Episode 31: Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Friendly Globe-Hopping Spider-Man

Spidey's back, and your Planet 8 crew is here to share our take on this new Marvel blockbuster. As usual, our discussion will be SPOILER-FILLED, so make sure you see Spider-Man: Far From Home before you listen to this episode.

This time around, Spidey's no longer your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, he's a globe-hopping hero. International locations are the key to this movie, making the web-slinger seem a little more like James Bond! Larry, Bob, and Karen will talk about Spidey's expanded responsibilities and much more, such as what they thought of seeing long-time Spider-Man villain Mysterio on the big screen.

This film takes place not long after the events of Avengers: Endgame, so how is Peter dealing with the loss of Tony Stark? What's the world like, after the Snap? Did the movie deal with this effectively? We have thoughts about this...

What about Peter Parker's personal life? How are Aunt May, Ned, and of course, MJ? Spidey's always had a great supporting cast, and the MCU is developing them too, in a slightly different way. How did things go in this film? Yup, we'll jabber about that too!

For our Sensor Sweep, Engineer Bob shares some big news for Ultraman fans: Mill Creek Entertainment has acquired the rights to all of the Ultraman series all the way up to the current Taiga series. (The Ultraman shows have been embroiled in legal red tape for years; if you'd like to know the full story, check out this link and this one.) They also have rights to 20 films. They will be released in blu-ray format, and also on streaming platforms. In even more exciting news, Bob and his partner Keith Aiken of SciFi Japan have been asked to consult with Mill Creek on these releases! You can get more details over at SciFi Japan.

So tune in, turn on, and tell us what you thought of Spider-Man: Far From Home! And thanks so much to our listeners who take time to comment here or on Twitter or Facebook. We can't name all of you, but here's a few: Edo, Al, Kevin, Debby, Michael, Sean, Jasmine, Steven, John, Dan, Jeff,  Edward, and so many more! We love hearing from you, so keep it coming. And of course, here's where you can find us: 

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

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 29: It's Hammer Time!

While the Universal Monsters may have been the original film fiends, across the pond in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, the little film company that could, Hammer, produced a bevy of movies that featured our familiar monsters, but in a much more graphic way. These films, featuring such sensational stars as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, brought an updated take on horror to a new generation of fans.

Your Planet 8 crew is joined by guests horror host extraordinaire Lord Blood-Rah and independent film-maker Tom Wyrsch to reminisce and discuss why we enjoy Hammer films so much. The studio had a very distinct style which is immediately recognizable, and there are certain things you can expect to see in a Hammer horror film - including bright red blood, and more than a little cleavage. We talk about which films are our favorites (and surprise, we all had different picks!), the actors and actresses we enjoyed, and some of the behind the scenes production stories. 

We'll also discuss the upcoming Creatures Con, the San Francisco Bay Area's classic horror convention.  Held on July 7th, it will feature the west coast premiere of the film, The House of the Gorgon by Josh Kennedy, a film that is very much an homage to Hammer films, and features Hammer film veterans Caroline Munro, Martine Beswick, and Veronica Carlson - Kennedy and Carlson will be at the show! The con will also have a monster movie quiz hosted by Lord Blood-Rah, which is certain to be a blast! They'll also have a special presentation on the film Plan 9 from Outer Space, to celebrate its 65th anniversary. All happening at the San Ramon Marriott -and the entire Planet 8 crew will be there, podcasting live! All this, for only $15 admission! What a bargain!  Go to https://www.creaturescon.com/ for more information.

Don't forget to take a look at Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Theatre for some fine entertainment. 

As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts, so please share either here or at:

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 28: Oh No, There Goes Tokyo, Go Go Godzilla!

Welcome to this Daikaiju-sized edition of Planet 8! We needed a larger than normal sized episode to cover our subject, Godzilla King of the Monsters! Besides our usual three-headed review, we'll be including some bonus material from Chief Engineer Bob's away mission to the press screening and Hollywood premiere of this colossal film, including a special interview with the film's director, Michael Dougherty, at the end of the episode.

This is a SPOILER-FILLED episode, so make sure you see Godzilla King of the Monsters before you jump into the podcast!

This is the third film in Legendary's Monsterverse, with the 2014 Godzilla being the first, and Kong:Skull Island being the second. And this film featured more kaiju than ever before, with some heavy hitters alongside the Big G: Mothra, Rodan, and the infamous King Ghidorah, aka Monster Zero!

Of course, your Planet 8 crew grew up with Godzilla and all of his assorted friends and enemies. We all went into this film with certain expectations based off of our nostalgic recollections. Did it live up to those memories? Listen to find out!

The premiere gets set up at the Grauman Theater

In place of our usual Sensor Sweep, Bob gives us a glimpse at his trip to Los Angeles and the Godzilla premiere, where he got to not only see the film, but meet and speak with many of the actors, and also interview the director, Michael Dougherty, along with his pal Keith Aiken from SciFi Japan.

Godzilla busts loose!

Godzilla stairs!

Bob with Godzilla 2014 director Gareth Edwards

Bob and actor Ken Watanabe

We hope you enjoyed this episode! If you'd like to meet the Planet 8 crew, head over to Creatures Con at the San Ramon Marriott (in San Ramon, California) on July 7th! We'd love to see you live and in-person!

As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts, so please share either here or at:

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 27: All Those Wonderful Toys

One of the great things about being a fan is all of the fun and amazing (if not expensive) collectibles that are to be found based on so many of our favorite TV shows, movies, comic characters, and more. It's astonishing the variety of items available - Star Trek Enterprise pizza cutter, anyone? Many of us have acquired a ton of posters, figures, books, and what-have-you over the years. Building a collection is a point of pride for many. Some are downright obsessive about it.

In this episode, Larry, Bob, and Karen discuss the fine art of collecting, and look at a few of their favorite items in their own collections. Bob has a number of one-of-a-kind or nearly so items of the kaiju variety (like an Ibanez Ultraman guitar), while Larry explores some rare Anchor-Hocking Universal Monster glasses that he hunted down. Karen shares a favorite piece, the Sideshow Creature from the Black Lagoon premium format statue.

Just why do we collect? Is it out of a sense of nostalgia? Is it the thrill of chasing down that rare item? And do you limit yourself to just one genre or show, or do you range far and wide in the types of things you enjoy? And we ask the question, if you didn't collect genre-related stuff, what else would you collect?

For this episode's Sensor Sweep, Bob tells us about a special painting he had done for him by Hugo-winning artist Bob Eggleton. It depicts the landscape of Planet X from Monster Zero. And now it proudly hangs in his living room!

Now it's your turn. We would love to hear about all of your collections! You know where to reach us -in the comments here, or at:

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 26: One Year Later: We're in the Endgame Now

It's been one whole year since the Planet 8 crew started on our mission to explore the worlds of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and we began our first episode with a look at a little film called Avengers: Infinity War. For our one year anniversary, we come full circle, as we share our thoughts on the conclusion to the Avengers saga, Avengers: Endgame!  Be warned, this is a SPOILER FILLED episode, so if you are one of the handful of people who still haven't seen Endgame, don't blame us if  you hear something you didn't want to know!!

Like Infinity War, Endgame is a huge, sprawling epic -and clocks in at a massive, bladder-busting three hours! But no fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe should miss this film, as it is truly the end of an era. Join with Larry, Bob, and Karen as they discuss not only Endgame, but their feelings on the MCU as a whole, as we wrap our minds around the amazing feat of 22 films from Marvel Studios in 11 years!

Each of the original six Avengers get their moments, and we discuss all of them (some more than others) and what we liked, and some things we might have liked to see go differently. One's thing for certain: we've had years to get to know these heroes, and like most of you, we've become very attached to them! Don't be shocked if you hear us get a little choked up...yeah, we're a bunch of softies!

After you've listened to us ramble on about Endgame, be sure to tell us what you thought. What were your high points? Anything you thought was out of step? And where does the MCU go now?

No Sensor Sweep this time around friends -as we were recording this episode, we found out about the passing of Peter Mayhew, better known to all of us as Chewbacca. Mr. Mayhew made such an impact on all of us first for imbuing the lovable Wookiee with such a recognizable personality, but then later, through his charming presence at conventions, and through his social media feeds. He was the epitome of a Gentle Giant - a sweet, funny, kind man. We will miss him greatly.

And that's a wrap on year one! Thanks to all of you who listen to, comment on, and support Planet 8! We truly appreciate your interest in the show, and hope to keep expanding and improving as we move into year two! Please feel free to comment here, or you can reach us at our other locations:

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 25: Big Bug Attack!

They're creepy! They're crawly! And oh yeah...they're gigantic!! We're talking about those irradiated, mutated, and sometimes prehistoric giant bugs that have been freaking us out on movie screens for decades. Come join the Planet 8 crew as we explore the films that feature these weird and wonderful critters.

We'll focus on classics including Them!, Tarantula, and Mothra, but also touch upon a few others. Well, maybe not touch upon them - we'll poke them with a long stick.

And what would you do if attacked by a 50 foot spider? Or a 20 foot ant? Have you given it any thought, friends? Maybe you should! The crew delves into the science of big bugs, discussing Professor Michael C. LaBarbera's paper, The Biology of B-Movie Monsters, and Professor Andrew Fraknoi's class on the Science of Science Fiction, to see what a real giant insect would be like, and what vulnerabilities they'd have. Finally, we face our fears and reveal what giant insect we'd be the most frightened of! 

Your crew -Larry, Karen, and Bob

For our Sensor Sweep, we shamelessly plug our Tee Public shop, where you can purchase nearly anything -t-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, tote bags - with one of the Planet 8 logos (we have two designs now!) on it. We originally made a small number of tees and hats for ourselves, but we had so many requests from friends and family that we decided to open it up and see if anyone else wanted to show off their Planet 8 love. We get a part of the proceeds from each purchase and will use this to fund more equipment, products, and trips to conventions, where we can interview cool people we know you want to hear! If you do get something, send us a picture! We'll post it! We really appreciate your support, in whatever form, and we love hearing from you, which brings us to the next part of our message. Besides this site, you can chat with us at:

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

Thanks for Listening!