Hello and welcome to Camp Kaiju Monster Movie Reviews.
We are your hosts, Vincent Hannum, Matt Levine, and joining us are our guest hosts.
Who are you guys?
I'm Mike Swalin and Patrick Kazaki.
Right on, right on.
And we are talking about all of our favorite monster movies, The Good, The Bad, and The
Downright Campy, and asking if they stand the test of time.
Traditional Kaiju creature features, space invaders, the supernatural, and everything
in between.
All strange beasts are welcome here at Camp Kaiju.
And we are sponsored this season once again by Zack Linder and the Zack Pack powered by
Coldwell Banker Realty, your source for real estate, home rehab, fixing and flipping for
investor clients and residential buyers.
Reach out to the Zack Pack today for real estate services, follow the Zack Pack on social
media, and contact the Zack Pack for investment opportunities.
Links in the bio.
Feels good to say that.
Yeah.
We're back, baby.
Better than ever.
And Matt, what are we talking about this week on Camp Kaiju?
This week, we're talking about Godzilla X-Kong, or shall I say Godzilla Kong, the new empire.
The X is silent.
India New.
I've also heard it shortened to GXK.
So you know, lots of options there.
Does this movie deserve like a fancy abbreviation?
It's to be seen, Mike.
Yeah, I do want to talk about the title because I think I think the title in and of itself
is is a lot to pick apart, honestly.
But we're going to we're going to talk about that more.
We're going to talk about all things Kaiju, all things Godzilla and Kong.
We want to welcome Mike and Patrick.
Patrick, you're a returning guest.
From what podcast do you come from?
Weary traveler.
I am returning you.
Unfortunately, had me back again.
I apparently didn't mess it up enough the first time your podcast, but I'm back to do
some more damage.
I am hailing from the Gaze Do the D podcast, which is a Disney podcast with an LGBTQIA
plus perspective.
Yeah, excellent.
And Patrick, for those listening, Patrick guested on a previous episodes on Luca, the
Pixar movie, and Camp Kaiju guested on Gaze Do the D. We discussed 20000 Leagues Under
the Sea from 1954.
So great, great episodes to check out there.
Mike, welcome.
This is your first time to camp.
It is my first time to camp.
Thank you for having me.
What is your favorite monster movie?
Oh, that's a good question.
I would have to say, you know, and this this is just what comes to mind immediately, but
Super 8.
I just kind of adored that movie and had a very nostalgic feel to it, you know, especially,
you know, that 80s sort of feel.
It was also great to see, you know, a lot of the times, you know, it kind of that movie
in particular, the vibe kind of feels a little bit like ET, where you have like the, you
know, the kind of monster that you're trying to get home and kind of flipped it on its
head where this was also it was also a monster trying to get home, but it's just straight
up beating people.
It's just wanting to it does want to get home and you kind of feel for it, but it's also
super dangerous.
And I don't know why I think it's my favorite monster.
Yeah, that's maybe an underrated film from the past decade or so.
Yeah.
Nice.
Great.
Well, folks, we have some new bits that we're premiering a season for.
So this first bit is called Nuts and Bolts.
And when the episode is released, you'll hear some like Frankenstein lab type type stuff.
So nuts and bolts.
We got to you know, this is important stuff.
We got to get out of the way.
We want to thank you all for listening, for hanging out.
Please rate and review Camp Kaiju wherever you do listen.
Apple, Spotify, our website even.
You can also share this podcast with a friend.
Send us listener comments.
A couple of ways you can do this.
CampKaiju at gmail.com, our Facebook page, Instagram, or if you'd like to be a featured
voice on the show, this is new.
You can leave us a voicemail at 612-470-2612.
Just leave me a voicemail.
I'm not going to answer the phone.
I swear.
Just tell us about your favorite monster movies, memories, things like that.
We'd love to have your voices on the show as well.
And like I said, you can visit our website at CampKaijuMovieReviews.com for more special
content.
And hi, Gary.
We're just thanking our patrons.
Welcome.
Hello.
So thank you to Jason, Chris, Sean, our anonymous patron and Peggy.
And we got to hit the old Gamera Gong.
I'll add that in post.
Don't worry.
But Sean is new as of this week.
So climbing right on board, we're happy to have you.
Another fun thing I wanted to maybe add, you know, this week, today in Monster Movie History.
And we are recording this.
This episode releases in July.
We're recording on May 7th.
And Matt, you alerted me to a very special anniversary as of today.
Yeah, indeed.
It's the birthday of Ashiro Honda, the director of the original Godzilla and many Toho Kaiju
movies from the Showa era of the Godzilla franchise.
Some might call him the granddaddy of Godzilla himself.
So it's appropriate that we're talking about this movie today.
So happy birthday, Ashiro Honda.
Yeah.
Is he still alive?
No, sadly, in his memory.
Matt, do you want to read some of these other monster movies?
These were released in July and there's some big titles celebrating 50th anniversary, 60th
anniversary, 70th.
Matt pick and choose a couple of those to to shout out for us.
Yeah, for sure.
Well, the first one I want to point out is them, the giant ant movie from 1954, which
we talked about on the podcast last year.
Can't remember exactly when.
Must have been like last spring, maybe last summer or something like that.
I was blown away by that movie.
One of my favorite, like classical Hollywood monster movies of all time.
Definitely part of the giant insect craze of the 50s.
So yeah, them.
Check it out if you haven't seen it already.
Let's see here.
I mean, I have to point out Gremlins from my birth year of 1984, which is clarifying
how old I am.
But Gremlins one of the best Christmas and horror movies of all time.
Gotta love Gremlins.
Such a fun movie.
Yeah.
And you're also celebrating your 40th anniversary this year.
Indeed I am.
Yes.
Hey, oh, you guys have any any any of those titles jump out at you as things you're a
fan of?
Oh yeah, I mean, Gremlins.
Yeah, but Meg, my partner, had never seen it.
We actually I and I had not seen it for years.
We watched it around Christmas last year.
And yeah, she had a ton of fun with it.
And yeah, it was a blast.
I have a distinct memory of my dad showing me Gremlins for the first time when I was
a kid and just losing my mind.
Yeah, it's one of those movies that appeals to all ages.
I forgot and I hadn't seen it for years.
I forgot it was a Christmas movie until I rewatched it again recently.
And yeah.
Finding out why her dad dies is one of the greatest reveals in film history.
I have I have Gremlins on my short list of films I want to bring to the podcast.
It's about time, right?
It's one of those ten pole films.
Oh, yeah.
We have to give Wolf a shout out, though.
Sorry to interrupt everybody.
But Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer in a werewolf movie.
You can't go wrong.
That was a little tongue in cheek.
Matt and I talked about that one.
It's maybe not the best movie, but no, you know, there's a lot I liked about it.
Yeah.
But happy 30th anniversary to Wolf.
The moon is rising.
The passion is growing.
The animal is out.
Nicholson Pfeiffer.
Don't look so scared.
Wolf.
Rated R. Billy Pelser has a nice home.
Billy, is that you?
Yeah, Mom, it's me.
A nice job.
A nice girl.
If you're not doing anything this Thursday night, maybe you'd like to go out on a date
with me.
I'd love to.
And loving parents who are about to give him.
You're gonna like this.
No, no, no, don't shake it.
We're gonna have to open it now.
It won't wait till Christmas.
The most unusual gift he ever got.
What is it?
It's your new pet.
Come on, Bonnie, be a good dog.
My dad gave it to me.
But there are a few things to keep in mind.
If you expose it to the light, you may hurt it.
If you get it wet, it will multiply.
All that from water?
Yeah, plain water.
And most important, no matter how much they beg, never, never let them eat after midnight.
Because when they do, they change.
They become clever, mischievous.
What's going on here?
And dangerous.
Grandmothers, don't you ever think of that?
I don't know.
Maybe thousands.
They've been here too.
Billy, what are these things?
Where do they come from?
Look, I know it sounds crazy.
I know.
But in a few hours, you're gonna have a major disaster on your hands.
Grandmothers, directed by Joe Dante.
They'll be expecting you.
I tell you, gentlemen, science has agreed that unless something is done and done quickly,
man as the dominant species of life on earth will be extinct within a year.
I
told you earlier that pen將ers would no offence when laughed at.
of developments from
We are full cooperation with the military authorities.
Yes, cities, nations, even civilization itself,
threatened with annihilation.
Because in one moment of history making violence,
nature, mad, rampant, wrought its most awesome creation.
For born in that swirling inferno of radioactive dust,
were things so horrible, so terrifying, so hideous.
There is no word to describe them.
We may be witnesses to a biblical prophecy.
Some new upcoming releases.
So next month we have Alien Romulus coming out.
We're gonna wanna check that out.
And then if you haven't yet,
this summer checked out the new Quiet Place
or Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
I think those are some big,
some big sequels that I am looking forward to seeing.
All right, so coming up next on Camp Kaiju,
Matt, what title are we featuring next?
Well, again, this is appropriate
because we're gonna be talking about
King Kong versus Godzilla from 1962.
So, you know, if you wanted to give Godzilla X Kong
some credit, you can say that it's an homage
to the original King Kong versus Godzilla.
So yeah, we'll be talking about that one soon.
Yeah, good little dumb speech today.
Sorry to cut you off, I've never seen it.
I'm very excited.
Yeah, who said that?
Me, that was me, sorry.
Oh.
Who out there?
Who said that?
Okay, last thing with our nuts and bolts.
Hey everybody, this was brought to you
by Threadless, campkaiju.threadless.com.
It's our new merch store.
Not only can you get all kinds of crazy T-shirts,
but guys, Threadless is bonkers.
You can get your logo on just about anything
and this week's bonkers logo product is a shower curtain.
So if you want Camp Kaiju's logo on a shower curtain,
you know, it's only like 60 bucks or something,
but go for it.
What a steal.
I didn't even know that merch was gonna be available.
That's awesome.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
I'm gonna upgrade my bathroom.
Oh, links all in the bio there.
All right, personal histories with Godzilla,
times Kong, the new empire.
Let's go, I don't know, alphabetical order here.
Last name, Gary, what's your history with Godzilla?
Yeah, I definitely saw, you know,
probably the first Godzilla movie I ever saw
was like when I was little,
was actually the 1970s version.
I haven't seen it probably since then,
but the one with Jeff Bridges.
And then I know I saw the original.
And then in high school, you know,
a huge Lord of the Rings fan, massive Lord of the Rings fan,
so when Peter Jackson's King Kong came out in high school,
that was like a lot of fun for me
and I still really liked that movie.
And then, but I had not seen a lot of the,
I've been more introduced recently
to some of the more Toho original versions of Godzilla.
But overall I've been, like,
I've enjoyed this legendary American franchise.
And yeah.
I think we're all in accordance there.
Patrick, why don't you take the floor?
Sure, sure, sure.
I'll preface this by saying, like,
I am by no stretch of the imagination,
like an expert when it comes to Godzilla
or King Kong movies or monster movies in general.
I would say maybe I'm not an armchair,
but like an Ottoman expert maybe,
in that I just like to talk about them casually with friends.
But I will say I am a big fan of movies like these
that sort of push the envelope
when it comes to visual effects.
And I think the original Godzilla
and the original King Kong both handily did that
in their own respective versions
of what they're doing visually,
just pushing the envelope.
And I think that both of these movies continued that
throughout the years and I've been a big fan of that.
So that's sort of my love affair with both genres.
And now that they're smashed together,
it's a good party, I'll tell you what.
Yeah, right?
Something special about it.
Whether or not we like the movie,
it's just like, you know, you can't hate what they're doing.
Right, yeah.
L comes before S.
Matt Levine, Mike Swan.
Yeah, I mean, like one of the many great things
about being on this podcast with you, Vincent,
is getting to know all the Godzilla movies.
We've explored a lot of them over the last couple of years.
So that's kind of given me a great entryway into the series.
You know, I have to admit that I prefer the older ones,
the Showa era ones especially.
I think for me, the original Godzilla
is always gonna be the best.
I also love Ghidorah, the three-headed monster,
many others of the original series.
So yeah, the newer kind of legendary universe ones,
you know, not to sound too stubborn,
but they're not exactly my cup of tea sometimes.
I don't love the CGI.
I prefer like the student nation
and the model special effects and stuff like that.
But they can be a lot of fun.
So it was, yeah, it'll be fun to talk about.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Mike, you have Reptar as your background.
I do have Reptar as my background.
I chose that on purpose if you couldn't see it.
I couldn't tell.
Yeah, no, similar to Gary,
I don't have a lot of history with Godzilla in particular.
Probably my like original exposure to Godzilla
was through like things like Reptar
or I think of, you know, Calvin and Hobbes
and just how much Godzilla for me, it's like the culture.
But I do have a distinct memory,
especially if we're talking about King Kong
of being shown that movie as a kid
and how, you know, that movie is at least from my knowledge,
like the earliest, one of the earliest examples
I can think of, of a monster creature
being given a sense of like humanity where the, you know,
the audience feels empathy for a creature like this
and how that kind of set up.
And you do see that especially with King Kong
in the more recent movies, you know, Godzilla versus Kong
and Godzilla X Kong and all of that.
But yeah, no, that, you know, sort of trope brought you
into, you know, kind of set up a lot of great movies
moving forward where we get to, you know, connect
and feel something human for something so monstrous.
Yeah, I love what they, I love what, I love Kong
as a character within the monster verse.
I think a lot of people agree that these movies
have been very Kong heavy in terms of sympathizing
with that character's sense of home and place
and like trying to find his place in this world.
With that said, Mike, it was 10 years ago
that we saw the monster first Godzilla on your birthday.
That's right.
Yeah, it was my birthday.
So we went to the movie that Gary wanted to see.
And I remember like that was before my Kaiju Renaissance
because there's just a few years ago, I got like really back
into these movies that I loved as a kid, but you know,
you go away from home only to come back to it.
And yeah, so I've really enjoyed the monster verse
as just like an entry point into the broader Kaiju
cinematic traditions.
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
We're millionaires, boys.
I'll share it with all of you.
Why in a few months, we'll be up in lights on Broadway.
Kong, the eighth wonder of the world!
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
Ah!
Wild, weird, wonderful, the stuff for which movies were made.
Adventure to make you wonder if it's true
while your eyes convince you that it is.
Truly the thrill of thrills.
Don't miss it this time.
They ride like their beasts.
They turn milk cream.
Red tar.
Love and style and pour them out.
Reptar cereal unless you want to shout it.
Reptar!
We are Reptar!
Okay, champ, time to go to the supermarket.
Reptar cereal, the cereal with scale.
So the Godzilla X-Kong,
I'm just gonna keep on saying that
even though the X is silent,
I just can't bring myself to omit that, so.
Godzilla Cross Kong.
I think you can call it a million things.
Godzilla by Kong.
I think the title is meant to be Godzilla Kong a new-
Gary, we covered this.
You were late.
Whatever you want to call it,
I'm probably still gonna say Godzilla X-Kong,
but there's a lot of options there.
In any case, the director of the movie is Adam Wingard,
who also directed Godzilla versus Kong from 2021.
One of the movies that did the best,
and that was still kind of in like the, you know,
lingering pandemic kind of social distancing era.
So yeah, Wingard directed that one.
I know him a little bit more from his horror movies,
like You're Next and The Guest.
I like both those movies quite a bit.
They're fun throwbacks, so I recommend those as well.
GXK is also written by a team of screenwriters
that includes Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett,
and Jeremy Slater.
And the cinematography is by Ben Saracen.
You know, with very CGI heavy movies,
I feel like it's kind of hard to know exactly
where the cinematography ends and the CGI begins.
But in any case, this is a pretty good looking movie.
I'll start off by mentioning Rebecca Hall.
She plays Dr. Eileen Andrews.
She is a returning cast member from Godzilla versus Kong.
I like Rebecca Hall a lot.
She's a very interesting actor and director.
She directed the movie Passing from a couple of years ago,
which is very, very good.
So I always kind of admire it when artists
like do their commercial work and get their paycheck
and then kind of do their more personal work on the side.
More power to you.
I always admire that.
The cast also includes Brian Tyree Henry,
who is great in this movie.
He plays conspiracy podcaster Bernie Hayes.
He's also a returning character from Godzilla versus Kong.
Then we have Dan Stevens as a Titan slash Kaiju veterinarian
and devil may care rogue named Trapper.
Dan Stevens is also kind of an Adam Wingard regular.
So there's a little bit of collaboration going on there.
And rounding out the cast, we have.
I love the guest.
What?
I was saying I love the guest.
I love him in the guest and I really like that movie.
Yeah.
Agreed.
Dan Stevens is really good in that movie for sure.
Yeah.
And he's good in this one too.
He's, you know, I mean, devil may care rogue.
Pretty much sums it up.
It's kind of like a stereotype or a cliche,
I guess you could say in this kind of movie,
but he pulls it off pretty well.
And then the last cast member
that we'll mention here is Kaylee Hoddle.
She plays Gia, the deaf, ewe child
who has a special bond with Kong.
So she's also a returning character
from Godzilla versus Kong.
That's kind of the the foremost cast there.
One thing I liked about this movie,
especially compared to Godzilla versus Kong,
is that in Godzilla X Kong, the cast is smaller.
Like the ensemble is smaller.
The production budget was smaller for this movie.
And maybe it's just because they cut all the excess actors,
which I always appreciate.
We keep the story tight.
We stay focused on who we actually care about.
There's no C plot, let alone barely a B plot.
I think it's a strength of this movie.
I like that it's a nice diverse cast as well.
Like coming from my podcast,
we have Brian Tyree Henry, who's an actor of color
and also an openly gay actor.
And then Kaylee Hoddle, who is actually deaf in real life,
playing a deaf character is nice to see
in a movie like Godzilla by Kong,
is what I'm calling it now for now.
Mike, thank you for that.
Yeah, I think that was an issue with Godzilla versus Kong.
I feel like it really shoehorned Millie Brown
from Godzilla King of the Monsters.
And it just wasn't.
And I did not feel that as much with this movie
that they felt the need to take a character
from the last movie and put it in this one.
Yeah, so I'll just briefly summarize
some of the production history.
This movie was immediately more or less put into the works
following the surprise success of Godzilla versus Kong,
which was released streaming in, I believe March of 2021.
And I know Mike, Gary, we all got together
and watched it at Mike's house.
And that put in motion an immediate sequel,
which is great for Kaiju lovers.
We're like, yes, we're gonna get more.
Godzilla and Kong, which is what I'm gonna call it,
filmed in Australia in 2022.
Matt, as you alluded to, I think earlier,
Wingard likes to collaborate.
So he brought on some frequent screenwriters,
Barrett and Slater.
And the main thing I wanna get at is with this movie,
stylistically, Wingard really wanted to lean into
the Showa era vibes of the Godzilla franchise,
which generally speaking means campier, sillier, goofier,
lighter, as opposed to say Godzilla minus one,
which leaned very much into the quote unquote
serious Godzilla.
The monster verse take is the opposite camp.
And no pun intended.
I think that that is a valid interpretation
of Godzilla movies at this point in our culture.
So I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts on that later on.
The movie features a lot of monster verse original kaiju.
So legendary Warner Brothers,
they have to get the licensing rights from Toho in Japan
for characters like Godzilla and Mothra.
But they don't have to pay licensing rights for King Kong
or other originals, which is why we got some characters
like the Scar King as our antagonist,
some originals called Tiamat, Baby Kong, of course,
Shimo, Scylla, and the lovable Doug,
which is a dog-like kaiju that became a fan favorite
in Godzilla versus Kong.
And Doug has a cameo in this movie.
So that was just a little shout out for the fans.
Mixed reviews for Godzilla and Kong,
I'd say mixed to positive.
There's not a lot of like upright hate for this movie,
but for better or for worse,
it is coming in the wake of Godzilla minus one.
So maybe it's unfavorably contrasted with that.
But regardless of reviews,
it is currently the second highest grossing movie
of 2024 already.
I believe there is a season two of the show on Apple though
that's been a greenlit, so the monster versus continuing,
at least in TV form.
Yeah, and you've watched all that, right, Gary?
I did, yeah.
Cool, anyone else seen that?
I have not, it's called
Monarch Legacy of Monsters, is that right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right.
That's the show.
It was escaping my brain for a second.
So I was like, I got the copy of that title.
I was trying to rack my brain
and then I saw it was listed in our episode notes.
Thank you, Vincent.
Yeah, I've never seen that, I really want to.
Yeah, I'm just really bad with TV.
I gotta be honest, I watch a ton of movies,
but TV's almost too much of a time commitment, ironically.
Sam.
And McKeilings on it, I think it's worth watching though
if you're a fan.
Yeah.
All right, now we're gonna get into the fun part.
After a word from our sponsor,
we're going to open up Aminia's mailbox
and then we will hear from Mr. Peter Laurie,
classic film actor.
Mr. Laurie will be joining us on Camp Kaiju
for his first installment of Silent But Deadly,
a completely voluntary assignment
that Mr. Laurie has agreed willingly
and amicably to participate in.
Then after we hear from him,
we're going to get back to Godzilla and Kong.
We're gonna discuss the good, the bad, and the campy
before asking if this movie stands the test of time.
Camp Kaiju Monster Movie Podcast is sponsored by Zach Linder
and the Zach Pack powered by Coldwell Banker Realty,
your source for real estate, home rehab,
fixing and flipping for investor clients,
ex-residential buyers.
Reach out to the Zach Pack today for real estate services.
Follow the Zach Pack on social media,
times, contact the Zach Pack for investment opportunities,
links in the bio.
I was replacing the ands with the cross, with the ex.
It's all tied together.
Yeah, it's a great visual for a podcast as well when you...
Every time I cross my hands in an ex.
Yeah.
Okay.
This week on Meenya's mailbox,
we're opening up some listener comments
from the past hiatus that we took.
And this one is a longer comment from ArmTube on YouTube
on our YouTube page about our episode on Gorggo,
which was a season two episode.
Those who don't know Gorggo is about,
well, Gorggo is the British Godzilla,
a giant Kaiju what comes ashore from Ireland,
the Irish sea and stomps on London.
With that in mind, ArmTube says Irish co-production?
No Irish company involved, just a bit of location shooting,
which involved renting some local equipment
and hiring a few local technicians to run it,
the absolute minimum required by union rules.
Five days total, the intended nighttime location shots
were filmed in London to avoid paying extra Irish union staff.
Most of the film was shot in 1959.
There was virtually no English Ireland animosity
in the Southern Ireland.
A lot of the British crew were London Irish.
So ArmTube, you're absolutely right.
Historically we're looking at,
Matt and I were commenting on the historical animosity
between Ireland, Southern Ireland in particular,
and the United Kingdom,
and the Irish fight for independence in the 1920s.
So Matt and I were doing a bit of a reading into Gorggo,
the monster being a sort of manifestation of that animosity.
But as ArmTube says, by 1959,
most of that animosity had subsided.
ArmTube goes on to say, cigarettes and films?
In the UK, it was just something to do between lines.
A lot of actors needed a cigarette in their hand
to fiddle with during scenes.
And ArmTube, again, I hear you.
For you listeners now, Matt and I were talking about how
sometimes in films, particularly film noirs
in the United States, a cigarette could represent
a sexual metaphor, the release of sexual inhibitions,
it's phallic, but as Freud said,
sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
And to ArmTube's point, as an actor myself,
totally cigarettes are just great business
to do with your hands.
I know Dean Martin always, if you see him in live interviews,
for instance, he's always smoking a cigarette
because it's just something to do with his hands.
So that's a legit point.
So thank you ArmTube for bringing those points
to our attention.
Thank you listeners.
We've got more next time,
but please keep sending your thoughts,
questions, and comments to us.
We'll read them and get you featured on the show here.
Fire!
No motion picture of our time has ever unleashed
sharp spectacle of such scope and realism.
As up from the depths of prehistoric mystery rages, Virgo.
The headlines of the world blaze the fabulous story
of this monster from another age.
Can't a pull it from some vast sub-ocean cavern
by unprecedented volcanic action.
And the headlines scream the story
of the reckless skin divers who captured the monster
and put it on exhibition.
Sam, will I drop the net?
What do you think you're doing?
Take it easy, Sam.
I can't let him go back to the sea where he belongs.
Why?
Maybe to save his silly skins for you.
Hurry, hurry, hurry, the sea go go.
But the headlines do not record the story
of a little boy who had a curious sympathy
and understanding for the fantastic creature.
What strange secret does he know
that scientists only suspect?
You're trying to say there may be a fully grown
one of these things around somewhere?
How big would a full grown one be?
On an approximate guess, the infant, the adult.
That'll make him nearly 200 feet tall.
Before Gharloff and Lugosi stocked the screens,
the movies were no less monstrous.
These frightful figures lurked in the expressionistic shadows
and danced in the macabre moonlight.
Oh, they laughed, they cried,
they fooled the sensibilities of honest, decent folk.
In the age of silent pictures,
these gruesome fools nonetheless cried out
for the savage humanity that took the breath from all
who witnessed their devilish delights.
For in the silence, no one can hear you scream.
Indeed, the silent screen was full of silent screams.
I am Peter Laurie.
You may know me from such movies as The Maltese Falcon
and The Beast with Five Fingers.
Matthew and Vincent have disturbed my eternal rest
and given me a microphone to talk about silent movies.
And while I adore these pictures,
I do not take kindly to this abuse.
Well, but what can I do?
They have promised my return to the grave
should I help them celebrate the monster movies
of the 1920s.
Welcome to Silent But Deadly.
This week, we discuss The Phantom of the Opera from 1925.
Produced by Universal Pictures and starring Lon Chaney,
the movie tells of a masked madman living under the Paris Opera House
who is believed by many to be merely a ghost.
However, this phantom is soon all too real
when he falls in love with Christine,
the young ingenue of the company.
The Phantom soon captures Christine,
wantonly destroys a chandelier,
and murders dozens of those who would laugh at him.
Now, bringing the Phantom to life is Lon Chaney,
known as the man of a thousand faces.
Chaney was a star at this point in his career,
renowned for his talents with makeup, physical dexterity,
and the ability to imbue his characters
with a sympathetic humanity.
The Phantom of the Opera is a tremendous example
of Chaney's reputation.
Chaney makes an indelible impression,
but more subconsciously, the movie reflects his own
anxieties of post-war audiences of the 1920s.
This was a time when many veterans of the First World War
were living with ghastly disfigurements,
often wearing masks much like the phantoms.
The movie asks us to reflect on how society treats
the physically disabled among us.
The Phantom of the Opera was a smash for Universal,
helping establish the studio's reputation for horror
and cementing Lon Chaney's story.
And cementing Lon Chaney's status as a legend for the ages.
Next time on Silent But Deadly,
we will feature an underrated movie by Todd Browning
called The Mystic.
And I will be one movie closer to escaping this podcast
and resting my weary bones in the confines
of my beloved grave.
Well, let's get to what we all love about Kam Kaiju.
So we'll talk about our breakdowns, you know,
the good, the bad and the campy.
We'll start with the good, you know, whoever wants to go first.
What did you like about this movie?
Something that I like that kind of carries over from Godzilla versus Kong is
I'm kind of fascinated with the Hollow Earth concept,
you know, just with this whole kind of origin that we get to find of Kong
and where he's from and kind of fleshing out him as a character.
I think that just at its basis as a concept, it's good.
Visually, I find it interesting, kind of rings a little bit like,
you know, Pandora from Avatar in sort of a way.
I thought, I'm not quite sure where I land on how they
quote unquote expanded on that universe.
You know, with this movie, I thought they had set something up really great
in the first movie that I still think was interesting in this movie.
But, you know, they kind of created like and one of Hollow Earth had a hollow,
hollow, you know, where the scar king is, you know, and all of that.
So, I mean, they kind of did something like that.
But overall, I think the concept of Hollow Earth is interesting.
Yeah, I also think it brings it in the fantasy genre a little bit,
which is modeled by the fact like it's not clearly defined, like what the Hollow Earth is.
And then without giving too much away, the TV show, I feel like muddles that a little bit as well.
But I would agree with Mike. I was excited for more Hollow Earth.
I was excited. It's beautiful. It's beautiful to be with that, to be in.
And I liked how, especially the first part of the movie is just calm, like no dialogue.
I love this idea of like a no.
I would love for them to like just have a no dialogue, the monster verse movie.
I would love for them to just like go for it.
Because often that I feel like that's where these movies always really like where they thrive,
especially with this with following King Kong as a character.
And there are scenes without dialogue.
And it's when the humans get involved that things get a little dumb.
I guess I can go next.
I guess to what both of you had said so far, I really enjoyed the camp aspect of this movie
more than I thought I was going to.
It's hard to know what you're going to get from a monster movie in general,
let alone a King Kong and a Godzilla movie.
And it's good to know that you pointed out, Vincent, that they were leaning a little heavier into the camp.
I almost wish I had known that going into the movie before I'd seen it.
But knowing it now, it makes a lot more sense.
You know, there's two kind of camps or there's two camps of camp, I guess.
One unintentional camp and one that's very intentional camp.
I think they made a movie with a mixture of both kind of beautifully where they stumbled onto some camp moments where it's like,
I don't know if you meant for that to be funny, but it is real funny.
And then moments where like Godzilla's curled up in the Coliseum.
It's just cute campy fun.
And I feel like they did a good mix, whether or not that was intentional.
I had a good time with it.
Yeah.
A lot of these movies, it's a vibe more than anything.
You know, it's an experience of, you know, this is not a movie that I would sit by myself in my house and watch.
Not in a second.
And maybe that's just me.
But going to a theater with five of my friends to watch it, where it's like,
halfway through the movie for like 10 minutes and then everyone yells at the screen until they can get it started up again 20 minutes later.
It's just an experience.
It's not surprising to me that it has had a really successful theater run because of that.
And it leans into that idea.
Yeah.
I think we just got to talk about that because I forgot.
For those listening, we all went and saw this together at a theater in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
And this hasn't happened to me in such a long time.
The movie froze and it was like a good 20 minutes.
The sound went out.
The sound continuously went out.
And the first time it happened, we thought it was part of the movie, but then it kept happening.
We thought it was part of the movie.
Because one of the characters is deaf and we're like, oh, we're hearing what she's hearing.
That was not the case.
No, we thought for a second the movie was making an interesting artistic choice.
Clearly not.
Maybe they should have.
Take note.
Take note, directors.
But it was funny.
And I mean, it was a Sunday matinee.
And so it's not that the theater was, you know, it was a Sunday matinee.
And so it's not that the theater was crowded by any means.
But once that happened, you can hear people just yelling from different parts of the theater.
It was mutinous.
Yeah, it was.
And we got, you know, free tickets afterwards for 20 minutes.
They had to pause the movie for 15 minutes to fix it.
And then they and I never seen they were wound with a bit.
Well, and Gary had, you know, gotten all of our tickets beforehand so we could all sit together.
And and he we paid him for the tickets and then he went and got his refund and didn't think to get refunds for the rest of us.
Yeah, I'm still mad about that.
Yeah, I'm a bad person.
I feel like it's fair.
That's like your payback for like wrangling all the tickets in the first place.
You know, it's like a finder's deal.
No, no, no.
Let's let's not even go through that whole thing again.
I took out the risk.
I took on the responsibility and I didn't I didn't I didn't live up to expectations.
Anyways, Matt, did you want to add to what you liked about this movie?
Um, I think that what I liked most about it is that, like, I think it looks really good.
And, you know, I mean, like, it's not really like a rare thing for CGI to look like, oh, like, they spend a lot of time on it and looks good.
That's like almost any major blockbuster these days.
But I think it looks like creative and beautiful in a way that I didn't really expect.
Like, there are a lot of like bright neon colors.
Like, there's a scene where Godzilla is like he's kind of like rising into the stratosphere and he has like this like bright pink glow.
So that was that was a nice touch.
I think like the special effects, you know, they're not they're not just like well done.
They're also like creatively done.
So I appreciate appreciated that.
And there's like a big climax where there's a lot going on.
Like, there are a lot of different like kaiju's and different characters in the movie like Mothra.
It makes an appearance. We talked about some of the other original monsters in the movie before.
And in that big climax, like there's so much going on, but you kind of always know where you are and what's happening.
And I feel like in like a really chaotic action scene, sometimes that's not the case.
It's just like sensory overload and you have no idea what's going on.
But in this case, it's like, oh, they need to like make it to like that exact portal and like they need to get this thing to do that.
So I thought like the editing and the construction of that scene was really well done.
Overall, I think it's just like a formally pretty impressive movie.
Wow, that's the high. I don't know, Matt.
I mean, that's great. Just I didn't expect you to.
To be such a fan of a CGI heavy movie like this, I'll have a lot of bad stuff to say in the next section as well.
OK, there it is.
I loved what they're going for in the 2014 Godzilla.
It's like a more grounded reality and a more grounded reality.
And a more dramatic tone.
I just don't think they pulled it off as well with the with the character.
Like, I think it was a high bar that they're going for that I really appreciate.
I just don't think they did it.
And I think they've almost been wise to take him to this more colorful or Jewish, happy level that I do think is easier than it.
But they do hit it. So it's a lot of fun.
So it ends up being kind of like, yeah, a fun popcorn movie to go to.
Yeah, I did like the again, I like the smaller ensemble, but I did like the continuing relationship between Gia and Dr.
Andrews, the mom daughter relationship and Gia's journey to from, you know, she like Kong is wayward and lost her family, her tribe.
The we were all wiped out on Skull Island within the monster verse world.
But now Gia has found sort of an outcast group of we in the Hollow Earth.
So it's like, oh, great. Like she is mirroring Kong in this journey.
What does it think we don't like about this movie?
You know, I'll keep it short.
I wasn't 100 percent on board with the with the the aesthetic of the film, which to me felt very Guardians of the Galaxy at times, which I like Guardians of the Galaxy.
That tone wasn't consistent enough in Wingard's movie for me to buy it.
It felt more like lip service, like, oh, look, we're being we're adding modern pop songs.
We have a character who looks like the Chris Pratt character.
Yeah, we're doing this ragtag team of of space adventurers.
Which at times I was like, I don't know, I just feel like you're you're trying to ride a wave here, but that's a taste thing.
What do you guys think?
I yeah, I'm on board with that for you.
I think aesthetically, though they're you know, they took a big swing, I feel like with this movie.
I don't know if they quite hit made contact with the ball.
I'm using a sports reference as a gay man on this monster movie podcast, so I'm feeling very proud of myself right now.
But I don't know that it really paid off.
I kind of agree with you in that I didn't as much as I liked the camp, I didn't love the it had kind of comic book vibes to it.
And I didn't really think it needed that necessarily for a movie like this.
It just felt a little bit haphazard with the writing.
And I think that maybe had something they really fast tracked this movie, as you kind of alluded to.
Like they shot it in six months or something with was when they were done filming the entire movie for a movie like this.
It feels like it needed some more time to bake.
And so I think maybe that was where my hesitation of giving it like a full on great review is that it just it I don't know.
It had some some some muddied perspectives, I think.
Yeah. Well, and I think you're you are hitting on especially the fence, which you said with, you know, the guardians of the galaxy aesthetic.
But we kind of see that throughout the movie of it.
It can't really come. It's having trouble coming up with an original aesthetic of its own.
And it's really kind of latching on to some of the most popular worlds and themes of kind of similar genre movies of the past 20 years.
Not just Guardians of the Galaxy, but I mean, I mentioned it earlier talking about all the world.
I mean, it's it's so similar to Pandora and even the, you know, the the journey of the concept of the tribe is so similar to the Avatar world and the, you know, even the color schemes and all of that.
And so, yeah, it does feel that, you know.
It is trying to hold all these things that have worked for other movies into its own to make it work.
I don't think that's unintentional, you know, for the record.
I mean, let's be honest.
So much of this is a cash grab of a movie, you know, to get people to the theaters to have fun.
And frankly, it worked, you know.
So I guess I can't discredit it too much for that, even though it's annoying.
Right. I have a specific criticism and I agree with everyone's criticism so far as well.
Thank you, Gary.
The the so Brian Tyree Henry plays Bernie Hayes.
I have issues with this character and I love Brian Tyree Henry, a huge fan of his work at Atlanta, Oswe.
And Widows, I think he's a phenomenal actor.
I just I have an issue with, like, especially in today, the parlance of our times as I were just lionizing conspiracy theorists kind of giving him like,
he is kind of this weird and podcasting conspiracy theorist who's kind of upset that people don't take him seriously.
And then and then he's kind of right.
And I don't know, I just I kind of take issue with that a little bit, just my own personal opinion.
And I also find this character a little obnoxious when it doesn't need to be like it doesn't need to be.
And I felt this way in God's Will versus Kong as well, like he doesn't have to be annoying.
He could just be like a dude.
Like, we don't have to have him be like, oh, the joke is that he's obnoxious.
I guess I don't always love that character.
I feel like the character can almost work better if he was just taken seriously as a character and given more to do than just be kind of obnoxious.
He reminds me of Dr. Ian Malcolm, like that could be a version of the character who is obnoxious, but we take him seriously.
He's not there for laughs.
One one review that I read made kind of a good point.
I thought that the Brian Tyree Henry character and the Dan Stevens character are awkwardly similar.
Like they're both kind of like wisecracking, sort of like comic relief, who are good at their jobs.
But again, like, you know, maybe don't take them very seriously.
And it's like they probably don't need to be in this movie.
And the fact that they're both in the movie makes it sort of like a strange buddy comedy at times when that's maybe not the point of the film.
So that is a valid criticism, I think.
But for me, I like the thing that I disliked the most about the movies goes back to what most of you already said, which is that like it feels like it comes off the assembly line.
We watched this a couple of weeks ago, maybe like a month ago at this point, and I'm already struggling to like remember any of it.
I'm like, what actually happened?
I think most of the human stories are like totally forgettable and cliched.
Like, you know, there's the mother surrogate daughter relationship between Rebecca Hall and the character of Gia played by Kaylee.
So, yeah, I mean, like there's that sort of like emotional core, but it just doesn't work at all.
And it kind of makes Rebecca Hall this like bland mother character.
And that's all she does throughout the whole movie.
Basically, I think like the sort of like there's this kind of indigenous community that's in a hollow earth that's revealed to be sort of like endangered by what's going on in the film.
But even that kind of harkens back to like some of the old Toho movies like Mothra.
I think the fact that Gia has this kind of like psychic bond with Godzilla is very similar to Godzilla, Godzilla versus Bialante.
That's like almost literally the exact same story as that movie.
So it's like this I feel like almost all of GXK, that's what I'm going to call it, is kind of ripping from other stuff.
And I mean, like Mike said it best, it's a cash grab and it's a little bit too blatant of a cash grab, in my opinion.
Just when we thought that like this movie, there's that I was waiting unleashes.
Matt, I was thinking a similar thing though, when we're like thinking about doing this podcast, because I was also struggling, man, I don't even remember like what happened.
And it is something I think an issue with these movies, it's like so much money and effort was made for us to kind of forget about it, you know.
And maybe, I mean, yeah, maybe you could do something with like a little less.
And I love the camp, maybe a little less camp, a little bit more heart and it might stick with us like a little bit more.
Yeah, I think that's fair. One campy thing just to because like we I could I could riff on on so much more.
But I want to bring up the we were laughing about this post the post movie over some drinks and we were laughing about how.
There is no regard for the wonders of the world, the Colosseum trash, the pyramids garbage.
Rio de Janeiro, who cares? It's just like.
Yeah, for human life, for that matter, the thousands, if not millions of people die.
There's just nothing left of Earth.
Well, and that's no different from I mean, if you look at the Marvel universe, too, I mean, yes, I know technically there is a whole section of the Marvel universe, the people who need to clean up afterward.
But I mean, it's, you know. Yeah, but there's. Yeah.
Yeah. And I wouldn't be surprised if a third installment of this movie comes out, if the pyramids are back and nothing is said.
Yeah. Yeah. Only to be destroyed again. Oh, man.
For me, I feel like they're on the opposite scale of that of that large scale.
The the conveniences, the many conveniences that are played up in this movie of like, oh, we just happen to have this here because we have to move the story forward.
Yeah. Happened like five too many times, I think, in this movie for me to go, OK, I can't forgive that anymore.
That's just a writer problem.
Like what I'm calling, if you were born in the early 80s or 70s, the power glove moment in this movie, I was just like, all right, guys, this is I know that's it's I think there's some historical context with this glove.
It's the beast glove or whatever it's called. But it just it was a bridge too far for me or a bridge to perfect.
I can't decide yet. No, 100 percent.
Am I remembering this correctly? Because as I said, like Matt, I'm having trouble remembering a lot of this movie.
Some things like, yeah, them fighting over the pyramids, you know, I remember.
But and tell me if I.
I'm making this up, but did Kong do like a high dive off of the rocket Gibraltar?
That was Godzilla. Godzilla did. Yeah.
Yeah, it should be so memorable, right?
But like already a couple of weeks later, we're like, wait a minute, did that happen?
Yeah, so much happens so quickly.
It's yeah, individually great moments, but they blur together, which is unfortunate.
The blocks are needlessly complicated to they could just they could simplify the plot.
I feel like that's why we forget a lot of stuff to this.
It's like during the movie, I was just confused, not because I'm dumb, which I am, but just because that
but because like the plot is just needlessly
convoluted it. And what? Yeah.
When ultimately like the plot is it needs to an end, we're all there to just eventually watch
like giant monsters fight each other, right?
And we didn't and we haven't even talked about Scar King, who as an as like the big bad,
it's unfortunate that we don't even remember that character because it was nothing, nothing memorable.
Well, it's also weird that Scar King doesn't show up in this movie to like about halfway through.
So it's like, why? Why do we really care about his motivation?
And like their antagonism, you know, like, so it feels like too little too late kind of, you know.
Yeah, because I think, yeah, Godzilla and Kong do have to team up to defeat
Scar King and I know Mothra is there for no good reason to maybe we can talk about that.
But I think something that's interesting to see if
because I know he's expressed interest in doing a more Godzilla focused movie that we really do have an
understanding of like Kong and what he wants and, you know, sort of the character behind him.
All we really know of Godzilla is that he is very sleepy and he does not like to be woken up.
And so he's the king.
I do kind of enjoy that, like that kind of that because, you know, Kong's a primate.
We're primates. He has more humanity and Kong is just this or Godzilla is just this like
a lizard that you do not mess with.
And so I guess I have a lot because I have less of an issue with that.
Like, yeah, Godzilla isn't really a character, whereas Kong is.
But I feel like that's kind of just how it's always been.
Yeah, but they but it it's like they're trying to have it both ways, though, you know, because you can say that like,
oh, yeah, because I think that's totally legit.
Sure. Godzilla just don't wake up.
He's going to be pissed off.
And that's, you know, a king of the monsters.
But they try to have it both ways where, you know, you kind of what they're fighting at the pyramids, where
Kong is trying to get through to Godzilla that, you know, oh, you need to help me to do this.
And he does.
And so they're exactly.
So is there like some character within there and.
Right. No, they took the shortcut and said Mothra is here now.
Mothra will convince Godzilla.
But like that, that that still doesn't track like we don't there's nothing in Godzilla's character story to buy that.
I mean, sure, that was established in the previous movie, but it all happened very too quickly.
Patrick, you said it best like this.
This has a feeling of being rushed by the end.
All of a sudden, and then.
Shorter, I don't know, it feels like a short movie. We go from zero to 60.
Yeah, they use like the humans to sort of be like, oh, here's what Godzilla is thinking.
That's why he's going there.
It's like, how do you know?
How are you like, did he write a letter to you?
I don't understand how you know this.
Yeah, and the whole like, you know, the psychic connection thing with the Gia character is like, it's not convincing.
It's, you know, like you said, Patrick, it's like, I don't know.
You're trying to like convince us of the narrative in like this very lazy way, you know.
Mm hmm.
Well, guys, on that note, let us bring this conversation to a close.
Let us give the movie a final rating.
Does it stand the test of time?
And Matt, this is your favorite part of the of the show.
So set us up, tee us up and we'll.
We'll hit the ball.
I know the sports metaphor. I love it. It's the same.
It's the same sports metaphor, but OK. Yeah.
But you're right. I've missed this.
It's been too long, Vincent.
This is my favorite part of the show, so it's an honor to do this again.
Our four ratings here on Camp Kaiju are it's a timeless classic that stands the test of time.
The second rating, there may be some antiquated moments, but overall it's great and stands the test of time.
Number three, it may be historically significant or just fun, but it does not stand the test of time and our lowest rating.
It is not worth revisiting and definitely does not stand the test of time.
I can start us off if you'd like.
I'll keep it short for me. I mean, this is a fun movie, so I'll give it our second lowest rating.
It's fun, but I don't think it stands the test of time.
As we already talked about, like a month later, it's already not standing the test of time.
So, yeah, it's fun.
It's not a bad way to waste a couple hours, but I don't think it's really going to hold up in the long run.
I agree. I think it is.
I don't think it's historically significant, but I do think it is fun.
And well, I guess, yeah, it does not stand the test of time.
It will not stand the test of time, but it's fun.
Agreed. The movie is utterly forgettable.
But when the third one comes out, if you want to go see it and get some people together to spend a Sunday afternoon, count me in.
Sounds so enthusiastic.
Let me say it again.
If you get a group of people together to go see it, like on a Sunday afternoon, count me in.
There you go.
Gary, are you saving your opinion for last?
Yeah, I think I'll give it like three, maybe three plus.
It's the same thing. Like it's it's at second most rate.
It is fun. I don't hate this movie.
But yeah, it's just kind of forgettable.
I don't know if I like it. Maybe I'd watch it again on TV.
I don't even know. I don't have immediate plans to.
Yeah, it's weird because I feel that.
But I also feel like I'll watch the next one in this American legendary.
I'll be I'll be looking forward to the next one.
They have an idea for in a while.
Yeah, I think I'm closer to you, Gary.
I think I'm like the high end of the second lowest rating,
teetering slightly into the second highest rating to minus maybe even something.
Yeah, there's something there's something in the middle there.
I feel like, yes, there's a lot to criticize for this movie.
But I think you also have to take it for what it is a little bit.
Too, and realize that they're they're trying to change the game a little bit here with these Kong and Godzilla movies.
And I think this might be we might find this might be a blueprint for what is to come in this genre.
And I think is it I read recently that it is now the highest grossing Godzilla film of all time.
So the dollars are speaking for themselves in this one right now and that people are seeing it.
But there's they didn't quite hit the nail on the head.
And it could have been baked a little later.
Had it been that this could have been a really a really classic movie.
I love that. That's perfect to end on.
Thank you, guys. It's really been a treat to we've never had this many guests on the show before.
Or maybe we have. But this is this is a rare treat.
So excellent. I think we did a really good job.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What season of your podcast are you in now?
Four. We've been going three years.
This is the fourth season.
So, yeah, next time on Camp Kaiju, we'll see you for King Kong versus Godzilla and another new bit that we're doing.
We're doing some trivia with a friend. Her name is Naomi Osborne.
She hosts movie trivia on the first Mondays of every month in Minneapolis.
And I connected with her and was like, Hey, do you want to do something with our show?
So our first installment of trivia will be on that King Kong versus Godzilla.
Sweet. Yeah. So stay tuned.
Thank you all for hanging out. Buy some merch. Leave us a rating and review wherever you listen.
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And we out.
Nice.
All right.
Was the new empire part of the title of this movie too?
Yeah.
Completely forgot that.
I don't know.
It sounds like such a larger than life title.
I mean, I guess maybe the scar king is part of like the new one.
Like, that's the empire.
Oh, OK. Yeah, I guess. Yeah.
Sure.
A world without pyramids.
Maybe that's the new empire.
That should have been the subtitle.
Godzilla.
I love it.
Amazing.
All right. Good stuff, guys.
This was fun.
Surprise. Super secret hidden special content coming your way.
Thanks, everybody, for listening to Godzilla Kong, the new empire.
We hope you had as much fun listening to it as we did recording it.
What we're going to share with you now for the last five minutes is some G Fest content.
So for those of you don't know, G Fest is the largest Godzilla Kaiju festival convention, at least in the United States.
It happens every July in Chicago, and it is underway this weekend, July 13th and 14th.
So for those of you there listening, that's awesome.
I am so jealous.
I hope you have a blast.
And while Matt and I can't make it this year, we were there two years ago, and we're going to share some of our experiences with you.
And that includes a panel that the actress Tomoko Ai sat on.
She was the lead actress in Terror of Mecha Godzilla.
She played the cyborg.
Anyways, she gets to talk about working with Ashiro Honda on that film.
So it's a real gem, a real treat to hear from her.
You'll also hear from me just kind of nerding out on the merch floor, running into cosplayers.
It's a good time.
If you haven't been to G Fest, I couldn't recommend it more.
So we'll see you there next year without a doubt.
Thanks, everybody. Until next time, stay campy.
Camp Kaiju's here, everybody.
I just got my registration.
Trying to find Matt Levine.
He got here before me.
How dare he?
How dare he be enjoying this festival two full hours before me?
What are you going to do?
Anyways, I have seen one Ultraman.
I have seen one Anguirus.
I have seen one Godzilla.
And I am sure more to come.
So, yeah.
Thanks for hanging out, everybody.
There he is.
How's it going, Vincent?
Good to see you.
How was the drive?
Good. Say hi to everybody.
Hey, it's Matt. We're here at G Fest.
We found him.
Indeed. Having a grand old time here.
Yeah.
Everybody, Camp Kaiju on the vendor floor at G Fest.
This is it.
This is Ground Zero.
This is amazing for all monster lovers, not just Kaiju.
Yeah, it's a great place.
It's a wonderful place to be.
I've never been to one.
It's such a beautiful place.
I've never been to one.
You're welcome.
There you go.
I'm going to go down.
Amazing for all monster lovers, not just Kaiju.
Yeah, take a look around.
Let's see.
We got some cool toys.
So, Fubi.
Book cart.
A lot of artists, independent artists, independent comic book artists, illustrators, sketch artists.
A lot of t-shirt vendors.
Can't get this, you can only get this though at Camp Kaiju.
But, I'm seeing a lot of rad designs.
Gorgos, Jet Jaguars, Kamen Rider.
All sorts of cool stuff like that.
Lots of vintage movie posters, vintage VHS.
A lot of stuff like that.
Which personally is where I'm gravitating to right now.
Would love to find some sort of vintage memorabilia.
Antiques.
Yeah, the whole thing is kind of like a flea market type atmosphere.
But it's awesome.
Check this out.
Blood of Dracula.
Have that in your bedroom.
That'd be pretty sick.
Yeah, I'm just in heaven right now, honestly.
Kaiju Bliss.
Alright, thanks everybody.
Stay campy.
So normally, you know, she was always smiling.
But for this fall, she was totally, I literally must not smile.
She showed no emotion at all.
Of course, she is like, well it's supposed to be a love story.
How is it a love story if I never show any emotion at all?
But you know, she called it the direction she was giving her butt shots.
Please don't worry, even if you're a cyborg, get sure I still love you.
Well, it's not related to the shooting at all.
When I was shooting Ultraman Zero, I was like a group.
The staff would scold me, scold me, and stuff like that.
But when I went to the studio, they had a big room.
And the actress was like, oh, this is the actress?
And I was like, oh, I didn't know that.
I was like, is this really okay?
I had this feeling.
So first of all, during the filming for Terror, I'll remind you guys a little bit.
She really didn't interact with much of the other cast members at all.
Sasaki thought basically never spoke to her when it wasn't necessary.
So it was a little bit strange maybe.
The father character, they thought he'd be a son.
He'd always kind of look out for her and besides to her, so that was great.
But just kind of going back to the difference between Ultraman Leia and Terror,
I think that's sort of back during the time of Ultraman Leia,
they had social groups among the staff, or among the cast,
and they all kind of get together, get scolded by the staff, various other things.
But then going to Toho, it was this really big studio, and she was really impressed.
And that was kind of the first time she felt like she was a real actress.
Godzilla! Godzilla! Godzilla! Godzilla!