Episode 95: I'm just here for the gasoline: It's Mad Max!

 

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 was a mind-blowing blast of action, featuring wall to wall high speed stunts the likes of which audiences had never seen before. It was the first film of a very young Mel Gibson, starring as Max Rockatansky, a good cop who goes on a mission of vengeance on the road after his family is killed by a motorcycle gang. Made on a shoestring budget, the film was a worldwide hit, which paved the way for a sequel.

The second film, known worldwide as Mad Max 2, but as The Road Warrior (1981) in the states, moved the story much more clearly into a dystopian future. Max wanders the wastelands aimlessly, searching for gas to keep his V8 interceptor running. He winds up assisting a group of people running a refinery against a gang of raiders in exchange for gas. Max is removed from his humanity - he's at best an anti-hero - but he's miles better than the bestial thugs that harass the inhabitants of the refinery. Once again, Miller and Kennedy deliver amazing chase sequences and stunts -all done for real, no CG!

By 1985, the third film, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was released, and the influence of the big Hollywood studios is obvious. Tina Turner was brought in as an antagonist and performed a couple of songs for the soundtrack. The violence was also turned down for a PG-13 rating - never a good sign. Max also gets involved with a pack of wild children. It seemed calculated to appeal to a wider audience but it felt like they had lost some of the Max charm.

The franchise lay dormant for decades. Miller had considered bringing Max to TV but plans fell through. Finally, a new film was produced in 2015, Mad Max Fury Road. Tom Hardy took over the role of Max, and Charlize Theron co-starred as Furiosa. Fury Road took many elements from the previous films, but amped them up way over the top. Previous chases were almost recycled, but bigger and crazier. The marauders from Road Warrior are emulated but to almost ridiculous extent. The film was incredibly successful and it seems a sequel or prequel is likely.

If you haven't watched any of the older Mad Max films in a while, go back and check them out - especially the first two! The action sequences are still amazing.

Chief Engineer Bob with Mr. Takarada at Monsterpalooza

For our Sensor Sweep sequence, we have a memorial to the great actor Akira Takarada (1934 - 2022), who appeared in the original 1954 Godzilla, as well as many other Godzilla films including Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, Godzilla vs. the Thing, and all the way up to Godzilla: Final Wars. Our Chief Engineer Bob shares a personal story of meeting Mr. Takarada with us. We send our condolences to his loved ones.

That wraps up this episode. Thoughts on Mad Max? Please share! You can reach us here or at our other locations:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
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Thanks for listening!

 

 

Episode 30: Logan's Run, or Fish! Plankton! Seagreens! Protein from the Sea!

Ah, the 70s...it was a time of contradictions, mixing the free love of the 60s with the pessimism from Viet Nam and Watergate. A number of dystopian sci-fi films came out of the decade, and one of our favorites was Logan's Run, an MGM movie from 1976. Starring Michael York and Jenny Agutter, the movie takes place in the 23rd century, where everyone lives in domes and all their needs are provided for, and they lead lives of complete pleasure and decadence. The catch is, everyone has to die at the age of 30 to maintain the balance. To enforce this balance, there are officers known as Sandmen, who hunt down any citizens who try to live past 30 -they are known as "runners." The main character, Logan, is one of these Sandmen. He winds up becoming a runner himself, and discovers what lies outside the dome.

It might seem a little cheesy today, but your Planet 8 crew loves Logan's Run! Please join us as we explore not only this classic sci fi film, but what was going on in the world at the time that influenced it - ecological disaster, overpopulation, and energy crises. In some ways, Logan's Run was one of the last science fiction films that actually dealt with real issues - before the juggernaut of Star Wars and its imitators showed up the next year, ushering in the era of sci fi shoot 'em ups.

Of course, we have to discuss Box, one of Commander Larry's favorite characters in all of science fiction! "Fish! Plankton! Seagreens! Protein from the sea!" Box so inspired Larry that this podcast was almost called "Plankton from the Sea" instead of Planet 8! Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.

And we'll pay tribute to Michael York and Jenny Agutter, who seems to have earned a place in many a fan's heart from her role as Jessica. And who can forget that Farrah Fawcett also had a small role in the film?

Karen actually went back and re-read the 1967 novel that the film was based on, and so we'll look at the differences between the film and the book. If you thought dying at 30 was bad, try kicking off at 21!

Beyond the film, we'll also look at the peripheral material - the very short-lived TV show and the Marvel comics adaptation. And -what is the connection between Logan's Run and Thanos? Tune in and find out!

For our Sensor Sweep, Karen shares her original 1976 edition of the Logan's Run novel that was issued as a tie-in with the film, complete with photos from the movie. This was something that was done a lot back in the 70s - another great example of this was the original Star Wars adaptation. Before the internet, this was one of the best ways to see high quality pictures from a film!

So where are you at with your life clock? Are you going to try to renew on Carousel, or will you run? Tell us your plans here, or find us at our other locations:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 13: On The Road to Apocalypse!

"Some say the world will end in fire. Some say in ice." Or, maybe it will end in a plague of vampires or zombies. Perhaps civilization will crumble and bands of car crazies will roam the land. Maybe there will be massive overpopulation and we'll start making crackers out of each other! Movies and TV shows have explored many, many different ways that life as we know it could come to a nasty end. On this episode of Planet 8, your crew takes a strange and terrifying trip on the road to apocalypse! Come join Larry, Karen, and Bob as they travel from one dystopian future to the next, trying to figure out which one gives them the best chance of survival. Try to guess along with the crew which movie or show they've blundered into as they ride their mystery tram.

In our Sensor Sweep, Larry talks about the amazing Universal Monster action figures from Super 7 (http://super7hq.com/). Making their debut at this summer's San Diego Comic Con, these 3.75" retro, or ReAction, figures, are just what the doctor ordered. If you couldn't make it to SDCC, or pay those eBay resale prices, you can also get the regular figures from Super 7's website, mounted on cardstock with some gorgeous Ed Repka art. Super 7 also has t-shirts and other great products.

What dystopian future do you think you'd fare best in? Which one would you dread getting stuck in? And...we know we forgot a few! So let's talk about those too! You know where to find us -in the comments here, or in our other locations:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for Listening!

Our closing song this episode is "Who's Next" by Tom Lehrer. This episode also contains part of "It's The End of The World as We Know It" by REM. All rights are retained by their respective owners.