Godzilla/Kaiju General Releases Thread (Ask questions here!)

[Zarm]

I think when you hit play, it asks you which one you want to play.

[goji1986]

So I ordered the Godzilla 2000 Blu-ray that includes both the American and original Japanese ver. Anyone know how to access the Japanese ver. because it only came with one disc so I'm assuming it's in there somewhere.

It’s pretty easy to figure out when you pop in the disc.

[GojiDude95]

Yup got it. Boy do I feel silly.

[Rhedosaurus]

Does anybody know when Criterion will release Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla on DVD?

[Terasawa]

Nobody knows when Criterion will release any of its Godzilla titles. In fact there hasn’t even been an official announcement that they will, just that they have those titles.

[Rhedosaurus]

Nobody knows when Criterion will release any of its Godzilla titles. In fact there hasn’t even been an official announcement that they will, just that they have those titles.

None?! Not even from leaks on 4Chan or Reddit by people with inside knowledge?

[Mr. Yellow]

The only thing we’ve gotten is a few people who say they know Criterion has “plans” to. Just no specifics.

[Zarm]

Okay, I thought I remembered a post around here somewhere suggesting that the original Mothra film was getting a blu-ray release in the coming year, but now I can't find it. Anyone have that info? (And are we looking at any other confirmed kaiju releases this year, excepting the big question-mark that is Criterion, and the eventual possible release of KOTM and the animes?)

[goji1986]

Okay, I thought I remembered a post around here somewhere suggesting that the original Mothra film was getting a blu-ray release in the coming year, but now I can't find it. Anyone have that info? (And are we looking at any other confirmed kaiju releases this year, excepting the big question-mark that is Criterion, and the eventual possible release of KOTM and the animes?)

There has been zero confirmed releases of Mothra or the Criterion stuff as of yet. Just rumors.

[Zarm]

Okay, I thought I remembered a post around here somewhere suggesting that the original Mothra film was getting a blu-ray release in the coming year, but now I can't find it. Anyone have that info? (And are we looking at any other confirmed kaiju releases this year, excepting the big question-mark that is Criterion, and the eventual possible release of KOTM and the animes?)

There has been zero confirmed releases of Mothra or the Criterion stuff as of yet. Just rumors.

Ah! Okay, I thought the Mothra was a separate, confirmed upcoming release. The clarification is much appreciated; thank you!

[UltramanGoji]

People were assuming a Mothra Blu-ray would be on the way due to the Battle in Outer Space one that was released a few months ago.

[Zarm]

Ah- that's what I'm remembering, then. Thank you!

[AtomicMorningBreath]

My apologies if this has already been asked, and I did not want to create a new thread. Picture/Sound quality wise, how do these VHS releases compare to each other? Essentially, which are better?

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster - the 1989 Video Treasures release VS. the 1998 Good Times Video release
Son of Godzilla - the 1987 Video Treasure release VS. the 1997 Arbor Bay release

[Terasawa]

VHS, especially in the U.S. in the '90s, was recorded in one of usually three speeds: SP (standard play) gave you approximately two hours per tape, LP (long play) about 4 hrs, and EP (extended play, also called SLP, super-long) gave you about 6 to 8 hours. I'm not going to get into how that was done but basically it meant that companies recording tapes in EP could sell you the same movie on much less tape than if they'd recorded it at SP. The benefit of doing this was cost, of course, because it was much cheaper for them and for the customer. The trade-off was picture and especially audio quality. EP tapes also have a tendency to display very unstable picture when played today. If you have to watch an EP tape a good tracking control is necessary, especially with older cassettes.

Usually the recording mode is listed on the sleeve but you should always check the tape itself if possible. An SP "reel" should fill most of the little window box on the left and right of the tape while you'll see much more empty space with an EP tape. LP can be harder to identify, especially depending on the length of the movie. Also, some companies had EP tapes with these obnoxiously large reels. I'm not sure why that was done but it makes the tape heavier and ultimately it feels like an SP tape. These are very deceptive. I think Video Treasures issued a lot of these so beware. (Budget labels like Video Treasures and Goodtimes generally released their movies in LP mode although I've owned quite a few Video Treasures tape recorded in EP.)

If you want to maximize video and sound quality I would definitely pass on the Video Treasures tapes if I were you. Your best bet is to find the Anchor Bay box sets. (Both had Ghidrah, Gigan, Mechagodzilla, and G85. One set had Megalon and the other SOG.) The individual releases were EP but the box sets were recorded in SP. The box should also have a big "printed in SP mode" sticker on it, but again, check the tapes if you can. I have seen and owned SP "singles" from Anchor Bay but as mentioned these are more uncommon.

Sea Monster is a little bit more difficult. I don't have the '98 GoodTimes tape but their earlier 1992 release is missing about two or three seconds of audio when the two guys leave the dance floor towards the beginning of the movie. I would think GoodTimes just used the same master or maybe even back stock from the earlier release with their reprint. If that matters to you I'd avoid that. I think your best option for SM is the 1987 Video Treasures tape, but you'll have to see if you can nab an LP copy.

One other option is to track down the Canadian HGV release. HGV was the Canadian distributor that handled the Anchor Bay releases up there. For some reason, they couldn't include Ghidrah in Canada so it was replaced with SM. (You can find an image of it on the main page's VHS article.) I don't own the tape and can't tell you for certain if it was recorded in SP or not and unfortunately it's also pretty hard to find so it's a bit of a risk. But if there is an SP edition of that release then I would imagine that's the best commercial quality version of that movie.

Hope that helps.

[AtomicMorningBreath]

VHS, especially in the U.S. in the '90s, was recorded in one of usually three speeds: SP (standard play) gave you approximately two hours per tape, LP (long play) about 4 hrs, and EP (extended play, also called SLP, super-long) gave you about 6 to 8 hours. I'm not going to get into how that was done but basically it meant that companies recording tapes in EP could sell you the same movie on much less tape than if they'd recorded it at SP. The benefit of doing this was cost, of course, because it was much cheaper for them and for the customer. The trade-off was picture and especially audio quality. EP tapes also have a tendency to display very unstable picture when played today. If you have to watch an EP tape a good tracking control is necessary, especially with older cassettes.

Usually the recording mode is listed on the sleeve but you should always check the tape itself if possible. An SP "reel" should fill most of the little window box on the left and right of the tape while you'll see much more empty space with an EP tape. LP can be harder to identify, especially depending on the length of the movie. Also, some companies had EP tapes with these obnoxiously large reels. I'm not sure why that was done but it makes the tape heavier and ultimately it feels like an SP tape. These are very deceptive. I think Video Treasures issued a lot of these so beware. (Budget labels like Video Treasures and Goodtimes generally released their movies in LP mode although I've owned quite a few Video Treasures tape recorded in EP.)

If you want to maximize video and sound quality I would definitely pass on the Video Treasures tapes if I were you. Your best bet is to find the Anchor Bay box sets. (Both had Ghidrah, Gigan, Mechagodzilla, and G85. One set had Megalon and the other SOG.) The individual releases were EP but the box sets were recorded in SP. The box should also have a big "printed in SP mode" sticker on it, but again, check the tapes if you can. I have seen and owned SP "singles" from Anchor Bay but as mentioned these are more uncommon.

Sea Monster is a little bit more difficult. I don't have the '98 GoodTimes tape but their earlier 1992 release is missing about two or three seconds of audio when the two guys leave the dance floor towards the beginning of the movie. I would think GoodTimes just used the same master or maybe even back stock from the earlier release with their reprint. If that matters to you I'd avoid that. I think your best option for SM is the 1987 Video Treasures tape, but you'll have to see if you can nab an LP copy.

One other option is to track down the Canadian HGV release. HGV was the Canadian distributor that handled the Anchor Bay releases up there. For some reason, they couldn't include Ghidrah in Canada so it was replaced with SM. (You can find an image of it on the main page's VHS article.) I don't own the tape and can't tell you for certain if it was recorded in SP or not and unfortunately it's also pretty hard to find so it's a bit of a risk. But if there is an SP edition of that release then I would imagine that's the best commercial quality version of that movie.

Hope that helps.

Thanks dude! I know exactly what you're talking about with the recording speeds. I grew up with the Walter Reade dubs and it just does not feel right when I watch the current dvd releases.

[Terasawa]

Thanks dude! I know exactly what you're talking about with the recording speeds. I grew up with the Walter Reade dubs and it just does not feel right when I watch the current dvd releases.

No problem, glad to help!

[Zarm]

Ah, Super-Long Play. The best way to cram six to seven episodes of Star Trek onto a single VHS tape, depending on how good you were at cutting out the commercials and whether you really wanted to risk that last one. That takes me back.

[Terasawa]

Ah, Super-Long Play. The best way to cram six to seven episodes of Star Trek onto a single VHS tape, depending on how good you were at cutting out the commercials and whether you really wanted to risk that last one. That takes me back.

Another cultured individual! I used to do this with Star Trek on Sci-Fi too, back when they'd run a bunch of episodes from something like 8-5. I've still got one tape laying around somewhere. I was so desperate to get some episodes I remember doing the old scotch tape trick to convert a pre-recorded movie I didn't want anymore into a tape I could record to.

[Great Hierophant]

I remember the joys of breaking the plastic tab off the hole on the side of the cassette tape to ensure the tape could not be taped over. For many, many years this is how I watched Godzilla King of the Monsters recorded off TBS with Grandpa Al's hosting and commercial announcement segments.

[omgitsgodzilla]

Y'know, this is kind of sparking my idle interest in VHS collecting again. Do you know how the various tapes of Smog Monster stack up to each other?