Godzilla (And Friends) In The News 05/19/10 - Norman England Talks DEATH KAPPA, Toho Goes 3D And Lindsay Lohan (WTF)?

Written By: Ken Hulsey

Not too much to talk about on the Godzilla and Japanese monster movie front, but I did discover a couple of articles that I think that everyone will find interesting.

For starters, I have a new blog post from our dear friend, Norman England, where he talks a little bit about the "Death Kappa" premiere and some of the other movie projects he has been involved with over the past few weeks.

After that, there is an interesting article about how Toho is going to produce the first ever 3D film in Japan. No, it's not a monster movie. No, it's not a sci fi film, and, no, it's not a fantasy film. Oddly the studio who made a name for themselves by producing such films has opted to make an action movie in 3D, namely the third "Umizaru" film, which is about a coast guard rescue team.

Lastly I have a story about "Godzilla: Final Wars" director, Ryuhei Kitamura........well, actually the story is about gonzo actress, Lindsay Lohan, being cast in "Black Friday 3D", but Kitamura will be at the helm. Amazingly the plot sounds a little like the director's prior effort, "Sky High".....kinda. It's about vengeance...and a serial killer.....anyway.

Here we go:

Full Steam Ahead!

I don't know if this is a blog or simply a list of things I've done between time point A and time point B. I wouldn't mind writing more often and in more detail, if only time permitted. Not even sure where to begin...

Well, since my last entry, I attended two screenings at Imagica. The first was "Death Kappa," an upcoming giant monster film by director Tomoo Haraguchi. It was the premiere screening of the film and attended by the staff and cast. I was there finishing up my story on the film for Fangoria magazine.

I love watching films at Imagica. Nice, large, cushiony seats, a bright clear screen and some booming audio. As "Death Kappa" isn't a major release it was screened in the smaller theater on the lot, but even that's not bad. Still, the large theater is my favorite screen in Japan and I've seen a number of big films there over the years.

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Japan's 'Godzilla' studio enters 3D films
AFP

A major Japanese studio known for its "Godzilla" monster films plans to enter the booming 3D movie business this year with an adaptation of a manga series, it said Tuesday.

Recent Hollywood three-dimensional hits "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland" have scored huge success in Japan, whose first major domestically produced 3D film will be released in September, top distributor Toho Co. Ltd., said.

Toho will distribute the third installment in the live-action "Umizaru" series about coast guards to more than 400 theatres across Japan, starting September 18.

"It will be the first 3D production of a major Japanese film," a Toho spokesman said. A team led by major network Fuji Television was in charge of production and Toho would distribute the movie, he added.

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Lindsay Lohan Ready For 'Black Friday 3-D'?
Moviefone (blog) - Bryan Enk

'Black Friday 3-D' tells the story of a brother and his friends who seek revenge after his sister is brutally attacked, a journey that puts them in the path of a serial killer named Tyler Hillburg. The film will be directed by Ryuhei Kitamura ('The Midnight Meat Train,' 'Godzilla: Final Wars').

Read More

See Also: Godzilla In The News 05/13/10 - A Great Godzilla Retrospect, Godzilla Goes A Dancing?, And Bambi Didn't Have A Chance / Godzilla (And Friends) In The News 05/11/10 - How Does King Kong vs Godzilla Rank Among Monster Battles? More Gamera And Kamen Rider DVD Stuff / Godzilla (And Friends) In The News 05/06/10 - Rina Akiyama Rides The Metro To Promote Kamen Rider And Return Of Godzilla Actor Kei Satô Passes / Godzilla 2012 (And Gamera) In The News 05/06/10 - A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Rumors / Godzilla (And Friends) In The News 05/03/10 (Part 2) / Godzilla (And Friends) In The News 05/03/10 / Godzilla In The News 04/21/10 - Big G Influences Fashion And Music, Plus The Top 5 G Films According To CNN / Godzilla In The News 04/19/10 - Obama Worried Jolly Green Giant/Godzilla Conflict Could Destabilize Region / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/15/10 - The Angry Edition! / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/12/10 / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/08/10 / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/04/10 - Happy Easter! / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/01/10 / Godzilla 2012 In The News 03/31/10

The Brand-New Death Kappa Poster

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Fangoria / Media Blasters

Media Blasters has just released the movie poster for Tomoo Haraguchi's Japanese giant monster epic, "Death Kappa."

The film, which is a co-production between the video distributor and Haraguchi's Fever Dreams production company, is set to make it's debut at the Cannes Film Festival, later this month. At this time the exact date and time of that premiere has not been released.

Media Blasters has also announced that the DVD release date for "Death Kappa", here in America, has been pushed back from May 25th to July 27th.

The DVD can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com for $19.99 here - Death Kappa (Ws Dub) and on Blu-ray for $22.49 here - Death Kappa - Blu-ray / DVD Combo

Here is the film's synopsis, courtesy of Norman England:

The storyline revolves around failed pop star Kanako, who returns to her hometown to live with her beloved grandmother. Yet no sooner does she return home than a pair of crazed couples out on a drinking binge run over and kill her grandma. With the old woman gone, Kanako takes to running the family shrine, but to make matters worse, the drunken killers managed to disturb that structure—which is the keeper of kappa, one of Japan’s many yokai creatures, in this case a benevolent, human-like turtle. Resurrected, the kappa is welcomed into town by the villagers.

Meanwhile, unknown to anyone in town, Yuriko, the granddaughter of a long-dead mad scientist, has chosen to continue her ancestor’s twisted experiments. Funded by Japanese nationalists seeking to bring the country back to military prominence, Yuriko works to complete his quest to develop a half-human/half-fish super-soldier. All hell breaks loose when Yuriko’s plans are thwarted, and she detonates an atomic weapon that causes both the kappa and one of the gill men to grow to monster-sized proportions. It is at this point that the showdown begins between the enlarged gill man, known now as Hangyoras, and Death Kappa.

More on the "Death Kappa" premiere at Cannes will be available one week before the festival begins so stay tuned!

See Also: In The Absence Of Godzilla, Japan Has Had A Real Giant Monster Boom!