Asian Cinema Film Club (Brainstew Productions)

Elwood and Stephen look at the 1963 horror film Matango also known by the colourful title Attack of the Mushroom People as a group of friends find themselves shipwrecked on an island with an abundance of mushrooms, while slowly discovering the secrets the island hides.

Directed by the legendary Ishiro Honda we look at how it differs from his usual style aswell as looking at the films he directed outside of the Kaiju movies he is best known for.

We also look at one of Japan's weirdest bands Hanatrash.

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What better way to mark such a milestone than checking out Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" which would not only be remade in the west as "The Magnificent Seven" but also layed the foundations for many of the action movie tropes so commonplace now.

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Note: Sorry for any audio issues due to a synch issue.

Elwood and Stephen look at Zhang Yimou's Wuxia epic "Curse of the Golden Flower" based on the classic Chinese play "Thunderstorm" as Emperor Ping (Chow Yun Fat) finds his kingdom under threat from a plot from within the walls of the palace. 

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In this special bonus episode, Stephen interviews Dr. Fraser Elliott, co-curator  of the Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh 2021 

find out more at https://taiwanfilmfestival.org.uk/

Elwood and Stephen check out "Shaolin Soccer" the film which launched Stephen Chow into the concious of western audiences only for him to disappear as quick as he's appeared!
Here Chow plays a Shaolin monk who teaming up with his friends as they attempt to blend thier Shaolin skills with football in this madcap comedy.

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on this episode we look at Lee Chang-Dong's second film "Peppermint Candy" in which we open to our lead Yong-ho commiting suicide on the train tracks during a reunion with his student group. What follows is a series of flashback which slowly reveal how he came to end his life on the train tracks.
On this episode we also question the need for a Noir "Parasite" aswell as questioning it's chances of actually claiming the best film prize, Karmen Rider re-releases and  more!!

Elwood and Stephen take a look at Wong Kai-War’s Chungking Express, a  film comprised of two rather untraditional love stories as Takeshi  Kaneshiro plays a cop who finds himself caught up Brigitte Lin’s  mysterious drug smuggler. At the same time Tony Leung (also playing a  cop) who in attempting to get over the loss of his girlfriend (Valerie  Chow) attracts the interest of the quirky snack bar worker Faye (Faye  Wong) who has become determined to improve his situation

They also share thier Asian cinema shames as they reveal the films  they perhaps should have seen but for whatever reason have yet to, while  also taking a look at the films of Kim Ki-duk

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Elwood and Stephen celebrate another 25 episodes by adding 50 more titles to their list of favourite Asian Cinema.

Check out the full list here

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Elwood and Stephen are joined once again by Rashmi Menon to look at Hideo Nakata's "Dark Water" as single mother Yoshimi struggles to deal with her divorce moves into a rundown apartment building only to find their new home suffering a leak which continues to grow as Yoshimi begins to notice strange things happening around the building.

We look at the remake, question why so many directors fail to transfer their success to Hollywood and Rashmi reveals the details of her own soon to be launched podcast plus more!!

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Elwood and Stephen look at another title from the Studio Ghibli back catalogue with Kiki's Delivery Service in which a young witch arriving in a costal town, finds her flying skills in demand as she sets up a delivery service. But when her self doubts cause her to lose her powers she must find a way to restore them.

Continuing our chapter by chapter breakdown of Battle Royale on this episode we discover the history of Kawada (but bizarely not what causes his scar), reveal the scene that Stephen wishes was included in the film aswell as profile two of the supporting cast with suprising back stories.

Certainly to unpack in this latest episode of our Chapter by Chapter breakdown of "Battle Royale" as Shuya is finally reunited with Noriko while we bid farewell to Hiroki and Mitsuko but not before we get a chance to explore her "Broken Doll" persona.

All this plus more intresting acting choices from Beat Takashi Kitano, questionable fan wiki's and the heroes journey of Shuya plus more!

Elwood and Stephen look at the 1992 sport comedy Sumo Do, Sumo Don't which recently was adapted into a TV series for Disney+. The film following a rag tag band of misfits who much find a way to work together to help resurrect their school sumo club.

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With the numbers quickly dwindling down to just seven remaining students, the time has finally come for our resident hacker to finally unveil his masterplan. 

On this episode we are joined by That Moment In.com‘s very own Dutchess of Dark Cinema Zoe (Zobo With A Shotgun) so of course it made perfect sense that we would be looking at a Korean Romantic Melodrama.

Stephen provides also provides an introduction guide to the genre while Elwood opens the anime vault to look back at “Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend“.

We also talk cursed jewellry, impressing women with your blood type aswell as asking if toothpaste is a good way to counter tear gas plus much more!!

Elwood and Stephen look at the Cinema Du Look movement with Luc Besson's Subway as a thief on the run from gangsters hides out in the Paris subway system only to soon discover a subterranean community living under the city streets.

Elwood and Stephen are joined once more by the Dutchess of Dark Cinema Zoe (Zobo With A Shotgun) to discuss the winner of the Halloween listener vote “The Wailing”.

A film acclaimed by both audiences and critics alike, aswell as
EasternKicks film of the year but does it really live up to the hype?

Join us for this suitably spooky Halloween special for a film quite unlike anything that we have seen before.

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 This time Elwood and Stephen look at the influencial Shaw Brothers  favourite “Come Drink With Me” and the influence it would have on  martial arts cinema as Pei-pei Cheng stars as the Golden Swallow.

We also look at the “My Wife Is A Gangster” trilogy, Elwood reveals  why Game of Thrones fans should watch “Attack on Titan and Stephen  discusses the career of Brigitte Lin plus much more!!

Sorry about the audio issues for this episode due to us having  some problems with the recorder which hopfully will have been corrected  now.

As we near the half way point of our chapter by chapter breakdown it's time for another of Kitano's reports, while we also look at the dining options available to our players, Mitsuko's showdown with the last member of her gang, questionable fan wiki's and more!!

Elwood and Stephen look at Sion Sono's "Hate Trilogy" comprised of Love Exposure, Cold Fish and Guilty of Romance. Three films all memorable in thier own ways while covering everything from serial killers and cults to weird fetishes and of course Sono's trademark violence to make for one of the more unique viewing experiences on the show as we breakdown all three films. 

As is the tradition that every 25 episodes will be marked by a big movie being covered on the show, we also add another 50 titles to our countdown of our favourite asian cinema as we reveal the next 50 films being added to our list.

Check out the full list on Letterboxd

Elwood and Stephen look at Black Test Car directed by Yasuzo Masumura who delivers another tale of waring companies as two car manufacturers race to unveiled a new sports car

Timestamps

0:0:00 - Introductions

0:01:07 - What Have You Been Watching?

0:24:52 - Is That An Anime? - Wanna Be The Strongest In The World

0:28:35 - Dragonball Chat - Dragonball Daima

0:47:40 - Goodbye Neo Magazine

0:54:51 - Black Test Car Review

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Elwood takes on another 31 day challenge as this year he focuses on Horror as he sits down with Stephen to recap the good and the bad of the journey so far as they discuss

* Bloody Chainsaw Girl

* Zombie For Sale

* Mikadroid: Robokill Beneath Club Layla

* Chainsaw Man (Season #1)

* Battle Royale 2

* Devilman (OVA Trilogy)

* Calamity of Snakes

* Genocyber (OVA)

* Pulse

* Hiruko The Goblin

* #Alive

* The Boxer's Omen

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Stephen and Elwood celebrate this milestone episode with the original Godzilla looking at the legacy and impact the film has had since it's release while also looking back at their favourite episodes on the road to #100!

Review: 00:58:25

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It's a change of pace on this episode as we look at Bong Joon-Ho's english language  debut "Snowpiercer" as we look at it's problematic distribution to the  UK, the clashes with Harvey Weinstein and the deeper themes when we deep  dive into the film with Em from Verbal Diorama

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Elwood and Stephen head down under in search of the elusive "Razorback" which has been terrorising an outback town while also a source of obsession for the revenge seeking hunter Jack.

Directed by noted music video director Russell Mulcahy his attempt at creating the Australian Jaws is a highly unique and often surreal entry in the creature feature genre.

On this episode we look at the feature film debut of Bruce Lee "The Big Boss" which also might also be one of his unique films especially when he spends a good portion of the film refusing to fight.

We look at the making of the film aswell as Bruce's meteoric rise to fame, the hunt for the missing footage aswell as highlighting the many random delights of the film.

Elwood and Stephen check out the South Korean ghost story "R-Pont" set during the Vietnam War as a squad are dispatched to find a group of soldiers whose squad mysteriously disappeared at R-Point, only to find themselves plagued by the mysterious presence.

We also look at the legacy of Tartan and their Asia Extreme Label as well as the part it played in the rival of interest in Asian cinema

It's a double feature episode as Elwood and Stephen look at Wong Kai Wai's Mean Streets influenced As Tears Go By as Andy Lau plays Wah a triad enforcer who spends all his time getting his best friend and triad brother Fly (Jackie Cheung) out of trouble while finding his life only getting more complex when he fall for his cousin Ngor (Maggie Cheung).
They also play another round of listener roulette as listener Marcus has them watch Nagisa Ōshima's Taboo aka Gohatto in which an attractive young samurai Kano causes chaos within his samurai clan as various members fight for his affection. 

Taboo Review - 00:17:19

As Tears Go By Review - 00:36:35

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It’s the happiest time of the year which of  course means that it’s time to once more celebrate a Kaiju Christmas as  this year we check out the final part of the 90’s Gamera trilogy. 

We also reveal our top episodes aswell as the lows for 2018, while Stephen also discusses the films which made the easternkicks.com yearly best of

Stephen and Elwood's world cinema travels this time take them to Denmark for Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt as kindergarten teacher Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) finds himself at the centre of a witch hunt when one of the children claims he sexually abused her and sending the small town into a state of mass hysteria as accusations are made and rumours begin to spread.

Elwood and Stephen look at Zhang Yimou's Shadow as a brilliant general devises an intricate plan involving his wife, a look-alike, and two kings.

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With the festive season quickly decending upon us what better time to look at Satoshi Kon's suprisingly festive Tokyo Godfathers as a homeless trio find an abandoned baby and set out on a quest to find the child's family.

On this episode we also question why Region 2 is so frequently overlooked for certain titles, Elwood shares his thoughts on Girls Und Panzer the Movie and more!!

Review: 00:20:23

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On this episode are joined by Kim ( Tranquil Dreams / Movies and Tea  ) for a Sherlock Holmes style mystery as a pair of Detectives team up  to solve a series of unusual murders at a Bullet factory in 1930s  Tiancheng County, China.

We also look at the many talents of Nicolas Tse, Elwood takes on Dragonball Z and we talk celebrity scandals plus much more!!

Review: 00:11:43

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It’s Halloween so what better way to celebrate than sharing our  favourite Asian Horror movies as we pit our selections against special  guest Zoe (Zobo With A Shotgun)!!

We also look at the origin of the long haired ghosts, diffrences  between Asian and Western horror and genre hopping plus much more!!

You can find a full list of all the films covered on this episode on Letterboxd

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Elwood and Stephen look at Ann Hui's horror comedy Visible Secret in which Peter an unemployed hair dresser, meets nurse June only for eerie events begin to begin to take place as June reveals to Peter that she is able to see ghosts.

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Our Chapter by Chapter breakdown of "Battle Royale" comes to one of it's more surreal sequences....literarly! Taking a break from the ongoing deathmatch Noriko has a dream about going for an ice lolly with Takashi. But what does this all mean??

We also look at the extensive career of "Beat" Takashi Kitano and the legacy of Takashi's Castle, more British TV nostalgia and more!!

This episode it’s all in the numbers on this episode as Elwood and Stephen look at the South Korean adaptation of The Devotion of Suspect X as the brilliant mathematician Kim Seok-go helps his neighbour Baek Hwa-sun cover up the murder of her abusive ex-husband.

Also Stephen shares his thoughts on the original series plus we look at the upcoming Lone Wolf and Cub book from Tom Mes, listener mail and much more!!

On this episode we check out Jia Zhangke's 2013 A Touch of Sin as he draws from the headlines to craft four tales about the division between the rich and poor against the backdrop of a rapidly changing China often with bloody results. 

Continuing his month long challange to watch 30 Takashi Miike Movies in  30 days Elwood runs down with Stephen the latest batch of films he's  crossed off his list as he enters week #4 of his challange. 

This time they look at The Happiness of the Katakuris, Fudoh: The New Generation, Shinjuku Triad Society, Crows Zero 1 + 2, Graveyard of Honor and Yatterman!

Throughout september we are raising money for Marvels and Meltdowns Family Support Centre. If you'd like to toss a buck in the donation you can via our justgiving page - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richard-smethurst2

We are joined by Emily Intravia (The Deadly Doll’s House of Horror Nonsense / The Feminine Critique  ) to talk about all things “Battle Royale”. A film which alongside  “Ringu” and “Audition” helped usher in a new intrest in Asian cinema  while going on to become both a cult favourite in it’s own right.

We compare the film to the source novel aswell as revealing the films  which have been holding our intrest, Elwood’s “Dragonball Z” recap and Stephen has another tale from the dark side of Asian cinema plus much more!!

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Elwood and Stephen correct a great oversight by finally looking at a Johnnie To movie as they check out the Traid thriller "Election" as Simon Yam and Tony Leung Ka-fai star as two gang leaders battling to become chairman of the Wo Luen Shing. 

Also on this episode Food Wars, Japanese game shows and the changing face of anime plus more!!

Review: 00:32:51

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It's a co-host crossover special as Kim (Movies and Tea) joins Elwood and Stephen to look at the latest film from Park Chan Wook Decision to Leave which sees a detective investigating the mysterious death of an immigration officer in the mountains, only to soon find himself increasingly drawn to the dead man's mysterious wife who might also be a key suspect in the case.

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Elwood and Stephen take thier first jaunt into  the world of Heroic Gunplay as they look at the John Woo classic “The  Killer” which along with its director has been cited as an influence for  the Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and Johnny To. 

So grab your best white suit and join us for a bullet riddled romp through this exciting area of Hong Kong cinema. 

Elwood and Stephen take on a double feature with Federico Fellini's "8 1/2" as film director Guido battles with his creative block while working on his latest film while also having to deal with a boring mistress and pandering producers.

They also look at "The Wages of Fear" as picked by Marcus as four men looking for a way out of the South African town they find themselves stuck in agree to drive highly volatile nitro-glycerine to put out an oil fire.

Elwood and Stephen look at The Housemaid (1960) a favourite of both Martin Scorsese aswell as a key inspiration for Bong Joon Ho's Parasite as a Housemaid hired by a piano teacher and his seamstress wife soon turns out to be more of a problem that either could imagine.

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Elwood goes over the week's horror viewing for Asian Horror Month including

* The Snake Girl and The Silver Haired Witch

* Horrors of Malformed Men

* Tetsuo The Iron Man

* Angel Dust

* House

* Tokyo Gore Police

* Greatful Dead

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Our month long celebration of the filmography of Anthony Wong continues as we head towards our goal of 31 movies in 31 days which this week sees us looking at

* Gangster Payday
* The Twins Effect
* Beast Cops
* The Heroic Trio
* Initial D
* Taxi Hunter
* The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

On this episode we knuckle up for one of the most brutal martial arts  movies of the year we check out Timo Tjahjanto’s “The Night Comes For  Us” which recently got picked up by Netflix and is already being  heralded as the spiritual sucessor to “The Raid”.

We also question if violence in action cinema has gone too far, what  happened to the Thai cinema boom aswell as reveal the anime eqivilant of  “Game of Thrones” plus much more!!

Wrapping up our month long celebration of the filmography of Anthony Wong on this finale recap we look at the films which made up the final picks of the season including 

- Armageddon
- The Untold Story 2
- Infernal Affairs Trilogy
- Naked Soldier
- The Ebola Syndrome

 Elwood and Stephen countdown thier top 50 Asian Cinema in this bonus  episode they reveal the films which have had the biggest impact on them. Stephen wraps up the list revealing his top picks for the list. 

Elwood and Stephen celebrate the festive season with thier first ever  “Kaiju Christmas” as they watch “Destroy All Monsters” as voted for by  you the listeners.

We also look back at the top releases of 2017, Takashi Miike’s “Dead of Alive” Trilogy and much more!!

Elwood and Stephen look at Kim Jee-Woon's unique thriller as secret agent Kim Soo-hyeon (Lee Byung-hun) sets out to find serial killer Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik) who killed his fiancé and soon sets about carrying out a very unique revenge.

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 Elwood and Stephen head to Thailand for the latest instalment of their  introduction to Asian cinema as they look at possibly the most fabulous  western ever “Tears of the Black Tiger”. 

An Eastern Western which combines elements of  romantic melodrama with John Woo style heroic gunplay and a Sam  Peckinpah western to create something truly original

Elwood and Stephen look at Karel Zeman's "The Fabulous Baron Munchausen" a key inspiration for Monty Python's Terry Gilliam as astronaut Tommy lands on the moon only to find that Munchausen has beaten him to it and so begins a series of fantastical adventures which will take the pair into the belly of a whale aswell as the Baron taking a ride on a cannonball in this visually creative fantasy.

Elwood and Stephen look at the satirical comedy Giants and Toys as rival candy companies battle for control of the market as two advertising executives believe they have a secret weapon in the working class girl Koyoko whose rising star soon makes her as big a problem as their competition.

We also reveal the picks for this years Halloween episode, Elwood reveals his film of the year and obsessive collection plus more!!

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Elwood and Stephen look back at the month which was as they run down the last movies of this month long event to watch 30 Takashi Miike Movies in 30 Days

Making up the final picks were the following films which we discuss on the episode

* Visitor Q
* Dead Or Alive: Final
* Lesson of the Evil
* Ley Lines
* Like A Dragon
* The Great Yokai War

Elwood also reveals the hits, the misses and the first time watches which have knocked it out of the park!!

Elwood and Stephen look at Jean Cocteau's 1946 adaptation of the classic fairytale and especially how greatly it differs especially to the Disney version.

It's the most magical time of the year once again KAIJU CHRISTMAS!!

Nick Rehak (French Toast Sunday /Rehak Radio) join us to look at the final film of the Millenium saga with Godzilla Final Wars in which aliens controling the world monsters and plans for world domination see the Earth Defense Force reviving a previously frozen Godzilla to help them in a final battle for the Earth!

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Elwood and Stephen look at the second film in Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colours trilogy, Polish immigrant Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) finds himself out of a marriage, a job and a country when his French wife, Dominique (Julie Delpy), divorces him after six months due to his impotence. Now smuggled back to his homeland Karol plot his revenge.

Fresh off his historic win at the Oscars on this episode we look at one of the more overlooked titles in Bong Joon-Ho's filmography  "Mother" in which Kim Hye-ja play the widowed mother who sets out to clear her mentally handicaped son's name when he is arrested for the murder of a young girl.

We also look at what his Oscar win could potentially mean for Asian cinema, look at the upcoming Godzilla Monopoly and Gamera Boxset plus much more!!

Review - 00:38:29

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Elwood and Stephen take in another dose of Kung Fu weird from Shaw Bros. as they look at Buddha's Palm

Review - 00:41:24

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Elwood and Stephen look at Sion Sono's Rap Musical "Tokyo Tribe" which came out a year before "Hamilton" while presenting a futuristic vision of Tokyo were the street gangs have become tribes who now control the city. However the delicate balance looks set to upset when Mera, the head of the Wu-Ronz tribe of Bukuro, joins forces with the violent and sadistic gangster Buppa.

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On this episode we have a big ole dose of family entertainment as we check out Tetsuya Nakashima's thriller which plays like "Bad Lieutenant" meets "Taken" as a former police detective goes in search of his missing daughter only to uncover the much darker world she was part of.  Featuring graphic violence, drugs, sex, the yazkua, wound stomping and a whole host of very bad behaviour!!
Elwood also looks at Ang Lee's "Father Knows Best Trilogy" ahead of the launch of Movies and Tea season #4 while Stephen shares his thoughts on "Farewell My Concubine" plus more!!

Elwood and Stephen look at the quirky time travel comedy Summer Time Machine Blues as the members of a university science fiction club see an opportunity to repair their broken air conditioner remote when they discover a time machine.

Stephen and Elwood are joined by author Ramona Lee Soo-Jun to talk about her book Agent 00 Volume.1 ahead of it's English language release as she talks about the writing experience as well as her Asian cinema inspirations.

Ramona also brings a great listener roulette pick to the show for us to discuss.

Ramona Lee Soo-Jun Instagram

Agent 00 Pre-order

On this episode we check out one of Meiko Kaji's most memorable characters in the first of the female prisoner scorpion movies as she plays a former police spy on a mission of revenge against her ex-boyfriend while trying to survive the gangs and corrupt guards inside the prison in a film possibly best described as art-house sleaze. 

Kaiju Christmas come to the podcast once again and bringing with it the same chaotic energy of the last day of school as Elwood and Stephen are joined by Nick Rehak (Lyrical Innuendo) and the Rev. Scott Kraushaar (The Church of Tarantino) to look at Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah.

The group also share their cultural high points as well as the low points of 2023!!

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Elwood goes over the week's horror viewing for Asian Horror Month

* Dumplings

* Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters

* Nuigulumar Z: Gothic Lolita Battle Bear

* Digital Devil Saga: Megami Tensei

* Vampire Hunter D

* Goke Body Snatcher From Hell

Plus Stephen picks a fight, the importance of media preservation and working actors plus more!

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Elwood and Stephen look at the 2023 Espionage thriller Hidden Blade set during China's war of Resistance during World War 2 as Tony Leung stars as He the director of Shanghai's Political Security Department who is also feeding information to the Chinese Communist party as he struggles to maintain his cover

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Nine episodes in and Elwood and Stephen  finally take thier first look at Korean cinema with the critically  praised “The Man From Nowhere” but does it live up to the hype. 

Elwood reveal the new option online disc  rentals, hidden gems and Stephen gives his thoughts on “The Villianess”  plus much more! 

Review Starts - 00:28:00

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It's once more the happiest time of the year as Kaiju Christmas is here once more!!
This year we have somthing especially special as we look at North Korea's entry into the Kaiju genre with "Pulgasari" whose behind the scenes making of is as equally facinating as the film itself. 

Joining us to breakdown the film we have a fantastic pair of guests as Emily (Why This Film Podcast) and Nick (French Toast Sunday) share thier thoughts on the film aswell as the decline of physical media, life lessons learned from kids tv and english cuisine plus more!!

Elwood and Stephen look at the Jackie Chan classic  Wheels on Meals as he once more teams up with Yuen Biao as friends operating a food fan in Barcelona only to find themselves mixed up with a profession thief Sylvia while being assisted by Sammo Hung's private detective Moby as the trio soon find themselves pitted against a ruthless gang.

We also look at the legendry showdown against Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, the incredible stunt work and fight sequences aswell as were it charts in Chan's legacy. 

Elwood and Stephen look at the CAT III romantic comedy Love In A Puff which earned it's rating based on the theme of smoking which runs throughout the film as the smoking ban in Hong Kong provides a chance for Jimmy and Advertising Exec to meet the cosmetics sales girl Cherie in this unique romantic comedy.

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Elwood and Stephen look at Tsui Harks Wuxia fantasy as a solider on the run finds himself caught in a battle between good and evil as he joins the fight against the blood devil and a quest to find the dual swords which will vanquish the evil forever in a film which features both jaw dropping martial arts action and special effects from the team behind Star Wars and Ghostbusters

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Celebrating year one of the podcast Elwood and Stephen check out the  Sammo Hung classic “Pedicab Driver” which despite starting out as a  light hearted kung-fu comedy hides a darker second half while also  showcasing some truly memorable martial artistry from the legendry Sammo  Hung.

All this plus Godzilla (Anime) and Devilman Crybaby landing on  Netflix, Stephen delves into the much over looked sub-genre of romantic  Asian cinema and Elwood names his alternative top couples in Asian cinema plus much more!!

Review: 00:40:00

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Elwood and Stephen look at Mika Ninagawa's psychological horror "Helter Skelter" in which the model Lilico has turned herself into the manifestation of beauty, but when a new model on the scene threatens her top spot she soon begins to loose her grip on reality quickly proving she will do anything to keep her spot!

On this episode Stephen introduces Elwood to New Taiwan Cinema with Edward Yang's "The Terrorizers" following three groups of people living in Taipei echoing  Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup.

Elwood and Stephen check out Tsai Ming-liang's "Goodbye,  Dragon Inn" a film which is as much a tribute to King Hu’s 1967 wuxia epic "Dragon Inn" as it is a slice of life drama set on the cinema's final night before its closure.

Stephen and Elwood learn "How To Use Guys With Secret Tips" as Lee Si-young stars as Choi Bo-na a director with an advertising company tired of constantly being overlooked by her male co-workers who finds a surprising solution though a self help tape.

We also look at "After Life" (chosen by listener Marcus) were the recently deceased have to decide which memory from their life they are going to carry over into the afterlife

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Elwood and Stephen look at Jean-Luc Godard's sci-fi neo noir "Alphaville" as secret agent Lemmy Caution ventures from the outlands to Alphaville to find missing agent Henri Dickson aswell to capture or kill the creator of Alphaville, Professor von Braun.

We also look at the legacy of "Moviedrome", The French New Wave movement and the joy of learning how to read a movie.

On this episode Stephen and Elwood look at the killer hair extensions  movie “Exte” aswell the weird yet fantastic cinema of Sion Sono a  director who many see as picking up were Takashi Miike’s outlaw period  ended.

We look at Sono’s career, Takashi Miike’s 100th film aswell as discussing the death of physical media rentals plus much more

Review Start: 00:36:00

Opening Theme: Coffee Date

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The game is finally afoot as our chapter by chapter breakdown of Battle Royale now sees the students entering into the game for real but who is going to be first to fall?

Elwood and Stephen look at the surreal The Face of Another as an engineer disfigured in an industrial accident works with a doctor to create a new face, which soon begins to affect his personality. At the same time a young woman with a scar-ridden cheek tries to deal with the problems it brings her. 

We also look at Byung-gil Jung's Carter, breakdown the Shawscope Vol. 2 set and ask you the listener... the closet vs. the bookcase how do you display your collection plus more!!

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Elwood and Stephen check out a Hong Kong cinema classic as Chow Yun Fat stars as Ko Chun the titular God of Gamblers, a high stakes gambler with a fondness for chocolate and jade pinky rings, who after being knocked unconcious suffers amnesia while being gets taken in by Andy Lau's mediocre gambler Little Knife who sees an oppotunity to exploit Ko Chun's abilities. 

We also look at the film making legacy of Wong Jing and the numerous spin offs the film inspired, attend a virtual Babymetal concert with The Vern and much more!!

Review: 00:42:23

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Elwood and Stephen set sail for Mondo island  in this second attempt by Toho studios at a King Kong movie as they team  up with Rankin / Bass for this follow up to “King Kong Vs. Godzilla”. So get prepared for giant ape madness as Kong battles his robot clone “Mechani-Kong” in a battle for ape supremacy!! 

We also look at the the legacy of Gundam Wing,  Stephen also shares his thoughts on the live action “Ghost In The  Shell”, the use of blackface in cinema and why Attack on Titan is so  essential plus much more!!

It’s May so what better time to look at some Anime. This time we look at possibly the most divisive film pick to date with Makoto Shinkai‘s The Place Promised In Our Early Days, especially with Shinkai currently responsible for knocking Spirited Away off the top spot for highest-grossing animated film with his latest film Your Name.

We also look at the designs for Mecha-Godzilla in the upcoming second Godzilla Anime, Sion Sono making his English language debut with Nicholas Cage and much more.

Elwood and Stephen look at the Anime anthology "Memories" based on three Manga short stories of Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira / Steamboy).

• In "Magnetic Rose" a group of salvage engineers discover a mysterious and seemingly abandoned space station only for strange things to soon start happening once they step aboard.
• "Stink Bomb" sees an office worker accidently turning himself into a bio-weapon when he takes the wrong flu relief
• "Cannon Fodder" introduces a city built to maintain and operate the giant cannons they believe are defending the city....but who from?

We also question the importance of screen size, the surprising career path of Dev Patel as well as running down our recent discoveries.

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With the Netflix remake of “Death Note” on the  horizon, Elwood and Stephen check out the original which along with  it’s anime / manga has spawned an incredible cult following since its  release. 

They also share their favourite live action  adaptions, the influence of anime on western animation aswell as looking  at the films of Hitoshi Matsumoto

Review Starts: 00:41:22

Opening Theme: Coffee Date

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Our chapter by chapter breakdown of Battle Royale comes to one of it's shortest chapters aswell as a chance to catch up with who we have lost so far in the game. It's also a chance for us to look at the backstory of Mitsuko not only an alpha predator in the game, but one of the two gang leaders in the class amassing an impressive wrap sheet before she entered the game which we explore aswell as tracing the events which turned her into the shark like predator she is in the game.

Elwood and Stephen look at the Philippine action comedy Super Parental Guardians as a pair of mismatched guardians one a social media influencer the other a gang affiliated uncle are forced to look after the kids of their murdered friend / sister in this Netflix exclusive.

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Our Chapter by Chapter breakdown of cult favourite "Battle Royale" continues with a look at the must have fashion acessory for any Battle Royale participent as on this episode we are joined by Kim (Tranquil Dreams / Movies and Tea) to breakdown the chapter as the class find out the rules and we bid farewell to two of the class. 

Apoligies for the audio issues in part of the this episode due to our recording being insane.

Elwood and Stephen kick off 2019 looking at “The  Twins Effect” a wonderfully random mash up of vampires, romantic comedy  and special friendly appeareances?

On this episode they dive into this star studded  movie vehicle for Cantopop duo “Twins” while also looking at the many  scandels which rocked the various cast members.

Stephen has another tale from the dark side of  Asian cinema this time looking at the actress Bai Jing, plus podcast  recommendations, 2019 releases much more!!

Elwood and Stephen look at the Takashi Miike's "Rainy Dog" in which a Yakuza member exiled to Taiwan makes ends meet as a hitman, while his problems only increase when his ex dumps thier son on his doorstep. Elsewhere brother of one of his former hits sets out to get his revenge.

Kaiju Christmas is here once more as Elwood and Stephen celebrate the festive season with another Kaiju classic "Gamera Vs. Viras" as they are joined once again by Michelle Kisner (The Movie Sluth / @Robotcookie) to breakdown the Gamera movie which initially was intended to the final film in the series only to become the most successful.

We look at the shortcuts employed to meet the reduced budget, the Gamera legacy and the insanity of Steven Segal plus much more!

Timestamps

0:0:00 - Introductions

0:1:00 - 2024 in Review

0:27:32 - Gamera Vs. Viras Review

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Elwood and Stephen look at the Pang Brothers Horror “The Eye” in  which a blind woman finds that her newly returned sight also enables her  to see the dead.

Stephen has another tale from the dark side of asian cinema, plus  what we’ve been watching and a rather spontaneous discussion about  “Carrie” plus more!!

Review - 00:15:18

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Elwood and Stephen look at Kim Ki-duk's thriller "The Isle" set in a rural fishing resort run by a young mute woman who falls in love with a man on the run from the law for committing murder.

Timestamps

0:0:00 - Introductions

0:1:07 - What Have You Been Watching?

0:40:40 - Dragonball Chat - Dragonball Daima

0:44:54 - Is That An Anime? - Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon

0:51:35 - The Isle Review

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Elwood and Stephen check out Tsui Hark’s  “Peking Opera Blues”an amazing piñata of a movie that combines more  genres and Hong Kong-specific themes than one could possibly imagine. A  historical and political intrigue, acrobatic action, screwball comedy,  and heroic gunplay elements are thrown together in an intoxicating mix. 

They also look at the key leading ladies of  Asian cinema, Viceland’s new Anime block and Takashi Miike’s “Dead of  Alive” trilogy plus much more!!

Opening Theme: Coffee Talk

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Elwood and Stephen look at the Dutch thriller The Vanishing in which Rex and Saskia a young couple holidaying in France find their vacation taking a nightmarish twist when Saskia disappears. Now three years later Rex is contacted by a man who knows what happened to her.

We look at how the film suffered a disastrous American remake, talk about the memorable ending and why the film is still worth watching even if you know the ending.

On this episode we are joined by Jeanette Ward (The Mundane Adventures of a Fangirl) to discuss the martial arts classic "Once Upon A Time In China 2" as Jet Li returns as Wong Fei-hung who this time joins forces with a nationalistic militia to overthrow the colonialist powers intent on taking over China.

Best remembered for the showdown between Jet Li and Donnie Yen here making his first leading role appearence a fight that we would have to wait until "Hero" to finally see the rematch between these two legends.

We also look at the difference between Hollywood and Hong Kong Action, question why Donnie Yen took so long to be recognised as a master and the evolution of screen combat plus much more!!