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Happy Halloween! We hope you all have been enjoying this spooky season. for this year's Halloween episode, we decided to go with a film (and film series) that is close to Commander Larry's heart: from 1979, it's Don Coscarelli's Phantasm! Phantasm was the little independent film that defied the odds and became a cut hit with fans (especially when video tape became a thing). Phantasm was a bit horror, a bit sci fi, a bit suspense, a bit action film, it covered a number of genres all in one. Fans could relate to brothers Mike and Jody, and their friend Reggie, while all being afraid of The Tall Man and the silver spheres. In this episode, we bring on special guests, good friends of the show Ray and Gail Orwig to discuss this amazing film and its sequels. Be sure to hang on past discussion and Sensor Sweep to hear some special treats! Our Sensor Sweep shines a light on the work of the Orwigs, who have written three books that reveal the filming locations of many science fiction films and TV shows. Their newest book, Where Hollywood Shot the Monster Movies: More California Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Film Locations, 1916-1970, joins their two previous ones, Where Monsters Walked and Fantastic Serial Sites of California, all availble at your favorite bookseller. You can also check out their Facebook page, Where Monsters Walked, at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594010164049.  Bob shared a book from Image 10 that goes well with Halloween, it's Night of the Living Dead: The Official Story of the Film. It's a great hardback book with lots of fantastic photos from the film and behind the scenes info. Bob also showed his X-Plus Rodan figure, which was very cool. Karen was happy to share more Micronauts from Super 7! She got the new Acroyear figure and is quite happy with it. Finally, Commander Larry shared a little gift Karen had sent him: a Universal Monsters coloring book! He also had a Funko Pop Hedorah Target Exclusive, and some Hallmark ornaments. Let us know your thoughts about Phantasm, and what you're doing for Halloween!  http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast BOY........

It's October, and that means we're celebrating Halloween all month long at Planet 8! In this episode, the Planet 8 crew discuss their favorite films based on Stephen King books or stories. Over the last six decades, "Stephen King" has become synonymous with "horror," and 80 plus films and TV programs have been made from his works. It wasn't easy to pick just one film each, but we managed! Listen in to find out which ones we chose. On the Sensor Sweep, we have some awesome goodies! Karen picked up a fabulous new book from Taschen, on the Making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's full of great behind the scenes photos and art. Bob had a couple of cool books from Insight Editions: the Mondo Art of Godzilla, and Classic Monsters, Modern Art. He also showed off his custom painted Jet Jaguar figure. Finally, Larry shared his colossal USS Enterprise cutaway poster from Factory Entertainment. We hope you're having a terrific Spook-tober! Tell us your favorite Stephen King movie (or book)! http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast "Sometimes, dead is better."

Does your mind ever wander? Do you ever find yourself pondering those big questions in life? Things like, "Was the Robot's name really Robot?" on Lost in Space? Or maybe, "Is Superman really as fast as The Flash?" If so, this is the episode for you! Your Planet 8 crew tackles a number of (Geek) life's most puzzling questions...and we hope you enjoy our answers! The Sensor Sweep is highly literate this episode. Bob shares a book titled Inspired Enterprise, about the connections between Star Trek and NASA. Karen has two books: one from our good friend Billy D. over at the Magazines and Monsters podcast. He sent her a hefty tome called A Pictorial History of Horror Movies by Denis Gilford. This is a classic book on the great horror films.  The other book is one Larry also shared - Star Trek IV the Making of the Classic Movie by The Tenutos. It's a detailed look behind the scenes of "the one with the whales." Larry also shared a special coloring book from his family friend, Lomika Sojourner, How's Life? Color It, available here. It's a delightful adult coloring book that may help you when adulting is just a bit too much!   Let us know your answers to our many questions this episode. You know where to find us. http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast "Always more questions than answers, there are." - Yoda

In this episode, your Planet 8 crew discusses some of their favorite kaiju films! We're talking Godzilla, Gamera, Mothra, all of the great Japanese giant monsters you know and love! We'll each bring up three films that are special to us and talk about them in detail. And of course, Chief Engineer Bob, our resident kaiju expert, has a lot to say about all of them! This time our Sensor Sweep starts with -surprise - updates on Godzillafest! There are a ton of Japanese actors who will be attending, some great artists like Art Adams and Matt Frank, the game rooms, one for video games and pinball, the other for trading cards, and of course the dealers' room.  And Sunday morning, there will be a Godzilla/Hello Kitty swap!  Be sure to get tickets now! Check it out at Godzillafest.com. In the rest of the Sweep, Karen shares a 40+ year old Bulmark Godzilla figure that has a secret base in his tummy! She also shares John Byrne's X-Men Elsewhen book. Larry offers support for a local comic store, The Comic Shop, which has been robbed several times and is struggling financially. They have a GoFundMe to try to keep their brick and mortar store going. If you are so inclined, please help them out. Comics stores are an endangered species! Larry also shares some interesting molds he got from Bell Plastics Shop in Hayward CA. They make all sorts of things including large promotional figures like you would see in front of restaurants -think Bob's Big Boy.   That's it for us. Let's hear from you about your favorite kaiju films. Which ones have stuck with you over the years? Were any of our picks your favorites too? Let us know! http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast   Oh no, there goes Tokyo! Go go Godzilla!

Way back in January 2021, your Planet 8 crew did an episode called Hidden Gems, where we covered films we each loved, but had not been well-received at the time of their release. Well, five years later, we're doing it again! This episode, we're taking a look at films we hold dear, but didn't do well at the box office, or weren't critical successes (or both). Here's our selections: Karen: The 13th Warrior Bob: Matango (aka Attack of the Mushroom People) Larry: Batman v. Superman Dawn of Justice That's about as diverse a grouping of films as you could get! We'll discuss why we love the films, provide some background, and explain the fate of each. Have you seen all of these films? Do you like them? What do you think -are they gems, or are they trash? Let us know!  Our Sensor Sweep shines a light on what we're up to and what we've been purchasing. Karen shares a couple of gaming books - the Planet of the Apes roleplaying game Solo adventures book, and the Shadowdark roleplaying game book. Maybe she'll even get to use them some day! Bob is super busy with Godzillafest , coming in September. But he's had time to get a Bandai Godzilla figure as well as an Ultraman 60th Anniversary book. Larry just had his birthday and shares a number of cool gifts, including a Dr. Zaius mug, a Valley of Gwangi soundtrack CD, a Gill Creep figure from Coffin Creeps, and a 'Patty' bigfoot footcast from Coral Palms Cottage on Etsy. If any of these things sound interesting to you, be sure to check out our YouTube video! We hope you enjoy this episode. Let us know some hidden gems of your own! http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast One man's trash is another man's...hidden gem!

It's a Brand New Day for Spider-Man, and your Planet 8 crew is here for it! We've been there for all of Spidey's previous cinematic adventures, so we couldn't by-pass his latest. And what an adventure it is! Finally - we get Spider-Man fighting crime in New York City! But he's still dealing with the fallout from his last film (which was released five years ago!). The three of us all give this film thumbs up, and we go over all of the characters and moments we love. But don't worry - we also talk a bit about the things that didn't sit so right with us. There weren't many things that fell into this category, but there were a few. And where can Spider-Man go from here? After that, we swing into our Sensor Sweep, where Chief Engineer Bob shares the latest news about Godzillafest, which will be happening September 18-20 at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway in San Francisco, California. Tickets are still available! Check it out! Commander Larry, the birthday boy, shared his custom Blacula 8" figure, from Brent Z. It's amazing! And Karen shares a graphic novel, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which was the basis of much of the recent film,and has beautiful artwork. Let us know how you enjoyed the new Spider-Man film. What were the highlights to you? You can tell us here: http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast   With great power comes great box office!

This episode we're trying something a little different: we're sharing some of our favorite tunes that have a horror or sci-fi feel. How do you define that? Well, if you listen to our picks, you'll see we all had different ideas of what that means! But we hope you are entertained by the nine songs we present in this new experiment.  Our Sensor Sweep is a hodge podge of artifacts and events. Godzillafest is almost here! Bob gives an update on the movie festival July17-19 at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco, as well as the full-blown Godzillafest Convention in September. Get your tickets now! You can also see Bob on the Distance Nerding podast, in case you can't get enough of our Chief Engineer! Karen shares a fantastic Creature from the Black Lagoon mug that Larry gave her as an early borthday gift. And Larry shares swag he picked up at Universal Studios. Give this episode a listen and let us know some of your favorite songs that you feel have a horror or science fiction connection or feel. We're curious what you all might come up with! Thanks for listening! http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast Oh no, there goes Tokyo, go go Godzilla!

The 1950s was the decade of the teenager. Along with rock and roll and fast cars, another thing teenagers were obsessed with were movies. And the studios recognized this and began making films tailored to their interests. American International Pictures, or AIP, was particularly astute at making films that struck a chord with young audiences. In 1957, they made a trio of films that combined the teen-age craze with another, that of monsters, producing "I Was a Teen-Age Werewolf," then later that year, "I Was a Teen-Age Frankenstein," and "Blood of Dracula." Each film featured a teen-age character who turned into a "monster" of some type, not from the typical supernatural cause, but from a pseudoscientific one. This episode, your Planet 8 crew, along with our guest Lord Blood-Rah, discuss these films and how they express old themes in new ways for a growing demographic in the 1950s. And of course, we also jabber about the make-up, Whit Bissell, having an alligator pit in your house, and a bunch of other crazy stuff. For our Sensor Sweep, our good friend Lord Blood-Rah has a live event coming up this fall that you'll want to know about: November is the Out of the Cellar film festival! Film-makers will be challenged to complete a short film in 48 hours, and the resulting films will be shown at the festival. Check out Lord Blood-Rah's Events page to learn more.  Bob is still working hard to make sure Godzillafest in September and the Godzilla Film Fest in July both go off without a hitch! You can learn more and buy tickets at the website here. Larry has become the proud owner of a Twiki robot. And Karen found some old Star Wars pictures. So check it out. Let us know what you think of these films. When did you first see them? How do you think they hold up? http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast   Don't be square - be were!

We're back, and so are that bounty hunter and his little green sidekick -the Mandalorian and Grogu! But this time, they're not coming to us via our TVs, they're up on the big screen. All three of your Planet 8 crew saw this film in the theater, and - we all enjoyed it! We'll discuss the film, what we liked, and how we feel about the negative talk that seemed to appear months before anyone even saw it! Certain segments of Star Wars fandom have become hellbent on tearing down anything coming out of Disney, and this film was no exception. But we found it an entertaining, popcorn movie that didn't deserve all the abuse.  Of course, we'll also discuss some other films and shows we've been watching, and maybe a few goodies we've obtained, in our Sensor Sweep, so don't miss that. What did you think of the Mandalorian and Grogu? We want to hear from you! http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast Leave us a message! This is the Way!

It's hard to believe, but your Planet 8 crew has been transmitting for eight years now! Yes, it's our eighth anniversary. It almost sneaked up on us. But not quite! We hope you'll join us as we recount how the podcast came to be, and talk about some of our favorite episodes. We've enjoyed putting this show together all these years, and we hope you've enjoyed listening to it or watching it. We'll also do a Sensor Sweep, where Larry shows off his new Space 1999 Eagle ship -it's so big, it fills the whole screen! Bob has a book: Horror Movie Monsters by Jon Landis, and it's a beaut! He also has a 4K version of one of his favorite films, Speed Racer. Karen deosn't have any goodies to share, but plugs her YouTube channel, Echoes from the Satellite, where she's been reading Fantasy and Sci-Fi anthologies, as well as Marvel's Killraven comic book. Check out this episode and let us know what your favorite episode over the last 8 years has been! And hang around til the end, and you can hear the mysterious, perhaps ghostly, knocking that Bob talks about in the episode! Share your thoughts with us: http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast It's our anniversary! Where's the cake??

Due to circumstances beyond our control, instead of a new episode, we are bringing you an encore performance of our Ray Harryhausen episode from February 8, 2019, our 20th episode. We note that Ray -"the Master" - passed on May 7, 2013, so almost exactly 13 years ago. He may be gone, but he'll never be forgotten.   Please share your thoughts about Ray and his films: Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast Instagram:http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast Presented in the miracle of Dynamation!!

The Planet 8 crew was saddened to hear today of the passing of comic book legend Gerry Conway, who had written many comic book titles of the 70s and 80s, including Amazing Spider-Man, The Mighty Thor, and Fantastic Four. Back in May 2020, we interviewed Gerry as part of our "Giant-Size Spider-Man" episode. We share that interview here as a tribute to Gerry. Our condolences to his loved ones.

We're back with a Planet 8 tradition -a new top ten list! We've done robots, spaceships, and science fiction films. Now we take a look at our favorite extraterrestrials. Those beings from other worlds - aliens! It's open to beings from movies and television, live-action and animated. Who will make the list? You'll have to listen or watch to find out! In our Sensor Sweep, Bob has more details for you about Godzillafest -you can now buy your tickets! Go to Godzillafest.com for all the info. Karen shares some classic soundtrack CDs she got from Film Score Monthly. And Larry received a package of goodies from our great friend and listener Bill, including a Liddsville comic! That's it for now. Once you have caught our list, let us know your picks. You can reach us at: http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast In space, no one can hear you podcast

Recently we aired an encore presentation of our September 2019 show on Saturday morning cartoons. In that episode, we said that someday, we should discuss our favorite live-action Saturday morning shows. Well, that day is here! In this episode, each of us -Larry, Bob, and Karen - shares a favorite live-action show. We follow this up with a brief discussion of other shows we enjoyed.  Karen starts things off with 1976's Ark II, a postapocalyptic kids show, Bob follows with the well-known Land of the Lost, and Larry surprises us all by choosing The Bugaloos! There was something special about live-action shows. They seemed like "real" TV shows, but for kids. They often had protagonists about the same age as the viewers, so it was easy to insert oneself into the story. And most offered up a moral at the end. Did you enjoy live-action Saturday shows? Let us know which ones were your favorites. For our Sensor Sweep, Karen shares her Micronauts Time Traveler figure from Super 7. It's just like the ones she had as a wee child. Larry shows off his replica pistol from Blade Runner, sold by Paragon. It's incredibly detailed. Bob updated us on Godzillafest 2026: tickets are now available! The film festival will be held July 17-19 at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco, and the full-blown convention will occur September 18-20 at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, also in San Francisco. Go to https://www.godzillafest.com/ for more information. Bob also shared a Godzilla popcorn bucket from the Alamo Drafthouse. Let's hear from you! Reach out to us at these places: http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast I hope you listened to this one with a big bowl of cereal!

We bet that many of you have some great books on the science fiction, horror, and fantasy films and TV shows that you love. Well, so do we, and on this episode, we are sharing those books and talking about what makes them our favorites! This is really a great episode to jump over and check out on our YouTube channel!  Each of us shares several different books, looking at everything from Star Trek, Ultraman, classic horror, Planet of the Apes, and Walt Disney. We're nothing if not eclectic. In any case, we hope you enjoy it! This week, our Sensor Sweep gives us a chance to catch up on what everyone is watching. There's certainly a lot of genre shows out there! That's all for now folks. Stay safe, stay cool, and tell us about your favorite books. http://www.facebook.com/Planet8Podcast https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast http://www.instagram.com/planet8podcast "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx