King Of The Monsters: A History of Godzilla In Film

From 2013: A look at every Godzilla movie ever made

Unless you’ve been living in an underground monster-proof bunker, you’ve probably seen the trailer for the latest Godzilla film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

In this episode, which was recorded in 2013, we discuss almost every Godzilla movie ever made. Only the 2014 film and Shin Godzilla are left out, simply because they hadn’t been made yet at the time of recording.

Gojira (1954)
Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
Ghidorah (1964)
Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965)
Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep/Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster (1966)
Son Of Godzilla (1967)
Destroy All Monsters (1968)
All Monsters Attach (1969)
Godzilla vs. Hedorah/Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster (1971)
Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
Terror Of Mechagodzilla (1975)
The Return Of Godzilla/Godzilla 1985 (1984)
Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1993)
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
Godzilla vs. Destroyah (1995)
Godzilla Millennium/Godzilla 2000 (1999)
Godzilla vs. Megaguiras (2000)
Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)
Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

Thankfully, most of the movies are readily, and legally, available for easy access. Syfy.com as made a list of every Godzilla movie ever made and where you can watch them.

Geekville Radio #234

Last month Disney held an investor’s conference where they unveiled their highly anticipated streaming service, Disney+. The presentation answered a lot of questions about what is in store for subscribers this coming Fall.

Pricing

Disney+

  • Starting Price will be $6.99 per month and will be ad-free
  • Annual price of $69.99

Hulu

  • $5.99 – Basic Plan will have ads
  • $11.99 – Ad-Free plan
  • $44.99 – Ad Free with Live TV

Hulu fans have been affectionately dubbed Hulugans

Programming

Between Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, Disney will have three popular but very different streaming services that can be subscribed to individually or in a package.

Disney+

  • All existing Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars films at launch
  • Falcon & Winter Soldier Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan confirmed to reprise their roles
  • WandaVison – Effectively Vision & The Scarlet Witch series
  • Loki – Tom Hiddleston will reprise as well
  • The Mandalorian – Created and written by Jon Favreau
  • Cassian Andor – Pre-Rogue One series
  • Obi-Wan – Rumored more heavily lately that it will be a a Disney+ series and not a movie.

Hulu has at least four Marvel animated series on the way.

  • Howard The Duck from Kevin Smith
  • Tigra & Dazzler from Chelsea Handler
  • MODOK from Patton Oswalt
  • Hit-Monkey from Josh Gordon and Will Speck

Content

  • Disney+ will be more family friendly
  • Current and upcoming movies will be available immediately after their theatrical and home video runs.
  • Content will be available for download to watch offline

Deadpool to MCU?

Rumors are circulating that Deadpool will be one of the first Fox properties to be migrated to The MCU. There are three main possibilities.

  • Deadpool 3 – This would seem to be the most likely possibility.
  • Miniseries – Since Disney+ will be family friendly, the chances of “Hard R” content, such as the Deadpool movies, are pretty slim. However, Hulu has several TV-M series.
  • Spider-Man 3 – This might be the most entertaining option, even if the content is toned down for PG-13 content. While some fans question putting a mature audience in a PG-13 movie, there is precedent in the comics for this. Spider-Man and Deadpool already have an ongoing series.

Aladdin’s Opening Weekend

Disney’s latest live action adaption of an animated film opened to the tune of $122 million dollars. Compared to the previous Dumbo, it was more successful. The trend to adapt animated films to live-action will likely continue.

KOTOR Movie Rumors

Rumors about a reported Star Wars film based on Knights Of The Old Republic continue to circulate. However, we now have reports that Laeta Kalogridis (Avatar, Terminator: Genisys) will be writing the screenplay.

At this time, there is no confirmation of any connections to the trilogies from Rian Johnson or Game Of Thrones creators David Benoiff and Dan Weiss. The first Benoiff & Weiss film will be in December 2022

Robert Pattinson as Batman?

Variety reported first that Robert Pattinson may be in negotiations to don the cape as the next Batman, replacing Ben Affleck in the Matt Reeves film. Fans quickly started several online petitions against his casting.

Pattinson has been no stranger to genre roles. He was rumored to be one of the finalists to replace Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, before the part was given to Andrew Garfield. He appeared alongside current Spider-Man Tom Holland and Emperor Palpatine himself Ian McDiarmid in The Lost City Of Z.

Currently, he has five films in production for release over the next year.

As we keep saying, actors act for directors, not necessarily for the audience. Similar reactions to Michael Keaton, Heath Ledger, and Ben Affleck have happened before, but their performances impressed audiences.

Looks like Bruce Wayne to me…

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Examining The Doctor Season Two

After a long two year hiatus, Examining The Doctor is returning to the Geekville Radio airwaves. Join Mark and Seth as they hop back into their TARDISes to talk about every incarnation of everybody’s favorite Time Lord, The Doctor. Listen along as they give episode commendatry to all time favorite, and not so favorite, Doctor Who stories.

From William Hartnell to Jodie Whittaker, Examining The Doctor is there for Classic and Current Doctor Who fans alike.

To kick off Season Two, Examining The Doctor looks at the long lost, but recently released, Tom Baker story Shada from 1979.

The next story to be discussed on Examining The Doctor, 1979’s “Shada”


Examining The Spider-Man Far From Home Trailer

Geekville Radio #233: Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer

Sony released a second trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home, which gives a little more of the story. That means it’s time to examine every frame of it so we can lay out what everything means and then get mad if it turns out to be something different.

So queue up the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer and follow along!

From Bubble Boy to Supervillain. Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio
Is this a rib on Holland given his alleged history of leaking spoilers?
A very sad looking Peter
A tribute to Iron Man, presumably in the same scene
Looks like Happy Hogan is now Peter’s father figure
I’m not crying, you’re crying
Spidey busting some well armed criminals
The Iron Spider costume makes another appearance
Spidey evading gunfire
Is that… IMPACT WEBBING?
The classic costume is back!
“You don’t ghost Nick Fury!” Plus, an added Absorbing Man reference
So did MJ get snapped?
Ned can’t catch a break sometimes. By the way, in the comics Ned Leeds is Hobgoblin
Nick Fury returns
Spidey en route to a secret lair
Fury and Hill already know Mysterio
Earth Elemental? Or Absorbing Man?
Will Maria Hill be around more often?
Water Elemental? Or Hydro Man?
Stealth Suit Spider-Man?
Since he can’t use F-Bombs, will “Bitch, please!” be Fury’s catchphrase?
Fire Elemental? Or Molten Man?
Mysterio flying and fighting
Looks like Mysterio is packing a huge punch, assuming it’s not a trick.
Peter and Mysterio having a serious talk
Sooo, if it’s obvious that Peter is Spider-Man, why is MJ the only one that figured it out?
Perhaps the Elementals are combining?
At last, THE FISHBOWL Helmet!
Look! Up in the sky! …Oops! Wrong franchise…
Paging Captain Planet!
Somebody’s bound to make a “London Bridge” joke
Perhaps foreshadowing Mysterio’s villainous ways?
Where’s the fishbowl?
Tony’s Nanotech Glasses?
A city decimated
Is this before, after or during the destruction in the previous pic?
More Stark Tech for Spidey?
Fury giving a stern talking to the “Black Ops” Spidey
Iron Man Memorial
Fire Elemental? Or Holocaust?
Combat Suit Spidey swinging to safety
It’s just not a Marvel film without some well placed comedy

Did we miss anything? Any other ideas? What did you think of this trailer?

SOUND OFF BELOW!


This Will Be A Day Long Remembered

Geekville Radio #232: Star Wars Day, Free Comic Book Day, RIP Peter Mayhew

May The Fourth Be With You

It’s May 4th, aka May The Fourth: Star Wars Day. For anybody new to the concept, that means it’s the Unofficial Star Wars Day. Unless you’re in California, where it became a recognized Star Wars Day.

RIP Peter Mayhew (1922-2019)

We can’t mention Star Wars Day without mentioning the sad news of Peter Mayhew’s passing. He of course portrayed Chewbacca in five Star Wars films, and in numerous TV appearances.

According to his IMDB page, he has almost a dozen credits as Chewbacca. If there was Chewbacca appearing in any sort of Star Wars event, chances are it was really Peter in the costume. If not, Peter would often be consulted on how Chewie should be portrayed.

He worked with the fan community up to the very end. He was originally set to appear this weekend at the Dallas Fan Expo. His booth had already been built. Rather than take the booth down, it was changed into a memorial where fans could sign a guest book to give their condolences. One of those “Faith in Humanity Restored” stories.

Lastly, here is the simple but entertaining story of Peter meeting George Lucas for the first time about Star Wars.

Peter Mayhew talks about meeting George Lucas for the first time

Knights Of The Old Republic Movie

Back during Star Wars Celebration, Kathleen Kennedy seemed to confirm that a Knights of The Old Republic movie was in development.

Kathleen Kennedy apparently confirming development on a KOTR feature film

Very little is known about what a Knights Of The Old Republic film would be about, or who is involved. Kennedy herself said she didn’t know what’s in store. Rian Johnson has publicly stated that he is not doing a KOTOR trilogy. It is well known that Game of Thrones creators David Benoiff and D.B. Weiss are developing their own trilogy as well. The presumably mystical setting for a KOTOR film (or trilogy) would seem to be a good fit.

Even George Lucas himself had entertained the idea of a movie about The Old Republic. Specifically, the defeat of The Sith, and how Yoda was instrumental in that role.

Free Comic Book Day

Not only was it Star Wars Day, but it was also Free Comic Book Day.

The complete list of comics that were released is at the official FCBD website.

I can only review two releases, since I could only get two of the titles I was hoping for.

Star Wars Adventures: Droid Hunters – Written by Cavan Scott with art by Derek Charm, Droid Hunters stars Han Solo and Chewbacca and a quest for treasure. The story definitely has that “Saturday Morning Cartoon” vibe to it, and I mean that as a compliment. It’s clearly geared for kids. Nobody dies, and nobody is terribly ruthless. Sure, there’s a double-cross that is fairly obvious, but it’s still enjoyable.

Spider-Man – This one had two stories. The first is by the Venom team of Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman. Eddie Brock is now Carnage, not Venom. Cletus Kasady is not only back, but he has the original Knull symbiote.

The other story is more of a standalone comedy by Saladin Ahmed and Tom Taylor, with art by Corey Smith and Jay Lester. Peter and Miles compare pizza and then take down Shocker… who also has opinions on pizza.

War Of The Realms

Finally, here is the update on War Of The Realms. A SPOILER ALERT has been pressed

The heroes are organizing Strike Force teams to retaliate against Malekith and his armies. There are currently at least two Strike Force.

Captain America, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Wolverine travel to Jotunheim, where they find a LOT of dead Frost Giants, and a certain one-armed Thunder God. It’s worth mentioning that Spidey, Cage, and Danny are all apparently worthy of wielding Asgard weaponry.

Another team, led by Freya herself, consists of Punisher, Ghost Rider, She-Hulk, and Blade. One of these things just doesn’t belong here. But they will be going to Svartalfheim, the home of the dark elves.

Note: When getting these comics, I didn’t see the upcoming War Avengers Strike Force team of Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Captain Britain, Weapon H, Winter Soldier, Venom, and Sif. So I didn’t touch on them during recording.

That’s it for War Of The Realms news. Is there anything I missed?



Avengers Endgame Review

Geekville Radio #231: Avengers Endgame Review

It has finally arrived. The climax of the entire MCU over the last 11 years and 20-something movies is here. Avengers Endgame broke the expected numbers, and unseated The Force Awakens as the #1 opening night of all time.

If you don’t want spoilers, STOP NOW! Go watch Avengers Endgame, and come back. Don’t worry, we can wait.

Still here? Or welcome back, depending on your course of action. Join Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick as the size up what predictions were right, and which weren’t.

What is the state of The MCU? Where do they go from here? Can characters killed off still return? And how does this stack up to the original story from the comics?

All these questions and more are answered in another fun-filled Geekville Radio!

Also, another side item discussed, Thor wields dual hammers, Luke Cage is apparently worth of carrying enchanted Asgard weapons.

You can find all our shows wherever podcasts can be found. Give us a like and a subscribe is you’d like. We welcome any and all feedback!


News from War Of The Realms

After much anticipation, Marvel’s epic universe-wide story has finally arrived. The gist of War Of The Realms is the ongoing war throughout all the Asgardian realms finally comes to Midgard, aka Earth. I would be surprised if this doesn’t get made into a film within the next decade or so, as the concept is just too cool to not do on a blockbuster big screen.

Here are six noteworthy things concerning War Of The Realms. Spoiler alerts of course.

1) Laufey Is Back

Unless you’re an old school Marvel fan, or remember the first Thor movie very well, you may not know the name Laufey. Well, as depicted in said first Thor movie, Odin adopts Loki. Laufey is Loki’s biological father. It’s not mentioned a ton in the MCU, but Loki does have the last name of Laufeyson. After being deader than dead to the point of being a skeleton, Laufey is brought back from the dead by Malekith. Plus, he is a true Frost Giant and stands probably a good 50 feet tall.

2) Loki is Dead… Again

Speaking of The God Of Mischief and Evil, Loki is literally eaten alive by Laufey. Yep, munched down like a potato chip by his own dad. This is probably the 173rd time Loki has died, but who’s counting? We’ve seen him die time and time again, and he always has some plan for coming back. This time will likely be no different. Plus, just like Infinity War, he dies in the opening act of the story. Not a usual trope to kill a character out of the gate, if he’s going to stay dead. Or stay dead by the comics standards of a few months at least.

3) Valkyrie Is Dead

It was Malekith himself that did the deed in the final page of issue #2. Now, some Marvel fans know that Jason Aaron is penning the new Valkyrie title. And now that the “real” Valkyrie is dead (or at least dead by the comics standards of a few months), it explains why Jane Foster is stepping into the role.

4) Thor Wields Dual Hammers

Of course, with Mjolnir’s destruction last year, Thor has been using different hammers. Now, he openly wields two. One has a very similar shape to Mjiolnir, while the other one has a flat end, while the other has a ball end similar to Stormbearker. Perhaps it was inspired by the hammer Thor made during Infinity War.

5) Luke Cage Is (Apparently) Worthy Of Asgard Weapons

In a teaser cover image for the War Of The Realms tie-in Strikeforce (which sadly does not feature Tito Santana or Rick Martel), Luke Cage is carrying a hammer that looks very similar to Mjolnir. It’s possible it may be in cosmetics only, and not a true mystic hammer, but I think most fans would have no problem seeing Luke as being worthy of picking up an Asgardian Enchanted Hammer.

6) Bog Tigers Are Cool

Malekith has been seen on and around a white tiger that has wings similar to a bat or dragon. The proper name of this creature is Svartalfheim Bog Tiger. If War Of The Realms is ever turned into a movie, the bog tiger will be a new hit sensation with fans. Many stuffed animals would be sold. As big as BB-8 or porgs were to Star Wars? Only time will tell.

That’s only 1/4th of the way through the main story, so there is probably more to come. You can pick up War Of The Realms #1 and #2 now, along with the other tie in issues throughout the Marvel brand.

Anything you liked about War Of The Realms? Sound off below!

The Mandalorian Panel With GeekDig’s Vengeful Jedi

Geekville Radio is back with a look at The Mandalorian panel from Star Wars Celebration. We are joined by Vengeful Jedi, aka Clint, from GeekDig Podcast.

The Mandalorian Panel from Star Wars Celebration Chicago

Seth and Clint talk the panel, and the news coming out of it. Plus, Clint comments on the sneak peek footage that was only shown to people in attendance.

There was of course a live action Star Wars series in development before Disney bought LucasFilm. The now defunct 1313 game was supposed to be a tie in to it. Like that show, then rumored to be called Star Wars Underworld, The Mandalorian will focus on the grittier side of the Star Wars galaxy where characters are morally ambiguous and of questionable loyalty.

On top of that, Seth and Clint speculate on what The Rise Of Skywalker might mean when it comes to Episode IX.

GeekDig Podcast can be found all over the web, and especially on Apple Podcasts.

Pedro Pascal plays the character known at this time as only The Mandalorian
The vibe is very much that of a Western in space
Former MMA superstar Gina Carano portrays Cara Dune, a former Rebel Shocktrooper
Carl Weathers plays Greef, the leader of The Bounty Hunters Guild
As discussed on the podcast, Pre Vizsla was the character voiced by Jon Favreau in The Clone Wars. He carried a black lightsaber called a darksaber.

What do YOU think of The Mandalorian? Sound off below!

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker Trailer Analysis

At long last, LucasFilm has released the first trailer for Star Wars Episode IX, which is said to be the final episode of The Skywalker Saga. The title was also revealed to be The Rise Of Skywalker.

Some time ago, there was a heavily circulated rumor that Episode IX would be called Balance of The Force. We commented on that in a previous podcast, and what that might mean. We even used information published in 1997 as proof. And we’re here to do it again with the real title.

So what did we do upon seeing the new trailer? Why we did what every other Star Wars geek would do and over-analyze practically every frame so we can speculate on what we think is to come.

Director JJ Abrams said that The Rise of Skywalker will tie up all three trilogies, making it an end to the saga.

For more in-depth commentary, you can follow along with the accompanying podcast. All the images below are of course copyright LucasFilm/Disney and are presented for informational purposes.

Without further ado, on with the analysis so we can yell at everybody else how wrong they are (just kidding…)

You can watch the trailer, or go by the screencaps below
The familiar LucasFilm logo appears, with only the sound of heavy breathing accompanying it.
We see Rey, the source of the heavy breathing on a desert planet. Tatooine? Jakku?
Rey grabs the Skywalker lightsaber. Is danger afoot?
Rey stands alone in the desert. Looking at a sky, it does not appear to be Tatooine
Like something out of the Old West, Rey holds the saber at her side
Rey stands her ground
Again, judging by what appears to be a single sun, this does not look to be Tatooine
GASP! It’s Kylo Ren’s TIE Interceptor! Or is it?
Rey ignites the Skywalker saber
Rey, looking defiant, readies for the attack
Those gloves look like Kylo Ren’s, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s him wearing them. More on that later
Rey begins to run, but in the same direction as the TIE
The TIE is almost caught up
Rey leaps into the air, probably with a Force Jump
This is obviously another planet, but which one?
Kylo Ren gutting an enemy with his trademark crossguard saber. Stormtroopers are also seen
Someone is repairing Kylo Ren’s mask
Is that Rey’s staff? Or did Finn and Poe just stumble onto the set of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?
BB-8 and his new friend D-0, who presumably does not sing “Holy Diver”
Billy Dee looking as only he can look. Great to see Lando is finally back
Flying stormtroopers in hot pursuit of a speeder
Poe, Finn, and 3PO on board the speeder
One of the medals given at The Battle Of Yavin
Rey and Leia embrace
The band is back together! It’s not often we get to see Rey and Poe in the same shot
Arguably the most interesting shot of the whole trailer. Why are those waves moving so slowly?

Over Celebration weekend, we saw several images that may give further hints as to what is going on.

Lando Calrissian, sporting a yellow outfit similar to his younger self in Solo
Poe possibly gathering local citizens
The Poe/Finn shippers will have a field day with this image
Rey reunited with her staff. But what planet is this?
Here we definitely see Kylo piloting his TIE Interceptor
Klad! Undoubtedly the breakout star of Episode IX
Is it possible that Poe Dameron is piloting that TIE Silencer?

So let’s review

  • Rey spends some time on a desert planet that does not appear to be Tatooine
  • The other heroes either arrive with her, or follow her there
  • She may or may not have an encounter with Kylo Ren in his sip. It still could be somebody else piloting. Poe?
  • Lando reunites with Chewie and The Millennium Falcon
  • Kylo and stormtroopers attack people in a forest that looks like it could be Yavin or Takodana
  • At some point, Kylo rebuilds his mask from The Force Awakens
  • Death Star wreckage plays an important part in the film
  • Not only do we hear his laugh, but Palpatine has been confirmed by JJ himself to be in the film in some capacity.
  • If “no one is every truly gone” could we see old friends? Old enemies?

What do you think? Sound off below!!

Geekville Radio #227

Geekville Radio #227

Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick return to the airwaves to discuss some of the news topics of the week

Mark Hamill to be in Guardians Of The Galaxy? (1:15)

Since the return of James Gunn to Guardians Of The Galaxy 3, rumors have resurfaced that Mark Hamill may be playing a character in the film. Could he be a hero? Villain? Mercenary?

Emily Bett Rickards leaving Arrow (9:30)

The actress recently announced her departure from Arrow. Shortly afterwards, it was revealed that Felicity will not be appearing in Season 8. Could this mean a return to the comic-based pairing of Green Arrow and Black Canary?

Disney recasting X-Men except Deadpool (16:00)

It had been speculated for years, but Marvel all but confirmed during C2E2 that The X-Men and Fantastic Four will be recast and rebooted for The MCU. The only exception is Ryan Reynolds will continue as Deadpool.

We did predict on Episode 225 that this would happen, because it’s common sense. Though it will likely be several years before we get the MCU Proper X-Men film.

There is the new rumor that Stan Lee cameos may be replaced by Deadpool cameos. Which may be the best option to go with.

It is also worth noting that X-Men material is already available on Disney’s site.

Here is the list of channels and studios that Disney now owns after the merger with Fox.

  • Twentieth Century Fox
  • Twentieth Century Fox Television
  • Fox Searchlight Pictures
  • Fox 2000 Pictures
  • Fox Family
  • Fox Animation
  • FX Productions
  • FX Networks
  • Fox21
  • National Geographic Partners
  • Fox Networks Group International
  • Star India
  • Fox’s part of Hulu

Batman retrospective 80th Anniversary (29:30)

At C2E2, DC Comics held a Batman 80th Anniversary Panel, in which some fun questions were asked.

The creation of Batman has its roots in the pulp crime magazines of the 30s. Several of the panelists mentioned the characters of The Shadow, The Phantom, and Green Hornet as pre-Batman inspirations.

Well, who are three out of the first four entrants in our Lesser Known Geek Hall Of Fame? The Shadow, The Phantom, and Green Hornet

Is there a favorite incarnation of Batman?

All this and more in another fun-filled edition of Geekville Radio!