{"id":668,"date":"2020-10-06T02:07:47","date_gmt":"2020-10-06T06:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/?p=668"},"modified":"2020-10-07T11:42:50","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T15:42:50","slug":"jimmys-notes-on-episode-25-dogora-the-space-monster-feat-michael-the-kaiju-groupie-hamilton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/2020\/10\/06\/jimmys-notes-on-episode-25-dogora-the-space-monster-feat-michael-the-kaiju-groupie-hamilton\/","title":{"rendered":"Jimmy&#8217;s Notes on &#8216;Episode 25: Dogora, the Space Monster (feat. Michael \u201cThe Kaiju Groupie\u201d Hamilton)&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"783\" height=\"327\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/JIMMYS-NOTES.jpg?resize=783%2C327\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/JIMMYS-NOTES.jpg?w=783 783w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/JIMMYS-NOTES.jpg?resize=300%2C125 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/JIMMYS-NOTES.jpg?resize=768%2C321 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 783px) 100vw, 783px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Normally, my notes on mini-sodes\u2014even extended ones\u2014tend to be short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week I earn my paycheck (and the ire of Marchand and \u201cMr. Groupie\u201d) with a list of notes that would make Glen and the rest of my NASA trainers quite proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Five, four, three, two, one\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Liftoff!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>My Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It\u2019s \u201cmark 3\u201d not \u201cmach 3,\u201d Mr. Groupie. Do you have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qDuuRS3YBqQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kilara<\/a> on the brain?<\/li><li>Regardless, I tried to ask the Board which \u201cfriend\u201d I was building the Serpentera Mk. 3 for, and they wouldn\u2019t tell me. I admit I\u2019m a little concerned given that the previous models were used by alien invaders, and I have a history with extraterrestrial invasions.<\/li><li>Mr. Groupie got me swearin\u2019 on the air! I went back to my New York roots!<\/li><li>Yes, the beginning of this film reminds me of being at NASA. And let me tell you, their space monster procedures were abysmal! I blame the bureaucracy.<\/li><li>Mr. Groupie, I\u2019m as nostalgic as the next NASA engineer. We\u2019re by definition geeks, and nostalgia runs deep in geek culture. You know this.<\/li><li>\u201cSpace junk\u201d? You realize how often that joke came up while I was in NASA? Pshaw!<\/li><li>Yeah. That so-called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KaijuPenis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">podcast<\/a>.\u201d \ud83d\ude44<\/li><li>Oh, come on! You can\u2019t put the word \u201cspace\u201d in anything and make me like it. (Okay, maybe \u201cspace dog.\u201d)<\/li><li>The scientific name given the giant bees (besides \u201cDogora deterrent\u201d) by the Japanese scientists here is <em>Kyodai Mitsubachi<\/em>. Security Chief Douglas Gordon, on the other hand, nicknamed one the \u201cQueen B\u2014ch\u2019 (although, I think he stole that from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GasPCO-qSYU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tab Murphy<\/a>).<\/li><li>Yes, I met Cthulhu. I\u2019ve read the right pages of the Necronomicon to know how to deal with him.<\/li><li>Nathan, I\u2019m surprised you didn\u2019t compare Dogora\u2019s weakness to the Martians dying from the common cold in <em>War of the Worlds<\/em>. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media1.tenor.com\/images\/77ea9b4ca5029045ef81c8838d1c13df\/tenor.gif?ssl=1\" alt=\"Star Wars Yoda GIF - StarWars Yoda Sad GIFs\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Yes. I\u2019m an unabashed fanboy for Kumi Mizuno and Nick Adams.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media2.giphy.com\/media\/l0IyhKF1MNYjKSVs4\/giphy.gif?ssl=1\" alt=\"Tom Cruise Deal With It GIF\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I think Nathan and Mr. Groupie were a bit confused. I\u2019d sent feedback for <em>20 Million Miles to Earth<\/em> not <em>Monster Zero<\/em> at the time of this broadcast. I tried to correct them, but they didn\u2019t catch it. (Speaking of which, I did write that <em>Monster Zero <\/em>e-mail for Kaiju Weekly).<\/li><li>Yes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TqirXq39Nkk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Carl Craig<\/a> and I can both speak Japanese. I\u2019m proud of that. Perhaps I should use it more often.<\/li><li>Yeah, Marchand, I\u2019m going to have to give you some laser pistol safety training before I take you to my range again. And yes, you shoot like a Stormtrooper. But sure, Mr. Groupie, I\u2019ll take you to my range next time you\u2019re here.<\/li><li>Oh, I\u2019m serious about that duel, Mr. Groupie. I\u2019ll get it approved with the Board. Perhaps they\u2019ll allow it if our weapons are set to stun. Too bad you backed down<\/li><li>I think you mean \u201cwest coast\u201d not \u201cwest side,\u201d Nathan. Or do you have Russ Tamblyn on the brain?<\/li><li>Yeah\u2026Yakuza friend. I used to know him back in my scouting days. It\u2019s not Masao. Gamera kids would never become Yakuza. Mostly because I think he might eat them if they did.<\/li><li>You called it \u201cDaimajin Strikes Back\u201d again, Marchand!<\/li><li>Yes, the Board likes 100 Grand bars. I tried Reese\u2019s Pieces at first because of a movie I saw in the early \u201880s, but it didn\u2019t work.<\/li><li>It wasn\u2019t easy getting that clause added to your contract, Nathan. That\u2019s how I discovered the Board liked 100 Grand bars.<\/li><li>Nathan eats super-spicy Jelly Belly jellybeans to put up with me.<\/li><li>\u201cLike somebody I know\u201d? Oh yeah. I know all about him. That was the last time I let him near my armed drones.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now for Nathan\u2019s leftover notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Film:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Jimmy has a soft spot for this one because he\u2019s a sucker for space monsters. <em>(And I feel no shame. \u2013Jimmy)<\/em><\/li><li>The opening and credits do remind me a bit of <em>Battle in Outer Space<\/em>.<\/li><li>Komai: Who\u2019s almost the same character in <em>Ghidorah<\/em>.<\/li><li>(Typo in subtitles: \u201cbig jib.\u201d) <em>(They should\u2019ve had me edit it. \u2013Jimmy)<\/em><\/li><li>They were <em>very<\/em> trusting that the truck drivers would see her and not run her over.<\/li><li>Mark Jackson is Herbie\u2019s new driver. <em>(Only because he stole that Love Bug. \u2013Jimmy)<\/em><\/li><li>The references to monsters as if they\u2019re normal lends credence toward this being in the Showa-verse like Danny and I said. <em>(See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5tjNrvIauRI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/2020\/09\/30\/bonus-episode-5-first-anniversary-special\/\">bonus episode<\/a>. \u2013Jimmy)<\/em><\/li><li>\u201cWine delivery\u201d? When was that a thing before InstaCart?<\/li><li>This is the only time I can think of in a Showa Toho film that references ninjas\u2014and it\u2019s by an American! <em>(Of course! Because they\u2019re awesome! \u2013Jimmy)<\/em><\/li><li>The big metal box\u2014is that how you get some of your figures shipped, Michael?<\/li><li>The goon eating the rock candy that isn\u2019t a diamond is trademark Sekizawa.<\/li><li>Oh crap! Dogora sounds like a Matango! Dr. Douriff might try to summon him! <em>(Uh\u2026someone keep every Lovecraft book away from him! \u2013Jimmy)<\/em><\/li><li>I love how Komai casually climbs down the building to the next room.<\/li><li>The old \u201ccrystallographer\u201d is a typical scientist who somehow knows all sciences.<\/li><li>This could almost be an Ultra Q episode.<\/li><li>The Ifukube music during the venom manufacturing montage sounds like what he\u2019d compose for destroying the control device in <em>Destroy All Monsters<\/em>.<\/li><li>Labs around the world work to study and manufacture the wasp venom. Honda\u2019s \u201cbrotherhood of man\u201d theme.<\/li><li>Now we have the <em>Mission: Impossible!<\/em> scene with fuse and trying to get the gun. (A Walther PPK, to boot). Thank God Komai is a decent shot! <em>(Where\u2019s Tom Cruise when you need him? Oh yeah, in the gif above. \ud83d\ude1b \u2013Jimmy)<\/em><\/li><li>There is some real military stock footage in this.<\/li><li>This guy\u2019s obsession with dynamite and throwing sticks of it is hilarious!<\/li><li>And of course, the woman dies clutching a fistful of diamonds. <em>(You sexist! Just kidding, of course. \u2013Jimmy)<\/em><\/li><li>Ever seen <em>ThunderCats<\/em>? There was an episode where it rained rocks like in this.<\/li><li>Spin on Sekizawa\u2019s formula: kaiju doesn\u2019t solve human problem, but solving kaiju problem does solve human problem.<\/li><li>And all the diamonds are fake!<\/li><li>\u201cPeaceful applications\u201d of the tech developed to kill Dogora? Very idealistic. Very Honda.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Honda Biography<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Japanese criminologists call the early 1950s-early 1960s the \u201cperiod of gang wars.\u201d Economic growth led to red light districts where crime thrived. This accounts for the popularity of gangster (<em>yakuza<\/em>) films during this time and why such elements were added to this film and <em>Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster<\/em>.<\/li><li>The authors argue that one could interpret Dogora\u2019s destruction of a TV satellite at the beginning of the film as a commentary on the banality of television or the monster\u2019s appetite for coal a concern over industrial pollution. Even the specter of radioactive isotopes left over from the nuclear bombings. But they say the film doesn\u2019t think much of these.<\/li><li>Jojiro Okami wrote the treatment, which was changed by Honda and Sekizawa, who added cops and robbers. He wasn\u2019t consulted, which was usual.<\/li><li>Robert Dunham\u2019s phrase, \u201cOh, Kami-sama\u201d (\u201cOh, God!\u201d) is a very western use of Japanese.<\/li><li>The original script was much more ambitious, with several \u2018luminous monsters attacking New York and space stations while consuming diamonds and carbon. The Japanese authorities capture one and learn it can be killed with beta rays. Sadly, the film suffered from budget cuts.<\/li><li>It left so little of an impression, actor Natsuki didn\u2019t recall being in it in 1996.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>LeMay<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>TV Guide <\/em>description read on<em> Sanford and Son<\/em>: \u201cA giant coal-sucking jellyfish from space runs afoul of gangsters and is defeated wasp venom.\u201d<\/li><li>\u201cUchu kaiju\u201d = \u201cspace monster\u201d <em>(We knew all about those at NASA. \u2013Jimmy)<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Brothers<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Influenced by the James Bond series (particularly <em>Goldfinger<\/em>)<\/li><li>Fewer deaths, more laughs in these films now.<\/li><li>Argues that the characters are overshadowed by the monsters. Honda\u2019s characters are a \u201cside-element\u201d to the monsters.<\/li><li>The film\u2019s poor box office made Tanaka take this formula further.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Notes on the Yakuza:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\u201cBoryokudan, another word for Yakuza, is considered an insult. It refers to degenerate, violent gangsters with no sense of tradition or honor. This i\u00ads how the Japanese police refer to the Yakuza.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/people.howstuffworks.com\/yakuza.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/people.howstuffworks.com\/yakuza.htm<\/a>)<\/li><li>\u201cMembers are meant to observe strict codes of loyalty, silence, obedience, and the like.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/allthatsinteresting.com\/yakuza-history\/2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/allthatsinteresting.com\/yakuza-history\/2<\/a>)<\/li><li>Unlike in the film, women are marginalized in the Yakuza. Even wives and daughters are mostly servants. Sometimes they\u2019re even used as prostitutes. However, Fumiko Taoka filled the power vacuum left by her husband for several months after he died, making one of the few women to be a boss (and it was for one of the largest gangs in Japan).<\/li><li>The Japanese government has employed them, but details are hazy. When President Eisenhower visited Japan in 1960, he was flanked by Yakuza bodyguards.<\/li><li>The drug trade is quite profitable for them. They run most of the drug traffic in the country, particularly meth. One member said, \u201cOne sure way of making money is drugs: that\u2019s the one thing you can\u2019t get hold of without an underworld connection.\u201d<\/li><li>They also got involved in white-collar crime. \u201cEarly on, the Yakuza\u2019s role in white-collar crime was mostly through something call S\u014dkaiya \u2013 their system for extorting businesses. They would buy enough stock in a company to be able to send their men into stockholder meetings, and there they would terrify and blackmail the companies into doing whatever they wanted.\u201d \u2026 \u201cAt their peak, there were 50 registered companies listed on the Osaka Security Exchange that had deep ties to organized crime.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/allthatsinteresting.com\/yakuza-history\/4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/allthatsinteresting.com\/yakuza-history\/4<\/a>)<\/li><li>They now prefer using these legitimate businesses to make money rather than commit crimes.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That wraps things up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Groupie insisted on driving Serpentera Mk. 3 back to West Virginia. Despite my hesitation, I let him. Thankfully, he didn\u2019t wreck it (although we did have a close call with the Gateway Arch. Stop flying that low, Groupie!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tune in next week when Nathan is joined by Joe and Joy Metter to wrap up the \u201cDaimajin Days\u201d with <em>Daimajin Strikes Again<\/em>. I\u2019m still recovering from injuries I suffered in that episode\u2014but not from Joy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then Mr. Groupie\u2019s partner in crime at Kaiju Weekly, Travis Alexander, joins us for an MIFV Halloween with <em>Frankenstein Conquers the World <\/em>(#Justice4Baragon).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Follow me on Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NasaJimmy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@NasaJimmy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Follow the Board on Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MonsterIslaBOD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@MonsterIslaBOD<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">#JimmyFromNASALives<br>#WeShallOvercome<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Normally, my notes on mini-sodes\u2014even extended ones\u2014tend to be short. Not today! This week I earn my paycheck (and the ire of Marchand and \u201cMr.&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/2020\/10\/06\/jimmys-notes-on-episode-25-dogora-the-space-monster-feat-michael-the-kaiju-groupie-hamilton\/\">Continue Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Jimmy&#8217;s Notes on &#8216;Episode 25: Dogora, the Space Monster (feat. Michael \u201cThe Kaiju Groupie\u201d Hamilton)&#8217;<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":20,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,114],"tags":[562,560,462,19,68,16,566,577,564,15,575,18,79,576,563],"series":[],"class_list":["post-668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-jimmys-notes","tag-dogora","tag-dogora-the-space-monster","tag-hp-lovecraft","tag-jimmy-from-nasa","tag-jimmys-notes-2","tag-kaiju","tag-kaiju-groupie","tag-mark-jackson","tag-michael-hamilton","tag-nathan-marchand","tag-serpentera","tag-the-monster-island-film-vault","tag-toho","tag-tom-cruise","tag-yakuza","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":671,"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668\/revisions\/671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}