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Join hosts Byrd and Matt as they discuss all things giant monsters, tokusatsu, and Japanese fantasy films. Come here for a regular dose of everything Godzilla, Gamera, King Kong, Ultraman and everything in between!
Episodes
Tuesday Nov 05, 2019
Tuesday Nov 05, 2019
Byrd, Matt and Tom have a cure for your Halloween hangover with this look at several Japanese films that took a different approach to two of the most famous monsters of all time- vampires and the Frankenstein monster! First up, we have the 1991 oddity The Last Frankenstein, based on the stage play of the same name. Then we have Takashi Shimizu's surreal 2004 low budget Marebito. And finally, we have the insane crossover, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl, directed by exploitation mavericks Yoshihiro Nishimura and Naoyuki Tomomatsu. Along the way, we discuss monsters watching porn, hollow earth theory, the Shaver mysteries, ganguru culture, and laffy taffy. Join us and get through your post-Halloween blues!
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
For another October horror edition of the podcast, Byrd, Matt and Tom discuss the directorial work of Japanese special effects maverick, Tomoo Haraguchi! Primarily known as a makeup artist and monster maker on films such as the Heisei Gamera trilogy, Ringu 0, Ultraman Mebius, and others, he also directed a handful of horror films. We discuss his straight to video debut Mikadroid: Robokill Beneath Disco Club Layla, his Yokai spectacle Sakuya: Slayer of Demons, and his Yokai westerns Kibakichi and Kibakichi 2. We also discuss his prolific career, partnership with Shinji Higuchi, and more! But first, Byrd reports back from the Nightmares Film Festival in Columbus, we discuss our October horror viewings, and we follow up on some confusion on Beware the Blob!
Wednesday Oct 23, 2019
Wednesday Oct 23, 2019
Welcome back to another October horror edition of the show. Byrd, Matt and Tom delve into the snake girls of famed manga writer Kazuo Umezu. We take a look at two adaptations of Umezu's "snake girl" stories. Daiei's 1968 horror film Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch (directed by Gamera creator Noriaki Yuasa!), as well as "Snake Girl," an episode of the 2005 anthology television series, "Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater" directed by exploitation guru Noboru Iguchi. We also discuss Umezu's original manga stories that inspired these obscure kid friendly horrors!
Tuesday Oct 15, 2019
Tuesday Oct 15, 2019
First up for our October horror series this year, Byrd, Matt and Tom discuss everyone's favorite hungry glob of goo, the Blob! We discuss the original 1958 indie sensation, its completely bonkers 1972 sequel Beware the Blob, and the gore drenched 1988 remake from Chuck Russel and Frank Darabont. We discuss the history of all three films, the real life inspiration for the Blob, and the canceled Blob films that almost were (including remakes from Rob Zombie, Joe Lynch and Simon West). Enjoy the conversation!
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Byrd and Matt are joined by author John LeMay (The Lost Films, Kong Unmade) for a special audio commentary for Toei's 1977 oddity, Legend of Dinosaurs & Monster Birds. Inspired by the success of Jaws and a recent upswing in sea monster sightings around the globe, the film was touted as one of the most expensive Japanese productions ever made, only to become widely regarded as one of the absolute worst Japanese monster films ever made. Join us as we watch the film and grill John on being an uber fan of this film, as well as discuss its inception, fun trivia factoids, and more!
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
Byrd and Matt are joined again by author John LeMay to discuss his new book, Kong Unmade. The book covers the proposed/canceled King Kong films, including Universal's Legend of King Kong, Willis O'Brien's King Kong vs. Frankenstein, the original screenplays for the original 1933 film and Peter Jackson's remake, and less discussed projects suc has Abbott and Costello Meet King Kong, Funimation's animated Kid Kong, Mario Bava's Baby Kong, and more! Byrd also contributed an essay for the book that covers the early career of Willis O'Brien and the making of 1925's "proto-Kong" film The Lost World! Join us as we chat about all of the above and more!
Sunday Sep 22, 2019
Sunday Sep 22, 2019
At this panel from G-Fest 2019, Ishiro Honda biographers Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski (authors of Ishiro Honda: A Life In Film) took a look at the making of Godzilla's Revenge. The authors offer a critical examination of Ishiro Honda's most misunderstood entry in the Godzilla franchise. Topics discussed include the origin of the film, Ishiro Honda's direction, the cast, special effects sequences, and more. Enjoy!
Thanks to Ed and Steve for allowing us to release this audio and to Christopher Marti for recording it.
Sunday Sep 15, 2019
Sunday Sep 15, 2019
Byrd and Matt are joined by special guests, game creator Alex Rushdy (of 13 AM Games and Seismic toys) and Chris Oglio (of Seismic toys) to discuss the upcoming independent kaiju video game, Dawn of the Monsters, and its accompanying vinyl figure. We talk about what goes into creating an independent video game that can get wide distribution, the monsters and gameplay, and what it takes to start an independent toy company and get a figure made, and their plans for the future. Kick back and enjoy!
Sunday Sep 01, 2019
Sunday Sep 01, 2019
At G-Fest 2019, Matt was joined by blogger/author Kevin Derendorf (Maser Patrol, Kaiju For Hipsters) and toy reviewer RJ Axen (BoatsCanFly on YouTube) for a panel discussion about the history between Bandai and Tsuburaya Productions, and how this relationship has affected the Ultraman franchise in recent years. Enjoy!
Tuesday Aug 27, 2019
Tuesday Aug 27, 2019
At G-Fest 2019, Byrd and Matt were joined for by authors John LeMay (The Lost Films, Kong Unmade) and Kevin Derendorf (Kaiju for Hipsters, Maser Patrol blog) for a live episode dedicated to Godzilla vs. Biollante! We take an in-depth look at the 1989 classic, including unused scripts, the making of the film, the manga adaptation, and more! Relax and enjoy!