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Tag: Soviet Union

Episode 64: Kaiju Weekly vs. ‘20 Million Miles to Earth’

Hello, kaiju lovers! MIFV’s season three theme, Ameri-kaiju, wouldn’t be complete without some Ray Harryhausen, so Nate invited both of his “co-hosts in kamen” (ba-dum-tsh!) to discuss 20 Million Miles to Earth. (Yes, Jimmy reminds Nate that he got his chronology wrong, because this film was released in 1957 and The Blob was 1958. Oops!). Harryhausen super-fans Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton, co-hosts of the Kaiju Weekly podcast, join Nate in a chat that veers perilously close to derailing at multiple points. Jet lag will do that to you, especially when flying to the Island in the Rad Bug. Regardless, 20 Million Miles was Harryhausen’s first truly iconic film, paving the way for his fantasy epics that followed. The intrepid Jimmy From NASA keeps trying to tell his story about seeing a herd of Ymir on their native Venus, but nobody cares. The Toku Topic is the Soviet side of the Space Race since this film begins with a rocket ship crash and was released several months before the launch of Sputnik I. Be prepared for many (bad) Russian accents!

To compete with this broadcast, Cameron Winter did a livestream where he sent one of his Cyber-Flies to track down the Ymir so he could be put on display for the film’s anniversary and Harryhausen’s birthday in June. Winter rambles about seemingly random things while doing so.

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

Guest stars:

  • Jack “GMan” Hudgens as Cameron Winter

Additional music:

  • “Pacific Rim” by Niall Stenson
  • “Chant My Name!” by Masaaki Endo

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!

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic!

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

Timestamps:

  • Intro: 0:00-13:44
    • Winter Livestream #1: 11:46-12:56
  • Entertaining Info Dump: 13:44-22:22
  • Toku Talk: 22:22-59:40
  • Promos: 59:40-1:02:17
  • Toku Topic: 1:02:17-
    • Winter Livestream #2: 1:02:38-1:03:54
    • Winter Livestream #3: 1:39:15-
  • Housekeeping & Outro: 1:41:17-end
    • Winter Livestream #4: 1:57:32-1:58:38

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#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault      #Amerikaiju   #kaiju            #giantmonsters

© 2022 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

  • Howell, Elizabeth. “Sputnik: The Space Race’s Opening Shot.” Space.com. 29 Sept. 2020. (https://www.space.com/17563-sputnik.html)
  • Monster Island Film Vault, The. Episode 15: ‘Battle in Outer Space’ (with Luke Jaconetti) (https://tinyurl.com/MIVF-S1E15)
  • Ray Harryhausen Podcast, The. Episode 15- 20 Million Miles to Earth: 60th Anniversary Special.
  • Petersen, Carolyn Collins. “A Short History of Roscosmos and the Soviet Space Program.” ThoughtCo. Updated 3 July 2019. (https://www.thoughtco.com/soviet-space-program-history-4140631)
  • Shreve, Bradley G. “”The US, the USSR, and Space Exploration, 1957-1963.” International Journal on World Peace, vol. XX, no. 2, June 2003.
  • Siegel, Ethan. “This Is Why The Soviet Union Lost ‘The Space Race’ To The USA.” Forbes. 11 July 2019. (https://tinyurl.com/3c2mkfcf)
  • 20 Million Miles to Earth 50th Anniversary Blu-ray Special Features:
    • Commentary by Ray Harryhausen, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, and Arnold Kunert
    • “Remembering 20 Million Miles to Earth
    • “Tim Burton Sits Down with Ray Harryhausen”
    • “Interview with Joan Taylor”
    • “The Colorization Process”
    • “David Schecter on Film Music’s Unsung Hero”
  • Warren, Bill. Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, The 21st Century Edition. McFarland. 2016.
  • Wiki articles on 20 Million Miles to Earth:
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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 17: The Last War (Mini-Analysis)’

I’m a day late but not a dollar short. I wasn’t able to get access to Marchand’s notes on The Last War because his laptop charger just had to die, followed by his laptop itself. And wouldn’t you know it, even with all the technology here, we didn’t have anything compatible with it. That’s what you get for having a computer verging on retirement age in technological years, Marchand!

On the bright side, even I know these blogs aren’t as important as the podcast. After almost nine months of doing this show, if the worst we’ve done is have a few of my blogs be a day late while the podcast stays on time, I’d call that an accomplishment.

As usual with Nathan’s scripted episodes, I don’t have anything to add to what he said since we take care of that before recording. However, he left out a surprising number of his notes on the film in his analysis. Let’s dive in (like I did when eluding the Messiah 13 Aliens during the War in Space).

Nathan’s Leftover Notes:

  • Starts with an overture. This wasn’t common anymore in 1961. It only lasts 80 seconds.
  • Opens with a montage of normal everyday things: steel mill, traffic, showgirls, ship launching. Life is proceeding as usual. (Showgirls are “normal”? Do you live in Vegas? –Jimmy)
  • Acknowledges World War II. Rebuilt city. Didn’t think it would burn down again.
  • Random American takes kids’ photo.
  • Alliance (USSR) and Federation (NATO). Stand-ins. Much like Rolisica and New Kirk City in Mothra, though more obvious. (Makes me wonder which one Rolisica would join. I could go either way. – Jimmy)
  • America is mentioned. Stocks.
  • Radio reports of tensions rising between Alliance and Federation. Meanwhile, the family goes about its business. They’re charming and happy.
  • If this was a different movie, the flash in the sky would be an alien ship. (If I had a dollar for every time I confused an ICBM for an alien spaceship, I could buy the Gohten! –Jimmy)
  • The husband says he worked hard and saved after the war to build his “castle” (i.e. middle class lifestyle). This was becoming more common at the time in Japan. Economic Miracle.
  • The daughter, Saeko, says she will find her own happiness. Counter. Fell in love before getting married. Takarada wants to make her happy despite not being rich. Parents more like older generation. Traditional. Oh, wait. Parents weren’t so traditional, actually.
  • The dad says the intelligent people of the world don’t mean much if they don’t care about the “little people.” He can’t believe the gods wouldn’t care.
  • In Japan, children throw balls at spherical piñatas? (Yep. I had one for my ninth birthday while living in Japan as a kid. –Jimmy)
  • There are a lot of families and children in this film.
  • Takarada says the world seems to be at “peace.” Polite way of saying it.
  • 38th line = 38th parallel? Yes. Korea.
  • The Japanese government urges both sides to have 2nd and third meetings after Africa summit dissolves to maintain peace and refrain from nukes. PM is said to have kidney problems.
  • Sakai’s friend says only people with money can relax at this time. He says only a moron would relax. Anyone who knows the alternative (nuclear war, I assume) must work hard for peace.
  • Hard work is venerated in this film. (As it should be. –Jimmy)
  • A black man in a Toho film! Rare sight!
  • The scene where the Federation officer muses about peaceful coexistence is interrupted by an almost comical sign that says, “The Outbreak of War.” He then says, “God, forgive me,” and presses the button. No order was given to fire. He panicked. It’s barely stopped. Short circuit. (Undermined a bit by the acting). (And people say David Perin’s crying was terrible. Just sayin’. –Jimmy)
  • Sometimes the English spoken by Japanese bit actors is hard to understand.
  • Soldiers’ bodies are shown burnt to ashes and blowing in the wind. Small nuke.
  • PM pushes through health issues (hard work).
  • The classroom has a banner with the flags of many nations hung up on doorway.
  • Alliance forces speak English, too. Hmm.
  • Alliance missile base nearly fires nuke because of damage from an avalanche. Alliance officers’ uniforms stained with sweat as they work on warhead. Shows fragility of situation. The soldiers in these bases at the very least don’t want war.
  • News of a ceasefire on 38th parallel comes in. Japanese officials mention a Federation officer confused a meteor for a missile and nearly launched. (If I had a dollar for every time this happened, too…. –Jimmy)
  • Both sides have nukes mounted on fighter planes?! Geez! (Did you forget about the scene in Independence Day where they fired nukes at the alien ship from a stealth bomber? That was in the ‘90s, but it shows it’s possible. It’s still a horrifying thought, though. –Jimmy)
  • Seako and Takarada speak often of how a war would ruin their lives together. The big decisions made by leaders trickle down to the common people and disrupt their lives.
  • PM still believes the world can be saved. Issues statement for peace that is broadcast constantly.
  • We get a traditional crowd fleeing scene like in a kaiju film, but this time they’re trying to flee a war.
  • Suzue’s mother promises nothing will happen to her. Is she lying to protect her daughter? Does she believe that?
  • There’s a shot that pans down from a painting of a crucified Christ to the famous “Scream” to a street filled with decimated cars and debris. Cuckoo clock rings. “Time’s up”? (“The Scream” is an 1893 painting by Edvard Munch. –Jimmy)
  • Teacher reads a story to children about two goats who meet on bridge wanting to cross but refusing to move. They butt heads and almost fall off bridge. One finally says he will duck down and let the other one jump over him. They reach a peaceful agreement. Parallels world politics except neither side is willing to compromise. (Is this a sequel to “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”? –Jimmy)
  • I love the kanji of what Saeko and Takarada talking to each other over Morse code. It’s beautiful.
  • Sakai’s family prepares a fancy meal like it’s New Year’s Day. They didn’t run. Last meal? Kids can eat all they want. They listen to radio reports about what’s happening. Sakai wonders if he was a bad father working a lot. His wife says no.
  • The tulips haven’t sprouted and Saeko says they will survive underground and bloom after they die. Sakai won’t accept that. Idealist to the end. He rails against powers he can’t control and decisions he can’t influence. Powerlessness.
  • The characters all sit around at the end waiting for death.
  • Interestingly, the Diet is the first thing we see be destroyed. (This seems to be a thing in Toho films. It happened in Godzilla 1954, too. –Jimmy)
  • In the end, Takarada’s captain decides they will return to the devastated Tokyo. The attendant muses that humans are a unique irony. They will die with their people.

This is a film whose message is still relevant, especially with everything that’s happening right now. I may not be in America currently, but I see what’s going on. We need more compassion and understanding than ever.

That’s all I have to say on the matter for now.

Anyway, join us next week for part two of “The Summer of Mothra” when Bex from Redeemed Otaku returns for Rebirth of Mothra II. Then Jack “GMan” Hudgens joins us to discuss Gorath later this month.

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

#JimmyFromNASALives
#WeShallOvercome

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Episode 17: ‘The Last War’ (Mini-Analysis)

Hello, kaiju lovers!

Except today’s episode isn’t about giant monsters. Heck, it’s barely about tokusatsu. Nathan is analyzing the criminally underseen 1961 antiwar drama The Last War. While most of the creative team behind the camera aren’t the ones usually followed by kaiju/toku fans, there are several familiar faces in front of the camera: Frankie Sakai (Mothra), Yuriko Hoshi (Mothra vs. Godzilla, etc.), and Akira Takarada (too many to list). This film depicts a middle class Japanese family navigating everyday life interspersed with Japanese government officials and foreign soldiers trying to avoid World War III. It is a perfect snapshot of the Japanese national spirit at that moment in time and, Nathan argues, is the precursor to 1984’s The Return of Godzilla. As part of his analysis, Nathan reads the Bible passage quoted in the film (plus the following two verses that would’ve offered some hope) and a John Bradley poem that would’ve been perfect for the end of the film.

All this plus Nathan opens the mailbag to answer some listener feedback!

This is meant to supplement this episode of Kaijuvision Radio, which featured the fantastic Danny DiManna: Episode 43: The Last War (1961) (NATO) (The North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

I’d like to give a shout-out to our Patreon patrons Travis Alexander (host of Kaiju Weekly), Danny DiManna, and elizilla13! Thanks for your support!

Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.

Please donate to David Marshall and his family on GoFundMe.

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© 2020 Nathan Marchand & Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Episode 9: ‘The Mysterians’ (Mini-Analysis)

Hello, kaiju lovers!

Nathan covers yet another film discussed on his former podcast, Kaijuvision Radio, by Brian Scherschell: Ishiro Honda’s 1957 tokusatsu classic, The Mysterians. While Godzilla (1954) singlehanded created the kaiju and tokusatsu genres, this film arguably ushered in Toho’s “golden age,” which would last for a decade. While Nathan does touch on Moguera, the special effects, and the film’s many influences, the bulk of his analysis is focused on Japan’s relationship with the United Nations, which the nation joined just a year before the film was released. The Mysterians expresses Japan’s—and Honda’s—postwar ideal of “proactive pacifism,” which it saw in the U.N. Throw in a few snarky interruptions from the podcast’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, and a random cameo from a psycho-powered dictator, and it’s a typical Wednesday at The Monster Island Film Vault.

After that, Nathan dumps out the mailbag to read several iTunes reviews and e-mails from listeners.

Speaking of which, be sure to check out the upcoming fan project, 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).

T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY: Everyone who shares the Facebook and Twitter posts for this episode from the podcast’s pages 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 January 22 to January 28 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 39: The Mysterians (1957) (Normalization of Japan-USSR Relations)

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

Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.

(c) 2020 Nathan Marchand & Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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