Episode 21: The Beautiful Sounds of Monstrous Movie Music

David Schecter with the late, great Julie Adams

Music can make or break a film. It can set mood, create tension, tug on your heartstrings. And in a monster movie, the music really needs to heighten the excitement, the mystery, the fear factor. Some of the greatest film scores around can be found in the sci-fi and monster films of the 1950s. In this episode we talk with writer, film music historian and soundtrack producer David Schecter, owner of Monstrous Movie Music, about some of the most memorable genre soundtracks of the 50s and beyond. We learn from David how he got access to many missing film scores and re-recorded them with a full symphony. Some of the soundtracks Monstrous Movie Music has reproduced include Creature from the Black Lagoon, This Island Earth, Mighty Joe Young, It! Terror from Beyond Space, and dozens more. But that's not all! David also discusses his experiences with some of the stars of those films, like the wonderful Julie Adams from Creature from the Black Lagoon, Colleen Gray from The Leech Woman, and Joyce Meadows from The Brain from Planet Arous.

If you'd like to get some of these soundtracks for yourself, head on over to David's site and purchase a few, and experience the thrill of listening to this wonderful music outside of the films! For the Sensor Sweep this time, David made us aware of some new BluRay releases from SHOUT! Factory that he has done some commentary on - films like Tarantula, The Alligator People, The Land Unknown, The Strange Door, and others! Click HERE for info.

That's it for us this time. Let us know about your favorite sci-fi film music, either here, or at our other two hideouts:

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 20: A Dynamation Celebration of Ray Harryhausen

What would this world be without the wonderful films of master special effects artist Ray Harryhausen? Surely all of our childhoods would have been far less exciting. Who could forget seeing Jason and his men battle the children of the Hydra, or the deadly Medusa stalk Perseus, or the gigantic Ymir on the rampage in Rome? These and so many other fantasies were brought to life by Harryhausen in his legendary career. Come celebrate his achievements with us, as the Planet 8 crew, along with friend of the show and Harryhausen aficionado Butch Portillo, discuss the beloved works of the master, Ray Harryhausen.

Butch Portillo and friend

As for our Sensor Sweep - well, how would you like to spend three days doing nothing but watching Harryhausen films? And hearing stories about Ray from his friends and family, including his daughter, Vanessa Harryhausen? Then mark your calendars -on March 1-3, Bay Area Film Events will be hosting the Dynamation Celebration,  at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco! Over ten of Ray's films will be screened, along with panel and guest presentations, vendors, prizes, and a special benefit for the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation. It's going to be a terrific, one of a kind event! Click here for more info.

That's it for us this time. Please share your memories of watching Ray's films with us, either here, or at our other two hideouts:

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 19: Geeks in Garages Drinking Blue Milk

Pull up a chair and join us -today Larry, Bob, Karen, and their guest, Henry San Miguel from the Geek Speak Show are engaged in a lively discussion that ranges from what's right and what's wrong with The Last Jedi (and we promise, this is our LAST Last Jedi discussion!), to super-hero films, including thoughts on Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (can you guess which one of the crew is a fan of this film?). We also talk about the changing face of fandom, and Henry shares some news about cons the Geek Speak crew will be at later this year.

So give it a listen and tell us what you think - are you excited for Episode 9 or not feeling it? Who should Rey's parents be? Was Batman V. Superman great or awful? We want to hear your thoughts!

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 18: Time Keeps on Slippin'...Into the Future

If you're reading this, it means you made it! Congratulations and welcome to 2019. Your Planet 8 crew survived multiple attacks by Zanti misfits and those creeps on Planet 9, and have put together a retrospective show on 2018 -we look back on the movies and shows that came out this last year. You might be surprised by some of our favorites, and the ones we thought missed the mark. We also salute those genre actors, artists, and others who left us in 2018. Finally, we discuss what we're most excited about in this new year. Which movies and TV shows are high on the Planet 8 crew's list? You'll have to listen to find out!

For our Sensor Sweep, Mission Commander Larry brings to our attention the small but deadly Infinity Gauntlet Mini from Hot Toys (you can find the details here:
https://www.sideshowtoy.com/collectibles/marvel-infinity-gauntlet-hot-toys-903359/). This little beauty looks just like the shiny glove that wiped out half the universe in Avengers: Infinity War. It stands about 6.5" high, and it even has light-up features. Want to impress and/or terrify your co-workers? Put this on your desk!

We want to thank all of you listeners who have been tuning in and sharing with us. We appreciate your feedback! We'd love to get more comments from you, either here, or at the other places where we monitor  Earth transmissions:

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 17: Planet 8 Warps Into the Spider-Verse!

Happy Holidays! Your Planet 8 crew is celebrating the season by getting together and talking about how much we enjoyed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse! This new animated feature was a perfect gift for your three hosts, as we are long-time Spider-Man fans. It's a fantastic-looking film that truly celebrates the Spider-Man mythos. This will be a SPOILER-FILLED discussion, so be sure to see the movie before you listen to the show! Believe us, you'll be glad you did.

We also take some time to discuss the previous film incarnations of Spidey, as well as reminisce about how we first discovered old Webhead, our favorite Spidey artists, stories, and more. It's a web-slingin' extravaganza!

A strange transmission from outside Planet 8 was intercepted this week. We're not sure what it means, but it was identified as something called "Monster Kid Radio." This could be the prelude to an invasion. We suggest you investigate, for your own safety!

This episode, Chief Engineer Bob shows off an early Christmas gift for our Sensor Sweep, the Iron Giant "Riobot" articulated figure from Sentinel. This is a super-detailed 6.30" die-cast and PVC replica of the heroic robot. This figure is crazily poseable! Check out how Bob set him up below. You can find the little big guy for sale at Big Bad Toy Store.

That's all from us this time around. Wishing everyone the happiest of holidays! We'll be back with a review of the major sci fi, super-hero, monster and other related happenings of 2018 next time. Be sure to drop by and let us know what you thought of Into the Spider-Verse, and tell us what Santa brought you! You can reach us here, or at:

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 16: The Pros and Cons of Conventions

One of the great joys of being a fan is attending conventions. Whether you're a fan of comics, Star Trek, Star Wars, horror movies, anime, or all of the above, there's nothing quite like the thrill of going to a con and seeing your favorite writers, artists, actors, and other creators and celebrities. Or maybe you enjoy spending hours hunting down treasures in the dealers room! Sometimes just hanging out with like-minded people can make your day. Cons can provide a wealth of experiences...and while most of them make for great memories, there are also those times you'd just as soon forget!

Larry, Bob, and Karen  discuss the pros -and cons -of cons. Consider this our unvarnished look at something we generally love, but have no illusions about either. We'll go down Memory Lane and discuss conventions both old and recent, from small, grass-roots cons, to large mega-cons too. There are always those experiences you plan, and then there are those ones that just seem to happen - and sometimes, those are the most rewarding. 

For our Sensor Sweep, we look at some Star Trek goodies from a company called Quantum Mechanix (QMX). They make some beautiful metallic insignia badges that are also magnetic, so when you wear them, you won't have to put a hole in your shirt or costume. You can get ones for all the branches (Command, Sciences, Engineering, etc.). They range from about $5-15 and you can get them at their website (https://qmxonline.com/) or look on Amazon.

Let us know about your favorite convention experiences...or your worst! You know where to find us:

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 15: Thankful for Star Trek

To our listeners in the United States: Happy Thanksgiving! In the spirit of the holiday, your Planet 8 crew is giving thanks of their own, for something that has had a major impact on the three of us (and we suspect, a lot of you, too): Star Trek!

Each of selected an episode of classic Trek to discuss. We hope you enjoy the episodes we chose. It was hard choosing just three since we have so many favorites! But we're already talking about doing another show on Star Trek. There are just too many great episodes left to discuss! Here are our choices:

Bob - Arena;
Karen - Amok Time;
and Larry, All Our Yesterdays

This episode's Sensor Sweep looks at (appropriately) a fantastic tome from Titan Books called Star Trek Lost Scenes. This mammoth, 270 page treasure-trove was produced by David Tilotta and Curt McAloney, and is a joy to any Trekkie or Trekker's eyes. The authors have assembled a wonderful collection of  behind the scenes clips, deleted scenes, and bloopers. They've used modern technology to digitally scan and color-correct these old film clips, vastly improving the image quality. The truly exciting thing is that they've gathered pictures most fans  have never seen before, from scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor. It's truly worthy of being in any Star Trek fan's collection.

Gorn anatomy 101

Deleted scene, 'Elaan of Troyius'

Besides Star Trek, we're thankful for all of you who listen to the podcast and leave comments, either here, or at Twitter or the Facebook page. We really enjoy hearing what you thought of each episode and what you'd like to hear us talk about in future ones. If you haven't found us in those other places yet, here's how:

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

Thanks for Listening! And...live long and prosper!

Our closing song this episode is "Surf Trek" by the Rubinoos. Other clips are copyright CBS.