The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

Byrd, Matt and Tom take a look at the completely baffling experience of the independent film Dragon Lizard Lord Super Monsters and the animated sequel, Hammer of Draco.  In 2022, director Omar Sayyah cobbled together a series of Godzilla fan films he made in the late 90s, removed references to Toho's monsters, and dubbed them over to make the bonkers Dragon Lizard Lord, a film that defies description, despite our best efforts.  Equally baffling is the animated sequel Hammer of Draco (which looks like it was made with Microsoft Paint).  Join us as we discuss the two bewildering films, the passion and sincerity of their enigmatic director, and more!  

Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux come together to talk about the long awaited return of everyone's favorite flying turtle, Gamera!  Gamera is back, this time on Netflix with the new anime mini-series, Gamera: Rebirth.  Directed by Hiroyuki Seshita (Polygon's Godzilla trilogy), the show follows a group of kids in the summer of 1989 as they get wrapped up in kaiju attacks, conspiracies, and other wacky hijinks as Gamera faces off against a rogues gallery of villain monsters.  How did the anticipated reboot fare?  Listen and find out!

Byrd and Matt are joined again by author John LeMay  (The Lost Films, Kong Unmade, Lost Films of the Lost World) to discuss two nostalgic stop motion dinosaur films, Dinosaurus (1960) and Planet of Dinosaurs (1977).  1960's Dinosaurus was directed by Irvin Yeaworth (The Blob, the 4D Man) and tells of a construction crew that awakens a brontosaurus, a t-rex, and a caveman.  Planet of Dinosaurs is a low budget indie about a group of space explorers who become stranded on a planet infested with dangerous man eating dinosaurs.  It launched the careers of of effects artists such as Doug Beswick (Star Wars, Terminator, Blade) and Jim Aupperle (The Thing, Ghostbusters, Hellboy).  As usual, we have our reviews, as well as plenty of behind the scenes history to discuss.  These were favorites of ours growing up, but how do they hold up now?  Listen and find out!

Byrd and Matt are joined by author John LeMay (The Lost Films, Kong Unmade, Lost Films of the Lost World) to discuss Denmark's entry in the giant monster genre, 1961's Reptilicus!  This co-production between Denmark's Saga Studios and America's AIP has a strange history, having filmed two versions with (mostly) the same cast for both countries.  We discuss both versions, trouble behind the scenes, and more!  We also talk about the canceled 2000's sequel, the novelization, the comic book (which was later rebranded as "Reptisaurus"), and the 2008 Reptisaurus film.  Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Byrd and Matt talk about Ray Harryhausen's classic dinosaur Western, the Valley of Gwangi!  It tells the story of some showmen and a scientist who go on an expedition into a valley in Mexico to find a prehistoric miniature horse.  What they also find is a flesh craving Allosaurus.  They bring it back to put it on display for the public and well... things don't go so well.  We'll discuss the history of the film, dating back to Willis O'Brien's failed attempts to get it made in the 1940s, the differences between O'Brien's version and Harryhausen's completed film, the lasting influence of Gwangi, the stop motion effects, and whether or not we think it holds up.  Relax and join the conversation!

Byrd, Matt and returning guest host Trev take the dive into the trench to talk about Meg 2!  In this sequel, we not only have a giant Megalodon, but also a bunch of other hungry prehistoric beasties trying to eat Jason Statham and friends.  It is also the first big blockbuster from British indie horror darling Ben Wheatley.  We'll give our thoughts on the film, the career of Ben Wheatley, the tepid critical response, and the state of the modern creature feature.  How does Meg 2: The Trench compare to the first movie?  Listen and find out!

Shin Kamenheimer!  We are joined by Kevin and Lux to discuss Hideaki Anno's new film Shin Kamen Rider, the latest entry in the "Shin" series of reboot films.  The film works as a retelling of the classic story of Takeshi Hongo's transformation into everyone's favorite Karate Bugman, Kamen Rider!  We discuss the trouble behind the scenes of the film, how we feel it works as a reboot of the classic series, and how/if we would like to see more franchises get the Shin treatment.  But first we also have our own mini-review of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's biopic about the "father of the atomic bomb," and what the Godzilla series could learn from it.  How do these films stack up to us?  Listen and find out!

Byrd and Kevin (with bystander Lux Edwards and sort of Matt) give a rundown of this year's G-Fest convention (which took place this past July 14-16).  We talk about the panels we both held and witnessed, the guests, and other highlights.  We also review the films we saw at the film festival, including Yoshikazu Ishii's Yuzo the Biggest Battle in Tokyo, Mike Cheslik's Hundreds of Beavers, Kiyotaka Taguchi's Daikaiju Bugon, and more!  But first we have a lengthy news roundup, including the latest on Godzilla Minus One, Gamera Rebirth, the new Kong video game, and the Godzilla and Kong vs Justice League comic.  Relax and enjoy the show!

We're joined once again by special guest Bob Johnson (SciFi Japan, Planet 8 Podcast, Bay Area Film Events) for another interview, this time discussing not one but two weekend long tokusatsu film festivals happening this summer in San Francisco.  Bob has organized UltraFest coming to the 4 Star Theater from July 21-23rd and GodzillaFest, coming to the Balboa Theater from August 18-20th.  Bob talks about the film and guest lineups, and, as always, regales us with many stories from his years in the fandom.  The interview covers post-Covid theatrical exhibition, the early days of tokusatsu tape trading, cursed Ultraman statues, tokusatsu on home video, the modern state of the genre, and more!  Kick back and enjoy the conversation!

For tickets and updates, go to https://www.bayareafilmevents.com!

Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the brand new Skull Island animated series.  Made for Netflix by Legendary and Powerhouse Animation Studios (Castlevania) and developed by writer Brian Duffield (Underwater, Love and Monsters), the series follows a group of shipwreck survivors trying to survive on King Kong's home island.  How does the series fare as the first animated series and television venture for the Monsterverse?  Does it improve Kong's unfortunate track record in animation?  And why do we disagree with the marketing's use of the word "anime?"  Listen and find out!  But first, we discuss Toho's recent crowdfunding effort for a new Jet Jaguar suit and PlutoTV's announcement of a 24/7 Godzilla channel.  Relax and join the conversation!