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Tag: Becky Smith

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!

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: 0:00-27:06
  • 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:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

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

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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 Season 4 Prelude: “Jailbreak”

Published January 13, 2024

Nate survived another harrowing year on Monster Island, and now it’s time to renegotiate his contract. But he’s shocked to learn that, while he was sleeping, the Island’s security systems failed, allowing multiple kaiju to escape back to their home countries. Even with the Legal Action Team on his case, Nate and Jimmy can’t avoid having the Board mandate that they spend a year chasing down these monsters in Uber-Moguera and return them to the Island. Indignant and obsessive, Nate goes to confront the Island’s “zookeeper,” whom he suspects is on the Board’s payroll—and things don’t go how he expected.

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 Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); executive producer 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, Bex from Redeemed Otaku; Jake Hambrick, Edwin Gonzalez, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), and Jonathan Courtright! 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.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #MonsterIslandWorldTour

© 2023, 2024 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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Episode 59: ‘Mothra’ (1961) | Godzilla Redux | Ft. Becky ‘Bex’ Smith

Published March 9, 2022

Hello, kaiju lovers! Our subseries “Godzilla Redux” continues with what some call Toho screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa’s masterpiece: Mothra (1961). Becky “Bex” Smith of the Redeemed Otaku podcast joins Nate to discuss this film—because apparently Nate can’t talk about a Mothra film without her. While Bex seems weirdly obsesses over the genus names of insects, Nate regales her with kaiju-sized info bombs related to the making of the film, the historical backdrop against which it was made (controversial treaty renewals with the U.S.), and the often crazy interpretations academics and critics have of the film (blackface, anyone?). That’s just some of what you’ll learn about this kaiju classic!

Beforehand, Nate meets with his pseudo-sister, the semi-secret magical girl Jessica, who’s just been promoted to director of tourism on the Island. They discuss her new job and awkwardly talk about her seeming crush on Legal Action Team paralegal, Gary. After the broadcast, though, Nate and company discover “Bex” isn’t who she appears to be—and Crystal Lady has to get involved.

This episode’s prologue and epilogue, “Bexy a Traitor?! The Church of Mothrianity Attacks!”, was written by Nathan Marchand with Becky Smith and Daniel DiManna.

Guest stars:

  • Sarah Marchand as Jessica Shaw/Crystal Lady
  • Becky Smith as Peppermoth
  • Daniel DiManna as “Old Janitor”
  • Damon Noyes as Motte-Priester Herzog Jerry Nachtfalter
  • Hoshiko as Luna

Additional music:

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org, including those by InspectorJ.

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:

  • Prologue: 0:00-4:57
  • Intro: 4:57-11:31
  • Main Discussion: 11:31-1:34:57
  • Housekeeping & Outro: 1:34:57-1:46:01
  • Epilogue: 1:46:01-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault       #GodzillaRedux          #Mothra

© 2022 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

  • Barr, Jason. The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters.
  • Commentary on Mothra by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski (Mill Creek blu-ray).
  • 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.
  • Kaijuvision Radio, Episode 7: Mothra (1961) (Renewal of the US-Japan Security Treaty in 1960)
  • Kalat, David. A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series, 2nd Edition.
  • LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies Volume 1: 1954-1982.
  • LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films (Mutated Edition).
  • LeMay, John. Writing Giant Monsters.
  • Ryfle, Steve, and Ed Godziszewski. Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa.
  • Rhodes, Sean, and Brooke McCorkle. “Chapter 4: “Mothra, Marx, Mother Nature.” Japan’s Green Monsters: Environmental Commentary in Kaiju Cinema.

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