Posts Tagged ‘Kadokawa’


1990′s Gamera Double Feature Blu-ray detailed

September 30th, 2010 | article by | No Comments »
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Details for this double feature of Shusuke Kaneko-directed Gamera films have been updated at the Mill Creek Entertainment site and, frankly, I’m excited.  I’ll have a review of the disc posted here at Wtf-Film as soon as our copy arrives.

According to Mill Creek, the Gamera: Guardian of the Universe / Gamera: Attack of Legion will feature 1080p transfers of both films in their intended 1.85:1 aspect ratios.  Audio is to be presented in both English dubbed and original Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks, as well as uncompressed DTS Master HD 5.1 in the original Japanese only.  English subtitles are, naturally, included.

No word on extras, but at a retail price of just $14.98 (with Amazon taking preorders at just $11.99 as of this writing) I can honestly say that I don’t care.  These are two of the best giant monster films to be released in decades, and I’m hoping that the third in the trilogy isn’t too far off.

The Gamera: Guardian of the Universe / Gamera: Attack of Legion double feature streets on October 12th, and can currently be preordered at considerable savings from Amazon.com.



Gamera, The Giant Monster DVD (Shout! Factory, 2010)

April 5th, 2010 | article by | 7 Comments »
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Gamera, The Giant Monster is due out from Shout! Factory on the 18th of May, a little more than a month from now, but the screener just came in and is, frankly, too awesome not to share (a thorough review of the disc and film will appear here closer to the release date).  Fans out there who have yet to pre-order this title should head over to Amazon.com and take care of that ASAP.  You won’t be disappointed.

First things first – the packaging on this release is exceptional all around.  Major points to Shout! Factory for utilizing clear Amaray cases, as I repackage my home video library into these either way.  The artwork is nice all around, and based upon still photos of the titular behemoth and his human co-stars.  Opening the package one finds well designed disc art as well as a 12-page booklet, featuring a 2001 essay by director Noriaki Yuasa, character bios, a neat anatomical rendering of Gamera himself (reproduced as the inside art for the case!), and a reproduction of the original theatrical poster.  Good stuff, but don’t take my word for it:

Things only get better once the disc hits the player.  Shout! Factory’s release offers nice Arctic-themed animated menus and easy operations – each menu option is also, amusingly, accompanied with an exclamation mark.  Having seen the film before I headed straight for the supplements.

Making its first appearance on legitimate US DVD is the Gamera retrospective that originally appeared (without subtitles) on Daiei’s expansive LD boxed set in the 1990′s and was divided into brief pieces for the Toshiba / Daiei DVD release in 2002 (again, without subtitles).  Featuring input from director Yuasa and other members of the crew, this brief piece covers the full history of Daiei’s original Gamera series and even offers up a brief reconstruction of what the unfilmed Gamera vs. Garasharp may have been like.  New in the supplemental department is a feature commentary by August Ragone, author of Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters.  This is a fine track, offering insight into the Cold War setting of the film and a wealth of back info for the production and biographical information on the cast and crew.  Extensive image galleries (still and publicity photos, the American pressbook, and even an International Sales Brochure) and the original Japanese theatrical trailer round out the supplements.

As most of you have probably heard, only the original Japanese version of Gamera, The Giant Monster is included on this disc, so hold onto your old Neptune Media VHS of Gammera the Invincible.  As for the Japanese cut, it’s never looked better in standard definition.  Shout! Factory has utilized Kadokawa Pictures HD master (which recently appeared on Blu-ray in Japan) with excellent results.  The transfer is clean, crisp, and all-around fantastic, and the well-translated English subtitles that accompany it certainly don’t hurt!  The basic details are that it’s progressive and anamorphic with almost exactly the same framing as the 2002 release (a slightly wider 2.26:1 versus the older 2.25:1). The film has been cleaned up considerably, and the new HD master presents with neither the video noise or artificial edge enhancement of its SD predecessor.

Gamera, the Giant Monster‘s first legitimate appearance on domestic DVD is a winner all around, and it’s wonderful to see another fan favorite getting its long-due respect.  As far as Wtf-Film is concerned, Shout! Factory’s Gamera, the Giant Monster is a must buy!



Gamera, The Giant Monster – cover art and more

February 13th, 2010 | article by | No Comments »
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Thanks to both SciFi Japan and August Ragone’s The Good, The Bad, and the Godzilla blog, we’re getting a nice sneak peak at the cover art for Shout! Factory’s upcoming Gamera, The Giant Monster DVD Special Edition.  It looks great to this reviewer, and is an improvement over what Kadokawa has produced for their own recent Blu-ray editions.

August is working with Shout! Factory and, thanks to his latest blog entry, we know a little more about the work that’s going into these releases:

“For Shout’s Gamera releases, I’ve assembled an international rag-tag unit of die-hard fans, known as the “Z Plan Team”, who have been working overtime in gathering as much information and materials on the original films as possible for the on-disc Special Features supplements (as well as the corresponding printed booklets), and we have uncovered tons of fascinating facts and trivia about the production of Daiei’s beloved series. The Special Features will also include Audio Commentaries, with the first recorded by none other than Yours Truly.”

Sounds like good stuff all around to me, as August says in his entry, “I can say that these will be DVDs that any self-respecting kaiju eiga fan shouldn’t pass up!” SciFi Japan has a nice new article up as well, including an interview with Cliff Macmillan, VP of DVD Production and Acquisitions for Shout! Factory. Click here to check it out.

Gamera, The Giant Monster streets on May 18th, and can currently be pre-ordered through Amazon.com at a discounted price of $17.99.  Click here to order.



Showa “Gamera” coming from Shout! Factory in 2010!

February 7th, 2010 | article by | 7 Comments »
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More huge news for cult movie fans from Shout! Factory, who look to be keeping pretty busy this year.

Word is currently coming down the pipeline that the company has officially licensed the entire Showa Gamera (1965′s Daikaiju Gamera through 1980′s Uchu Kaiju Gamera) series for release domestically on DVD and will reportedly be working from the latest HD transferred elements.  Right now news is slim, though Monster Island News reported roughly two months ago that the company is / was on the lookout for 35mm elements for the American cut of the first Gamera feature.

At present only the first film is listed for pre-order at Amazon.com, with May 18, 2010 as the scheduled release date  – Gamera: The Giant Monster