Elwood and Stephen provide an introduction to Asian cinema, with each episode focusing on a different film along with further recommendations.
Elwood and Stephen look at the erotic musical The Wayward Cloud set in a drought stricken Taipei were the lack of water has caused the sale of watermelons to skyrocket and were pornstar Hsiao-kang reconnects with Shiang-chyi a woman he knew in his previous life as a watch salesman. But how will she feel when she discovers his new vocation?A highly unique film featuring watermelon sex, spontaneous musical sequences and dreamlike cinematography as we attempt to unravel what it all means. Review: 00:44:57---Opening Theme - Coffee DateBeat Provided By https://freebeats.ioProduced By White Hot---Buy us a coffee and support the showCheck out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Nick Rehak joins Elwood and Stephen as they complete their Satoshi Kon set with the surreal thriller "Paprika" in which Dr. Atsuko Chiba lives a double life working as a scientist by day and as the dream detective Paprika at night. But when the DC Mini is stolen which allows psychiatrists to enter the dreams of their patients the line between reality and dreams begins to blurReview: 00:22:31---Opening Theme - Coffee DateBeat Provided By https://freebeats.ioProduced By White Hot---Buy us a coffee and support the showCheck out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen look at Alfonso Cuarón's coming of age comedy road trip movie "Y tu mamá también" as best friends Julio and Tenoch take a road trip with Luisa the wife of Tenoch's cousin who is in search of her own purpose.
Elwood and Stephen look at the South Korean revenge thriller Bedevilled as bank clerk Hae-won returns to the island she spent her childhood on after a public meltdown at her work put her on enforced leave. Now reconnecting with her childhood friend Bok-nam she slowly starts to realise the backwards nature of the island and how close her friend is to reaching breaking point.Review: 00:34:28---Opening Theme - Coffee DateBeat Provided By https://freebeats.ioProduced By White Hot---Buy us a coffee and support the showCheck out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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---Opening Theme - Coffee DateBeat Provided By https://freebeats.ioProduced By White Hot---Buy us a coffee and support the showCheck out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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.
Elwood and Stephen look at Sex and Fury a bloody tale of revenge and gambling as pink cinema icon Reiko Ike plays Kyoko a pickpocket and gambler out for revenge against the men who killed her father only to become embroiled in an international conspiracy. Timestamps0:0:00 - Introductions0:01:07 - What Have You Been Watching?0:47:48 - Is That An Anime? - How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift?0:50:36 - Black Test Car ReviewBuy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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 carTimestamps0:0:00 - Introductions0:01:07 - What Have You Been Watching?0:24:52 - Is That An Anime? - Wanna Be The Strongest In The World0:28:35 - Dragonball Chat - Dragonball Daima0:47:40 - Goodbye Neo Magazine0:54:51 - Black Test Car ReviewBuy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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 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 Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen look at the Shaw Bros. contribution to spy movies with Angel With The Iron Fists with Lily Ho playing the secret agent tasked with infiltrating The Devil Girl's gang. Timestamps 0:0:00 - Introductions 0:1:07 - What Have You Been Watching? 0:20:32 - Is That An Anime? - Skull Face Bookseller Honda San 0:29:49 - Goodbye Total Film 0:39:19 - Angel With The Iron Fists Review Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen look at the first film in Krzysztof Kieślowski Three Colours Trilogy as they start with Blue which focuses on Julie, the wife of a famous composer who is killed along with their daughter in a car crash leaving her to deal with the ghosts of his legacy as well as her own grief.
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 Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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.
Elwood and Stephen look at the genre hopping Thriller Saloum as a trio of mercenaries attempting to escape a coup to Dakar, Senegal find themselves stranded at a remote holiday camp whose secrets are slowly revealed.
Halloween is here and Elwood and Stephen have a suitably spooky pick to discuss as they look at the live action adaptation of Junji Ito's Uzumaki as a small town descends into madness and chaos when the residents start becoming obsessed with the spirals they see in everyday life. Timestamps 0:0:00 - Introductions 0:1:20 - What Have You Been Watching? 0:27:32 - Uzumaki Review Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen might be at their most geekiest for this episode which allows them to talk at length about their love for the electro-pop of the Pet Shop Boys as they look at "It Couldn't Happen Here". A film which much like Michael Jackson's "Moonwalker" is equal parts an extended music video as it is an arthouse nightmare of a film while 100% an excuse for the band to not go on tour that year.
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. Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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.
Michelle Kisner (The Movie Sluth / @Robotcookie) joins us to look at "The Calamari Wrestler" as a former champion turns himself into a humanoid squid as he plans to win back both his title and his girl but not before facing some rather unique competition. We look at the unique world of director Minoru Kawasaki, reveal some of the strangest wrestling moments and the allure of the collector bug plus more!! Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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.
With the recent passing the iconic Cheng Pei-pei Elwood and Stephen are joined by Rashmi Menon (YBR Present: Kowai) to look back her legacy as well as her place in the history of female action stars. We also take a look at Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were she appeared as the dangerous and cunning Jade Fox and how the role the film played in reviving the interest in Asian cinema.
Elwood and Stephen take another look at the weird world of Pink Cinema with Masao Adachi's Gushing Prayer. Here four high school friends attempt to "Beat Sex" as they set out an odyssey of self-exploration where sex is reduced to a mere economic transaction especially when they pressure one group member into becoming a prostitute. Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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. Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asian-cinema-film-club/message
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. Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asian-cinema-film-club/message
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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asian-cinema-film-club/message
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 Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asian-cinema-film-club/message
Elwood and Stephen take a trip into the warped world of Gasper Noe looking at "Enter of the Void" as Oscar an American drug dealer living in Tokyo is killed by the police in a drugs bust gone wrong with the film following his spirit as he journeys through the past, present and into the afterlife. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asian-cinema-film-club/message
Having been fired and with his marriage falling apart, business man travels to a fishing village in search of treasure hidden by his recently deceased friend Taro during the war. Its here though that he meets the mysterious Saeko who not only lives in the house were Taro hid his treasure but suffers from a rather unique condition. Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asian-cinema-film-club/message
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 Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asian-cinema-film-club/message
Elwood and Stephen look at the critically acclaimed "Spirit of the Beehive" widely regarded as the greatest Spanish film of the 1970's while also a key influence on Guillermo Del Toro's "The Devil's Backbone". Taking place in the wake of the Spanish civil war in a small village were a viewing of "Frankenstein" which will forever change how six year old Ana views the world around her.
Elwood and Stephen celebrate another 25 episodes by adding another 50 picks to their ever growing list of essential Asian Cinema Check out the full list - Asian Cinema Film Club - Top 250 Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen take an in-depth look at Park Chan Wook's Vengeance trilogy in this bumper length edition of the show featuring special guest hosts Kim Lo ( Movies and Tea / Game Warp ) on Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance Scott K ( The Church of Tarantino ) on Oldboy Nicholas Rehak on Lady Vengence Buy us a coffee and support the show - https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Stephen and Elwood look at the quirky indie comedy Leningrad Cowboys Go America. Arriving in the states with their footlong quiffs and equally long winkle pickers the band come in search of fame and fortune. What they find instead is an opportunity to play a wedding in Mexico setting them on a unique road trip all the while being pursued by village idiot Igor.
Elwood and Stephen look at the Michelle Yeoh classic Royal Warriors which would also become the second film in the long running Line of Duty series. Here she plays a Hong Kong Police officer who has to team up with Hiroyuki Sanada's Japanese detective and Michael Wong's air marshal to stop a terrorist group out for revenge!! Buy us a coffee and support the show Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen look at the 2010 remake of The Housemaid as they find out how it compares to the critically acclaimed original. Buy us a coffee and support the show Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen look at Asif Kapadia's documentary Diego Maradona compiled from over 500 hours of footage from Maradona's personal archive as it charts the career of the legendary football player.
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!! Buy us a coffee and support the show Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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. Buy us a coffee and support the show Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen look at the zany musical comedy The Legend of the Stardust Brothers as rival singers Kan and Shingo find themselves paired together by music producer Mimiami. But as their star rises can they hold onto the top spot especially with the arrival of a new pop sensation Kaoru. Plus is physical media really the best for film preservation, controversial music opinions and more!! Buy us a coffee and support the show Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen look at the fantastical world of Mexican wrestling movies with The Batwoman as when wrestlers are mysteriously turning up dead it's down to The Batwoman to investigate.
Elwood and Stephen tackle a double feature of Stephen Chow's "King of Comedy" while listener Marcus nominates "Killer Constable" for his Listener Roulette pick Plus - Stephen finally watches House, Elwood wraps up Asian Horror month and hint at what month is coming next plus more!! Buy us a coffee and support the show Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen look at Persepolis the animated adaptation of Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel about her life in pre and post-revolutionary Iran as the film traces Satrapi's life and her own rebellion she lead against an oppressive regime.
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 Buy us a coffee and support the show Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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!! Buy us a coffee and support the show Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
Elwood and Stephen look at Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives the first Thai film to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in which Uncle Boonmee suffering from Kidney disease and believing he is going to die soon brings his relatives together in the countryside were he is soon visited by the ghosts of the family he has lost. Buy us a coffee and support the show Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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! Buy us a coffee and support the show Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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.
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 Buy us a coffee and support the showCheck out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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. Buy us a coffee and support the showCheck out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage
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