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Episode 14 – Dallas Mora vs. ‘Kong: Skull Island’

Published April 8, 2020

Hello, kaiju lovers!

We’ve finally reached the MonsterVerse! After surviving in the wilds of Monster Island for two months, Dallas Mora from Geek Devotions joins Nathan to discuss the Eighth Wonder’s latest cinematic adventure, Kong: Skull Island. This pulpy adventure movie directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts took Kong in a whole new direction, dropping his lovesickness and making him a benevolent but savage protector. Nathan and Dallas dive headlong into the film’s rich backstory as explored in its comic book prequel, Skull Island: The Birth of Kong; discuss the colorful cast of characters played by a troupe of Marvel movie actors; and realize that Kong is the Batman of the MonsterVerse. The Toku Topic is the end of the Vietnam War, which leads to a poignant discussion that touches on pacifism, “just war” theory, and the treatment of war veterans (like the podcast’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA).

A quick note: Due to Godzilla vs. Kong’s release being delayed to November, we’ll be taking a detour from the “Kong Quest” (ba-dum-ching) until then by covering films featuring other “kaiju kings.” Listen to find out who’s first!

Check out Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.

Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-5:08
Entertaining Info Dump: 5:08-13:13
Toku Talk: 13:13-1:13:14
Toku Topic: 1:13:14-2:02:20
Outro: 2:02:20-end

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Bonus Episode #1: Jimmy From NASA Presents ‘Space Kong’

Published April 1, 2020

Hey, guys!

The Vault is now under new management—Jimmy From NASA! Yes, after starting a betting pool during Nathan’s livestream of Override: Mech City Brawl Friday night and cleaning out the Monster Island Board of Directors, Jimmy became the new host of the podcast but kept Nathan on as his producer. Nathan is still a bit sore about that, as you’ll hear, but Jimmy is sure he’ll get over it.

For his first episode, Jimmy is discussing his favorite unmade Kong film: “Space Kong.” This was a wild idea that came about in the 1960s while Merian C. Cooper was corresponding with comic book publisher Western/Gold Key Comics to produce a comic adaptation of original film and a sequel. This would’ve featured the children of the original characters and Carl Denham still young from finding the Fountain of Youth. Cooper suggested setting it on another planet with “King Kong reincarnated.” While Jimmy first learned of this lost project through a book written by his (first) flame war nemesis, John LeMay, he showed up that know-it-all by buying Cooper’s long lost story treatment for this proposed film on eBay using his newfound wealth. Be the first to hear about it in today’s episode!

Here’s Nathan’s transcript of Episode 14.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 12: Daniel DiManna vs. King Kong (2005)’

Published March 18, 2020

All right, this blog, like last week’s episode on King Kong 2005, wants to be as long as that film. Thanks to contractual obligations, I have to include all of Marchand’s unused notes, which he split between his computer and a legal pad for whatever reason this time. I am suddenly more appreciative of the glorious invention that is copy and paste.

Let’s get this over with, shall we?

My Notes:

  • Yes, I borrowed Dr. Aoki’s pteronadon bot without permission. I don’t think he’s missed it yet. So, unless he gets transfer to Monster Island, I don’t think it’ll be a problem. As for flying Danny here on it, well, I couldn’t resist taking it for a test flight. I now know how to improve on the thing’s admittedly goofy design.
  • I dare you to tell me you don’t like sand, DiManna!
  • I am fine with Daniel calling me “Jimbo”…for now. (Yes, I’m being flippant).
  • Nice job catching me before I corrected you, Marchand.
  • Actually, Danny, the dinosaur Kong fights in the original isn’t a Rex. It’s closer to an Allosaurus. It’s just called a “meat-eater” in the novelization.
  • Actually, Danny, I don’t think gorillas—even Kong—qualify as predators. At least in this film. Normal gorillas are vegetarians, but some do eat insects. Kong in this film was never seen eating meat. Therefore, he doesn’t qualify as a predator.
  • Jackson himself didn’t say he treated this like filming on Skull Island itself in the 1930s. That was a crewmember. Watch that $5 blu-ray again.
  • Mothra’s not a butterfly, Daniel! Her species is obvious! (Or was that a joke? I’ll forgive a joke. 😛 ).
  • I can neither confirm nor deny that I am the Jimmy in this film. And yes, like the Doctor, I will explain later. Maybe.
  • There were more than just the two crewmembers who survived in the 1933 King Kong, Daniel.
  • King Kong (1976) is two hours and 14 minutes long. Over one hour shorter.
  • “I had saw it on the big screen”? Verb tenses, Danny! I expect better from a writer. 😛
  • Here’s the Roger Ebert review Nathan brought up (and yes, you misremembered what he said). Here’s the video review.
  • They aren’t T-Rexes, Nathan. They’re V-Rexes. Both of you got it wrong!
  • “PJ’s version”? Danny is on initials terms with Peter Jackson? I doubt it. 😛
  • It wasn’t trailers but one of Peter Jackson’s video diaries on www.kongisking.net where he announced back-to-back sequels to the film. They were Son of Kong and King Kong: Into the Wolf’s Lair. And I agree: they would’ve been amazing! You can watch it here with a fan edit trailer. Sadly, it includes a stupid clip from the stupid Date Movie. Ugh!
  • You got your Bugs Bunny cartoons mixed up, Danny. The one you were thinking of was “What’s Up Doc?” not “Show Biz Bugs” (which you called “Show Biz Bunny”). The latter is about a jealous Daffy Duck trying to upstage Bugs on stage.
  • My whole backstory will be in my tell-all book, War in Space: The Jimmy From NASA Story. 😛
  • My international man of mystery Schick gets me more luck the ladies more than you have, Marchand! 😛
  • I’m happy to say, as promised in this episode, I am now one of Danny’s patrons on Patreon—and I used Nathan’s debit card to do it! 😛
  • The sexist essay Nathan was referring to (and forgot to include in the show notes) was “The Myth Goes Downward: The Infantilization, Electrification, Mechanization, and General Diminishment of King Kong” by Paul Di Filippo. It’s from the book Kong Unbound: The Cultural Impact, Pop Mythos, and Scientific Plausibility of a Cinematic Legend.

Nathan’s Unused Notes – Blu-Ray Special Features:

  • Jackson saw King Kong 1933 as a kid in 1970. It inspired his love of science fiction and fantasy and his desire to be a filmmaker. He made super 8 films and stop motion. There’s lots of SFX in his films because he was a “frustrated special effects guy.” Solitary. (-Sounds like me, except I work on robots and mecha. –Jimmy)
  • Universal approached him in 1995 to remake either Kong or The Creature from the Black Lagoon.
  • The first script was closer in tone to The Mummy (1999).
  • Work was done in 1996 by Weta using lots of practical effects.
  • Jackson and his crew visited the Empire State Building, and he signed his name on the peak.
  • The film wasn’t storyboarded. It was all pre-viz. No finished script at the time it started.
  • It had more miniatures than The Lord of the Rings.
  • Started with T-Rex fight like the original film as proof of concept.
  • Naomi Watts had to learn how to dance. Jamie Bell (Jimmy) had danced since age 6. (So…I can neither confirm nor deny that I, too, can dance. –Jimmy)
  • Jack Black tapped into his inner-Denham by using an old camera to make short films. Boxer and criminal.
  • First shot filmed was when Ann arrives at dock.
  • The boat bought for the production had fish in it that had to be shipped out.
  • Jackson got seasick, so he shot on sets.
  • Jackson says the natives aren’t based on a particular civilization but are an amalgam of several from that time. They use their hair to make clothing. The actors came from Polynesia, Cambodia, etc.
  • The dinosaurs weren’t paleontologically accurate but stylized and more evolved. The V-Rexes were a family (mother, father, juvenile). Some like the Wetasaur were made up.
  • They used a massive computer system to from LOTR to make CGI extras. They don’t fight like Orcs but walk like New Yorkers—any differences? jokes Jackson.
  • Weta wrote a new program called Building Bot to create missing buildings in NYC cityscape.
  • The real Empire State Building took 14 months to construct. The digital version took 18 months. Irony. (Digital construction is harder than real construction. I should know. I worked at NASA. –Jimmy)
  • Peter Jackson, Rick Baker, Frank Darabont, and other famous people attached to Kong flew the airplanes that attacked Kong as a nod to Schoedsack and Cooper doing that in the 1933 original. Jackson even shaved his trademark beard! (I’m not even sure that was Jackson. Like Jonathan Frakes as Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, he looks like a completely different person. Maybe he was dubbed over by the real Jackson? 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Kong is a misunderstood monster. Weta watched Charles Laughton in The Hunchback of Notre Dame for inspiration.
  • They made him a punch-drunk boxer and mountain man. They used an albino gorilla at a zoo for inspiration. (Can you say, “Kiko”? –Jimmy). His broken jaw was modeled after an inbred pug named Monster. It was toned down later (as you’ll notice in the first trailer). He was redesigned after the first trailer.
  • The final reference used for Kong was Umagami the ape from an IMAX film. The filmmakers ultimately decided he should look like a real gorilla.
  • Gorillas beat chests with open cupped hands while movie gorillas use fists. They compromised by having hands between open and clenched.
  • Some mocap was dropped, but Serkis was used as reference.
  • Jackson said this was always the film he wanted to make.

Nathan’s Unused Notes – The Film:

  • The opening credits are like original.
  • Opens with apes and monkeys in zoo next to a Hooverville. Then we go to Vaudeville clips. Cuts between that and images of Depression. Alcohol bottles smashed. Prohibition.
  • Naomi Watts’ costume looks just like Fay Wray’s.
  • I never knew there were that many nicknames for breasts in the ‘30s.
  • “Universal is desperate for stock footage!” (4th wall)
  • Maybe it’s the writer in me, but I like that Jack Driscoll is a playwright in this. “If you really loved it, you would’ve jumped” (Denham to Jack).
  • Jimmy?! Is that my producer?! Stowed away. Found in hold 4 years ago. Arm broken in two places. Wouldn’t say where he came from. He’s a prankster. Defaces Baxter’s posters. Jimmy can dance!
  • Live animals in cage sign on Jack’s cage. Symbolic?
  • Was it necessary to have the typing of Skull Island be in slo-mo?
  • Ann and Jack’s relationship gets more development in this than original. All the characters get more development. Helps that it’s 3 hours long!
  • Sure, hold the important map over the edge of the ship! Yep! There it goes!
  • Is it just me or did the rock the Venture bumps into at 51 minutes look like a huge face? One definitely does later.
  • Of course there are skulls on Skull Island.
  • Jackson is a little overly fond of scary slo-mo in this film.
  • Ann screams and then Kong roars. Appropriate.
  • The wall and natives definitely remind me of LOTR. There’s a chasm as well as a wall. That helps explain how the creatures are kept out.
  • Triceratops’ twitching tail homage to original?
  • I love that Lumpy tries to kill a bug with a frying pan. Then he shoots them.
  • “There’s only one creature capable of leaving a footprint that size…and that’s me!” (Lumpy)
  • “Nobody’s gonna think these are fake”(4th wall).
  • These raptors are crazy. Going after prey that huge?!
  • Wilhelm scream!
  • Preston looks like he’s heard this speech many times.
  • “I’m just an actor with a gun who’s lost his motivation” (4th wall).
  • We see Kong eating plants like a real gorilla.
  • Kong blocks Ann’s way like in ’76.
  • Running around barefoot in a jungle must be tearing up her feet.
  • Water scorpions? Man, everything on this island is crazy aggressive.
  • And Denham becomes a snuff filmmaker.
  • Not all CGI. Some practical creature effects.
  • Kong does pick up a man: Hayes.
  • The iconic log scene recreated. Tries to account for surviving fall by having it get caught on vines.
  • It’s hard not to invite Jurassic Park comparisons.
  • Quietest. V-Rex. Ever!
  • I love that Kong stands with one foot on V-Rex when he beats his chest.
  • The shot of Jack and Ann running through the jungle looks just like ’33.
  • The Broadway sign looks just like ’33.
  • “The Beast”: a working title for ’33.
  • “Kong’s unfailing ability to destroy the things he loves.”
  • Kong starts grabbing every blonde he sees. From the real jungle to the urban/concrete jungle.
  • The trolley attack references the train attack in ’33.
  • The military attacking Kong makes me think of a Japanese kaiju film.
  • Wow. The biplanes deploy without anyone talking about it. Dang!
  • I wonder which cameos were in the planes Kong destroyed?
  • Now the pilots see Ann. They only almost killed her once.
  • The soldiers pose and smile over Kong’s corpse. Sensationalize.

Nathan’s Unused Notes – King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon by Ray Morton:

  • Robert Zemeckis would’ve been the executive on Jackson’s 1997 script for Kong if it was filmed.
  • The Frighteners poor performance shook Universal’s confidence in Jackson.
  • Jack Driscoll was modeled after Arthur Miller (All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, A View from the Bridge).
  • Jackson sought to combine elements of Cooper’s beastly Kong with de Laurentiis’s more romantic Kong. Saw him as a battle-hardened silverback. He told the Los Angles times he saw Kong as “a very old gorilla [that has] never felt a single bit of empathy for another living creature during his long…brutal life.” Kong intended to kill Ann, “and then he slowly moves away from that and it comes full circle.”

Nathan’s Unused Notes – “King Kong’s Melancholly” by Cynthia Erb:

  • Jackson called Universal’s cancelation of his original Kong script “the blackest day in my entire career.”
  • Argues that Jackson’s Kong is melancholy and shifts the emphasis from horror to mood and tears because Watts’ Ann cries more than she screams.
  • Argues that the extended cut frames Kong as an invader and presents the U.S. as “a bullying global entity at a stage of late empire” a la Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
  • Says Jackson’s Kong reframes history through a modern lens (9/11 allegory).
  • Uses the “Depression” to set a mood of “depression.” Focused on objects, which leads to melancholy. Watts’ Ann is earthy, hungry.
  • This Ann is less afraid of predatory men than of being put into a “standardized role.” An indication of modernity. She gets up to leave when Denham wonders if she’d fit in a size four dress.
  • Says Black’s manic Denham makes him a character type called an intriguer or schemer, which also characterized Shakespeare’s Iago in Othello. This forms a “dyadic relationship” with the depressive Kong.
  • Argues that Jackson’s Kong is driven not by a sex drive but by a “death drive.” Jacqueline Rose: “The death drive is identified by Freud in the moment when the child seeks to master absence by staging the recall of the lost object, but finds it can only do so by first making the object disappear. This allows the child to achieve its aim only by repeating the very moment it is designed to avoid.” Compares Kong to Norman Bates in Psycho. Compulsive repetition.  
  • The Manhattanites and Islanders are paralleled in that both are shown to survivors in a harsh environment.
  • Argues that the overzealous soldiers attacking Kong in Central Park, seeing him as an invader and New York as “sacred ground,” is an allegory for 9/11. Argues that this goes further with the skeletal Empire State Building in the morning, which parallels Art Spiegelman’s 9/11 memoir In the Shadow of No Towers. Kong seemingly mouthing “beautiful” on top of the structure recalls how American towers were seen as “utopian gestures…transcendental, sky-catching, awesome” (Mark Kingwell).
https://gfycat.com/flatwhichaustralianfurseal

Well, I’m glad that’s done. If you read the whole thing, congrats!

Join us next week for a (hopefully) much shorter episode on another epic: the 1959 Toho classic The Three Treasures, starring Toshiro Mifune. Then the “Kong Quest” enters the MonsterVerse with Kong: Skull Island in April with Dallas Mora of Geek Devotions as the guest host.

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy
#JimmyFromNASALives
#WeShallOvercome

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Episode 12: Daniel DiManna vs. ‘King Kong’ (2005)

Published March 11, 2020

Hello, kaiju lovers!

It’s an epic episode for an epic movie! No, not that stupid parody film. Nathan is joined by Daniel DiManna, the creator and author of The Godzilla Novelization Project, to discuss Peter Jackson HUGE 2005 remake of King Kong. (Although, Danny had to survive a harrowing trip to Monster Island with the podcast’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, and a certain robot dinosaur to do so). Only Peter Jackson, who was fresh off of The Lord of the Rings, could’ve made a three hour film about a giant monkey, er, ape. Nathan and Danny do a deep dive into the film’s characters, themes, and story while struggling not to get Jack Driscoll and Jack Black confused. They freely admit this is the one giant monster movie that makes them cry. They also learn that the young man named Jimmy in this film may or may not be the podcast’s producer. (Confused? Join the club). The Toku Topic is vaudeville since Ann Darrow in this film is a vaudeville performer before getting work on Carl Denham’s movie.

Nathan promises to not make a habit of producing episodes that cross what Danny calls “the Kurosawa threshold.” 😛

Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-6:08
Entertaining Info Dump: 6:08-15:29
Toku Talk: 15:29-1:55:52
Toku Topic: 1:55:52-2:29:43
Outro: 2:29:43-end

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 10: John LeMay vs. King Kong Lives’

Published February 19, 2020

Last week’s episode on King Kong Lives was certainly an interesting one. It was both informative and entertaining. Nathan “survived” in true Mystery Science Theatre 3000 fashion while John LeMay made a valiant defense of the movie. I did not pipe in as much because, as listeners will remember, John and I had a spat when I refused to show him my garage. I did not get a chance to explain it was because I needed to make sure it was clean and safe for visitors. That was all.

Anyway, here are my notes on the episode:

  • I did not want to disappoint you on the air, John, but I am actually a natural brunette. I dye my hair red. In other words, I still have a soul. Or did I lose it when I dyed my hair?
  • Here’s the Siskel and Ebert review of King Kong Lives.
  • About those so-called “magic artificial hearts”: The Island’s Board of Directors acquired Dr. Amy Franklin’s design and attempted to improve upon it. I can neither confirm nor deny that experiments may have been conducted on kaiju that aren’t as big a draw for Tourists….
  • Here are two articles with great info on artificial hearts: “7 Things You Should Know about Artificial Hearts” and the Wikipedia entry on them.
  • Baby Kong was played by seven-year-old Benjamin Kechley. And yes, I think he should have bragging rights for life.
  • Surprisingly, Nathan was wrong about the Superman film John was talking about. (He is as obsessed with superheroes as he is kaiju. God help me when he takes a deep dive into Ultraman…). It was Superman II from 1980 that had the Eiffel Tower scene, which did involve terrorists with hostages and a bomb. You can watch it here and here.
  • I have a plenty of material to do a War in Space panel at G-Fest, John. I mean, I lived it. And miraculously survived it. But like Nathan said, someone has to take care of the studio while he is gone, and we are more or less a two-man operation. Maybe I will get some time off when the film’s 45th anniversary rolls around….
  • Here’s a link to the Godziban playlist on the official Toho Godzilla YouTube channel. It is the show Nathan and John mention briefly where Godzilla Junior and Minya get along. I cannot vouch for its accuracy.
  • John is both right and wrong about the dinosaur fights in the Lovelace novelization. Kong does fight a triceratops—several, in fact—but he later he also fights a “meat-eater” dinosaur, which may or may not have been a T-Rex. There is some debate over it.
  • It’s “Monsterverse” not “Godzilla universe,” John. 😛
  • Here’s the Subway commercial that was mentioned by John.
  • The confusing things about Kong: King of Skull Island is there appears to be two of them. Maybe? Here is this on Amazon (and Wikizilla), but there’s also a Kickstarter for an illustrated version in 2018. I am guessing the latter is what sparked the lawsuit they mention.
  • The person John could not remember who pitched Skull Island: Blood of the Kong with Neil Marshall was Simon Uttley.
  • The Kong Netflix series is Kong: King of the Apes. It is a children’s series and currently has two seasons. Here is a link to its official page.

Here are the many notes Nathan did not get to during the episode. Admittedly, some of them are riffs that require context not given in the note. Basically, watch the film chronologically (if you dare!) and you may be able to find what he is talking about. So, buckle up because there is a lot.

  • They edited in different roars for the flashback. Not as good.
  • I wonder how much Bridges and Lange were paid for that stock footage?
  • Music courtesy of John Williams’ leftovers.
  • How is Kong not a furry mound of jelly?
  • Admittedly, this continuous opening shot for the credits isn’t bad.
  • We see Lady Kong in less than 8 minutes. (Kong meets a female of his species and suddenly forgets about blondes?) (Mrs. Kong theory from episode 4).
  • “Can you hear me now?” Verizon, anyone?
  • “I’m in love with a gorilla!”
  • Disneyland? Why not Universal Studios?
  • “The only living ape.” Because all the normal-sized ones have died out in ten years?
  • “I left a trail of bananas.” Don’t make fun of yourself, movie. That’s my job!
  • As usual, Kong breaks his chains of captivity.
  • Did those apes just have a love at first sight moment?
  • Yeah, the dozers will stop him.
  • “They’ll need a doctor after they get a whiff of this gas.” I never should’ve eaten that breakfast burrito!
  • The action hero trope: the big bad male hero can take a beating and not flinch, but he winces when a woman tends his wounds. Nice job, Kong.
  • Are those natives on Kong’s Island burnt out drunks like Jack said? Would they let outsiders build a reserve then?
  • Welcome to Movie Land, where people fall in love and make out at the drop of a hat. Justification: This is what primates do.
  • Oh no! The flamethrowers return! How is Kong not PTSD-ing right now?
  • There’s a torrential downpour, but the sun is out.
  • There are a lot of pop culture references in this. Indiana Jones. Deliverance. Juicy Fruit.
  • You’re telling me none of the doctors the military brought in figured out Lady Kong was pregnant?
  • There are points this feels more like a post-1976 King Kong knockoff than an actual Kong film.
  • Don’t you guys know that Kong hates flashbulbs?
  • “Well, Kong, you’ve killed now. Nothing will stop them from killing you now.” Did you miss the first movie?
  • Kong is a tactician. He throws pocket sand at the military before attacking. 😛 (“Pocket sand!” -Dale from King of the Hill).

These are Nathan’s leftover notes from King Kong: History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton:

  • De Laurentiis wanted to do a sequel from get-go. At one point even discussed a Frankenstein-like idea with Semple.
  • Sequel never manifested because De Laurentiis was either disappointed it didn’t out-gross Jaws or because he didn’t want to have to deal with Universal.
  • In the ensuing years, he bought Embassy Pictures and made it into his own studio, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG).
  • John Guillermin returned as director. Both he and De Laurentiis had lost sons in the intervening years, so their relationship had mellowed.
  • Carlo Rambaldi was brought back on for the special effects. He’d won several Oscars for his work since 1976.
  • Despite not liking the script, Brian Kerwin took the role because he was offered lots and money and he was the lead. He said later that monkey was the lead and he was set dressing. He also wanted to be picked up by Kong.
  • New suit actors were brought in, both male. Kong’s hair was Icelandic yak fur.
  • They tried to make Kong ’86 look like Kong ’76, but it didn’t quite work. The former is brown and the latter black. Face was different with more expressive mask.
  • Kong’s biological heart is a replica of a real gorilla heart. The artificial heart is a fantasy creation. Kerwin considered making it into a coffee table.
  • Ran into budget problems because DEG was hit hard by new tax laws. Some sequences were trimmed or eliminated. It wasn’t filmed in Brazil and Jamaica and instead was filmed in Tennessee and Wilmington.
  • All the fake blood in the Kong transplant scene made an extra pass out.
  • Kerwin read all 22 Travis McGee novels in his downtime. One actor directed community theatre!
  • Kerwin said de Laurentiis was “braggadocious and stingy.”
  • Guillermin was mellower but often still intense.
  • Hamilton was in a bad mood all the time according to Kerwin.
  • Baker refused to come back due to unreasonable conditions and the Oscars dustup, so it went to Peter Elliott, an acrobat and veteran costume performer. He did ape choreography in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan. His friend George Yiasomi played Lady Kong, but a “Greek guy” was brought in to do the close-ups of her eyes.
  • The actors played the apes like animals around each other and more human-like around humans. Elliot based his performance on James Dean! (Indiana connection!)
  • The courtship scene was over-the-top but Elliott based their actions on real apes but performed it in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
  • No Oscars noms, but Rambaldi was nominated for a Razzie for worst visual effects.
  • De Laurentiis thought the film was a mistake.

Here are the livetweets from Nathan’s author Twitter that he did not mention:

  • “You’ve got Indiana Jones.” Now there’s a crossover I’d love to see! Now there is a crossover I’d watch in a heartbeat! Pun intended. #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • “Lady Kong”? Is it because “Queen Kong” was taken in a slightly better movie?
  • These doctors are performing surgery with giant egg beaters? #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • Let’s spend millions of dollars to resurrect the rampaging monster who killed dozens of people and cost millions and property damage. This can only ending [in] good. #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • That’s not an artificial hard—it’s a submarine! Makes me wish this was a crossover between #KingKong and Fantastic Voyage. #KingKongLives
  • “#KingKong, you just came back from the dead! What are you going to do next?“ “Get laid.” That must’ve been one heck of a wet dream he was having for 10 years.
  • You know your sequel is in trouble when the flashback to the mediocre remake has the best special-effects.#KingKong #KingKongLives
  • “The other monkeys going ape $&@#!” [L]eave the bad puns to me, movie.#KingKong #KingKongLives
  • #KingKong and Lady Kong: Still a better love story than #Twilight. #KingKongLives
  • Lady Kong is scared of (normal-sized) snakes. Of course. #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • If all it took to get a girlfriend was dying and being resurrected, I have tried it a long time ago. #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • “Bring in the Big Bird!” Hey, it’s not yellow and teaching me to count! #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • It was a lack of protein killed the beast. And no wonder: he keeps eating rubber gators.
  • When you howl at the moon, sometimes the moon howls back.#KingKong #KingKongLives
  • Please, sir, I want some more stomach blows. #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • #KingKong almost became a slasher movie villain by killing some horny teenagers. All he was missing was a knife and a huge hockey mask. Yet another amusing crossover: King Kong and Friday the 13th. #KingKongLives
  • #KingKong: Defeated by rednecks. I was an icon once. #KingKongLives
  • “My dad’s gonna kill me! We didn’t switch to Geico and add giant monkey insurance!“ #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • Lt. Cola? Is that soda for soldiers? I guess if #Godzilla endorses Dr. Pepper, Kong should get something. #KingKong #KingKongLives (Lt. Col. A. Nevitt). Haha!
  • Kong: I ate red(neck) meat! I’m not afraid to eat white (guy) meat! #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • #KingKong just crashed a hoedown. Now I’ve seen everything. #KingKongLives
  • Is this general play[ed] by our young Don Frye? Is he Captain Gordon’s grandpa? #KingKong #KingKongLives
  • So what if #KingKong is dead. Just cure him with another artificial heart. #KingKongLives
  • From the World Trade Center to a barn in redneck country. Talk about coming down in life. #KingKong #KingKongLives

Finally, here are some unused notes about the convoluted King Kong copyright:

  • Supposedly Eisner also discussed the idea with Sidney Sheinberg, chief operating officer of MCA (Universal), which was hot off the positive early reviews for Jaws and wanted another marauding animal film. Negotiations started around the same time as De Laurentis. Agreed to pay same amount up front but balked at sharing the gross. Lots of studio politics involved. Word has it that the Universal offer was preferred. Attorney Arnold Shane thought Universal won the rights, and Stromberg hired Oscar-winning screenwriter Bo Goldman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Melviun and Howard) to write a script. Meanwhile, De Laurentis’ offer was accepted. Universal protested saying that despite not signing a written contract, they took Daniel O’Shea’s supposed comment as a binding verbal agreement. Universal sued for $25 million in damages in June 1975 accusing RKO-General of “breach of contract” and “fraud” and De Laurentis of international interference with advantageous business relations” and “unfair competition.” De Laurentis was surprised by Universal’s claim but thought it was invalid because he had a signed contract, so he pressed on confidently.
  • Sept. 1975: Superior Court of LA dismissed Universal’s claim, saying the verbal agreement was “tissue-paper thin.” Universal then filed a second claim having learned the novelization of Kong, which had some different material, had fallen into the public domain in 1960 thanks to the Copyright Law of 1909 that set the copyright to 28 years. The studio claimed they weren’t infringing on RKO’s films—the “new” material—while the “old material” was in public domain. They announced their new film would be based on the novel, and told Bo Goldman to revise his script to conform to the novel. Joseph Sargent (Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Taking Pelham 123) was hired to direct. De Laurentis said he would start casting in December for his film. Unsure if the name King Kong was owned by RKO, they changed their film’s title to The Legend of King Kong to be safe.  De Laurentis responded by changing his to King Kong: The Legend Reborn.
  • RKO filed a countersuit November 20 against Universal in Federal District Court for $5 million for copyright infringement and asked for an injunction for the studio to stop promoting the film. De Laurentis filed his own suit December 4 for $90 million in damages caused by “copyright infringement and unfair competition.” He also filed an injunction against Universal. Universal forced the issue by saying they’d start filming Jan. 5, which was a bluff.  The market would only support one remake, and whoever started shooting first would likely win. De Laurentis moved production up, hastily starting Jan. 15 and having the crew work 16-hour days. This required money he didn’t have, but he was determined.
  • Universal allegedly approached De Laurentis about settling after he announced when they’d begin filming. They discussed a joint production, but De Laurentis didn’t like Universal’s demands. They wanted their script to be used and merchandising and sequel rights.   Barry Diller and Paramount threatened to pull out if he didn’t settle, so he started talking with Universal.
  • De Laurentis and Ubniversial announced Jan. 28, 1976, that they’d reached agreement. Universal got 8% or 11% percent of De Laurentis’ profits, certain merchandising rights and profits, and veto power on sequels by agreeing to cancel their film.  They could also start their own film so long as it was 18 months after the release of De Laurentis’ film. If it was hit, there would be no need, and if it was a flop, there would no interest in one. Silly move. Universal didn’t get to make their own until 2005 with Peter Jackson. The lawsuit was settled in September.

Oh man. This might be my longest Jimmy’s Notes yet. This is what happens when you are a producer on a podcast with a host who over-prepares. My contractual obligation to post all of these in my blog does not help. You win that front, Marchand!

Anyway, join us next week when Daniel DiManna of the Godzilla Novelization Project joins us to discuss Peter Jackson’s epic 2005 remake of King Kong.

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

#JimmyFromNASALives
#WeShallOvercome

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Episode 10: John LeMay vs. ‘King Kong Lives’

Published February 12, 2020

Hello, kaiju lovers!

Despite a slight delay thanks to MIFV mascots Goji-kun and Bro Kong hiding Nathan’s laptop, the unavoidable has happened: King Kong Lives. John LeMay, author of Kong Unmade and other kaiju books, returns to Monster Island to discuss the Godzilla vs. Megalon of the Kong series—and John un-ironically likes it! This ill-fated sequel to Dino de Laurentiis’s 1976 remake stars Linda Hamilton, fresh off of her star-making role in The Terminator, as a scientist who resurrects King Kong with an artificial heart…because that cures falling off of a building. Not only that, he “falls in love” with Lady Kong, a female giant gorilla, which leads to most of the Kong film tropes getting turned on their ears. Also, King Kong eats rednecks. Yep. Nathan goes full-tilt MST3K with this movie, but he riffs because he loves. That is, when he isn’t mediating a conflict between John and the show’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA. The Toku Topic is the convoluted King Kong copyright, which came to a head twice when Universal tried to sue Dino de Laurentiis in the 1970s and Nintendo in the early 1980s. Hear all about it in the newest episode of The Monster Island Film Vault!

You can buy the hardcover of John’s book Kong Unmade on Amazon.

Check out Jimmy’s Notes on this episode!

Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-3:28
Entertaining Info Dump: 3:28-9:29
Toku Talk: 9:29-1:04:18
Toku Topic: 1:04:18-1:31:04
Outro: 1:31:04-end

© 2020 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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All About the Entertaining Info Dump

Published February 5, 2020

By Nathan Marchand (with Jimmy From NASA)

With there being five Wednesdays in January (for which I’m grateful because it gives me an extra week to edit the next episode), I thought I’d give all of you a bonus blog. I toyed with several ideas, but it was my intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, who suggested a blog on his Entertaining Info Dump. Normally, I’d have only done it because of those darn contractual obligations, but it’s also been a part of the podcast that listeners have appreciated, so it’s worth giving a peek behind the curtain to explain it.

Believe it or not, Jimmy based it on the “film descriptions” Brian Scherschel and I developed on my previous podcast, Kaijuvision Radio. Apparently, Jimmy was a fan of the show before I left it. As he said on the first episode of MIFV, this was a great way to get preliminary information out of the way before diving into the film discussion. It’s also more interesting to listen to than a simple plot synopsis and, well, info dump. You can get all of that from a wiki page. Several of them, actually. They also make it possible to compare these films to each other.

There are different subheadings for these essays, although they’re never mentioned. Those subheadings are:

  • The (primary) kaiju plot line and characteristics/goals
  • Other kaiju plot lines and characteristics/goals
  • The human plot line
  • Human and kaiju plot intermix level
  • Attempts to solve the issue at hand
  • How the issue is resolved
  • Story complexity
  • Production quality
  • Light/Dark Tone, gravity/seriousness, and fantasy/reality
  • Experimentation level
  • Reinforcement vs. Expansion of Style
  • Movie purpose and demographics
  • Success Level
  • Difference between original version of that film and the other versions
  • The forces at play
  • The theme(s)

Most of these are self-explanatory. The first half or so summarizes the most important facets of the film’s story. All but the last two give production and background information on each movie. The last two focus on thematic elements.

However, there are two that Jimmy insists I highlight because one is unique and the other could be confused with it. That being the “expansion vs. reinforcement of style” and “experimentation level.”

What do we mean by expansion and reinforcement of style? With long-running franchises and series like King Kong (or Godzilla), some entries introduce new story types, tropes, or other elements that are emulated in later ones. They’re the films that break the mold, the firsts of their kind. This is admittedly a little subjective, especially since some films have a mix of both, but these elements can be objectively identified. For example, Son of Kong was an expansion of style for the Kong films because it introduced the idea of a Kong offspring and was the first “Son/Daughter of…” type film to come out in any film series. However, King Kong Escapes, while primarily a reinforcement of the styles of King Kong (1933) and The King Kong Show, did make one expansion by having a “love interest” who sympathized with Kong.

Experimentation level, on the other hand, would have to involve risk-taking. It isn’t simply adding new things to a film. They have to be elements that are so different from the previous films in the series that it might disappoint the audience or disinterest them. For example, it was a risky move for Dino de Laurentiis to set his 1976 remake in (then) present day because the original was firmly set in 1933. It’s a rare to see a film that is both an expansion of style and experimental. It doesn’t always make it good, but it’s always interesting. Honestly, with the films we’ve covered so far in the “Kong Quest” ( 😛 ), the only one that truly qualifies as both is the 1933 original (although, that’ll change next week).

If you’d like to learn more about the Entertaining Info Dump, I recommend listening to the bonus feature Mr. Scherschel and I did on the film descriptions for KVR.

Until then, get ready for the next week’s episode on the worst film covered on MIFV so far: King Kong Lives!

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 8: Ben Avery vs. King Kong (1976)’

Published January 15, 2020

Our big year started with a big film when Nathan was joined by Ben Avery to discuss Dino de Laurentiis’ 1976 remake of King Kong. I have a lot to add and Nathan had plenty of leftover notes from re-watching the film. So, let’s started.

  • Nathan informed me after the fact that I forgot to mention that the film has a 5.9 score on IMDB with 28,249 ratings as of today. Oops. Okay, Nathan, you get one point on me. Don’t expect that to happen often!
  • The books Ben mentioned—as pointed out by a listener on Twitter—were the Crestwood Monster Series Books. Yes, they do go for a pretty penny now, although you can find them for reasonable prices if you search on eBay. (Weirdly enough, the King Kong book is on Amazon for only $15 in hardback!)
  • “Funnest,” Ben? I’d expect a professional writer like yourself to know that isn’t the proper superlative for that adjective (although I’m surprised it isn’t). The Law of Common Usage may make you right eventually, though.
  • I think it was more De Laurentiis making this film than Paramount, but, you know, details. 😛
  • Gorillas are apes, not monkeys, Ben! (see VeggieTales).
  • Actually, Ben, I do think you get a few decent close-ups of the “gorilla chief,” especially during the sacrifice scene where he’s dancing around like a male stripper on crack!
  • Wow, Ben, you outdid me. I couldn’t find those deleted/alternate scenes you mentioned were on YouTube. However, some of the scenes shown on the extended NBC TV version can be found on it.
  • It’s pronounced “kra-kn” not “krei-kn,” Ben.
  • Tim would be disappointed that Nathan forgot Charles Grodin was in The Great Muppet Caper. Shame. 😛
  • “Petra” is Greek for “rock,” so I assume it was used as the source word for Petrox (not to take away from the clever pun).
  • Nathan and I watched a POV video of the original Kong ride, “Kongfrontation,” at Universal Studios. He was doubly jealous when I told him I rode it back when it opened in 1977. 😛 Yes, there were Smellitzers” installed in the animatronic Kong’s mouth that emitted “banana breath.” (The scientists here on the Island tell me the real Kong’s breath is…well, in need of some kaiju-sized mouthwash).
  • Ben correctly identified the documentary as Man on Wire. It tells the true story of Phillippe Petit, who walked across a tightrope between the World Trade Center Towers in 1974. (This was illegal, by the way). Nathan wants to see it now.
  • According to Newsweek, there were gas stations owners who faced prosecution in 2001 for price gouging.
  • Your closing is cute, Ben, but I’m actually a Sagittarius. 😛 (Not that I believe in horoscopes. I am a man of science who knows what stars actually do: burn and gravitate). J

Now on to Nathan’s rather exhaustive notes from the film. He went through all his stuff for the 1973 oil crisis, but as Ben said, there is much to talk about with this film.

Nathan notes:

  • “Here’s to the big one.” Foreshadowing. (Hence why Nathan referenced it at the beginning of the episode. –Jimmy)
  • James Creelman, Ruth Rose, Merian C. Cooper, and Edgar Wallace are all credited as inspiration. Wow. (Probably for legal reasons. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • How do sailors deal with everything on a table moving during a stormy sea? It’s even worse when you’re drunk.
  • The island does appear to be shaped like a skull, although they never call it that.
  • It’s implied that Kong may be at least 400 years old (1605). Or he is the latest member of the species? At least that’s a little mythic.
  • “Spouting ape s—t.” Foreshadowing?
  • “Snapped a few monkeys.” More foreshadowing.
  • Jack and Dwan’s relationship does get at least a little more development in this compared to Jack and Ann.
  • Was Kong spotted on radar briefly?
  • How does Dwan not cause all kinds of trouble being the only woman on this ship? (When I flew on the Gohten, there was only one woman onboard, and the men behaved themselves—although that was probably because she was the captain’s daughter, so you may have a point there. Maybe. I’m not giving you another one this week, Marchand!)
  • Set off charges to map geological structure—just like in Skull Island!
  • I gotta say, the scenery in this is really pretty. It does make me wonder if Peter Jackson was influenced by this?
  • They say the wall is Egyptian like in the original.
  • Dwan says this is a wedding. Bride has a blonde headdress. Groom stand-in is dressed in ape mask and makes thrusting motions while dancing. Definitely indicates what they think happens. Very ‘70s.
  • The chief tries to trade six maidens for Dwan like in the original.
  • Jack speaks against colonialism by saying this isn’t the 19th century, so they can’t walk in and take their island.
  • Just like the original, the natives read the script and knew exactly where Dwan was. Somehow they keep her from not screaming much.
  • Did Dwan get drugged by natives? (Obviously, yes. –Jimmy)
  • It’s never explained why the natives want Dwan over their own girls. The original aid it was because she was blonde.
  • And so they recreate the iconic scene where the girl is tied to the…altar(?) and Kong comes through the trees and takes her. It’s surprisingly effective.
  • Kong appears 53 minutes in. (Which I think is proportional to the 1933 original where Kong appears 40 minutes into a 100 minute film. –Jimmy)
  • Dwan references Empire State Building.
  • There’s a Chinese cook (and masseuse?) like in the original.
  • “Turned on ape.” Constant sexual references. Very ‘70s
  • Stone towers foreshadow Twin Towers.
  • This time Kong undressing the girl does feel sexual, unlike the original. It’s unsettling.
  • A giant snake appears out of nowhere. Only other monster on island. Gory death when Kong breaks its jaw. Harkens back to original.
  • “Estimates monkey time”? Oh my…
  • Replicates the scene where Kong crashes through wall. A bit more spectacular because Kong actually smashes it.
  • Like original, Kong is knocked out with chloroform. Scene with his hand rising out of cloud of gas in hole is actually effective.
  • Jack opposes the exploitation of Kong, unlike original. Calls it a “grotesque farce.” The beauty and the beast show is frowned upon. Later calls it a “Tragedy.” Quits Wilson’s “circus” on principle.
  • The shot where Kong catches Dwan was a bit unimpressive.
  • There’s no mention of a legend of Kong before getting to island, unlike original.
  • One shot of Empire State Building.
  • How long did it take Wilson to put all this together? This is a lot of stuff.
  • Kong reaches into building and grabs Dwan like in original. This time, though, she doesn’t seem as resistant. Yet she still calls for help. Hmm…is she confused about how to feel? I don’t want to get into sex and consent right now.
  • Jack cheers when Kong kills soldiers. He is a hippie.

With that, the “Kong Quest” will with the…unfortunate sequel in next month’s main episode on King Kong Lives.

Join us next week for a mini-analysis of one of my favorite Toho tokusatsu films: The Mysterians.

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

#JimmyFromNASALives
#WeShallOvercome

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Episode 8: Ben Avery vs. ‘King Kong’ (1976)

Published January 8, 2020

Hello, kaiju lovers!

We’re kicking off 2020 with the Eighth Wonder’s return to Hollywood in a film brought about by Italian producer Dino de Laurentiis. Writer/podcaster Ben Avery joins Nathan to discuss the 1976 remake of King Kong starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, which is firmly entrenched in its time and was touted as “the most exciting original motion picture event of all time.” What’s interesting is it straddles the gritty cynicism of early ‘70s films like Dirty Harry and the more hopeful films of the late ‘70s like Star Wars (because no MIFV episode is complete without mentioning that franchise). This was the first time Nathan had seen Kong ‘76 in years, and while he didn’t like it as a teen, he softens to it thanks in part to Ben’s love of it. Their discussion also touches upon the weird love triangle between Dwan, Jack, and Kong; the great but sometimes wonky special effects; and how modern audiences may feel about the film’s climax on the World Trade Center post-9/11. The Toku Topic is the 1973 Energy Crisis since it directly influenced the filmmakers’ decision to have the characters’ expedition be about finding untapped oil reservoirs.

Here’s to the big one!

Check out all of Ben’s podcasts:
–Strangers and Aliens
–Welcome to Level 7
–The Comic Book Time Machine
–Supersonic Pod Comics

Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-3:33
Entertaining Info Dump: 3:33-11:10
Toku Talk: 11:10-1:16:53
Toku Topic: 1:16:53-1:47:11
Outro: 1:47:11-end

Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode when you finish it.

© 2020 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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