Category: Film Discussion

Episode 106: Gareth Edwards’ ‘Monsters’ (2010) vs. Entertain This! | The Monster Island World Tour

Published December 5, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! Nate and company reach the end of their world tour with a jump across “the Pond” to Mexico, where they cover Gareth Edwards’ cult classic indie film, Monsters (2010). Mitch and Hayden from Entertain This! join him for the first time on MIFV to discuss the little-movie-that-could that got Hollywood’s attention and led to Edwards later directing movies for not one, not two, but three franchises. Those being Godzilla (2014), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and most recently, Jurassic World: Rebirth. Edwards is hands on in this film, “writing,” directing, and even creating the special effects. His secret was using a story that’s set “after the Spielberg movie,” as he said. The Toku Topic veers into potentially controversial territory (and forces Nate to, for the first time ever, mention President Trump on the air) with a brief history of the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Such a wall is a key facet of Monsters‘ world, and it’s a much older issue than you might know.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

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, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, Michael Watson, Sam Allred, and Devin Torrence! Thanks for your support!

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

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

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

Timestamps:

Introduction: 0:00-17:43
Entertaining Info Dump: 17:43-24:33
Toku Talk: 24:33-1:48:40
Ad (Henshin Power V3): 1:48:40-1:50:49
Toku Topic (A Brief History of the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall): 1:50:49-2:35:54
Outro (listener feedback and housekeeping): 2:35:54-2:48:41
Credits: 2:48:41-end

Podcast Social Media:

MIFV Linktree: https://linktr.ee/monsterislandfilmvault
Nate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand
MIFV is a member of PodNation (https://podnation.tv/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 10 tokusatsu podcasts! (https://blog.feedspot.com/tokusatsu_podcasts/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 20 monster podcasts! (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/monster_podcasts/)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives, #MonsterIslandFilmVault, #Podcast, #kaiju, #MIFV, #GarethEdwards, #MonsterIslandWorldTour, #Monsters

Bibliography/Further Reading:

“Brief Legislative History of the Last 50 Years on the U.S.-Mexico Border, A.” Mexico Initiatives. 28 April 2020.
Ebert, Roger. “Monsters should be heard and not seen.” RogerEbert.com. 17 Nov. 2010. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/monsters-2010.
Klein, Christopher. “Everything You Need to Know About the Mexico-United States Border.” History.com. University of Arizona. 17 April 2018. https://mexico.arizona.edu/revista/brief-legislative-history-last-50-years-us-mexico-border, https://www.history.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-mexico-united-states-border.
Lambie, Ryan. “Gareth Edwards interview: on making Monsters, meeting Quentin Tarantino and more.” Den of Geek. 29 Nov. 2010. https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/gareth-edwards-interview-on-making-monsters-meeting-quentin-tarantino-and-more/.
Mendoza, Mary E. “America’s Wall is Bipartisan.” Time. 30 Oct. 2023. https://time.com/6324599/bidens-trump-history-border-wall/.
“Mexico-United States border wall.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico%E2%80%93United_States_border_wall.
“Monsters.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1470827/.
“Monsters (2010 film).” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsters_(2010_film).
Monsters blu-ray special features (released by Magnolia Pictures):
- Audio Commentary with Gareth Edwards, Scoot McNairy, and Whitney Able
- “Behind the Scenes of Monsters”
- “HDNet: A Look at Monsters”
- “Interview with Gareth Edwards”“Monsters: The Edit”
- “New York Comic Con Discussion with Gareth Edwards”
- “Visual Effects”

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Godzilla Day 2025 Special: Ranking the Godzilla Franchise | MIFV MAX #36 (Dec. 2024)

Published November 3, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! To celebrate the end of Big G’s 70^th anniversary on Godzilla Day, I’m publishing an episode of the Patreon-exclusive podcast, MIFV MAX, where I ranked all the Godzilla movies and TV series on a tier list. With Godzilla Minus Zero coming soon, it’s a great way to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly in this incredible franchise. Feel free to leave comments on the YouTube version of this bonus episode or hit MIFV up on the socials to share your agreements and disagreements with my list. What does yours look like?

YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/qiFh9-77QpI?si=dTl6N2DqJDNSJu5A

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

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

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

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

Podcast Social Media:

MIFV Linktree: https://linktr.ee/monsterislandfilmvault
Nate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand
MIFV is a member of PodNation (https://podnation.tv/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 10 tokusatsu podcasts! (https://blog.feedspot.com/tokusatsu_podcasts/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 20 monster podcasts! (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/monster_podcasts/)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives, #MonsterIslandFilmVault, #Podcast, #kaiju, #godzilla, #gojira, #tierlist, #daikaiju, #giantmonster, #MIFV

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Episode 105: ‘Gorgo’ vs. Bex vs. Encyclo | The Monster Island World Tour

Published August 13, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! In this, the penultimate episode of the “Monster Island World Tour,” Nate is joined by MIFV staple (and Jessica’s “bestie”), Becky “Bex” Smith, but this time, she brings her “husbando,” Encyclo, along! They discuss arguably the best (or at least most iconic) British kaiju film, Gorgo, the last of the 1961 European kaiju movies. Why? To pay off a joke that goes all the way back to episode 18! This is the third Eugene Lourie monster film Nate has discussed on the show, so he may have to bent the podcast’s purview to include the fourth and final one. Bex is full of hot takes about the monster suit and special effects, while Nate argues this has the first ever “Kenny” in a kaiju film. That’s just a taste of what they discuss! Since this film takes place partly in Ireland and there are tensions between Ireland and England, the Toku Topic is Anglo-Irish relations.

“Jimmy’s Notes” on this episode COMING SOON!

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

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

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

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

Timestamps:

Introduction: 0:00-27:06
Entertaining Info Dump: 27:06-36:22
Toku Talk (main discussion): 36:22-2:33:20
Podcast Ad – Henshin Power V3: 2:33:20-2:35:30
Toku Topic – A Brief History of Anglo-Irish Relations: 2:35:30-3:12:12
Outro (housekeeping, etc.): 3:12:12-3:28:32
Credits: 3:28:32-end

Podcast Social Media:

MIFV Linktree: https://linktr.ee/monsterislandfilmvault
Nate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand
MIFV is a member of PodNation (https://podnation.tv/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 10 tokusatsu podcasts! (https://blog.feedspot.com/tokusatsu_podcasts/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 20 monster podcasts! (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/monster_podcasts/)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #Gorgo #MonsterIslandWorldTour #kaiju #Britain #England #UnitedKingdom

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Barr, Jason. The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 2016.
Bogue, Mike. Apocalypse Then: American and Japanese Atomic Cinema, 1951-1967. McFarland & Company, Inc., 2017.
Derendorf, Kevin. Kaiju for Hipsters: 101 “Alternative” Giant Monster Movies. Maser Press, 2018.
Gorgo blu-ray special features (VCI Video):
- “Before and After Restoration”
Gorgo blu-ray/4K special features (Vinegar Syndrome):
- “9th Wonder of the World, The.”
- Commentary by Stephen R. Bissette.
- “Gorgo Lives.”
- “Gorgo: Behind-the-Scenes.”
“Gorgo.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054938/.
“Gorgo (film).” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgo_(film).
“Gorgo (1961).” Wikizilla. https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Gorgo_(film).
“Gorgo, Queen of Sparta.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgo,_Queen_of_Sparta.
Schoell, William. Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies. McFarlane & Company, Inc., 2008.
Warren, Bill. Keep Watching the Skies! (Vol. 1). McFarlane & Company, Inc., 2010.

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MIFV MAX #40 (Abridged): ‘Reptisaurus’ (2009) | Ft. Damon Noyes

Published July 16, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! If you’re joining us just after G-Fest, welcome! In this abridged episode of our Patreon-exclusive podcast, you’ll hear Nathan and executive producer/MIFV MAX “prime” member Damon Noyes discuss (or rather, riff) a “pseudo-remake” (and by that, we mean “second cousin twice removed”) of Reptilicus with the 2009 SyFy movie Reptisaurus. It claims to be based on the Charlton comic, which was a Reptilicus comic for two issues, but the $15 CGI creature looks nothing like it. And there’s no alien named Bob. What about Bob?! Instead, we get a cadre of 35-year-old college students, two bumbling soldiers, and Buck Rogers in his living room, er, office. It may look like an Asylum movie and quack like an Asylum movie, but it isn’t an Asylum movie, no matter what Grok may tell you. (Yes, Nathan experimented with X’s AI assistant to research this and had to fact-check the robot). Strap in, Kaiju Lovers!

Join MIFV MAX on Patreon to hear the uncut version and read Nathan’s research notes:

Video: https://www.patreon.com/posts/mifv-max-40-2009-127769823.
Audio: https://www.patreon.com/posts/mifv-max-40-2009-127774227.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

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

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

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

Podcast Social Media:

MIFV Linktree: https://linktr.ee/monsterislandfilmvault
Nate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand
MIFV is a member of PodNation (https://podnation.tv/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 10 tokusatsu podcasts! (https://blog.feedspot.com/tokusatsu_podcasts/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 20 monster podcasts! (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/monster_podcasts/)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #Reptilicus #SyFy

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Monster Conversation: Harryhausen Annual #4 – ‘The Valley of Gwangi’ | MIFV x Kaiju Conversation

Published June 29, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! And Happy Birthday, Ray! Nate and Elijah once again celebrate their birthdays by celebrating Ray Harryhausen’s birthday with another deep dive into the stopmotion master’s filmography: The Valley of Gwangi. This 1969 dinosaur epic combined the monster movie and western at a time when both genres were past their primes. It failed at the box office, but it has since become a cult classic, and it’s no wonder why. Cowboys wrangling dinosaurs, baby! While it aped (pun intended) King Kong (1933), it was Ray’s loving tribute to his mentor, Willis O’Brien, who wanted to make this film two decades earlier. It has some of Ray’s best work but also some underdeveloped characters. Where does it rank in Nate’s and Elijah’s lists of Harryhausen films? Listen to find out!

Additional Music:

“Legends of Warcraft” by PSK
“The Dark Ages” by Phil Rey

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

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

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

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

Timestamps:

Introduction: 0:00-5:46
Production History: 5:46-58:19
Toku Talk (Synopsis and Main Discussion): 58:19-2:50:55
Outro (housekeeping, etc.): 2:50:55-3:00:00
Credits: 3:00:00-end

Podcast Social Media:

MIFV Linktree: https://linktr.ee/monsterislandfilmvault
Nate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand
MIFV is a member of PodNation (https://podnation.tv/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 10 tokusatsu podcasts! (https://blog.feedspot.com/tokusatsu_podcasts/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 20 monster podcasts! (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/monster_podcasts/)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #kaiju #daikaiju #giantmonsters #RayHarryhausen #KaijuConversation #valleyofgwangi

Nathan’s Bibliography/Further Reading:

Brooks, Mike. “The Valley of Gwangi (1969) – Review.” ManaPop. 16 July 2021. https://manapop.com/film/the-valley-of-gwangi-1969-review/.
Harryhausen, Ray and Tony Dalton. Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life. Billboard Books. 2003.
Holborn, Stark. “Review: The Valley of Gwangi (1969).” Stark Holborn. 28 Feb. 2020. https://starkholborn.com/2020/02/28/review-the-valley-of-gwangi-1969/.
Muir, John Kenneth. “The Films of 1969: The Valley of Gwangi.” John Kenneth Muir’s Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV. 14 Feb. 2017. https://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-films-of-1969-valley-of-gwangi.html.
Newsome, Ted. “King of Dynamation: Ray Harryhausen – Part Two of Our Career Profile: From Gulliver to Gwangi.” Imagi-Movies, vol. 2 no. 3. Spring 1995. Pp. 14-28, 61. https://archive.org/details/Imagi-Movies_v02n03_Spring_1995/mode/1up?view=theater.
Valley of Gwangi, The blu-ray. Warner Bros. special features:
- “Gwangi and Vanessa”
- “Return to the Valley”
“Valley of Gwangi, The.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065163/.
“Valley of Gwangi, The.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Valley_of_Gwangi.

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Episode 104: ‘Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla’ (1974) | Ft. Robert Kelly of Record All Monsters | Godzilla Redux

Published June 4, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! This episode marks the final “Godzilla Redux” of season four, and it’s a low-key banger! Robert Kelly, who managed to escape capture by the British police after episode 103, returns to discuss his first G-film, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), and share what Nate says is the most unique take he’s ever heard on this film. Namely, Robert says Godzilla is his friend, because Godzilla’s monstrousness is a virtue in the vein of G.K. Chesterton. No kidding! But it isn’t the only take they discuss—and some are hotter than Big G’s nuclear breath! They get into the so-called “alien apes as Americans allegory,” the history and culture of Okinawa as it relates to this film (which is to that island what Lord of the Rings is to New Zealand), and more! King Caesar’s ghost!

“Jimmy’s Notes” on this episode COMING SOON!

Additional Music:

“キングシーサーKing Caesar’s Theme – Epic Intense Cinematic Remix” by Lilium Music (https://youtu.be/2yX1CMzMLUE?si=1gAvae6hVAAXRnmq)

Buy Robert’s book, Record All Monsters: The Book of the Essays from the Podcast (https://a.co/d/gFq6W2U).

Listen to the Record All Monsters’s episode on Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974): https://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2e20-godzilla-vs-mechagodzilla-with-my-mom-wooo-and-aubrey–51852549.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

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

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

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

Timestamps:

Introduction: 0:00-8:14
Main Discussion: 8:14-2:28:22
Outro (housekeeping, etc.): 2:28:22-2:47:14
Credits: 2:47:14-end

Podcast Social Media:

MIFV Linktree: https://linktr.ee/monsterislandfilmvault
Nate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand
MIFV is a member of PodNation (https://podnation.tv/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 10 tokusatsu podcasts! (https://blog.feedspot.com/tokusatsu_podcasts/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 20 monster podcasts! (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/monster_podcasts/)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #Godzilla #Mechagodzilla #kaiju #Okinawa #GodzillavsMechagodzilla #Toho #GodzillaRedux

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Barr, Jason. The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 2016.
Galbraith IV, Stuart. Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: A Critical Analysis and Filmography of 103 Features Released in the United States, 1950-1992. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 1994.
“Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071565/.
“Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.” Toho Kingdom. https://www.tohokingdom.com/movies/godzilla_vs_mechagodzilla.htm.
“Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_vs._Mechagodzilla.
”Godzilla vs. Mechacgodzilla (1974).” Wikizilla. https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Godzilla_vs._Mechagodzilla.
Kaijuvision Radio, Episode 19: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) (The Reversion of Okinawa: History and Culture) (https://youtu.be/LODiyjrAb68?si=tG7N_cB0Xdu5ZEVo).
Kalat, David. A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series (2^nd edition). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 2017.
Lees, J.D. and Marc Cerasini. The Official Godzilla Compendium. Random House. 1998.
LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies, Volume 1: 1954-1982 (2nd edition).
LeMay, John with Ted Johnson. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films – Mutated Edition.
LeMay, John. Writing Japanese Monsters.
Skipper, Graham. Godzilla: The Official Guide to the King of the Monsters. Welbeck Publishing Group. 2022.

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Episode 103: ‘Konga’ vs. Record All Monsters

Published April 26, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! Nate and Jet move on to jolly ol’ England for the penultimate stop on the Monster Island World Tour, but it’s to discuss the sleaziest of the 1961 European kaiju movies: Konga. Thankfully, Nate is joined by the co-hosts of the podcast Record All Monsters (and…fugitives…?), who un-ironically like this movie. While it’s a King Kong “knockoff,” the studio paid RKO $25,000 for the rights. Not to mention, aside from featuring a giant gorilla (for 15 minutes) who carries humans in his hand, it has almost nothing in common with Kong. But hey, it has Michael Gough (aka Alfred Pennyworth) in it! The Toku Topic, appropriately, is the mad scientist archetype.

“Jimmy’s Notes” on this episode COMING SOON!

Buy Robert’s book, Record All Monsters: The Book of the Essays from the Podcast (https://a.co/d/gFq6W2U).

Listen to the Record All Monsters’s episode on Konga: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/09-konga-mad-scientists-and-the-return-of-giant-monkeys–49864456.

Hollywood Gorilla Men: http://www.hollywoodgorillamen.com/.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

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, Michael Watson, and Sam Allred! Thanks for your support!

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

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

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

Timestamps:

Introduction: 0:00-16:46
Entertaining Info Dump: 16:46-24:37
Toku Talk (main discussion): 24:37-1:45:59
Podcast Ad – Henshin Power V3: 1:45:59-1:48:08
Toku Topic – Mad Scientist Archetype: 1:48:08-2:33:13
Outro (housekeeping, etc.): 2:33:13-2:41:31
Credits: 2:41:31-end

Podcast Social Media:

MIFV Linktree: https://linktr.ee/monsterislandfilmvault
Nate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand
MIFV is a member of PodNation (https://podnation.tv/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 10 tokusatsu podcasts! (https://blog.feedspot.com/tokusatsu_podcasts/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 20 monster podcasts! (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/monster_podcasts/)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #Konga #MonsterIslandWorldTour #kaiju #Britain #England #UnitedKingdom

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Golembiewski, Kate. “How the Term ‘Mad Scientist’ Began and How It Shapes Our World.” Discover Magazine. 3 Oct. 2022. Updated 25 Sept. 2024. https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/how-the-term-mad-scientist-began-and-how-it-shapes-our-world.
LeMay, John. Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island Revisited, Vol. 2: 1961-2021.
LeMay, John. Movie Milestones #4. April 22, 2021.
“Konga.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055058/.
“Konga (film).” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konga_(film).
“Mad Scientist.” TV Tropes. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MadScientist.
“Mad scientist.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_scientist.
“Mad Scientist Archetype.” Know Your Archetypes. https://knowyourarchetypes.com/mad-scientist-archetype/.
“Mad Scientist Stock Character.” Know Your Archetypes. https://knowyourarchetypes.com/mad-scientist-stock-character/.
Morton, Ray. King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon – From Fay Wray to Peter Jackson. Applause Theatre &Cinema Books, 2005.
Nevins, Jess. “Alchemists, Astronomers, and Wild Men: A History of the Mad Scientist, Part One.” Gizmodo. 2 June 2011. https://gizmodo.com/alchemists-astronomers-and-wild-men-a-history-of-the-5805477.
Nevins, Jess. “Organ Theft and the Insanity of Geniuses: A History of Mad Scientists in the Industrial Age.” Gizmodo. 7 June 2011. https://gizmodo.com/organ-theft-and-the-insanity-of-geniuses-a-history-of-30813602.
Romeo, Jess. “The Evolution of the Mad Scientist.” JSTOR Daily. 30 Oct. 2021. https://daily.jstor.org/the-evolution-of-the-mad-scientist/.
Schoell, William. Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies. McFarlane & Company, Inc., 2008.
Stiles, Anne. “Literature in ‘Mind’: H. G. Wells and the Evolution of the Mad Scientist.” Journal of the History of Ideas, Apr., 2009, Vol. 70, No. 2 (Apr., 2009), pp. 317- 339. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40208106.
Warren, Bill. Keep Watching the Skies! (Vol. 1). McFarlane & Company, Inc., 2010.
Windahl, Leah. “Method to the Madness: How to Bring the Mad Scientist Archetype to Delightfully Disturbing Life.” Backstage. 5 June 2024. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/mad-scientist-archetype-explained-77336/.

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Episode 102: ‘Reptilicus’ vs. Damon Noyes

Published April 16, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! This episode was five years in the making for executive producer Damon Noyes—so he talked for five hours! He’s been clamoring for all his favorite podcasts to cover the infamous Danish kaiju movie, Reptilicus (1961/1962), which became something of an icon in spite of itself. But good things come to those who wait, because now Vinegar Syndrome has released a new 4K blu-ray that includes both the American and Danish versions—complete with the notorious “Tilicus” song! Yes, Reptilicus was a pseudo-musical in Denmark! Nate and Damon had so much to get into, including a Toku Topic on biological regeneration, that this now holds the record for longest MIFV episode. This stop on the Monster Island World Tour was so long, your hosts almost missed the rest of a convention for Reptilicus fans in Tivoli Gardens called Repti-Con!

“Jimmy’s Notes” on this episode coming soon!

Watch the short film Damon was in, “Off the Road” (https://youtu.be/PsI_GYOjVu8?si=Nzkr1muzrWZGeiCn).

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

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, Michael Watson, and Sam Allred! Thanks for your support!

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

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

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

Timestamps:

Introduction: 0:00-19:00
Entertaining Info Dump: 19:00-29:29
Toku Talk (main discussion): 29:29-4:02:23
Podcast Ad – Henshin Power V3: 4:02:23-4:04:32
Toku Topic – Biological Regeneration: 4:04:32-4:32:12
Outro (housekeeping, etc.): 4:32:12-4:54:10
Credits: 4:54:10-end

Podcast Social Media:

MIFV Linktree: https://linktr.ee/monsterislandfilmvault
Nate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand
MIFV is a member of PodNation (https://podnation.tv/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 10 tokusatsu podcasts! (https://blog.feedspot.com/tokusatsu_podcasts/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 20 monster podcasts! (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/monster_podcasts/)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #Reptilicus #MonsterIslandWorldTour #kaiju #Denmark

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Barbano, Nicholas. “Reptilicus: A Tale of Two Tails.”
“Blastema.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blastema.
Elchaninov, Andrey, Gennady Sukhikh, and Timur Fatkhudinov. “Evolution of Regeneration in Animals: A Tangled Story.” Front. Ecol. Evol., 4 March 2021. Sec. Evolutionary Developmental Biology. Volume 9 – 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.621686.
King, Ryan S. and Phillip A. Newmark. “The cell biology of regeneration.” J Cell Biol. 2012 Mar 5;196(5):553–562. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201105099.
LeMay, John. Movie Milestones #4. April 22, 2021.
Owen, Dean. Reptilicus. Monarch Books. 1961. Based on the original screenplay by Ib Melchior & Sidney Pink.
Quaglia, Sofia. “How These 4 Animals Can Regenerate and Why Humans Can’t.” Discover: The Magazine. 6 Feb. 2023; updated 15 Feb. 2023. https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/how-these-4-animals-can-regenerate-and-why-humans-cant.
“Regeneration (biology).” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regeneration_(biology).
Reptilicus/Reptisaurus the Terrible #1-8 (comic book). Charlton Comics. 1961.
“Reptilicus.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056405/.
Reptilicus 4K/Blu-ray Special Features by Vinegar Syndrome:
- “Invincible…Indestructible” (with illustrator, film historian, and author Stephen R. Bisstte).
- “Pink Goes West” (interview with filmmaker/historian Jay Jennings).
- “Fifty Million Years Out of Time” (with film historian/producer Robert Parigi and screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner).
- Commentary by Nicholas Barbano and Kim Newman.
Reptilicus: The Screenplay. Edited by Kip Doto.
“Reptilicus.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptilicus.
“Sidney W. Pink.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_W._Pink.
Team, BNO. “Regeneration – Definition, Types, Mechanism, Examples.” 12 April 2024. Biology Notes Online. https://biologynotesonline.com/regeneration-definition-types-mechanism-examples/.
Video Watchdog: The Perfectionist’s Guide to Fantastic Video, No. 96. June 2003.

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Episode 101: ‘Power Rangers Time Force – Clash for Control’ | Ft. Andrew Wynja and Michael Hamilton | Patreon

Published April 4, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers…and welcome, Listeners with Attitude! Nate takes advantage of his short time back on the Island to produce a Patreon-sponsored episode requested by first-time MIFV MAX member Andrew Wynja “The Ninja,” who picked the Power Rangers: Time Force VHS “Clash for Control.” So, naturally, Nate couldn’t do this without his former Power Trip co-host Michael Hamilton. These episodes feature the first appearance of Wynja’s favorite Zord, the amazing mecha-dinosaur Quantasaurus Rex (or Q-Rex), and Nate’s Power Ranger “man crush,” Eric Myers, in an epic time travel adventure. But the reason Wynja chose this VHS edition of the episodes is because this was before they were censored in light of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Tune to hear about this and more! “Time for…Time Force!”

Featuring Andrew Wynja as Frax.

Jimmy’s Notes on this episode COMING SOON!

Additional Music:

“Galaxy Quest (Instrumental) [Main Titles]” by HeavenWraith

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

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, Michael Watson, and Sam Allred! Thanks for your support!

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

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

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

Timestamps:

Introduction: 0:00-11:11
Main Discussion – Production History and More: 11:11-29:00
Main Discussion – Episode 12: “Worlds Apart”: 29:00-49:52
Main Discussion – Episode 13: “The Quantum Quest”: 49:52-1:13:08
Main Discussion – Episode 14: “Clash for Control, Part 1”: 1:13:08-1:43:12
Main Discussion – Episode 15: “Clash for Control, Part 2”: 1:43:12-2:02:58
Outro (housekeeping, etc.): 2:02:58-2:18:12
Credits: 2:18:12-end

Podcast Social Media:

MIFV Linktree: https://linktr.ee/monsterislandfilmvault
Nate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand
MIFV is a member of PodNation (https://podnation.tv/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 10 tokusatsu podcasts! (https://blog.feedspot.com/tokusatsu_podcasts/)
MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 20 monster podcasts! (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/monster_podcasts/)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives #MonsterIslandFilmVault #GodzillaRedux #Godzilla #GodzillaVsMegalon #kaiju

Bibliography/Further Reading:

“Clash for Control.” RangerWiki. https://powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/Clash_for_Control.
“Mirai Sentai Timeranger.” RangerWiki. https://powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/Mirai_Sentai_Timeranger.
“Mirai Sentai Timeranger.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirai_Sentai_Timeranger.
“Power Rangers Time Force.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0256278/.
“Power Rangers Time Force.” RangerWiki. https://powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/Power_Rangers_Time_Force.
“Power Rangers Time Force.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Rangers_Time_Force.
“Power Rangers Time Force: Quantum Ranger Clash for Control.” RangerWiki. https://powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/Power_Rangers_Time_Force:_Quantum_Ranger_Clash_for_Control.
Power Trip, The: A Journey through the Power Rangers Franchise, Episode 10: Power Rangers Time Force. Published May 10, 2022. https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bx24y-1352eb1.
“Quantum Quest, The.” RangerWiki. https://powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/The_Quantum_Quest.
“Worlds Apart.” RangerWiki. https://powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/Worlds_Apart.

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