Terrific Godzilla Gag

Posted on Friday, October 28, 2011 by Robert Hood

This strip is by Doug Paszkiewicz. I couldn’t resist.

Check out Paszkiewicz’s darkly subversion website, Arsenic Lullaby.

Posted in Comics, Daikaiju, Godzilla | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Producing EDOnism: An Interview with Lorenzo Fantini

Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2011 by Robert Hood

An interview with Lorenzo Fantini about EDOnism

An interview with the producer of the film EDOnism (Italy/Japan-2010; dir. Alessandro Fantini). See Undead Backbrain article.

How long have you been in Japan?

I’ve been in Japan for over twelve years now.

What is your occupation when you’re not Executive Producing?

I’m a Lecturer at University here in Tokyo. I’m also a writer / artist. During my time here, I’ve been involved in many different Art / media related projects. Most recently I worked with Nate Jensen recording elements for a Film Documentary: The David Carson Project. Our part involved interviewing Takashi Murakami at his studio for the film.

How long was the production from beginning to end?

We began pre-production last October. Post was completed by June this year.

How long was Alessandro in town to direct ?

Alessandro was in Tokyo for just over one month.

How long was principle photography? When did it finish?

Principle photography lasted just under three weeks. We were shooting every day, often the shooting would last from the early hours in the morning to midnight. We were lucky with weather; it was mainly dry, but extremely cold, particularly unpleasant for our lead actor, Sacha, who could only wear a shirt for his scenes.

I think we were blessed during Principle Photography, we were shooting on an extremely tight schedule with little room for mishap or delay. Considering the variables it  went incredibly smoothly.

How did you find the actors?

I’d met Helene Fujita Salvini (Geena Landlord) the year before at a Tokyo Professionals Networking event. An extremely photogenic and detailed orientated artist, she’d had been doing a lot of Theater and short film work.  She’d expressed interest in working with Alessandro and I, being a big fan of our respective artistic styles.

It was through Helene that I met Sacha Muhlebach, (James Hallway)  they’re good friends, and were very comfortable working with each other. Sacha’s commitment to the film production has been something else, an amazing physical actor, he put his life and soul into the character, we were fortunate to have someone so committed and reliable, as he’s in virtually every scene.

Hiro Super came out of a further introduction by Helene. Hiro is a unique performing artist / actor with a striking look that fitted very well to our vision of The Cat Fish. I really recommend watching his Mozzman films. They’re very special.

Lucy King (co-producer) is a very good friend and has been a huge support to both Alessandro and I throughout our artistic journeys. She agreed to play the supporting character, Sophie Walls. Tony Evans, Kyle H, Nate Jensen, Bianca Allen and Kana Yoshida are friends of myself and other cast members, and committed their precious time to the production.

How did you finance the film?

The film was financed by myself and Alessandro, the support and assistance by my network, allowed us to make a little go an extremely long way.

Have you submitted it to any film festivals?

The film has been submitted to the following festivals: Tokyo FilmX  (2010); Portugal: Fantasporto Film Festival (2011); the Yubari Fantastic Film Festival (2011).

I take it the film was shot on HD video. Any plans to transfer to film?

The film was shot on the Sony Z1 HD Camcorder. The screening will be on Blu-ray, which looks a million dollars.

How did you edit the film (on what technology and who did it)?

Alessandro edited the film all by himself on his PC in Italy. In addition to editing the film, he also created a hand-drawn animated sequence and composed an ambient soundtrack. The soundtrack is really quite special — DJ Dominic Allen did a special mix for the screening event on 19th September at 57 Lounge and Restaurant. What he did with it was very exciting.

How important was storyboarding for this production? Who did the storyboarding? How long did it take? Were they all done before shooting started?

Storyboarding was extremely important to the production. Alessandro has an incredible eye for visuals. During the pre production I shot a lot of photos of possible locations for the film. Using those Alessandro was able to storyboard key sequences for the film. Samples of these are available online at our website. This process was around three months.

Who wrote the script and where did you/he/she get the ideas?

Alessandro came up with the story concept, and first draft. After that we worked together fine-tuning the dialogues into the shooting script.

Alessandro has a unique skill set as an artist and creator; he’s someone who has always been, from a very early age, able to conceive of an initial kernel of an idea, nurture it both in visual and narrative terms, then render it with film and music. From the beginning to the end, it’s his hand shepherding the work. It could sound as if I’m writing promotional copy, but I’m downplaying his skill and talent in this regard. As an artist he’s produced something like 400 surrealist oil paintings over the last thirteen years, at the same time he’s written a series of novels, and over a dozen short films, of which several have been shown on TV on European satellite channels.  Remarkable still, is the fact he has always worked independently, sacrificing the comfort of a studio or network to pursue his concepts on his own terms.

The initial concept came out of Alessandro’s experience of the L’Aquila Earthquake in Italy last year. The traumatic effect of that experience translated into his exploration of Earthquake mythology. Some of the central imagery of the film came from a painting by William Kurelek, “The Maze”. This depicted a section of the human skull and the figure of a Cat Fish. He then discovered quite by accident that the Cat Fish was related to earthquakes and associated to key events in the history / mythology of Japan.

Furthermore the idea of setting the film in Tokyo had come about through a desire to work together on a film / media project. Alessandro’s aesthetic and creative inclination has been heavily influenced by Phillip K Dick, and of course Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. He had really wanted to capture the atmosphere of the metropolis as a living breathing character for long time. My residency here, and knowledge of the city finally allowed him to realize this desire.

The dream / altered conscious state concepts are a reoccurring theme in Alessandro’s work. His paintings, novels, and short films often explore these concepts. Alessandro lives and works out of a secluded studio in the rural area of Abruzzo, central Italy, the topography, and the ambience of the landscape have always had something of the dreamworld about them, I can’t emphasize enough the power of this environment on his inner psyche.

I wrote the foreword for the second edition to his collected art works. You can read it here.

The character of James Hallway, is an amalgam of anecdotal stories that I’ve recounted to Alessandro over my years here of what a city can do to someone if they go over the edge. The combination of our experiences and respective journeys has somehow filtered through into this film.

Posted in Giant Monsters, Independent film, Interviews | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

When the Metaphor Becomes the Monster: Exclusive

Posted on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 by Robert Hood

It has been said that the unusually dense concentration of giant monsters in Japanese film and manga is a consequence of that country’s precarious geographical positioning on a major fault-line, making it particularly susceptible to earthquakes. Recent disasters there have certainly resulted in the sort of destruction that daikaiju eiga (giant monster films) depict. Though the great grandfather of giant monsters, Godzilla (Gojira), was seen by its director Ishirô Honda as a metaphor for a different kind of disaster (the Bomb that decimated Hiroshima and Nagasaki), daikaiju are often understood to be stand-ins for seismic disruption and its devastating effects on Japanese society. Perhaps that’s why the monsters so often appear from underground or from the depths of the ocean. It’s a zeitgeist sort of thing.

About to be screened on 27th October in a special charity event is a new film that takes the metaphorical connection between the earthquake, the City and the monster one step further and makes it explicit. Here, Tokyo is not just bricks and mortar, but an entity that has had enough. The film is called EDOnism, and it’s tagline says it all: A Quake Awakens.

[vimeo 10427050]

EDOnism (Italy/Japan-2010; dir. Alessandro Fantini)

Synopsis:

Edonism is the tragic story of James Hallway, an English businessman from the UK who comes to Tokyo looking to fulfill his dreams and lead a peaceful life with his beautiful wife, Sophie. Instead he finds toil, torment and alcoholism. Unable to bear his descent into self-destruction, Sophie leaves, abandoning him to his downward spiral into the gutter. Day by day, his reality is consumed by hallucinations and weird perceptions. Once things can’t get any worse, he falls into a coma.

When he awakens from the coma, he begins to learn some terrifying truths about his condition and his connection to a long-forgotten legend from ancient Japan. Together with the resourceful Dr Geena Landlord he attempts a desperate quest of discovery that leads them both to the very heart of a conspiracy involving a secret government order and the enigmatic being known as the The Cat Fish.

Trailer:

[vimeo 12648095]

Above: Director Fantini (as Secret Agent #2) studies the script

 

The film’s production company, LAFAN Productions, is teaming up with BierVana in Akasaka and O.G.A. for AID to host a very special screening of EDOnism on Thursday, October 27 at 7:30pm-10:30pm. For more information check out the event’s Facebook page. Proceeds and donations from the event will be given in support of O.G.A. for AID.

O.G.A. (ORTIZ Global Academy) for AID was formed in response to the Eastern Japan Earthquake Tsunami disaster of March 11, 2011. Since its inception, the group has been dedicated to bringing relief aid, heart care programs, and contributing to the reconstruction of the town, Minami Sanriku that was almost completely swept away. The EDOnism benefit screening will raise funds for the Community Learning Center that is being established in Minami Sanriku.

Program includes the screening of Miyukino Snow Film Festival entrant ‘Walking Lost’ – a short video release by LAFAN Productions directed by Nate Jensen. There will also be a special preview of LAFAN’s upcoming film, The Ballad of Harper Lee and Dickie Dee, which is due for release in early 2012.

[vimeo 11290675]

Film details:

Director, editor, animator, screenwriter and soundtrack composer: Alessandro Fantini
Producer, art director, co-writer, casting director and location manager: Lorenzo Fantini
Line producer: Miles Elliott
Assistant producer: Lucy King
Post production supervisor: Nate Jensen
Make up artist: Kana Yoshida
Cast: Sacha Mühlebach, Helene Salvini Fujita, Hiro Super, Lucy King, Lorenzo Fantini, Kyle H., Nate Jensen, Tony Evans, Alessandro Fantin, Cyrus Malekani.
Genre: Sci-fi thriller, drama, adventure
Runtime: 65 min.
Language: English
Filming locations: Tokyo

Above: The cast of EDOnism, with Alessandro Fantini in the centre

 

According to producer Lorenzo Fantini, the inspiration for the film came from a variety of influences. “The initial concept came out of Alessandro’s experience of the L’Aquila Earthquake in Italy last year,” he explained. “The traumatic effect of that experience translated into his exploration of Earthquake mythology. Some of the central imagery of the film came from a painting by William Kurelek, ‘The Maze’. This depicted a section of the human skull and the figure of a Cat Fish. He then discovered quite by accident that the Cat Fish was related to earthquakes and associated to key events in the history / mythology of Japan.”

The Tokyo setting, while appropriate from a thematic point-of-view, came about through a combination of convenience and artistic circumstances. Lorenzo explained: “The idea of setting the film in Tokyo had come about through a desire to work together on a film / media project. Alessandro’s aesthetic and creative inclination has been heavily influenced by Phillip K Dick, and of course Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. He had really wanted to capture the atmosphere of the metropolis as a living, breathing character for long time. My residency here, and knowledge of the city, finally allowed him to realize this desire.”

Read the complete interview with Lorenzo Fantini.

See the Gallery at the end of this article for more images from the production of EDOnism, as well as drawings from an animated sequence within the film, just like this one of the “Cat Fish”:

The Metaphorical Premise:

There are stories and legends of how cities are not just buildings, roads, electric and water systems, but living, breathing entities that are sleeping as their oblivious inhabitants go about their daily toil. We, as humans, always take for granted that they will always be there servicing our needs, creating our conveniences and cocooning us from all the elements nature can throw at us. But what if they awoke, what if they decided to be less than benevolent, to be less than kind to us?

People say if you’re not careful cities will eat you alive, some enter the sprawling metropolises and mega cities of our world, and never return from them. Some who enter change, their life-force drained and spent. A city is a force of nature, just as the wilderness, the deserts, the mountains and the oceans are. A city is not an inanimate realm. They are a world of dangers, aeon old mysteries and secret societies. (From the EDOnism website)

An Essay on EDOnism:

REMEMBERING EDOnism
by Alessandro Fantini

When I faced for the first time the idea to shoot a movie in Tokyo, while I was discussing the hypothesis with then soon-to-be EDonism producer Lorenzo Fantini two years ago during his latest stay in Italy, I immediately thought that the script should have deal with something gigantic, frightening and epic. No other city in the world is able to suggest the feeling of a majestic and intimidating human beehive as much as Tokyo. It seemed that all my obsessions for movies like Blade Runner, Akira and Ghost in the Shell as well as my interest in Shintoism, Ukiyo-e art,  and Suehiro Maruo, would have take me sooner or later  to nowhere but to the enigmatic land of geisha, samurai, Godzilla and hi-tech marvels.  As usual, the way I fleshed out the concept and the story was closer to the process of conceiving a painting or a comic than to a traditional pre-production of a movie.

As soon as I began to figure out the several images inspired by the “abstract” perceptions of Tokyo and his history, I started to be able to link all those “icons” together into a synaptic narrative map.  Actually the very first drawing I made on my moleskine was that one of a dissected brain connected to the foundations of buildings and skyscrapers. Indeed I think the real monstrous mystery we’re still dealing with, is and will always be the human brain, so I decided that the plot had to revolve around this statement by developing an ambiguous visual and narrative syntax, balancing this obscure metaphysical content with more recognizable “sci-fi” and “cyber-bunk” schemes. The earthquake became the most powerful dynamic rendition of the inner conflicts of mind, even because I was able to experience it in person during the night of 6th April 2009, when a cataclysmic quake almost completely destroyed l’Aquila, the capital city of Abruzzo, the region where I live.  I woke up in the middle of the night after dreaming of being inside a shaking train leading to a subterranean dark station, since my unconscious was trying to translate into mental visions the trembling of my bed (luckily I was more than 100 km far from l’Aquila, so my home town was left intact). Since I like to take note of every vivid dream may occur in weird circumstances, this one about the train was later integrated into the screenplay, shaping the scenes leading to the epilogue (I think it has been a logic choice, ‘cause the Tokyo subway somehow is a superb reflection of the cerebral maze).

Thus all the legends about the giant Cat Fish I read over my researches about Japan myths and folk tales nourished my imagination providing me more key plot elements: the mythological subterranean creature causing earthquakes was the perfect embodiment of the menacing mystery of Nature, like a sort of invisible Moloch or Leviathan, as well as the symbol of the tumultuous relationship between mankind and the earth, the mind and the human body. After the major quake of March 2011, the Tsunami and the Fukushima incident some segments of the story and symbolism now seem to foreshadow those unpredictable tragic events, although I think it’s just an eerie coincidence since the movie features a so (sadly) recurrent natural phenomenon in Japan.  However, I didn’t want to work out the umpteenth disaster flick or monster movie: on the contrary, I wanted to filter the same sense of amazed anguish of movies like “Cloverfield” or “The Ring” into the more intimate realm of the life of  a “gaijin”,  James Hallway, and push it forward to a wider psycho-mythic dimension depicting a contemporary world ruled by the obsession of pleasure and money (more or less the same approach Von Trier had in directing his latest movie “Melancholia”, focusing on the state of mind of the characters while a planet is about to destroy the earth). Once all the connections were finalized and the core of the story was clear, the writing of the screenplay took me less than one month. Over the winter Lorenzo, who vigorously produced the movie, helps me to refine the dialogues, finding the locations and casting the actors, and until the beginning of the principal photography we discussed and debated for hours the characters motivations on Skype, while at the same time I kept painting covers, drawing storyboards and composing music in order to build a solid aesthetic platform to the upcoming shooting and editing phases. Even though the original screenplay didn’t contain any “anime-like” sequence, drawing and animating the back-story recounted by the character codenamed “Catfish” when I was about to finish the editing in April 2010, was the coherent output of that intense visual preproduction.  Tokyo provided a colossal set to the movie, an emotive environment that neither digital effects nor scenography will ever be able to reproduce with the same visual power, offering the perfect physical backdrop to the metaphysical journey of the protagonist. Indeed its breathtaking amount of details properly evoked the hyper realistic visionary ambiance that I imagined while I was writing the script. Basically EDOnism has been a grand scale effort propelled by the target of finalizing a project that at the beginning could sound utopist, if compared to the very limited range of technical and financial resources at our disposal.

If we consider that, aside the two weeks of shooting in Tokyo around Shibuya, Roppongi, Odaiba island and the Meiji Park, the whole time span of production evolved between the two hemispheres, between Italy and Japan, the movie is also the best demonstration of how the power of teaming up with people who desire to share the same vision together can defeat any time, space and money boundaries.

In a certain sense EDOnism could be an example of the unbeatable strength of the Collective Unconscious.

Gallery:

Source: Lorenzo Fantini via Avery Guerra; EDOnism website. “The Maze” image sourced from Art Fixx.

Posted in Daikaiju, Giant Monsters, Independent film, Monsters in general, News | 1 Comment

The Curse of the Phantom Shadow

Posted on Friday, October 21, 2011 by Robert Hood

An entirely understandable passion for 1940s pulp adventure/crime fiction culture has inspired filmmaker Mark Ross to undertake the always daunting task of making a movie of his own, intended to capture the style and aesthetic qualities of such influences as: 1940s radio dramas, The Shadow (“Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men? The Shadow Knows!”), The Phantom, B Movies generally, Dick Tracy, early Batman, Spy Smasher, Republic movie serials, comic books and pulp novels/magazines of the 1930s/1940s.

The Curse of the Phantom Shadow (US-2012; short [approx. 30 min.]; dir. Mark Ross)

Synopsis:

The year is 1948 and the United States has a new enemy, The Phantom Shadow. This dark figure has diabolical plans for captured scientist, Dr Hammond and his War Department weapons of mass destruction. When the Phantom Shadow launches a treacherous missile attack on key locations in the United States, the government takes action.

There is only one man to call, Agent 236, an elite government agent. Agent 236 has been dispatched to launch a rescue.

Along the way, Agent 236 is befriended by a  spunky, sarcastic gas-station attendant ,who just happens to have pinup-girl good looks.  She also just happens to be in the market for a little action and excitement. Luckily, Agent 236 is the man of her dreams. Agent 236 puts the station attendant and her tow truck into service in pursuit of the Phantom Shadow and together they take on the most diabolical villain the world has ever faced.

“Our film takes place in 1948,” explained director Mark Ross. “We have professional actors, some of which have been in Hollywood productions.” The Backbrain asked him  what inspired him.

As a kid growing up in the 1970s/1980s I was a huge Star Wars fan. After I learned that Star Wars was influenced by pulp magazines and movie serials, I started to track them down and soon fell in love with the source material. I have always had a huge affinity for the 1940s, as my father was a 16mm film collector. Growing up, my dad screened classic movies in our basement. Before there were VCRs or DVD players, our family watched full length movies on a cold New England night.

My father was both an engineer and cinematographer. He gave me my first movie camera when I was in grammar school. By the time I was in 4th grade my father had already taught me stop motion animation. He had also introduced my to radio dramas, decoder badges, and his vintage 1940s Gilbert Erector set. Before I knew it, I was already trying to find a way to combine all of these interests.

The short film is well underway, and looks great (as you can see from the promotional video below) but more money is need to complete the task. Hence, like many others before him, Mark is making a play for backing through the Kickstarter website. “Until recently,” he explained, “we were 100% self financed from my personal savings. We are now trying to raise money to finish our production.”

The Backbrain asked Mark what he was aiming to achieve through this film:

I’m trying to put together a concept film that will demonstrate the skill and talent of my cast and crew. It is my hope that someone will see this movie, and fund us to shoot either a feature-length film or television pilot based upon these characters and story situations. I would like to be able to bring back my entire cast and crew for a full-length movie, and beyond that a series of films based upon these characters.

If you think you’d like to help Mark complete his film and fulfil these ambitions, check out the Kickstarter site to see what rewards your pledge will get you.

Source: Mark Ross; Kickstarter. Written by Robert Hood

 

Posted in Fantasy, Film, Independent film, Science Fiction, Superhero | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Did We Land On a Dinosaur? Exclusive Details on Tape 407

Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2011 by Robert Hood

Dinosaurs depicted via the “found footage” technique have been making themselves apparent lately. In September the Backbrain drew your attention to The Dinosaur Project (US-2012; dir. Sid Bennett)– an in-production “lost world” movie filmed in a “found footage” (or camera verité, as I call it) style. Now we have some new details in regards to Tape 407 (US-2011; dir. Dale Fabrigar and Everette Wallin), a “found footage” dino epic that has already been discussed on various news sites but is now heading toward a special Halloween release.

Described by its publicity as “one of Hollywood’s most terrifying new films”, Tape 407 is said to feature lost footage “too real for reality and too disturbing for fiction”. Apparently it also has “a twist ending that will leave you breathless, shocked, and terrified” — something that has become obligatory for “camera verité” horror movies, as witness The Blair Witch Project and the recent Paranormal Activity films.

Unlike the majority of previous “found footage” films, Tape 407 eschews ghosts, zombies and the closed-in environments they inhabit for the more expansive world of dinosaurs, though from the trailer the film uses darkness to generate a feeling of claustrophobia. It is clearly a hybrid incorporating influences from Lost and Jurassic Park into the frenzied visual landscape of “camera verité” terror.

[youtube zQTRHjlNOzM]

Synopsis:

In Tape 407, innocent passengers with family and friends waiting for them at home board a state-of-the-art jetliner piloted by an experienced crew, having no reason to doubt that the pilot will navigate through storm and turbulence to get them home safely. They are wrong. The small group that survives the devastating crash, including the critically wounded, believe that help is on the way. Again, they are wrong. The very people they trust to rescue them are the very same people who created the hell in which they find themselves — trapped in darkness by predators that, unbeknownst to them, are part of the government’s top-secret Mesa Experiment.  (Adapted from the press release)

The Backbrain asked producer Suzanne DeLaurentiis about the film and how it came about. “I’ve been an independent producer for 30 years,” she began.

A while back I was in pre-production for a musical comedy that was shooting called How Sweet It Is. While working on the music score, my co-producers Ivan Kavalsky, Stephen Fiske, and Jude Tucker and myself toyed with the idea of shooting a found-footage movie during our week of summer vacation. I told my partners that I didn’t want to do a typical scary house or graveyard scenario, that I wanted something different. So, I asked myself what is one of my worst fears, and the answer was: Going down in a plane crash. My co-producer Stephen Fiske replied, “But then what happens?” And I said, “Think of something new and different.” And he replied jokingly, “I don’t know … what about dinosaurs?” And, I said “Great, let’s do it!” So we did.

The movie was shot in five days and the majority of it was improvised by the actors. I can’t tell you what a challenge it was hauling the remnants of a 747plane crash from the California desert up to our shooting location at a ranch in California. When my co-producers asked “How are we possibly going to do that?” I said “Figure it out, that’s what I want.”

I am very happy with what we ended up with and have nothing but praise for my talented cast and crew.


If all this gets your juices flowing — and it should — we’ve got some excellent news for you right after the next few pictures below.

The good news — at least for those of you living in the US — is that Tape 407 will have a sneak-peek screening on October 19 at 10am at the Universal City Walk AMC in Universal City. There will also be a press conference and poster signing by the director and cast at Dark Delicacies located at 3512 West Magnolia Boulevard, Burbank, CA 91505-2818 on October 21 at 7pm.  For tickets or information on either event you should contact the promoters at delaurentiisllc@gmail.com.

The film will then have a limited theatrical release this coming Halloween (31 October), when it will open at the following theatres. Hopefully, others will follow:

  • 89’er: 304 N. Main St ,Kingfisher, OH 73750 — info
  • The Royale: 108 W. Main St ,Mesa, AR — info
  • Downtown Independent: 251 S. Main St ,Los Angeles, CA 90012 — info
  • Muvico: Pompano Beach Florida — info

Tape 407 is executive produced by Rick Finkelstein, Steven Chase, and Bagiryan Armen, with producers Suzanne DeLaurentiis and Ivan Kavalsky, co-producers Stephen Fiske and Jude Tucker. The film is written by Robert Shepyer, Dale Fabrigar, and Everette Wallin, and directed by Dale Fabrigar and Everette Wallin. The cast includes Abigail Schrader, Samantha Lester, James Lyons, Melanie Lyons, Brendan Patrick Conner, Ken Garcia, Samantha Sloyan, and Jude Gerard Prest.

Some of the movie’s proceeds will go to veteran’s charities.

  • Sources: Suzanne DeLaurentiis via Avery Guerra; ItGirl Public Relations press release; the official Facebook page; IMDb. Written by Robert Hood.
Posted in Dinosaurs, Film, Giant Monsters, Horror, Independent film, News, Trailers | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A New Restored Godzilla

Posted on Saturday, October 15, 2011 by Robert Hood

At last! In January next year Criterion is releasing a high definition digitally restored edition of Gojira [aka Godzilla]  — the 1954 daikaiju classic directed by Ishiro Honda — on Blu-ray and DVD.

After the merely half-decent releases that have appeared over the past decade, this will be the first that has been fully restored, and should display a much improved visual quality. There are some fantastic extras, too.

This giant monster classic, which created a fearsome and deeply felt metaphor for nuclear terror, deserves top-notch treatment. Despite having several copies of the film already, I’ll be lining up for this one!

Special Features:

  • New high-definition digital restoration (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
  • Audio commentary by David Kalat (A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series)
  • New high-definition digital restoration of Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Terry Morse’s 1956 reworking of the original, starring Raymond Burr
  • Audio commentary for Godzilla, King of the Monsters by Kalat
  • New interviews with actor Akira Takarada (Hideto Ogata), Godzilla performer Haruo Nakajima, and effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai
  • Interview with legendary Godzilla score composer Akira Ifukube
  • Featurette detailing Godzilla’s photographic effects
  • New interview with Japanese-film critic Tadao Sato
  • The Unluckiest Dragon, an illustrated audio essay featuring historian Greg Pflugfelder describing the tragic fate of the fishing vessel Daigo fukuryu maru, a real-life event that inspired Godzilla
  • Theatrical trailers
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman

It can be pre-ordered now on the Criterion website.

Posted in Daikaiju, Film, Giant Monsters, Godzilla, Japanese, News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Exclusive: Don’t Try Injecting These Spiders

Posted on Saturday, October 15, 2011 by Robert Hood

From the director and crew of the fantastically monstrous exploitation flick El Monstro del Mar comes a new Australian short (15-minute) film that manages to combine rock chicks, acid and alien spiders.

In The Acid Spiders, directed by Stuart Simpson, a group of girls, rehearsing for their psychedelic rock band, take liquid acid to explore new sounds unobtainable by normal perception. What they didn’t count on was an invasion of evil alien spiders intent on turning their home into a nest of bloody carnage.

According to Simpson, it’s a film that will melt your heart … and then your brain. And then your face will fall off.

Don’t get bitten by … the Acid Spiders!

Here a preview:

[youtube 0rhis8NrK_w]

Lots of alien ickiness, gore and melting flesh! Looks like fun for all the family.

Acid Spiders stars: Karli Madden (El Monstro Del Mar!), Luisa Tascone,  Kimberly Reynolds, Lizzy Dynon, Sarah Groenewoud and Nick Kocsis.
Costumes: Claire Mueller
Music: Heath Brown and Fabian Pisani
Camera Lighting: Stuart Simpson
Writers: Stuart Simpson and Chris Malone
Special Make-up Effects: Nick Kocsis (El Monstro Del Mar!)
Editor/Director: Stuart Simpson

The film is screening at the Royal Flush Film Festival in NY and the Buffalo Screams Film Festival this year. Commented Simpson: “We just had its world premiere in Melbourne at the Monstro DVD launch last Friday night. Went down a treat! Also it’s included on the “El Monstro Del Mar!” Australian DVD and will hopefully accompany the eventual US disc.”

About his poster above, Simpson commented: “Kinda reminds me of trashy 80’s horror artwork…” Indeed!

Gallery:

 

  • Source: Stuart Simpson via Avery Guerra. Written by Robert Hood.
Posted in Giant Bugs, Horror, Independent film, News, Preview | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Last Day of MORAV Appeal

Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2011 by Robert Hood

I meant to plug this earlier but ran out of time. So this is a flash info-dump. MORAV — the giant robot combat franchise being developed by Fon Davis — is in its last day on Kickstarter, seeking funding to complete the pilot of the TV series MORAV: Missions.

The series is described thus by Davis: “MORAV: Missions plunges you in to the middle of World War III with a giant robot crew and an embedded news correspondent as they fight for survival in a terrifying robotic war.  MORAV examines the human condition under the most extreme life and death situations.”

If that sounds like your cup-of-tea (or coffee or motor oil or whatever beverage you prefer), go to the Kickstarter site and pledge them some money. There’s plenty of information there to show you what you’re backing. Frankly, it looks superb.

Davis has already achieved an enormous amount, in terms of background development and franchise building, having completed an excellent graphic novel set in a world caught up in a massive near-future war, with action, drama and giant robots as well as developing many of the robotic stars. Take a look at this appeal video to get an idea of the quality he is aiming for.

When was the last time we had a full-on, live-action, giant robot war epic on television? Um…. never? Despite such shows as the excellent and sadly underrated series The Sarah Conner Chronicles, I don’t think anything quite like MORAV has ever been on offer. Anime, yes. But live action — and on an epic scale?

Go read about it — and put your money where your enthusiasm is. You’ve got about 8 hours from… now!

More details about MORAV, the franchise, on Robot War Espresso. I’ve been meaning to do a piece on the excellent graphic novel, which I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed. Must get to that. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: MORAV: Missions succeeded in obtaining the funds targeted through KickStarter. Congratulations to Fon Davis and crew! Looks like the giant robot wars really begin now!

Posted in Independent film, News, Robots, Science Fiction, Where's the Film? | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Playing the Demon’s Rook

Posted on Saturday, October 8, 2011 by Robert Hood

An Exclusive Interview with writer/director/monster-maker/artist James Sizemore [aka Loup’Rah Garomore]

In the lively [irony intended] history of zombie movies, the 1980s was a gala decade for the demonic brand of undead. This was the time of classics such as Sam Raimi’s pre-Hollywood The Evil Dead (US-1982), Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead (It-1980) and The Beyond (It-1981), and Lamberto Bava’s Demons (It-1986) — in fact, pretty well the entire Italian school of gruesome zombie carnage. Characterised by extreme make-up FX, gore-drenched mayhem and unapologetically gaudy, and grotesque, visuals, these movies combined the standard shambling ghouls of Romero with a more exuberantly malevolent type of demonically possessed undead — often to startling effect.

Filmmaker James Sizemore is currently working to re-create that in-your-face effect with a new, contemporary feel, in a movie titled The Demon’s Rook. He and his collaborators at Black Rider Productions have been working hard at the independent project for some time and are still in the midst of production. With about 35% of principal photography done, they have reached at stage where the film is starting to take shape. Check out this newly released and very impressive “first look” teaser:

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Enthused by the authentic and high-quality look of this low-budget production, Undead Backbrain (in the person of Robert Hood) approached James Sizemore (pictured below with undead fan) and soon found himself knee-deep in gore and demon muck.

The Interview

Undead Backbrain: Thanks for talking to us, Loup’Rah. Perhaps I can start by asking how you’d characterise The Demon’s Rook for the uninitiated?

Sizemore: Hmm, it’s like the witches from Suspiria and the mouth of Sauron gave birth to a wizard mystic inside the Evil Dead cabin at spring time. It might be hard to wrap your head around at first, but that’s probably the most concise way of summing it up for everyone.

UB: So Argento, Tolkien’s Mordor sequences and early Raimi are influences. From the trailer, I’d add Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead, Lamberto Bava’s Demons and even some fairly inevitable Romero for the zombies — perhaps more Day of the Dead than anything else. Heavy emphasis on late 1970s/1980s horror, especially of the Italianate kind? Is this the general landscape that most causes your heart to bleed?

Sizemore: Yeah, you hit a few nails on the head. Keep in mind that the teaser we have is only representative of a fourth of our total shooting (which is mostly the zombie sequences). We’ve just begun shooting the demons, and hope to have more of them in our next teaser, and we haven’t even started filming our werewolf-inspired manbeast. Demons is a classic inspiration, especially when referring to their style of practical fx. I’ve always preferred the Fulci “flower pot” zombies over any others — although Day of the Dead does have a pretty excellent selection. Believe it or not, I kept the image of Grandpa from Texas Chainsaw Massacre in my head to give me inspiration while making the silicone masks for my zombies. And to confirm your time period inquiry: yes, the 1970s and ’80s are where it’s at for my kinda horror.


UB: I was particularly reminded of Day of the Dead by that scene of frenzied zombie gut-mangling in the trailer! I take it The Demon’s Rook will feature practical and make-up FX rather than CGI (the results of which are always less visceral in this sort of context). I’m sure there will be many horror fans that will applaud that approach. What is your take on the use of CGI and digital effects in horror films?

Sizemore: Visceral… yes, visceral is such a fantastic word, Rob. And you can bet your bottom dollar that we’re going practical with this. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, unless you have the WETA Team doing your CGI, why bother. And when you’ve got the budget of roughly $15,000 to work with, you’d be a fool not to go practical (unless you want your film to be filled with dog-ass cgi). Although, I will say our practical special fx have used up the majority of what little budget we have. Creating the silicone prosthetics we use on the featured zombies, lead demons, and the manbeast has been especially expensive, since I’ve decided to follow the Neill Gorton method of mold making. It’s a very rewarding process, but an expensive one for us.

UB: Neill Gorton? The Doctor Who guy, right? What are the characteristics of his “method” that attracted you to it?

Sizemore: Among the special fx community, Neill Gorton is regarded as one of the most meticulously detailed kings of prosthetic work. Specifically, Neill Gorton works in fiberglass molding to create life-like silicone appliances. From concept to sculpting to molding to casting to painting and finally applying, Neill does it all himself. And in being a wonderful teacher, he has no hang ups about passing on his wizardry to other artists. His method rings well with me in that I’m working from concept to application myself, with only a couple of assistants occasionally to help me through the time-sensitive moments. Just to give you an idea of the work involved, it takes me about three solid weeks of work and roughly $1,000 in materials to create a demon. But it’s well worth it. The detail from the original sculpt is captured spot-on through the intensive mold-making process, and the finished appliance moves with the actor’s facial muscles perfectly. I’m actually currently in the works of putting together a detailed “Making-Of” for our lead demon, Dimwos. I’ll hopefully have it up by November.

UB: Ha! I love your mad-scientist statement “it takes me about three solid weeks of work and roughly $1,000 in materials to create a demon”. Only takes a romantic evening, good wine and some over-excited hormones to create a human… Um, sorry. I have to say that your results so far look fantastic. The quality of the make-up fx far outshines a lot of the zombies and demons we tried to be convinced by during the ‘80s (not those mentioned above, obviously). Generally the production quality of what we’ve seen of your film so far (including cinematography) seems stellar for such a low budget. How on earth have you managed it? In fact, how did the project itself come about?

Sizemore: It’s still hard for me to believe how wonderfully all of the elements of this project fell into place from the beginning. I wrote the screenplay in the Fall of 2010. Once I put it out there for my friends and peers to read, people just started appearing to me out of the woodwork, showing interest in wanting to collaborate with me to make it come to life. Tim Reis (my cinematographer, co-producer and assistant director) is largely responsible for making this thing happen. He bought the camera and crane we’re using out of pocket, not to mention all of the manpower he has brought along with him. Josh Gould (lighting director) has also played a huge part since the beginning. He bought all of the professional film lights we’re using out of his own pocket as well. And I could go on about the many others that have come forth and brought a great deal to the table. Basically, in answering your question on how I’ve managed it: complete volunteer basis, very little sleep, and a good number of talented connections.

UB: Okay, we’d best get to the obvious question: what’s The Demon’s Rook about, story-wise and thematically?

Sizemore: Well here’s a quick run-down of the story… A young boy named Roscoe finds a portal to another world where he is taught magic by an elder demon known as Dimwos. Dimwos raises the boy into manhood, revealing to him many secrets. Though, there is one dark secret that Dimwos keeps from Roscoe. When Roscoe discovers what his master has been keeping from him all these years, he revolts against him, inadvertently unleashing three malevolent demons. Through desperation, Roscoe is forced to escape the demons’ wrath by way of the portal leading back to our world. Unbeknownst to Roscoe, he leads the demons to discover the portal for themselves. Once the demons pass through, a nightmarish foray of summoned monsters are unleashed. One demon possesses the minds and will of all whom she crosses, another transforms a man into a murderous beast, and the other summons an army of the dead to do his bidding. And there you have it in a rather large nutshell.

UB: It certainly sounds as though it has epic-scale potential. What about the title of the film? The word “Rook” has several meanings, any or all of which may be relevant. There’s the bird from the Corvidae family — a type of crow. Crows are often seen as having a significant role in escorting the dead into the afterlife — as in The Crow comic/film. They are also carrion scavengers. Then there’s the rook or “castle” from chess, with its unique movement and role in the game. It’s also a card game. “Rook” is used in ear-piercing, too, and to “rook” someone is to swindle them. So which are relevant to your film and how do they relate to the story you’ve outlined?

Sizemore: Good question. It refers to the chess piece. Dimwos and the other demons in this film are very powerful characters. I would equate them to queens in chess, in that they have a huge range of abilities and are able to command others to do their bidding for them. I see Roscoe’s character as a rook. The rook holds more power than most of the other chess pieces. But he is still under the queen, unless he is accompanied by another rook. Two rooks are worth more than a queen. This plays in with Eva’s character, the female lead that accompanies Roscoe on his aim to destroy the demons. Plus, I also just love the way it sounds.

UB: Does all this represent a mythology that’s been part of your work previous to this or was it one you developed exclusively for the film? Do you have plans for this to be something ongoing?

Sizemore: This particular mythology was written exclusively for the film — although I have been working with my Black Rider brothers over the years in creating our own personal mythology of the universe, how it all began, how it will all end, so on and so forth. But the story for The Demon’s Rook I’d like to see end with this film. I definitely have no plans for any sequels.

UB: Black Riders? I know your Loup’Rah pseudonym relates to that group. Could you explain to us what it is and what role it plays in your creative efforts?

Sizemore: I’m tickled that you’ve even heard of our little group. Looks like you’ve done your research! I co-founded a secret art society known as the Black Riders wherein all of the members have an ascribed moniker that we go by, specifically when creating art. Loup’Rah Garomore was given to me by my elder brother Lycanthropus Galleytrot. My friends still call me “James”, of course, but like I said, I do go by my Loup’Rah moniker whenever art is involved (or whenever I travel to other dimensions to fight evil and spread the good word of Gaorok). I can only tell you so much about the society itself, being that it’s secret. But we do obviously celebrate the creation of righteous artwork through many mediums. We also believe strongly that our animal brethren do not deserve to be killed by man for any reason. We can live happily and healthily without killing and devouring them, so why should we? As you might have guessed, we’re all vegan, and therefore it’s a requirement upon entering the group that you vow to remain one ’til death. Our sacred emblem is tattooed on every member as a reminder of this. We also do a great deal of cryptozoological research within the society, and all of us have a huge soft spot for Sasquatch in particular.

UB: So what’s your view of horror as a cinema genre, Loup’Rah? What should it aim for? Apart from those already mentioned, what are some horror films that are, in your view, the most successful in the field?

Sizemore: The horror genre is so unlimited for me. Everything from the tongue-in-cheek Return of the Living Dead to the respected and classy Rosemary’s Baby, I love it all. There’s no way I could ever concisely tell Horror what to aim for. Our moods are so variable, that there’s no predicting what we will be in the mood for tomorrow night. Will we need a nonsensical arthouse movie full of nudity and ridiculous dialogue to get us off, or should we remind ourselves of the horrors that truly exist by watching a sadistic family of serial killers cut through us. No way of knowing, but I can tell you some of my personal favorites: American Werewolf in London — Nosferatu the Vampyre — Cemetery Man — Scanners — The Thing. Those are just a few examples of what I consider solid gold.

UB: Ah, all great choices — and at least one of my personal top 10 there. What’s your background in film production in particular?

Sizemore: Well, this is actually my first feature-length film. Over the past twelve years or so I’ve directed and produced a good number of short films and music videos, most of which I used as an excuse to have a good time with friends. This is definitely the most “serious” production I’ve ever sunk my teeth into, and I’m learning new things every day.

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UB: What did you/do you hope to achieve with The Demon’s Rook, both in terms of the film itself and your own career in making more of them?

Sizemore: Most of all, I just want to make an original movie that really grabs the audience. So often in low-budget horror movies, I see moments of badassery scattered about here and there, but mostly it’s just filler material that you can either talk over or completely ignore all together. My goal with this film is to take all of those golden moments and set them back to back, so that you have a feature-length, non-stop bonanza of righteous imagery that will ultimately suck the eyeballs right out of your head.
As for what I’m going for with a future career, I hope this film can act as a golden ticket for me and my crew regarding future film endeavors. We can take this thing around and say “Look what we were able to accomplish with this small amount of money. Now give us a proper sum and we’ll give you gold!”

UB: When can we expect to see the film in its final bloody form?

Sizemore: That’s a tricky question to answer. Hopefully within the next two years. And here’s where I confess that we need more funding: we’ve been maintaining a strong attention to detail throughout the production thus far. But an attention to detail has a price to pay, especially when it comes to special fx production. As I said earlier, our total budget so far has been roughly $15,000. We were hoping to pull it off with that, but we’ve only got about a grand left. With this grand, I will finish the lead demon I’ve started and showcase him. I’m hoping to get the following reaction from various wealthy supporters of the arts: “Wow, look at that life-like demon! Isn’t that just swell. I think I’ll become an executive producer for this project and help them to create four more demons of equal or greater quality!” Having said that, if there’s anyone out there who’s interested in jumping on board this project as an Executive Producer (ie. donating $1,000 or more to the film) they can check us out at www.DemonsRook.com or just contact me at louprah@gmail.com. And for those who can’t part with that much, but would still like to show their support, we will graciously accept any donation.

UB: The project sounds awesome, James — and I’m sure the Backbrain’s readers will be keen to catch this one. Hopefully those out there with spare finances for investment and an aspiration to get into the industry at a senior production level — or anyone who just wants to see the film made — will seriously consider contributing to the cause. What you’ve achieved so far is jam-packed with horror goodness (and badness!) and the potential is obvious. Finally, thanks for talking to us — and is there anything you like to add about the film and what audiences can anticipate?

Sizemore: What can audiences anticipate? An original story that will keep your toes twitching with super righteous prosthetic work, special effects, gore, monsters and mayhem. And we’ll even have a little full-frontal to rear nudity for ya. It’s going to be an artistically developed, over-the-top low-budget sensation! I guarantee it, or my name ain’t born out of a werewolf’s bawdy shindig in the bayou.

We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this one — metaphorically, of course!

  • Source: Thanks to James Sizemore for giving his time so freely. Also to Avery Guerra for the initial contact. Written by Robert Hood.
  • Check out the official Demon’s Rook website for more information and behind-the-scenes pics.

Posted in Demons, Horror, Independent film, Interviews, Monsters in general, Zombies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Addendum to Avengers Movie Cast

Posted on Friday, October 7, 2011 by Robert Hood

Warning: this article MAY contain spoilers. On the other hand, it could be a load of rubbish.

Just to bring the Backbrain’s last post about the cast of the upcoming Avengers movie more into line with the main focus of this site, Kaiju Search-Robot Avery points out that there has been ongoing discussion regarding the possibility that the Leviathan will feature in the film. For those who don’t know, Leviathan is a mythical sea creature that appears in the Bible, emblematic of awesome strength and a humbler of the Proud. Here’s part of the description of Leviathan from the Book of Job (Job 41:1-41:34):

When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing.
The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood.
Arrows do not make him flee, slingstones are like chaff to him.
A club seems to him but a piece of straw, he laughs at the rattling of the lance.
His undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing-sledge.
He makes the depths churn like a boiling cauldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
Behind him he leaves a glistening wake; one would think the deep had white hair.
Nothing on earth is his equal— a creature without fear.
He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud.

In later mythological literature he was a demon and along with Behemoth a participant in the Last Days.

Below is an evocative picture — not a traditional image of the sea-monster but a nicely awesome one nevertheless. I would like to credit it, but I found it via Google on sites that hadn’t given due recognition to the artist. Click on it to get the full effect.

In the Marvel mythos, there have been several Leviathans, including a covert organisation of bad guys, a huge monster that was “the enemy of Thor” (possibly Jörmungandr or the Midgard Serpent) and an alien woman named Marrina, who in one storyline turned into a huge sea-monster and attacked Atlantis:

This Atlantis reference is relevant as much online geek discussion speculating on Joss Whedon’s Avengers sees the possibility of Leviathan being in the movie as indication that Namor, Sub-Mariner and Prince of Atlantis, will be appearing in the film. Who knows? If you want to explore the evidence, check out this article on Comicbookmovie.com. Personally, I’m happy to be surprised.

  • Written by Robert Hood. Link via Avery Guerra. Marrina/Leviathan image from the Marvel Database.
Posted in Film, Giant Monsters, Idle Speculation, Monsters in general, Update | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments