The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

Half Human (1955)

We are joined by our Kaiju Masterclass partner, writer Patrick Galvan (SyFy, Our Culture, Ruan Lingyu: Her Life and Career) to discuss Ishiro Honda's banned 1955 film Half Human (aka The Beastman Snowman).  Made immediately after the original Godzilla, the film tells the story of a mountain expedition to search for the abominable snowman (and a sleazy promoter looking to kidnap the creature).  The film is under a self-imposed ban by Toho due to its offensive depiction of the Burakumin minority group, and can only be watched on VHS rips from a copy that was smuggled out of Toho years ago.  In our discussion we will discuss the making of the film and explore the topic of Burakumin oppression and the very real struggles that the group still faces to this day.  We also give some time to the bizarre and incomprehensible American version of the film starring John Carradine.  Relax and enjoy the discussion!

 

Thai Double Feature: The Lake (2022) and The Beast Below (2022)

We look at not one but TWO recent giant monster films from Thailand.  Although not known for giant monster cinema, last year saw two giant monster movies come from the Land of Smiles.  The Lake is the story of a giant creature terrorizing the rural countryside in search of its missing young.  The Beast Below is a more light hearted fare about a giant lizard under the desert that starts picking off a group of people digging for water to win a contest.  So how do these two recent creature features fare?  We'll give our thoughts, as explore the themes of the movies and their production history.  Relax and enjoy the show!

Diving into THE LAKE with with Director Lee Thongkham!

We are joined all the way from Thailand by a very special guest, film director Lee Thongkham!  Lee takes us behind the scenes of his new independent giant monster film THE LAKE, a Thai/Chinese co-production about a giant creature rampaging the Thai countryside in search of its offspring.  We get the details on Lee's inspirations for the film, the mythical and religious symbolism, working the film for the Chinese market, the importance of revealing monsters slowly, and more!  Tune in and enjoy!

The Lake is now available on VOD on most major streaming platforms via Epic/Dread Central and will be released on Blu-Ray on May 16, 2023!

The Asylum’s Destroy All Monsters! Armageddon 2025 (2022) and Megaboa (2021)

Byrd, Matt, Tom and Trev are back in the Asylum, this time reviewing their 25th anniversary film, 2025 Armageddon!  Aliens invade our world by sending the Asylum's giant monsters to attack Earth.  We have Mega Piranha, Mega Shark, Crocosaurus, Megaboa, Sharknado, Transmorphers, zoombies, and more causing mayhem.  Does this live up to the hype?  Listen and find out!  But first we play a bit of Asylum catch up with a review of 2021's Megaboa starring Eric Roberts.  We'll also spend a good amount of time talking about the state of the Asylum in a post-video store/TV movie special climate and how we think they should adapt to the new market.  Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Shin Ultraman (2022) Giant Size Roundtable

Byrd and Matt are joined by guest hosts Tom (Final Forum - A Dragonball Podcast), Kevin (Maser Patrol), Lux (of metal bands Soulmass and Wraithstorm), Connor (Easter's Kaiju Kompendium blog) for a giant round table discussion on Tsuburaya's recent reboot, Shin Ultraman!  The film was directed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, following up their massively successful Shin Godzilla (2016).  We'll give our full review of the movie as well as talk a bit about how the project came to be.  But first we have a kaiju sized news roundup as we discuss the director announcement for the upcoming Gamera: Rebirth, the news of a THEM remake, a recap of the recent King Kong at 90 exhibit in Michigan, a mini review of the recent documentary Theaters of War, and the recently leaked documents about the United States military's involvement in Godzilla 2014.  This is a super sized, action packed episode, so get comfy and join our conversation!

Troll (2022)

Byrd, Matt, and Kevin are joined by Lux Edwards (of metal bands Wraithstorm and Soulmass) to discuss 2022's Norwegian giant monster film, Troll.  Directed by Roar Uthaug (Tomb Raider 2018) and released by Netflix, the movie follows a giant troll that is awakened from his ancient slumber by a drilling operation in the mountains.  What did the gang think?  Tune in and find out!

Iké Boys- Interview with Director Eric McEver!

Byrd and Kevin sit down with Eric McEver, director of the new independent film Iké Boys to talk about the making of the film and how he started making his own short films in Japan.  Eric's journey is a unique one, going from being an American kaiju fan to making his own tokusatsu films in Japan with genre vets such as tokusatsu director Daisuke Sato, Toho pyrotechnician Yasushi Iwata and Showa era suit maker Keizo Murase.  We also talk about how he cast Billy Zane, Yumiko Shaku and Ben Browder, how his real life inspired Iké Boys, working with the legendary Chiodo Bros, how he managed the tokusatsu filming unit in Japan, whether or not Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla is a misunderstood masterpiece, and more!  Relax and join the conversation.

Kamen Rider: Black Sun (2022)

Byrd, Matt, Kevin and first time guest host Lux Edwards (tokusatsu fan and vocalist for the metal bands Wraithstorm and Soulmass) have a lengthy discussion on the recent Amazon Prime mini series, Kamen Rider: Black Sun!  Conceived to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the original Kamen Rider Black (1987), this big budget, adult-oriented reboot has proven divisive for its unsubtle allusions to real social problems such as government corruption, minority oppression, and social prejudices.  The series tells the story of a society in which human/monster hybrids called kaijin, who are fighting for their rights in a prejudice society.  As civil rights activists and government entities clash, a young girl finds herself befriending kaijin superheroes Black Sun and Shadow Moon, who end up with different ideas on how to fight for coexistence.  The show had a who's who of remarkable talent in front of and behind the camera, such as director Kazuya Shiraishi (The Devil's Path), effects director Kiyotaka Taguchi (Ultraman series), designer Shinji Higuchi (Gamera Trilogy, Evangelion, Shin Godzilla), and stars Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car) and Tomoya Nakamura (Like Father, Like Son).  We'll discuss the show as well as give some history on the real life social issues it is addressing.  So what side of this divisive series did we all on?  Listen and find out!

The Career of Willis O’Brien + King Kong at 90 Art Exhibit at Eastern Michigan University with Gregory Kulon!

We welcome film historian and Willis O'Brien biographer Gregory Kulon to the show!  We discuss O'Brien's life and career, including his lost projects and personal tragedies, and we even debunk some common myths about the man.  Gregory also discusses the upcoming exhibit, "King Kong at 90: Visualization in the Art of Stop-Motion Animation," which he helped organize at Eastern Michigan University.  The exhibit will focus on Kong and the history of stop motion and the evolution of special effects.  It will run at EMU's University Gallery from January 23-February 23, 2023 and include original art from O'Brien, as well as Ray Harryhausen, Charles Knight, Byron Crabbe, Tim Burton, Bernie Wrighston, and many more!  There will also be film screenings, guest speakers and more.  We have the full rundown here!  Relax and enjoy the show!

Keep checking emugalleries.org for news, schedules, and other updates on the Kong at 90 Exhibit.

Iké Boys (2021/2022)

For our (kind of) Christmas episode, Byrd, Matt and Kevin gather around the Yule log to discuss the indie fantasy film, Iké Boys!  This homage to tokusatsu and anime follows two high school students who find themselves with super powers after watching a bootleg of a lost anime.  They have to use their new mecha and kaiju forms to thwart a doomsday cult, all the while dealing with the usual teenage coming of age struggles like bullies, girl problems, etc. The film features familiar faces in front of and behind the screen, such as actors Billy Zane, Yumiko Shaku, and Ben Browder, as well as art direction and effects work from Daisuke Sato (Howl From Beyond The Fog), Keizo Murase (Showa/Heisei Godzilla), and the Chiodo Bros (Killer Klowns from Outer Space).  Sit down with some egg nog and enjoy the discussion!