Thursday, October 27, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
Podcast on Fire's Taiwan Noir Episode #23: Fantasy of Deer Warrior and Double Vision
It's hard to imagine Kenny B and I picking two films as different from one another as those we picked for Taiwan Noir #23. The first is the 1961 film Fantasy of Deer Warrior, which I would call a kid's film if not for my fear of some angry parent pounding my face in. Sure, it's got actors cavorting around in silly looking animal costumes and even a couple of songs, and if coupling that with a lot of violence and overt sexuality sits well with--or even entices--you; boy, do I have a film for you!
The second film is Double Vision, a slick serial killer thriller from the early 2000's that pairs Tony Leung with American actor David Morse. Needless to say, the combination makes for a lively discussion. Check it out, won't you?
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
Life on Mars
I'll admit that, in reviewing Mars Men for Teleport City, I had some reservations about returning to the topic of Sompote Sands. He is a filmmaker about whom I've had some mixed feelings, to say the least, and it often pains me to think that my series Thai-Style Kaiju: The Films of Sompote Sands might have contributed in some small way to his current cult notoriety.
It pains me because said notoriety has insured that, no matter how hard I try, I cannot escape Sompote Sands. Case in point: the screening of The Dwarves Must Be Crazy at last month's Fantastic Fest, which was preceded by a lengthy clip from Magic Lizard. Surely that could not have been presented for anyone's enjoyment: It was clearly me that they were after. I envisioned Sands himself, sitting in the projection booth and laughing as I frantically tore at my eyes.
Clearly a reckoning with Sands--as well as a lot of Effexor--was due. And I thought that Mars Men might provide that opportunity. You see, Mars Men is a Taiwanese film that takes a Sompote Sands film, 1974's Giant and Jumbo A, and gives it the Sompote Sands treatment--in that it takes Giant and Jumbo A, recycled footage and all, and recycles it for its own purposes. The result, according to Todd Stadtman of Teleport City is a "daft crazy quilt of a movie" with "an astonishing global reach." To find out what the hell I meant by that, if anything, read the full review here.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Friday, October 7, 2016
Pop but not forgotten
Todd, what's this your mother is telling me about you not posting a link to the last Pop Offensive? That was back in the middle of September, wasn't it?
Gosh, dad, there was just so much going on, what with Fantastic Fest and a new episode of Taiwan Noir coming up. I guess I forgot.
Well, son. What I'm hearing from you now is excuses, but not any suggestion of what you might do to make up for your mistake.
Gee, dad. I guess I got so wrapped up in my own stuff that I forgot to think about anyone else.
Yes you did, Todd. And you're going to be consigned to the deepest pit of hell for that, aren't you?
Yeah, I guess so.
But first, why don't you post the link?
Okay, here it is:
http://www.kgpc969.org/pop-offensive/2016/9/22/episode-29
Splendid.
How about I also post a picture of Donald Trump singing J-Pop?
That's fine, but you're still going to burn in eternal damnation.
That's ok, I guess.
