Cinema Smorgasbord

Episodes of the Cinema Smorgasbord podcast

Cinema Smorgasbord – Wild in the Streets – Street Law (1974)

We’re getting Wild in the Streets with Franco Nero in Enzo G. Castellari’s 1975 Eurocrime revenge thriller STREET LAW! Starring Nero as an engineer who finds his safety (and masculinity) threatened by a post office robbery and decides to take the (street) law into his own hands. Badly! More nuanced than one might expect, and featuring a rocking soundtrack, there’s still plenty of action and – of course – explicit violence. Check it out!

Cinema Smorgasbord – We Do Our Own Stunts – Drunken Master (1978)

It took 12 episodes to get here, but after the box-office success of SNAKE IN THE EAGLE’S SHADOW, Jackie Chan suddenly finds himself a bankable martial arts star. So why not do it all again, only better? DRUNKEN MASTER reunites Jackie with basically everyone who worked on the previous film, including producer Ng See-yuen, director Yuen Woo-ping, and stars Hwang Jang-lee, Dean Shek and Simon Yuen, and the result isa global smash that launched Jackie’s career and set both a pattern for the next stage of his career, as well as provided material for dozens of rip-offs, tributes and sequels. Join us on the latest episode of WE DO OUR OWN STUNTS where we discuss Jackie’s recent birthday, the death of Jimmy Wang Yu, and talk all about 1978’s DRUNKEN MASTER. Check it out!

Cinema Smorgasbord – Eric Roberts is the Man – The Righteous Gemstones Season 2 (2022)

You asked for it, you got it! The big Eric Roberts news thus far in 2022 has been his role on the second season of the critically acclaimed HBO comedy The Righteous Gemstones, so it’s time to talk about it on this brand new episode of ERIC ROBERTS IS THE MAN.  For such a, um, righteous endeavor, we needed a terrific guest, and who better than Shock Cinema and Cinema Sewer contributor Michael Sullivan to talk about the show, the Academy Awards, Kevin Sorbo, the price of Cameos and all the latest Eric Roberts news. CHECK IT OUT!

Cinema Smorgasbord – Praising Kane – When a Stranger Calls (1979)

“Have you checked on the children?”

On this episode of PRAISING KANE we continue our chronological look at the career of the wonderful Carol Kane with the 1979 thriller WHEN A STRANGER CALLS. Best known for its incredibly tense first twenty minutes, the film takes some unexpected – and odd – twists and turns, with a private investigator played by Charles Durning on the heels of a serial killer. We also look at all the latest Carol Kane news, and have a promising update about our next episode! Check it out.

Cinema Smorgasbord – How Do You Do, Fellow Kids? – Desperado (1995)

On this episode of HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS? we’re looking at all the latest and greatest Steve Buscemi news, including his recent modeling work, and his appearance in a BIG LEBOWSKi-themed commercial during the BIG game this year. Then we jump into a discussion Robert Rodriguez’s action epic DESPERADO, featuring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek. We discuss our complicated feelings on Rodriguez as a director, the acting career of Quentin Tarantino, the John Woo-inspired action scenes and SO MUCH MORE. So check it out!

Cinema Smorgasbord – JodoWOWsky Part 6 – Tusk (1980)

Despite his increasing success with comics, Jodorowsky was still reeling from the failure of his Dune project when he decided to adapt Reginald Campbell’s “Poo Lorn of the Elephants” into the disastrous 1980 film TUSK. Disowned by the director (“Don’t see Tusk. I bury the film.”) and nearly impossible to track down in a watchable form, the movie remains an enigma in Alejandro Jodorowsky’s career. On this episode of JodoWOWsky, we look at how TUSK came about, whether it’s the disaster so often reported, whether a better film might be hiding inside the original elements, and how the heck the whole thing fell apart. CHECK IT OUT!