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Episode 107: ‘The Amazing Colossal Man’ & ‘War of the Colossal Beast’ | Patreon | Season 4 Finale

Published January 12, 2026
Copyright HAG ©2009

Hello, Kaiju Lovers. Jimmy From NASA here. I’m writing the shownotes for this episode, because, as you’ll hear, Nate had a hard time during this broadcast. In fact, he’s been having a hard time all season; he was just good at hiding it on the air. I wanted to let you know before hearing this. Anyway, Nate discusses a Patreon-sponsored double feature from former (and future?) MIFV MAX member Brad “Batman” Eddleman with The Amazing Colossal Man and War of the Colossal Beast (1957 and 1958, respectively). These Bert I. Gordon movies hold a nostalgic place of honor for Nate, because these were the first episodes of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 he ever saw. The first one, as Nate argues, is better than most people realize, while the sequel…isn’t. But for MSTies, these are controversial movies thanks to the widow of AIP’s co-founder. You’ll learn about these and more in MIFV’s season four finale!

Episode edited by Jesse Blount and Nathan Marchand.

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 and Background: 0:00-8:13
  • Main Discussion – The Amazing Colossal Man: 8:13-28:07
  • Main Discussion – War of the Colossal Beast: 28:07-42:48
  • Ad (Henshin Power V3): 42:48-44:57
  • Outro (listener feedback and housekeeping): 44:57-57:13
  • Credits: 57:13-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives, #MonsterIslandFilmVault, #Podcast, #kaiju, #MIFV, #AmazingColossalMan, #WaroftheColossalBeast, #BertIGordon, #Patreon, #MIFVMAX

© 2025, 2026 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Gamera Saves Christmas | A Belated MIFV Holiday Special

Published January 6, 2026

Susan Murphy is dragged by her anthropologist parents to the Arctic so they can study the Eskimo tribe who introduced the world to Gamera. Susan is angry she will miss her last two years of high school while her younger twin siblings, Shawn and Sharon, love that they live closer to the North Pole and Santa Claus. But Susan won’t have any of this “baby stuff” and berates the twins, who run away. Susan is forced by her father to search for them, and she wrecks her snowmobile in a blizzard. When she awakes, she finds herself in the North Pole, which has the twins, Elves, a talking polar bear, and, yes, Santa Claus. If that wasn’t enough, she and her siblings get caught up with an invasion by Santa’s evil brother, Krampus, who commands an army of Goblins and a kaiju reindeer. Gamera intervenes, but he’s left-for-dead by the monstrous reindeer. Now, Susan and her new friends race against time to revive the Friend to All Children with Santa’s magic Wreath crown. But is the teenage girl’s faith strong enough to save the mighty turtle?

Also features sound effects by My Soothing White Noise.

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.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives, #MonsterIslandFilmVault, #Podcast, #kaiju, #MIFV, #gamera, #giantmonsters, #christmas, #audiodrama, #holidayspecial, #christmasspecial

© 2025. 2026 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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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:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

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

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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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 70th 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!

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.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

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

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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A Review of ‘Kaiju Unleashed’ by Shawn Pryor

Published September 15, 2025

I said on the air when I interviewed Shawn Pryor that I would write a review of his book Kaiju Unleashed for Kaiju United, but then I discovered they’d already published a review. So, I’m instead going to publish my review here. The book will be cited in a future episode of MIFV, so it fits with my decision to write podcast book reviews. However, I’m making this one public since I originally intended to post a public review on KU.

Anyway…

Kaiju Unleashed: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Strange Beasts is a coffee table book chock full of information and images pertaining to tokusatsu’s heaviest hitters and then some. You’ll find chapters dedicated to Godzilla, Kong, Gamera, and Ultraman but also chapters about outliers like Daimajin and kaiju from countries outside of Japan. The information is by no means extensive, as each chapter could easily be expanded into entire books (and in some cases, that’s happened). However, Pryor dedicates pages to information that is rarely mentioned in the fandom, such as listing all the suit actors who’ve played Godzilla (including those in the Godzilla Fes short films) and not just mainstays like Haruo Nakajima and Kenpachiro Satsuma. Pryor aims to make each chapter, as packed as each one is, to be a primer to get readers interested in the media or as a starting point for further research. This is why he includes a bibliography in the back of the book, which gets a thumbs up from this former graduate student.

Surprisingly, Pryor doesn’t stop at movies. He has chapters on prose books and comic books, which are typically ignored in tomes like this. Given that Pryor has extensive experience with comics, it’s no surprise he would include them. It’s in this chapter where I learned the most and discovered a few titles to track down.

Given the wide breadth of Pryor’s research, the book understandably gets some details wrong. These are never egregious, but they may annoy hardcore fans. For example, Pryor casually mentions that 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again, the first sequel to Gojira (1954), was directed by Motoyoshi Oda but later says that 1966’s Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (aka Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster) was the first G-film not directed by Ishiro Honda. A few of the image captions are also incorrect, labeling them from the wrong movies. Given that the primary audience for this book is new fans, it would behoove them to fact check everything they read in this book, but that’s a generally good rule of thumb, anyway.

All that being said, the book’s greatest strength is its presentation. It’s laid out like a magazine with eye-popping colors, multiple sidebars, and text boxes. No two pages look exactly alike, making each page turn a new surprise. The fonts are always legible and the layouts are rarely daunting. The sheer volume of images, which is the biggest sticking point when it comes to licensing, is almost overwhelming. They add even more color and context to what’s being discussed.

Kaiju Unleashed is a great “gateway” to the wide world of kaiju and tokusatsu for new fans, but it may have a surprise or three to offer fandom veterans. Either way, it’s a colorful new addition to any kaiju lover’s bookshelf.

Score: 8/10

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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!

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 x Kaiju Kim x Donny Winter x Autistic Lizard Productions: The Epic G-Fest XXX Megastream!

Published July 23, 2025

And there came a day unlike any other. When your favorite kaiju podcasters and YouTubers found themselves united to discuss G-Fest XXX. On that day became…uh, what’s their team name? Join us for a MASSIVE livestream event that’s going out to multiple YouTube channels! Also features appearances by kaiju authors Neil Riebe and Danile DiManna (Godzilla Novelization Project).

Watch the live video version on the MIFV YouTube channel!

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.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #GFestXXX     #GFest30            #GFest

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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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:

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, 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.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #Reptilicus       #SyFy

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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MIFV Interview Series: Shawn Pryor – Author of Kaiju Unleashed, The Gamer and Power Rangers Comics

Published July 3, 2025

Nathan sits down with a fellow another fellow author! This time it’s the writer of the new book Kaiju Unleashed, Shawn Pryor. Not only did he write this crash course in all things tokusatsu, he’s also created his own toku-inspired comic book, written for Boom Studios’ Power Rangers comics, and written children’s books. We have a lot to talk about!

Watch the original version here: https://youtube.com/live/rVsEXm5XBoM.

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, 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.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #PowerRangers            #BoomStudios

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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