Xenorama, the Podcast of Heroes and Monsters

In which X7 reviews the great Heroes Two from 1974! Yes, we blew the number. This is the first released movie in Chang Cheh's Shaolin Cycle, and it is wonderful. Loads of drama and martial arts. We highly recommend the movie!

In which X7 listens to and talks about seven different songs. We have a couple returning artists, and a debuting soundtrack song as well today! X7 even learns a thing or two about a band he has long known. How about that? Get your headband on, it is time to rock and roll!

In which X7 reviews two really good episodes of Ultraman (1966). One is a pretty standard invasion story, but is so well directed that it makes the episode stand out. The second is probably the most tragic story in this first series. We also introduce a new feature! But you have to watch to see it! Higgentoot rocks!

In which X7 takes a look at one of his favorite places in the world, Dinosaur Land in White Post, VA. You can also read more about the history of the park here . This is a tour of the booklet sold by the park in the 70s. They may still have some there now, probably for the same price. Be that as it may, X7 love this park, and it sure had an impart on his wee agent brain. Do you want to go to Dinos...

In which X7 talks about what should be a beloved dinosaur movie classic, Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955/1960). It sure deserves any accolades it gets, we will tell you what! This movies features a wide variety of effects, and even the "localization" works well. We highly recommend it!

In which X7 reviews the first then-modern day Cap story, where he heads to an unnamed country in South America to get revenge on the baneful Baron Zemo. The thing is, Zemo wants his revenge on Cap! Rick Jones is present in this story from the pages of the Avengers, but we don't see any of his colorful teammates. Good thing Cap has that mighty shield ready!

In which X7 reviews the second Godzilla movie, well the US version of the second Godzilla movie, Gigantis, The Fire Monste r. That is a helluva title, we must say. It suffers from rushed-sequelitis for sure, but there is a lot to like here. Let's watch and find out what those qualities are!

In which X7 starts a new segment- Shaolin Saturday! What could be better than a great version of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple from Chang Cheh and Lau Kar-Leung? We do love this Shaolin Cycle, and will be spending the next four weeks with these same people, more or less. Let's get to kung fu fighting!

In which X7 listens to seven great holiday songs for this coldest and darkest season. There are songs about several of the holidays observed this season, but you will have to listen to them to find out! Let's get ready to jingle bell rock and roll!

In which X7 takes a look at two more episodes of the classic effects series Ultraman! We have an avenger monster in Hydra, which looks nothing like the Greek Hydra, and a toxic gas monster in Kemular, who looks a bit like a giant muppet. Neither monster is evil, but they are dangerous! It is almost all-out action! Call the Science Patrol!

In which X7 reviews the oddball and rather fun sci-fi peplum, The Giant of Metropolis! It stars Gordon Mitchell, and takes place around 20,000 BCE. That is quite a long time ago! There are no monsters, but the direction and sets make up for it. There is lots of action as well. He isn't really a son of Hercules, but it still works!

In which X7 reviews a "documentary" that was first released on VHS in 1990, then in a slightly upgraded form on DVD in 2001. It's a fun time machine to see how beat up these trailers are and how happy we were to see them back then. There are not many actual dinosaurs present, but that is quite alright. The movies are all pre-CGI, which is quite refreshing these days. Let's go!

In which X7 looks at either the third or fourth episode (third episode here, but fourth according to Wiki) of the 1966 Captain America cartoon. It was based on Tales of Suspense #69 to 71. Is Steve Rogers AWOL? Looks like it, but he does have friends in high places. Can Rogers be in two places at the same time? Don't touch that dial!

In which X7 talks about the fun action-comedy movie, Dinosaurus! from 1960. The effects are good, the scenery is gorgeous and plot is pretty easy to follow. What more could a person want? Well, X7 does wish he had seen this as a wee agent, rather than as an older, more discerning agent. But life doesn't always work that way, right? The screen grabs are from the Kino-Lorber Blu Ray, which is a grea...

In which X7 reviews a DVD from 2001, which was originally a LP VHS tape from 1992. It is amazing how many of these movies are now available in great copies. Let's all be thankful for tapes like this from 30 plus years ago. It was fun to have back then we can tell you what. We also debut the new logo! Let us know how you like it in the comments!

In which X7 talks about seven great songs, yet again, since it is a Friday and that is what we do here in da clerb! OK, no one here is really hip enough (or young enough) to pull that off, but it does make us smile, so there you go. Let's rock and roll!

In which X7 takes a look at two great episodes of Ultraman, and also two rather sentimental favorites as well. We see an alien brother from a different planet seeking to help humans, and then two reincarnated monsters show up. What more could a viewer want? Have your Beta Capsule handy, as you are going to need it!

In which X7 talks about the wonderful Blu Ray from Vinegar Syndrome, Reptilicus ! The movie is a true cult classic on both sides of the Atlantic. X7 has loved it since he was a wee agent, and still does. This 3 disc set is amazing, there are classic movies that have not seen this much love in a release. We also get to here Peterson sing the classic "Tillicus" song! Dig it!

In which X7 celebrates the amazing (in many ways) KISS movie KISS meets the Phantom of the Park (1978). It sure isn't perfect, but we at Xenorama sure love it. X7 doesn't really talk about the movie that much, just his reaction to it, then and now. We also look at the European version of the movie as well, which is slightly better. All things considered, it sure could have been worse. Let's rock a...

In which X7 reviews the second Captain America cartoon, which is really three stories from Tales of Suspense in 1965! It is quite the exciting tale, in which Cap gets brainwashed into thinking the Red Skull is his leader. He does not say "heel Hydra" once, though. X7 sure would have liked to see more movies with Cap set in WW2, he tells us. Be that as it may, grab that mighty shield for all-out ac...

In which X7 takes a look at the first Lone Ranger movie, The Lone Ranger ! He has added the Spirit Mountain subtitle to make it sound more original, but that is just X7 doing X7 things. Its a nice little movie, filled with action and humor and just a bit of pathos here and there. Quite enjoyable!

In which X7 talks about the final Starman feature, which was made of the three final Super Giant movies. It is pretty chaotic, though the narration does an admirable job trying to cover it all up. It is a fun movie though, and one you can put on at a party for fun. We are glad the Emerald Men take Earth under consideration!

In which X7 listens to and reviews seven great songs (well, at least they are very good, anyway) for this Friday. We go all the way from the late 50s to the mid-80s today, just how the music tumbles out of the speakers. Let's get ready to rock and roll!

In which X7 takes a look at two more Ultraman episodes. The first features the return of the Alien Baltan, who first appeared in the classic second episode of the series. This alien is a pest, we will tell you what. The second is a combination of three stones, possibly from space, that can alter reality. The thing is called Bulton and this is one strange episode. It is almost a comedy as well. Hol...

In which X7 reviews the movie adaptation of the late, great Darwyn Cooke 's DC: The New Frontier . It is called Justice League New Frontier , but the actual JLA only appears at the very end. We really like the movie, but do feel it could have benefited from a longer running time, or being two parts of 75 minutes each. Also, we really don't need to see Batman everywhere, do we? It really is the Gre...