Planet 8 Podcast

Tidal waves, fires, earthquakes - the world is a dangerous place, full of natural disasters! And on this episode of Planet 8, we talk about three of our favorite disaster movies: The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Submersion of Japan, aka Tidal Wave (1973/1975), and The Towering Inferno (1974). All three are excellent examples of the disaster genre, which came into its own in the 1970s, but is still g...

In this episode, Larry, Bob, and Karen run down their favorite science fiction TV shows. In the past we've done top ten shows where we've named "the best" of something, and combined our individual lists, but this time, we went with our personal favorites. Although we had some picks in common, we wound up with 21 distinct series! So take a listen, see what we came up with, and then let us know your...

On this episode, friends of Planet 8 Gail and Ray Orwig return to discuss their new book, Fantastic Serial Sites of California: Science Fiction, Horror, and  Fantasy Locations, 1919-1955. Once again, these intrepid investigators of film history have unearthed the real-life locations of many famous film sites from over 60 serials. We'll discuss how they found these notable sites, some of their more...

Another year is in the books, and before we dive into 2023, the Planet 8 crew is taking some time to review the year that just passed. What films and TV shows did we enjoy? What surprised us? And what was disappointing? Oh heck, let's just say it: what was crap?! We go over it all, as well as dip into the future a bit with some speculation and anticipation for coming projects. For the Sensor Sweep...

Another year has come and nearly gone, and your Planet 8 crew is sitting around the fusion reactor, sipping hot cocoa, and reminiscing about some of our favorite genre shows that feature Christmas as an element. Whether science fiction, fantasy, horror, or what have you, we'll cover a wide range of movies and TV shows that we've enjoyed in which the celebration of Noel plays a part.  In our Sensor...

Welcome back listeners! This episode we have a twofer for you: we reminisce and remark on two films in one of our favorite film series, Escape from the Planet of the Apes AND Conquest of the Planet of the Apes! We also have one of our favorite people, special guest Lord Blood-Rah, with us! We do less of a review than a ramble through our favorite parts and some of the paradoxes that have kept us w...

We want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to our fellow US citizens, and a...pleasant autumn? to all the rest! It's a time for us to reflect on what we're grateful for, and on Planet 8, we are grateful for the work and life of Captain James T. Kirk himself, WIlliam Shatner. Although our admiration began with his Star Trek role, it certainly didn't end there. Through his many other  acting roles, and hi...

It's November, and here in the States, that means we're getting ready for Turkey Day! But on Planet 8, with our love of all things sci fi, fantasy, and horror, we have a love of a different kind of turkey: those films that many, especially those in the mainstream, consider to be bad films. And truth be told, a lot of these films might not be the greatest films. The production values might be poor,...

In this Halloween episode, we take a look at the scary animation, films, and park attractions of Walt Disney. Typically we think of Walt Disney features as being funny  family-fare, but there were quite a few memorable frightening moments or characters in Disney features. We're fortunate to be joined by the hosts of the  Walt Disney Family Museum official podcast , Bri Bertolaccini and Chris Mulle...

Here on Planet 8 we've dug deep into the lore of many creatures of the night. But this episode is the first time we've tackled that Egyptian menace, the Mummy! The Mummy arose from the popularity of the exploration/plundering of Egyptian tombs, especially King Tutankhamun. The discovery of King Tut's tomb was also associated with a curse, which fueled many imaginations and stories. The idea of a c...

It's time for another Planet 8 Top Ten -only this time, it's a Top Ten times two! That's right, in this episode, we're giving you not one Top Ten list, but two Top Ten lists! And our subject this time around is near and dear to our hearts, and we hope to yours too: Robots! Sometimes friends, sometimes foes, these mechanical beings have always fascinated people. In this episode the Planet 8 crew sh...

This episode our guest is Frank Dietz, who has had an amazing career in show business as a screenwriter, Disney animator, actor, and more. Frank shares his experiences in Hollywood with us. Frank is a wonderful storyteller. Sit back and enjoy! For our Sensor Sweep, we shine a light on Frank's web presence. His web site, Sketchythingsart.com, is where you can find his art, screenwriting, and other...

In this episode your Planet 8 crew will discuss and review the newest entry in the Predator film franchise, Prey!  Prey was released on Hulu this month and did not have a theatrical release. It is set in 1719 and pits a predator against a young Comanche woman. It's a thematic departure from more recent efforts in the Predator series and a breath of fresh air. We'll talk about what we liked, what w...

In this episode we celebrate and explore the films of legendary filmmaker, John Carpenter! Carpenter is such a unique director, a man who has always done things his own way, with a real talent for storytelling. The Planet 8 crew will start by discussing Carpenter's early life and how he became a filmmaker. We move on to a discussion of the qualities that define John Carpenter's style. Obviously, w...

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is here -Thor: Love and Thunder - and your Planet 8 crew has a lot to say about it. And it ain't necessarily good. Much like the previous Thor film, this newest look at the God of Thunder takes a decidedly goofy slant. It's a little too goofy for our taste. Beware -there are spoilers ahead!  Not to say there aren't some interesting or exciting thin...

One of the most anticipated TV series in years has just concluded its first season, and there's been a lot of talk about it, especially between the members of Planet 8. We're talking, of course, about Obi-Wan Kenobi, the latest Star Wars show on Disney Plus. Picking up threads from the prequel trilogy and the Clone Wars series, the show follows up on a downtrodden Obi-Wan Kenobi, years after the d...

They said it couldn't be done. They said we would never make it. They said hot dogs are sandwiches. But despite the nay-sayers, and against all odds, we made it to our 100th episode!  When we started the Planet 8 podcast, we had no idea we would reach this kind of milestone. But here we are. Despite the hiccup of Recon Officer Karen getting hit with Covid right before we were going to record our 1...

Unfortunately part of your Planet 8 crew has been struck down by the Covid virus, causing us to delay our 100th episode! We hope you will enjoy this encore presentation of Episode 13, Road to Apocalypse, from November 8, 2018. We'll be back on the 22nd with episode 100!

We're back with a spoiler-filled discussion of Marvel Studios' 28th film, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Surprisingly, Bob and Karen both liked this movie more than Larry did! But we all enjoyed it. As usual, this film is bursting at the seams with guest appearances and all sorts of craziness. We'll do our best to examine the story and characters and share our thoughts on some of the pl...

    There's never been a time like this: no less than five Star Trek series on the air at the same time! You would think Trekkies (trekkers?) would be rejoicing. But, not so. While some fans are enjoying these new iterations of Star Trek, other fans are gnashing their teeth. In this episode, the Planet 8 crew, along with our guest Lord Blood-Rah, discuss the state of Star Trek - what it has meant...

  This episode we discuss some of our favorite science fiction and fantasy film scores. There have been some truly amazing and memorable scores, music which helps define the films and give them their identity. These scores are inseparable from the visuals and they invoke the story just as much.  Each of us shares three film scores and describes just what it is about that score that we find so fasc...

A promo for our podcast, Planet 8, the podcast of the fantastic!

  On this episode we look at a genre and a sub-genre within that - Blaxploitation horror films! Blaxploitation was a genre that existed for only a short time in the 70s, but had a major impact. Together with our guest, Lord Blood-Rah, we'll discuss the origins of the genre and then take a look at several horror films that spun out of it. Blacula (1972) is probably the best-known of these films, an...

  This episode is a fuel-injected suicide machine! We're traveling not too far into the future, to the world of Mad Max! We've been big fans of both Mad Max and The Road Warrior, and we'll discuss all four of the films, and of course get into some of the back story about how the film series originated. Coming out of Australia in 1979 as the brainchild of George Miller and Byron Kennedy, Mad Max wa...

We're back with more talk about all the shows we've been watching. There are so many great shows out now- and so many platforms. It's hard to keep up with it all. But between the three of us, we manage to see quite a few genre shows. We'll share our thoughts on shows such as The Walking Dead, Raised by Wolves, Peacemaker, Star Trek Prodigy, Cowboy Bebop, Hellier, Servant, Tetsujin 28,  Superman an...