No Gods, No Monsters

Episode 14: Underwater (2020)

Charlie and Rabbit dive 36,000 feet--who knows how many leagues--into the ocean to investigate a disturbance that some believe is being caused by earthquakes, but that this duo immediately blames on capitalism.

Rabbit can't stop talking with food in his mouth, Charlie drinks enough for the both of them, and (MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE IF YOU KEEP READING) they mostly just talk about H. P. Lovecraft.

Episode 13: Godzilla Singular Point, Episodes 6-13 (2021)

Charlie and Rabbit don't follow the "rules." Or the "bosses." Or the "plot."

Episode 12: Godzilla Singular Point, Episodes 3-5 (2021)

Charlie and Rabbit grow a bit more intelligent and cease to understand a great many things.

Episode 11: Godzilla Singular Point, Episodes 1 & 2 (2021)

Are Charlie and Rabbit the right kind of nerds to be able to decode the beginning episodes of this physics-heavy, hard sci-fi, kaiju anime? Only time will tell, since, you know, you can't predict the future. OR CAN YOU

Episode 10: Varan (1958)

Varan did nothing wrong

Episode 9: Rodan (1956)

Charlie and Rabbit reflect on Toho's first non-Godzilla kaiju film. With working class protagonists, an environmental message, and huge pteranadon destroying cities with their supersonic speed, can it get any better than Rodan?

Episode 8: Q the Winged Serpent (1982)

Is Q a god? A monster? A cop-chucking conspiracy theorist high on adrenocrome? Charlie and Rabbit don’t know, but they trudge on anyway, discussing power, corruption, toxic masculinity, post-apocalyptic interpretations of 20th century architecture, and gory rooftop killings as they cover this quirky and surreal '80s horror flick.

Episode 7: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Charlie and Rabbit discuss the rushed sequel to Godzilla, in which many boots are licked.

Episode 6: Godzilla (1954)

Charlie and Rabbit finally talk about the king of the monsters in this kaiju sized episode. They have a lot of fun in this episode, as always, but be prepared for more heaviness than usual as they dive into the film's political context, including the Lucky Dragon Incident, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the firebombing of Tokyo.

Oh yeah, and they did some extra research this time, so here are some of the sources that informed the discussion:

A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series by David Kalat

Godzilla FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King of the Monsters by Brian Solomon

Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda by Peter H. Brothers

“The History of Godzilla (1954)” by Big Action Bill on Youtube

From the Criterion Blu-ray of Godzilla (1954): David Kalat's audio commentary for Godzilla (1954) and The Unluckiest Dragon by Greg Pflugfelder

Episode 5: Them! (1954)

Charlie and Rabbit spend an hour and twenty minutes spitting in the faces of the bastard cops, bastard FBI agents, and bastard military bros who spend the public's hard earned money on flamethrowers and helicopters just to fight a bunch of slow, oversized, radioactive ants.