The "Megagate" Scandal

Several days ago, August Ragone posted on his blog an article that Media Blasters was preparing to release Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) on DVD.

A day or so later, Keith Aiken posted on Sci-Fi Japan that the story is "false" and that there were no such plans for said release.

Since then, the fit hit the shan in all of this with people questioning Ragone's credibility.

When Ragone first posted his initial article, I posted a brief article on it but directed readers to his article. Over the years, August Ragone has been one of the most reliable sources of news in the kaiju world.

This whole thing seems to have exploded like a tennis match that has gone haywire.

Now, Ragone's source for the his initial report, Emiko Jade Frost (the daughter of Megalon star Robert Dunham) has come forward in Ragone's defense. I have to give her a lot of credit in doing so.

It is bizarre that all this hoopla is taking place over a nearly forty-year-old movie. But that's fandom for you. Maybe we ought to call this "Megagate" for fun?

To read Emiko Jade Frost's side of the story, go here.

There are always three sides to every story: One side. The other side. The truth.

"I Keep Watching The Skies: B-Movies And Me" At Big Hollywood

The White Pongo Report

There's an interesting article on B-movie science-fiction movies over at Big Hollywood entitled, "I Keep Watching The Skies: B-Movies And Me."

It is a good read and thoroughly enjoyable. It is a nice stroll down memory lane. Even the comments by readers is enjoyable!

To read it, go here.

If This Were Wall St., People Would Be Jailed

If This Were Wall St., People Would Be Jailed

by Armand Vaquer

Regular readers of this blog are aware of a controversy concerning the commentary extras on Sony's Icons of Sci-Fi: The Toho Collection. This collection includes Mothra, H-Man and Battle In Outer Space. (Go here to refresh yourself on the controversy.)

Sony's Michael Schlesinger, as you may recall, intended that prominent G-fans and historians from all sectors would be participating in the set. However, that did not come to pass as the person in charge of putting together the set selected Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski to provide the commentaries in this set. August Ragone and others, in good faith, relied upon Schlesinger's advice on participating.

But the cards were already stacked, pretty much from the start.

As far as anyone can tell, the set was announced in July 2008 in a blog by Ian Friedman when he interviewed Schlesinger:

MS: "The set is penciled in for ’09. It will contain those three plus REBIRTH OF MOTHRA 3 (1998), which somehow got overlooked for DVD. The intent is to have the uncut versions with Japanese tracks as well as the English dubs. MOTHRA and BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE are done; THE H-MAN is proving to be a bit trickier, but it should be completed in time."

This week, an interview of Ryfle and Godziszewski by Richard Pusateri was posted at Sci-Fi Japan. In it, Steve Ryfle is quoted as saying:

We lobbied for the job for nearly two years. Through our friend Oki Miyano, I was able to meet with Michael Friend, who supervised the restoration project, in April 2007.

This is interesting because as of March 13, 2009, Schlesinger was not even aware of any decisions concerning extras on this set and had invited people to submit their proposals. And people in general weren't aware of this set being planned until about June 2008. Yet Ryfle and Godziszewski now admit they were actively lobbying for the commentaries and other extras since April 2007.

This sounds very much like "illegal insider trading" in Wall Street (which is, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission,"Illegal insider trading refers generally to buying or selling a security, in breach of a fiduciary duty or other relationship of trust and confidence, while in possession of material, nonpublic information about the security. Insider trading violations may also include "tipping" such information, securities trading by the person "tipped," and securities trading by those who misappropriate such information"). Martha Stewart was sent to prison for illegal insider trading.

So, through Oki Miyano, Ryfle and Godziszewski were given "insider access" to Michael Friend. This was access that no one else was equally privileged to receive. At that point (April 2007) nobody knew that this set was even planned.

As the title of this article states, "If This Were Wall St., People Would Be Jailed." Fortunately for those involved, this wasn't Wall Street and, as far as I know, no laws were broken. But it certainly, at the very least, calls to question people's ethics.

A stacked deck is still a stacked deck.

White Pongo Report: What To Watch On Halloween?

What To Watch On Halloween?

Labor Day came and went this week and next month we will celebrate Halloween. Some of us are too old to be going out trick or treating, but we can still enjoy Halloween.

While growing up in the 1960s, it was a tradition to tune in to the local CBS affiliate, KNXT-TV Channel 2, to watch Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The movie played every Halloween on the station's Early Show, which had vintage movies every afternoon at 4:00 PM. Those days are long gone. Programs like the Early Show has been replaced by news programs or stuff like Ellen or Dr. Phil.

Thankfully, we have the advantage of doing our own programming via VHS tapes or DVDs. We can now pull out Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein on DVD or video tape and watch it to our heart's content and maintain an old childhood tradition.

For Halloween viewing fare, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is still my top recommended movie to watch on Halloween. However, there are others that can also be shown.

Virtually any of the 1930s and 1940s Universal horror classics are quite suitable for Halloween viewing. From the 1930s: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolf Man (it's a 1941 movie, but it is a classic akin to the ones of the 1930s), The Invisible Man and Dracula's Daughter are perfect flicks to watch on Halloween. So are the ones from the 1940s (which are more in the B-movie category): Ghost of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, the Kharis/tana leaf Mummy movies, House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula.

If those aren't your cup of tea, newer classics can also be screened on your home theater for your Halloween party. The original Alien, the original Halloween (the introduction of Michael Myers) or the 1950s or 1980s versions of The Thing would also be good choices. I generally don't feel giant monster movies are quite in keeping with Halloween, although some can be nice and scary. Halloween seems more suited for ghost, vampire, werewolf or other human-sized monster movies. Don't forget the Creature From The Black Lagoon or its sequels.

Back in October 2005, I was vacationing in Japan and I noticed Halloween decorations, costumes and other items in stores at shopping malls and train stations in Tokyo. It appears that some Japanese have adopted Halloween and are getting into the Halloween spirit. I wonder if the aforementioned movies are available in Japan for Halloween parties there? Speaking of Japan, the original Japanese version of The Ring (or Ringu) would be a good movie to screen.

Whatever your choices for Halloween, you really can't go wrong with the movies that I mentioned above. The idea is to have fun!

P.S. You can even watch White Pongo on Halloween!

White Pongo Report

Since I have the "Looney Left Report" whenever someone from the Left says or does something incredibly stupid, I have decided to do one connected to the movie industry, particularly when discussing films considered to be B-movies.

Also, I can use it to discuss something or someone so incredibly idiotic in connection with the movie industry (in my most humble opinion, of course).

So, I have decided to group such items as...



Stay tuned!