Cinema Smorgasbord

After helping him get out of his previous contract (and some messy business with some Triads) Jackie Chan owed martial arts superstar Jimmy Wang Yu some big favors, and he started paying up by appearing briefly in the truly bizarre 1983 action/comedy FANTASY MISSION FORCE. Despite a plot structure that (loosely) copies The Dirty Dozen, FANTASY MISSION FORCE throws in amazons, Nazis, vampires, ghosts, Brigitte Lin, musical numbers, Mad Max-style cars and lots and lots of explosions. There's even a few kung fu fights for good measure, It's far from boring, but is it any good? Let's find out! The post Episode 222 – We Do Our Own Stunts – Fantasy Mission Force (1983) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

On this very special episode of GEORGE KENNEDY IS MY COPILOT we're joined by the Swedish writer and George Kennedy-enthusiast Anders Landby to discuss his work covering the career of George Kennedy, his Instagram page devoted to George Kennedy, and the proper way to pronounce "Smorgasbord"! Luckily he also joins us to discuss a rare 1980s PSA featuring George Kennedy as well as the totally bizarre sasquatch/alien/zombie sci-fi/horror film DEMONWARP from 1984. It's a whole lot of fun, so stop what you're doing and LISTEN! The post Episode 221 – George Kennedy is My Copilot – Demonwarp (1988) (/w Anders Landby) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

On this episode of BARTEL ME SOMETHING GOOD (the world's finest Paul Bartel-themed podcast) we're tackling Paul Bartel's final directorial feature, the sadly abused (and semi-unavailable) bunker comedy SHELF LIFE from 1993! Born out of a stage-play by stars O-Lan Jones, Andrea Stein, and Jim Turner, Bartel turns it into a wildly visual phantasmagoria of rituals, re-enactments and hormonally confusing games, with a typically wicked sense of humor. Check it out! The post Episode 220 – Bartel Me Something Good – Shelf Life (1993) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

Black leather, black leather, kill kill kill! On a brand new episode of FURTHER REEDING we're digging into the pre-apocalyptic, sea-side pleasures of the 1963 sci-fi classic THE DAMNED (aka WE ARE THE DAMNED), directed by the great Joseph Losey and starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, and - of course - our boy Oliver Reed! It's about a group of irradiated kids having to live underground as prep for the upcoming nuclear holocaust. Cheery stuff! Have a listen! The post Episode 219 – Further Reeding – The Damned (1963) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

On a brand new episode of YOU DON'T KNOW DICK (the world's finest Dick Miller-themed podcast) we're joined by A CUT BELOW: A CELEBRATION OF B HORROR MOVIES, 1950s-1980s author Scott Drebit to discuss the sexploitation comedy/thriller THE STUDENT TEACHERS from 1973, with Susan Damante, Brooke Mills, CHUCK NORRIS(?) and Dick Miller!! We also talk about Dick Miller's cut appearance from PULP FICTION, the state of b-movies in 2024 and ALL THINGS DICK MILLER! Check it out! The post Episode 218 – You Don’t Know Dick – The Student Teachers (1973) (/w Scott Drebit) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

WILD IN THE STREETS returns with the first entry in Fernando Di Leo's Milieu Trilogy: the hard hitting 1972 classic CALIBER 9 (aka MILANO CALIBRO 9)! Featuring Gastone Moschin as Ugo Piazza, a small time gangster fresh out of jail being hunted down by his former associates for stealing $300,000 that he swears he doesn't have, it's tough as nails and features a memorable jazz-flute tinged score by Luis Enríquez Bacalov and the Italian progressive rock group Osanna. It also features the great Mario Adorf in a gloriously unhinged performance as Rocco. CHECK IT OUT! The post Episode 217 – Wild in the Streets – Caliber 9 (1972) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

PRAISING KANE returns with 1984's RACING WITH THE MOON, a pretty darn good World War II-era coming of age film starring Sean Penn & Nicolas Cage as close friends who experience a whole lot of life's trials and tribulations in the days before they are shipped off to the war. Directed by Richard Benjamin, it has a bunch of young familiar faces (including Crispin Glover and Michael Madsen), and clearly has a lot of empathy for its mixed up central characters. Oh, and of course Carol Kane is in there as well in a small - but memorable - role. All that and the latest Carol Kane news so CHECK IT OUT. The post Episode 216 – Praising Kane – Racing with the Moon (1984) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS? (the world's finest Steve Buscemi-themed podcast) returns with an episode all about a film celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024: the Coen brothers' Capraesque classic THE HUDSUCKER PROXY! Starring Tim Robbins, Paul Newman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Campbell, and - of course - Steve Buscemi, it was a big-budget flop for the Coens, despite roping in their pal Sam Raimi to co-write. What went wrong? LISTEN AND FIND OUT. The post Episode 215 – How Do You Do, Fellow Kids? – The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

On a brand new WHATEVER HAPPENED TO VIC DIAZ?, James Iglehart is out for some samurai sword-based revenge in Cirio H. Santiago's 1978 martial arts exploitation film DEATH FORCE (aka FIGHTING MAD)! Featuring plenty of decapitations, some problematic sword training, and - of course - our man Vic Diaz. CHECK IT OUT! The post Episode 214 – Whatever Happened to Vic Diaz? – Death Force (1978) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

We're back and we're still SELLING OUT with a rare chat about a current blockbuster: the Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel DUNE: PART TWO. Following the continuing adventures of Paul Atreides and his pals on the sand-covered planet Arrakis (aka DUNE). We chat about the David Lynch (and aborted Alejandro Jodorowsky) version(s), Liam's experience with the books, what does and doesn't work, and whether we're interested in more films/TV in the DUNE universe. CHECK IT OUT! The post Episode 213 – Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out – Dune: Part Two (2024) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

We're doctorin' the TARDIS on this episode of ERIC ROBERTS IS THE MAN with a first for the podcast: an audio drama box-set produced by Big Finish featuring Eric Roberts (naturally) as beloved Doctor Who villain THE MASTER! Helping us maneuver through (relative) time and dimensions in space is author and podcaster Chad Denton, who helps bridge the gap between Eric's performance in the 1996 DOCTOR WHO TV movie and his surprising return. There's also plenty of BIG NEWS to cover, including the recent announcement of the upcoming Eric Roberts autobiography! CHECK IT OUT! The post Episode 212 – Eric Roberts is the Man – Master! (2021) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

After a less-then-fruitful experience in the US (filming THE BIG BRAWL and THE CANNONBALL RUN), Jackie returned to Hong Kong with a blank check from Golden Harvest and a chip on his shoulder. The result was plenty of bumps, bruises and 1982's DRAGON LORD, which serves as a transitionary period between the old-school kung fu films of his past and the stunt-heavy films (with higher production value) that would define his work in the 1980s. In this episode of WE DO OUR OWN STUNTS we break down the good and bad of DRAGON LORD, its two cuts, and the two bravura sequences within. LISTEN! The post Episode 211 – We Do Our Own Stunts – Dragon Lord (1982) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

We're getting WILD IN THE STREETS with Jean-Paul Belmondo in the 1983 action film LE MARGINAL (aka THE OUTSIDER)! Featuring Belmondo as Commissioner Philippe Jordan, a tough as nails cop who - wait for it - plays by his own rules, and those rules involve running through traffic, jumping out of helicopters, and just straight up murdering dudes with his car! It's good, clean, semi-fascistic fun and our hosts feel a bit guilty about how much fun it is. Oh well! Enjoy! The post Episode 210 – Wild in the Streets – Le Marginal (1983) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

On this episode of GEORGE KENNEDY IS MY COPILOT we're checking out a rare mid-80s George Kennedy commercial for York Heating and Cooling as well as Rupert Wyatt's 2014 remake of the James Toback-written THE GAMBLER, which features the final role of George Kennedy! We discuss Mark Wahlberg's attractiveness, the joys(?) of gambling, whether we would rather have a stereo system or black & white television and SO MUCH MORE! You gotta check it out, you just gotta! The post Episode 209 – George Kennedy is My Copilot – The Gambler (2014) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

It's the long awaited return of JodoWOWsky and on this episode we're headed back to the comic book Jodoverse with the eight-volume Incal spin-off THE TECHNOPRIESTS, originally published from 1998 until 2006. Written by Jodorowsky with art from the immortal Zoran Janjetov, with color from Fred Beltran it follows the journey of Albino, the Supreme Technopriest, and his journey through the Technopriest hierarchy which - surprise - becomes a galaxy-spanning epic of mind-melting proportions. We also with Alejandro Jodorowsky a very happy 95th birthday and take a look at all the latest Jodorowsky news. JOIN US! The post Episode 208 – JodoWOWsky Part 14 – The Technopriests (1998-2006) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

This is more like it! Bartel Me Something Good returns with Paul Bartel's end-of-the-80s satirical sex comedy triumph SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN BEVERLY HILLS, featuring an all-star cast witnessing - and participating in - all sorts of bad taste fun. Jacqueline Bisset, Mary Woronov, Ray Sharkey, Robert Beltran, Ed Begley Jr., Wallace Shawn and Bartel himself chew up the scenery - and some wonderful dialogue from writer Bruce Wagner - while indulging in the best and worst of Reagan-era debauchery. CHECK IT OUT! The post Episode 207 – Bartel Me Something Good – Scenes From The Class Struggle in Beverly Hills (1989) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

For our first episode of Praising Kane (the world's finest Carol Kane-related podcast) of 2024 we're DOUBLING UP, first with an episode of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre from 1984 adapting SLEEPING BEAUTY with an all-star cast including Christopher Reeve, Beverly D'Angelo, Bernadette Peters and - of course - Carol Kane! We then get into our feature OVER THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, an early film from Cannon Films directed by Menahem Golan and starring Elliott Gould and Margaux Hemingway. Carol Kane plays a demure Jewish teacher with a WILD SIDE. We also chat about the recent Sundance premiere of Kane's new film BETWEEN THE TEMPLES. HOORAY! The post Episode 206 – Praising Kane – Over The Brooklyn Bridge (1984) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

On this INAUGURAL episode of CINEMA SMORGASBORD SELLS OUT we're getting mainstream as HELL as we dig into the most zeitgeisty film of 2023, Greta Gerwig's colorful box office smash BARBIE! No more obscure Filipino exploitation movies or Jodorowsky rarities, we're talking about something everyone has seen for once and - damn it - we're gonna enjoy it. We touch on our personal history with Barbie dolls (and Barbie media), whether Barbie works as a children's film, how we get enjoyment out of films that anger the "right" people and SO MUCH MORE. Listen, friends! The post Episode 205 – Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out – Barbie (2023) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS? (the world's finest Steve Buscemi-themed podcast) returns with its first episode of 2024 with a surprising early Buscemi role in the 1988 psychic-themed comedic adventure film VIBES starring Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Goldblum and Peter Falk! It's weird as hell! We also chat about Steve Buscemi's recent birthday, listening to terrestrial radio, Bad Bunny (and his music video for "Baticano" starring Steve Buscemi), the recent cancellation of MIRACLE WORKERS and SO MUCH MORE. Listen and tell your friends! The post Episode 204 – How Do You Do, Fellow Kids? – Vibes (1988) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.

New year, new episode of FURTHER REEDING, a podcast all about the life and career of actor Oliver Reed! On this episode we're joining Reed and all his seaside buddies as they take in (and take out) the tourist trade in 1964's THE SYSTEM (also known by the confusingly titled THE GIRL-GETTERS in the US). Directed by regular Reed collaborator (and notorious scumbag) Michael Winner, it's a fascinatingly layered drama with a star making performance from Reed in the lead. BUT IS IT ANY GOOD? Listen and find out! The post Episode 203 – Further Reeding – The System (1964) first appeared on Cinema Smorgasbord.