Cultpix Radio Ep.26 - Kaiju monsters, BMX Bandits, Swords & Planets and Starman
Django Nudo and Smut Peddler are back after a short break. This week they attended the Everyman Cult Tuesday (and Friday) screenings with Christina Lindberg introducing "Anita - Swedish Nymphet" (1973). On 22 November there will be a Calvin Floyd double bill at Stockholm's Bio Aspen. We thank our Mystery Santa and give a preview of the Badvent calendar that will have 24 films released in December, one per day, as we count down the 24 days of Cultmast. From our partners Echelon Studios we have a trio of fun films, including Scandinavia's only kaiju film (make that Europe's only?) in the giant lizard form of "Reptilicus" (1961). The Danish-American co-production was made in two versions, of which you can watch the re-edited American version on Cultpix. Lizard tail found in Lapland mine grows in gigantic lizard rampaging through downtown Copenhagen - with songs! "BMX Bandits" (1983) is not just Nicole Kidman's acting debut (she was just 16), but also helped solidify BMX bikes as a staple of 80s nostalgia films. There is a straight line from "Goonies" to "Stranger Things" that goes via this kids caper of foiling bank robbers and doing trick rides on cool bikes through Sydney. Then there is the Swords & Planets sub-genre of "Gor" (1987), that combines the rampent sexism of the original novels with some heavy weight acting talent: Jack Palance as Xenos (born Volodymyr Ivanovytch Palahniuk!), Oliver Reed as Sarm and Arnold Vosloo (who was the mummy in The Mummy). Interplanetary nonsense with leather bikinis - no less 80-s than BMX bikes. While the poster is the stand-out feature of "The Astounding She-Monster" (1958), there is plenty else to like about this feature that Ed Wood Jr. was un-official consultant to. The budget was tigheter than Shirley Kilpatrick's alien leotard, which ripped on the first of the four days of shooting. As there was no budget to repair it, she had to walk backwards to exit a scene. Shame also that they didn't keep the original title "Naked Invader", which was ditched to appease the censors. Japan's first celluloid superhero Starman (Sūpā Jaiantsu, literally translated as "Super Giants") is a combination of George Reeve's "Superman" TV show and Doctor Who, as the alien from Planet Emerald sent to help Earth fight of space monsters in various forms. Edited together from TV shows into four feature films, they are cult classics that screened at the Klubb Super 8/Something Weird festival in Stockholm. Start with "Attack From Space" (1965) and be sure that "Invaders from Space" (1966) is the last one you watch as it is also the best one. Since we started with a kaiju film it is only right to end with one as well, as "Destroy All Planets" (1968), aka Gamera vs. Outer Space monster Viras, pitches giant flying turtle monster Gamera battling Viras with the help of some plucky boy scouts. But what we really want to know is who would win in a battle between Reptilicus vs Gamera or Starman vs the Astounding She Creature? And why not see BMX Bandits taking on the evil armies of Gor? That would have made for truly interesting films. Or, wait, isn't that what "Turbo Kid" (2015) was? 🤔