Planet 8 Podcast

Episode 88: Captivating Creatures

 This episode, the Planet 8 crew talks about some of our favorite creature designs. Over the history of cinema, there have been many amazing fantasy, horror and science fiction creatures designed and put on film, and we will each cover one of our favorites. Each of these has significance as paving the way for future films, developing new techniques and pioneering new styles. We begin with the original Planet of the Apes, and the daunting task of developing realistic makeup for the talking chimps, gorillas and orangutans. If the makeup wasn't convincing, if it didn't allow the actors to act and emote, there was no way the film could be made. But talented artist John Chambers was able to develop amazing prosthetics that were flexible enough and convincing enough to meet the challenge. Chambers had a fascinating background that enabled him to make advancements in facial prosthetics. His work certainly was a huge influence on future monster makers.Next we cross the ocean and look at a big star, King Ghidorah! Created by Akira Watanabe for the 1964 movie Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster, it was based on many other multi-headed dragons. The design was always three heads and two tails, but early production photos show different coloring. The suit was operated by an actor in the suit and puppeteers working the heads, wings and tails. This made for a kind of frenetic movement style, which was pretty cool when you saw it as a kid! Ghidorah was active til 1972, then brought back in a new suit in the 90s, but he lost his crazy frenetic motion. In the new Legendary series, there are three motion capture actors playing each head. The actors have to coordinate their movements, but this method allows each head to have its own personality.Our last headliner is the one and only Eighth Wonder of the World, King Kong! Kong is a fascinating case, having been portrayed now by stop-motion, men in suits, and now CGI. We look at the original film, the Toho Kong, the 1976 Kong including both Rick Baker's Kong and the ludicrous robot Kong, moving into Peter Jackson's Kong, and the latest Legendary films Kong. And who could forget the King Kong at the Universal Studios tour? Yes, we discuss him too!There are many other classic monster or creature designs, and so we have some honorable mentions we'll reveal towards the end of the episode. Can you guess what they might be?For our Sensor Sweep, to get into the holiday spirit, Commander Larry shares a boffo new item, the Hallmark 2021 To The Batcave! Batman classic TV series ornament. Really, it's a bit ridiculous to call this an ornament. It's more of a display piece. On the top of the ornament, we see Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson in Wayne Manor, on the bat poles. Press the button and the batphone lights and beeps, the door closes up top, and a door opens in the batcave below, showing Batman and Robin descending on the batpoles. This spectacular item runs about $60 but may be hard to find. Good luck!We hope you enjoyed this episode. What are some of your favorite creature designs? Let us know!Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastWe dig monsters!

Episode 87: Thankful for the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

 Welcome all, and to our fellow Americans, Happy Thanksgiving! It's become a tradition here at Planet 8 for us to celebrate and be thankful for some genre-related franchise, and in the past, we've been thankful for Star Trek, Star Wars, and James Bond. This year, we are expressing our love and gratitude for the magnificent Marvel Cinematic Universe -the MCU! Now with 26 films and climbing, not to mention the MCU TV series, we've been blessed with a bountiful collection of films that created a rich, complex, and deeply rewarding experience for the viewers. We'll have a conversation about our early experience with the MCU, when we first started hearing about Marvel making an Iron Man film, what we thought of it and how Marvel blew us away with that and the succeeding films. Casting has been a big key to making the films successful, and we'll talk about our favorite castings and the ones we thought might have been crazy, but actually worked out really well. Of course, no discussion of the MCU would be complete without going around and talking about which Marvel movies are our favorites! With so many to choose from now, it's getting harder to pick, but we do come up with a few. Amazingly, there are few MCU films that we don't like. There may be a few that we like less...but somehow they have kept a high level of quality through the series.The crew also talks a bit about the latest MCU film, The Eternals, so if you haven't seen that film yet, be warned! And we can't neglect all the activity on Disney Plus - four series so far, and as this episode goes live, the Hawkeye series will be hitting the airwaves in a couple of days! Where else will the Marvel Cinematic Universe go? We can't wait to see.For the Sensor Sweep, Bob shares information about a book by his friend Norman England, Behind the Kaiju Curtain: A Journey onto Japan's Biggest Film Sets. This book is a personal record of Norman's experiences while he wrote for Fangoria and was able to visit the sets of a number of kaiju films in a professional capacity. He met many of the actors and crew on the films and the book gives you an intimate look at what went on in the Japanese film industry in the 90s. If you like kaiju films, this is a must-read! Ask for it at your local bookseller, or get it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. That's all for us this time. Listeners, we are also thankful for you! We appreciate you listening to us, commenting, subscribing, contacting us on Twitter and Facebook. It's great to feel a sense of community forming around Planet 8. We hope that you and yours are safe and well.Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastAvengers Assemble!!

Episode 86: They are Legend! Adaptations of I Am Legend

 Come with us on this episode as we ponder...what would it be like to be the last human being on Earth? How would a person cope with the loneliness, the despair? We look at a trio of films all based on a story built around this concept, Richard Matheson's classic 1954 novel, I Am Legend. Matheson's story took the classic vampire legend and gave it a modern, pseudo-scientific twist, with the vampires created by a bacterial plague, leaving one man,  immune, struggling to survive.After Bob provides some background on the novel, we dive into the first film adaptation, 1964's Last Man on Earth, starring Vincent Price. Matheson wrote the first draft of the screenplay but eventually withdrew his name from it after a number of other writers came in later and altered it. However, it is still the most faithful version to the book. It's certainly the one that retains the horror aspects the most. The black and white film gives it a ton of atmosphere, and Price provides a strong performance as the deeply depressed Robert Morgan (not Neville, as he was named in the book and the other two films). Having Morgan's former neighbors, now turned into pseudo vampires/zombies stand outside his house at night groaning, "Morgan!" is pretty chilling. By 1971, the concept turns into an action/sci fi vehicle for Charlton Heston, called The Omega Man. This version differs markedly from the original Matheson story. Heston plays Colonel Robert Neville, MD, a military man and doctor, who was working on a vaccine to a biowarfare agent unleashed in a war between China and the USSR. Unfortunately, Neville is the only one to receive the experimental vaccine before most of the world succumbs to the disease. The survivors are mutated into strange albinos who can't stand daylight, and develop a science-hating cult (The Family) led by a former newscaster, played by Anthony Zerbe. During the day, Neville goes around killing The Family where he can find them, and taking whatever food, clothes, cars, etc., he wants. This film features a love interest -Rosalind Cash as Lisa - and is notable for the obvious Christ analogy at the end of the film. It's a big ball of cheese, but entertaining.The property was moved around Hollywood for a while, with Ridley Scott and Arnold Schwarzenegger attached for a length of time. But the third version was released in 2007, titled I Am Legend, starring Will Smith. This film took many of the ideas of the book, but followed Omega Man's action packed  style. Once again, Smith's character is both a military man and a doctor, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville, an Army virologist. He is the only survivor of a plague that has wiped out mankind, with the few survivors turned into wild cannibalistic mutants who can only come out at night. Neville, with his dog Sam as his only companion, hunts the mutants during the day, sometimes capturing them to experiment on them, still searching for a cure. The Planet 8 crew all agrees that we had a hard time sticking with this film once the CGI creatures appeared - it's a shame such bad CGI basically ruined this film.Of course we will compare and contrast the movies, discuss what elements they have in common, how they differ, and what we thought worked best. It's fascinating to have three films, from different decades, all working from the same source material. Each is a product of its time. And what would a new adaptation look like?For our Sensor Sweep, fittingly, Karen shares her soundtrack CD for the Omega Man -it's Omega Man 2.0 Unlimited from Film Score Monthly. This version has a whopping 18 tracks, for 64 minutes of amazing music from Ron Grainer. It's a fantastic, memorable 70s score. Put it on the next time you're cruising around Los Angeles!That's it for us this time. Be sure to share your thoughts with us about the many versions of I Am Legend.Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastMoooor - gan!!

Episode 85: Haunted Halloween Movies!

 It's almost Halloween, so of course, all October, the Planet 8 crew has been watching scary movies! Of course, we tend to watch scary movies all year long, but it's a little more concentrated this month, and we focus a little more on certain films this time of year. This episode we discuss what type of films get us in the "Halloween spirit" ! If you're looking for ideas for things to watch leading up to Halloween, tune in!For Chief Engineer Bob, it's all about spooky films with a comedic twist. Some of the films he likes to watch to get into a Halloween mood include the Don Knotts classic, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, Munster Go Home,  and of course, Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. Another great scary yet humorous film to watch is John Landis' An American Werewolf in London.Recon Officer Karen always starts with the Universal Monsters, and this year it began with Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, which has the creepiest opening of any Universal monster film. Next up was Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which never fails to entertain. She'll be moving on to  the Hammer films, in particular the Hammer version of The Mummy. She also watched some John Carpenter movies, The Thing and Prince of Darkness.Commander Larry has been showing his wife Jasmine a lot of films she's never seen before, but more on the lighter side. One of these was The Monster Squad, which is still entertaining and has some great updated designs for the classic monsters. He also had some Hammer films on his list, including the Hammer Phantom of the Opera.Of course we divert and digress and discuss Phantom of the Paradise, Phantasm, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Milpitas Monster (really, we swear), and many others!For the Sensor Sweep, Bob came across an unusual Blu-Ray -Night of the Animated Dead, an animated version of the classic Night of the Living Dead. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a stinker. The animation is just not very good. It's also basically a shot for shot recreation of the film. So this is our first trick, not treat, sensor sweep!All right, friends, that's all this time around. We wish you all a safe and fun Halloween! Let us know what movies you're watching.Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastHappy Halloween!

Episode 84: Halloween Memories with Mr. Lobo!

 It's that time of the year again - no, not National Pizza Month! It's October and that means it's time for Halloween! If you're like the Planet 8 crew, you're pretty much celebrating Halloween all the time, but October gives you permission to do it publically. With us on this episode is friend of the show, host of Cinema Insomnia, Mr. Lobo! In this smorgasbord of an episode, we'll talk a little about the roots of the holiday, how it changed over the years, and then we share our own childhood Halloween memories of favorite costumes, trick or treating experiences, and so much more!  We may wander off topic a bit, but we think you'll be entertained!Unfortunately we couldn't find photos of all the childhood costumes we discussed, but we will share a few other pictures.For our Sensor Sweep, we throw it open to Mr. Lobo, and he is a busy man! This month he'll be hosting three pop up drive in shows at the Vintage Cafe, on the 8th,15th, and 22nd in Paradise, Pennsylvania. He's been holding live Twitch streams on Saturday nights at 9 pm EST and does Q and A. He's working on a new Cinema Insomnia episode, featuring Rick Sloane's The Visitants. OSI74 is his streaming channel and you can see episodes of Cinema Insomnia there along with a ton of other cool stuff. There's also a YouTube channel for Cinema Insomnia with 60 episodes available to watch. If you haven't seen Mr. Lobo, be sure to check it out!That's all for this time. We'll be back with more Halloween fun in a couple of weeks!Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastHappy Haunting!

Episode 83: Sword and Sorcery on Planet 8

 Come with us listeners, back to the mist-shrouded 1980s, when hair was big and the Walkman was king, and sword and sorcery films were abundant. Why were there so many sword and sorcery films in that decade? Perhaps it was the lucky convergence of a number of things: the rise in popularity of Dungeons and Dragons, the prevalence of fantasy art such as the Hildebrandt Brothers, Boris Vallejo, and of course, Frazetta, the Marvel Conan comics, and other factors. While there were a number of terrible movies produced in the genre during this period, there were also some excellent or at least entertaining ones. Your crew will be discussing six of their favorites.Excalibur (1981) is a John Boorman film, and it looks absolutely beautiful. A retelling of the Arthurian legend, it has a dreamlike feeling, in an England that is moving from a magical realm to one ruled by Christianity. Highlights include Nichol Williamson as a very otherworldly Merlin, and a fantastic soundtrack that features classical music including Wagner. It is well worth seeing if you haven't!Highlander (1986) is something that started as a good idea, but suffered in the execution. Immortals scattered across the globe must battle until there is only one left -"There can be only one." When an immortal kills another immortal they gain the energies of that person and all the people they have killed. It had nice production design and an interesting cast that included Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, and Clancy Brown, but the story is lacking in parts. Still, it has its high points.Krull (1983) is an odd mix of science fiction and fantasy, with a Prince on a quest to save a Princess from an invading alien known as The Beast. He gathers a rag tag band of thugs, sorcerers and even a cyclops to help him on his rescue mission. He also acquires a magical weapon called the Glaive, which is essentially a large throwing star that always returns to his hand. Clearly influenced by Star Wars as well as fantasy films, Krull is definitely cheesy, but fun.Dragonslayer (1981) has what is still one of the best-looking dragons in all of cinema history, Vermithrax Pejorative. The film follows a young sorcerer's apprentice who tries to rid a village of a terrible dragon. This was a Disney production and featured work by ILM and Phil Tippett. The dragon was animated with Tippett's Go Motions process, and full-size pieces were also used (and a World War II flamethrower was used for the dragon's breath!). This is a cool and unique film well worth seeing.Conan the Barbarian (1982) is probably the premiere sword and sorcery film of the 80s. Nothing quite says sword and sorcery like Conan. Directed by John Milius and with a story from Oliver Stone, this film has a very hard, almost nihilistic edge. Conan sees his parents and village slaughtered in front of him as a child, is chained to the "wheel of pain" from adolescence into young adulthood, forced to become a gladiator, and freed to find his own way, in which he seeks revenge. It's hard to imagine anyone other than Arnold Schwarzenegger playing the Cimmerian. He was perfect for the role. The film also has terrific production values. It just looks like a fully realized world. The battles are exciting and most of the time it actually is Arnold in those scenes -they couldn't find a stunt man to double for him! If you haven't seen it, or it's been a while, check this out.Conan the Destroyer (1984) was the follow up to the first film and unlike the first film, this one was PG. It's obvious they wanted to reach a younger audience, but Conan loses some grit because of this. The production design also suffers some in this film. Still, there's much to enjoy, as this is a more straight-forward adventure where Conan builds a band of adventurers to obtain a magical item for a queen who offers to bring back his lost love, Valeria. Go into this one with reduced expectations and you'll probably get a kick out of it.We know there are many other sword and sorcery films from the 80s and we have certainly left out one of your favorites. Feel free to let us know what movie you would include on your list of favorites.For our Sensor Sweep, we have a completely unrelated item that Engineer Bob is excited about: the Godzilla pinball machine! Stern Pinball has partnered with Toho International to produce a line of Godzilla pinball machines. Godzilla and his kaiju allies fight off invading monsters like Ghidorah, Gigan, and Megalon. Players can also interact with the machine using a QR code reader.  There will be three versions -pro, premium, and limited edition - and they will range from $6,899 to $10,499. So if you got the dough -check out this link: https://sternpinball.com/game/godzilla/That's all this time. Send your missives to us at our various locales: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastA dream to some, a nightmare to others!

Episode 82: Shang-Chi Shakes up Planet 8

 Welcome listeners to our latest episode, where we review the latest Marvel Studios film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings! In this spoiler-filled episode, we'll discuss the comics that formed the basis for the film, the kung fu films that influenced and shaped it, and how it ties into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, there will be the usual nonsense that you've grown accustomed to.Created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin back in 1973, Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, was on the leading edge of the martial arts craze. Inspired in large part by the ABC TV show Kung Fu, Englehart and Starlin developed the idea of the noble Shang-Chi, who rebelled against his father, the villainous Fu Manchu, who had trained him to be a living weapon. Premiering in Special Marvel Edition 15, Shang-Chi took over the title and had a long successful run for many years. He would frequently show up in other characters' titles as well, such as Spider-Man and Iron Man. He was always a street-level character, using his martial arts skills to fight bad guys in stories with more of an espionage tone.The film takes the basic idea -an idealistic hero whose father is a criminal overlord - but very little of the comic book background remains. Despite this, it's highly enjoyable. It borrows heavily from Jackie Chan films at the beginning, but then moves on to take more of a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon approach. Much of the movie's strength comes from its characters. Shang-Chi, as portrayed by Simu Liu, is very likeable and has a sort of everyman quality, despite turning out to be a master of kung fu. The actor actually does many of his own stunts and fight scenes. Awkwafina plays Shang-Chi's best friend, Katy, who provides some comic relief as well as a stalwart friend to go on his journey. The ever amazing Michelle Yeoh appears as Shang-Chi's aunt and quite a martial artist herself. And a major surprise to us, Ben Kingsley makes a return appearance as Trevor Slattery, the besotted actor who played the Mandarin in Iron Man 3. He has some of the funniest scenes in the movie, and they don't feel gratuitous or over the top. The titular ten rings, which in the comics were actual rings that the Mandarin wore on his fingers, are arm bands here. These rings can be used in a variety of ways, which is shown by the different ways that Shang-chi and his father use them. His father tends to use them solely for destructive purposes. Shang-Chi is much more creative in how he uses the rings. Certainly the rings give Shang-Chi a power level far beyond what he has had in the comics. Based off the mid-credits scene, they may have a significant history in the MCU.There were a couple of very interesting cameos in the film too. Wong, from the Dr. Strange films, and the Abomination, from 2008's Hulk, are seen battling in the fight club. There are so many questions! It seems like they are working together to make a little moola. How did that happen?Of course, we also saw Bruce Banner and Capt. Marvel. And we do mean Banner, not Professor Hulk. So what happened to him? How did he turn back into Banner? Will we find out in the She-Hulk series on Disney Plus?The film is a story about family, about revenge, and redemption. Like most Marvel films, it is these elements that make it so relatable. The end sets things up for the possibility that Shang-Chi could be fighting against his sister. We will see. In any case, Shang-Chi appears to be ready to take on a bigger role in the MCU as phase 4 moves forward.For our Sensor Sweep, Karen has a big honkin' book to share: the Master of Kung Fu omnibus volume 1. This hardback collection of Shang-Chi stories includes his first appearance from Special Marvel Edition 15 up through Master of Kung Fu 37, and includes Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu 1-4,  Giant-Size Spider-Man 2, and Iron Man Annual 4. This is a great way to get your Shang-Chi fix! You can check for it at your local comic shop, or check out Amazon.We also wanted to "catch up" with everyone. So we shared a little about what we have been doing. Bob had been busy with Godzillafest the last few weeks. He held back to back weekend events in August. You can go to Bayareafilmevents.com and check out the Video section to see what was going on! He also helped out with a turtle rescue by helping set up a turtle shelter in his backyard for a bunch of turtles.Karen plugs her appearance on her friend Billy D's Magazines and Monsters podcast, dropping this September 16th. She and Billy will discuss the classic 50s sci fi film, It! Terror from Beyond Space, thought by many to be one of the main inspirations for Alien. Besides his podcast, Billy also has a blog site, https://magazinesandmonsters.com/,  where he also reviews comics and monster mags. Be sure to check it out!Last but not least, Commander Larry journeyed to SiliCon in San Jose. It was greatly reduced in attendance due to Covid this year, but still entertaining. He also gives a shout out to the Seven Stars Bar and Grill, which is looking for a new location. Finally, Larry has high praise for the new LaLa Land recording of the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan soundtrack, as well as the Inglorious Treksperts podcast on the soundtrack. So there you have it - a review and a little news from Planet 8! Feel free to share some thoughts and news with us!Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastWe still want Fin Fang Foom!

Episode 81: Planet 8 Presents: Alfred Hitchcock

 On this edition of Planet 8, we take a look at the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Spanning six decades, Hitchcock's career began near the end of silent films all the way into the 70s, and encompassed television as well. He was probably the first film director that the general public recognized, due to his larger than life personality and his consistent use of suspense and fear in his films. Hitchcock would push the envelope with both camera techniques and with how far he would push the mores of the day. We'll discuss a number of his films, including Rope and the illusion of the single camera take. Also Rear Window, and the amazing set that was constructed of Jimmy Stewart's neighborhood, and the sense of claustrophobia that was created. There's also To Catch a Thief, which Bob sees a precursor to the Bond films. This time Hitchcock went on location and we get wide open vistas.Then there's Vertigo, which many believe is Hitchcock's masterpiece. The crew had some disagreement over whether Jimmy Stewart's character suspected that Kim Novak's character was actually his old flame or not. If he did know, it would make his obsessive behavior a little easier to take. But watch it and decide for yourself.North By Northwest is another favorite for many, with Cary Grant as a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's got great actors, humor, and Mount Rushmore too!But in 1960, Hitchcock delivered what might be his best-known, and perhaps most shocking film, Psycho. Based on a story by Robert Bloch, this tale of murder and a boy who loves his mother a little too much was a hit with the public when released. We talk about the film and especially the Bernard Herrmann score. Herrmann worked with Hitchcock on many of his films, but this score is especially memorable.And who could forget The Birds? This film has an almost apocalyptic feel, as ordinary birds suddenly begin attacking people. Shot in Bodega Bay, California, the beautiful, peaceful landscapes are juxtaposed with the chaos of the birds' violent and inexplicable attacks. It's an amazingly effective film, which has no music, only bird sounds in the soundtrack. And no happy ending -it's ambiguous as to whether the menace is over. There's also some classic shots in this film, like when a huge flock of birds slowly appear behind Tippi Hedren, or the birds-eye view shot of the town and the gas station on fire. It's great work by the master.There are so many other great films by Hitchcock -Strangers on a Train, Frenzy, The Man Who Knew Too Much - but we only have so much time. Do yourself a favor and check them out! We wish we had time to go over the television show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but that will have to be saved for another episode!For this week's Sensor Sweep, Karen shares something completely non-Hitchcock related! Who says we have to make everything match? We're back to Star Wars! It's a great new book called Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized, Oral History of Star Wars by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman. This huge tome covers the entire history of the Star Wars films as told by the people who made the films and others who are affiliated with them. These authors have previously done some terrific books on the oral history of Star Trek that were just a joy to read. If you are a Star Wars fan and want to delve deep into the behind the scenes history, this is the book for you!That's it for us this time around! Please let us know your thoughts on anything we discussed this episode. You can leave comments here, or hit us up and our other haunts:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8CastFacebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8PodcastGood Evening!