Cinema Smorgasbord

Episodes of the Cinema Smorgasbord podcast

Cinema Smorgasbord – Whatever Happened to Vic Diaz? – Raw Force (1981)

On this high kicking episode of WHATEVER HAPPENED TO VIC DIAZ? we’re setting off with a nudity-filled sexploitation comedy mixed with a martial arts action film featuring a dash of the living dead, cannibalism, Nazis, explosions and a heck of a lot more with the wild 1981 mashup RAW FORCE from director Edward D. Murphy! Starring Cameron Mitchell, Geoffrey Binney, Hope Holiday, FIRECRACKER’s Jillian Kesner and – of course – Vic Diaz, this one is goofy as hell, and occasionally lives up to its extra lurid poster art. We also discuss cult film revivals, what it means for a film to be “trash”, the definition of exploitation and all sorts of other heady topics. CHECK IT OUT!

Cinema Smorgasbord – How Do You Do, Fellow Kids? – Reservoir Dogs (1992)

We’ve waited a long time to get into it, but on this episode of HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS? we’re finally checking out Quentin Tarantino’s breakthrough 1992 crime thriller RESERVOIR DOGS, starring Harvey Keitel, Michael, Madsen, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, and – of course – Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink. We discuss its triumphs and controversies, as well as how our feelings on the film – and Tarantino – have changed over the past thirty years. We also discuss Pete Davidson’s new sitcom Bupkis, the live action Little Mermaid and SO MUCH MORE. Check it out!

Cinema Smorgasbord – Praising Kane – Norman Loves Rose (1982)

On a very uncomfortable new episode of PRAISING KANE – the world’s finest chronological Carol Kane podcast – we look at the incredibly bad taste Australian comedy NORMAN LOVES ROSE from 1982, featuring a young boy’s fascination with his sister-in-law evolving into a sexual relationship that ends up with her pregnant. Yeah, it’s bad. We also chat about all the latest Carol Kane news (Star Trek! Taxi!) and question our life choices. CHECK IT OUT!

Cinema Smorgasbord – We Do Our Own Stunts – The Young Master (1980)

On a landmark episode of WE DO OUR OWN STUNTS, Jackie Chan has signed a huge contract with Golden Harvest which promises creative and financial freedom, and he kicks things off with the 1980 kung-fu comedy THE YOUNG MASTER! While at the same time his old boss Lo Wei wants his now-bankable star back and is willing to work with Triads to make it happen. UH OH! It’s a perilous time in Jackie’s career and will soon push him off to America for a while, but in the meantime we can enjoy this enormously entertaining, fight-filled film which features Yuen Biao, Tien Feng, Hwang In-Shik, and Shih Kien! CHECK IT OUT!

Cinema Smorgasbord – Eric Roberts is the Man – Babylon (2022)

On this episode of ERIC ROBERTS IS THE MAN we’re going all in on Damien Chazelle’s overstuffed ode to the silent era BABYLON, which stars Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Tobey Maguire and – of course – the man himself Eric Roberts! Filled with spewing bodily fluids, orgies, murder, rat eating and snake wrestling, it’s both an ode to the end of a cinematic era and a commentary on the current changing face of movie-going. Fun, right? I guess we’ll see! We also chat about drunk driving, guns, Michael Madsen, Guy Ritchie knock-offs and SO MUCH MORE. Check it out!

Cinema Smorgasbord – George Kennedy is my Copilot – Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)

We’re getting heist-y on a brand new episode of GEORGE KENNEDY IS MY COPILOT with Michael Cimino’s terrific buddy crime comedy THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT from 1974! Clint Eastwood and a (shockingly handsome) Jeff Bridges grow a friendship over their shared love of women and thievery, with Geoffrey Lewis and – wait for it – George Kennedy on their tails, until the crew get together to plan a big ol’ robbery and run off into the sunset. We chat about Jeff Bridges’ ice cream technique, Conan O’Brien, Dub Taylor, Preacher Eastwood and SO MUCH MORE. Check it out!

Cinema Smorgasbord – Bartel Me Something Good – Not For Publication (1984)

On this episode of Bartel Me Something good we’re checking out Paul Bartel’s inauspicious 1984 screwball comedy NOT FOR PUBLICATION, starring Nancy Allen, David Naughton and Laurence Luckinbill! Allen plays Lois Thornedyke, a tabloid reporter aiming to go clean, while simultaneously working for the mayor of New York (Luckinbill) who is – wait for it – trying to get rid of “porno papers”, like the one she’s working at! Naughton plays a hapless bird photographer she hires to help with both jobs. There’s animal-themed musical numbers, (attempted) murder, and.. not much more. We also discuss a clip of Sandra Bernhard interviewing Paul Bartel on Reel Wild Cinema. CHECK IT OUT!

Cinema Smorgasbord – JodoWOWsky Part 11 – The Jodorowsky Constellation (1994)

JodoWOWsky returns with a deep dive on Louis Mouchet’s career-spanning Alejandro Jodorowsky documentary THE JODOROWSKY CONSTELLATION from 1994, featuring interviews with legendary mime Marcel Marceau, the incredible Jean ‘Moebius’ Giraud, and musician Peter Gabriel! The documentary also features a lengthy exhibition of Jodorowsky’s psychomagic, with the subject being  Mouchet himself! We also discuss Jodorowsky’s recent 94th birthday, an Adanowsky (with Karen O from The Yeah Yeah Yeahs) music video featuring Brontis Jodorowsky, Frank Pavich’s New York Times article on AI image generation, and so much more. CHECK IT OUT!