The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

Byrd and Matt are joined by Ron Bonk of home video label SRS Cinema to talk about their history and recent kaiju film releases.  SRS has been an established video label for obscure independent genre films for years and just recently they have dipped their toes in the world of tokusatsu/kaiju with the Reigo/Raiga Trilogy, Attack of the Giant Teacher, and their upcoming release of Norman England's f...

Byrd, Matt and Tom join up with the Movie Graveyard podcast to take on one of the most controversial Godzilla movies ever made!  Of course, we're discussing the 1998 Tristar reboot!  We give a full audio commentary and dive into a variety of topics including the film's long development process, the massive marketing campaign, the fallout after its release, whether the film did more good or bad for...

Byrd, Matt, Tom and Kevin review the recent short film Howl From Beyond the Fog.  Directed by Daisuke Sato and with a creature built by legendary monster maker Keizo Murase, this period piece is about a blind girl and the monster who protects her, as greedy developers threaten to take over her family's land.  Using an all puppet human cast and a fantastic monster suit, it offers a new aesthetic in...

Join Byrd, Tom, Matt, and Kevin (of Maser Patrol/author of Kaiju for Hipsters) for an audio commentary on 1964's Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster!  Join us as we discuss some trivia, history, and even do some myth busting on Ishiro Honda's Showa classic.  There's not much to do in quarantine, so why not watch a movie with us?  Listen in and enjoy!

Byrd and Matt emerge from COVID-19 quarantine to discuss Kinji Fukusaku's pandemic panic film Virus, arguably the most ambitious Japanese film ever made.  Along for the ride are authors John LeMay (The Lost Films) and Kevin Derendorf (Kaiju for Hipsters, Maser Patrol blog).  The film shows how a fast acting virus spreads across the globe and wipes out all of the human race except for a small popul...

On July 12, 2019 at G-Fest, Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski held a retrospective panel on Bringing Godzilla Down to Size, the documentary feature film that they wrote and produced for Classic Media.  Directed by Norman England, this eye opening documentary went to great lengths to highlight the history and enduring legacy of Japanese special effects films.  Join Ed and Steve as they share highligh...

On July 14, 2019, Akira Ifukube student Reiko Yamada and pianist Patrick Godon performed a piano concert of the composer's music at G-Fest 2019.  Following that concert, Ifukube's biographer Erik Homenick hosted a panel discussion with Yamada as well as conductor/composer John DeSentis (Kaiju Crescendo concert), film historian Patrick Galvan, and Japanese film fan Tyler E. Martin. The panel discus...

  Byrd and Matt are joined by Chris Marti to discuss two apocalyptic Toho disaster films. First up, we talk 1961’s harrowing The Last War, a story chronicling the events leading up to World War III and the helpless civilians stuck in the middle.  Featuring excellent performances by Akira Takarada, and Frankie Sakai and some of Eiji Tsuburaya’s very best effects work. We follow that up with the ban...

More of Byrd's appearance on blogger/author Keven Derendorf's Maser Patrol Podcast with Justin Mullis sees the trio review Criterion's recent Showa Godzilla box set.  Also discussed is the complicated history behind why the set turned out the way it did and what content did/did not make the cut.  The two also discuss Mill Creek's massive and ambitious Ultraman release slate, as well as discuss the...

Byrd appears on author/blogger Kevin Derendorf's Maser Patrol podcast with blogger Justin Mullis (Man Creates Dinosaurs) to discuss the history of the Godzilla series on home video in North America.  We go through the various VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray releases, all leading up to Criterion's long anticipated box set (which will be reviewed in detail in part 2 of this podcast).  So relax and get ready t...

Byrd and Matt wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving with a review of the 2004 Thai film, Garuda!  (Look, there aren't a lot of movies about giant birds so this was the best we could do this time).  We discuss the film's themes and give our full review, as well as its oddly popular status as a "kaiju" movie.  But first, we talk about the news of Godzilla vs. Kong's delay and Marvel's upcoming Ultraman...

For this very special edition of the podcast, we are joined by director and prolific special effects legend, Steve Wang!  Steve directed the Guyver 1 and 2 (among other films) and has created special effects and monsters for Predator, Evil Dead 2, the Monster Squad, Beetlejuice, Gremlins 2, and WAY more.  Steve joins us for a candid discussion where he talks about a variety of topics, including hi...

Byrd, Matt and Tom have a cure for your Halloween hangover with this look at several Japanese films that took a different approach to two of the most famous monsters of all time- vampires and the Frankenstein monster!  First up, we have the 1991 oddity The Last Frankenstein, based on the stage play of the same name.  Then we have Takashi Shimizu's surreal 2004 low budget Marebito.  And finally, we...

For another October horror edition of the podcast, Byrd, Matt and Tom discuss the directorial work of Japanese special effects maverick, Tomoo Haraguchi!  Primarily known as a makeup artist and monster maker on films such as the Heisei Gamera trilogy, Ringu 0, Ultraman Mebius, and others, he also directed a handful of horror films.  We discuss his straight to video debut Mikadroid: Robokill Beneat...

Welcome back to another October horror edition of the show.  Byrd, Matt and Tom delve into the snake girls of famed manga writer Kazuo Umezu.  We take a look at two adaptations of Umezu's "snake girl" stories.  Daiei's 1968 horror film Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch (directed by Gamera creator Noriaki Yuasa!), as well as "Snake Girl," an episode of the 2005 anthology television series, "Ka...

First up for our October horror series this year, Byrd, Matt and Tom discuss everyone's favorite hungry glob of goo, the Blob!  We discuss the original 1958 indie sensation, its completely bonkers 1972 sequel Beware the Blob, and the gore drenched 1988 remake from Chuck Russel and Frank Darabont.  We discuss the history of all three films, the real life inspiration for the Blob, and the canceled B...

Byrd and Matt are joined by author John LeMay (The Lost Films, Kong Unmade) for a special audio commentary for Toei's 1977 oddity, Legend of Dinosaurs & Monster Birds.  Inspired by the success of Jaws and a recent upswing in sea monster sightings around the globe, the film was touted as one of the most expensive Japanese productions ever made, only to become widely regarded as one of the absolute...

Byrd and Matt are joined again by author John LeMay to discuss his new book, Kong Unmade.  The book covers the proposed/canceled King Kong films, including Universal's Legend of King Kong, Willis O'Brien's King Kong vs. Frankenstein, the original screenplays for the original 1933 film and Peter Jackson's remake, and less discussed projects suc has Abbott and Costello Meet King Kong, Funimation's a...

At this panel from G-Fest 2019, Ishiro Honda biographers Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski (authors of Ishiro Honda: A Life In Film) took a look at the making of Godzilla's Revenge.  The authors offer a critical examination of Ishiro Honda's most misunderstood entry in the Godzilla franchise.  Topics discussed include the origin of the film, Ishiro Honda's direction, the cast, special effects sequen...

Byrd and Matt are joined by special guests, game creator Alex Rushdy (of 13 AM Games and Seismic toys) and Chris Oglio (of Seismic toys) to discuss the upcoming independent kaiju video game, Dawn of the Monsters, and its accompanying vinyl figure.  We talk about what goes into creating an independent video game that can get wide distribution, the monsters and gameplay, and what it takes to start a...

At G-Fest 2019, Matt was joined by blogger/author Kevin Derendorf (Maser Patrol, Kaiju For Hipsters) and toy reviewer RJ Axen (BoatsCanFly on YouTube) for a panel discussion about the history between Bandai and Tsuburaya Productions, and how this relationship has affected the Ultraman franchise in recent years.  Enjoy!

At G-Fest 2019, Byrd and Matt were joined for by authors John LeMay (The Lost Films, Kong Unmade) and Kevin Derendorf (Kaiju for Hipsters, Maser Patrol blog) for a live episode dedicated to Godzilla vs. Biollante!  We take an in-depth look at the 1989 classic, including unused scripts, the making of the film, the manga adaptation, and more!  Relax and enjoy!

Byrd, Matt, and Tom are joined by returning guests composer John DeSentis and Akira Ifukube biographer Erik Homenick to discuss and reflect on the Kaiju Crescendo concert that took place this past July at G-Fest 2019. The concert featured music by Akira Ifukube and Masaru Sato, as well as Michiro Oshima performing her own Godzilla music in her first ever live performance (including new Godzilla mu...

Tom interviews director Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, director/star of the upcoming micro-budget monster indie, the Lake Michigan Monster!  The movie recently won the audience award for Best International Feature at the Fantasia Film Festival, and played to an enthusiastic audience at G-Fest 2019.  The two discuss Tews' roots, his inspirations, the problems with improv, creature design, having a film...

Byrd and Matt are joined by special guest Bob Johnson (SciFi Japan, Planet 8 Podcast, GodzillaFest) to discuss a variety of topics including the pre-internet days of kaiju reporting, Russ Tamblyn, the birth and demise of Markalite magazine, clueless Ultraman directors, doing Godzilla DVD commentaries, forming SciFi Japan, a Mothra cast reunion, malfunctioning Ultra suits, and planning GodzillaFest...