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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 38: Eric Anderson vs. ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’

Published April 21, 2021

Well, this is annoying.

Nate and I were transferring files between our respective laptops, and in the shuffle an older version of “Jimmy’s Notes” overwrote the newer version.

In other words, my notes on episode 38 (Godzilla vs. Kong) were lost.

Damnit, Marchand!

I can tell you that my notes included bullet points about:

  • Eric mispronouncing something.
  • H.E.A.T. being sent to the Hollow Earth to get Titanus Doug succeeded in finding him, and he was released on Monster Island today.
  • The fact that a kaiju version of Alcoholics Anonymous should probably be started in light of Kong’s latest antics. Speaking as someone who’s been known to drink a bit too much Jack Daniels on occasion (and get into bar fights), I know how Kong feels.
  • Realizing I’m 0-2 against Kong with Mechani-Kong Mk. 2. In my defense, I was trying to incapacitate and not kill him both times. If I ever went all out with Mechani-Kong Mk. 2, the results would’ve been much different. Regardless, my pride has recovered since then.
  • Nate needing to get his own tux! He asked me to loan him mine, but it wouldn’t fit. He owes it to himself to get his own, just like Eric said.
  • How getting Jet Jaguar fitted for a tux was … weird. Especially now with his Singular Point mods. I had to call in a favor with a special tailor.
  • How it wasn’t “Kongtainment,” Nate. It was just “Kong Containment.”

Here’s Nate’s leftover notes … which is a lot.

The Film

  • Someone should merchandise Jia’s Kong doll. (I’m sure the Board will get on that. –Jimmy)
  • I like the MV credits sequences. There are lots of throwbacks to past MV films in here. Like Randa talking about the many ecosystems. Then we get a rundown of Godzilla and Kong’s past exploits.
  • I heard some people say that Bernie was Alex Jones. That’s not far off. I didn’t mind him, but that might be because I know a few people like him. (Even Alex Jones is right sometimes. –Jimmy)
  • Like in K33, they just put Kong on a huge raft with no explanation of how. I prefer that. Given the big jump in technology in this, you just learn to accept it.
  • Some things get repeated a bit too much at first. “Ancient rivalry” is one.
  • Call me crazy, but the finger touch reminds me of the Da Vinci painting of God touching Adam. (I thought Kong was the “king” not the “god.” –Jimmy)
  • I love the van scene because it makes me think of Stranger Things with the ‘80s-sounding techno.
  • I heard someone complain about the Tide pod reference. It would’ve been a long time after that, but it makes sense that he’d be leery of internet challenges and would still be dealing with lawsuits. Maybe it was an adlib?
  • The score doesn’t have nostalgic tunes like KOTM, but it does have shades of them. It’s somewhere between G14 and KOTM.
  • I love how Kong is puzzled by snow. (Sometimes it puzzles me, too, so he’s in good company. –Jimmy)
  • Josh naming MG seems a bit odd. It really should’ve been Ren Serizawa. (Or me. –Jimmy)
  • I really did feel a bit sorry for the Skullcrawler MG kills. It does show how much of a threat MG is because those things were terrifying in Kong: Skull Island.
  • The Heisei Gamera trilogy is all over the MV G-films. This has Gamera 3 in it. Godzilla is protecting the Earth/nature and not humanity, which means he causes lots of collateral damage without regard to humans.
  • When Jia signs about Kong’s heartbeat, she beats her chest a bit like Kong. I like that. (It’s cute. Is it her sign for Kong? –Jimmy)

Toku Topic: Theaters vs. Streaming

These are mostly quotations from the following sources:

  • https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/02/movie-theater-owners-are-frustrated-about-streaming-but-their-survival-depends-on-studios.html
  • “According to a study held in June 2020, just 14 percent of adults said that they strongly preferred seeing a movie for the first time in a theater, and 36 percent said that they would much rather stream the film at home than visit a cinema. Preferences for watching a new release in a cinema instead of via a streaming service in the United States changed significantly between 2018 and 2020, signaling a shift in consumer behavior and potentially a risk for movie theaters in the country. Also important to note is the effect of the coronavirus on consumer confidence. There was a drop in the share of movie fans willing to visit cinemas between March and June 2020, likely the result of consumers fearing the risk of infection and feeling more comfortable viewing movies in the safety of their own home.”
  • “Studios and exhibition have always had a lovely but contentious relationship,” one movie theater operator with locations in the southern part of the U.S. said on condition of anonymity. “Exhibition is basically a business that has blank screens and empty seats and we can’t do what we do without the studios.”
  • “These windows were created by studios decades ago in an effort ‘to get multiple bites out of the same apple,’ another movie theater operator said.”
  • “Netflix Inc has streamed original movies at the same time, or just a few weeks after, their debut in cinemas. Competitor Amazon Studios has said it would like some of its films to play for only two to eight weeks in theaters before hitting the Amazon Prime Video streaming service.”
  • “Director Steven Spielberg told Britain’s ITV News last year that movies seen primarily via streaming should compete for Emmys, not Oscars. A representative declined to comment on whether the director will urge the Academy to address the issue.”
  • Before the pandemic, there was talk of extending the theater duration times for big budget films and allowing smaller films to head to “direct-to-consumer” channels faster. But when cinemas were forced to close for six months (or more), cinemas were forced to adhere to much shorter releases. Many faced bankruptcy.
  • Theaters owners and other industry observers were quick to criticize Warner’s move. Chris Johnson, the CEO of Classic Cinemas, called Warner’s decision “ridiculous and short-sighted,” and Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC Theaters, argued that Warner would “sacrifice a considerable portion of the profitability” of movies that bypassed the traditional theatrical release. David Sims piled on in The Atlantic, saying of Warner’s decision, “Audiences will have little incentive to pay more to see these films in theaters.” His conclusion? “Theater chains are right to fear for their survival.”
  • You know who else hated it? Christopher Nolan. He spoke against it vehemently in defense of the theater-going experience (it might’ve been to promote Tenet, but who knows).
  • “PwC partner CJ Bangah told me her big consulting firm’s annual media and entertainment outlook is projecting a 65% drop in global revenues for the movie sector.”
  • “Worse, Bangah said, recovery for the film industry is a long ways away. As she delicately put it, it’s ‘within the realm of possibility’ that the industry will fight through an “uphill battle” to full recovery, but ‘we’re not forecasting a return to 2019 revenue levels in the five years of our forecast for cinema.’”
  • “Shorter windows would keep some customers at home, said Greg Marcus, chief executive of The Marcus Corporation, owner of the fourth-largest U.S. theater chain. ‘If you damage the business and take away 10 percent of our customers, we won’t be able to reinvest in the theatrical experience,” Marcus said. “That would ultimately hurt content providers.’”
  • “In the study, we analyzed what happened to theatrical revenue in Korea from 2015 through 2018 — a period during which Hollywood studios significantly shortened the exclusive theatrical windows for their releases, from three months to only one month. We found that, after controlling for differences between movies with early digital releases versus traditional release windows, early releases had a statistically and economically insignificant impact on theater sales, equivalent to around a 0.8% drop in total theatrical revenue during the first eight weeks of the movie’s theatrical run in Korea. Most theatergoers, it turned out, remained loyal to the theatrical experience even when they had the option of watching the movie at home while the movie was still showing in theaters.” Take this with caution.
  • “What we learned in our Korean study suggests that a similar effect may exist for movies, which in turn suggests that John Fithian, the president of the National Association of Theater Owners, was right when he argued that ‘theaters provide a beloved immersive, shared experience that cannot be replicated’ — but that Jason Kilar, the CEO of WarnerMedia, was also right when said that early digital releases provided an opportunity to give customers a choice ‘whether that choice is to enjoy a great new movie out at the cinema, to open up HBO Max, or to do both.’”
  • In 2019 (before the dark times—before the COVID), Christina Garnett wrote, “Maybe we’ve already chosen the user experience we want… instant, at our fingertips, and cheaper than the traditional alternative.”

Okay, it wasn’t as much as I expected.

Next week you’ll hear the return of another member of my ever-growing rogues gallery, and this time he brought a friend: Jack “GMan” Hudgens and J.R. Villers from The Drift Space podcast. They came to continue the “Year of Gamera” with a movie that dramatizes an exciting chapter of my life: Gamera vs. Viras. Yes, I have lasso skills and helped Gamera fight aliens. How do you think I got a job at NASA? Then poor Nate has to suffer through a second Gamera movie in a row with Gamera vs. Guiron, and he’ll be joined by Luke Jaconetti of the Earth Destruction Directive podcast and Greg Meyer, who hosts several podcasts.

Until then, remember: #WeShallOvercome

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy
Follow MIBOD on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD
Follow Raymund Martin (The MIFV Legal Team) on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CrystalLadyJes1

#JimmyFromNASALives

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 37 – ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ & Bonus Episode 7: ‘Gammera the Invincible’

Published April 6, 2021

You’re getting a twofer today. I’ve got notes on both episode 37 (which has proven to be one of our most popular episodes yet) and the bonus episode on Gammera the Invincible. For the latter, I didn’t take any notes, but Nate had some of his own left over. I’m just as surprised as you are.

Admittedly, much of my notes on the episode are rants about Snazzy, but they must be said.

  • Snazzy was a little bugger! He’s lucky he didn’t hit the emergency evacuation button and launch KIJU into space…or at least to the Japanese beach. Again. (Seriously, we’ve had two incidents where something or someone from the Island ended up on the Japanese coastline. Just ask Nate).
  • “Sidekick Central”? That sounds like some fifth-rate comic book company making a rip-off of the Teen Titans. Either that or a humor comic about all the kids who keep getting employed by Batman as sidekicks. (I hope Eric Elliott is reading this).
  • I have a lot of ironically-named buttons on my board. That way no one is quite sure how to properly use it, creating some job security for me. For example, I labeled the caller button “Bidi-Bidi,” the mute button “Mando,” and the volume control dial “Marchand.”
  • Those aren’t “mandibles,” Nate. They aren’t in Mothra’s mouth. Those are claws. Or as this image on mantis anatomy says, “double-spined murder clamps.”
  • Dante’s Inferno describes Satan as having three faces but not necessarily three heads. That’s close enough to Ghidorah, though.
  • “Boisters”? You meant “bolsters,” Brandon.
  • I will not be replaced by…whatever Snazzy is! My guess is he’s a “Whatever” like Gonzo.

Here are Nate’s leftover notes:

The Film

  • I like this movie. I always have. The problem I have is many of the others who also say they like this movie give the worst reasons for liking it. (i.e. “It’s supposed to be bad like the old movies!”) (Idiots making everyone look bad. –Jimmy)
  • The opening is very Gamera 3. Characters lose loved one during a kaiju attack but the kaiju meant no harm. (The whole MonsterVerse stole from the Gamera Heisei trilogy. –Jimmy)
  • Dougherty said in his commentary that he saw Mothra’s lifecycle as reincarnation. Each Mothra generation inherits the memories of the past ones. It adds a spiritual element and fits with what’s implied in the Japanese films. It’s also in keeping, as I’ve noted, with Shinto teachings.
  • I will admit not all of the film’s jokes work. “Ghidorah-gonorrhea” is the best example of a bad one. “Dude hates Titans,” is also a bit too on the nose to be funny. I know one podcast said they expected better jokes from Dougherty. (We’ve called Ghidorah worse around here, most of which isn’t fit to print. –Jimmy)
  • The “intimidation display” scene is one of the best in the film. It’s suspenseful and scary. I confess I jumped in the theater when I first saw it. It’s also a clever expansion.
  • The death of Dr. Graham is cited as an issue. It’s similar to how the elder Brody died about 45 minutes in. Jason Barr defended that by saying it shows that no characters are safe.
  • It is a little astonishing that Emma Russell has a Ted Talk prepared when she makes her villain speech. I’ve heard people call her crazy, but there are people who think like her. And if you think people won’t do crazy things because of grief, you’re mistaken. As for Mark saying it won’t bring their son back, it make sense because he was getting to the heart of the matter. She’s always conflicted throughout the film. Alan Jonah is the true believer.
  • Am I the only one who thought the climax taking place at Fenway with the “Green Monster” was intentionally ironic? (Maybe. As a Yankees fan, I enjoyed seeing it get destroyed. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • I’m really tired of the “day battles” people. Stuff like this and Pacific Rim is set at night—as someone on Twitter pointed out—because with their colorful attacks and abilities, they show up better. Kong: Skull Island is in the day because those earthy colors and less flashy creatures look better. It isn’t always some excuse to hide SFX flaws.

KOTM Spirituality

  • Godzilla is also similar to God in the OT, casting out humanity from Paradise after violating the natural order, or even the God who flooded the Earth to wipe it clean of humanity’s moral bankruptcy.
  • Rodan, to a certain extent, could be seen as Judas figure, bowing to whoever he sees as the strongest alpha. Unlike Judas, he survives his betrayal and, so it seems, is repentant.
  • Humanity must make peace with these “gods” and realize they are not the most powerful beings on Earth, even with all their weapons.
  • Godzilla, while born out of war, has evolved since then, taking on more significance while not losing his roots as an atomic allegory. “This art born of war, this new mythology, makes Godzilla and his fellow beasts of burden, like Mothra, Gamera and Rodan, not unlike the American superheroes who became a means for children and adults to process WWII and instill a sense of patriotism. And like those caped and costumed heroes, these giant monsters have seen their share of evolution and rebooting over the years in order to better reflect the society that relies on them.”
  • “There’s still that element of fear, fear of dying off, fear of destroying the world, but King of the Monsters suggests that fear doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Fear can drive our desire to reconnect with our earth and also our gods. Humanity’s fear in this context is a positive aspect as both a call to action and a reminder of a human need to be made aware of our modest scale and to feel in awe of something again. King of the Monsters is about relinquishing control.”

KOTM and The Nuclear Agenda

  • Tell us what you got from that long fortune cookie.
  • Radiation is used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)

Here’s what’s left from Gamera-Double-M:

  • I wasn’t allowed to watch the RiffTrax. (Too similar to MST3K, apparently. –Jimmy)
  • Arrow’s presentation is by far the best this has ever looked compared to the numerous cheap releases because it’s public domain. Ring in pig’s snout.
  • “Red alert.” I can’t hear that without thinking of Star Trek. This was before ST.
  • Newspapers in English.
  • “Papa-san”? (This line was odd. Like most of the movie. –Jimmy)
  • The dubbed dialogue actually says Gammera will starve in a month. (They underestimate that big turtle. It’d take at least two months. –Jimmy)
  • I don’t remember the establishing interior shots in the Plan Z facility. (But I love them! I took a tour of the place once. I almost wish I worked there. –Jimmy)
  • It says “Sayonara Gammera” and “The End” at the end. (A fitting place to finish my notes. –Jimmy)

With King of the Monsters out of the way, it’s time for the culmination of the “Kong Quest” with the long-overdue Godzilla vs. Kong. There was quite an eventful premiere for it on the Island. Trust me, I know because I tried to have a rematch with the big ape in Mechani-Kong Mk. 2. Yep. Nate was joined by his friend and collaborator, Eric Anderson, for that special broadcast. Then we return to the “Year of Gamera” with a film dramatizing one of the most exciting chapters of life, Gamera vs. Viras. We’ll be joined by two of the hosts from The Drift Space podcast, J.R. Villers and my barroom brawl opponent Jack “GMan” Hudgens (I’ll happily take a rematch).

Until then, remember: #WeShallOvercome

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

Follow MIBOD on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD
Follow Raymund Martin (The MIFV Legal Team) on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CrystalLadyJes1

#JimmyFromNASALives

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 36: The MSTies vs. ‘Gamera vs. Gyaos’

Published March 16, 2021

Michael, Michael, Michael. Now you’ve gone and done it. You have supplanted John LeMay as my new nemesis. You haven’t surpassed Commander Hell—the self-proclaimed “emperor of the universe” during the War in Space—but that’s hard to do since he’s an evil overlord. But, well, I may wait a little a little longer to retrieve you next time you take a tour of Monster Island’s jungle. You need a bit more excitement in your life, anyway.

Besides that, here are my other notes from last week’s episode on Gamera vs. Gyaos:

  • You should know better than to eat food in a cockpit around sensitive equipment, Michael! Serpentera Mk. 3 is a delicate machine!
  • Can’t tell, Michael? Nate, are we sure about his loyalty? #justsaying
  • I regret not reminding Nate to let Damon talk at the beginning about how he got to the Island, especially when it involved Giant Robo and Johnny Socko (he’s a friend of mine). Of course, Michael kept butting in.
  • The full name of Eiichi’s little actor is Naoyuki Abe.
  • In 1967, $1,000 was 360,000 yen, and the film’s budget was 60 million yen. Now I, too, want to know how many times Gyaos used that ray!
  • Haneda airport is nice. Japanese customs sucks, though. They never let me keep my laser pistol. I have a permit, damnit!
  • Good grief, did Damon and Michael go on and on and on at the end of the episode. Nate wisely chopped 20 minutes out. I feel sorry for the listeners here on the Island who had to hear it all.

Now for Nate’s leftover notes. He actually used all his Toku Topic notes again. Good work.

  • We’re quickly introduced to Gamera and his “Kenny,” Eiichi. Gamera eats some fire from the erupting Mt. Fuji. Reporter asks if he’s storing flames for energy or burnt to a crisp. Of course he’s still alive! He’s in the title!
  • Kojiro Hongo returns from the previous film.
  • Of course there are bats in the vampiric Gyaos’s cave!
  • Gamera is supposed to be holding Eiichi, but his hands are clearly open in the next shot. Also, he either stretches his arm like Mr. Fantastic or is crazy flexible because he’s able to place Eiichi on his back at an impossible angle. (Well, he was in space for a while, so maybe he found some cosmic rays? –Jimmy)
  • “Gyaos” is how he sounds? Okay. (Sounds like me when I cough. –Jimmy)
  • I see why Gyaos was brought back in the Heisei trilogy. He’s the easiest one to reboot.
  • There are gags like the car slicing in this. And Gyaos having a rock fall on his newly grown toe.
  • HEADSHOT on Gamera. Gyaos shoots off his own toes—but Gamera shoots off his own hand.
  • Gyaos looks constipated while re-growing his toes. (We’ve all made that face at some point, Nate. –Jimmy)
  • I want Gyaos to speak like Bela Lugosi.
  • “Exactly like our blood!” Because it’s pink? Cotton candy?
  • There’s a bit character named Toku. Okay. (Does that mean we talk about him in every episode? –Jimmy)
  • It never occurs to Gamera the THREE TIMES Gyaos drops him from midair to start flying?
  • “Put a rock in it!” (I’ll remember this the next time I want you to shut up, Marchand! –Jimmy)
  • Gyaos is barely in the volcano before the village leader says the road construction can continue.

From my books:

  • The rivalry between Godzilla and Gamera at this time was likened to The Beatles and the Rolling Stones by Patrick Macias.
  • Kichijiro Ueda, who plays the village mayor, told Yuasa, “I will defeat Gamera in performance!”
  • The humans’ efforts against Gyaos were inspired by Mission: Impossible, according to the producers.

The Commentary by Stuart Galbraith IV

  • It was decided by all to make this a children’s film. The kids would play on the floor or go buy popcorn during scenes in first two films with adults. This was made like a children’s storybook. Everything moves briskly.
    • They used a lot of real locations/offices instead of sets. One scene was Daiei’s dubbing studio.
    • This is the same Gamera suit from the previous film, but the eyes were made bigger and friendlier.
    • Daiei liked having expressive eyes on their kaiju. Detailed and brightly lit.
    • Yuasa said kaiju should all be night creatures to hide the defects of the special effects and because it’s dramatic. (Take that, day battlers!) 😛
    • The fat villagers, that actor committed suicide a few months after this movie released at age 31 because his career wasn’t going anywhere after some big success in TV.
    • Yuasa saw giant monsters and illogical, so scientists have much less screen time and no solutions. He wanted the kid audience to join Eiichi in coming up with solutions. (And yet we have an entire science lab dedicated to the kaiju here on the Island…. –Jimmy)
    • This year saw more foreign films out-grossing Japanese films.
    • Gyaos gave a press conference to promote the film, which angered some reporters. (Maybe he should be the next president’s press secretary. –Jimmy)

There you go.

The “Year of Gamera” takes a brief hiatus as we prepare for the long-awaited release of Godzilla vs. Kong, which will have a special premiere on Monster Island. Next week you’ll hear when Nate was joined by the biggest guests to be on the show (so far): Ryan “The Omni Viewer” Collins and Brandon Jacobs, the host of Up From the Depths on YouTube. Ryan’s sidekick, Snazzy, hung out with me and Jet Jaguar in the producer booth. And pushed random buttons. Before I put him in a headlock.

Until then, remember: #WeShallOvercome

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

Follow MIBOD on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD
Follow Raymund Martin (The MIFV Legal Team) on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CrystalLadyJes1

#JimmyFromNASALives

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 35: Prophecies of Nostradamus (feat. John LeMay)

Published March 2, 2021

I’m happy to report that episode 35 got off without incident between myself and my former flame war nemesis, John LeMay. Not only is it difficult to fight a flame war when you’re on two different social media platforms, but Mr. LeMay is such a chill guy, flame wars don’t last long. That being said, I do have notes:

  • Mr. LeMay, you have no Twitter because of me? Have you seen what happens on Twitter? I practically have to fight a new War in Space every day!
  • Nate, you said, “Prophecies of Japan,” when you meant, “Submersion of Japan.” I don’t think you want to combine these movies. I shudder to think of it.
  • I do know who killed JFK:
  • Yes, I fixed Venus, and let me tell you, fixing a planet isn’t easy. It’ll be a whole chapter in my autobiography.
  • The Walking Dead comic started in 2003 and the show started in 2010 (on Halloween, I might add), which puts 2007—the supposed date of Nostradamus’ zombie apocalypse—right in the middle. Maybe he was off by a few years? That seems to be a common excuse believers in his prophecies give.
  • According to Gojipedia: “The Soft-Bodied Humans get their name due to how they are described as looking like ‘humans with peeled back skin’ following the events of a devastating nuclear war.”
  • I let John win on finding the Soft-Bodied Humans’ designer. I didn’t want to bruise his ego…again.
  • Maybe I want you to get shot into space, Marchand. Then I could take over the show for real. 😛

And now for Nate’s leftover notes (with my commentary, of course):

  • There was going to be a sequel, but it never materialized. A sequel to the novel it was based on was released in 1991, though.
  • Leonard Maltin’s reviewers jokingly said it was “presented, perhaps, by the National Enquirer.”
  • The scene with the slugs is one of the few with “kaiju.” It reminds me of a classic Doctor Who story, “Doctor Who and the Silurians.” (And funny enough, that predates this film by four years! –Jimmy)
  • They talked about overpopulation in Japan when it has dropped drastically. Argues that large population centers lead to stress and death. Arguing against civilization? (Sounds like something Alan Jonah would say. These people aren’t eco-terrorists, are they?  –Jimmy)
  • The young guy’s father wants to give up on life because the fish are all dying so he offers himself to the sea. The scene that follows is a bit like Submersion of Japan with the daughter and the boyfriend discussing how the sea is full of death but there’s still hope. They make love on a boat but aren’t interrupted by disaster.
  • Now we get to deformed children being born. One in three in Kysushu. Tamura’s colleague has a dead grandchild. He described it as if it was a thing and not a child.
  • The little girl wants to be an actress when she grows up but she’s acting now! (#Irony. –Jimmy)
  • A rare Japanese Christian who brings up Revelation. (Rev. Mifune would be proud. –Jimmy)
  • Does Tamura realize how crazy he sounds? Proposing that all but essential factories be closed, population kept in check, the old and weak dying, strict diets. It feels like COVID-land.
  • So, there’s snow in Egypt and the Hawaiian islands are freezing.
  • This does take the disasters happening only to Japan and applies them to the whole world.
  • Those seriously look like the same radiation suits from Mothra (1961).
  • It’s Audrey II! (Or Three? –Jimmy)
  • These bat props have the advantage of quick cuts. The editing helps them. If you look at them too long, they look terrible.
  • Of course everything goes wrong as soon as they take their helmets off. (Did these people not see Prometheus? –Jimmy)
  • The English acting is terrible. Even by English speakers. (Again, #irony. –Jimmy)
  • How do they even know if any of the people in the cave are alive? They looked pretty dead to me. And yet this is supposed to be horrific that they shoot all of them.
  • Like in The Last War, the Bible is quoted. In this case, Psalm 23 during a funeral.
  • Over an hour in and we finally get some tokusatsu model work.
  • Mississippi River flooding. The worst ever. That happened in the ‘90s.
  • Why connect Nostradamus to the apocalyptic environmentalism? It seems like it was inevitable. Was it a warning? Could it be prevented?
  • The mother tells her daughter that she must care for the child no matter how bad things get. I appreciate the pro-life stance. (Me too. –Jimmy)
  • This highway scene looks cool, but it’s absurd. How could one exploding car make all of them go up? (Uh…action movie logic? –Jimmy)
  • There’s a sense of hopelessness as opposed to dread.
  • This uses stock footage from The Last War and Submersion of Japan. No wonder it looked familiar.
  • The PM says Japan must set an example. Japan-centric. He also says the government has little to no power without the support of the people.
  • Suddenly I’m wondering if any of this movie was “real.” There’s hope for future generations if people act, but wasn’t there already a bunch of apocalyptic things? Was it all an illustration of Tamura’s speech?
  • Story has it that (Nostradamus) bowed to Franciscan monk, referring to him as “His Holiness,” who in 1585—years after Nostradamus’s death—was by the College of Cardinals as Pope Sixtus V.
  • (Nostradamus’) practice thrived in large part because he saw his patients as friends and treated them as such.

I predict that Mr. LeMay—whose episodes are all in MIFV’s top ten most popular on iTunes right now—will return next season…because moments after this broadcast, Nate invited him back. For what movie? Wait and see!

Next week Nate welcomes MIFV MAX members Damon Noyes and Michael “My Other Former Nemesis” Hamilton to continue the Year of Gamera with Gamera vs. Gyaos. Buckle up for that one, kaiju lovers! Then to get everyone hyped for Godzilla vs. Kong, we’ll be joined by the biggest guests we’ve had on the show (so far): Ryan “The Omni Viewer” Collins and Brandon Jacobs, the host of Up From the Depths on YouTube. Ryan is bringing his sidekick, Snazzy, who will hang out with me in the producer booth. With Jet Jaguar in there, it’s going to be crowded!

Until then, remember: #WeShallOvercome

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

Follow MIBOD on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD
Follow Raymund Martin (The MIFV Legal Team) on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CrystalLadyJes1

#JimmyFromNASALives

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 34: The MSTies vs. ‘Gamera vs. Barugon’

Published February 17, 2021

I know I’m late posting this week. Again. But that’s what happens when someone lets Barugon out of the kaiju zone on Monster Island and MIBOD (the Board) tasks you with recovering him and installing a new fail-safe in the security system. Mechani-Kong Mk. 2 and I have been busy. Sadly, Jet Jaguar is going through a weird retro phase and was too busy modding himself in my garage to help. However, I’ve finally found some downtime to get this blog written and posted.

My notes/corrections/riffs for episode 34 on, conveniently (hmm…), Gamera vs. Barugon are:

  • I’ve yet to test the shielding against the wrathful lightning of otakus. We have new shielding coming in next month, supplied by Solstice Technologies. I’ve been assured that it can withstand even Godzilla’s atomic breath.
  • Executive produced by Gamera? While I know none of his own movies were produced by him, there are rumors he might be an uncredited producer on Godzilla vs. Kong, but that might only be so he can rub his new “king of the monsters” title in those two’s faces.
  • I may or may not be on the “feed to Barugon list”? Ever seen the post-credits scene in Pacific Rim? I did that before Hannibal Chau. Long story.
  • How to say, “I pity the fool!” in Japanese. (Mic drop).
  • Beriberi is a thiamine (or vitamin B1) deficiency. It doesn’t sound pleasant.
  • The psychiatric admission during the War in Space wasn’t as high as the New Guinea Campaign, but it was potent. Lovecraftian fear of the void is real. Trust me, I know. I may have met an elder god once in my travels in space.
  • It’s Chris “Cook” not “cookie,” Joe. Also, “otaku” isn’t part of his name. However, I lay this goof on Nate because he gave you a poorly written note. I’m sure Chris loves cookies, though, and might even start a second podcast about cookies.

Now, for Nate’s leftover notes:

The Movie

  • Awkward jump cut in early scene because a prop fell down.
  • The color in this does look nice.
  • Here’s a horrific death for the kids. Not really. But it’s the fastest five minutes ever. (This is why I don’t like time travel. –Jimmy)
  • Grenades with fuses instead of pins? Okay. Never seen anything like that. (Actually, old grenades—as in Civil War era—did have fuses. –Jimmy)
  • I just realized this guy has a farmer’s tan. Nice detail. (You’d notice because you have one, Nate. You need a little more time on the Monsterland beaches. –Jimmy)
  • Barugon’s birth is actually pretty effective. It’s weird and creepy and even a bit gross. Yuasa said it was one of his favorite scenes.
  • Barugon appears about 41 minutes in.
  • The random narrator didn’t need to explain what was happening on screen.
  • “We have to strike the monster out of range of its tongue attack.” (Horrible paraphrase).
  • Gamera finally returns almost 53 minutes in!
  • I think Gamera is getting high on Barugon’s breath. (The scientists on the Island tested that theory. Barugon’s breath isn’t a narcotic, thankfully. –Jimmy) 
  • Here’s a science lesson for you! (What science lesson was that? That kaiju like shiny things? –Jimmy)
  • Did everyone forget about Gamera this whole time? (You definitely can’t now! –Jimmy)
  • I can see the wires as Barugon dies. (I could use those wires now! –Jimmy)
  • Commentary:
    • The flashback wasn’t in the film originally. Added for those who didn’t see it.
    • The screenplay originally had the meteor change the capsule’s course and it re-entered the atmosphere.
    • Kurobe Dam is 610 feet tall and Japan’s largest.
    • The koto is the national instrument of Japan. (I took some lessons for it as a kid while living in Japan for a while. –Jimmy)
    • Gamera originally appeared before Barugon was born. Onodera saw the turtle flying, dropped the opal, and it fell under a lamp.
    • The reverence for the war dead’s bones is because not returning them is believed to break family lines and bring bad luck.
    • The Sandy Frank dub mistranslated the line about Barugon’s weakness to water. In the Japanese dialogue, it’s stated he can’t live long in water. (It’s still dubious. –Jimmy)
    • Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan.
  • Other factoids
    • Director Noriaki Yuasa was replaced with Shigeo Tanaka, one of Daiei’s top directors who helmed the prestige picture, The Great Wall (and WWII propaganda films for Daiei). Yuasa became special effects director.
    • It was released on double bill with Daimajin in 1966 during Japan’s “Golden Week” and was considered a major event.

Nate continues to improve his skills at sharing his notes on the Toku Topics. He got through all of them in this episode.

Next week we cover a very different film with the banned Prophecies of Nostradamus, which will feature the return of my former social media nemesis, John LeMay. That film was buried deep in the back of the Vault right next to Half-Human. Then the “Year of Gamera” continues with what might be the most famous (not “infamous”—that’s later) entry in the Titanic Terrapin’s classic movie series: Gamera vs. Gyaos. Nate will be joined by my other (former?) nemesis, Michael Hamilton, and mailman by day, actor by night, Damon Noyes (no relation to Adam).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a huge ice-breathing reptile to catch with my giant robot ape.

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 33: Submersion of Japan (feat. Adam Noyes)’

Published February 3, 2021

It’s an easy week for Jimmy’s Notes today. These “extended mini-analyses” tend to be that way. I could’ve asked Adam Noyes for his leftover notes, but he was busy doing his health inspector work for MIBOD (Monster Island Board of Directors), so I figured I should social distance and not interrupt his work. I like my job.

That being said, I do have a few of my own notes from the Submersion of Japan episode. They are:

  • Toho was adapting Komatsu’s books into movies, Mr. Noyes, and not the other way around.
  • “Mie” is pronounced, “Mee-ay,” Mr. Noyes.
  • The film had two cinematographers, Hiroshi Murai and Daisaku Kimura, the latter winning the award for best director at the 33rd Japan Academy Prize for Mt. Tsurugidake.
  • It’s not the first time you brought on someone you’ve referenced as a source, Nate. How could you forget John LeMay—especially when he’s going to be on the show later this month!
  • For the hell of it, I did do a YouTube search for “Submersion of Japan 1973,” and Mr. Noyes’s video was the fourth video down.
  • I’m shocked you guys mentioned the 1970s TV show but not the new anime, Japan Sinks 2020. Your “sister” would be disappointed, Nate. 😛

Now for Nate’s leftover notes:

Submersion of Japan

  • This was definitely following in the trend of disaster movies in the 1970s. There were plenty of them. Like those disaster movies, it spends much time with the characters.
  • The film begins with a slow progression of the continental drift. Then it zooms in on Japan and shows its formation. Starts 200 million years ago.
  • The music was composed by Masuaru Sato. His score is remarkably subdued compared to his Godzilla scores. (He was a composer with great range. –Jimmy)
  • The opening scene is a montage of many activities in Japan. A street fest, hose races, baseball, office work, car show, traffic jam, the beach, the harbor, the subway, water park. (The apocalypse is always a surprise. The destruction and later reformation of Venus were surprises. But that’s a story for another day. Perhaps in the pages of Kaiju Ramen. 😉 –Jimmy)
  • They dive north of Ogawasara. (This reminds me that we should go scuba diving sometime, Nate. –Jimmy)
  • What’s interesting is the scene where the scientists are watching video from the sub of the sea floor and discussing what caused the island to sink could easily be in the beginning of a kaiju film. It shows that kaiju embody natural disasters, which makes sense coming from japan. There’s even a line from Tadakoro about a “monstrous slug.”
  • Interesting that the ship’s name is Hercules.
  • Here’s the From Here to Eternity scene—but it gets interrupted by a lightning strikes and a volcano. It comes after Onodera tells Reiko he’d get married to have a baby and she says, “Hold me,” and they start to make love.
  • There’s a scene that goes into extensive scientific exposition. It almost feels like a college lecture.
  • Like Godzilla 1954, it shows the aftermath of the casualties (if only briefly).
  • Numbers are frequently quoted to indicate the gravity of the situation. The casualties act as something of a reverse: it makes the personal stories and situations bigger.3.6 million missing or dead. (I appreciated this as an engineer. I “math” well. –Jimmy)
  • Tadokora loses his cool on national TV talking about the impending disaster because the host doesn’t believe him.
  • The government decides to practice occupation-era tactics and censor the media to avoid a panic.
  • Reiko tells a story about slipping into the dark ocean while diving. She describes it as lonely yet calming. Foreshadowing. Microcosm. Onodera tells her to get transfer her money to foreign accounts. They will get married and run away together.
  • There is a scene at the UN where they deliberate on what to do about Japan sinking, and they find the situation impossible to resolve for 110 million people. It’s a stark contrast to a Honda film like Gorath where they find a solution by coming together. This is steeped in realism and shows how difficult the situation would be.
  • The PM decides he will bypass the UN and go to countries himself to ask if they’ll take refugees. 10 million to 1 million to 100,000 to 10,000, etc. Reminds me of Abraham asking God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for decreasing numbers of righteous men.
  • It’s interesting reading subtitles as English is interpreted into Japanese. Differences.
  • China agrees to help. Japan’s old wartime foe.
  • Watari doesn’t look 100 years old to me.
  • The evacuees are called “Kamikaze.” That’s a loaded name. (It means “divine wind,” but the cultural associations are…complicated. –Jimmy)
  • Watari tells his niece to find a Japanese man in another country but then corrects himself to say any man to marry and have children. It’s a small concession to reality.
  • The final scene has the card “somewhere on earth” with a train going by transporting Japanese refugees. We see a one-eyed Onodera.

Tidal Wave:

  • It gives credit for the “special effects sequences” to the Japanese crew. And the director.
    • The characters’ names were changed. Tadokoro became Tanaka.
    • Adds dialogue where there wasn’t any.
    • The weird thing is the dubbed dialogue for what footage was left is actually pretty close to the original.
    • It takes nearly 46 minutes before the new footage with “star” Lorne Green starts. Clearly filmed fast in one room. Green disregards the issue, calling it a “small problem(?!). The Japanese cast member has to make this a sign of a danger to other places other than Japan. There’s talk of “astrologers and mystics” predicting the destruction. 15 minutes later, he’s injected into the UN scene. He gives a speech about the US accepting Japanese refugees. It’s a decent speech. He touches on refugee issues that were debated a few years. Ten minutes later he announces to the UN that 34 million people were saved (much higher the original). 4 minutes later: he’s reading the Newsweek article and commenting on Onodera.  
    • Onodera and Reiko are presented, at least implicitly, as being in an established relationship.

“Has the Empire Sunk Yet?” by Thomas Schnellbacher

  • Japan itself is everywhere identified with the ephemeral, a recurring theme in interpretations of Japan both by Japanese and others.’ Tadokoro compares the convection currents in the earth’s mantle to meteorological phenomena, leading the listeners to conclude that “[t]he Archipelago on which they lived was like a line of clouds that had taken form along the leading edge of a moving mass of warm air.” It’s strangely mythological.
    • “…the computer scientist Nakata ironically quotes an old song from the Sino-Japanese War of 1895: “Hasn’t the Dingyuan sunk yet?” The Dingyuan was an enemy ship at that time; the joke is that, though incapacitating it at anchor was a key success for Japan in witining this war, the ship never did sink.'” The old songs may still survive even in the memory of those who do not share the militarist sentiment, it is implied, but they can take on a new meaning if that old sentiment is defused.”
    • The sunk Japan is mythologized as a new Atlantis or Mu.
    •  “…he began writing the book in 1964, his response to validations of Japanese imperialism beginning to be voiced, which he saw as symptoms of a society grown too wealthy. He is not critical of the achievements of the postwar Japanese economy, but of complacency about those achievements, especially if it goes hand in hand with a revival of imperialist thought.”

Okay, that was more than I was expecting. It was harder to make snide remarks because this is a serious film with heavy themes. That won’t be a problem next time. Trust me.

Speaking of next time, Nate’s friends Joe and Joy Metter, themselves a pair of MSTies, will return to watch the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode featuring Gamera vs. Barugon while Nate watches the original Japanese cut (as per MIBOD’s mandates). This will be part two of 12 (or 13?) of “The Year of Gamera.” Then Nate is joined by John LeMay, as I noted, to discuss a very different disaster movie: Prophecies of Nostradamus. It’ll be the second banned film featured on the podcast. (Is it just me, or are this month’s guests all former nemeses of mine?)

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 32: The MSTies vs. Gamera the Giant Monster’

Published January 18, 2021

Welcome to 2021—which has been a lot like 2020 so far. (Long story I’m not at liberty to tell).

Regardless, here’s my first “Jimmy’s Notes” blog for season two and the Year of Gamera. While the movie was “freakishly mediocre,” as Nate said, the episode itself was good…despite some all-too-convenient Board mandates. That being said, I did make a few notes, as I always do.

  • The Mysterian invasion was in 1957, not 1956, Nate.
  • I’m happy to report that Toshio “Kenny” Sakurai is still alive. In fact, he was a guest of honor, along with Asagi Kusanagi, at the recently-held Gamera: King of the Monsters Banquet here on the Island.
  • According to Wikipedia, “Chibi is derived from the verb 禿びる (chibiru), which means ‘to wear out and become shorter’ (the tip of something). Chibi-debu (ちびデブ or チビデブ) is used to describe something or someone that is both short and chubby. Chibi can be translated as ‘little’ (e.g. Chibi Maruko-chan, which means Little Miss Maruko), but it is not used the same way as chiisana [小さな] and chiisai [小さい] (‘tiny’, ‘small’, ‘little’ in Japanese), but rather ‘cute.’”
  • Michiko Sugata, who played “Kenny’s” sister, was actually 20 when she was in this movie, so it wasn’t unreasonable to pass her off as a teenager.
  • “Precocious adult,” am I? I guess that’s how you get labeled when you’ve been in the U.S. Air Force and NASA and built two giant robots. Don’t be hatin’! 😛
  • Oh, that kid who teamed with Gamera to pull pranks on the other kaiju was annoying! I think his name was Kevin.
  • Actually, yes, turtles and tortoises can flip themselves off their backs without using inexplicable jets in their shells. Read here.
  • I did a little digging and consulted John LeMay, but I can’t find anything anywhere that says “Commander Curly” and the other American soldiers were played by real U.S. servicemen stationed in Japan. That was sometimes done by Toho, though.
  • Nate, we only yell at each other every other workday. 😛
  • According to my sources, the “freeze bombs” were cadmium, which isn’t quite the same. Sorta.
  • But freeze bombs are cool!

And now for Nate’s first batch of leftover notes in 2021:

The Movie

  • Director Noriaki Yuasa was rotund, jolly, and “cuddly” and relatively untested. (Throw a beard on him, and he could be Santa Claus. –Jimmy)
  • Starts in North Pole like Beast (from 20,000 Fathoms). Nuclear test awakens monster like Beast. The difference is there are natives (Eskimos), which was a common trope in kaiju films, and the bombing came from Cold War issues. Implicitly Soviet bomb.
  • I can see the wires on the planes quite easily. (The drawbacks of hi-def. –Jimmy)
  • They waste no time and have Gamea show up in five minutes.
  • I don’t understand why the Eskimos speak English. Interestingly, the chief is wearing a crucifix. Implied Catholic?
  • The kids run when Gamera is mentioned. Not bad. “We’re being jammed!’ says the radio operator. By who? Gamera? Soviets? Aliens? (All of the above? –Jimmy)
  • The foreign newspapers all say, “Gamela.” (Japanese swaps L’s and R’s. –Jimmy)
  • Old drunk says Gamera is a “will-o-wisp.” His scene is too dark (lighting).
  • Gamera is a ninja. He magically disappears for a second. (He is the true fifth Ninja Turtle. But is he a teenager? Maybe that’s why he never got in. That and not being named after a Renaissance artist. –Jimmy)
  • Don’t worry, Toshio, you won’t get cancer from the radioactive turtle! (Actually, he didn’t! –Jimmy)
  • Toshio built Chibi a little rock house. And pseudo-beach music plays. Oh yeah. Chibi is totally a mutant turtle now. Yep. (Nope. The scientists have confirmed Gamera isn’t Chibi. -Jimmy).
  • The airplane pilot has radio trouble. Is this one of Gamera’s superpowers? Radio interference?
  • “By boring.” Describes the movie.
  • That’s great. Shoot the big turtle in his shell. Definitely his weak spot.
  • What a wonderful name for a hot springs resort: Hell’s Rock. Is it run by a Mr. Morningstar? (As in the comic book character? –Jimmy)
  • Oh, Tokyo Tower. A kaiju’s favorite target.
  • Toshio says Gamera attacks because he’s lonely and has no friends. So, he’s the goth kid in high school? (More like the nerd in high school. I should know. –Jimmy)
  • So, Gamera was eating radiation before it was cool. Take that, Godzilla?
  • Gamera says, “I’m crashing your party! No fun for you!” (Now he’s a party animal! –Jimmy)
  • “Gamera, don’t do anything bad!” Kid, he already has! Toshio bought a lot of stock in an Egyptian river.
  • Oh, yeah. These reporter characters are still here. I forgot about them because the movie forgot about them.
  • How is this kid getting access to this military operation? (This happened a few times when I was in the Air Force. It was part of a short-lived “kid consultant” program inspired by Gamera kids. I may or may not have played a part in forming it. –Jimmy)
  • Gamera is going to smash those bath toys.
  • “Yummy fire!”
  • Toshio may have gotten Gamera to leave. Then the crazy reporter starts lighting up buildings to get Gamera to come back. Then everyone goes full-tilt arsonist!
  • A countdown in English. Like Luke said, it must be a thing in Japan.

Toku Topic: Energy Consumption in Japan

Energy use and energy independence in Japan

  • Currently, Japan gets 10% of its energy from renewables, with the Fourth Strategic Energy Plan setting the goal of increasing that to 24% by 2030. Japan intends to invest over $700 billion in renewables over the next decade or so. Their primary renewable is hydroelectricity, with 1,198 small hydropower plants supplying 6.6% of the total hydropower. Unfortunately, these small plants are expensive to operate.
  • In addition, Japan has also explored wind power and waste/biomass energy mas well as experimental tidal and wave power plants in coastal regions.
  • Interestingly, unlike most industrial countries, Japan has two national grids instead a unified grid. One in the east and one in the west.

There were fewer leftover notes from the Toku Topic section than I expected. Nate is getting better about not overdoing it.

Join us next week for as Nate continues his series on Toho classics with a very different film (well, compared to what we normally cover): Submersion of Japan (aka Japan Sinks) from 1973. He was joined by Adam Noyes (pronounced like “noise”) of AN Productions, who jumped at the chance to talk about this film, which was a massive hit in Japan but is largely overlooked in the States. Then the Year of Gamera continues next month with Gamera vs. Barugon. Nate’s friends Joe and Joy Metter are returning—and once again Nate won’t get the chance to watch the MST3K episode of a Gamera movie. He has my sympathies.

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 31: Space Amoeba (feat. Giant Monster BS)’

Published January 5, 2021

Well, that was one hell of an adventure! With shipping being delayed by the pandemic and the holidays (and shady Chinese mech part sellers on eBay…), it took forever for me to get everything I needed to complete Mechani-Kong Mk. 2. But I am not one to waste anything—especially expensive alien and future tech—which is why I used the leftovers to make Uber-Moguera. It was challenging enough making the parts I salvaged from the Mysterian and G-Force models compatible my rebuilt mechanical monkey. I studied Dr. Who’s original blueprints (no thanks to Michael Hamilton for stealing my annotated Godzilla Compendium…) and consulted with some of the Jaeger builders at the Shatterdome. I was surprised to learn that Jet Jaguar, in addition to his size-changing and other abilities, did have some robotics knowledge in his massive cerebral hard drive. He was the best assistant I could’ve asked for.

Sadly, as Nathan, er, Nate and the Giant Monster BS boys learned, Uber-Moguera has some…issues that need ironed out. As in he needs to be finished. Combining Mysterian and pseudo-Futurian tech has proven to be more difficult than I expected. I’ll get it done, though. Having a pair of mechas on the Island for work and defense will come in handy. I’m sure the Board is planning…something to do with them.

Anyway, concerning episode 31:

Here are my notes on the discussion of Space Amoeba:

  • They forgot to mention that the English-language title for this movie was Yog, Monster from Space. I’m guessing “Yog” is the name for the collective of non-corporeal aliens and not the kaiju. I’m not sure which one would have that name.
  • Why didn’t I remind you, Nate, about the hotel aspect of the plot? Sometimes you have to let people fail to learn the best lesson.
  • “Jimothy”? I’ve been called worse. Not “Jimbo,” though. I’m okay with that. Sorta.
  • I have a pile of tires from maser cannons. I was able to get one to fit the Weedmobile.
  • The lobster fighting game is not “Battle Crab.” It’s Fight Crab.
  • As Rev. Mifune would say, “When I was a child, I reasoned like a child, and when I became an adult, I put away childish things.” I now think space is even more preferable to Earth. I mean, have you been on Twitter lately? 😛

These are Nate’s leftover notes on the film:

Space Amoeba Notes:

  • Released in 1970, the year…Kurosawa attempted suicide.
  • This is not to be confused with “The Immunity Syndrome.” (Yes, the Star Trek episode that has a literal giant amoeba in space. –Jimmy)
  • The rocket is clearly a model.
  • Helois 7 is going to Jupiter because we got to the moon. (Jupiter has the famous Great Red Spot, but I can tell you from experience Venus is more fun and safe to visit. –Jimmy)
  • Tsuburaya would’ve been happy because he’d make another octopus-style monster. (Except this one he can’t eat. –Jimmy)
  • Straw hats and cigarettes. There’s a band name for you. (I’ll add it to the list of bands performing at the Island’s next music festival. –Jimmy)
  • He thought the matamata turtle was a monster. Take that, Gamera! (Do not insult the king! –Jimmy)
  • The mark on Rico’s body looks like frostbite…or a hickey. (No kink-shaming. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Here we go again: eye candy native girl. It’s a staple of these island films. (It’s a trope I can get behind. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Seriously, what does this guy think he’s gonna do to Gezora with a knife? (I fought a giant squid with a knife once. –Jimmy)
  • Catch it and put it in a show. He sounds like Clark Nelson now.
  • The animated tentacle looks goofy.
  • Gamine and Kamoebas are better-looking suits, but they aren’t as “popular” as Gezora. Kamoebas appeared later as a dead body in Tokyo SOS.
  • Kudo shoots Ganime in more ways than one (gun and camera). (Haha. –Jimmy)
  • Obata is going around burning lots of bats.
  • A man of science says humans have souls. Hot dang! Obata’s soul is fighting the aliens.
  • The bats are circling Ganime and Kamoeba like vultures. Okay.
  • Did they just use the same panning shot of the characters again? (Probably. –Jimmy)

Honda Biography

  • It was originally written in 1966 as part of the deal between Toho and UPA. It was a global story on the scale of Gorath with monsters invading from space and submerging entire continents. When it was revived three years later, it was scaled back to the South Seas. The filmmakers hoped to recapture the old magic, so the film became like a “best of reel.” Tanaka, who was too busy to produce it, thought it was too much of a retread.
  • There was constant pressure to stay on budget. Honda wanted to film on Guam, but that was canceled and he filmed on Hachijo Island, the “Hawaii of Japan,” 170 miles south of Tokyo.
  • The experience on this film was unmemorable for those involved. They spoke and wrote little of it. Regardless, it was the last Toho sci-fi film made on the old studio system.
  • “My nightmares are almost always about war—wandering the streets, searching for something that’s lost forever. But it’s possible for me to will myself to have pleasant dreams. For me, the most wonderful fragrance in the world is new film. You open the canister for the first time and breathe deeply. That night, the same wonderful fragrance fills your dreams. It’s grand.” –Honda, 1992

LeMay – Big Book

  • Originally, Yoshio Tsuchiya was to play Obata, but he let Sahara have the role.

Brothers

  • Possible theme of the destruction of natural beauty but not developed.

And so ends season one of MIFV (not counting the bonus episode, of course).

We just did the live broadcast of the season two premiere, and it was…interesting, to say the least. You’ll hear it next week when “The Year of Gamera” begins with a discussion of 1965’s Gamera the Giant Monster. Then for the first mini-sode of 2021, Nate is joined by podcaster/YouTuber/amateur filmmaker Adam Noyes of AN Productions to discuss the rare but excellent Submersion of Japan from 1973.

Despite everything that happened in 2020, I truly believe we shall overcome!

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 30: Latitude Zero (Mini-Analysis)’

Published December 16, 2020

So…this episode. There’s much I want to say…but I’m not at liberty to do so. There were some…top secret items discussed off the air. Very top secret. That’s all I can say for the moment. Our meeting with Ms. Perkins was quite informative. Eye-opening, even. She made Nathan, er, Nate and me privy to some information that will change how we do the show, and we only announced a little bit of it. Let’s just say next season we’ll be helping you all find a better way forward.

As for my notes, I don’t have many bullet points of my own this time around. Mostly, I’m just going to comment on some things that were said.

I was wrong about the Godzilla vs. Kong premiere. That’s not easy to admit. As the “intrepid” producer of MIFV, it’s my responsibility to fact check Nate, but I should’ve fact checked myself. I got caught up in the excitement of a world premiere on the Island six months before its scheduled release (which would’ve been even better given Warner Bros.’s controversial decision to send it to theaters and HBO Max on the same day). Nate had every right to say, “I don’t you so.”

I am happy to report that there will still be a premiere here on Monster Island in May, barring any other unforeseen shenanigans. (Latitude Zero’s COVID-19 vaccine can’t get distributed fast enough).

By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about the Latitude Zero Resort in Indonesia (not that I’d endorse anyone who might be competition for the Island), here’s their website.

And now for Nate’s leftover notes from the film…which is most of them since he focused on utopias.

Latitude Zero notes:

  • I watched the “original Japanese version” for this episode. Dubious because this was made for the US market and filmed in English. I watched the US version before. (Good thing I picked up some Japanese when my family lived in Japan for a few years. I’ll tell you more about that when we get to a certain Gamera film. –Jimmy)
  • Of course the largest ocean liner is named Fuji. (If it was an American ship, it’d be the Denali. Hmm. Not as cool-sounding, I guess. –Jimmy)
  • Nick Hayden joked (in episode 28) that Dr. Elson would smoke in sub, and Masson tries to here!
  • “20 fathoms”? Try 20,000! (It’s like Scotty on Star Trek: always multiplying his estimates by a thousand. –Jimmy)
  • Did Takarada dub himself back into Japanese? It’d be weird if he didn’t. (That seems likely since Wikizilla only lists dub actors for the American cast members. –Jimmy)
  • This explosion at the beginning looks amazing! Probably done using classic technique or pouring colored liquids into water and flipping the film and superimposing it.
  • This is much like The Green Slime in that it feels more like an American production that just happened to be made by Japanese people.
  • Dr. Ann Barton looks like she came straight off the set of Star Trek. Only there could a lady scientist have a backless top, miniskirt, and go-go boots. One guy even says she doesn’t “look” like a doctor. “What’s a doctor supposed to look like?” (I’m not complaining. –Jimmy)
  • The plaque says, “The Alpha. Launched June 21, 1805. Stornaway Harbour, Hebrides.” Scotland.
  • “Frank speed?” Sounds like a comic book character.
  • Ah, Dr. Malik. Played the unconquerable Caesar Romero. He’s one of the few true supervillains in Toho’s Showa films. Could he be a Sentai villain? Home base. Minions. A general. Makes monsters. Super vehicles. Blood Rock on an island. “Malik” means murderer (probably derived from “malice.”) (I wonder if he invested in the Island? –Jimmy)
  • This submarine chase looks pretty good. I wish could say the same for all the effects that follow. This feels like a Star Trek battle, complete with shaking camera. McKenzie eludes the Black Shark using superior and clever tactics.
  • You know, I could almost see this being an episode of Star Trek with some tweaks. (Me too. –Jimmy)
  • 11,000 fathoms? 9,000 more and you’ll find THE BEAST! (THE BEAST! THE BEAST!FROM 20,000 FATHOM! I couldn’t resist.  –Jimmy)
  • Great matte paintings. Reminds me of an episode of TNG set on idyllic planet where the only penalty is death. (I remember that for other reasons. –Jimmy)
  • Gold is harvested from seawater (okay…) and used for clothing because it’s cheap and plentiful. Diamonds are only used as cutting tools.
  • Lawton says there’s no moon or stars there, so you can’t have everything. He says everyone Mackenzie mentioned was there supposedly died. Tashiro even jokes that it might be Heaven (Paradise). Lawton theorizes McKenzie kidnapped those people and brainwashed them. Or drugs that induced hallucinations.
  • Those models on the map are props in the special effects department (Leave the riffing to me, Nate. –Jimmy)
  • Dr. Odaka has made a serum that immunizes against radiation and naturally everyone wants it. (Yeah, that’s one they should’ve shared with the world. –Jimmy)
  • Oh, the “Bat Men.” Do they fight Kamen Rider later? Nakajima is one of them. They don’t look great.
  • All the Asian people are subservient to the foreigners. Cleat mark of American story.
  • Caesar Romero’s scenes veer closer to Batman ’66.
  • They’re bathing in Ecto-Cooler (in the Bath of Immunity).
  • What if the bath didn’t work and you shot them? (Sounds like a debate question. –Jimmy)
  • That lion looks horribly fake. (You look horribly fake! 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Malic is a fiend! He didn’t anesthetize the lion. He just stabbed it in the head. (He must’ve been a dentist before he was a mad scientist. –Jimmy)
  • Does he have explosives planted everywhere on the island just in case of intruders? (I think the Board did the same thing on Monster Island because Malik did it first. Be careful on your next nature walk. –Jimmy)
  • The ROUS! You can see the zipper on them.
  • What’s attacking them? Tiny seagulls?
  • “FINGER LASERS!” (No one else gets that reference, Nate. –Jimmy)
  • The disintegration effects are really good. And kinda freaky.
  • Jimmy loves the Alpha. It’s Atragon II. Or the forerunner to the Gohten. (All true. –Jimmy)
  • Apparently, the Black Shark can’t fly. Malik must be jealous.
  • In the end, none of Lawton’s photos turn out and the bag of diamonds is dirt. The Capt. McKenzie on the boat says he comes from a long line. There’s also an officer who looks like Dr. Tashiro. There’s also a Lt., Hastings who looks like Malik. However, the New York bank did get the diamonds to hold for safekeeping until McKenzie arrived. (Talk about confusing! No wonder Nate doesn’t think LZ exists! –Jimmy)

Next week for our season finale, the guys from “Giant Monster BS” are joining us to discuss Space Amoeba (aka Yog, Monster from Space). I know how they are, so I’m having Jet Jaguar in the producer booth with me to act as my dump button. Also, Nate recorded a two-part bonus episode with Chris Cooke from “One Cross Radio” on the finale of Power Rangers In Space. It was mandated by Ms. Perkins, for some reason. Part one will be on Chris’s show and part two will be in the MIFV feeds. Then in January we start “The Year of Gamera.” Exciting (and hopefully less “interesting”) times are ahead!

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