The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

Byrd, Tom, Lux and Kevin discuss Brush of the God, the first and only film directed by late kaiju suit maker Keizo Murase.  The semi-biographical film tells of a recently deceased tokusatsu suit maker whose granddaughter is sucked into a fantasy world of fantastical creatures and has to fend off the fearsome Yamata no Orochi, all while learning more about her departed grandfather.  Originally conceived by Murase in the 70s for the Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong, the project had a long road to the screen after a lot of false starts and stops before coming together as an indie kaiju film and released in 2024.  We'll discuss that, as well as give our thoughts on the film.  Come hang out and enjoy the conversation!

Byrd, Matt and Trev discuss the recent dinosaur film The End of Oak Street from writer/director David Robert Mitchell (It Follows).  The film stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as parents who have to protect their family from rampaging dinosaurs when their suburban neighborhood is inexplicably transported into the prehistoric age.  We give our spoiler review of the movie (including unpacking the polarizing ending), how it compares to other post-Jurassic Park dinosaur films, what we hope it does for the genre, and more!  But first, we pay tribute to the late Screaming Mad George, RJ Kizer, and Reggie Bannister.  Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Byrd, Tom and Kevin discuss their experience at this past month's G-Fest convention.  We discuss the guests, the panels, cosplay, the film festival (including our thoughts on Yoshikazu Ishii's new kaiju film Gladio).  As always, we talk about our highlights from the weekend, some of the new things G-Fest introduced this year, and more!  Relax and join the discussion!

Byrd, Kevin and Lux return to discuss the recent Netflix mini series, Human Vapor, a reimagining of Toho's classic 1960 "mutant" film from director Shinzo Katayama (Gannibal, Missing) and writer/producer/showrunner Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Parasyte: The Grey).  This version opts for a brand new story, although it still follows a man who has gained the ability to transform into gas and uses his powers to carry out a murder spree.  We follow detective Kenji and reporter Kyoko as they uncover secrets involving unethical science, classism, yakuza, and really bad parents.  How did we feel about this radical reinterpretation?  Listen and find out!  But first, we give our tributes to the late Sam Neil and Kaylee Hottle.  Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Byrd, Kevin and Lux discuss Toho's live action adaptation of 20th Century Boys, the beloved manga by Naoki Urasawa (Monster, Pluto).  It tells a story over several decades of a group of childhood friends that reunite when they realize a doomsday cult led by a masked leader named Friend is using elements from a story they wrote as children to carry out mass murder and position himself as a false savior of humanity.  Throughout the trilogy, as Friend gains power and influence in the world, our heroes try to learn his true identity and stop him from world domination.  There's giant robots, airborne viruses, underground freedom fighters, plenty of kaiju and tokusatsu references, and more!  We'll talk about how the trilogy compares to the manga, the challenges of adapting such a sprawling story into film, and some of the real life events and cultural shifts that influenced the story. But first we discuss the recent passings of author Koji Suzuki, actor Kenji Ohba, and director/effects artist Yoshihiro Nishimura.  Relax and enjoy the show!

Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the recently concluded second season of Apple TV's Monsterverse series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.  This season follows Monarch as they track the new monster, Titan X, deal with interference from the tech corporation Apex, and reckon with personal conflicts along the way.  Godzilla and King Kong make their requisite appearances, and we also discover new things about key places such as Axis Mundi and Skull Island.  We talk about how we felt this season turned out, how it compares to the next season, and our hopes for a possible third season.  Relax and enjoy the conversation!

Byrd and Kevin welcome back returning guest and author Ray Morton to the show to talk about the newly revised and expanded second edition of his monumental book King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon! Originally published in 2005, the book covered all things Kong up to just before the release of Peter Jackson’s remake. More than 20 years later, the great ape is more popular than he’s been in decades, thanks to the Monsterverse films and a wave of comics, cartoons, video games, stage plays, and more.

After a lengthy hiatus, we return as Byrd, Lux, and Tom talk about the recent Norweigan film Troll 2!  No, not THAT Troll 2, but the sequel to Netflix's 2022 film Troll.  The film picks up with the characters from the prior film returning to research another giant troll that has been captured by the government.  When that troll escapes, another troll appears, setting up for a climactic battle between the two.  So how did we feel?  Listen and find out as we talk about the films numerous similarities to the recent Monsterverse films, holy water rockets, confusing lore, and a go on a big tangent on the OTHER Troll 2.  Relax and join the conversation!

Byrd, Kevin, Tom, and Lux (with a cameo from Trev) follow up our Ju-On mega-pod with the film that pitted Kayako against J-Horror's other top star, the Ring's very own Sadako.  While the film was originally announced as an April Fool's joke, the online excitement over the possibility left Kadakawa-Daiei Studio no choice but to bring the monster fantasy match to life.  They recruited J-horror veteran Koji Shiraishi to write and direct.  So does this crossover do justice to the two iconic ghosts?  Listen and find out!

If you just aren't ready for Halloween season to be over, join Byrd, Tom, Kevin, Lux, (and Trev, kind of) for a talk about one of Japan's biggest horror franchises, Ju-On (also known as the Grudge)! This introduced the vengeful ghost Kayako and her son Toshio to the horror world and they have since become some of Japan's biggest horror icons. The series by Takashi Shimizu originally started with two shorts as part of the School Ghost Stories tv specials, which later spun off into two full length direct to video films, Ju-On: The Curse and Ju-On: The Curse 2 in 2000. They were successful enough that a third film, Ju-On: The Grudge was made for theatrical release in 2002, which led to the series becoming a global phenomenon (leading to Shimizu's own American remake starting a Hollywood branch of the franchise). It was quickly followed by Ju-On: The Grudge 2 and many more sequels after. As we discuss the first four movies and the history of the franchise, we'll discuss haunted houses, ghost children, time loops, and more! Grab your leftover Halloween candy and enjoy the conversation!