monsters by Mike Bogue

Steve Agin's Toy Report: Kaiju Cavalcade

Curtain Call For Far East Monsters: Bad Economy Claims Company by Tom Tvrdik

Kaiju Treats!

G-Fest Registration Info

Gamera The Brave DVD Review by Ryan Clark

###

Note: J. D. completely forgot to include the photos of Haruo Nakajima at the new Godzilla statue at Toho Studios with his Mangled Skyscraper Award (hey, it happens). He promised that they will be included in issue 88 (summer issue) along with an interview and a DVD review Brett Homenick completed and an interview that I completed. There just wasn't enough room due to the Famous Monsters (the format didn't allow for much text) salute and other goodies.

Additional Note: On G-FEST XVI, I was able to negotiate a special arrangement for the movie screenings with Toho (sometimes having friends in high places comes in handy!). J. D. will make an announcement when everything is finalized. Fans will be very pleased as this will make Kenji Sahara's G-FEST appearance much more memorable!

Robert Scott Field Is Joining Kenji Sahara At G-FEST XVI

Robert Scott Field Is Joining Kenji Sahara At G-FEST XVI

by Armand Vaquer

Robert Scott Field, our favorite android M-11 from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) will be returning for his tenth consecutive G-FEST this summer at G-FEST XVI in Chicago. G-FEST XVI will be held July 3-5.



Scott (as we call him) will be doing his usual double-duties as a celebrity guest and as Japanese translator for our special guest, Kenji Sahara.

G-FEST XVI will be held at the Crowne Plaza O'Hare with movie screenings to be held at the Pickwick Theater. The movie line-up is still being formulated at this time. As soon as they are finalized, an announcement will be made.

WEEKEND ADMISSION
Adult – $40.00
Youth (15 and under) – $20.00
Child (5 and under) – FREE!

DAILY ADMISSION – Daily admission is all on-site, no pre-registration.
Adult – $25.00 per day
Youth (15 and under) – $10.00 per day
Child (5 and under) – FREE!

AWARDS LUNCHEON
Adult – $22.00
Youth and Child – $15.00

Films at the Pickwick Theater are $7.00 at the box office and cannot be pre-ordered. Room charges and parking are the responsibility of the attendees. (Parking for G-FEST attendees is $10.00 per 24-hour period.)

The hotel is 1.5 miles from the Chicago O’Hare Airport and offers to/from complimentary shuttle service. The train station to the City of Chicago is within walking distance.

The hotel contains a casual dining restaurant, deli/café, and a sports bar. Facilities include an indoor pool, sundeck, fitness center, sauna, whirlpool, game room, business center, and gift shop. The rooms feature work stations, AM/FM clock radios (some with CD players), hair dryers, coffee maker, iron and board, color television with free premium channels, and many other amenities.

Book your room anytime before June 16th, 2009 for the special G-FEST rate: Up to four person occupancy for $99.00 per night. Call the hotel directly at (888) 642-7344 and use the G-FEST ID code: GF9. Reservations can also be made on-line. Go to the Hotel’s reservation page. Enter your Check-In/Check-Out Dates, Number of Rooms and Guests, and click “Search Rooms”.

Come join the oldest and only North American Japanese giant monster convention!

G-FEST XVI Now Taking Registrations

Above, the costume contest and parade is fun for all ages.

Registrations are now being accepted for G-FEST XVI. G-FEST XVI is proud to have actor Kenji Sahara as this year's special guest.

From G-FAN.com:

G-FEST is the largest regular gathering of Godzilla and Japanese monster fans in the world. Held each summer, G-FEST typically attracts about 1000 attendees. In 2005, more than 1300 attended.

G-FEST is a family-oriented convention which caters to a wide variety of interests within the kaiju genre. G-FEST features presentations and Q & A sessions by actors and crew from the Japanese Godzilla films, fan presentations on topics of interest, contests and gaming, new and classic kaiju movies, the western world’s largest kaiju-oriented dealers room, and lots of fun and camaraderie.

THE 2009 CONVENTION
G-FEST XVI will be held from July 3rd through July 5th, 2009, at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare (same site as last year). Registrations are now being accepted. Register by mail with the printable form, or online with your PayPal account. Explore Past G-FESTS to get an idea of the exciting things to expect at G-FEST in 2009.

More guests and movie information will be posted when finalized.

For more information and on-line registration, go to G-FAN.com.

G-FEST XVI To Host Kenji Sahara

Kenji Sahara To Guest At G-FEST XVI

Actor Kenji Sahara, who appeared in many Godzilla movies for Toho Co., Ltd., will be this year's special guest at G-FEST XVI on Independence Day weekend in Rosemont, Illinois (outside of Chicago).

Sahara appeared in several Godzilla movies including Godzilla (1954), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) and Destroy All Monsters (1968). His most recent Godzilla appearance was in Godzilla Final Wars (2004). He also appeared in Rodan (1956).

From IMDB:

Kenji Sahara (佐原 健二 Sahara Kenji) (born May 14, 1932) is a Japanese actor. He was born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa. His real name is Masayoshi Kato (加藤 正好 Katō Masayoshi). Initially he used the name Tadashi Ishihara before changing it when he secured the lead role in Rodan (1956).

Above, Kenji Sahara in his memorable role in "Rodan."

For additional information on G-FEST XVI, go to www.g-fan.com.