Tag: Darius R. Gold

Episode 74: Chris Cooke vs. ‘Power Rangers’ (2017)

Published February 10, 2023

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! “Ameri-kaiju” continues with a bit of an unusual entry; one that, serendipitously, Nate also covered around the same time on his other podcast, The Power Trip: the controversial Power Rangers (2017). While Nate has grown to appreciate this film quite a bit, he intentionally brought on Chris Cooke (co-host of One Cross Radio, Radio Arcade, and Powerbombs and Piledrivers) to discuss it because he does not. However, these two find more common ground than you’d think. That was surprisingly true in today’s Toku Topic, which is a discussion of representation in media. This serves as a great companion to the Power Trip episode.

Before today’s broadcast, Nate entered his office to find sitting in his chair none other than Mr. Gold. After a thinly veiled threat of “termination,” Nate divulges a secret about Jimmy to him. Afterward, the infamous “Not-Goldar” attacks Monster Island out of nowhere—but help arrives in the form of a newly powered-up Karone! But even Nate, Chris, and Jimmy get in on the monster-fighting action thanks to Mechani-Kong Mk. 2.

The prologue and epilogue, “With Friends Like You,” was written by Nathan Marchand with Michael Hamilton.

Guest Cast

Michael Hamilton as Mr. Gold
Celeste Mora as Karone

Additional music:

“Evil Rising” by David Fesliyan
“Pacific Rim,” “Power Rangers Lost Galaxy,” and “Go, Go, Power Rangers” by Niall Stenson
“Chant My Name!” by Masaaki Endo

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org, including those by InspectorJ.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander; 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, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, and The Indiscrite One! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop)

This episode is approved by Cameron Winter and the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

Prologue: 0:00-5:49
Intro: 5:49-14:49
Entertaining Info Dump: 14:49-23:31
Toku Talk: 23:31-1:43:51
Promo: 1:43:31-1:46:37
Toku Topic: 1:46:37-2:27:20
Housekeeping & Outro: 2:27:20-2:42:24
Epilogue: 2:42:24-end

Podcast Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheMonsterIsla1)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonsterIslandFilmVault/)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monsterislandfilmvault/)
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy (https://twitter.com/nasajimmy?lang=en)
Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD (https://twitter.com/MonsterIslaBOD)
Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1 (https://twitter.com/CrystalLadyJes1)
Follow Dr. Dourif on Twitter: @DrDorif (https://twitter.com/DrDoriff)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #PowerRangers #PowerRangers2017

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Copes, Casira. “Why All Representation in Media is Flawed.” Medium. Sept. 30, 2021. https://medium.com/blk-ink/why-all-representation-in-media-is-flawed-e4068a5268fa.
Du, Catherine. “We Care Too Much about Representation.” Big Straw Magazine. https://www.bigstrawmagazine.com/home/media-representation.
“How Many Boxes Need To Be Checked For A Hollywood Movie? – Chris Gore.” YouTube. Uploaded by Film Courage, March 7, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsrTtzO1mHU.
Huang, Nicole. “On the Limits of Representation.” The McGill Daily. Oct. 5, 2020. https://www.mcgilldaily.com/2020/10/on-the-limits-of-representation/.
“Power Rangers (2017).” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3717490/.
“Power Rangers (2017). RangerWiki. https://powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/Power_Rangers_(2017).
“Power Rangers and Diversity.” YouTube. Uploaded by Second Chance, Oct. 18, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6gsMD-8t80.
“Power Rangers (film).” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Rangers_(film).
Power Trip, The: A Journey through the Power Rangers Franchise, Episode 22: Saban’s Power Rangers (2017) | Ft. Jack ‘GMan’ Hudgens. Published Oct. 25, 2022. https://powertrippod.podbean.com/e/episode-22-saban-s-power-rangers-2017-ft-jack-gman-hudgens/.
Saban’s Power Rangers blu-ray special features (Lionsgate)
- “Rangers Then and Now”
- “Building the Team”
- “Beyond the Rangers”
- “Suiting Up”
- “Rangers, Welcome to Training”
- “Rangers in the Wild”
- “It’s Morphin Time”
- “Power Ballad: Music and Sound”
- “This is Your Destiny”
- Commentary by Director Dean Israelite and Writer John Gatins

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Episode 68: Nick Hayden vs. ‘Cloverfield’

Published July 29, 2022

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! “Ameri-kaiju” jumps ahead 50 years, but as you’ll hear, the (in)famous Cloverfield has a lot in common with the classic 1950s films we’ve been covering. Nate’s longtime friend Nick Hayden drops by to discuss this movie because he’s loved it ever since he first experienced it in a theater—and it is an experience. Too much of one for some people, in fact! While it’s popular to hate on Cloverfield in the kaiju fandom, it popularized the “found footage” genre and launched J.J. Abrams’ studio, Bad Robot Productions. To the shock of some of Nate’s friends, he says this is the closest the United States has come to producing a Godzilla (1954). How and why? The Toku Topic helps explain that: the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Before this, Nate meets with Dr. Nick Tatopoulos on the Heat Seeker to discuss recent events. Nate learns Cameron Winter is covering his tracks, so Nate tells Nick he’s thinking of taking Mr. Gold’s promotion so he can spy on Winter. Afterward, Nate goes to Mr. Gold’s office to discuss the offer—only to be interrogated about Jessica’s shenanigans with the Ymir’s escape on Harryhausen’s birthday.

Check out Nick’s website (http://worksofnick.com/) and his podcast, Derailed Trains of Thought (http://derailedtrainsofthought.com/).

The prologue and epilogue, “Claws and Cash,” was written by Nathan Marchand.

Guest stars:

J.R. Villers as Nick Tatopoulos
Michael Hamilton as Mr. Gold
Lemonjolly as Ms. Kawaii

Additional music:

“The Edge Calls Me” by MkVaff
“Pacific Rim” by Niall Stenson
“Chant My Name!” by Masaaki Endo
“This Cowboy’s Hat” (instrumental) by Chris LeDoux
“When Your Mom Mistakes Captain Falcon for Captain America Again” by Vijay van der Weijden

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org, including those by InspectorJ.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop)

This episode is approved by Cameron Winter and the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

Prologue: 0:00-4:02
Intro: 4:02-10:22
Entertaining Info Dump: 10:22-18:14
Toku Talk: 18:14-1:13:46
Promo: 1:13:46-1:14:36
Toku Topic: 1:14:36-1:56:18
Housekeeping & Outro: 1:56:18-2:10:47
Epilogue: 2:10:47-end

Podcast Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheMonsterIsla1)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonsterIslandFilmVault/)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monsterislandfilmvault/)
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy (https://twitter.com/nasajimmy?lang=en)
Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD (https://twitter.com/MonsterIslaBOD)
Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1 (https://twitter.com/CrystalLadyJes1)
Follow Dr. Dourif on Twitter: @DrDorif (https://twitter.com/DrDoriff)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #Amerikaiju #Cloverfield

Bibliography/Further Reading:

“Aftermath of the September 11 attacks.” Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftermath_of_the_September_11_attacks)
Cloverfield blu-ray special features:
- Alternate Endings with Matt Reeves’ Commentary
- “Cloverfield Visual Effects”
- Commentary by Director Matt Reeves
- Deleted Scenes with Matt Reeves’ Commentary
- “Document 1.18.08: The Making of Cloverfield”
- “I Saw It! It’s Alive! It’s Huge!”
“Cloverfield.” IMDb. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1060277/?ref_=tttr_tr_tt)
“Cloverfield.” Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloverfield)
Hantke, Steffen. “The Return of the Giant Creature: Cloverfield and Political Opposition to the War on Terror.” Extrapolation, Vol. 51, No. 2, The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, 2010.
Pew Research Center. “Two Decades Later, the Enduring Legacy of 9/11.” (https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/09/02/two-decades-later-the-enduring-legacy-of-9-11/)
“September 11 attacks.” Britannica. (https://www.britannica.com/event/September-11-attacks)
Stone, James. “Enjoying 9/11: The Pleasures of Cloverfield.” Radical History Review. No. 111, Fall 2011.

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Episode 67: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ (1986) | Ft. Damon Noyes

Published June 23, 2022

Hello, kaiju lovers! Thanks to Damon Noyes’s generous MIFV MAX pledge on Patreon, MIFV is covering its first musical: Little Shop of Horrors (1986)! Nate wanted to cover this as part of Amer-kaiju, but to his disappointment, it didn’t make the cut. That’s when Damon, who’s performed in not one but two stage productions of this, swooped in and got it on the roster. It has a puppet, after all. This story has a complicated history: from several short stories to a low-budget Roger Corman movie in 1960 to a 1982 off-off-Broadway musical to this film, Nate and Damon dive into all of it. You’ll hear discussion of Faustian bargains, debates over its two endings, some singing, and even a candid moment where Damon gets emotional about a song in the film.

Before the broadcast, Nate was checking his e-mail in the KIJU breakroom when Mr. Gold arrives and says Cameron Winter wants to promote him to “media master.” Nate is reluctant, but he wonders if he can use this to discover what the new boss is hiding. Also, Dr. Douif calls as the Island’s kaiju horticulturalist to offer his thoughts on Audrey II.

Check out the movies Damon was in! Maxie, directed by Jarrett Bryant, is on the streaming site Vimeo. One can get $1.00 off the price by using the code: LaneCounty. “Off the Road,” a 13-minute short from Hewlett Artistry, can be viewed on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/ZdJHBY2a4fg.

The prologue, “The Offer,” was written by Nathan Marchand.

Guest stars:

Michael Hamilton as Mr. Gold
Daniel DiManna as Dr. Dourif

Additional music:

“This Cowboy’s Hat” (instrumental) by Chris LeDoux
“Finale (Don’t Feed the Plants)” by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman
“Chant My Name!” by Masaaki Endo

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org, including those by InspectorJ, and created by J.P. Gant.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander (co-host 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, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, and Ted Williams! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop)

This episode is approved by Cameron Winter and the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

Prologue: 0:00-6:19
Intro: 6:19-22:16
- Dr. Dourif’s Call: 12:10-18:07
Main Discussion: 22:16-2:09:08
Housekeeping & Outro: 2:09:08-end

Podcast Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheMonsterIsla1)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonsterIslandFilmVault/)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monsterislandfilmvault/)
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy (https://twitter.com/nasajimmy?lang=en)
Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD (https://twitter.com/MonsterIslaBOD)
Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1 (https://twitter.com/CrystalLadyJes1)
Follow Dr. Dourif on Twitter: @DrDorif (https://twitter.com/DrDoriff)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #LittleShopofHorrors #MIFVMAX

Bibliography/Further Reading:

“59TH ACADEMY AWARDS, THE | 1987.” Oscars. Org. (https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1987)
“Deal with the Devil.” Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_with_the_Devil).
“Deals with the Devil in popular culture.” Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deals_with_the_Devil_in_popular_culture).
“Faustian Bargain Origins & Examples.” Study.com.
“Little Shop of Horrors, The.” Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Shop_of_Horrors).
“Little Shop of Horrors.” IMDB. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091419/)
“Little Shop of Horrors (film).” Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Shop_of_Horrors_(film) )
“Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film).” Little Shop of Horrors Wiki. (https://littleshop.fandom.com/wiki/Little_Shop_of_Horrors_(1986_film))
Little Shop of Horrors – The Director’s Cut blu-ray special features:
- Commentaries by Frank Oz
- “Frank Oz and Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut”
- “Story of Little Shop of Horrors, A”
Ramm, Benjamin. “What the myth of Faust can teach us.” BBC Culture, 26 Sept. 2017, https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20170907-what-the-myth-of-faust-can-teach-us.

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Episode 63: ‘King Kong vs. Godzilla’ | Godzilla Redux | Ft. AlyssaGojiGeek

Published June 7, 2022

Hello, kaiju lovers! Godzilla Redux continues! Nate is joined by YouTuber/author/musician/Navy sailor Alyssa Charpentier (aka AlyssaGojiGeek) for a film from his previous podcast life: King Kong vs. Godzilla. While, yes, Nate discussed a pair of related unmade films with John LeMay, today he and Alyssa compare and contrast the original Japanese version and the re-edited U.S. cut. The latter softens the satirical tone of the original and adds pointless scenes with two boring white guys who use a children’s dinosaur book to prove Godzilla is a dumb brute and Kong “is a thinking animal.” This leads to some talk about the subpar Criterion Collection box set—the only way to legally watch the Japanese cut in America—and how the Japanese economic miracle influenced the film. Even Alyssa never learned this stuff in school!

Before the broadcast, Nate meets with Mr. Gold and his assistant, Ms. Kawaii. They try to sweet talk him with the gift of hot chocolate and promises of advancement. Nate feigns gratitude and endures accusations of brown-nosing from Jimmy. Afterward, Nate researches late into the night at the Sekizawa Library, where he tries—and fails—to accost the AWOL EDF Mutant Ozaki. Ozaki tells Nate about the shady operations he’s been investigating the last few weeks.

The prologue, “Secret Business, Part 1” was written by Michael Hamilton and Nathan Marchand. The epilogue, “Secret Business, Part 2,” was written by Nathan Marchand.

Check out Alyssa’s YouTube channels: AlyssaGojiGeek (https://www.youtube.com/c/AlyssaGojiGeek101) and Alyssa Charpentier (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDiBPlvC3ruGkrrjUvbSKmg).

Special thanks to J.P. Gant for helping to edit this episode! Follow him on Twitter: @Homebrewed_SD (https://tinyurl.com/2jpc36r5).

Guest stars:

Michael Hamilton as Darius R. Gold
LemonJolly as Ms. Ami Kawai
Pianoturtle X as Shinichi Ozaki (https://www.youtube.com/c/PianoturtleX)

Additional music:

“This Cowboy’s Hat” (instrumental) by Chris LeDoux
“Godzilla Vs. King Kong – The Island Natives (FANMADE COVER)” by AlyssaGojiGeek
“Chant My Name!” by Masaaki Endo
“Final Wars Ending Theme | Piano Tutorial” by Patrick Ledwig

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

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, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, and Ted Williams! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop)

This episode is approved by Cameron Winter and the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

Prologue: 0:00-3:49
Intro: 3:49-9:31
Main Discussion: 9:31-1:44:18
Housekeeping & Outro: 1:44:18-1:54:07
Epilogue: 1:54:07-end

Podcast Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheMonsterIsla1)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonsterIslandFilmVault/)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monsterislandfilmvault/)
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy (https://twitter.com/nasajimmy?lang=en)
Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD (https://twitter.com/MonsterIslaBOD)
Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1 (https://twitter.com/CrystalLadyJes1)
Follow Dr. Dourif on Twitter: @DrDorif (https://twitter.com/DrDoriff)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #GodzillaRedux #KingKong #Godzilla

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Barr, Jason. The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters.
Bogue, Mike. Apocalypse Then: American and Japanese Atomic Cinema, 1951-1967. McFarland & Company. 2017.
Brothers, Peter H. Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda.
Galbraith, Stuart IV. Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: A Critical Analysis and Filmography of 103 Features Released in the United States 1950-1992.
“Japanese economic miracle.” Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_economic_miracle)
Kaijuvision Radio – Episode 8: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) (The Japanese Economic Miracle (The Golden 60s), MITI) (https://youtu.be/BtOw8CkO0jU)
Kalat, David. A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series, 2^nd Edition.
LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies Volume 1: 1954-1982.
LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films (Mutated Edition).
LeMay, John. Writing Giant Monsters.
Monster Island Film Vault, The. “Episode 5: John LeMay Presents ‘King Kong vs. Frankenstein’ & ‘Continuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla’.” (https://tinyurl.com/MIFV-S1E5)
Morton, Ray. King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon, from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. New York. 2005.
Ryfle, Steve, and Ed Godziszewski. Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa.

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