Asian Cinema Film Club

Rashmi Menon (Yesteryear Ballyhoo Revue) joins Stephen and Elwood again this time to look at the African ghost story Atlantics.

Set along the Atlantic coast, a soon-to-be-inaugurated futuristic tower looms over a suburb of Dakar. Ada, 17, is in love with Souleiman, a young construction worker. But she has been promised to another man. When Souleiman and his co-workers leave the country by sea, in hope of a better future several days later, a fire ruins Ada's wedding and a mysterious fever starts to spread. Little does Ada know that Souleiman has returned

Elwood and Stephen are raiding the collection of another of their favourite boutique labels and revealing their top five picks as this time they look at Arrow Video

Opening / Closing Theme - "Little Dreams" - The Kidd Electric

Elwood and Stephen look at the action thriller "So Close" as a pair of assassin sisters find themselves on the run from the same criminals who hired them aswell as an high-kicking cop!

Review: 00:42:07

---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

---

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a coffee and support the show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out our sponsor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yes Please Vintage⁠⁠

Stephen and Elwood look at one of the more overlooked titles in the Studio Ghibli catalogue as they review "Whisper of the Heart" a coming of age romantic drama and the only film to be directed by Yoshifumi Kondō.

Review: 00:34:22

---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

---

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a coffee and support the show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out our sponsor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yes Please Vintage⁠⁠

Elwood and Stephen are raiding the collections of their favourite boutique labels and revealing their top five picks as they kick things off with the iconic Criterion Collection.

Opening / Closing Theme - "Little Dreams" - The Kidd Electric

Elwood and Stephen look at the legendary martial arts film "Enter The Dragon" as Bruce Lee plays Lee a martial artist from the Shaolin Temple hired by British intelligence to infiltrate the island of the crime lord Han under the guise of competing in his Martial Arts Tournament.

We breakdown the films legacy, the stacked cast and it's skillfull blending of genres.

Review: 00:18:23

---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

---

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a cof...

Stephen and Elwood take a recommendation from Dustin (@thatkaijukidd) and look at the Splatterpunk revenge-o-matic Gothic and Lolita Psycho as seeking revenge on the assassins who killed her mother and injured her father Yuki (Rina Akiyama) turns herself into a weapon of vengeance in this highly unique viewing experience.

Review: 00:40:02

---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

---

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a coffee and support the show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out our sponsor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yes Please Vintage⁠

Elwood and Stephen look at the final film in Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colours trilogy in which model Valentine (Irène Jacob) meets a retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who lives in her neighborhood after she runs over his dog with the pair soon discovering they share an unusual bond

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...

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 blur

Review: 00:22:31

---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

---<...

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 Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

---

⁠⁠Buy...

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 Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced 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 Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress a film best known for being a key inspiration for George Lucas when he created Star Wars but how much did he actually take from the film? We find out on this episode as a pair of Peasants find themselves recruited to help to help a rogue general and a princess on the run while trying to get their share of the gold the pair are transporting.

Review - 00:23:25

---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By...

Scott (The Church of Tarantino) joins Elwood and Stephen to look at the deliriously bonkers slice of Kung-fu weird that is Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky which sees the superhuman fighter Ricky having to battle through a corrupt prison complete with a sadistic warden and four martial arts masters all keen to take him out in this cult favourite.

Review - 00:38:21---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

---

Buy us a coffee and support...

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 m...

As we draw ever closer to Episode #100 Stephen has a pretty stellar pick for #99 as we look at Bong Joon Ho's Memories of Murder loosely based on the true story of Korea's first ever serial killer as two small town detectives attempt to solve a brutal murder while being assisted on the case by Seoul detective Seo Tae-yoon. But facing conflicting approaches to investigation and a police force ill equipped to deal with the case will they be able to track down the killer before he strikes again. 

Review - 00:22:54

---

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

Buy us a coffee and support the show
Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage

Good Evening boils and ghouls and welcome to our Halloween special where we put our viewing fate in the hands of the listeners who this year decided we would watch "Dream Home".
Josie Ho stars in this Hong Kong slasher as a young professional with dreams of owning an apartment with a view of the harbour, but with property prices on the rise and her dream slipping from her grasp she comes up with her own unique plan to help realise her dream. 

---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By h...

Elwood and Stephen check out the horror adventure "The Seventh Curse in which adventurer Dr. Yuen must find a curse for his blood curse after he rescues a young girl from being sacrificed. A utterly bonkers movie featuring a kung fu skeleton, a rip off xenomorph, killer worms and shameless self promotion!

Review - 00:23:05

Buy us a coffee and support the show
Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage

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

Buy us a coffee and support the show
Check out...

Elwood and Stephen look at The Bullet Train which not only gave us an entry from Japan into the disaster movie genre but also inspired the cult classic Speed as a group of terrorists plant a bomb on a bullet train and demand $5 million, adding that the bomb will detonate if the train's speed for any reason dips below 80 kph!

---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

---

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.

Buy us a coffee and support the show
Check out our sponsor: Yes Please Vintage

Elwood and Stephen are joined by Rashmi to look at Mashahiro Shindoa's Noir "Pale Flower" in which Ryô Ikebe plays the recently released gangster Muraki finding that both organized crime and the real world have moved on without him. While reunited with his Yakuza family he now spends his time in gambling dens, where he meets rich thrill seeker Saeko (Mariko Kaga) only to soon discover that her destructive, hedonistic urges will likely mean the end for both of them.
We also look at the cult of the Criterion Collection, gambling movies Yakuza etiquette, and more!!

Duration: 01:36:44

Elwood and Stephen look at Park Chan-Wook's "The Handmaiden" an erotic thriller based on the Sarah Waters novel "Fingersmith" in which an attempt to defraud a Heiress becomes a twisting tale of double crosses and surprising romantic connections.
Elwood also looks at the Resident Evil animated movies, Shaw Bros Movies and Anthony Wong Month plans revealed plus more!!

Check out our sponsor:  Yes Please Vintage
Buy us a coffee and Support the show: ko-fi.com/asiancinemafilmclub Duration: 01:47:44

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

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 kicks off another month long challenge as he sets out to watch 31 Anthony Wong movies in 31 days!
Joining him of course for this recap of the first weeks viewing is Stephen whose also on hand to provide his own thoughts on Anthony Wong's aswell as the weeks picks including Time and Tide, IP Man: The Final Fight, Full Contact and A Home With A View.

The first film in a spin off series from Sonny Chiba's Streetfighter trilogy as Sue Shiomi stars as the titular martial artist trying to track down her missing brother while having to battle a sadistic drugs kingpin and his army of fighters in this wonderfully bonkers slice of kung fu weird. 

Review - 00:29:26

---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

---

Zen's mother Zin was previously a feared gangster who retired to give birth to Zen. However when is diagnosed with cancer Zen takes it upon herself to collect her mother's debts, while also being able to replicate martial arts just by watching them. 

---

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

---

Recorded ahead of the release of the Daimajin trilogy boxset from Arrow, Elwood and Stephen check out the first film in the trilogy in which the samurai lord of a peaceful village is murdered by one of his own  men. Claiming the throne and forcing the lord's two small  children to flee into the woods near the huge stone statue of Daimajin, the god of their village. Ten Years later they plot to reclaim the throne as they call upon Daimajin to assist them.

Review - 00:31:02

---

Opening Theme - Co...

Elwood and Stephen check out two forgotten invisable man movies produced by Daiei film and both brings a unique twist to the invisible man mythos as "The Invisible Man Appears" (1949) sees a group of jewel thieves plotting to use the invisibility formula to steal the priceless necklace "The Tears of Amour.". It's completly unliked follow up "The Invisible Man Vs. The Human Fly" (1957) meanwhile has a police officer turned invisible attempting to track down a serial killer with the abilitiy to shrink himself down to the size of a fly. 

We also look at the career of A...

Elwood and Stephen look at the wonderfully bonkers Shaw Bros. curiosity "The Battle Wizard"  featuring giant snakes, a man eating gorilla, demonic henchmen and an evil wizard on telescopic bird legs!!

Check out our sponsor Yes Please Vintage

Buy a coffee and support the show: https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub

Review:00:22:15

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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!!

Throughtout September Elwood is attempting to watch 30 Takashi Miike movies in 30 days which considering that Miike has to date directed over 100 movies means there is plenty to choose. On this bonus episode Elwood and Stephen recap what Elwood has watched so far. 

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

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 thier first Yasujirō Ozu movie with the critically acclaimed "Tokyo Story" in which an elderly couple visit thier grown up children in what is frequently seen as one of the best japanese movies of all time, while regularly topping critical polls for best movies....but is it actually any good?

Review: 00:27:22

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Elwood and Stephen check out Satoshi Kon's tribute to the careers of Setsuko Hara and Hideko Takamine in one of his more overlooked films which sees him take a depature from his usual themes to tell the story of actress Chiyoko Fujiwara. Living as a recluse for thirty years a pair of documentary filmmakers set out to tell her story, only to soon find themselves becoming more immersed in the story of her life and career. 

Author note: Apoligises for the ending of this episode which Elwood's audio was lost thanks to a laptop crash giving us a...

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

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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.

Check out our sponser Yes Please Vintage for a great selection of hand picked and highly curated vintage, second-hand and upcycled housewares & clothing.
Note: Sorry for any audio issues due to a synch issue.

<...

On this episode we check out Kim Jee-woon's revenge thriller "A Bittersweet life" as Kim Sun-woo (Lee Byung-hun) goes after his former boss when his refusal to do a job lands him with dire concequences. 
Also check out our new sponser Yes Please Vintage for a great selection of hand picked and highly curated vintage, second-hand and upcycled housewares & clothing.

Review:00:37:25

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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!!

Duration: 01:24:56

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

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat P...

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!!

Kicking off a brand new year with the Korean comedy "Antique Bakery" based on the popular Manga by Fumi Yoshinaga in which Jin-hyuk who has wealth, good looks and charm sets up a bakery in order to meet the love of his life while being joined by his quirky team as they attempt to make the buisness a sucess.
We also talk about merchandise, Funko Pops, boxset releases aswell as laying out the plan for the year ahead plus much more!!
Shoutouts: Zobo With A Shotgun, Exploding Helicopter Podcast, French Toast Sunday

The festive season is upon us once again which can only mean the return of "Kaiju Christmas" were once more Stephen and Elwood put thier viewing fates in the hands of thier listeners to pick which Kaiju movie they will be watching.
So join us now as we look at "Mothra" (1961) a King Kong style adventure with more than a few similarities to "Gorgo" released the same year we also  look back over the highs and lows of the year aswell as revealing our favourite episodes of the year.

Duration: 01:10:13

Elwood and Stephen look at the sexy action thriller "Naked Weapon" starring Maggie Q as an Assassin trained as a child to kill while being pursued by CIA Agent Jack (Daniel Wu) who is determined to take down the ring headed up by the mysterious Madam M
We also look at the career of producer Wong Jing, Region 2 releases and the winner of Kaiju Christmas 3 is revealed plus more!!

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

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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!!

Duration: 01:29:17

Halloween is here once again so needless to say we choose to look at somthing suitably spooky while giving Elwood a chance to cross this off his Cinema Shame list in an episode which you should be warned is heavy on spoilers.

Inspired by a Joseon Dynasty era folktale entitled Janghwa Hongryeon jeon which has over the years been adapted several times already as here director Kim Jee-Woon crafts a deceptive tale with the teenage girl, Su-mi (Im Soo-jung) returning home after recently being commited to a mental asylum. Now resuming her protective relationship with her younger...

Elwood and Stephen look at Park Chan-Wook's take on the vampire mythos when a priest finds himself inheriting vampire abilities aswell as cravings from a blood transfusion. 

Plus: Old school anime collecting, Detective Pikachu, Neon Genesis Evangelion and the changing face of fandom plus much more 

Review - 00:27:51

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Elwood and Stephen check out Ronny Yu’s Wuxia take on “Romeo and Juliet” in The Bride With White Hair  as Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung star as swordsman and star crossed  lovers from rival clans who are threaten to be torn apart by the war  waging between thier respective clans.

Elwood also provides the further watching ideas for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Stephen has another tale from the Dark Side of Asian Cinema, plus we reveal what we’ve been watching including Snowpiercer and The Wandering Earth!!

Review: 00:42:00

O...

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

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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!!

Opening Theme - Coffee D...

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

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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 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.

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By W...

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

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat...

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

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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

Opening Theme: Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot<

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 fo...

 Elwood Jones and Stephen Palmer (Eastern Kicks /  Gweilo Ramblings) set out to provide an introduction to Asian cinema by  on each episode highlighting a title worth seeking out.

On this first episode we kick things off with "Ghost In The Shell" as  with the live action remake fast approaching what better time to go back  an revisit the 1995 original anime, widely considered to be one of the  best anime of all time after "Akira".

 Directed by Mamoru Oshii The film's follows the hunt by Section 9 for a  mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master...

Elwood and Stephen check out Dante Lam's action thriller The Beast Stalker in which Nicholas Tse's tough Hong Kong Cop has to find the daughter of a Public Prosecutor who has been kidnapped by the henchman of the crime boss she is putting on trial. 

Opening Theme: Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Elwood and Stephen head to Mexico for this 2020 thriller set in a dystopian near future were the war between the social classes erupts in violence as a high society wedding is invaded by rioters while the military plan to regain control of both the country and government. Meanwhile Bride to be Marianne finds herself caught in the midst of the terrifying power shift as various parties attempt to exploit the situation for themselves.

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

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Elwood and Stephen look at this tale of revenge and Karaoke based on the novel by Ryu Murakami as a group of idle teens find themselves in an escalating battle of revenge against a group of middle aged women

Opening Theme - Coffee Date

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

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.

Timestamps

0:0:00 - Introductions

0:01:07 - 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 Review

⁠Buy us a coffee and support the sh...

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

⁠Buy us a coffee and support the show⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/acfilmclub⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

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 th...

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<...

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 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 Vinta

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).

We also...

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.

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

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.

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 Plea

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.

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

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

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