ALL THINGS 'GODZILLA' ON DVD AND BLU-RAY!!!!! (1 Viewer)

[JeffT.]

Boy! That question-and-answer session pertaining to the forthcoming slew of Sony Home Entertainment Heisei and Mellinnium Eras Godzilla bluray releases was great news and highly informative.

Unfortunately it didn't specifically address whether these will be anamorphic widescreen (enhanced for 16x9 tv screens) video transfers but we'll (reasonably) have to assume that they are.

Pertaining to KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1963) Universal Pictures probably hasn't retained the original Japanese master and is densely unaware that there is such a version. It would seen that Toho Studios itself would be the source for such an existing print.

Your criticism against the two Universal Studios Home Entertainment Toho Studios bluray releases are perfectly valid. No theatrical trailers. Nothing! The theatrical trailer for KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1963) is really quite good and well worth having.

I still say that the Godzilla (as pictured above) in KING KONG VS GODZILLA (1963) is the best incarnation in the classic series!

(As I have said before) Pertaining to these older films and tv series we are not even getting a (necessary) restoration which makes the advantages of this higher grade video medium absolutely pointless (a good example of this is the disappointing THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN).

I am still rather confused (and perplexed) just why Toho Studios would object to the bonus extras for the Tokyo Shock DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968) bluray edition. I don't see anything especially offensive about what it featured (audio commentary, image gallery and original theatrical trailers). Maybe some errant original copies will slip through the upcoming bluray rerelease (and some of us will be fortunate to secure same).

Thank you for the excellent message posting. Keep up the fine work!

Jeff T.

 

[Tony J Case]

Realizing that my head was spinning about all these releases, I compiled everything on Blu Ray into one big freakin' checklist. And I figure I might as well share with you guys. . . .

-SHOWA-Godzilla - Blu (Criterion)Godzilla Raids AgainKing Kong vs. Godzilla - Blu (Universal)Mothra vs. GodzillaGhidorah, the Three-Headed MonsterInvasion of Astro-MonsterGodzilla vs. the Sea Monster - Blu (Kraken)Son of GodzillaDestroy All Monsters - Blu (Media Blasters)All Monsters AttackGodzilla vs. Hedorah - Blu (Kraken)Godzilla vs. Gigan - Blu (Kraken)Godzilla vs. Megalon - Blu (Media Blasters)Godzilla vs. MechagodzillaTerror of Mechagodzilla- HEISEI -The Return of GodzillaGodzilla vs. Biollante - Blu (Echo Bridge)Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah - Blu (Sony)Godzilla vs. Mothra - Blu (Sony)Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II - Blu (Sony)Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla - Blu (Sony)Godzilla vs. Destoroyah - Blu (Sony)- MILLENNIUM -Godzilla 2000Godzilla vs. Megaguirus - Blu (Sony)Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out AttackGodzilla Against MechagodzillaGodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. - Blu (Sony)Godzilla: Final Wars - Blu (Sony)-BLECH-Godzilla In Name Only - Blu (Tri Star)

Did I miss anything?

 

[Tony J Case]

I am still rather confused (and perplexed) just why Toho Studios would object to the bonus extras for the Tokyo Shock DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968) bluray edition. I don't see anything especially offensive about what it featured (audio commentary, image gallery and original theatrical trailers). Maybe some errant original copies will slip through the upcoming bluray rerelease (and some of us will be fortunate to secure same).

The only thing I can think of is that it's some kind of reverse importation thing. I know a problem that a lot of American released anime (and why it's so expensive in the states), is because the studios don't want the Japanese fans bringing in the discs from abroad, undercutting their ridiculously overpriced domestic versions.

If Toho allows the American disc to be loaded up with a ton of sweet extras for only 20 bucks US, even with the 40 or 50 bucks it takes to get a copy shipped to Japan, it's still cheaper than the 100+ dollars that the Japanese version runs.

Just a guess, mind you - but that bears out with what I know from the anime world.

 

[JeffT.]

Thank you Tony! I will never have any apprehension about the price of Godzilla blurays in North America again.Your Godzilla movie list looks complete.Jeff T.

 

[Tony J Case]

Egads - I spoke out of my ass! A quick check on Amazon.jp shows that the Godzilla discs all run roughly about ￥5,000 - or about 40 bucks. That pretty much blows my importation inequity theory out of the water.

So, no - now I have no idea why Toho is withholding extras from the American markets. . . .

Also, the Kong V Godzilla cover is much cooler in Japan:

 

[[email protected]]

Yes but its not English friendly

 

[mdnitoil]

The biggest reason why they are difficult with the extras is that they are notoriously protective of their property and they handle everything in-house. They don't necessarily have folks in-house who speak English well enough to go through all the extras and it's not a big priority for them. They will send things back a half dozen times asking for clarification and there's this lag for each go-around. Meanwhile, the company who has the license is seeing their window slowly close waiting to get extras cleared. Many just don't even bother and simply release the transfer Toho gives them with the supplied international dubs and subs. They're not purposely withholding, they're just anal about protecting their intellectual property. For those companies willing to jump through all the hoops, some pretty good editions have been released. These new companies don't want the hassle.

 

[JeffT.]

Wow! Is that thing the original Japanese version of KING KING VS GODZILLA (1962)?! If so then that's (partially) the answer then Toho Studios itself has to provide the video transfer either dubbed or with English (or whatever other languages are deemed important) subtitles.

The Japanese have every right to preserve and champion their own language but Toho Studios should also be cognizant of the international market as well. After all it's only good business to (wisely) do so. In the 21st Century it is an International Global Community. You certainly don't have to be Japanese to like these films.

I realized that I will finally have the opportunity to see GODZILLA VS. GIGAN aka GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND (1972) once the bluray edition is released! One thing is for certain this year there is going to be a lot of closure but there is still the errant GODZILLA 1985 (1984) and there will always be rereleases (or upgradings) for future generations of Godzilla enthusiasts.

Jeff T.

 

[Vic Pardo]

When Tokyo Shock released GODZILLA VS. MEGALON on DVD last year (or the year before), there was a shipment that came out with all the extras that Toho had vetoed. It was a production error on Tokyo Shock's part; they sent the wrong flash drive to the duplication house or something. What that meant was that those of us who bought copies took a chance on whether the copy we bought had the extras on it or not. I went to my local FYE and took a chance, spending $14.99 or so and--lo and behold--all the extras were there!

 

[JeffT.]

Well an online review of the just-released Universal Studios Home Entertainment KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1963) blurary editon was requested and here is a weblink to (likely) the first:http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/63624/king-kong-vs-godzilla/The reviewer reflects my own sentiments that Godzilla is maganificent in this film while the King Kong is such a letdown.Jeff T.

 

[Tony J Case]

Well, that pretty much confirms my decision not to buy. Ah well - better luck next time, Universal!

 

[Tony J Case]

Okay, this is slightly off topic, yet still pretty damn cool:

Gamera prepares to blast back onto motion picture screens next year!

Over the last week, there has been some English-language rumors spread about a new production, featuring Daiei Studio's answer to Godzilla, to hit cinema screens in 2015, based solely on a listing appearing on Japanese retail sites for the May 5th issue of Newtype the Live magazine. The listing mentions details on the production will be revealed as well as "image boards" (presentation art). While the listings are legitimate (the magazine in question is published by Kadokawa Shoten, which owns Kadokawa Pictures and Gamera), promising content on the upcoming film — that's only a fraction of what the Japanese already know.

This book first spilled the proverbial turtle soup on the new film.

The initial news was broken on February 8th in a completely different publication, "Heisei Gamera: Perfection," a 304-page book chronicling the post-1980s Gamera films, published by Kadokawa and Ascii Media Works. The major points dropped, which will be expanded upon in the upcoming May issue of Newtype the Live, include:

[*]The pre-production tagline is "Something is out there..." (Dareka-ga aru).
[*]Gamera in this production will come to life in a "(new) surprising form."
[*]Producer Shigenori Takatera, is the central person at the helm. Taketera also served as a producer on KAMEN RIDER KUUGA (2000) and DAIMAJIN KANNON (2010).
[*]The CEO of Kadokawa said the foundation of this production is, "What does today's audience want to see?"
[*]BONUS POINT: The narrative is set in modern day and preproduction is well underway.
[/list]

And then - the specs of the Sony discs:

GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH (1991)
GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (1992)
2 Discs, MFT (Blu-ray/UltraViolet, ST) • Closed Captioned • Screen Format(s): Anamorphic • Languages: English (US) 5.1/Japanese 5.1, English (US) DS • Subtitles: English (US), French (Parisian) • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (1993)
GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA (1994)
2 Discs, MFT (Blu-ray/UltraViolet, ST) • Closed Captioned • Screen Format(s): Anamorphic • Languages: English (US) 5.1/Japanese 5.1, English (US) DS • Subtitles: English (US), French (Parisian) • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

GODZILLA VS. DESTROYAH (1995)
GODZILLA VS. MEGAGUIRUS (2000)
2 Discs, MFT (Blu-ray/UltraViolet, ST) • Closed Captioned • Screen Format(s): Anamorphic • Languages: English (US) 5.1/Japanese 5.1, English (US) DS • Subtitles: English (US), French (Parisian) • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Destroyah) & 2.35:1 (Megaguirus)

GODZILLA: TOKYO SOS (2003)
GODZILLA FINAL WARS (2004)
2 Discs, MFT (Blu-ray/UltraViolet, ST) • Closed Captioned • Screen Format(s): Anamorphic • Languages: English (US) 5.1/Japanese 5.1, English (US) DS • Subtitles: English (US), French (Parisian) • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

These specs do not mention any special features content, so one shouldn't have any expectations of such. Meanwhile, keen cinephiles and kaiju fans alike will notice the conspicuous absence of previous Sony releases of Takao Okawara's GODZILLA 2000 (1999), Shusuke Kaneko's GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (2001), and Masaaki Tezuka's GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA (2002) from this set of releases. Curious, as Sony Pictures created a US theatrical version of GODZILLA 2000, while GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA is the first of the two-part "Kiryu Saga" which concludes in GODZILLA: TOKYO SOS. And of course, GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK is arguably the best of these latter films in both depth and execution.

Bah! No trailers? Weaksauce!

 

[JeffT.]

I wouldn't say that's it's off topic. Now we know for certain that the Sony Films Home Entertainment Godzilla blurays are (naturally) anamorphic widescreen editions.

Thanks Tony!

 

[Tony J Case]

Well, I was talking more about the gamera news more than the Godzilla specs. That's what I get for posting after 3 hours of sleep and a long day. (:

 

[Tony J Case]

Well, this is going to be a VERY expensive April and May. Now I find out we're getting a boatload of Gamera flicks too!

 

[Tony J Case]

Hey, if you guys were looking for free Godzilla (and who doesnt want that?) there's a contest over at sci fi Japan: Sony G Contest

 

[JeffT.]

Thanks Tony!

You have admirably done so much for this discussion thread.

Keep up the tremendous work!

As far as all the scheduled Godzilla bluray (and "standard" DVD) releases this year we certainly asked for it (as the old expression goes).

Jeff T.

 

[Tony J Case]

Aww, thanks man - twernt nothing! Just knowing where to surf. . .

So here's an early review of Kraken's Ebirah from Toho Kingdom. Early prognosis - looks pretty solid. Not much in the way of extras, but I don't think this comes as much of a shock to anyone here.

 

[Mark-W]

Just want to say "THANKS!!!" for this thread. Been a great read and has impacted my buying decisions.

I have a quick question:
Can someone tell me is there a difference in content between these two that we know of (I know there are pre-orders.)?

http://www.amazon.com/Godzilla-Vs-Megalon-Blu-ray-Various/dp/B005K8RJF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398099452&sr=8-1&keywords=megalon+blu

and

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JQYUXY4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3TM03T5QUMEA8&coliid=I2RAT08BTKC7GC

Is one just out-dated information?

 

[JeffT.]

Yes Mark, the first one is now outdated (just a release that was indefinately delayed).

Now it is known just when to expect the bluray edition of GODZILLA VS MEGALON (1973).


Jeff T.