The Monster Island Film Vault Posts

I have to be honest, listeners—I didn’t see Bex’s conversion to Mothrianity coming. (Did she make that up, or is that a real religion? Do the Shobijin know?) I’m not a religious guy myself, but it still took me aback. I hope Bex is happy. It’s still weird, though.

What was I doing? Oh, yeah. Writing about…Rebirth of Mothra II. The deep valley between two short mountains, as Nathan said. Oh, man….

Let’s get my notes done first.

• I sleep…sometimes. I mean, I was dead once (maybe? 😛 ), so I got plenty then.
• The character from The Tick Nathan brought up was a hero, not a villain. He was the Living Doll, who was part of a team called the Decency Squad.
• You can’t terminate me, Marchand—you haven’t the “fire” power! 😛
• What? I flung a bug at my teacher because she was annoying. You know what that’s like, Nathan. We’ve had talks about your terrible kindergarten teacher.
• Bex is right. Hikari Mitsushima (who played Shiori) is pretty.

• The thorax is the midsection of an insect, Marchand. To quote Sherlock, “Do your research!”
• Ghogo predates Furby by a year!
• “Buzzkill”? Well, you just guaranteed that I won’t tell you.
• NOAA stands for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• You meant to say “first,” not “second,” Nathan.
• You meant to say, “Rebirth of Mothra II,” at the end, Nathan.
• Gorath is a rogue star, not a planetoid, Nathan. I should’ve said that live, but I was in shock from Bex’s revelation.

And now, because I’m contractually obligated, here are Nathan’s leftover notes (plus my comments).

The Movie:

• You killed Furby, you punk! And took his bling!
• What?! What happened with the cat and cigarette?
• Shiori uprooted a Furby.
• Gorgo? Gorgo is a giant British lizard who’s looking for her son.
• Dagahra appears about 24 minutes in.
• “Eat at McDonald’s every day.” I bet that’s a product of the dubtitles. (Well, as you pointed out on Kaijuvision Radio, Nathan, McDonald’s broke into the Japanese market in the early ‘70s, so it’s possible. I saw it happen.  –Jimmy)
• 27 minutes in, and we’ve already found the temple. Sheesh.
• Wait, what?! How’d the kids get into the giant waterslide?
• Okay, the temple rising out the water looks pretty cool. The water actually scales really well when that and fire usually have trouble with that.
• Why is the fat kid so dumb he really walks off the ledge? (He’d never get picked as a Gamera kid. Not precocious enough. –Jimmy)
• The two morons are on the temple? When did that happen?
• I’m confused. Did Belvera want the treasure to conquer the world or just Dagahra? (Yes. –Jimmy)
• The temple has lightning and lasers as a security system.
• Dagahra can fly and swim? Because shut up.
• Wait, now Dagahra can damage the temple? What happened to the security system?
• Mothra Leo just won a game of chicken with Dagahra. (I played chicken with Dagahra once with the Gohten. Koji wasn’t happy with me. –Jimmy)
• Mothra Leo got his belly beam back.
• Are the morons even under Belvera’s control anymore? Yes, they are.
• Gorgo has a mouth? Where? He just bit a guy. (You don’t want to know. Trust me. –Jimmy)
• The singing sequences are a littles less impressive this time.
• Suddenly Mothra Leo is reenacting his mother’s death…and it has the impact of a thrown sponge.
• This underwater sequence is hokey. No bubbles.
• Barem cannon!
• This movie overuses superimposition.
• Really, kids? See! They lied! Also, why couldn’t we see Fairy zap them?
• You know, at least these are mostly real sets. Not CGI. (No Star Wars Prequel-it is here. –Jimmy)
• Isn’t that the opal egg for Barugon? 😛 Wait? There are two? Or three? (I can confirm it isn’t. Did you forget Barugon is on the Island, Nathan? You should know these things. –Jimmy)
• “Help me, kids, you’re my only hope,” says Tall Leia while growling like a monster.
• So…is Tall Leia the new Mu Empress? Again, someone call Jinguji! Is she an AI? A ghost? (It just raises too many questions).
• “I have some Turkish Delight for you!” (So, I guess Jadis the White Witch is also her cousin? –Jimmy)
• How did they magically gain the ability to super jump? And to super throw? (You’re asking questions of this movie again. Haven’t you learned? –Jimmy)
• The Elias do speak in unison sometimes.
• Did the falling bridge breach the temple’s warp core? (Now I want to examine this temple. –Jimmy)
• So…why does a civilization that has nothing to do with Mothra have a creature that reinvigorates Mothra? (Again, you ask questions. It’s futile. –Jimmy)
• Great. Now Mothra Leo has shields like a starship. (I can get behind this. For scientific purposes, of course. –Jimmy)
• The morphing effects look all right.
• The ancient civilization’s temple was just offshore.
• The fat kid wears an Oakland A’s shirt the whole time.
• It’s a pearl—also, “She’s got the whole world in her hands!”
• What is with this end theme? Is it trying to be rap? It almost sounds like the first theme for Rurouni Kenshin.
• Also, the soundtrack keeps almost being Ifukube Godzilla music.

Japan’s Green Monsters by Sean Rhodes and Brooke McCorkle

• Eschews family concerns for streamlined message on water pollution.
• Mothra Leo soars over ocean with school of dolphins following. Makes message clear.
• Like Godzilla vs. Biollante, this film says humanity can’t anticipate what will happen when they tamper with nature through genetic engineering.

The Toku Topic:

“Marine pollution” (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_pollution)

• “In the late 1950s and early 1960s, there were several controversies about dumping radioactive waste off the coasts of the United States by companies licensed by the Atomic Energy Commission, into the Irish Sea from the British reprocessing facility at Windscale, and into the Mediterranean Sea by the French Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique. After the Mediterranean Sea controversy, for example, Jacques Cousteau became a worldwide figure in the campaign to stop marine pollution. Marine pollution made further international headlines after the 1967 crash of the oil tanker Torrey Canyon, and after the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill off the coast of California.”
• “Marine pollution was a major area of discussion during the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm. That year also saw the signing of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, sometimes called the London Convention. … The London Convention applied only to waste dumped from ships, and thus did nothing to regulate waste discharged as liquids from pipelines.”
• “Dust from the Sahara moving around the southern periphery of the subtropical ridge moves into the Caribbean and Florida during the warm season as the ridge builds and moves northward through the subtropical Atlantic. Dust can also be attributed to a global transport from the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts across Korea, Japan, and the Northern Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands.”
• “In a study published by Environmental Science & Technology, Schmidt et al. (2017) calculated that the Yangtze, Indus, Yellow River, Hai River, Nile, Ganges, Pearl River, Amur, Niger, and the Mekong ‘transport 88–95% of the global [plastics] load into the sea.’”
• “The remains of an albatross containing ingested flotsam. Many animals that live on or in the sea consume flotsam by mistake, as it often looks similar to their natural prey. Plastic debris, when bulky or tangled, is difficult to pass, and may become permanently lodged in the digestive tracts of these animals. Especially when evolutionary adaptions make it impossible for the likes of turtles to reject plastic bags, which resemble jellyfish when immersed in water, as they have a system in their throat to stop slippery foods from otherwise escaping. Thereby blocking the passage of food and causing death through starvation or infection.”
• “Many animals that live on or in the sea consume flotsam by mistake, as it often looks similar to their natural prey. Plastic debris, when bulky or tangled, is difficult to pass, and may become permanently lodged in the digestive tracts of these animals. Especially when evolutionary adaptions make it impossible for the likes of turtles to reject plastic bags, which resemble jellyfish when immersed in water, as they have a system in their throat to stop slippery foods from otherwise escaping. Thereby blocking the passage of food and causing death through starvation or infection.”
• “Many of these long-lasting pieces end up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals, including sea turtles, and black-footed albatross. In a 2008 Pacific Gyre voyage, Algalita Marine Research Foundation researchers began finding that fish are ingesting plastic fragments and debris. Of the 672 fish caught during that voyage, 35% had ingested plastic pieces.”
• “Noise also makes species communicate louder, which is called the Lombard vocal response. Whale songs are longer when submarine-detectors are on.[101] If creatures don’t “speak” loud enough, their voice can be masked by anthropogenic sounds. These unheard voices might be warnings, finding of prey, or preparations of net-bubbling. When one species begins speaking louder, it will mask other species voices, causing the whole ecosystem to eventually speak louder.[102]”
• “The amount of awareness on marine pollution is vital to the support of keeping the prevention of trash from entering waterways and ending up in our oceans. The EPA reports that in 2014 Americans generated about 258 million tons of waste, and only a third was recycled or composted. In 2015, there was over 8 million tons of plastic that made it into the ocean. The Ocean Conservancy reported that China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam dump more plastic in the sea than all other countries combined. Through more sustainable packing this could lead to; eliminating toxic constituents, using fewer materials, making more readily available recyclable plastic. However, awareness can only take these initiatives so far. The most abundant plastic is PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) and is the most resistant to biodegradables. Researchers have been making great strides in combating this problem. In one way has been by adding a special polymer called a tetrablock copolymer. The tetrablock copolymer acts as a laminate between the PE and iPP which enables for an easier breakdown but still be tough. Through more awareness, individuals will become more cognizant of their carbon footprints. Also, from research and technology, more strides can be made to aid in the plastic pollution problem.”

“Ocean Pollution” (NOAA) (https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/ocean-pollution)

• “Some debris sinks, some is eaten by marine animals that mistake it for food, and some accumulates in ocean gyres.” (A gyre is a large system of rotating ocean currents.)
• “The majority of pollutants that make their way into the ocean come from human activities along the coastlines and far inland. One of the biggest sources of pollution is nonpoint source pollution, which occurs as a result of runoff. Nonpoint source pollution can come from many sources, like septic tanks, vehicles, farms, livestock ranches, and timber harvest areas. Pollution that comes from a single source, like an oil or chemical spill, is known as point source pollution. Point source pollution events often have large impacts, but fortunately, they occur less often. Discharge from faulty or damaged factories or water treatment systems is also considered point source pollution.”
• “However, if they are too abundant in a body of water, they can stimulate an overgrowth of algae, triggering an event called an algal bloom. Harmful algal blooms (HABs), also known as “red tides,” grow rapidly and produce toxic effects that can affect marine life and sometimes even humans. Excess nutrients entering a body of water, either through natural or human activities, can also result in hypoxia or dead zones. When large amounts of algae sink and decompose in the water, the decomposition process consumes oxygen and depletes the supply available to healthy marine life. Many of the marine species that live in these areas either die or, if they are mobile (such as fish), leave the area.”
• “Local, national, and international efforts are needed to address this environmental problem. The Save our Seas Act of 2018 amends and reauthorizes the Marine Debris Act to promote international action, authorize cleanup and response actions, and increase coordination among federal agencies on this topic.”
• “Garbage patches are large areas of the ocean where trash, fishing gear, and other marine debris collects. The term ‘garbage patch’ is a misleading nickname, making many believe that garbage patches are “islands of trash” that are visible from afar. These areas are actually made up of debris ranging in size, from microplastics to large bundles of derelict fishing gear.”

“Marine Pollution” (National Geographic) (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/marine-pollution/#:~:text=Marine%20pollution%20is%20a%20combination,59)

• “The Pacific Garbage Patch is one example of such a collection, with plastics and microplastics floating on and below the surface of swirling ocean currents between California and Hawaii in an area of about 1.6 million square kilometers (617,763 square miles), although its size is not fixed. These patches are less like islands of trash and, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says, more like flecks of microplastic pepper swirling around an ocean soup. Even some promising solutions are inadequate for combating marine pollution. So-called ‘biodegradable’ plastics often break down only at temperatures higher than will ever be reached in the ocean.”
• “Nonetheless, many countries are taking action. According to a 2018 report from the United Nations, more than sixty countries have enacted regulations to limit or ban the use of disposable plastic items.”

“OCEAN POLLUTION: 11 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW” (https://www.conservation.org/stories/ocean-pollution-11-facts-you-need-to-know)

• “Eight million metric tons: That’s how much plastic we dump into the oceans each year. That’s about 17.6 billion pounds — or the equivalent of nearly 57,000 blue whales — every single year. By 2050, ocean plastic will outweigh all of the ocean’s fish.”
• “More plastic in the ocean comes from China and Indonesia than anywhere else — together, they account for one-third of plastic pollution.”
• “With each load of laundry, more than 700,000 synthetic microfibers are washed into our waterways. Unlike natural materials such as cotton or wool, these plasticized fibers do not break down. One study showed that synthetic microfibers make up as much as 85 percent of all beach trash.”
• “One effect of greenhouse emissions is increased ocean acidification, which makes it more difficult for bivalves such as mussels, clams and oysters to form shells, decreasing their likelihood of survival, upsetting the food chain and impacting the multibillion-dollar shellfish industry.”
• “Noise pollution generated by shipping and military activity can cause cellular damage to a class of invertebrates that includes jellyfish and anemones. These animals are a vital food source for tuna, sharks, sea turtles and other creatures.​​​​​​”

I’m glad I got this over with. Let me assure you that it’s only up from here. While our schedule was screwed up by the delay of Godzilla vs. Kong, the rest of the season will feature better films.

Next week we’re joined by the most loved and hated G-Fan on Twitter, Jack “GMan” Hudgens, to discuss the increasingly obscure Toho classic, Gorath.

After that is the final part of the “Summer of Mothra” when the now Mothra-worshipping Bex returns for Rebirth of Mothra III. (Oh, boy…).

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