The original story that hatched Mothra, one of the most beloved monsters in the “kaijuverse”—available in English for the first time Mystical and benevolent, the colossal lepidopteran Mothra has been one of the most beloved kaiju since 1961, when The Luminous Fairies and Mothra was originally published in Japanese. Commissioned by Tōhō Studios from three of Japan’s most prominent postwar literary writers (Shin’ichirō Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta), the novella formed the basis for the now-classic monster film Mothra, with a protagonist second only to Godzilla in number of film appearances by a kaiju. Finally available in its first official English translation, The Luminous Fairies and Mothra will captivate ardent, longtime fans of the films as well as newcomers.

I adore Brian De Palma's The Phantom of the Paradise, it's an amazing 70s rock ballad and glam classic. I think it's my favorite Phantom film, especially if you count the Royal Albert Hall filming as a television special instead of a movie. Even so, they swap as my favorite depending on the day.

I'd highly recommend the Shout Factory Blu-ray, it has interviews with almost everyone and in-depth features. A highlight is a sit-down conversation between Paul Williams and Guillermo del Toro, who's a big fan of Paradise.

If the movie doesn't do much for you, at least get the soundtrack. Paul Williams's music is so beautiful, especially the songs he sings.

However, I didn't finish the novelization by Bjarne Rostaing because it's awful. What really works for the movie is how compact it is, with no filler, so having drawn-out backstories that are unnecessary or contradict the characterization makes it painful to read. It does include photos from the film, but I don't want to ruin the binding to take pictures. If you want to know more from someone who's actually read it, here's a review: Loving Bad Writing in Phantom of the Paradise.

The book goes for a lot of money, and I think I was able to get it for an OK amount because of the damaged cover.

You can digitally borrow it here.