Uber-Moguera lands in North Korea, and Nate meets a squad of soldiers on the airfield. He gives their Commander documents showing they have authorization to be in the country–but with one sarcastic comment, Nate finds himself on their “most wanted” list and dodging bullets! Can he survive this international incident?
Featuring Nate Chen as the NK Commander.
Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.Henshin Power V3 coming July 10, 2024 (Ultraman Day)!
We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, and Michael Watson! Thanks for your support!
Hello, Kaiju Lovers! The South Korean leg of The Monster Island World Tour comes to an end in this bonus episode with a movie that exemplifies what Korean kaiju cinema did wrong before The Host: War of the God Monsters (aka The Flying Monster). This movie, which was released stateside by SRSCinema, floundered in obscure infamy for years, and with good reason—it stole all of its monster footage from Ultraman! Yep, aside from one life-size prop, there’s nary an original monster in sight. If you thought the stock footage in All Monsters Attack and Gamera: Super Monster was bad, prepare to have those become your new favorite movies! Then Nate answers some listener feedback.
Edited by Christopher Riner with Nathan Marchand.
Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.Henshin Power V3 coming July 10, 2024 (Ultraman Day)!
We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Robert Kidd, Leon Campbell, and Michael Watson! Thanks for your support!
“Korean Kaiju Chaos! Exploring Korea’s Beloved and Obscure Monster Cinema.” Presented by Elijah Thomas and Daniel DiManna. Uploaded by Daikaiju-fanboy. 20 July 2023. https://youtu.be/GS9YjIHsIn8?si=zW6MOTb6aHYZQN8_.
Ron Bonk e-mail interview. Conducted by Nathan Marchand.
Nate finishes his broadcast, but instantly learns it was all a hallucination (what a twist!) perpetrated by a rogue Bug Lady named Psychodelia. She takes him hostage to lure Crystal Lady and Mimo to their location—not to kill her, but to kill Nate! Why? To make Crystal Lady suffer for the death of her sister, the first Bug Lady, Peppermoth! Will Crystal Lady see through Psychodelia’s illusions to save her (pseudo-)brother?
Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.Henshin Power V3 coming July 10, 2024 (Ultraman Day)!
We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, and Michael Watson! Thanks for your support!
Hello, Kaiju Lovers! It’s a full house (“full mecha”?) in today’s Godzilla Redux episode on the infamous but now-popular-to-like G-film, Godzilla vs. Hedorah (aka Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster). Daniel DiManna (Godzilla Novelization Project), Ben Avery (Strangers and Aliens; Welcome to Level 7), and Matt and Gratton of Giant Monster BS all return to discuss the strangest yet arguably most auteur film in the franchise. To say it kicked off the ‘70s G-films with a strange bang would be an understatement. It’s trippy imagery, bizarre monster, and psychedelic pop music all came from the mind of one Yoshimitsu Banno, who despite being rumored for years to have been told he ruined Godzilla, went on to help launch the MonsterVerse. Our panelists unpack that, the film’s subtle-as-a-sledgehammer messages, its co-screenwriter Kaoru Mabuchi/Takeshi Kimura, and much, much more!
We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Robert Kidd, Leon Campbell, and Michael Watson! Thanks for your support!
Barr, Jason. The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters.
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.
Kalat, David. A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series, 2nd Edition.
Lees, J.D. and Marc Cerasini. The Official Godzilla Compendium. Random House. 1998.
LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies, Vol. 1: 1954-1982.
Rhodes, Sean, and Brooke McCorkle. “Chapter 8: “Smog, Sludge, and Hippies: Godzilla vs. Hedorah.” Japan’s Green Monsters: Environmental Commentary in Kaiju Cinema.
Skipper, Graham. Godzilla: The Official Guide to the King of the Monsters.
Having been “military volunteered” during the broadcast, the Omni Viewer’s neat-freak of a dinosaur-lizard-thing sidekick, Snazzy Chapeau, accompanies Jimmy From NASA into the Seoul sewers to bag-and-tag Gwoemul. Shenanigans ensue. Meanwhile, Omni tries to get Nate to open up about what’s got him down in the dumps. It goes about as well as you’d expect.
Sound effects sources from Freesound.org, including those by InspectorJ.
Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.Henshin Power V3 coming July 10, 2024 (Ultraman Day)!
We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, and Michael Watson! Thanks for your support!
We’re fixing to leave South Korea. I’m going to miss this country. The food is great. The people are nice. And it’s where I proposed to my wonderful fiancée! As tumultuous as its history has been since WWII, it’s really come a long way. Hopefully, its kaiju culture will be continue to be centered on its own monsters and not fake ones. Episode 92 (The Host vs. the Omni Viewer) is our last main episode in South Korea, so here are my notes on it.
Nate secretly wants to start a toku politics show. He’s determined to prove to the Daily Wire hosts—especially the other Matt Walsh—that nerd culture is legitimate and not populated entirely by smelly weirdos with no social skills. That’s just 90 percent.
The better question is, who is the Batman and who is the Robin between us, Nate? We all know that answer…Robbie. 😛
It’s a good leader who knows how to delegate. Plus, I’m friends with Sir Lex. We hang out on the same steampunk enthusiast message boards.
At least Lex understands my delicate jerry-rigging. That’s more than I can say for the mechanics back on the Island.
I got on that meme:
Marchand was referring to My Stepmother is an Alien (1988). It was rated PG-13 and starred Dan Aykroyd, Kim Basinger, and Jon Lovitz. Fun fact: a South Korean Baskin-Robbins named an ice cream flavor after this movie, “Mom is an Alien.”
I got caught by the Trope once. I don’t want to talk about it. He’s a weirdo.
For the record, I’d never sell Nate out…or would I?
The species of fish that eats off of sharks’ skin is the remora.
You survive a war (in space) and see if you don’t have ‘Nam, er, Venus flashbacks!
And I do tie half my brain behind my back to make it fair…metaphorically speaking. It’d require too much surgery too often, otherwise.
I got a text from Jessica, and she says she’s not going anywhere near Rita’s wand! “The last thing I need is a giant Baka!” she said.
I’m pretty sure Nate has given population of Seoul before, but it’s estimated as of 2024 to be 10,004,840.
You can’t be a fan when you’re a producer? That’s certainly true in Hollywood.
Let’s not talk about the Mighty Peking Man. It’s still a sore spot for Kaguya.
Up next, we have a huge panel discussion of Godzilla vs. Hedorah (aka Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster) for “Godzilla Redux” with Ben Avery, Daniel DiManna (again), and Matt and Gratton of Giant Monster BS. Who’d have thought this weirdo film would be this popular! Then we wrap up our South Korean coverage with a solo bonus episode on War of the God Monsters (aka The Flying Monster). Then, as Nate nervously mentioned, we go north to catch Pulgasari with Tomi Trembath of Giant-Sized Violence and Transcending Comics. Good thing Sir Lex put my robot back together properly.
Hello, Kaiju Lovers! After several months in Seoul, Nate finally reaches the point where Korean kaiju cinema comes into its own: Bong Joon-ho’s The Host (2006). He’s joined by YouTuber and author Omni Viewer and his “kaiju” sidekick, Snazzy Chapeau, to discuss this momentous film. While it arguably has more in common with Jaws than Godzilla (1954), its effect on Korean culture was as significant as the latter was for Japan and King Kong (1933) was for America. It was inspired by a uniquely Korean issue/experience and catapulted Korean culture and Joon-ho onto the world scene. Speaking of which, the Toku Topic is the true story that is recreated and dramatized in the film: the McFarland Incident. Also, there are periodic reports from Sir Adam Lexington, a friend of Omni’s, as he repairs Uber-Moguera.
We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, and Michael Watson! Thanks for your support!
A tired Nate returns to Uber-Moguera from a film curation trip in Seoul and overhears a conversation between Jimmy and Kaguya. Jimmy sounds uncharacteristically nervous, but not because things have been a little tense between him and his girlfriend the last few months. No, it’s because he pops the question.
Introducing, in her MIFV debut, Rebecca Olivia Hodges as Kaguya.
We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Edwin Gonzalez, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, and Michael Watson! Thanks for your support!
Hello, Kaiju Lovers! This film was popular to hate and now it’s popular to “reevaluate” it: All Monsters Attack (aka Godzilla’s Revenge). Nate is joined by not one but two fellow kaiju authors to unpack this grossly misunderstood G-film: Neil Riebe (who’s practically Nate’s new co-host) and the most-cited man on MIFV, John LeMay. They get into the cultural contexts that birthed this strange kids’ movie (starring the first Godzilla “Kenny”) set in the “real world” and not the “Showa-verse,” including urbanization, industrialization, and latchkey kids, among other things. To say the dub did this film no favors would be an understatement. Unfortunately, John had to leave early during the episode, but fortunately Neil reads a 2005 e-mail he got from a 19-year-old John for a special listener feedback segment. Prepare to have your mind changed about this film!
We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Robert Kidd, Leon Campbell, and Michael Watson! Thanks for your support!
Barr, Jason. The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters.
Brothers, Peter H. Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda.
Commentary by Richard A. Pusateri. All Monsters Attack Classic Media DVD. Published by Sony.
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.
Kalat, David. A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series, 2nd Edition.
LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies, Vol. 1: 1954-1982.
LeMay, John. Writing Giant Monsters.
Osbourne, Randall E. (Ph.D.). “Godzilla as a Parenting Tool.” The Official Godzilla Compendium by J.D. Lees and Marc Cerasini. Random House. 1998.
Rhodes, Sean, and Brooke McCorkle. “Chapter 8: “Smog, Sludge, and Hippies: Godzilla vs. Hedorah.” Japan’s Green Monsters: Environmental Commentary in Kaiju Cinema.
Ryfle, Steve, and Ed Godziszewski. Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa.
Skipper, Graham. Godzilla: The Official Guide to the King of the Monsters.
