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Tag: Nathan Marchand

Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 14 – Dallas Mora vs. Kong: Skull Island’

Having spent a few weeks bandaging my bruised ego after the Island’s Board of Directors bamboozled me, I’ve decided to channel my inner Joel Robinson by riffing Nathan and Dallas’ discussion of Kong: Skull Island. That always cheers me up. (That and Baby Yoda).

Here we go!

  • Dallas meant to say “Goji-Kong” and not “Goji-kun.” He gave our mascots/resident gremlins that “duo name” before the broadcast but misspoke on the air.
  • The actor from Godzilla (2014) and Avengers: Age of Ultron Nathan couldn’t remember was Aaron Taylor-Johnson. You lost some serious nerd points there, Marchand. (Also, he was the star of Kick-Ass).
  • IMDB does claim that James Conrad was likely named after author Joseph Conrad. It also mentions that Marlow was named after the protagonist in the author’s most famous novel, heart of Darkness. But this is IMDB we’re talking about here, so it may require a kaiju-sized grain of salt.
  • The Legendary Godzilla actually appeared throughout history and inspired mythologies, but this was between long naps. He was awakened by nuclear submarine on accident in 1954, which led to the Castle Bravo test meant to kill him.
  • Nathan neglected to mention that the town of Brookings, Oregon, has a 400-year-old samurai sword from a Japanese fighter pilot on display. Read about it here.
  • It was five months after the Cubs won (October 2016-March 2017). Nathan, you never were good at math-ing.
  • The name of Marlow’s Japanese friend was Gunpei Ikari. You lost some more nerd points there, Nathan.
  • The name of the Chinese actress was Jing Tian. Her role was originally larger, but it was reduced through cuts to the movie. Interestingly, in Chinese her role is described as “hua ping” which refers to a vase. As in an insignificant role.
  • The actor who played young Marlow and Marlow’s son was Will Britain.
  • No, I will not share the vacation photo I slipped into the slideshow briefing. The Internet couldn’t handle it.
  • It’s called a dump button, Nathan. “Drop button.” Sheesh!
  • Oldboy is no longer on Netflix, at least in the U.S.
  • Dallas, you said “literally” when you meant “figuratively”! I’m surprised Nathan didn’t chew you out for that. I would’ve said something, but it wasn’t that important.
  • Actually, from what I can tell, U.S. troop deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq are comparable to the Vietnam War. There’ve been 775,000 troops deployed at least once to Afghanistan. Mind you, those weren’t all at once. There were 340,000 U.S. troops stationed in and around Iraq when Baghdad fell in 2005, with 235,000 engaged in the war.
  • “Eight month hiatus” for the “Kong Quest” (ba-dun-ching)? More like seven months, Nathan (April-November). Again, you’ve never been good with numbers. 😛

And now to fulfill my contractual obligations, here are Nathan’s leftover notes:

The Film

  • Starts in WWII. Conflict between American and Japanese fighter pilot. Foreshadows Kong and Godzilla? The Japanese pilot is never seen after the opening, which is disappointing.
  • Young Marlow is a terrible shot.
  • “Skull Island: The land where God did not finish creation.” Interesting. “A place where myth and science meet.” Describes the MonsterVerse.
  • It’s implied that Hiddleston is also a disgraced soldier hardened by the war and the public.
  • Larson gives a much better performance here than in Captain Marvel. I actually like her here. She isn’t a block of wood.
  • This briefing scene is similar to one from Kong ’76. The island is also obscured by a perpetual storm, which is like the fog of ’76, but a little crazy.
  • How many helicopters are there? The number seems to shift.
  • I can’t help but think the close-ups of the Nixon bobblehead during Jackson’s Icarus speech and whatnot are meant to be commentaries on the war and foolhardiness. 
  • Once they reach the island in 27 minutes, it really starts to feel like Apocalypse Now. That’s interesting because this film was largely shot in Vietnam. Director Vogt-Roberts became very fond of the country.
  • Kong’s anti-copter tree attack returns from King Kong Escapes!
  • This version of Skull Island has the most diverse wildlife. The giant buffalo is one of the most interesting.
  • The hollow Earth theory is brought up here for the first time.
  • I’ve been told the soldier being impaled by the bamboo spider was inspired by a film I never want to see: Cannibal Holocaust.
  • In this film we see Kong hunt.
  • The natives here are a bit odd. They have no crime or personal property (“beyond all that”). They don’t speak much. They have hallowed ground dedicated to Kong and will cut off people’s hands if they touch the wrong thing.
  • Kong is the god of the island, but the devils live below. “Kong is king around here.” Said like that because of copyright? This breaks the tradition of “King” not being given to him until he’s taken to civilization.
  • There’s still a wall like in most Kong films.
  • I feel sorry for this young guy. He wanders around alone for a long time and dies alone.
  • “The dangerous places are the most beautiful.” -Conrad
  • Like in 2005, Kong is lonely and the last of his kind, but he doesn’t seek companionship from a specific human. The closest is the tribe, which he protects.
  • The scientist getting dismembered by the lizard birds is…gruesome. Visceral.
  • “I’ve taken enough photos of mass graves to recognize one.” I don’t think this quite qualifies.
  • John Goodman gets killed off too soon, although he does help set up a cool set piece. He reminds me of the professor from Jurassic Park.
  • Man, that katana is sharp! It slices through lizard bird like paper!
  • There’s a lot of respect shown to the military and soldiers in this film.
  • In some ways, this film is an overcompensation for the perceived “problems” of G2014. The daylight complaint I’m tired of hearing. Some say it’s because it’s easier to hide SFX problems at night, but in this film, the characters aren’t brightly colored or have colorful attacks, so daylight makes sense.
  • FPS shots!
  • Kong is angry not only because his family is dead and he’s the last of his kind, but also because humans and Skullcrawlers keep invading his home. He attacks and kills humans intentionally because of this (unlike Godzilla). (Omni Viewer).
  • Packard dies just before Jackson can say his “famous line.”
  • 1:37:00: Vertigo shot!
  • Once again Kong is caught in chains that he breaks. In this case, it wasn’t chains of captivity. Strength overcoming hardship. He then uses them and the boat rotors as weapons.
  • Kong saves Mason and golds her in his hand, but that’s the closest we get to classic Kong. Miraculously, she isn’t crushed in his hand when the Big One swallows Kong’s hand. Good thing she was unconscious.
  • Kong kills the Big One, it’s implied, out of gratitude for the protagonists helping him with Packard.
  • Director Vogt-Roberts wanted Kong to move like a mech, which is weird.
  • Vogt-Roberts went on a Twitter rant when CinemaSins released their video on the film.
  • Vogt-Roberts says he was reinventing the story not as man vs. nature but as man vs. god. Didn’t want to retell the beauty and the beast story.
  • Vogt-Roberts says in the 1970s, people were actively destroying myth, but these characters go where it still exists.
  • Kong needs to be huge to small his grandiosity, humans in the shadow of the colossus.
  • Vogt-Roberts says he loves flawed characters because that makes them interesting.
  • Vogt-Roberts did hope that people walked away wondering what role myth and nature play in their lives.
  • Early concepts were more gorilla-like, but Vogt-Roberts wanted him to be more movie monster, more Neanderthal-like.
  • ILM used komodo dragons, deer, and buffalo for reference for the Skullcrawlers. Looked at how deer and buffalo thrust their heads getting up.
  • Those working on the film say every Kong film brings with it technical innovation.
  • Most Americans know Vietnam through the war, and those photos were from the siuth. The north has completely different landscape. “Like a matte paiting.” –Vogt-Roberts
  • Brie Larson worked with real photographer and war correspondents. Her camera was real. She took photos on set. On blu-ray. Some used in film, some not.
  • Symbols painted on Iwi skin and woven into their clothing as form of communication and camouflage. They’re not indigenous. Collection of people who were stranded on island.
  • Post-credit scene wasn’t always in film. Vogt-Roberts believed in it, but it took a new technician who hadn’t seen the film before to say it should be included.

The Toku Topic

  • Soldiers grew more restless and doubted their purpose for being there and the government’s reasoning for doing so. Many suffered from PTSD and turned to vices like drugs. “On the collapse of U.S. morale, historian Shelby Stanton wrote: ‘In the last years of the Army’s retreat, its remaining forces were relegated to static security. The American Army’s decline was readily apparent in this final stage. Racial incidents, drug abuse, combat disobedience, and crime reflected growing idleness, resentment, and frustration… the fatal handicaps of faulty campaign strategy, incomplete wartime preparation, and the tardy, superficial attempts at Vietnamization. An entire American army was sacrificed on the battlefield of Vietnam.’” (Wikipedia)
  • ROTC enrollment dropped drastically from 191,749 in 1966 to 72,459 by 1971, and reached an all-time low of 33,220 in 1974,” depriving the military of much-needed leadership. (Wikipedia)
  • “In 1970, a joint U.S-South Vietnamese operation invaded Cambodia, hoping to wipe out DRV supply bases there. The South Vietnamese then led their own invasion of Laos, which was pushed back by North Vietnam. … The invasion of these countries, in violation of international law, sparked a new wave of protests on college campuses across America. During one, on May 4, 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio, National Guardsmen shot and killed four students. At another protest 10 days later, two students at Jackson State University in Mississippi were killed by police.” (History.com)
  • There was much insubordination among the ranks as the war went on (which sounds like the film when Packard’s men turn on him). “Ron Milam has questioned the severity of the ‘breakdown’ of the U.S. armed forces, especially among combat troops, as reflecting the opinions of ‘angry colonels’ (can you say Packard?) who deplored the erosion of traditional military values during the Vietnam War. Although acknowledging serious problems, he questions the alleged ‘near mutinous’ conduct of junior officers and enlisted men in combat. Investigating one combat refusal incident, a journalist declared, ‘A certain sense of independence, a reluctance to behave according to the military’s insistence on obedience, like pawns or puppets…The grunts [infantrymen] were determined to survive…they insisted of having something to say about the making of decisions that determined whether they might live or die.’ The morale and discipline problems and resistance to conscription were important factors leading to the creation of an all-volunteer military force by the United States and the termination of conscription. The last conscript was inducted into the army in 1973. The all-volunteer military moderated some of the coercive methods of discipline previously used to maintain order in military ranks.”
  • “President Ronald Reagan coined the term ‘Vietnam Syndrome’ to describe the reluctance of the American public and politicians to support further military interventions abroad after Vietnam. In the same speech, he voiced support for the war and its veterans, saying, “It is time we recognized that ours was, in truth, a noble cause. A small country newly free from colonial rule sought our help in establishing self-rule and the means of self-defense against a totalitarian neighbor bent on conquest. We dishonor the memory of 50,000 young Americans who died in that cause when we give way to feelings of guilt as if we were doing something shameful, and we have been shabby in our treatment of those who returned. They fought as well and as bravely as any Americans have ever fought in any war. They deserve our gratitude, our respect, and our continuing concern.”
  • “The Vietnam War POW/MIA issue, concerning the fate of U.S. service personnel listed as missing in action, persisted for many years after the war’s conclusion. The costs of the war loom large in American popular consciousness; a 1990 poll showed that the public incorrectly believed that more Americans lost their lives in Vietnam than in World War II.” (Wikipedia)

That’s everything for this week. My apologies for posting it late. With us pumping out bonus episodes to entertain and enlighten everyone in quarantine thanks to COVID-19, the episode took precedence over my blog.

Regardless, next week you’ll hear Nathan’s discussion of Battle in Outer Space—the second entry in Toho’s “pseudo-trilogy”—with Luke Jaconetti from the Earth Destruction Directive podcast. Then for the first episode in May, Nathan starts what could be called the “Summer of Mothra” with a discussion of Rebirth of Mothra with Bex from the Redeemed Otaku podcast.

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

#JimmyFromNASALives
#WeShallOvercome

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Episode 14 – Dallas Mora vs. ‘Kong: Skull Island’

Hello, kaiju lovers!

We’ve finally reached the MonsterVerse! After surviving in the wilds of Monster Island for two months, Dallas Mora from Geek Devotions joins Nathan to discuss the Eighth Wonder’s latest cinematic adventure, Kong: Skull Island. This pulpy adventure movie directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts took Kong in a whole new direction, dropping his lovesickness and making him a benevolent but savage protector. Nathan and Dallas dive headlong into the film’s rich backstory as explored in its comic book prequel, Skull Island: The Birth of Kong; discuss the colorful cast of characters played by a troupe of Marvel movie actors; and realize that Kong is the Batman of the MonsterVerse. The Toku Topic is the end of the Vietnam War, which leads to a poignant discussion that touches on pacifism, “just war” theory, and the treatment of war veterans (like the podcast’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA).

A quick note: Due to Godzilla vs. Kong’s release being delayed to November, we’ll be taking a detour from the “Kong Quest” (ba-dum-ching) until then by covering films featuring other “kaiju kings.” Listen to find out who’s first!

Check out Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.

Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-5:08
Entertaining Info Dump: 5:08-13:13
Toku Talk: 13:13-1:13:14
Toku Topic: 1:13:14-2:02:20
Outro: 2:02:20-end

Podcast Social Media:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives

© 2020 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Bonus Episode #1: Jimmy From NASA Presents ‘Space Kong’

Hey, guys!

The Vault is now under new management—Jimmy From NASA! Yes, after starting a betting pool during Nathan’s livestream of Override: Mech City Brawl Friday night and cleaning out the Monster Island Board of Directors, Jimmy became the new host of the podcast but kept Nathan on as his producer. Nathan is still a bit sore about that, as you’ll hear, but Jimmy is sure he’ll get over it.

For his first episode, Jimmy is discussing his favorite unmade Kong film: “Space Kong.” This was a wild idea that came about in the 1960s while Merian C. Cooper was corresponding with comic book publisher Western/Gold Key Comics to produce a comic adaptation of original film and a sequel. This would’ve featured the children of the original characters and Carl Denham still young from finding the Fountain of Youth. Cooper suggested setting it on another planet with “King Kong reincarnated.” While Jimmy first learned of this lost project through a book written by his (first) flame war nemesis, John LeMay, he showed up that know-it-all by buying Cooper’s long lost story treatment for this proposed film on eBay using his newfound wealth. Be the first to hear about it in today’s episode!

Here’s Nathan’s transcript of Episode 14.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

#JimmyFromNASALives
#WeShallOvercome

Podcast Social Media:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

© 2020 Jimmy From NASA & Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Nathan’s Notes on ‘Episode 13: The Three Treasures (Mini-Analysis)’

I thought the number 13 being unlucky was just a superstition.

Until now.

Much like Yamato Takeru from The Three Treasures, I’ve been beset by misfortune after posting episode 13 of the podcast. During my livestream of Override: Mech City Brawl, Jimmy From NASA started a betting pool with the Island’s Board of Directors, the science team, and pretty much everyone else who worked here. It was based on my performance in the game—and he bet against me. And I played the game on hard mode. Jimmy made out like a bandit. He even cleaned out the Board. So much so, he used that money to buy Metageckon (the mech I used in the game) on eBay. That’s not the unfortunate part. He used his newfound leverage with the Board to make himself the host of MIFV! Now I’m his producer. This means I have to do the follow-up blog to last week’s episode on The Three Treasures and every episode after this.Jimmy was kind enough to give me his notes from the episode, which wasn’t much, so this blog will be relatively short. That’s probably good since the blog on episode 12 was as long as Peter Jackson’s King Kong!

Here’s all that Jimmy had on the episode:

  • There is some debate over whether Toshiro Mifune was a Christian. This Wikipedia discussion board questions it because he has a traditional Buddhist gravestone. He was the son of Japanese Christian missionaries who worked in China, and he had a traditional Methodist wedding, though. This Reddit thread (so take it with a grain of salt) says there was a rumor that he was part of something called the “Ikeda cult,” but that just seems to be the cult trying to claim a celebrity as a member to find legitimacy. (The post references the potentially inaccurate Wikipedia article, mind you).
  • What? I was tired from working in my garage all day! Of course I’d fall asleep watching a three-hour movie! I’m a busy man.
  • Nathan mispronounced the name of the eight-headed dragoon. It’s “Yamata no Orochi” not “Yamato.” I don’t think the dragon is part of the royal family. (But I could be speaking in ignorance. Weirder things have happened. I should know. I lived them).

My Leftover Notes from Watching the Film:

  • Credits over an eclipsed sun? “Land of the rising sun”?
  • “In the beginning…” Opening narration sounds biblical and mythical. Old woman.
  • These village scenes are reminding me of The Ten Commandments with the enslaved Israelites.
  • “Old stories are full of beautiful life.” -Old woman storyteller
  • The set design is incredible. Very DeMille.
  • A lot of court drama and intrigue.
  • Are the prince and Otomachibana meant to parallel the god and goddess from the beginning?
  • Day for night scene at river!
  • Torii gate is entrance to temple grounds. Like Hebrew temple or tabernacle.
  • This is a response to another numbered religious epic: The Ten Commandments ~ The Three Treasures.
  • Is that Hirata? I almost don’t recognize him.
  • Those fire effects were a little awkward.
  • A woman be stoned for loving a man from a different clan. Very ancient.
  • These people look Mongolian?
  • Kumaso (Takashi Shimura) is undone by his lust. Even checked for a man before this.
  • Kumaso tells the prince to kill him. He hesitates, then takes the prince’s sword and slits his own throat. Seppouku?
  • There are flashbacks to the gods as told by an old woman storyteller. Oral tradition.
  • What do they mean by “nag”?
  • I thought the prince and the gods would interact.
  • Criterion should release this.
  • “Laugh festival”? “Festival of laughter”?
  • While this festival seems like revelry, it is meant to bring the sun goddess (and light) back to the world.
  • The rooster’s crow when light and the goddess return.
  • Is there an intermission? Was it removed?
  • Yes. These myths are meant to parallel the prince. Susan-o = the prince. Susan-o’s tears drained all the world’s water. The prince’s mother says he must not be like him.
  • The flashbacks/stories increase as the film progresses.
  • “Orochi” just gets translated as “dragon.”
  • Last daughter transformed by Susan-o into hair braid for safety.
  • Orochi’s approach blows out torch. Nice!
  • Proto-Ghidorah! The heads do kinda flop around. They just appear to be heads. No body. In water. The glowing eyes are cool. Looks better fighting Susan-o. Nevermind. It has a body. He must have a magic sword or its heart or brain in in its tail. He pulls a sword from the dragon, which is now used to defend Japan. The prince now has it.
  • Just as Susan-o became a hero, so does the prince.
  • Mt. Fuji is active in this. Village elder says it protects them. The prince says the smoke reminds him of the evil in men’s hearts.
  • The location scenes are gorgeous.
  • Spectacular fire scene where the prince uses the flint from the bag given him as a gift to change the wind.
  • The smoke from Mt. Fuji turns red. Passion? Rage?
  • Like Susan-o, the prince is unloved by his father.
  • Yamato is a region.
  • A storm happens when the prince decides to return as a plebian to marry Otomochibani against his father’s orders. Wrath of the gods? Otomochibani says it is her fault for breaking her vow and angering the sea god. She throws herself overboard to placate him. Reminds me of Jonah and the big fish. A green light appears in the sea after she jumps. Her kimono floats up. The storm clears. Taken by the gods? “The princess has become my sacrifice.” Most supernatural thing that’s happened in the “present.”
  • This ambush is the film’s big climax. It’s spectacular. Nobody makes movies like this anymore. It isn’t quite Ten Commandments huge, but it’s still great. Cuts between on location shooting and sets.
  • The prince is killed and his soul rises in the form of a white crane. Mt. Fuji erupts. Even in death he is victorious. His wrath is poured out on his enemies. Symbolizes Japan. This was foreshadowed earlier. The effects for this are great. The compositing and everything. This is also like The Ten Commandments when the unrighteous Israelites are swallowed by the earth. And now he uses water from a lake to cause a flood and drown other enemies.
  • Oh, man…death by lava. Horrible.
  • I’m pretty sure lava is more viscous than that, but we’ll go with it.
  • The crane flies toward a rainbow, symbolizing how the prince enters the realm of the gods. The people follow the bird.

Yamato Takeru

  • In the original legends, Otomachibana was his wife and not a fiancé, but she did sacrifice herself to placate the sea god. Her comb washed ashore seven days later, and her tomb was built around it. He did later marry Miyazu.

I didn’t take notes from all my sources, so I recommend referencing my bibliography for the episode if you want to learn more. (I’m gonna miss writing those).

Time to settle into my new job on Monster Island, I guess.

Follow me on Twitter: @NathanMarchand7

My author website: www.NathanJSMarchand.com.

#MonsterIslandFilmVault

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Monster Island Gaming | Override: Mech City Brawl (Stream)

If you missed my stream from last night (or want to see it again), here’s the video. The microphone wasn’t the issue so much as the audio for the game, Override: Mech City Brawl, was a bit too high. Next time I’ll turn it down.

I was surprised that I was joined by my intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, in the live chat (as well as Golden Ticket Tourist Joe Metter). Jimmy started betting pools with Monster Island personel on my performance–and he constantly bet against me! He fleeced everyone because I foolishly decided to play the game on hard mode. ::sigh::

Anyway, here’s the video:

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KAIJU QUARANTINE | Trailer #2

Join your favorite kaiju podcasts–including The Monster Island Film Vault–for Kaiju Quarantine, an epic watch party that will lift everyone’s spirits in these troubled times! They’ll provide informative and humorous commentary during this two-day movie marathon April 4-5. We’ll watch kaiju classics old and new, popular and obscure, good and…not-so-good. Join the Discord server while space is still available! Listen to hear more about the event.

(Click here to hear trailer #1 at the end of our latest episode).

Kaiju Quarantine: Come together right now…over kaiju!

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Episode 12: Daniel DiManna vs. ‘King Kong’ (2005)

Hello, kaiju lovers!

It’s an epic episode for an epic movie! No, not that stupid parody film. Nathan is joined by Daniel DiManna, the creator and author of The Godzilla Novelization Project, to discuss Peter Jackson HUGE 2005 remake of King Kong. (Although, Danny had to survive a harrowing trip to Monster Island with the podcast’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, and a certain robot dinosaur to do so). Only Peter Jackson, who was fresh off of The Lord of the Rings, could’ve made a three hour film about a giant monkey, er, ape. Nathan and Danny do a deep dive into the film’s characters, themes, and story while struggling not to get Jack Driscoll and Jack Black confused. They freely admit this is the one giant monster movie that makes them cry. They also learn that the young man named Jimmy in this film may or may not be the podcast’s producer. (Confused? Join the club). The Toku Topic is vaudeville since Ann Darrow in this film is a vaudeville performer before getting work on Carl Denham’s movie.

Nathan promises to not make a habit of producing episodes that cross what Danny calls “the Kurosawa threshold.” 😛

Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-6:08
Entertaining Info Dump: 6:08-15:29
Toku Talk: 15:29-1:55:52
Toku Topic: 1:55:52-2:29:43
Outro: 2:29:43-end

© 2020 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Episode 11: ‘Varan the Unbelievable’ (Mini-Analysis)

Hello, kaiju lovers!

In Nathan’s continuing series of mini-sodes on films covered by Bran Scherschel on Kaijuvision Radio after Nathan left the show, he examines Ishiro Honda’s overlooked 1958 kaiju film Varan the Unbelievable (or Daikaiju Baran). While Honda didn’t think much of it (especially after its tumultuous production when the American TV network co-producing it pulled out), it was the first kaiju film written for Toho by the fabled Shinichi Sekizawa. The second half is a by-the-numbers monster movie, but the first half is intriguing because it touches on then contemporary issues with the burakumin, a discriminated social class in Japan. Their name means “village people” (no, not the disco band!), and they were essentially the “untouchables” of Japanese culture for centuries. When seen through that lens, this film offers more than a cool kaiju.

After that, Nathan reads some listener feedback, including a letter from someone who offers some clarification on the (in)famous Batman Meets Godzilla script.

Speaking of which, Batman Meets Godzilla, one of the craziest yet most intriguing lost projects made famous by John LeMay’s book, The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films (which now has a new “mutated” edition), is being adapted into a fan-made comic book miniseries!

T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY: Everyone who shares the Facebook and Twitter posts for this episode (or tags the show when they share it themselves) will be entered for a drawing for a Batman Meets Godzilla T-shirt. (One entry per person per social media). Entries will be taken from February 26 to March 4 at 11:59pm (EST). The winner must then send Nathan his/her shirt size, shirt color, and mailing address to be forwarded to the team at Batman Meets Godzilla. Here’s a link to the Tee Public site with this epic shirt.

Here’s the KVR episode: Episode 40: Varan (1958) (Hisabetsu-Buraku) (Discriminated Communities)

This episode featured the song “‘BATMAN’ [OG Theme Song Remix!]” by Remix Maniacs.

Be sure to read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.

(c) 2020 Nathan Marchand & Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 10: John LeMay vs. King Kong Lives’

Last week’s episode on King Kong Lives was certainly an interesting one. It was both informative and entertaining. Nathan “survived” in true Mystery Science Theatre 3000 fashion while John LeMay made a valiant defense of the movie. I did not pipe in as much because, as listeners will remember, John and I had a spat when I refused to show him my garage. I did not get a chance to explain it was because I needed to make sure it was clean and safe for visitors. That was all.

Anyway, here are my notes on the episode:

  • I did not want to disappoint you on the air, John, but I am actually a natural brunette. I dye my hair red. In other words, I still have a soul. Or did I lose it when I dyed my hair?
  • Here’s the Siskel and Ebert review of King Kong Lives.
  • About those so-called “magic artificial hearts”: The Island’s Board of Directors acquired Dr. Amy Franklin’s design and attempted to improve upon it. I can neither confirm nor deny that experiments may have been conducted on kaiju that aren’t as big a draw for Tourists….
  • Here are two articles with great info on artificial hearts: “7 Things You Should Know about Artificial Hearts” and the Wikipedia entry on them.
  • Baby Kong was played by seven-year-old Benjamin Kechley. And yes, I think he should have bragging rights for life.
  • Surprisingly, Nathan was wrong about the Superman film John was talking about. (He is as obsessed with superheroes as he is kaiju. God help me when he takes a deep dive into Ultraman…). It was Superman II from 1980 that had the Eiffel Tower scene, which did involve terrorists with hostages and a bomb. You can watch it here and here.
  • I have a plenty of material to do a War in Space panel at G-Fest, John. I mean, I lived it. And miraculously survived it. But like Nathan said, someone has to take care of the studio while he is gone, and we are more or less a two-man operation. Maybe I will get some time off when the film’s 45th anniversary rolls around….
  • Here’s a link to the Godziban playlist on the official Toho Godzilla YouTube channel. It is the show Nathan and John mention briefly where Godzilla Junior and Minya get along. I cannot vouch for its accuracy.
  • John is both right and wrong about the dinosaur fights in the Lovelace novelization. Kong does fight a triceratops—several, in fact—but he later he also fights a “meat-eater” dinosaur, which may or may not have been a T-Rex. There is some debate over it.
  • It’s “Monsterverse” not “Godzilla universe,” John. 😛
  • Here’s the Subway commercial that was mentioned by John.
  • The confusing things about Kong: King of Skull Island is there appears to be two of them. Maybe? Here is this on Amazon (and Wikizilla), but there’s also a Kickstarter for an illustrated version in 2018. I am guessing the latter is what sparked the lawsuit they mention.
  • The person John could not remember who pitched Skull Island: Blood of the Kong with Neil Marshall was Simon Uttley.
  • The Kong Netflix series is Kong: King of the Apes. It is a children’s series and currently has two seasons. Here is a link to its official page.

Here are the many notes Nathan did not get to during the episode. Admittedly, some of them are riffs that require context not given in the note. Basically, watch the film chronologically (if you dare!) and you may be able to find what he is talking about. So, buckle up because there is a lot.

  • They edited in different roars for the flashback. Not as good.
  • I wonder how much Bridges and Lange were paid for that stock footage?
  • Music courtesy of John Williams’ leftovers.
  • How is Kong not a furry mound of jelly?
  • Admittedly, this continuous opening shot for the credits isn’t bad.
  • We see Lady Kong in less than 8 minutes. (Kong meets a female of his species and suddenly forgets about blondes?) (Mrs. Kong theory from episode 4).
  • “Can you hear me now?” Verizon, anyone?
  • “I’m in love with a gorilla!”
  • Disneyland? Why not Universal Studios?
  • “The only living ape.” Because all the normal-sized ones have died out in ten years?
  • “I left a trail of bananas.” Don’t make fun of yourself, movie. That’s my job!
  • As usual, Kong breaks his chains of captivity.
  • Did those apes just have a love at first sight moment?
  • Yeah, the dozers will stop him.
  • “They’ll need a doctor after they get a whiff of this gas.” I never should’ve eaten that breakfast burrito!
  • The action hero trope: the big bad male hero can take a beating and not flinch, but he winces when a woman tends his wounds. Nice job, Kong.
  • Are those natives on Kong’s Island burnt out drunks like Jack said? Would they let outsiders build a reserve then?
  • Welcome to Movie Land, where people fall in love and make out at the drop of a hat. Justification: This is what primates do.
  • Oh no! The flamethrowers return! How is Kong not PTSD-ing right now?
  • There’s a torrential downpour, but the sun is out.
  • There are a lot of pop culture references in this. Indiana Jones. Deliverance. Juicy Fruit.
  • You’re telling me none of the doctors the military brought in figured out Lady Kong was pregnant?
  • There are points this feels more like a post-1976 King Kong knockoff than an actual Kong film.
  • Don’t you guys know that Kong hates flashbulbs?
  • “Well, Kong, you’ve killed now. Nothing will stop them from killing you now.” Did you miss the first movie?
  • Kong is a tactician. He throws pocket sand at the military before attacking. 😛 (“Pocket sand!” -Dale from King of the Hill).

These are Nathan’s leftover notes from King Kong: History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton:

  • De Laurentiis wanted to do a sequel from get-go. At one point even discussed a Frankenstein-like idea with Semple.
  • Sequel never manifested because De Laurentiis was either disappointed it didn’t out-gross Jaws or because he didn’t want to have to deal with Universal.
  • In the ensuing years, he bought Embassy Pictures and made it into his own studio, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG).
  • John Guillermin returned as director. Both he and De Laurentiis had lost sons in the intervening years, so their relationship had mellowed.
  • Carlo Rambaldi was brought back on for the special effects. He’d won several Oscars for his work since 1976.
  • Despite not liking the script, Brian Kerwin took the role because he was offered lots and money and he was the lead. He said later that monkey was the lead and he was set dressing. He also wanted to be picked up by Kong.
  • New suit actors were brought in, both male. Kong’s hair was Icelandic yak fur.
  • They tried to make Kong ’86 look like Kong ’76, but it didn’t quite work. The former is brown and the latter black. Face was different with more expressive mask.
  • Kong’s biological heart is a replica of a real gorilla heart. The artificial heart is a fantasy creation. Kerwin considered making it into a coffee table.
  • Ran into budget problems because DEG was hit hard by new tax laws. Some sequences were trimmed or eliminated. It wasn’t filmed in Brazil and Jamaica and instead was filmed in Tennessee and Wilmington.
  • All the fake blood in the Kong transplant scene made an extra pass out.
  • Kerwin read all 22 Travis McGee novels in his downtime. One actor directed community theatre!
  • Kerwin said de Laurentiis was “braggadocious and stingy.”
  • Guillermin was mellower but often still intense.
  • Hamilton was in a bad mood all the time according to Kerwin.
  • Baker refused to come back due to unreasonable conditions and the Oscars dustup, so it went to Peter Elliott, an acrobat and veteran costume performer. He did ape choreography in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan. His friend George Yiasomi played Lady Kong, but a “Greek guy” was brought in to do the close-ups of her eyes.
  • The actors played the apes like animals around each other and more human-like around humans. Elliot based his performance on James Dean! (Indiana connection!)
  • The courtship scene was over-the-top but Elliott based their actions on real apes but performed it in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
  • No Oscars noms, but Rambaldi was nominated for a Razzie for worst visual effects.
  • De Laurentiis thought the film was a mistake.

Here are the livetweets from Nathan’s author Twitter that he did not mention:

  • “You’ve got Indiana Jones.” Now there’s a crossover I’d love to see! Now there is a crossover I’d watch in a heartbeat! Pun intended. #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • “Lady Kong”? Is it because “Queen Kong” was taken in a slightly better movie?
  • These doctors are performing surgery with giant egg beaters? #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • Let’s spend millions of dollars to resurrect the rampaging monster who killed dozens of people and cost millions and property damage. This can only ending [in] good. #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • That’s not an artificial hard—it’s a submarine! Makes me wish this was a crossover between #KingKong and Fantastic Voyage. #KingKongLives
  • “#KingKong, you just came back from the dead! What are you going to do next?“ “Get laid.” That must’ve been one heck of a wet dream he was having for 10 years.
  • You know your sequel is in trouble when the flashback to the mediocre remake has the best special-effects.#KingKong #KingKongLives
  • “The other monkeys going ape $&@#!” [L]eave the bad puns to me, movie.#KingKong #KingKongLives
  • #KingKong and Lady Kong: Still a better love story than #Twilight. #KingKongLives
  • Lady Kong is scared of (normal-sized) snakes. Of course. #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • If all it took to get a girlfriend was dying and being resurrected, I have tried it a long time ago. #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • “Bring in the Big Bird!” Hey, it’s not yellow and teaching me to count! #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • It was a lack of protein killed the beast. And no wonder: he keeps eating rubber gators.
  • When you howl at the moon, sometimes the moon howls back.#KingKong #KingKongLives
  • Please, sir, I want some more stomach blows. #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • #KingKong almost became a slasher movie villain by killing some horny teenagers. All he was missing was a knife and a huge hockey mask. Yet another amusing crossover: King Kong and Friday the 13th. #KingKongLives
  • #KingKong: Defeated by rednecks. I was an icon once. #KingKongLives
  • “My dad’s gonna kill me! We didn’t switch to Geico and add giant monkey insurance!“ #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • Lt. Cola? Is that soda for soldiers? I guess if #Godzilla endorses Dr. Pepper, Kong should get something. #KingKong #KingKongLives (Lt. Col. A. Nevitt). Haha!
  • Kong: I ate red(neck) meat! I’m not afraid to eat white (guy) meat! #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • #KingKong just crashed a hoedown. Now I’ve seen everything. #KingKongLives
  • Is this general play[ed] by our young Don Frye? Is he Captain Gordon’s grandpa? #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • So what if #KingKong is dead. Just cure him with another artificial heart. #KingKongLives
  • From the World Trade Center to a barn in redneck country. Talk about coming down in life. #KingKong #KingKongLives

Finally, here are some unused notes about the convoluted King Kong copyright:

  • Supposedly Eisner also discussed the idea with Sidney Sheinberg, chief operating officer of MCA (Universal), which was hot off the positive early reviews for Jaws and wanted another marauding animal film. Negotiations started around the same time as De Laurentis. Agreed to pay same amount up front but balked at sharing the gross. Lots of studio politics involved. Word has it that the Universal offer was preferred. Attorney Arnold Shane thought Universal won the rights, and Stromberg hired Oscar-winning screenwriter Bo Goldman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Melviun and Howard) to write a script. Meanwhile, De Laurentis’ offer was accepted. Universal protested saying that despite not signing a written contract, they took Daniel O’Shea’s supposed comment as a binding verbal agreement. Universal sued for $25 million in damages in June 1975 accusing RKO-General of “breach of contract” and “fraud” and De Laurentis of international interference with advantageous business relations” and “unfair competition.” De Laurentis was surprised by Universal’s claim but thought it was invalid because he had a signed contract, so he pressed on confidently.
  • Sept. 1975: Superior Court of LA dismissed Universal’s claim, saying the verbal agreement was “tissue-paper thin.” Universal then filed a second claim having learned the novelization of Kong, which had some different material, had fallen into the public domain in 1960 thanks to the Copyright Law of 1909 that set the copyright to 28 years. The studio claimed they weren’t infringing on RKO’s films—the “new” material—while the “old material” was in public domain. They announced their new film would be based on the novel, and told Bo Goldman to revise his script to conform to the novel. Joseph Sargent (Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Taking Pelham 123) was hired to direct. De Laurentis said he would start casting in December for his film. Unsure if the name King Kong was owned by RKO, they changed their film’s title to The Legend of King Kong to be safe.  De Laurentis responded by changing his to King Kong: The Legend Reborn.
  • RKO filed a countersuit November 20 against Universal in Federal District Court for $5 million for copyright infringement and asked for an injunction for the studio to stop promoting the film. De Laurentis filed his own suit December 4 for $90 million in damages caused by “copyright infringement and unfair competition.” He also filed an injunction against Universal. Universal forced the issue by saying they’d start filming Jan. 5, which was a bluff.  The market would only support one remake, and whoever started shooting first would likely win. De Laurentis moved production up, hastily starting Jan. 15 and having the crew work 16-hour days. This required money he didn’t have, but he was determined.
  • Universal allegedly approached De Laurentis about settling after he announced when they’d begin filming. They discussed a joint production, but De Laurentis didn’t like Universal’s demands. They wanted their script to be used and merchandising and sequel rights.   Barry Diller and Paramount threatened to pull out if he didn’t settle, so he started talking with Universal.
  • De Laurentis and Ubniversial announced Jan. 28, 1976, that they’d reached agreement. Universal got 8% or 11% percent of De Laurentis’ profits, certain merchandising rights and profits, and veto power on sequels by agreeing to cancel their film.  They could also start their own film so long as it was 18 months after the release of De Laurentis’ film. If it was hit, there would be no need, and if it was a flop, there would no interest in one. Silly move. Universal didn’t get to make their own until 2005 with Peter Jackson. The lawsuit was settled in September.

Oh man. This might be my longest Jimmy’s Notes yet. This is what happens when you are a producer on a podcast with a host who over-prepares. My contractual obligation to post all of these in my blog does not help. You win that front, Marchand!

Anyway, join us next week when Daniel DiManna of the Godzilla Novelization Project joins us to discuss Peter Jackson’s epic 2005 remake of King Kong.

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