The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

A Suit Actor's All Out Attack! Interview with Mizuho Yoshida

We're back with an exclusive interview with suit actor/mo-cap performer Mizuho Yoshida!  For this episode, Byrd traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan and sat down with Mr. Yoshida for this career spanning interview.  Fans know Yoshida best for many iconic roles, including the GMK Godzilla, half of the Legion Queen in Gamera 2, Zeiram, Death Ghidorah and Dagarah in the Mothra films, and Solid Snake in the Metal Gear games.  We touch on his beginnings in suit acting, working with tokusatsu visionaries such as Keita Amemiya, Shusuke Kaneko, Shinji Higuchi, and Koichi Kawakita, the difficulties of being in the two person Legion suit, operating GMK Godzilla, motion capture performances, and more! 

 

Special thanks to Hiro Kitagawa for translating!

Gamera: The Heisei Years (1995-1999, 2006)

At long last, we're back with more Gamera talk! We are joined by guest hosts Tom and Eric to discuss Shusuke Kaneko's acclaimed Gamera trilogy and 2006's reboot, Gamera the Brave. Kaneko's Gamera trilogy of the 90s remains three of the most beloved kaiju films of all time by both fans and critics. We will talk about whether or not these films earned their reputation and discuss how they hold up in 2017. We then divert our attention to the 2006 reboot, Gamera the Brave which came and went with little fanfare. Did this movie deserve to have such a short shelf life or is it an unsung classic? And what should Daiei be doing with Gamera in this current, kaiju heavy climate? We discuss all this and more!

The Proto-Matango! Suspicion: "Voice In The Night" (TV Episode Review)

As a Halloween bonus, Byrd and Matt discuss and review the first screen adaptation of William Hope Hodgson's "The Voice In The Night" (the short story that Toho's Matango was based on). This was an episode of the Alfred Hitchcock produced anthology TV series "Suspicion," which aired on NBC in 1958 and starred James Coburn, Barbara Rush, Patrick Macnee, and James Donald before their careers took off. This TV episode languished in total obscurity for decades until recent years when an old, faded print finally made its way onto Youtube. So how does this early adaptation differ from Toho's cult classic? Is this version or Matango more faithful to the original Hodgson story? Listen and find out! Happy Halloween!

Daiei Yokai Spooktacular!

Just in time for Halloween, Byrd, Matt and guest host Tom take a look at Daiei's Yokai franchise! This includes the original trilogy of 100 Monsters, Spook Warfare, and Along With Ghosts, as well as Takashi Miike's 2004 reboot, The Great Yokai War. You'll hear us discuss all four movies, as well as give a crash course on what a Yokai is, the influence of GeGeGe No Kitaro, and more! These are prime viewing in the month of October, so break out the Adzuki beans and enjoy!

Toho Mutants: The H-Man, The Secret of the Telegian, and The Human Vapor!

On a new October podcast, Byrd and Matt are joined by guest host Tom to discuss Toho's "Mutant Trilogy." It is time to discuss more of Toho's human sized monsters, as we discuss The H-Man (1958), The Secret of the Telegian (1960), and the Human Vapor (1960). Although not as popular as Toho's giant monster films, the mutant films are every bit as noteworthy. As always, we have a lively discussion, as we discuss the origins of these films and give our reviews. Listen and enjoy as we discuss radioactive blobs, a teleporting serial killer, and a vapor man! But first we discuss our thoughts on the new Pacific Rim: Uprising trailer!

Eko Eko Azarak

In our second October horror episode, Byrd, Matt, and guest host Trev (Days of Future Podcast, If It Bleeds We Can Kill It) dip their toes into the Eko Eko Azarak franchise with a discussion on the first three live action movies. Produced by Gaga Co. and Tsuburaya Films, these were based on the popular manga of the same name. The series follows a young schoolgirl witch who travels from town to town as a protector against demonic activity. We discuss the original manga and review Wizard of Darkness (1995), its prequel followup Birth of the Wizard (1996) and the TV-series spin off Misa the Dark Angel (1998). How do these hold up? Listen and find out!

15 Miles Straight Down: Interview With Actress Linda Haynes!

On another very special episode, Byrd and Matt and joined by actress Linda Haynes for this candid, career spanning interview. Kaiju fans know her best for her role in Ishiro Honda's Latitude Zero. She also starred in many 70s cult favorites such as Coffy, Rolling Thunder, and Human Experiments. We discuss these films, as well as variety of topics such as her work with directors like Ishiro Honda, John Flynn and Jack Hill, stars such as Joseph Cotten, Akira Takarada, Pam Grier, and Robert Redford, her post-acting career, making positive changes in life, the convention circuit, turning down a role from Quentin Tarantino and more! Enjoy! Linda will be attending the Chiller Theatre convention in Parsippany, NJ from 10/27/2017-10/29/2017. If you're in the area, come and give her a visit!

Kwaidan (1964)

Happy October! KT is once again going through Japanese horror films for the entire month and we're kicking it off with the classic anthology film Kwaidan, directed by the great Masaki Kobayashi. This independent feature was produced by Ninjen Club and distributed by Toho in 1964 and features four horror stories based on the Japanese folk stories of author Lafcadio Hearn. We discuss how the film was made, the unique musical score, the struggles that Kobayashi went through to finish the film, and the strange life of author Lafcadio Hearn. Enjoy!

Unmade Kaiju Movies with Author John Lemay!

Byrd and Matt welcome special guest, author John LeMay ("The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monsters" book series) on the podcast to discuss kaiju movies that almost were! It seems almost as if for every Godzilla movie that got made, there are several scripts for other movies that never saw the light of day. John's newest book, "The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monsters: The Lost Films" details that very subject. We talk to John about his book, his beginnings as a writer, the process of writing the book, and why he's so drawn to the topic of unmade films. Then we also talk our favorite unmade Godzila/kaiju projects, and the ones we would have liked to see the most. We talk about infamous lost projects like Mothra vs Bagan, Godzilla vs Batman, and the proposed Toho/Hammer co-production Nessie, as well as obscurities such as Japan SOS, Bride of Godzilla, and Godzilla vs. M. We also debunk some common myths along our way. So listen up, relax and learn about the Godzilla movies we ALMOST had!

King Kong's Muse: Interview With Actress Linda Miller!

On a special episode, Byrd and Matt welcome Linda Miller, best known for her role as Susan Watson in the Toho/Rankin-Bass classic King Kong Escapes! In addition to her starring role in one of Toho's golden age kaiju films, she also made an appearance in Toei's cult favorite, The Green Slime. Linda discusses both films, her modeling career, being directed by the great Ishiro Honda, language barriers on the Japanese sets, working with stars like Akira Takarada, Rhodes Reason, and Richard Jaeckel, her convention experiences, why she stopped acting, and what she's done in her post-acting life. Linda will be attending the Chiller Theatre convention in Parsippany, NJ from 10/27/2017-10/29/2017. If you're in the area, come give her a visit!