Dimension Chat - Monster-Mania haul plus, who gets it???

For today's Dimension Chat, I share my haul from Monster-Mania plus, who get it?? Gets what?? well, you gotta watch. 

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Our Hauls of the Week! (Sept 27) DVD's, Bluray's, Tattoo's Plus What Did I Build??

Our Hauls of the Week! (Sept 27) DVD's, Bluray's, Tattoo's Plus What Did I Build??

Greetings and a howdy from the Dimension compound. Hopefully your week is going great. Like many, I have been caught up in the Pope visit. Its one of those things that I'm just enjoying watching on TV, not in person. A lot of people down in Philly and I'm just happy sitting at home, minus all the crowds.


OK, let's get to the horror:

Mine/Kim's tattoo's

On Sept 18th, I turned an elderly 45 years old. While it still doesn't register as being 5 years away from 50, I have just been enjoying life, especially this past year (probably the best year of my life). For this years birthday, I had decided to take the artwork that Godzilla designer/artist Shinji Nishikawa sketched for us at Monster-Mania and make it a tattoo. I called my boy, Buz Hasson from Explosion Tattoo down in New Castle, Delaware and give him the lowdown and he was happy to hook me up. After 3 hours of sitting in the chair, Godzilla is now permanently on my arm. You can also see, Kim got the Little Godzilla sketch tattoo'd on her arm also. We are both extremely happy and already made appointments for November to go back.


Let's move on tho the loot...I haven't been grabbing much as we are prepping for Monster-Mania in Hunt Valley, MD next weekend and we just had "back to school" shopping (and thats never cheap for a 15 yr old). I am, however super happy with what I did grab:

Spaced Invaders, The Deadly Spawn, Mad Monster Party, Return of the Swamp Thing and The Stuff. As you can tell, my tastes have changed for this month and I'm watching more schlocky horror stuff. More like B movies, especially when you add Swamp Thing into the mix.

Speaking of Swamp Thing, I've really been watching a lot of the older USA series. It's like Hammer Horror's drunken, more immature brother....sort of.


I feel like the best deal I grabbed was Mad Monster Party, especially since that's typically $20 Bluray that I've stared at tons of times debating if I was gonna grab it. This time it was only $7!! Super happy and excited.

Let's talk arts and crafts....the last few years I have been all about making things out of nothing. Cardboard, glue, foam, old crap that we don't want or need and stuff from the dollar store. I have expressed my love for Drawless animation and even used some in Mortimor Tromblay (now available)


I had made a Power Rangers helmet from cardboard and it was too small to fit my melon. I decided, hey, let's cut it up and see what happens. I took an old mailing tube, glued it to some cardboard and made myself a stand.





Then, I took some foam that Kim was using (as she has been trying to make

a Godzilla suit to cosplay in...that still hasn't happened). One of her earliest attempts was just sitting and instead of wasting the foam, I hacked, cut and started to glue it together. I decided to make some sort of puppet monster thing...kind of feeling it out as I went. If you follow the pictures, you can see it kind of taking some shape. This is my 1st attempt at building my own puppet. Weird right? Considering I use puppets and all kinds of oddities in my films.


I finished the shape and now need spikes and more actual shape plus, I ordered latex and some cheese cloth for look and feel. They came yesterday (Saturday) but I had already started on a new project so it got put on the back burner. Not for long, but at least a few days.


You can see some shape based off the silhouette that we are on our way but I have a lot of work to do still. Latex isn't cheap and since this is my 1st, I don't want to waste it. I will keep people updated as things progress.


I plan on updating again this week with what else I made. I'm proud of this one but figured I can do some videos and a discuss a bit more in-depth. Take care and enjoy your week!!

Our Haul of the Week! Sept 7th

Our Haul of the Week! Sept 7th

Mazinger, Mad Max & Tee Fury shirt

Another week goes by and more stuff has been had. Sadly I haven't written much here (been about a week) as our schedule has been hectic and we've been doing some remodeling at our home. There is something about painting that I just don't like. Its not refreshing or relaxing...it's a nuisance.

While I'm sitting here watching Haikaider, I'm reminded just how awful the dubbing is. Tokyo Shock released some great titles but their dubbing? Yuck. Ok, enough about that, let's get to the loot.

Rider shirt and Famous Monsters!

First, as you can see by the above photo, I
grabbed a few shirts this week. I continue to grab some t-shirts from overseas of less accessible merchandise for series I just love, as the US typically doesn't carry much. I grabbed a real slick Masked Rider t shirt that I absolutely love, plus a Mazinger Z shirt. Mazinger stuff is hard to come by here. Not much around and Masked Rider..pftt, forget about it.


Plus, from TeeFury, which I recommend people to check out, I grabbed this Muppets as the Fantastic Four shirt. It's no secret that I love the Muppets...LOVE them. This was a must buy for me. Tee Fury is a place that has a new shirt everyday. The shirts usually run about $12 each. Lots of cool ideas and concepts.


Ok, let's get to this right now. I grabbed Mad Max: Fury Road because of all the hype I had seen everyone posting. Sure, I'd seen all the priors and knew this was basically part 4, even though it could work as a stand alone. Maybe it was overhyped for me...but, wasn't a fan*. I bought this "blind" (term I use when buying something I haven't seen before) and regret it. I will watch it again just to see what I missed, but I was bored a bit. On the other hand, I saw Turbo Kid and LOVED it. (The additional of a song from the soundtrack of Rad completely may have swayed my opinion)

* internet implodes

More t shirts you ask? You damn right. I always seem to be buying and wearing Famous Monsters t shirts and hoodies. They have great quality and the art work (most times from Bob Eggleton) is just amazing. They have been doing limited sales on shirts, and for just $12 each, its hard to pass up.


This time we grabbed the Godzilla 2014 print and we just love it.


Also, our newest issue of Famous Monsters came in the mail. I was so happy to see the Bride of Frankenstein on the cover. I just love that movie and find her so attractive. The black and white, plus the time, just bring out natural beauty. Can't wait to read this one.



I have started looking for older Japanese anime movies and series and I snagged a copy of Fist of the
NorthStar on VHS. Yes...VHS!!! Look, there is something about watching these older films on VHS that just take me back to remembering why I love these movies. I could talk a lot about VHS and why I still love it...why I still have multiple VHS players in my house and still collect and buy VHS. The cost for this classic....$3. Best $3 I ever spent...already watched it twice. I love these older anime series, they're just so over the top and insane.


Lastly, on the Godzilla front, lets discuss what we grabbed this week. How about that new NECA Godzilla 1954, wow, what a tremendous sculpt and detail. This is my favorite figure they've released yet. I love the design. Just look at this bad boy!! So glad we grabbed him.

We also grabbed the rerelease of the CCP Godzilla Vinyl Wars, Godzilla from the Smog Monster. This is an action pose and such a fantastic color and really has personality. This is a little steeper in cost but a great addition to any collection. Both of these were grabbed by Vampire Robots and once agin, I highly recommend Michael, he's great. Super fast shipping and great pricing.


That's it for this week and hopefully you did yourself right, grabbed something and spent time with someone you care about. For me, it was Godzilla and my family. Enjoy and keep checking back as I'm always writing something!!

Our Haul of the Week! Aug 31st

Our Haul of the Week! Aug 31st

Kind of a mix of stuff

This was an interesting week of grabs, just based on the variety of items. I started to go back and add some older issues of G-Fan magazine that I once had. If you aren't familiar with G-Fan, this is a magazine thats dedicated to Godzilla, plus all other Kaiju and Tokusatsu types of films from Japan (mostly). In the magazine, they often discuss history, toys and upcoming films.


We ordered 7 back issues this week, or should I say, 7 issues of love. These issues consisted around the years 1999 and 2000. This was when we had our retail store and we actually we advertising in G-Fan, so I wanted to retain these issues because, after a move and closing our store, they were lost in the shuffle. Some sentimental value there.


The Spirit Halloween store opened up and while Kim and I were out, we just had to stop in. I will be the 1st to admit that these stores have become so commercial, I rarely end up with anything from these places anymore. Now, because they had just opened, they had tons of costumes, masks and all kinds of cool additions that would allow you to celebrate Halloween the entire year. All Kim and I ended up with was a few pairs of socks: for me Red Power Rangers, for her Sharks and Pink Power Rangers. We still supported them but we'd also rather support the little guys for things to decorate our house with.

On Saturday we also attended our pal, Chris's soft opening for his store Panther Comics in Washington Township, NJ. Kim and I, of course went with hopes for new Godzilla merchandise that we don't have but desperately need (haha). Chris didn't have a lot, but he had a few things and one thing in particular grabbed Kim's attention. The Medicom Godzilla: Vinyl Wars - First Godzilla (Shodai-Goji) Sofubi vinyl figure. You can see by the picture that he's holding a train, which is pretty sick. This is a reissue from the 2003 line, but is still limited to 200. We are happy to have him as now permanently in our humble abode.


As for DVD's this week, well a lot more of the crazy of course, but some classics too. Some of my classic Godzilla films went missing so little by little, at an average of $5 each, we have been replacing them. I grabbed : Terror of MechaGodzilla and Ghidorah The Three Headed Monster. Both dvds have the original Japanese versions and English dubs. Then, for horror, I finally got a copy of Stacy, which I love just because of the comedic look at horror it has. If you're an Evil Dead fan, make sure you grab this for sure...it'll bring a smile to your face. Lastly, I replaced my copy of Meatball Machine. This is purely insanity and a lot of fun.

Yankee Candle stuff

To round out the weekend, Kim dragged me to Yankee Candle for their Fall/Halloween releases. This was the 1st time I had been a part of a Yankee Candle seasonal release (I never even knew what that was before this weekend). Kim explained that they had some special Halloween scents, and to be quite honest, I do enjoy a good candle (currently Cotton Candy is my favorite) burning while I'm writing. Nothing better.


So, I was game and we headed to YC, but apparently this is a big deal as old ladies and young women were pushing and shoving to get these candles. We actually got more than the picture shows as they were buy 1, get 1 free. I now know Kim has a candle weakness as she jumped in, fists flying and came out we some groovy cool items.  A pumpkin candy dish, several Candy Corn candles, including one mixed with Buttercream (its so hard to not just eat these things) and lastly a candle holder, in the shape of a witches hand. Since Fall and the Halloween season are our legitimate favorites, I guess she figured we'd stock up for the year.

Our DVD Hauls of the Week! Aug 23rd

Our DVD Hauls of the Week! Aug 23rd

Hey gang, another week here at the Dimension compound and this week, we did some shopping for DVD's, Blurays and an exciting Manga. We were supposed to do a video blog, but to be honest, the weather was absolutely fantastic outside so Kim and I spent most of it hiking and walking, just enjoying it. I'm still not tan...but anyways...lets look at this week's list:

First, Kim and I have been talking lately about the old Hanna-Barbera Godzilla Cartoon with Godzooky, so for less than $5 for the first volume, it seemed like an easy decision to try this series again. Now, Volume 2 is just $8, so I would expect that this coming week, because between you and me, it's already in my Amazon cart.


I can't remember a lot of about the series, besides it's goofy and aimed at a seven year old me. Hanna Barbera never let's me down, so I'm excited. Here's some trivia, did you know Godzooky is actually Godzilla's nephew? See that, I actually passed along something valuable you can use around the water cooler to trump those talking worldly issues. So, it the more you know.

Next, we decided to start replacing some of our old, and to be honest, less than stellar copies of the Gamera Volumes 1 & 2 and the original Gojira. A lot of the versions we own are the bargain bin, multiple movies on a single dvd. Again, these were each less than $10 for the bluray's so these certainly don't break the bank. This week we really didn't spend much for as much as we got back in return.


Since I've been on a massive Gamera viewing tear lately, grabbing the originals, broken into two volumes weighed heavily on my mind. I can't help but want to start watching more of everyones favorite Turtle immediately.

Ok, besides those pesky Ninja Turtles.


The copy of Gojira I had was also very outdated. The new bluray transfer with all the bells and whistles for less than $10 again was a tremendous offer. This disc is loaded with features I want to check out including commentary, making of the suit and some story development details. Can't wait to sink my monster teeth into this one.

Nakajima-san at Monster-Mania

Up next, Varan the Unbelievable. Ok, lets clear up some confusion about this title. This was the last black and white film Toho filmed, originally titled Giant Monster Varan. There are two different cuts of this Kaiju film floating around. The US version is heavily edited, clocking in at just 70 minutes, while the Japanese version is 87 uncut minutes. What makes me love this film even more? Haruo Nakajima of course. The original Godzilla!!

Years ago I had a copy of the Japanese cut but wanted to check out the American version and again, just $9.99. Certainly, not gonna break the bank and I've been on a kaiju watching and buying frenzy, as of late.

Rounding out this week's haul were two titles to add to the Japanese splatter gore section: Samurai Princess and RoboGeisha. If you've been reading lately, I recently wrote about how much I love RoboGeisha and well, Noboru Iguchi. Frankly, for me not to own RoboGeisha just seems wrong, silly and a travesty to being a fan. Ok, maybe I'm a bit exaggerated in this, but you get the picture.

Samurai Princess I have yet to see, but from the reviews, it looks like I needed to own this one. I will be adding this to my watching list this week.


Lastly, let's move from DVD's and Bluray's and discuss this week's Amercian release of the 2011 Japanese Ultraman manga series. The series picks up several years after the original Ultraman series and follow Hyata and now, his son plus even Dan Moroboshi from Ultraseven appears in this series. If you're a fan of Ultraman, I think this is a must buy.


Once again, thanks for checking out the blog, you can follow me on Twitter @RobDimension and stay tuned as I continue to write about the adventures as fall is upon us. Go outside and enjoy the week!!

The Great Kaiju Hunt #1 (Aug 15, 2015)

The Great Kaiju Hunt #1

It's A Toy Store

Greetings and welcome to the 1st edition of the Great Kaiju Hunt. My Wife, Kim and I decided to enjoy the near 90 degrees, hot summer day by riding around in a car, traveling over to New Jersey and visiting local nerdery toy stores and bringing you along for the fun.

Since we live in Pennsylvania, we figured we wouldn't drive out too far and would start relatively close. Our 1st destination would be House of Fun in Oaklyn, NJ.


I've actually been to House of Fun a few times and always seem to grab something. Obviously since this is the "Great Kaiju Hunt" we were looking for Kaiju, but they have TONS of everything. Vintage to new, Star Wars to Transformers, they have it all. I'm a fan of Tokusatsu, Sentai and Kaiju, so for me they have enough to keep me coming back, spending $30-50 a week for the next 5 years. The store is a collectors dream. They have one glass display that is specific to Kaiju with plenty of Godzilla, Ultraman and more.

Gamera I wanted :(

As soon as Kim walked in and I showed her the display, she instantly started to decide what to get..haha..it didn't take any time at all. I started to eye up a Gamera while she went for the S.H. Monster-Art 1995 Godzilla from Godzilla vs Destroyah. Recently, I've started to fall in love with Gamera, specifically the design from Gamera 3. The suit, the look, absolutely love the overall scheme of design. Sadly, we lack a Gamera presence here at the Ole' Dimension collectors bin so we are in need of some Gamera, but today, Kim had other plans.

They also have a great variety of T-shirts including Marvel, DC and my main man, Big G. Since I've been losing a little around the waistline, I need some new shirts and lucky, they had my size! Once Kim made up her mind on what to grab, we were all set and took a few new shirts and the 95' Godzilla home...sorry Gamera, you'll be mine....soon.

A small example of the madness!

Next we stopped for lunch, I opted for Salad Works while Kim continued to eat horrible...she's the devil when you're on trying to eat good. After about 30 mins on the road, we finally arrived to It's A Toy Store and it's overwhelming to say the least. As soon as you pull up, you realize it's something special.


You have to understand that this is literally a house full of toys. No room is empty, the entire house is filled to the brim of vintage to current toys, comics and collectibles. It's incredible for any toy fan. Again, you have to go slow, take your time and really look at everything or you will miss items. Kim and I took our time and probably spent and hour and half in this house. It's 2 levels of pure childhood happiness.


Sadly, they did lack Kaiju items (only a handful) but we did happen to find a small set of Godzilla figures that caught Kim's eye. These were similar to Gashapon but were from China and obviously a knock off. Most are translucent with a few highlighted colors with a few additional foes. It was a 10 piece set and well worth the $20 we paid. I've stopped collecting everything else besides an occasional Horror item or two and just seeing this place was well worth the trip. We are both so glad we went.

Our loot!!

After all was said and done, we gathered our loot, only to come home to a few more items we had ordered, so the day was topped off by my Robocon shirt I ordered from Thailand, the BluRays of Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl and Samurai Princess (to keep up with my current viewing trend). Needless to say Kim and I are both super happy with our purchases and as soon as we finished with the v-log, Kim tore open the 95' Godzilla...haha..such a kid at heart.

Enjoy the v-log, please subscribe and spread the goodness. We will start doing this more often! Happy hunting!!

Monster-Mania haul and more!!

Monster-Mania haul and more!!

Hey gang, just figured I'd check in and share this past weekend's Monster-Mania experience. First off, let me start by saying this Monster-Mania is definitely in my top 3 of experiences. Ive attended 28 Monster-Mania's as an attendee, a vendor and then, as a guest and I'm always blown away by the fandom and how great everyone is. Dave Hagan and family put on a fantastic convention and I am always thankful to be there.


Kim and I arrived Friday to start setting up our table, luckily she's the brains in this operation as she always does a great job setting up and honestly, I typically walk around and talk to people I only see every 6 months. It's truly become our family. I wander around, check out the things I'm gonna grab before the con even starts and I'm typically broke before the con opens..haha.


Our main agenda, for those who know us, was to meet the Japanese guests, collectively who played

Godzilla and Ultraman. Kim, since we've been married has become a HUGE Godzilla fan. So much so, that we literally saved money for this con and knew we would have a lot of opportunities to grab what we wanted. She was like a kid in a candy store and smiled from ear to ear.


This weekend was also the release of our newest film, Mortimor Tromblay. This is our 5th film, not including the Journey documentary and for a change, we opted for a dark comedy. Matt, unable to be there, was again back on board for this project and we all were ecstatic. What we all really enjoyed was the fact that we felt some sort of freedom to make and create exactly what we wanted and had no real restrictions. Our main goal, as team was to make something to be proud of, we all feel we succeeded.

On Friday, Kim couldn't wait to get in line for Harou Nakajima (original Godzilla), Tsutomu Kitagawa (mostly know as Millennium Godzilla), Bin Furuya (Ultraman) and Shinji Nishikawa (concept artist and designer for Godzilla). She immediately wanted Nishikawa-san to sketch her favorite Kaiju, Little Godzilla. I, on the other hand wanted Millennium Godzilla (Godzilla 2000 is my favorite design and suit) and I would never forgive myself if I opted to go without asking for a sketch of Booska. Booska is a playful character that I fell in love with when my daughter was younger. I was able to grab some VHS's of Booska and we would sit, watch and laugh. Booska will always hold a special place for me, as it means great memories for my daughter and I.

Next, we stopped by the Vampire Robots booth and had to grab our Limited to 200, CCP Burning Godzilla vinyl exclusive. Then I noticed that Michael (the owner) had the exclusive Booska and Chamegon set. My jaw hit the floor and instantly, I knew I HAD TO OWN these vinyls. Once Kim saw them, she knew that money was as good as spent. I plopped down my duckets and then included a Hedorah vinyl to cap off our shopping event. Sigh...so many vinyls to buy, so little cash.

On Saturday, I was set to host a few Q&A's including Mitch Pileggi, Denis O'Hare and the Halloween 4 panel with Danielle Harris and George P Wilbur. Again, as a horror fan, this is always an amazing opportunity and I love the opportunity. This time around the Denis O'Hare, known recently from American Horror Story, really blew me away with his open discussion on acting and the way he approaches playing characters. Absolutely crushed it and it felt like an actors studio and I sat like the student and took in all he said. Of course Danielle Harris is really all Horror fanboys crush and really a testament to Scream Queens of yesteryear. She takes it serious and really is always a delight to talk with. So much fun. I also was fortunate to catch the Kaiju actors panel and just loved it. This is where the fanboy in me shows...I'm sure I was smiling quite a bit.


A few years ago Dave asked if I wanted to help judge the costume contest and its quickly become a very fun part of the convention. This year was jammed wall to wall with all kinds of creatures of the

night. From kids, to ordinal and creative to the sexy...they have a bit of everything. I'm always taken back by the amount of effort that some put into this event. Most often, the non typical designs and outfits are winners. It's a fun evening to close out Saturday night (at least for me).


Sunday afternoon's at Monster-Mania have become something very special to me the last 7 years as I'm host of the Yorkies auction. This is where you can see how much promoter Dave Hagan cares and dedicates space for this auction that is the con's best kept secret. Marilyn and her team from the Yorkie rescue go above and beyond and have shared stories about how much their rescue really helps families save these pups. When I first started we would be happy to raise a few hundred dollars, this past convention, we raised over $5,000. Without your support, we could never do this, so I thank you for being there and offering your hearts.


Kim and I, in closing that everyone who stopped by our table, grabbed our newest film. Those who asked about our son, Curt Robinson's recent surgery and wished him well. It's amazing to me that people actually care, maybe it's cliche but I am always thankful that you all care about us, our projects and want us in their lives. Thank you.

Our con haul!

Below is a video blog we did that takes you along for the weekend and see it through our eyes!

Rob Dimension's Shock & Wrestling Podcast #7

Rob Dimension's Shock & Wrestling Podcast #7

This week on the Shock and Wrestling Podcast, Rob Dimension goes off on a rant while Matt Barnes can only listen (poor Matt). They talk about Kevin Smith and Favorite Murders in movies. The lists are interesting.

Then the conversations turn to the best talkers in Professional Wrestling. The guys close the show, but then give you their opinions about the new Godzilla 2014 film. Follow them on Twitter @RobDimension and @TheMattBarnes and use #ShockNWrestling 

Rob Dimension's Shock & Wrestling Podcast #6

Rob Dimension's Shock & Wrestling Podcast #6

Award winning filmmaker Rob Dimension and fellow filmmaker and wrestling enthusiast Matt Barnes discuss upcoming summer blockbusters, share opinions about life and of course, talk about professional wrestling. 

This is a great chance to hear the gambit of opinions and an insiders look at cinema and behind the curtain in professional wrestling. 

Rob Dimension's Shock & Wrestling Podcast #4

Rob Dimension's Shock & Wrestling Podcast #4

This week, Rob Dimension and Matt Barnes discuss current news and the death penalty, WWE Studio films..hits and misses, plus the upcoming Godzilla film and Extreme Rules. Tons of stuff and plenty of rambles. Give it a shot!!

Make sure you follow @RobDimension and @TheMattBarnes plus, make sure you subscribe and get the episode as soon as it's available. 

Are Giant Monsters Going to Make a Resurgence?

Are Giant Monsters Going to Make a Resurgence?

With the summer blockbuster trailers making the rounds, I can't help but be excited by a few. I've said it before, I'm a HUGE Giant Monster (Kaiju) fan...I think I was raised at the right time in TV.

 Kaiju is a Japanese term that has been Universally coined to mean "Giant Monster", think Godzilla. Typically, these Giant Monsters reign devastation on city's...usually Japan...those poor people. I still watch my Ultraman DVD's, my Millennium Godzilla series with some zesty Space Giants every once in a while.

Pacific Rim has my interest peaked at an all time high...maybe even Kaiju levels...see what I did there? Guillermo del Toro is leading the giant monster resurgence with his Pacific Rim film that pits giant Mecha Robots vs Giant Monsters, that are actually referred to as Kaiju..yeah US, way to catch up. The trailer looks insane...the time has finally arrived for Kaiju madness to take the World by storm. 

This leads me to a filmmaking question....is it possible to make a legit Kaiju film on the Independent level? Sure, Tom Berdinski, also a Kaiju fan made his Giant Rubber Movie...which was a throw back to the era of past days with a lot of fun involved...but I have to wonder...what kind of a budget would one need to make something of a real magnitude? Something that looks amazing...something that looks real and something that might equate to fear?

Godzilla is also currently under production, filming in Canada and plenty of photos are leaking..but so far..no sight of the Big G. Gareth Edwards has a huge void to fill with this...del Toro is beating him to the starting line plus, as a Kaiju lover..I wasn't really sold on his first entry "Monsters". It was after Kaiju had taken over the Earth, so to speak and it was a battle to get back home from Mexico.


My expectations are high for this. We Kaiju fans already had to deal with the last Godzilla remake in the US. I can't blame Matthew Broderick, but if I ever see him...after I size him up...I might punch him or at least give him a strong talking too. I can't deal with another let down like that film. I've written before and have talked openly about my hatred for it...if it wasn't called Godzilla, it might not have hurt as bad....regardless, I still suffer from night sweats and tend to eat my feelings because of the trauma.

Ok, so back to my question....can it be done? A Giant Monster movie on an independent level...with an independent budget? Editing software is incredible but come on...to make a serious giant monster movie we need more than that. We need miniatures to destroy, plus we really need 2 giant monsters to fight and wreck shit!! Yeah, that's what we need!! Oh man, the thought of this has two sides..one is the fan boy in me that says "Oh, I will wear the suit and devastate everything!! Then the other part of me, the realistic, budget conscious producer thinks of the headache of getting the right shots, having one set, having suits of Kaiju's that look like something that someone should have wiped after dropping it off...plus, let's not forget that TOHO, the people behind Godzilla will SUE your ass if it even remotely looks like anything Godzilla related.


So, as I now have shown my nerdiness for Giant Monster films and shared that I lay around on Sunday mornings in my underwear watching repeats of Ultraman....errr..wait, I guess, I'm saying that now...this is the questions that take up space within this tiny cranium....will I ever make the attempt of a Kaiju film??? Maybe..

This is an 8 minute Kaiju film by Studio Ghibli, the people behind so many people anime's like Princess Mononoke, Totoro and Nausicaa Valley of the Wind, titled Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo....it's their first step away from anime and their first attempt at a Kaiju...it's not bad. Even sense a little Evangelion in the design, maybe some Go Nagi's Devilman...check it out.

Dimension's Horrible Podcast #7 - The Holy Giant Monsters show!!!

Episode #7

The Holy Giant Monsters Show!!

Well, Rob Dimension had the bright idea to dedicate an entire show to those wonderful Giant Monsters that we have all grown to love and enjoy. Keep in mind, Dimension can NOT stay on topic. Co-host Sal Valente has his hands full as Dimension forgets "this is a HORROR podcast...!!"

Remember the days of Ultraman and Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot?? Relive memory lane as the guys weave a very mis-guided course from Godzilla and other Japanese, Kaiju based shows and films. Plus, mentions of Food of the Gods and Empire of the Ants remind us all of thse Saturday afternoons watching Giant Behemoths destroying cities!

Sal discusses some games that have been modeled after the Giant Monster craze and even gives some words of advice for Godzilla comic fans. Are they worth it? You need to listen!

Reviews for Godzilla X MechaGodzilla, Cloverfield, The Host and even Kaiju Big Battel are on this one!! Dimension shows Sal, Chikara Pro Wrestling and Sal goes nuts!! Sounds amazing right?? There is even more in this jam packed..mis lead...completely off kilter podcast.

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Godzilla - Built to Suit!

Godzilla - Built to Suit!

So after a near 2 week buffet of Godzilla watching, I started to try to decide what Suit I prefer. I have been concentrating on the Heisei (1980’s-98) and Millennium (1999-current) series, mostly since that is what I happened to grab.

Let’s face it, Godzilla is an Icon but his appearance has changed numerous times over the years, in recent years he has changed from white eyes to more pronounced back fins/spikes. I have become a big fan of the look of Godzilla 2000, he simply looks fierce.

Now, while the film itself lacks, the suit just seems like something that would be “possible”..yeah, yeah, I know..Godzilla is just Sci-Fi but this is the Fanboy in me. The less up-right stance, his slow paced walk, his exposed teeth…come on..this is probably what it WOULD look like if Godzilla stepped on the beach.

This isn’t much of a write up, just a thought. Want to tell me what Suit you like? Follow me on Twitter @RobDimension or just post below. I have been tweeting while watching these Kaiju sessions…join in the fun!

Dimension's City Stomping Double Issue Godzilla Review!!

Originally, I set out to write about Issue #1, but having the first 2 issues within my grasp, I decided to go for the “Dimension’s City Stomping Double Issue Godzilla Review”…ok, maybe I should rethink the title…not exactly a winner.

I am a HUGE Godzilla nerd, in fact, I’m a HUGE Daikaiju (Giant Monster) film nut, I always have been. In order to not show how obsessed I really am, let’s just talk Godzilla comics. Now, for years Godzilla has found a home in comics through Marvel and Dark Horse comics…and quite honestly, in my opinion, they were never really that good. Being a fan of Godzilla, yes even sitting through the American version (insert moan and groan) and the Hanna Barbera "Godzooky" show, I always felt that just seeing Godzilla destroy cities and fight second rate foes was, underwhelming. The main reason, for me, at least was the lack of real, serious threatening Godzilla foes...like King Ghidorah, Mothra...even Rodan.

 Dealing with TOHO has got to be tough, but somehow, IDW Publishing pulled it off. IDW Publishing, who I always think did the Angel series some justice but really did some amazing stuff with the Transformers series. Plus, they released 30 Days of Nights, GI Joe and a few others...visit http://www.idwpublishing.com/ for more info on all the titles! The newest Godzilla comic book series promises to be FULL our favorite Godzilla foe.

So let’s dive in to the review:

Godzilla – Kingdom of Monsters #1

Written by Eric Powell and Tracy Marsh

Artwork – Phil Hester

For the premier issue, IDW decided to reboot the Godzilla storyline that we are all so familiar with. I actually like this choice; it allows the writers to put certain twists on the Legend of Godzilla. So far we, for the 1st issue, see children being eaten (always brings a smile to my face…haha…my Therapist isn’t a fan), Japan dropping Nuclear weapons on the “Big G” causing Godzilla to now have Atomic breath and plenty of the line “You have got to be F&*King kidding me”.

Big fan so far…slow paced, the Godzilla (for other nerds wondering) is based on the Millennium Godzilla and his is drawn: Fierce. Like I said, so far so good…obviously the further we get into a story, the more we will see how the opening holds up.

Grade B+ - I really enjoyed the fast pace, the look of Godzilla and the surrounding story. The panic and the reboot I am really hopeful for.

 

Smart Moves!! - The Marketing by IDW for Issue #1 was amazing. They released an offer to retailers that, if the retailer purchased 500 copies of Issue #1, they would give that retailer an EXCLUSIVE variant cover with Godzilla squashing their retail location. Now, my opinion, the timing for this was great....they planned this around Free Comic Book Day allowing retailers, if they desired to hand these out as an advertisement. IDW in the process released over a Whopping 100 Variant covers!! Go collectors get those...haha..plus, IDW added to the print run of an additional 37,000 issues to be out there. Extremely smart marketing on IDW's part. I know, for a FACT, if I still had my retail store...I would have been all over this one!

 

 

Issue #2

Ok, now we are getting somewhere...This issue we see Godzilla getting governments all over the world, very nervous...but that's not it...we also see the arrival of Rodan and Anguirus. Rodan is hatched out of an egg from a Russian museum and Anguirus rolls (literally) through Mexico! The story is more action based so far...we see a comical Father of the children from issue #1 becoming a human bomb, who launches himself at Godzilla...only to come off more like a small firecracker...Who else will show up?? How can they stop the Attack of the Monsters??? Gotta keep grabbing them to find out!

Grade B+ - if you are waiting for an A, keep waiting until we see some Monster on Monster destruction. So far so good...I would recommend it...but I think the story is gonna need to pick up shortly.



DEATH KAPPA review - like Kaiju? Who doesn't.....

DVD REVIEW

“DEATH KAPPA”

Directed by: Tomo’o Haraguchi

Written by: Masakazu Migita

Starring: Mika, Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi

Released by: Tokyo Shock 

 reviewed by :Mark Mackner

Giant monster fans rejoice!!!! It brings me immense, kaiju-sized pleasure that in 2010, man-in-suit giant monster slugfests are still being produced by our good friends in Japan. There was a whole cycle of GODZILLA films released in the 00’s, followed by GAMERA THE BRAVE, MONSTER X STRIKES AGAIN, and now comes the strangest kaiju film I’ve seen in a long time, DEATH KAPPA. 

DEATH KAPPA takes a handful of genres and grafts them together with all the grace and humanity of a mad scientist. And, if you know me, you DO know that I mean that as a compliment. This film is many things, and even if it’s not for you, you could never call it BORING. It starts off as some kind of creepy ghost town movie, then goes into I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER territory, then makes a sharp left turn into E.T., before careening into HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP, and then into insane Japanese ROBO GEISHA-esque fare. And that’s just the first half hour!!!! And THEN it becomes a kaiju movie!!!! 

So, let’s slow it down about so we can fully appreciate what they’ve done here. A young girl has given up her dreams of J-Pop stardom in Tokyo, and is heading back home to the sleepy little burg that she hails from. When her grandmother is suddenly struck and killed by a speeding car full of drunken young hooligans, she swears to continue her grandmother’s vow of protecting the local kappa. Kappa are a form of YOKAI, mischievous goblin-like creatures from Japanese folklore. 

Soon after her grandmother’s death, our hero (Played by a stunningly beautiful young woman whose name I couldn’t glean from the credits OR the imdb page) discovers a real live kappa that just so happens to LOVE her music. We’re then treated to a ridiculous (yet thoroughly entertaining) extended montage of the hero and her friends, playing and dancing and just generally having a great time with the kappa. 

And here’s where things get ugly. Those drunken young hooligans get their karmic retribution in the form of some weird, reptilian/fish kinda creatures. It’s here where I was happy that I decided to screen this before I watched it with my kids. My kids enjoy watching GODZILLA and GAMERA films with me, and I thought about letting them watch this one with me for my first viewing of it, but this scene features lots of limbs being ripped off and some really bloody and gory deaths. I figured that the FROM THE PRODUCERS OF MACHINE GIRL AND TOKYO GORE POLICE tag on the front was something of a warning against letting children watch, and I’m glad I abided. 

So what were these strange creatures that attacked the speeding grandma killers? Well, that scene is followed by a wild scene of absurdist brilliance that addresses that question. There are some villains that are conducting strange experiments and trying to create an army of monster soldiers to avenge Japan’s defeat in WWII, and take over the world. They’ve captured our hero, as well as the kappa. This scene… man… mere words can not do it justice, but I’ll try. It takes elements from HELL BOY, The ’66 BATMAN show, TROMA, and POWER RANGERS, and delivers the most singularly schizophrenic spectacular of the year. If this scene were a short film, you’d have a damn fine film in just 10 minutes time. You’ve got a hot mad scientist chick in a lab coat and lingerie, skipping and dancing while pushing her dead grandfather around in a wheelchair. You’ve got hot bikini babes with fish gills. You’ve got a kappa sumo wrestling the villains, kung fu fighting, an atomic bomb, and all kinds of other craziness. 

And immediately after that it becomes an all-out, old-school kaiju movie. The entire second half of the movie concerns the sudden appearance of a giant monster named HANGYOLAS. And that part is friggin’ hilarious! A beautiful reporter cuts in and says “We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to tell you that a giant monster has appeared and he’s walking around town like he owns the place.” Then, 2 seconds later, she says, “The cabinet has just decided that the monster’s name will be Hangyloas”. That’s a welcome in-joke for fans of the genre, where the government/military/scientists regularly pull odd monster names out of the blue the moment something rises out of the sea and proceeds to level Tokyo. 

There’s lots of gags like that in this film, from the visible wires on the fighter jets, to the little plastic people smooshed in Hangyolas’ footprint. I’ve seen a couple reviews for this film that complain that the kaiju action doesn’t get started until halfway through, but isn’t that MOST kaiju movies? If you’re lucky? Even in many of the classics, you might get one brief city destruction scene midway through, and then the monster will come back for last 10 minutes or so. 

Not so in DEATH KAPPA. Once Hangyolas shows up at the 39-minute mark, you get 40 solid minutes of kaiju mayhem, including city destruction, a fight with the military, and an epic Death Kappa vs. Hangyolas slobberknocker that features elbow drops, airplane spins, and buildings used as nunchucks. Add all that to such glorious dialogue as “What’s the status of the Gorgon Monster Death Ray Unit?”, and you’ve got yourself a WINNER!!!! 

Oh, and that Gorgon Monster Death Ray is an homage to the Mazer Cannons from the classic TOHO Showa era (the 50’s through the 70’s), in both appearance and sound. Nice! Fun miniature work, too. The Hangyolas creature design is terrific. He reminded me of TITANOSAURUS from TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA. I hope they make a toy of him. I’d totally get it. Kappa, well, even before he grows to kaiju size, he’s pretty ugly. 

Cast-wise, I know no one watches these kinds of movies for the acting/characters, but this one has two standouts worth mentioning. One was the female reporter covering the Hangyolas attack. Again, the credits are in Japanese, and the imdb listing does not have character names, so I have no idea who she is, but she is AMAZING!!!! The other is this guy in the war room where the military plans out their attack

on Hangyolas. This guy doesn’t say a word, but his facial expressions and his grunts of “Mm?” and “Uh?” cracked me up every single time. Really, it’s a small part, but that guy OWNS it! He’s a genius. 

With so much madness going on, it’s no surprise that not EVERYTHING works. If they just had the visible wires on the jets shown for a second, I think that would’ve been funnier than showing them clear as day EVERY time the jets flew by. Because once, it would be like, “Ha! Lookit the wires!” But 10 times, and you’re like, “OK, even in the older, lower budgeted fare like YONGARY, the wires didn’t show THAT much.” Also, many characters scream “Mommy!” before they die, and that gets old fast. Plus, there’s all kinds of WTF stuff, like the main jet pilot (A man) wearing blue eye shadow for some reason, but I don’t mind some random quirks here and there. 

This is the kind of movie that would be an absolute blast to watch with friends, whether sober, drunk, or high. It proves that you CAN make a great giant monster movie that doesn’t feature any already-established creatures whose names start with “G”. DEATH KAPPA is new to DVD and BLU RAY. GO GET IT!!!!! You’ll be glad you did. 

REPORT CARD…

DIRECTION: A

SCRIPT: A

MINIATURES: A- . The minus is for the overuse of visible wires. The buildings, tanks, cannons, etc are wonderful).

MONSTERS: A. Kappa himself is kinda weird-looking. More like an especially ugly beaked toad than a rad dinosaur or dragon. But he’s organic-looking. The suit is well-made. And Hangyolas is everything you want in an enemy monster. Just a massive dragon with fire breath and a long, pulverizing tail.

OVERALL: A. Action-packed and loads of laughs. The first half is bugnuts brilliance, and the second half is kaiju-rrific!!!!

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When not hanging out at The Horror Hotel, Mark Mackner can be found creating such local indie horror gems as DAISY DERKINS: DOGSITTER OF THE DAMNED!, EVIL BREW, THE HALF-LIFE HORROR FROM HELL or: IRRADIATED SATAN ROCKS THE WORLD!, and EMBALMO!  He’s also the resident Spider-Man scholar over at geek site POPTARDS where he writes SPIDEY’S WEEKLY WEB-UP.  In 2011, he’ll be directing his latest original script PROM NIGHT ABORTION!  

Dr. Terror reviews our show and calls us "The Hee Haw of Horror"

Dr. Terror calls us "The Hee Haw of Horror"

In 1969, Hee Haw made an impact that changed the landscape of TV Land. The Variety/Humor show set the pace for what people enjoyed....why am I telling you about Hee Haw? Well, Dr. Terror, from Dr. Terror's Blog of Horror, recently reviewed our Tv show and likened us to the cult classic icon in Country Music TV...Hey, he could have said The Lawrence Welk Show.

Am I flattered? Of course...here are some other notables from the review:

"These guys are succeeding at resurrecting the comedy of Laurel & Hardy and/or Abbott & Costello only taking it to a very dark and magical place. Rob Dimension loves his physical comedy and is a master in the art of masochism (I've seen him blow himself up and cut his own hand off... that's dedication). Chef John will entice and dice your taste buds with some of the most interesting sounding meal preps I've ever heard (Armadillo eggs? yes please!). What you've got here is a combination of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 with Dinner and Movie and add some jokes straight out of the Munsters/Vampira/Zacherly playbook for garnish. It's like a variety show"

"There's a stake sandwich (yes, I spelled that correct) and an undying commitment to the love of schlock. Rob and John choreograph an entire military campaign against Gammera using army men and a toy replica and teach the audience how to cook something totally strange. This kind of entertainment is destined to jump off cable access and straight to AMC."

Thanks again to the good Doctor for watching and enjoying the show. To read his entire review, make sure you head over to DR. TeRRoR's BLoG oF HoRRoR and tell him we sent ya over!!!  Hahaha...Hee Haw...