Planet 8 Podcast

Episode 134: Planet 8 Rides The Horror Express!

As many of us are experiencing a very chilly winter, it seemed appropriate for us to do a deep dive on "Horror Express," a 1973 film set in a very cold environment, a train on a journey through Siberia! This classic 70s horror film features legends Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, this time, teamed up against the evil creature, and also features Telly Savalas, yes, Kojak, as an over-the-top Cossack captain. 
While often mistaken for a Hammer film, this was actually a Spanish/British production. A one sentence description of the movie might be "Murder on the Orient Express meets The Thing." Lee's scientist brings the fossilized corpse of a missing link on board the train - but it harbors the essence of an alien entity who reanimates the corpse and goes on a murder spree. The cast also features characters right out of Clue, with a Russian Count and Countess, a slinky spy, an engineer, a police inspector, and a Rasputin-like monk. It's at turns creepy and funny, but always watchable.
In our Sensor Sweep, Commander Larry shares his newest acquisition, Chekov's Enterprise, Walter Koening's journal of working on Star Trek The Motion Picture. He also shares Creatures magazine (thanks Jenny!). Finally, he has a humongous Mothra statue from Mondo. Check it out on our YouTube channel! Bob has picked up the late David J. Skal's book, Halloween: The Making of America's Darkest Holiday. He also has a comic, Godzilla Rivals: Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon from IDW, with a cover by Lenny Romero, who has been an artist at the Bay Area Film Events  Godzillafest. This issue is only available online. Bob's hat trick is a book that collects the magazine Fantastic Monsters. Recon Officer Walker shares the graphic novel Star Trek and the Planet of the Apes: The Prime Directive by the Tipton brothers and artist Rachel Stott. It's a fun story that captures the spirit of both franchises.
That's all for now. Share your memories of Horror Express with us at one of our spots:
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“Monster? We're British, you know!"

Episode 133: Planet 8 witnesses the final Battle for the Planet of the Apes

This episode marks a milestone for us: with this, we complete our look at the original five films in the Planet of the Apes series. While Battle for the Planet of the Apes may not be the finest entry in the series, it does have its moments. We are once again joined by our good friend and Ape-aficionado, Lord Blood-Rah, to examine the film and share recollections about Battle. We'll discuss Paul Dehn's original, wildly different script treatment for Battle, the budget limitations, the amazing actors (Paul Williams and John Huston?!), the many divergences from the original timeline, and so much more. We love talking Apes, anytime, anywhere!
Before moving to our Sensor Sweep, we want to note the untimely passing of author and horror historian David J. Skal.  Mr. Skal was killed on January 1 in an automobile accident. He was an insightful writer and video commentator, and a generous and kind person who made fandom a better place. He will be missed. 
Our Sensor Sweep has picked up Lord Blood-Rah's signals! You can find his show on the Nostalgia Network, and his podcast, the Nerve-Wrackin' Auditorium, Captain Paxar's Star Cadet Hour, and Nerve-Wrackin' Theater are all at YouTube.Com/LordBloodRah.
The Planet 8 crew talks about the Monarch show, The Invaders, and maybe even the Lawgiver? Check it out.
That's it for us. We want to thank our friend Lord Blood-Rah for joining us again, and all of you for listening! You can share your thoughts with us at any of our usual spots:
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“Ape shall never kill ape"
 
 

Episode 132: 2023 -the Year in Review

The end of one year and the start of a new one often leads to a period of reflection, and your Planet 8 crew is not immune to this. In this episode, we'll look back on 2023, specifically, the genre-related films and TV shows of the year and what we thought of them. All in all, it was not a standout year for the genre, but there were still a few gems to be found. We'll discuss the good, the bad, and the butt-ugly, all in this episode.
Since we are also just past the holidays, we'll use our Sensor Sweep to go over some of the goodies Santa left for us. No lumps of coal for this group! But quite a few wonderful videos, books, and paraphernalia.
That's all for this episode. We're excited about what we have planned for this year! In fact, you might say, we're going APE! So hang around - we'll be back in two weeks!
What were your best/worst of 2023? You can share with us at our various locations:
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“You do not find the happy life. You make it.”- Benjamin Franklin
 

Episode 131: Christmas with Karloff

Once again, the Planet 8 crew is graced by the presence of our good friend, the insightful Lord Blood-Rah, as we celebrate Christmas with Boris Karloff! Well, maybe not with Karloff in person, but his spirit is certainly with us. Obviously, Karloff's voice work on the holiday classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, is unforgettable (and makes our holiday connection). But there's so much to celebrate and explore in this man's career. 
Come with us as we take a trip through time to learn more about the man behind the Monster - who was Boris Karloff? How did he get his start? Besides his work in horror films, what else did he do? We'll get to as much as we can!
The Sensor Sweep is pre-Christmas, so no big presents just yet. But we still have some cool stuff to talk about. Lord Blood-Rah has a ton of cool stuff going on. To catch him on TV, you need to get the Nostalgia Network. It's on Roku, Sling, or you can go to WatchNOST.com to find a place. Otherwise, YouTube is your best bet for Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve-Wrackin' Auditorium, Nerve-Wrackin' Theater, or Captain Paxar's Star Cadet Hour. Find out more and get news about upcoming appearances at http://www.lordbloodrah.com/ .
It may not be Christmas yet, but Bob has a bunch of goodies to share. For this episode, he referenced a book he's had since grade school: Karloff: The Man, The Monster, The Movies by Dennis Gifford. He also managed to snag the steel book editions of The Mandalorian Seasons 1 and 2 at Best Buy. And on top of all that, he's got the Ultraman novelization by Pat Cadigan. Ho ho ho!
It's a blast from the past -sort of. After delays getting her stereo, Karen finally got the newly remastered versions of The Beatles' Red and Blue albums. These versions have additional songs and especially on the Red album, have mixes that really bring out the richness of the Beatles performance.
The last part of our show turns into a discussion of the documentary, A Disturbance in the Force, which is about the infamous Star Wars holiday special. Both Lord Blood-Rah and Mission Commander Larry bring this up. This special is on blu-ray and Apple TV. The whole crew joins in about this strange admixture of variety shows and Star Wars. And of course, the usual discussion of genre news...
Hang in til the end for a bit of Boris singing!!
We want to wish all of you a very happy holiday season. May the coming year bring you joy, peace, and prosperity. Thank you for listening to our show.
We'd love to hear from you!
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"The Monster was the best friend I ever had." - Boris Karloff
 

Episode 130: WTF MCU?

For at least a decade, it seemed the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) could do no wrong. But since Avengers: Endgame, the movies and TV shows coming out of the MCU have been very hit or miss. Some fans are saying that the MCU is over, others are still hopeful. Your Planet 8 crew takes some time to discuss two recent MCU productions, The Marvels and Loki season 2, as well as discuss our overall thoughts  on Phase 4 and 5 (so far).  We'll talk about what's gone right, and what missteps have been made,, as well as what we'd like to see in the future. 
The Sensor Sweep has a bit of a Marvel flavor too, as Larry shares a book he used for researching this episode, The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline. Karen recommends Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe, if you can handle the truth! Just to be different, Bob shows off his Alien Christmas shirt! Bob and Larry both sing the praises of Godzilla Minus One and the Monarch TV show. 
Be sure to tune in in two weeks for our special Christmas episode, Christmas with Karloff! Featuring special guest, Lord Blood-Rah!
That's all for now. Thanks for listening!
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Excelsior!
 

Episode 129: Thankful for Godzilla

Another year has passed, and despite all of the various crises of nature and man that we've seen this year, there is still much to be thankful for. We're thankful for good friends and family, great listeners, and for gigantic radioactive fire-breathing lizards. Yes, we're thankful for...GODZILLA!
In this episode, the Planet 8 crew share their undying love for Big G. We'll share our recollections of how we first encountered Godzilla, talk about our favorite Godzilla films and scenes, favorite kaiju co-stars, and on and on into Godzilla-mania. So tune in and reminisce along with us.
Our Sensor Sweep ties right into our theme, as Bob had the pleasure of attending the red carpet premiere of Godzilla Minus One in Los Angeles! He got to meet the director and many other celebrities, as well as see the new film, which he gives two big thumbs up! Don't forget, Godzilla vs. Kong is also coming out in April next year, which is the 70th anniversary of Godzilla! Also, check out Monarch on Apple TV, which tells the story of the organization that investigates the kaiju. And Godzillafest will be held in August, so stay tuned.
Whew! Everything after that is anti-climactic, but Karen shares a cool Godzilla reference book from the 90s, the Official Godzilla Compendium, an over-sized magazine which is chock full of photos and great illustrations by Art Adams. You might be able to find it on eBay.
We finally got him! Larry started watching The Invaders! He shared his 1st season DVD set. With all three of us watching it, look for an episode on the show to appear some time next year.
That's it for us this time. To those celebrating Thanksgiving, we hope you have a safe and happy holiday. And to all of you we say, a big "Thank you" for listening to us or watching us, reaching out to us on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. We really love hearing from you! 
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Oh no, there goes Tokyo!

Episode 128: Tuesday is Soylent Green day!

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the film Soylent Green (1973), a dystopian thriller set in the year 2022, which has one of the greatest shock endings of all time.  ***SPOILER*** The crackers being distributed to the grubby crowds, called Soylent Green and supposedly made from plankton, actually come from a far more disturbing source. As star Charlton Heston shouts at the film's end (and which has become a popular meme), "Soylent Green is people!"
This was the third of Heston's dystopian science fiction films (fourth, if you count his brief appearance in Beneath the Planet of the Apes) - he started with the classic Planet of the Apes in 1968, moved on to the action-packed Omega Man in 1971, and then concluded it with this, what he called his only "message picture." Heston was concerned with the prospect of worldwide overpopulation, and wanted to make a film about it. His friend and producer, Walter Seltzer, gave the book Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison to Heston. They both tried to persuade MGM to adapt it to film. It was only when they added the element of the unwitting cannibalism to the script that the studio heads gave it a thumbs-up.
While the whole concept could sound corny on paper, and might have been B grade at best in the hands of others, it was a top-notch production. Heston and his fellow actors, especially Edward G. Robinson, really elevated the material. Heston and Robinson have wonderful chemistry in the film. Robinson's death scene is especially moving, given that the actor was ill, and passed away only a couple of weeks after filming.
In 2022, many articles were published dissecting the film, looking at what the film got right and where it was off target. While we're not eating people crackers (as far as we know!), some of the things in the film have hit kind of close to home. Issues with climate and global warming, the widening gap between the haves and have-nots, increasing militarization of police forces, the influence of corporations on governments and so on, all were shown in the film, and seem a lot more real than they once did.
We urge people to give Soylent Green another look. Do you feel differently about the film now than you did when you saw it before? 
For our Sensor Sweep, we gab about a bunch of stuff. Chief Engineer Bob has a whole lot of Godzilla stuff going on! That lucky guy is going to see the new Godzilla Minus One movie this Friday, November 11, at the red carpet premiere! Next time, he'll tell us all about it. He's also been able to see the 1st 8 episodes of the Monarch series on Apple TV and says it's pretty awesome.
Karen gives props to the Charlton Heston autobiography she referenced for this episode, In The Arena. It's a fascinating read if you have an interest in Heston or the 50s-70s era of Hollywood. 
Our Mission Commander, Larry, shared his vinyl album (what's that?) Songs from Beyond by the Bomboras, a surf guitar band, which he very much enjoyed and recommends. He's also hoping to get some celebrity interviews for Planet 8 at Fan Expo, which he has a press pass for. So keep your fingers crossed!
That's all for us. Next episode is our Thanksgiving special, which will feature our thanks for a very big legend - one that has stood out from the crowd for over 60 years now! See you next time!
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It's people! Peeeople!!

Episode 127: Halloween Bloodsuckers (Vampire Films)

Happy Halloween! Sure, we're a few days early, but we know most of you have been celebrating all month (if not earlier).  We're back with more of those terrors from the tomb, vampires! Last time around, we looked at the birth of the cinematic vampire. This time, we move forward in time to more modern depictions. Each of your Planet 8 crew picked two films to discuss. So that gives us six films that range in tone, style, and of course, the type of vampires present.
We start off with a look at Salem's Lot (1979), the two-part TV movie that traumatized a generation.  Next up is the 80s classic, The Lost Boys (1987), with a pop soundtrack and kid vampire hunters. Things take a serious turn with Let The Right One In (2008), a dark entry from Sweden. The Hunger (1983) offers a sensual twist on the legend, while What We Do in the Shadows (2014) finds the humor in the vampire lifestyle. We conclude with Fright Night (1985), which asks what would you do if the guy next door was a vampire?
We hope you enjoyed our exploration of this classic monster. What are some of your favorite vampire films? Be sure to let us know!
For our Sensor Sweep, all three of the crew have books this time! Who knew we were so literate? Chief Engineer Bob brings the spooky with a collection of Asian Ghost Short Stories. It's over 400 pages of fascinating stories from all over Asia.  Next we have Karen with a choice ripe for Halloween, Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror by Michael Mallory. Full of great photos from the movies, it's a fun one to  look at. Finally, Commander Larry caps it off with Making It So by Patrick Stewart - he not only got this book by Sir Patrick, he got it signed and personalized!
Thanks for listening! We wish you all a very Happy Halloween!
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Children of the night, what music they make!