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Episode 65: ‘Mothra vs. Godzilla’ | Godzilla Redux | Ft. Daniel DiManna

Published June 11, 2022

Hello, kaiju lovers! Today’s episode is a momentous one. Nate discusses the all-time classic Mothra vs. Godzilla with Daniel DiManna of the Godzilla Novelization Project. Now Nate has come full circle because this was the first film whose episode he recorded first in his previous podcast life. But this episode is better! How could it not be with the living kaiju encyclopedia as a guest? Nate and Danny discuss everything: the Godzilla suit, the Mothra puppet, the script, the characters, and of course, the late great Akira Takarada. This G-film doesn’t do anything new, but what it does, it does to near-perfection. No wonder it’s considered one of the best of the franchise!

Afterward, Nate and Danny are joined by Nate’s pseudo-sister, Jessica, to livestream the sendoff of Mothra’s newly-laid egg back to Infant Island. Unfortunately, the Church of Mothrianity strikes again! The web-splitting Silkworm attacks, and even Jessica’s magical girl persona, Crystal Lady, can’t stop her—until she gets help from a new companion.

The epilogue, “The Coming of Mimo! Crystal Lady vs. Silkworm!” was written by Nathan Marchand.

Special thanks to J.P. Gant for helping to edit this episode! Follow him on Twitter: @Homebrewed_SD (https://tinyurl.com/2jpc36r5).

Guest stars:

  • Sarah Marchand as Jessica Shaw/Crystal Lady
  • Dani Cruz as Silkworm
  • Damon Noyes as Motte-Priester Herzog Jerry Nachtfalter, Gary, and Mimo
  • Hoshiko as Luna
  • Dallas Mora as EDF Mutant

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! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

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

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

Timestamps:

  • Intro: 0:00-15:51
  • Main Discussion: 15:51-2:01:53
  • Housekeeping & Outro: 2:01:53-2:23:02
  • Epilogue: 2:23:02-end

Podcast Social Media:

  • Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheMonsterIsla1)
  • Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonsterIslandFilmVault/)
  • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monsterislandfilmvault/)
  • Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy (https://twitter.com/nasajimmy?lang=en)
  • Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD (https://twitter.com/MonsterIslaBOD)
  • Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
  • Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1 (https://twitter.com/CrystalLadyJes1)
  • Follow Dr. Dourif on Twitter: @DrDorif (https://twitter.com/DrDoriff)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault      #GodzillaRedux            #Mothra          #Godzilla

© 2022 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

  • Bogue, Mike. Apocalypse Then: American and Japanese Atomic Cinema, 1951-1967. McFarland & Company. 2017.
  • Brothers, Peter H. Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda.
  • Commentary on Mothra vs. Godzilla by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski. (Classic Media DVD).
  • 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. Writing Giant Monsters.
  • Rhodes, Sean, and Brooke McCorkle. “Chapter 4: “Mothra, Marx, Mother Nature.” Japan’s Green Monsters: Environmental Commentary in Kaiju Cinema.
  • Ryfle, Steve, and Ed Godziszewski. Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa.

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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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Episode 54: Bex vs. ‘Gamera the Brave’

Published December 9, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers! With this episode, we reach the end of the “Year of Gamera.” Depending on who you talk to (like Nate), it’s a bittersweet occasion because, on one hand, many bad movies were endured, but on the other hand, today’s subject is 2006’s Gamera the Brave. Becky “Bex” Smith from the Redeemed Otaku podcast and YouTube channel joins Nate to discuss what is, as of now, the last Gamera film. It is sadly overshadowed by everything that came before it. It’s a shame because this is a Showa Gamera movie—except good! Think of it as a Gamera film made by Pixar. So, it’s emotionally honest and will make you cry. Even Nate had to summon all of his manly discipline to keep control. Bex, on the other hand, did not. The Toku Topic, since much of the movie takes place at a restaurant, is Japanese ramen culture.

Before the broadcast, Nate was…graced with the return of his pseudo-sister, Jessica. Unfortunately, he didn’t appreciate her bone-crunching glomp and told her off. That got him a lecture from Jessica’s bestie, Bex. Afterward, Nate is all but forced to indulge Jessica and let her sing a karaoke of a popular anime theme song. You can probably guess which one.

Check out the Redeemed Otaku podcast and YouTube channel.

This episode’s prologue and epilogue, “Jessica Returns,” was written by Nathan Marchand with Becky Smith.

Guest stars:

  • Sarah Marchand as Jessica Shaw

Additional music:

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org.

Listen to Nathan Marchand and Travis Alexander’s spinoff podcast, The Henshin Men, on Redcircle.

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, Elijah Thomas, and Eric Anderson! 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 the Monster Island Board of Directors…maybe.

Timestamps:

  • Prologue, “Jessica Returns (Part 1)”: 0:00-5:10
  • Intro: 5:10-16:15
  • Entertaining Info Dump: 16:15-23:19
  • Toku Talk: 23:19-1:25:32
  • Ad: 1:25:32-1:26:58
  • Toku Topic: 1:26:58-2:10:30
  • Housekeeping, Epilogue (“Jessica Returns, Part 2”), & Outro: 2:10:30-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Episode 41: ‘Sayonara Jupiter’ (Mini-Analysis)

Published May 26, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers!

A chapter closes on today’s episode as Nate concludes his “mini-sode” series on the Toho classics he missed out on in his previous podcast life. This week he discusses the almost-forgotten hard sci-fi tokusatsu film from 1984, Sayonara Jupiter (aka Bye Bye Jupiter). It was something of a transitional film for Toho since its cast and crew included players from both the Showa and Heisei eras, including Akihiko Hirata (in his final role), Sakyo Komatsu (author of Submersion of Japan), Koichi Kawakita (FX director for the Heisei Godzilla series), and Koji Hashimoto (director of Return of Godzilla/Godzilla 1985). Unfortunately, the Hollywood-caliber special effects can’t save it from an overstuffed script that has a Jupiter Solarization Project, an eco-cult/terrorist group, and Nazca lines on Mars, among other things. If the film is known for anything, though, it’s the (in)famous zero gravity sex scene (which may or may not be intrepid producer Jimmy From NASA’s favorite part). Yep.

After Nate gets into all of this, he reads some listener feedback in the form of three new Apple Podcasts reviews and then gets a visit from Monster Island’s security chief, Captain Douglas Gordon, who brings along a famous friend he says is upset with Nate. This leads to an important announcement about MIFV’s next episode series.

After the credits, Nate and Jimmy are visited by Jessica, still fresh off of her exploits as magical girl superheroine Crystal Lady. She’s been given some, shall we say, “special” earrings by the nefarious Monster Island Board of Directors. Let’s just say Nate and Jess butt heads more than usual because of them.

Guest stars:

  • Sarah Marchand as Jessica Shaw

Epilogue Parts 1-2 (“Introducing Godzilla Redux” and “Influencers”) written by Nathan Marchand.

Additional music:

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org, including one by InspectorJ, and the Toho Foley library.

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; and Damon Noyes! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month!

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

Timestamps:
Intro/Film Analysis: 0:00-15:14
Ad: 15:14-17:09
Listener Feedback: 17:09-22:17
Outro, Epilogue Part 1, and Credits: 22:17-31:31
Epilogue Part 2: 31:31-end

Podcast Social Media:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy
Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD
Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Episode 33: ‘Submersion of Japan’ (feat. Adam Noyes)

Published January 27, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers!

Nate is joined by podcaster/YouTuber/filmmaker Adam Noyes to cover something a bit different this week: the original 1973 tokusatsu disaster film Submersion of Japan (aka Japan Sinks). Think of it as a kaiju film without a kaiju. It’s based a novel by Sakyo Komatsu, who Adam describes as “the Japanese Michael Crichton.” The novel was a blockbuster, and this film was an even bigger hit. You can tell this was what Toho invested most of their money into and not Godzilla vs. Megalon that year. Adam and Nate discuss the film’s better-than-Hollywood special effects, the horribly truncated and re-edited U.S. version called Tidal Wave made by Roger Corman, and the film’s wrestling with Japanese national identity, among other things.

Also, Nate’s “pseudo-sister” magical girl superheroine clone, Jessica, meets him just before the broadcast to let him know she just moved back to Monster Island. He’s…overjoyed.

Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.

Featuring Sarah Marchand as the voice of Jessica Shaw.

Prologue script by Nathan Marchand.

Music: “A weird thing” by Chiro.
Sound FX sourced from Freesound.org.

The episode thumbnail was created by Michael Hamilton.

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; and Damon Noyes! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month!

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

Timestamps:
Prologue: 0:00-2:45
Main Discussion: 2:45-51:54
Outro: 51:45-end

Podcast Social Media:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy
Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD
Follow the Raymund Martin on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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