The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

Rex: A Dinosaur‘s Story (1993): A KT Holiday Special

Ring in the holidays with this special episode, as we are joined by Kevin Derendorf (Maser Patrol, Kaiju For Hipsters) and Tom Gueli (Final Forum: A Dragonball Podcast) to talk about the children's holiday dinosaur film, Rex: A Dinosaur's Story.  In 1993, Kadokawa decided to cash in on the Jurassic Park craze by making this oddity about a little girl who befriends a baby T-Rex and aids in the dinosaur's escape from greedy commercial producers.  The film (directed by Kadokawa's president at the time) also features magical Ainu, a dinosaur wearing a Santa hat, KFC, snowmobile chases, food fights, and other madcap madness.  We'll discuss those things, as well as the movie's connection to cocaine smuggling (for real), special effects legend Carlo Rambaldi's dinosaurs made for the film, the dinosaur craze of the early 90s, the suspicious similarities to Toho's Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1993) and more!  So sit down with some egg nog and join the fun!

The Big O (1999-2000, 2003)

Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the cult anime series The Big O.  This series combined inspirations from kaiju/tokusatsu, mecha, Batman, and film noir to create a series about a negotiator who pilots a giant robot in a city full of people without memories.  As he tries to solve the city's mysteries, he has to use his robot Big O to handle the other giant robots and monsters that get in his way.  So sit back and listen to us discuss the robots, mystery, monsters, and philosophy of this abstract cult classic show.  It's showtime!

Yokai Monster Heaven Duology

We're joined by frequent guest hosts Tom and Kevin to talk about Macoto Tezuka's Yokai-centric Monster Heaven films.  Monster Heaven (1986) is an anthology film of several different Yokai stories.  Monster Heaven: Ghost Hero (1990) is a single story about a resurrected samurai demon slashing his way through a metropolitan workplace.  They feature recognizable faces such as Misatoh Eve, Osamu Tezuka, Kazuo Umezu, and Hideyo Amamoto, and creature effects by the great Tomoo Haraguchi.  So are these lost gems that deserve to be rediscovered?  Listen and find out!

Behind the Scenes of Kaiju Masterclass 2 (Online Convention, Nov 5-7, 2021)

We are joined by our fellow Kaiju Masterclass convention team members Steve Ryfle, Ed Godziszewski, Patrick Galvan, Erik Homenick, and Amanda Whalen and presenter Kevin Derendorf for a look behind the scenes of this year's virtual convention. This year's show will have a diverse guest roster, including director Kazuki Omori (Godzilla vs Biollante, Godzilla vs King Ghidorah), dub actress Tiffany Grant (Gamera Trilogy, Neon Genesis Evangelion), monster maker Fuyuki Shinada (GMK, Gamera Trilogy), suit actor Tom Kitagawa (Millennium Godzilla series, Super Sentai) and Godzilla 1984 composer Reijiro Koroku (in his first English language interview!) to talk about their craft and their creative process in creating our favorite kaiju and tokusatsu films. There will also be a host of guest presenters including authors John LeMay, Mike Bogue, and Norman England, among many more! Join us for a look behind the scenes of this year's convention and join us November 5th-7th on Youtube for a weekend of exclusive content and interviews.

 

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Sonny Chiba Goes Horror!

We're back with more spooky thrills as we look at two horror outings starring the late, great Sonny Chiba.  First we have Toei's campy Japanese/American co-production Terror from Beneath the Sea (1966) about fish people trying to take over the world.  We follow that up with Kinji Fukasaku's 1981's jidaigeki fantasy/horror mashup, Samurai Reincarnation where Chiba plays famous samurai Yagyu Jubei going up against Japanese historical figures resurrected as demons.  Kick back and join the conversation!

The Green Slime (1968)

Our October horror-thon continues as Byrd, Matt and Tom discuss Toei and MGM's cult classic The Green Slime, directed by the legendary Kinji Fukasaku.  Starring an all English cast, this Japanese/American co-production tells the story of a space station overrun with tentacled slime monsters.  We'll discuss its origin as an Italian co-production, its rockin theme song, its star studded cast, its alleged Vietnam allegory, the longevity of cult films, and the positivity of film camp and cheese.  Relax and enjoy the show!

Toku Terror in Hong Kong: The Seventh Curse (1986) and The Cat (1992)

For the first horror episode of October, we are joined by our three most frequent guest hosts (for the first time together), Trev, Kevin, and Tom to discuss movies so crazy we needed five people to make sense of them.  We look at a pair of Hong Kong horror films from director Lam Ngai Kai (of Riki-Oh fame) based on books from the Chinese "Wisely" series.  Not only do these films have future Hong Kong stars like Chow Yun Fat, Maggie Cheung and Gloria Yip, but they also feature special effects from Japanese monster veterans such as Keizo Murase, Shinichi Wakasa, Shinji Higuchi and more!  We'll discuss the history of these brain melters (including the obscure origin of the Cat) and see if we can talk about them without sounding insane.  Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Hanna Barbera‘s Godzilla: Interview With Writer/Developer Duane Poole

We are joined for a look behind the scenes of Hanna Barbera's Godzilla animated series with the show's writer/developer/story editor Duane Poole!  For over 40 years, Duane has written for TV, film and theater and has worked with iconic properties including  Scooby Doo, the Smurfs, Super-Friends, Love Boat, and our favorite King of the Monsters.  We chat with him about his prolific career, Hanna Barbera in the 70s, adapting Godzilla for TV, the changes made to Godzilla for the show, Scooby Doo, his transitions from animation to live action TV to film, his love of the theater, and more!  We even manage to dispel some common rumors along the way.  Relax and join the conversation!

Sonny Chiba Tribute Special

Byrd, Matt and Trev celebrate the legacy of Japanese action star Sonny Chiba, who recently passed away at the age of 82.  We talk about Chiba's humble beginnings as a star of low budget tokusatsu productions, becoming a global martial arts icon, and his impact on the Japanese film industry.  We also review four classic Chiba-starring tokusatsu films- the early superhero films Invasion of the Neptune Men and The Golden Bat, the 1975 disaster thriller The Bullet Train, and the samurai vs. soldiers showdown G.I. Samurai.  Sit back, relax and join us in celebrating the legacy of one of the most bad ass stars of all time!

Kaiju Fan Films!

Byrd and Matt are joined by Chris Marti (Cosmic Monster) and Jared Foust (Xenofauna) to discuss the rich history of kaiju fan films!  We discuss their recent short Ultraman Sorta vs. Godzilla (which Jared directed and Chris did sound design for) and then we get into the history of kaiju fan films, going way back to the 50s and forward all the way into the present.  Future trail blazers such as Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi, John Carpenter, Steve Wang, Nobuhiko Obayashi, Tom Woodruff, and others got their start making fan films, often featuring our favorite iconic giant monsters, including Godzilla, Gorgo, King Kong, Ultraman and more.  We discuss the fan films of Don Glut, Gainax, Steve Wang and others including well known titles such as Wolfman vs. Godzilla, Coming Out, Bambi Meets Godzilla, Godzilla: Battle Royale, and Toho's Gemstone contest entries, as well as obscurities like Godzilla vs. Mito Komon, and Godzilla vs. the Netherlands.   Relax and enjoy the show!