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?

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.

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.