Psychotronic Film Society

While working this morning I’m eating some sushi and watching the Criterion Blu-ray disc of Ishiro Honda’s original GODZILLA. Picture and soundtrack of this restoration are far better than the one released to US theaters and on DVD by Classic Media a few years back (also now available on Blu-ray). That restoration was a big disappointment – every shot looked and sounded like it was raining on the set.

Criterion’s disc features a meticulous digital polish on every frame of both the Japanese original and the US revision. I’ve seen this movie maybe 50 times and I’m seeing stuff I’ve never been able to before, from the impact of tank shells on the monster to the squeals of caged birds as the beast prowls by. The only exceptions are in stock footage where it seems they chose to retain the original dirt and scratches.

Also included: commentraks on both films by David Kalat, interviews with cast and crew members, featurettes and trailers. Even if you’ve already purchased this film on home video before, this edition is worth the upgrade.

For the past few years, the Portage Theater has served as one of the main meeting places for the Psychotronic Film Society, hosting a variety of sci-fi marathons, Saturday monster kids programming, and other events of interest to members.

After years of hard work went into renovating and maintaining one of Chicago’s few remaining neighborhood theaters, the Portage is in now in danger of being converted into a church.

f you’d like to help preserve this psychotronic institution, go here to sign a petition and make your voice heard.

There are no guarantees, but maybe if there is a big enough outcry we can save the Portage – and help a great neighborhood, too.

This Saturday, April 30, will be a special day for Monster Kids of all ages at the Portage Theater in Chicago. A mini-marathon of five great monster movies!

For the kids – bring in a colored picture or drawing of your monster you love to enter to win a $20.00 gift card to a toy store. Plus, a 2nd and 3rd place prize, too. Dealers with cool items will be in the lobby all night.

Here’s the schedule, which could probably be best described as a “Monster Family Marathon”: Continue reading →