Hello!

Friend and advisor Allan Peach has been telling me about a new visual attraction right next to Los Angeles’ Echo Park called 3-D Space. Their self-description reads in part, “Affectionately called the ‘3-D Bunker,’ our new center is a public space for stereoscopic art, science, and history. We are utilizing the gallery to rotate between exhibiting pieces from our museum collection, displaying contemporary works by 3-D image makers, and holding classes and presentations.” They’re holding a screening in 3-D of Creature from the Black Lagoon downtown on October 21; their website is touting a soon-to-open Exhibit called 3-D Monsters.

I’ll be curious to see what Sony’s new Blu-ray of the Toho gem Battle in Outer Space (Uchu daisenso) looks and sounds like — the rumble on the web is mostly negative, in that complainers are saying that the Blu-ray will repeat the 2009 DVD’s annoying ‘dub-title’ problem on the Japanese audio version. I explained it in my review of that older Icons of Sci-Fi Toho Collection DVD set. Will the release indeed have two language versions? I’ve heard that it will include the older commentary, and August Ragone has reported that it will be a pressed Blu-ray, not a burned disc. I figured I’d toss these doubts out there, in case somebody with an early copy can report in. Frankly, the show could use a new transfer — Ragone (I believe) reported several years ago that some new material had been found and added to the Japanese version, but I haven’t heard any followup on that story. The disc is expected on September 25.

And finally, my mental equilibrium from Saturday is returning … but I think this image represents well the present state of affairs in the Good Old U.S. of A.  I’m putting a “VOTE!” sign on my front yard!

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson