This is a re-upload of a crossover episode Nate did with Drew and Jacob from The Cel Cast, a podcast about animated films and TV series. They discussed the recently-released kaiju “rasslin’” movie on Paramount+, Rumble. While it’s a bit more wrestling than kaiju, that didn’t stop Nate from making all kinds of pro-wrestling references.
The original description:
Jacob and Drew welcome their guests Nathan Marchand and Jimmy from NASA into Studio B to review the 2021 Straight to Paramount+ film Rumble!
Hello, kaiju lovers! “Ameri-kaiju” continues with three of the original MIFV Tourists—Nick Hayden, Joe Metter, and Joy Metter—returning to the Island to the “spiritual sequel” to King Kong (1933): Mighty Joe Young (1949). This classic features the special effects masters of the generations: Willis O’Brien and Ray Harryhausen. As usual, Nate did way too much research, but its almost overshadowed by the BURNING OPRHANS(!). Nate’s guests were blindsided by this film’s climax; so much so, they start the discussion with that and move backwards through the movie, Memento-style. The Toku Topic is gorillas in captivity since Mighty Joe himself was a captive gorilla.
Before the broadcast, Nate speaks with Jessica about her new job as director of tourism on his way to meet with the Island’s new PR director, Darius R. Gold, a big game hunter from Texas. Amidst a metric ton of bravado, Mr. Gold tells Nate to contact Teri Young, the current caretaker for Mighty Joe Young. After the broadcast, Nate finally gets a reply from her—and a suspicious revelation about Cameron Winter.
This episode’s prologue, “Gold and Gorillas,” was written by Nathan Marchand with Michael Hamilton and Daniel DiManna.
So, you might be wondering what I was doing after that Scottish scallywag George Three tased me during Episode 55 (Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century). It’s actually quite simple, you see. I was conscious the entire time, of course, just biding my time. I would’ve probably “Kirk chopped” him sooner, but I got a little distracted playing Candy Crush on my phone. Then my battery died, and I thought, “Well, I should probably kill this bastard.” So, there I was, sitting in the room, fearing for my life. And then I rose up behind him, you see. It’s a good thing I’m a Star Trek fan or else I wouldn’t have thought of this, but I snuck up behind him and raised my arm to exact right degree (I spent a lot of time staring at William Shatner—I realize that might’ve sounded strange), and brought it right down in the perfect spot on his trapezius muscle to temporarily stop the blood flow to his booze-addled brain and knock him out. (If you, too, would like to learn to fight like Captain James T. Kirk and yours truly, check out the Kirk Fu Manual. I got it for Nate as a Christmas gift, and he’s working toward his blackbelt).
But I was still doing my due diligence as MIFV’s intrepid producer. I took some notes right under WHG3’s drunk nose. So, without further ado, here’s my final Jimmy’s Notes of season two.
For the record, gentlemen, this…movie was 118 minutes long when released in Italy, 105 minutes when released in the U.S., and is 101 minutes on blu-ray (and, I assume, on streaming). Not sure why.
The Night of the Lepus episode, Travis. That was the Kaiju Weekly episode you were thinking of when discussing how you don’t like intentionally bad movies.
I’m not 100% sure what “moose kaiju” movie that drunk was talking about, but I think it might be Moose: The Movie.
Here’s a gif of “disco yeti.” Read more about him here.
Travis was kind enough to provide me with the “Georgia Bigfoot” story he brought up.
If you think WHG3’s drunk profanities are bad, you should hear me after I pound down a few bottles of Jack Daniels. I make sailors blush.
Now, for the last time in season two, Nate’s leftover notes. (Actually, they’re the notes provided by that Scottish booze hound, but who’s keeping track?)
Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century Notes
THE MOVIE
Opening shot: the polar icecaps are melting. What does this have to do with anything? (Answer: everything. Don’t you pay attention to Greta Thunberg? –Jimmy)
Title’s in two completely different fonts. (So? –Jimmy)
Is the opening music a classic opera theme we hear in everything?
Why are they thawing this thing in the wild? (Best not to ask this movie questions. It might strangle you with its toes. –Jimmy)
The crowd can be seen through some objects in the effects.
I’M AN ELEPHANT! And King Kong! That roar gets reused.
Watch it! He’s got a tree! (He stole that move from Kong –Jimmy)
They’re not in a well, Lassie!
What do you know about cannibals?! (That they are what they eat. 😛 –Jimmy)
Did he catch a mama fish with a baby fish?!
Freaking yeti is horny after sleeping for a million years.
Those little tufts of “fur” reminded the yeti of his mate and family?
How? Just…how could he mistake the tiny humans for his “family”? At least with Kong the implication is he’s lonely.
Did this thing inspire the Yeti brand tumblers? (No. –Jimmy)
“Slavery”? That’s for people! Not yetis! (You species-ist bastard! 😛 –Jimmy)
Niagara Falls, you say? I’ve been there. Insert stock footage?
Remind me what those shady dealings have to do with anything?
Good grief, this wants SO MUCH to be King Kong. (We all have dreams –Jimmy)
The windows are TV screens! (Sounds like my apartment. –Jimmy)
Oh yeah, he’s totally hiding. In plain daylight when he’s 50-feet tall!
Oh yeah, a lamb who smashes builds, rips up elevators like weeds, and nearly kills a 100 people! (A sheep kaiju? –Jimmy)
Hulk van to the rescue?
How’d they get a breathing apparatus that big? (Again, don’t ask questions. It’s dangerous. –Jimmy)
How did Yeti know which one didn’t have Herbie?
The matte lines are very prominent at points on Yeti.
Why are you rolling and not running? (The questions! –Jimmy)
It’s a yeti miracle, I guess.
Other Sources
LeMay – Kong Unmade (1st and 2nd editions)
Yeti takes a paternal interest in Jane’s brother. He’s angered by flashbulbs (very Kong-esque).
A healthy number of extras in some scenes.
Says it’d make for a great double feature with The Mighty Peking Man.
Research on Yeti Cryptid
Radford:
“In March 1986, Anthony Wooldridge, a hiker in the Himalayas, saw what he thought was a Yeti standing in the snow near a ridge about 500 feet (152 meters) away. It didn’t move or make noise, but Wooldridge saw odd tracks in the snow that seemed to lead toward the figure. He took two photographs of the creature, which were later analyzed and proven genuine.”
“Many in the Bigfoot community seized upon the photos as clear evidence of a Yeti, including John Napier, an anatomist and anthropologist who had served as the Smithsonian Institution’s director of primate biology. Many considered it unlikely Wooldridge could have made a mistake because of his extensive hiking experience in the region. The following year, researchers returned to where Wooldridge had taken the photos and discovered that he had simply seen a dark rock outcropping that looked vertical from his position. It was all a mistake — much to the embarrassment of some Yeti believers.”
Cryptid Wiki
“The Yeti was even mentioned in pre-Buddhist cultures, such as the Lecha people, who worshiped a “Glacier Giant.” Tibetan and Nepalese monasteries have collected several skulls and bones of the yetis, some which preside in the Smithsonian Museum today. Although one of their specimens was proven to be a human bone, others contained the museum are still in question.”
“In 1832, James Prinsep’s Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal published an account by B.H. Hodgson, a trekker in Northern Nepal, in which he describes spotting a large bipedal creature covered in long dark hair. Hodgson believed it was an orangutan.”
Wikipedia
Reports of footprints started in 1899.
The famous Eric Shipton footprint photos of 1950 and the 1972 Cronin-McNeely footprint photo were deemed to be bear tracks by Daniel C. Taylor in 2017.
With this, my long-overdue final Jimmy’s Notes for season two of the show is complete. It’s just as surreal for me to write that as it is for Nate to say it on the air. 2021 was a crazy year, and while I’m not completely sold on the new boss, it can only go up from here. Right?
Did I ever tell you about the one time I infiltrated Solstice Technologies HQ with Monique Dupre? No, because that story is reserved for my autobiography.
On to season three! We launch “Ameri-kaiju” with what’s sure to be a deep literary discussion between Nate and YouTube personality Ryan “The Omni Viewer” Collins and his sidekick, Snazzy, on The Lost World (1925). That…whatever-he-is keeps trying to compete with me for best sidekick. He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with, obviously. Then “Godzilla Redux” continues with a small diversion: Rodan (1956). We’ll be joined by another YouTuber and returning guest: Kaiju Kim.
Welcome to MIFV’s season finale, kaiju lovers—it wasn’t what it was supposed to be! No, after the Board’s envoy, William H. George III, stunguns the ever-intrepid Jimmy From NASA, he takes over as producer and forces Nate, Travis Alexander (co-host of Kaiju Weekly and Henshin Men), and Daniel DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project) to watch the infamous 1977 Canadian-but-actually-Italian kaiju movie, Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century. Though Nate survived watching it during Kaiju Quarantine, he’s still unprepared for inflatable abominable snowman nipples and deadly “toe-fu.” The riffs and jokes abound amidst actual research as WHG3 gets drunker—and more Scottish?!—as the episode progresses. God(zilla) help Nate!
This episode’s prologue, “The Board’s Revenge,” was written by Nathan Marchand with Travis Alexander, Michael Hamilton, and Daniel DiManna.
Guest stars:
Michael Hamilton as William H. George III
Additional music:
“Opening the Way” by Pablo Coma
Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org and Toho foley.
We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio); Bex from Redeemed Otaku; Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Elijah Thomas, and Eric Anderson! Thanks for your support!
You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month!
Hello, kaiju lovers! With this episode, we reach the end of the “Year of Gamera.” Depending on who you talk to (like Nate), it’s a bittersweet occasion because, on one hand, many bad movies were endured, but on the other hand, today’s subject is 2006’s Gamera the Brave. Becky “Bex” Smith from the Redeemed Otaku podcast and YouTube channel joins Nate to discuss what is, as of now, the last Gamera film. It is sadly overshadowed by everything that came before it. It’s a shame because this is a Showa Gamera movie—except good! Think of it as a Gamera film made by Pixar. So, it’s emotionally honest and will make you cry. Even Nate had to summon all of his manly discipline to keep control. Bex, on the other hand, did not. The Toku Topic, since much of the movie takes place at a restaurant, is Japanese ramen culture.
Before the broadcast, Nate was…graced with the return of his pseudo-sister, Jessica. Unfortunately, he didn’t appreciate her bone-crunching glomp and told her off. That got him a lecture from Jessica’s bestie, Bex. Afterward, Nate is all but forced to indulge Jessica and let her sing a karaoke of a popular anime theme song. You can probably guess which one.
We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio); Bex from Redeemed Otaku; Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Elijah Thomas, and Eric Anderson! Thanks for your support!
You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month!
I already told MIFV MAX members on Patreon what would be the theme and films covered in The Monster Island Film Vault next season in 2022, but now I’m announcing it to the world! Not only that, but the list has been updated and I’m also revealing my (tentative) guest list!
MIFV’s season three theme will be…
Ameri-kaiju!
Yes, that’s right—American-made giant monster movies! Well, at least ones that aren’t the King Kong franchise, the MonsterVerse, or The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, all of which I’ve already covered. And no, we won’t be spending all year in the 1950s discussing B-movies! (Sorry not sorry. 😛 ).
What’s on the docket? Here’s the list:
The Lost World (1925)
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
THEM!
The “Cameron Winter Trilogy” on Godzilla: The Series (Fifth Wednesday Bonus)
The Blob (1958)
20 Million Miles to Earth
The Giant Claw
Beware! The Blob (aka Son of Blob) (Fifth Wednesday Bonus)
Cloverfield
Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim: Uprising (Fifth Wednesday Bonus)
Colossal
Power Rangers (2017)
Rampage (2018)
Jurassic Park
Monster Island (The Asylum)
Both Godzilla Redux and Patreon-sponsored episodes courtesy of you generous fans on MIFV MAX will continue. While this list is a bit in flux, it will include:
Rodan (1956)
Mothra (1961)
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
Mothra vs. Godzilla
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Invasion of Astro-Monster (aka Monster Zero)
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (aka Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster)
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers – “Green with Evil” (feat. Michael Hamilton) (Patreon)
Little Shop of Horrors (1986) (feat. Damon Noyes) (Patreon)
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie (feat. The Cel Cast) (Patreon)
Q4 Patreon Slot Available!
What else will be covered? YOU DECIDE!
Season three and 2022 will also mark the first of a new subseries for the podcast: an annual crossover with Elijah Thomas from Kaiju Conversation where we discuss a movie from Ray Harryhausen’s filmography since the both of us share a birthday with the man (June 29). It will be released on said birthday each year. The working title for this subseries is “Monster Conversation: Harryhausen Annual.” Elijah and I are currently thinking we may be weird and work backwards, starting with Harryhausen’s final film, Clash of the Titans (1981). These episodes will probably be simultaneous releases on both of our podcast feeds.
While my guest list may change, my co-hosts next season will include many returning favorites and a few new friends, including:
Ryan “The Omni Viewer” Collins
Kaiju Kim
The Tourists (Nick Hayden, Timothy Deal, Joe Metter, Joy Metter)
Becky “Bex” Smith
John LeMay
Michael “The Kaiju Groupie” Hamilton
Travis Alexander
Eric Anderson
Damon Noyes
Elijah Thomas
Luke and Jason Jaconetti
The Drifters from The Drift Space (G, J.R., Reb, and Dave)
The Cel Cast
Chris Cooke
Alex McCumbers
Danny DiManna
And more!
I have a few “dream guests” I’m going to endeavor to get for the show, which I will announce if and when I confirm they’re visiting Monster Island. Stay tuned!
As for season three’s storyline, I’ll save that for a future blog. But let’s just say there’s a hint in this post. Did you find it? You can expect to see and hear old friends—and foes—come next season, as well as some new heroes and villains.
Hello, kaiju lovers! After nearly a year of surviving inane MST3K fodder and watching the first two entries of a fantastic trilogy, Nate reaches one of kaiju eiga’s zeniths with Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris. He’s joined by YouTuber and (ironically) Godzilla enthusiast Kaiju Kim to discuss this masterpiece. As Nate puts it, this is one of the rare trilogies where each entry gets better—in fact, everything gets cranked to 12 in this. They discuss the amazing story, incredible characters, impressive special effects, absolute badassery, and the many, many cultural elements that may go over western fans’ heads as crazy fantasy. Speaking of which, choosing a Toku Topic was difficult, but Nate landed on the Four Symbols and mana, because they play the big roles in this film and the rest of the trilogy.
England, Norman. “Inside the Heisei Trilogy: The Turtle Scoop on Gamera 3.” (Arrow Video Gamera: The Complete Collection; originally published in Fangoria #185, August 1999).
Flower, James. “A Guide to English Language Gamera.” (Arrow Video Gamera: The Complete Collection).
Hello…kaiju…lovers…. The only reason this episode is long as it is because Nate’s guest, Daniel DiManna (creator/author of the Godzilla Novelization Project) is the most talkative introvert ever of all time. But even if “Danny Boy” was Superman with a Beta Capsule, he couldn’t save this week’s Year of Gamera movie, the infamous Gamera: Super Monster. This 1980 cash-grab from a barely-alive Daiei Film is easily the Guardian of the Universe’s lowest point. On paper, Nate should love this movie because it has three of his favorite things—spaceships, superheroes, and kaiju—but he doesn’t. From public access channel special effects to a nonsensical plot with everything but the kitchen sink to the truckloads of stock footage—this must’ve been a plot by the Board of Directors to break Nate. Meanwhile, Danny keeps MIFV’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, quiet by getting him to bet his Pteranodon-bot that he can’t interrupt them during the broadcast. The Toku Topic, fittingly, is the rise and fall of Daiei Film, the studio that introduced the world to Akira Kurosawa and Gamera but dug itself into a financial hole it couldn’t escape. It’s a crazy story, to say the least.
Before the broadcast, Nate and Jimmy are visited by the Board’s executive assistant, Ms. Perkins. She tells Nate that she made arrangements for him to interview Spacewoman Kilara from Gamera: Super Monster on MIFV, much to his chagrin, and then fangirls over her. But the more Nate asks Ms. Perkins questions about her past, the stranger she acts.
Flower, James. “A Guide to English Language Gamera” (Arrow Video Gamera: The Complete Collection).
Galbraith IV, Stuart. Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: A Critical Analysis and Filmography of 103 Features Released in the United States 1950-1992.
Gamera: The Complete Collection, Disc Four Special Features.
Gamera: Super Monster Commentary by Richard Pusateri (Arrow Video’s Gamera: The Complete Collection).
