Sadao Iizuka in December 2020. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on December 26, 1934, Sadao Iizuka joined Toho Studios in 1954 during the production of the original Godzilla, working as an assistant in the tokusatsu art department. Mr. Iizuka stayed at Toho for many years thereafter, eventually pioneering Toho's trademark optical effects that would become … Continue reading THE MASTERFUL MAKER OF MONSTER BEAMS! Sadao Iizuka on His Early Life and Career at Toho!
Author: Brett Homenick
THE KING OF THE MOVIE POSTERS MEETS THE KING OF THE MONSTERS! Ezra Tucker on Creating the American Release Poster for ‘Godzilla 2000’!
Photo © Ezra Tucker. Ezra Tucker is accomplished artist who specializes in depicting wildlife, but he got the chance to portray arguably the wildest creature of all when he was selected to create the American release poster for Godzilla 2000 (1999). At the time, Mr. Tucker was no stranger to painting movie posters, as he … Continue reading THE KING OF THE MOVIE POSTERS MEETS THE KING OF THE MONSTERS! Ezra Tucker on Creating the American Release Poster for ‘Godzilla 2000’!
ULTRAMAN OUT WEST! Terry Larsen on Scripting the Groundbreaking Tokusatsu Series ‘Ultraman: Towards the Future’!
Terry Larsen poses with actress Grace Parr, who played Kim Shaomin on Ultraman: Towards the Future. Photo © Terry Larsen. Terry Larsen, a native of Sydney, Australia, wrote all 13 episodes of Tsuburaya Productions’ first English-language Ultra-series, Ultraman: Towards the Future (1992). Prior to his work on Ultraman, Mr. Larsen wrote “Tarflowers,” an hour-long TV … Continue reading ULTRAMAN OUT WEST! Terry Larsen on Scripting the Groundbreaking Tokusatsu Series ‘Ultraman: Towards the Future’!
REFLECTIONS OF MISS AIRLIFTER! Kathy Horan Remembers Her Acting and Modeling Career in Japan!
Kathy Horan's first Miss Airlifter photo, appearing in Pacific Stars and Stripes in 1967. Photo © Pacific Stars and Stripes. Kathy Horan was born in Roswell, New Mexico, on March 5, 1948, and came to Japan in the 1960s as a military brat during her sophomore year of high school. She subsequently appeared in a … Continue reading REFLECTIONS OF MISS AIRLIFTER! Kathy Horan Remembers Her Acting and Modeling Career in Japan!
MEMOIRS OF A GODZILLA FANDOM PIONEER! Bradford Boyle on Publishing the Seminal Fanzine ‘Japanese Giants’!
A recent photo of Bradford Boyle in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Photo © Bradford Grant Boyle. In the mid-1970s, Bradford Boyle took over the publishing duties of the Godzilla-oriented fanzine Japanese Giants from its creator, Stephen Mark Rainey, after issue #1. However, following the publication of issue #4, Mr. Boyle decided to move on to other … Continue reading MEMOIRS OF A GODZILLA FANDOM PIONEER! Bradford Boyle on Publishing the Seminal Fanzine ‘Japanese Giants’!
DOCUMENTING GIANTS FROM JAPAN! Stephen Mark Rainey on Creating the Celebrated Fanzine ‘Japanese Giants’!
Photo © Stephen Mark Rainey. Horror novelist Stephen Mark Rainey (who also goes by Mark Rainey) has written countless shockers over the years, but his audience may not be aware that, during his teen years, he published a fanzine on Godzilla and other giant monsters from Japan. His fanzine, Japanese Giants, would eventually see other … Continue reading DOCUMENTING GIANTS FROM JAPAN! Stephen Mark Rainey on Creating the Celebrated Fanzine ‘Japanese Giants’!
REVISITING THE LEGEND’S REBIRTH! Director R. J. Kizer’s In-Depth History of the Americanization of ‘Godzilla 1985’!
R. J. Kizer stands in front of a New York City theater showing Godzilla 1985. Photo © Francoise Charlap. R. J. Kizer, born and raised in the New York City area, attended New York University Film School, from which he graduated in 1976. Following graduation, Mr. Kizer moved to Los Angeles in 1978. In May … Continue reading REVISITING THE LEGEND’S REBIRTH! Director R. J. Kizer’s In-Depth History of the Americanization of ‘Godzilla 1985’!
GODZILLA’S CROWNING MOMENT! UPA’s Post-Production Supervisor Richard Krown on Americanizing Toho Classics!
Photo © Richard Krown. Born on February 17, 1931, Richard Krown grew up in the Los Angeles area and joined United Productions of America in the 1960s. At UPA, Mr. Krown worked on some of the most beloved Americanizations of Toho monster films, usually as production (or post-production) supervisor. Among his Toho monster movie credits … Continue reading GODZILLA’S CROWNING MOMENT! UPA’s Post-Production Supervisor Richard Krown on Americanizing Toho Classics!
‘MOTHRA’ MEMORIES! Masamitsu Tayama Recalls Appearing in the 1961 Toho Classic!
Masamitsu Tayama in April 2021. Photo © Brett Homenick. Masamitsu Tayama is a former child actor who appeared in several movies and TV shows in Japan in the early 1960s. Most notably, he played Shinji Chujo, the younger brother of Dr. Shinichi Chujo (Hiroshi Koizumi) in the Toho classic Mothra (1961). Mr. Tayama would not … Continue reading ‘MOTHRA’ MEMORIES! Masamitsu Tayama Recalls Appearing in the 1961 Toho Classic!
TOKUSATSU BEGINNINGS! Eiichi Asada on Becoming an Assistant Director at Toho in the 1970s!
Eiichi Asada in March 2021. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on March 13, 1949, Eiichi Asada got his start at Toho Studios in the early 1970s as an assistant director, working on such movies as Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Submersion of Japan (1973), Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974), and Espy (1974). In later years, Mr. Asada … Continue reading TOKUSATSU BEGINNINGS! Eiichi Asada on Becoming an Assistant Director at Toho in the 1970s!
Vantage Point Interviews 