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Godzilla Delicious

Godzilla Commercials Part 1


Godzilla is known for two things: destroying cities and kicking monster butt. One thing Godzilla isn’t as well known for is selling out. Yes, even Godzilla has to eat, so he’ll endorse all sorts of wacky stuff. We call him the Krusty the Clown of the giant monster world. TarsTarkas.NET begins an overview of Godzilla and other giant monster commercials because only we are so crazy (or stupid!) to do so. The current site motto might be “Obsessively stupid about stupid films” but now it is “Obsessively stupid about stupid commercials”!

The commercials range from Godzilla cameos using stock footage to independent productions with new footage of Big G. They also range from terrible to awesome, so it will be hit or miss.

Honey Nut Cheerios –
I remember this one from Saturday mornings. Using footage from Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster among others, Godzilla is rampaging again, and only the delicious taste of Honey Nut Cheerios can satisfy him and make him go back into the sea. Highlights include Godzilla yelling “Delicious!” and the iconic “bowl being tossed down the gullet” scene as Honey feeds the beast.



[FLOWPLAYER=http://tarstarkas.net/movies/gc/CheeriosGodzilla.flv,320,244]

Deep Sea Monster Reigo

Deep Sea Monster Reigo (Review)

Deep Sea Monster Reigo

aka Shinkaijû Reigô

2008
Directed by Shinpei Hayashiya
Written by Shinpei Hayashiya and Keita Toriumi

Thanks to the wonders of Chinese DVDs we get a copy of Deep Sea Monster Reigo, which information has been leaking about this film for five years! Much of the initial filming was done around 2004-2005, and since then it has been mostly effects work done in spare time by director/writer/effects man Shinpei Hayashiya, who is a major effects guy in Japanese cinema and enjoys working on giant monster films so much he has been making his own for that past few years. He has been known to have made Gamera 4: Truth (Gamera 4: Shinjitsu) which features a white Gyaos; and also the Godzilla fan film Godzilla x Desugirasu (which is probably Godzilla VS Seadora.) So this guy lives for this stuff. In fact, we are already getting a sequel, Deep Sea Monster Raiga!

Over the years, the project has gone through several names, including A-140F6: Shinkaijû Reigô sakusen (A-140F6: Operation Deep Sea Monster Reigo), Reigô tai Yamato (Reigo, the Deep-Sea Monster vs. the Battleship Yamato) and finally Shinkaijû Reigô (Deep Sea Monster Reigo.) In 2004 Shinpei Hayashiya was negotiating two other cast members, former pro-wrestler turned politician Hiroshi Hase and former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori. Neither of them signed on, but it would have been cool. We wrote an article about Deep Sea Monster Reigo a while back, so it has some more tidbits.

Reigo requires some background information so we don’t just jump in with no clue what is going on. The Yamato was a Japanese warship that served in World War 2, at the time it was the heaviest warship ever built displacing 72,800 tonnes at full load, and armed with nine 46 cm (18.1 inch) main guns. The Yamato was sunk in April 1945 during Operation Ten-Go. None of the historical officers mentioned in the Wikipedia article show up in the film (at least as far as I could tell) so everyone seems to be purely fictitious. But, then, subtitles… The film takes place in the days just after US involvement in World War 2 and the Yamato faces its first powerful opponent, a sea monster named Reigo. Reigo is a little ticked that the Yamato killed its baby, so she sets out to starts smashing up the Yamato and its battle group (Battleships sail with several smaller ships for support, mostly destroyers/cruisers.) Battle is joined, people get killed, ships get sunk, the monster roars a lot, lighting flies all over the place, your general kaiju stuff.

This Chinese DVD has no English subtitles, so it is either Japanese language or Chinese subtitles, so we shall just wing it. At TarsTarkas.NET, we don’t need no stinking subtitles! The film is pretty easy to figure out without subtitles, so no worries there.

Ensign Takeshi Kaido (Takayasu “Taiyo” Sugiura) – Our lead character is Ensign Takeshi Kaido, a newly graduated cadet out to sea on his first mission right when the US declares war on Japan. He has a girlfriend and will be around during a lot of the action, but doesn’t really do a lot. Taiyo Suguira starred in Ultraman Cosmos and several other productions.
Officer Noboru Osako (Yukijiro Hotaru) – is the father of detective Osako from the Heisei Gamera trilogy, so this is a neat little surprise. Osako runs one of the gun crews on the main battery. Yukijiro Hotaru also starred in Shinpei Hayashiya’s fan film Gamera 4: Truth (aka Gamera 4: Shinjitsu)
Chie Kojima (Mai Nanami) – Takeshi Kaido’s love interest. Not a big role. Besides having a photobook Mai Nanami hasn’t really done much of anything.
Captain Yamagami (Susumu Kurobe) – Ultraman?!?!?! Yes, it is Susumu Kurobe as Captain Yamagami, the captain of the Yamato who can’t handle losing so many men, then mysteriously disappears. Susumu Kurobe was Hayata, Ultraman’s human alter-ego in the original Ultraman series. Susumu Kurobe starred in numerous other Ultraman productions, and was also seen here in Ghidrah and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus.
Crewman Kanai (Yoji Tanaka) – Another Yamato crew member. Yoji Tanaka was in a lot of cult films including Cutie Honey.
Benkei (Ukon Ichikawa) – aka Saito Musashibo Benkei (1155 – 1189), a legendary warrior monk who is in a bunch of kabuki and Noh plays, so maybe you should learn some culture and go see one. Or just watch him dance around on the deck of the Yamato as the entire crew is slaughtered. Ukon Ichikawa is a renowned kabuki actor.
Reigo – Reigo is a mama mad about her dead baby and attacks the ship foolish enough to make her childless, the Yamato. Reigo has electricity powers, lightning strikes her all the time and she can conjure up little electric Reigos to tear people up. Not immune to battleship weapons. Reigo was designed by Amemiya Keita (the director of Zeiramu) and then developed by Haraguchi Tomoo, who worked on the Heisei Gamera trilogy.

Outlander finally gets to the theaters

After so many delays I stopped paying attention, Outlander looks like it will be hitting theaters January 23 (that’s Friday!) So check the dates below and see if you can see it, because it isn’t on the internet or DVD and that will be the only way for a while. It is Vikings vs. alien space monsters, so there is that.

OUTLANDER OPENING – JANUARY 23, 2009

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CHICAGO AREA – 5 RUNS

Chicago – 600 North Michigan Ave. 9 – AMC

Addison – Addison Cinemas & IMAX – MARCUS

South Barrington – South Barrington 30 – AMC

Warrenville – Cantera 30 – AMC

Woodridge – Loews Woodridge 18 – AMC

*

PHILADELPHIA AREA – 3 RUNS

Cherry Hill – Cherry Hill 24 – AMC

Pleasantville – Towne Stadium 16 – TRISTA

Hamilton – Hamilton 24 – AMC

*

SAN FRANCISCO – OAK – SAN JOSE AREA – 10 RUNS

San Francisco – San Francisco Centre 9 – CINMRK

Daly City – Century 20 Daly City – CINMRK

Union City – Century 25 – Union City – CINMRK

San Leandro – Century 16 Bayfair Mall – CINMRK

Richmond – Hilltop 16 – CINMRK

Fremont – Cinedome 8 Theatre – Frem – CINMRK

Santa Clara – AMC Mercado 20 – AMC

San Jose – Century Capitol 16 – CINMRK

San Jose – Century 25 – CINMRK

Santa Rosa – 3rd Street Cinema 6 – THBKGS Confirmed

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BOSTON AREA – 2 RUNS

Danvers – Liberty Tree Mall 20 – AMC

Methuen – Methuen 20 @ The Loop – AMC

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DALLAS/FT. WORTH AREA – 11 RUNS

Mesquite – Mesquite 30 Theatres – AMC

Plano – Legacy 24 – CINMRK

Irving – Irving Mall 14 – AMC

Irving – Hollywood MacArthur Market – WALLCE

Lancaster – Movies 14 – Lancaster – CINMRK

Grand Prairie – Movies 16 – Grand Prairie – CINMRK

Dallas – Cinemark 17 Webb Chapel – CINMRK

Dallas – Grand 24 Theatres – AMC

Burleson – Premiere Cinema 14 – CSCO

Grapevine – Grapevine 30 Theatres – AMC

Hickory Creek – Hickory Creek 16 – RAVE

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DETROIT AREA – 5 RUNS

Sterling Heights – Forum 30 – Sterling Hts – AMC

Auburn Hills – Star Great Lake Crossing 25 – AMC

Dearborn – LCE Star Fairlane Theatre – AMC

Canton – Emagine 18 – ARCNGL

Dearborn – Ford Wyoming Drive In 1 – 5 – MJR

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ATLANTA AREA – 7 RUNS

Atlanta – Magic Johnson Theatre – AMC

Kennesaw – Barrett Commons 24 Theatre – AMC

Woodstock – Cherokee Stadium 16 Cine – CFB-GA

Lawrenceville – Colonial 18 Theatres – AMC

Decatur – Galaxy South Dekalb Funple – PHNIXA

Morrow – Southlake Pavilion 24 Theatre – AMC

Snellville – Carmike 12 – CARMKE

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HOUSTON AREA – 7 RUNS

Tomball – Silverado 19 IMAX – SANTIK

Houston – Gulf Pointe 30 Theatres – AMC

Houston – Studio 30 Theatres – Houston – AMC

Houston – Tinseltown 290 – CINMRK

Houston – Yorktown 15 – RAVE

Katy – Cinemark 19 – CINMRK

Jacinto City – Tinseltown 17 – CINMRK

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SEATTLE-TACOMA AREA – 3 RUNS:

Seattle – Meridian – REGAL

Woodinville – Woodinville 12 – AMC

Renton – Renton Village 8 – AMC

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TAMPA – ST. PETE, SARASOTA AREA – 3 RUNS

Tampa – Veterans Expressway 24 – AMC

Tampa – Centro Ybor 20 – MUVICO

St. Petersburg – Baywalk 20 – MUVICO

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MIAMI – FT. LAUDERDALE – 6 RUNS

Aventura – Aventura Mall 24 Theatres – AMC

Hialeah – Cobb Hialeah 18 Theatre – BRAND

Hialeah – Hialeah 14 – MUVICO

South Miami – Sunset Place 24 Theatres – AMC

Davie – Paradise 24 – MUVICO

Ft. Lauderdale – Las Olas 15 – ESP

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SACRAMNTO – STKTN – MODESTO AREA – 1 RUN

Elk Grove – Century 16 Theatre – Laguna – CINMRK

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ORLANDO – DAYTONA BCH – MELBRN AREA – 2 RUNS

Orlando – Universal Cineplex 20 – AMC

Lake Buena Vista – Pleasure Island 24 – AMC

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BALTIMORE AREA – 1 RUN

Hanover – Egyptian 24 – MUVICO

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SAN DIEGO AREA – 3 RUNS

San Diego – Gaslamp All Stadium 15 – READIN

San Diego – Palm Promenade 24 – AMC

San Diego – Mission Valley 20 – AMC

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NASHVILLE AREA – 1 RUN

Franklin – Thoroughbred 20 – CARMKE

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KANSAS CITY AREA – 2 RUNS

Kansas City – Parkway 14 – AMC

Shawnee – Westglen 18 – DICKIN

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SAN ANTONIO AREA – 4 RUNS

San Antonio – Huebner Oaks 24 – AMC

San Antonio – Northwest 14 Theatres – SANTIK

San Antonio – Rialto Piccolo – SANTIK

San Antonio – Mayan Palace 14 – Santikos – SANTIK

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MEMPHIS AREA – 5 RUNS

Memphis – Majestic Theatre 20 – MALCO

Bartlett – Hollywood 20 Cinema – BRAND

Bartlett – Malco Stage Cinema 13- MALCO

Memphis – Palace 10 Cinema – BRAND

Atoka – Cine Planet 16 – BRAND

Thanks to Avery, slayer of space kaiju

Raptor Ranch

Jurassic Park meets Carnosaur meets Brokeback Mountain without any brokebacking. Actually, it is Raptor Island on a ranch. Raptor Ranch! And without seeing one frame of footage I can assure you it is better than Raptor Island and Raptor Island 2 – Raptor Planet. In fact, it looks like it could be pretty fun. Potential is here. Like Raptor Planet, they will use a mix of animaltronic and cgi raptors, except they added color to them, so they don’t look lame. Basically, if it is fun, it will be a good movie. Rumors are it might show up on SciFi Channel sometime this spring.
rrposter
The film is the brainchild of Dan Bishop, an experience production designer on many projects.
Starring Jana, stand-up comic Rowdy Arroyo, Cody Vaughn, Donny Boaz, and Bo Myers

Animaltronic work of Larry Billings:
rr7

CGI work of Michael Napodano:
beth4

Official Site
More Info a Undead Backbrain

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Thanks to Avery, who I hope avoids any attacking raptors!

Deep Sea Monster Reigo

Deep Sea Monster Raiga – sequel to Reigo!

Deep Sea Monster Reigo

Deep Sea Monster Raiga is an upcoming kaiju film from Japan that just happens to be a sequel to Deep Sea Monster Reigo, which we reported on months ago. The original film was the WW2 battleship Yamato against a sea monster, the new film is modern day and has a land monster attack Japan! Shades of Godzilla, eh? He even looks suspiciously like him, but totally isn’t. Maybe he will fight a turtle that totally isn’t Gamera. There is a trailer up at Nipponcinema.

Official site

Thanks to Avery!

G

G.

Yes, G.

That’s the new movie by special effects man. He did effects work on some recent films, and then raised some money of his own and made his own movie! Now that means the acting won’t be the best, but the special effects will rock and roll! We’ve got a big damn monster:g
And a giant robot:
g
And lots of things blowing the crap up!

Clips are available on the Undead Backbrain website

An update on this film will be on the SciFi Japan website…eventually. Will the effects guy be Kiyotaka Taguchi, who worked on Godzilla films and is rumored to be on another project? We shall see…

Thanks to Avery for yet another scoop!