ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 1, 1995 TAG: 9512010004
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG STAFF WRITER
Something as massive as the destruction of Tokyo by a 30-story-tall monster is just not meant to be seen on a 10-inch TV screen.
It's meant for a 10-foot TV screen, at least, says Blacksburg's Chris Fischer.
So Fischer and friend Jerry Conner booked Virginia Tech's Hancock 100, where such a screen resides. There, backed by campus clubs, they're putting on "Godzillafest," a marathon of six Godzilla films that will be aired this Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.
A number of Japanese films featuring the giant beast have never been released in the United States, but they are available on tape, through importers.
That's how Conner obtained some of the films to be featured this weekend.
"One reason for running this festival is that I haven't seen most of these and I want to, very much," Fischer said.
The festival is free and open to all fans of Godzilla - or "Gojira," as he is known in Japan.
"If you want to sit down and point out plot inconsistencies, if you're having fun, that's OK, too," Fischer said.
What kind of inconsistencies?
Godzilla's height, for one. The monster ranges in from 30 stories to 50 stories tall, depending on the movie. "He gets larger as time goes on," Fischer said.
"Heck, his sex changes from movie to movie. He's been a he and a she at various points."
There have been more than a dozen Godzillas, says Conner, a media services technician at Bluefield State College. "New suits are designed for almost every movie. Sharp-eyed fans can identify which films various suits come from."
Conner is one of those sharp-eyed fans. He owns more than a dozen Godzilla movies, including Chinese, Australian and British editions.
He has his favorites: the classic "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," and the newer "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla."
He has his favorite Godzilla foes: King Ghidorah, the three-headed space dragon, and Mechagodzilla, a robot that is "superior in visual design to any robot created for an American film."
An American Godzilla film is scheduled to be released in 1996 or 1997.
A new Japanese film is due out in two weeks.
"They're saying they're going to kill off Godzilla once and for all," Fischer said of the Japanese production. "But I don't think that'll stop the movies."
Fischer has no idea what kind of crowd to expect on Saturday - Hancock only holds about a hundred people.
If the place is filled, that's great, Fischer says. "If it's just me and Jerry watching Godzilla movies, that's OK, too," he said.
"These films are about watching massive destruction on a grand scale. They're about remembering what it was like to be 10 years old and watching these."
For more information, visit the Godzillafest page on the World Wide Web at http://www.cs.vt.edu/people/jdunson/godzilla01.html.
Godzilla films are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in Hancock 100 at Virginia Tech. They are listed in order of appearance.
"Mystery Science Theater 3000: Godzilla vs. Megalon"
"Godzilla, King of Monsters"
"Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah"
"Godzilla vs. Mothra"
"Gamera: Giant Monster Midair Battle"
"Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla"
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: `Godzillafest'by CNB