Jackie Chan in AMERICA! On this episode of WE DO OUR OWN STUNTS Jackie makes his first American excursion to star in the Robert Clouse directed comedy-action vehicle THE BIG BRAWL (aka BATTLE CREEK BRAWL). Despite Jackie knowing very little English (and having to promote the film on American television) and working a very different style than he was used to, the film is actually a ton of fun – as long as you don’t go in expecting the acrobatic fighting from his recent Hong Kong films. We also chat about the recent RIDE ON controversy, Jackie’s appearances in HIDDEN STRIKE and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM, and SO MUCH MORE. Check it out!
They took his girl. Now he’s talking them STRAIGHT TO HELL! On this episode of WHATEVER HAPPENED TO VIC DIAZ we’re getting properly post-apocalyptic with Cirio H. Santiago’s Mad Max-“inspired”, giant gun classic EQUALIZER 2000 starring Richard Norton (/w frosted tips), Corinne Wahl and a VERY young Robert Patrick in only his second ever role! There’s lots of gunfire, explosions and – blissfully – almost no plot to be concerned with, and it delivers the promise of a very big gun that mows down tons of faceless bad guys. HOORAY. We also chat a bit about the long tradition of post-apocalyptic films and some of our favs, and – of course – we dive into an appearance by the legendary Vic Diaz. CHECK IT OUT!
We tried. We tried our best to find some small piece of enjoyment in Dennis Dugan’s bafflingly misguided I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK & LARRY, a film about two straight firefighters (played by Adam Sandler and Kevin James) who decide to get married in order to deal with some uncomfortable pension-related paperwork. Overstuffed with pitiful racist, sexist and homophobic stereotypes, it’s – even worse – completely unfunny, and has a horribly confused message at its core. Yeesh. Anyway, we get angry about that, but there’s also plenty of chat about the ongoing writer/actor strike, and – of course – all the latest Steve Buscemi news. CHECK IT OUT, JERKS.
Yee-haw! We’re going back to the wild west on this episode of Bartel Me Something good with Paul Bartel’s 1984 comedy western LUST IN THE DUST starring Tab Hunter, Lainie Kazan and the legendary Divine! Originally envisioned as a John Waters project, Bartel ruffled against making a Waters-style film and instead brings his own wild and unpredictable sensibility (while still not skimping on the bad taste). It has musical numbers, butt tattoos, Cesar Romero, death via oral sex and so much more. Check it out, jerks!
Retired pro-wrestler Gail Kim, Pat Morita and Eric Roberts (and Eric Roberts’ hair!) star in the bizarre 2009 action fantasy ROYAL KILL, which features a totally bonkers twist and.. not a lot else! Alexander Wraith plays Adam Arthavan, a royal guard sent to protect a young girl – unknowingly the daughter of his king – from Gail Kim’s silent assassin. It’s kind of like The Terminator, except infinitely worse! Talking with us about Royal Kill (aka Ninja’s Creed) is restaurateur, chef and Nova Scotian Allan McPherson, who also gets to hear all the latest Eric Roberts news and tweets. Lucky! Join us, jerks!
On this swashbuckling episode of FURTHER REEDING we’re diving into Richard Lester’s incredibly entertaining 1973 action comedy THE THREE MUSKETEERS, starring Michael York, Frank Finlay, Richard Chamberlain, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Charlton Heston and – of course – Oliver Reed as Athos. Playing a character who is a heavy drinker and fighter might not have been a stretch for Reed, but he still got up to plenty of trouble on-set and we go through some of the more memorable stories and incidents that occurred during filming. We also chat about sword-fighting, blunderbusses, the origins of the term “musketeer” and so much more. CHECK IT OUT!
JodoWOWsky returns with a trifecta of Alejandro Jodorowsky-penned comic work from the 1990s, starting with the fantastical (and very odd) MOON FACE from 1992 (illustrated by François Boucq), then moving into the playfully erotic Angel Claws from 1994 (with explicit illustrations by Jean “Moebius” Giraud), and finishing with the western-tinged action-filled redemption tale Son of the Gun from 1995 (illustrated by Georges Bess). We also check out all the latest Alejandro Jodorowsky news, as well as the recent music video by Adanowsky (with Beck) for the song “Chain Reactionary”, directed by Michel Gondry. Check it out!
We’re getting silly on a brand new episode of George Kennedy is my Copilot with Greydon Clark’s Airplane-inspired horror spoof WACKO from 1982 featuring Joe Don Baker, Stella Stevens, Julia Duffy, Andrew “not yet Dice” Clay and – of course – George Kennedy as the kinda creepy Mr. Doctor Graves! It’s full of sight gags, puns, Hitchcock references and not a heck of a lot else. We also fit in a discussion on the Clint Black video for “Summer’s Comin'” which features a lovely George Kennedy cameo (amongst a slew of other celebs). CHECK IT OUT!
We’re getting WILD IN THE STREETS with Henry Silva and Woody Strode in Fernando Di Leo’s THE ITALIAN CONNECTION from 1972! Starring Mario Adorf as a Milanese pimp wanted by the mob for a crime he didn’t commit, it takes its time getting going, but eventually turns into a story of violent revenge, including one of the finest chase sequences you’re likely to ever see! We discuss some of our other favorite chase scenes, Liam’s crime connections and SO MUCH MORE. Check it out!
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!