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Serpent's Path: The Films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Episode 310 – Serpent’s Path: The Films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa – Men of Rage (1994) & Yakuza Taxi (1994)

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Kiyoshi Kurosawa is coming off a rough patch after controversies around SWEET HOME in 1989 and the financial failure of THE GUARD FROM UNDERGROUND in 1992, but after retreating into television work he's about to be given a new lifeline in the 90s: V-CINEMA! This straight-to-VHS trend focusing on genre fare ended up being a training ground for a number of favorite directors and Kurosawa dives right in, first with the extremely silly (but quite fun) crime-comedy YAKUZA TAXI, and continuing with the cycling drama (adapted from a Yasuhito Yamamoto manga) MEN OF RAGE. On this episode of SERPENT'S PATH we look at everything Kurosawa was up to, how he ended up on these two films, and detail some of our own frustrations watching them. ENJOY!Read more

You Don't Know Dick

Episode 309 – You Don’t Know Dick – The Trip (1967)

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We're going GUESTLESS and UNTETHERED on this episode of YOU DON'T KNOW DICK, and what a long, strange trip it is! We're checking out the Roger Corman-directed 1967 film THE TRIP starring Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern and Dennis Hopper and it's full of surreal visuals, mind-expanding dialogue and hippy nonsense! Roger Corman went on an LSD trip as prep for the film, and he imbues it with plenty of independent energy (helped by Fonda and Hopper filming guerilla style on the streets of LA), but is it consciousness expanding weirdness or boring nonsense? Let's find out!Read more

How Do You Do Fellow Kids?

Episode 308 – How Do You Do, Fellow Kids? – The Impostors (1998)

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Steve Buscemi.. the CROONER? It happened! In this episode of HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS? we're checking out Stanley Tucci's throwback comedy THE IMPOSTERS from 1998 where Tucci teams with Oliver Platt as a pair of struggling actors/con-artists who find themselves in the middle of MANY plots when they accidentally stowaway on an ocean liner. I'm laughing already! And you'll be laughing(?) alongside an all-star cast that includes Alfred Molina, Tony Shalhoub, Hope Davis, Lili Taylor, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, and - of course - Steve Buscemi as "Happy" Franks. Also Woody Allen shows up. Anyway, all that and the latest Buscemi news. Stop reading this and start listening!Read more

Episode 307 – Do You Otaku? – Dandadan (Season 1)

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Cinema Smorgasbord host Liam O'Donnell is an anime/manga-loving man in his 40s while his Cinema Smorgasbord co-host Doug Tilley is an anime skeptic (and grumpy old man). On DO YOU OTAKU? Liam is going to force Doug to watch popular anime TV shows and movies and RECORD THE RESULTS. On this PREMIERE episode Liam makes Doug watch the 12-episode first season of the comedy/romance/sci-fi/horror anime DANDADAN, where two high school students encounter monsters, aliens and maybe - just maybe - learn a bit about love. It's better than that sounds. Always curious about anime but have no idea where to start? START RIGHT HERE, BOZO.Read more

JodoWOWsky

Episode 306 – JodoWOWsky Part 18 – Documentary Trio (Midnight Movies (2005), Moebius Redux (2007), My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn (2014))

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After a lengthy break we're celebrating the holiday season with some fresh-from-the-oven JODOWOWSKY featuring now only a SLEW of new Alejandro Jodorowsky news (including a surprising celebrity admirer), but also a TRIO of documentaries featuring Jodo's always-memorable talking head! We start with the 2005 doc MIDNIGHT MOVIES: FROM THE MARGINS TO THE MAINSTREAM (2005) which documents the origins of midnight cult cinema starting with - of course - EL TOPO, and then moving onto PINK FLAMINGOS, THE HARDER THEY COME, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and more! Featuring interviews with John Waters, David Lynch, George Romero and (of course) Alejandro Jodorowsky. Next up is the 2007 documentary MOEBIUS REDUX: A LIFE IN PICTURES tracing the career of Jean "Moebius" Giraud, and featuring an impressive collection of his collaborators and admirers. Then we finish up with the unique, revealing documentary MY LIFE DIRECTED BY NICOLAS WINDING REFN from 2014 which follows director (and Jodorowsky acolyte) Nicolas Winding Refn as he goes through a depressive episode while making hi film ONLY GOD FORGIVES. Fun! All this and SO much more. Let's listen right now!Read more

Holiday Special

Episode 305 – The Cinema Smorgasbord Holiday Special – Round and Round (2023) & Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point (2024)

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DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW here comes the Cinema Smorgasbord HOLIDAY SPECIAL! And this time it really IS a holiday special, because we're talking about the 2023 time loop Hallmark Hanukkah film ROUND AND ROUND (featuring Dropout comedy sensation Vic Michaelis) before getting cozy with the 2024 nostalgia-tinged comedy-drama CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER'S POINT. All that and some thoughts about Christmas-themed music because WHY NOT? Enjoy!Read more

Praising Kane

Episode 304 – Praising Kane – Scrooged (1988) (and Carol & Joy (2025))

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Ding dong merrily on high! PRAISING KANE returns again.. and much quicker than usual because we just happened to have the Holiday classic SCROOGED next up in our chronological look at the life and work of Carol Kane! You know SCROOGED, right? Bill Murray, Richard Donner, modern adaptation of A Christmas Carol.. You get it. What's our take on it? LISTEN and FIND OUT. But that's not all! We also discuss the long-awaited documentary (recently made available on The Criterion Channel) CAROL & JOY from director Nathan Silver about Carol's relationship with her 98-year-old mother Joy (who she cares for in her piano-filled New York apartment). It's two for one! A holiday miracle! ENJOY!Read more

Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out

Episode 303 – Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out – Train Dreams (2025)

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All aboard! We choo-choo-choose you on this episode of CINEMA SMORGASBORD SELLS OUT and we're checking out the 2025 drama TRAIN DREAMS starring Joel Edgerton, with Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, and William H. Macy! Based on the beloved novella Denis Johnson, we follow 80 years of the life of Robert Grainier, a logger (and later hermit) who faces love, loss, triumph and tragedy at the turn of the 20th century. BUT IS IT ANY GOOD? I guess we'll talk about it until we reach a conclusion.Read more

Praising Kane

Episode 302 – Praising Kane – License to Drive (1988)

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On the latest PRAISING KANE we're diving into the fraught history of the two Coreys (Haim and Feldman) with the 1988 teen comedy classic(?) LICENSE TO DRIVE, featuring car chases, a hip drive-in restaurant, scary driving tests (/w James Avery), Richard Masur, Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" and OF COURSE the wonderful Carol Kane. We also chat about the upcoming short documentary CAROL & JOY which should be available to watch RIGHT NOW on the Criterion Channel. Enjoy!Read more

Wild In The Streets

Episode 301 – Wild in the Streets – Weapons of Death (1977)

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We're getting WILD IN THE STREETS with Henry Silva (/w some other guy's voice) in Mario Caiano's WEAPONS OF DEATH from 1977. Trying desperately to seem like a sequel to the previous year's VIOLENT NAPLES, this one has Leonard Mann as Commissioner Belli, a cop on the edge trying to track down rogue mob boss Santoro (Henry Silva) while also helping out a precocious/annoying kid named Gennarino. Thankfully this one has a trick up its sleeve: EXTREME VIOLENCE (thanks to Fulci makeup favorite Gino De Rossi), and a few solid action scenes (car chases! Pool hall fights! Piano wire decapitation!) to keep things moving. It's not bad, but is it.. good? Listen and find out!Read more

We Do Our Own Stunts

Episode 300 – We Do Our Own Stunts – Twinkle Twinkle, Lucky Stars (1985)

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It's the 300th(!!!!) episode of Cinema Smorgasbord! Now, normally we would do a big, special celebratory episode, but.. uh.. I forgot it was coming up so instead we're back with those pervy Lucky Stars goofballs as they travel to Thailand for some trademark misadventures/sexual harassment. Thankfully these sequences are intercut with some of the most incredible action sequences of the era featuring (naturally) Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao (and also Andy Lau, Richard Norton, Lau Kar-wing, Dick Wei, Philip Ko, and Yasuaki Kurata!). Michelle Yeoh even pops up briefly. It's a tale of two movies in 1985's TWINKLE TWINKLE, LUCKY STARS. Enjoy!Read more

How Do You Do Fellow Kids?

Episode 299 – How Do You Do, Fellow Kids? – Parting Glances (1986)

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On a returning HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS? (the world's finest Steve Buscemi-themed podcast) we're heading back to the past with Bill Sherwood's gay romantic drama PARTING GLANCES from 1986, featuring Steve Buscemi's breakout performance as Nick, an HIV-positive rock musician. Two straight dudes talking about a pioneering queer work? It happened! Now you can hear it and all the latest Steve Buscemi news. Enjoy!Read more

Halloween Horror Special

Episode 298 – Halloween Horror Special – Working Class Goes to Hell (2023) & Black Eyed Susan (2024)

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It's the 2025 Cinema Smorgasbord HALLOWEEN HORROR SPECIAL and as usual we're taking a look at two underloved horror (or, in this case, horror adjacent) films that deserve a little more attention. We start with the Serbian 2023 socio-political satire WORKING CLASS GOES TO HELL from LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG director Mladen Djordjević about a group of exploited workers who turn to Satan for some help battling corrupt businessmen and political leaders. We follow that up with Scooter McCrae's BLACK EYED SUSAN, which features Yvonne Emilie Thälker as a sex doll designed for punishment, and tackles some iffy moral questions about the future of artificial intelligence and.. Hey! This isn't very spooky at all! Oops! Read more

George Kennedy is my Copilot

Episode 297 – George Kennedy is My Copilot – The Delta Force (1986) (and Murder on Location – Part 2)

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On the last stirring episode of GEORGE KENNEDY IS MY COPILOT we covered the first half of the George Kennedy-penned mystery novel MURDER ON LOCATION and on this episode.. WE REACH THE END! Who is the killer? What is their motivation? Does George Kennedy get an Oscar? All will be revealed! And then we talk about the odd disaster movie/jingoistic action movie hybrid THE DELTA FORCE from 1986 starring Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin (and also George Kennedy). ENJOY!Read more

Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out

Episode 296 – Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out – One Battle After Another (2025) (/w Luke Higginson)

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When Paul Thomas Anderson drops one of the year's most anticipated movies you know THE BOYS gotta get their opinions down on.. uh.. tape, so on this episode of CINEMA SMORGASBORD SELLS OUT we're watching the lengthy action thriller ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER! But this three hour epic about an ex-revolutionary stumbling his way through a search for his daughter requires EXTRA FIREPOWER so we've been joined by the great RELAX, I'M FROM THE FUTURE director Luke Higginson to talk about the triumphs, controversies and everything else tied to PTA's triumphant return. Listen!Read more

Eric Roberts is the Man Redux

Episode 295 – Eric Roberts is the Man – Nobody’s Fool (1986) (/w Dan Gorman)

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We're back in CLASSIC ERIC ROBERTS era with the darkly comedic romantic drama NOBODY'S FOOL from 1986 featuring Rosanna Arquette as a quirky, traumatized waitress who finds her life turned upside-down when a troupe of Shakespearean actors arrive in her small Arizona town, including a handsome, equally messed up stagehand played by - wait for it - ERIC ROBERTS. There's plenty of odd charm, thanks to a strong script from Pulitzer Prize-winner Beth Henley, and a great supporting cast including Mare Winningham, Louise Fletcher and Stephen Tobolowsky! We're joined by NOBODY'S FOOL superfan Dan Gorman, making his long-awaited return, and the show is JAM-PACKED with the latest Eric Roberts news. ENJOY!Read more

Serpent's Path: The Films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Episode 294 – Serpent’s Path: The Films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa – Sweet Home (1989) & The Guard From Underground (1992)

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After a bumpy and controversial start to his career, that bumpiness would continue for Kiyoshi Kurosawa with 1989's SWEET HOME, a unique videogame/film collaboration that is colorful, entertaining and full of goopy FX by the legendary Dick Smith, but after a post-theatrical re-edit things would go sour between Kurosawa and producer Juzo Itami. It would be a few more years before Kurosawa would direct another feature, returning with the slasher-y office thriller THE GUARD FROM UNDERGROUND which has a number of hints at what would become his trademark style. Let's check it out!Read more

Praising Kane

Episode 293 – Praising Kane – Sticky Fingers (1988)

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2025 is the YEAR OF CAROL KANE! From Star Trek to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to a documentary about her relationship with her mother (CAROL &JOY, coming soon!), to appearing in the latest Darren Aronofsky movie, it's a busy time in the world of PRAISING KANE and we're loving it. We break down all the latest news on this episode, followed by a look at the strange Caitlin Adams-directed crime-comedy STICKY FINGERS starring Helen Slater and Melanie Mayron as two down-on-their-luck street musicians who are saddled with a bag containing almost a million dollars! With supporting turns from Christopher Guest, Eileen Brennan, Stephen McHattie and - of course - CAROL KANE! Enjoy!Read more

Wild In The Streets

Episode 292 – Wild in the Streets – Bloody Payroll (aka Violent Milan) (1976)

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Two gang members pull a double cross on Claudio Cassinelli's Raul Montalbani after a bank robbery in Mario Caiano's occasionally spirited 1976 film BLOODY PAYROLL (aka VIOLENT MILAN). BIG MISTAKE! Cassinelli spends most of the film tracking them down to get a little revenge, helped by the sympathetic sex worker Leila. It's bookended by some terrific action (especially the car and motorcycle chases in the first thirty minutes, but then settles down into some Noir-ish score settling buoyed by a terrific, jazzy soundtrack. But what did we think? CHECK IT OUT!Read more

Your Hosts

Doug Tilley

Co-host of the No-Budget Nightmares and The Flight Stuff podcasts, as well as former co-host of Eric Roberts is the Fu**ing Man. He likes movies and stuff.

Liam O'Donnell

Founder of Cinepunx.com and co-host of the Cinepunx and Horror Business podcasts, as well as former co-host of Eric Roberts is the Fu**ing Man.