Cinema Smorgasbord - Home

This is a placeholder for your sticky navigation bar. It should not be visible.

Eric Roberts is the Man Redux

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

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)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

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)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

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)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

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

Further Reeding

Episode 291 – Further Reeding – Z.P.G. (1972)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Your Oliver Reed-loving pals are BACK on a brand new episode of FURTHER REEDING and we're checking out the filmed-in-Denmark 1972 science fiction oddity Z.P.G., where Reed and Geraldine Chaplin play a couple in a dystopian near-future where childbirth has been outlawed. Instead people cling onto weird child-like automatons while slowing losing their minds and eating steak-flavored paste. That's good eating! When Chaplin's Carol decides she wants to have a baby anyway things get.. pretty goofy, especially when the neighbors discover the couple's not-very-well-hidden secret. It's strange! Check it out!Read more

Bartel Me Something Good

Episode 290 – Bartel Me Something Good – Hollywood Boulevard (1976)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Uh oh! The gang is back talking all things Paul Bartel on another episode of BARTEL ME SOMETHING GOOD and this time not only are we yacking about 1976's HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD, the made-for-a-bet directing debut of both Joe Dante AND Alan Arkush (and featuring Paul Bartel, Dick Miller and Mary Woronov among many other familiar faces), but we also start with a very special episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents from 1985 directed by Tim Burton(!), featuring music by Danny Elfman(!) and starring Griffin Dunne, Laraine Newman and - wait for it - Paul Bartel as a pretentious art critic. It's even.. uh.. sort of an adaptation of a Ray Bradbury story. All that and so much more, so enjoy!Read more

How Do You Do Fellow Kids?

Episode 289 – How Do You Do, Fellow Kids? – The Last Outlaw (1993)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

One this rootin'-tootin' episode of HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS? we're checking out the made-for-HBO western THE LAST OUTLAW from 1993 featuring a murderer's row of early 90s character actors: Mickey Rourke, Dermot Mulroney, Ted Levine, John C. McGinley, Keith David and - of course - Steve Buscemi! Not only that, it was written by Eric Red (who wrote THE HITCHER and NEAR DARK) and directed by THE QUIET EARTH/YOUNG GUNS II/FREEJACK's Geoff Murphy and features plenty of ultra-violence in a (transparently) WILD BUNCH-inspired revenge tale. All THAT and the latest Steve Buscemi news!Read more

Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out

Episode 288 – Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out – Eddington (2025)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

We're selling out ONCE AGAIN with Ari Aster's controversial neo-western thriller black comedy EDDINGTON, starring Joaquin Phoenix as sheriff Joe Cross, who runs for mayor against Pedro Pascal's Ted Garcia in a small New Mexico town during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. It's sometimes uncomfortable, occasionally hilarious, and has some real bite - though some audiences didn't know what to make of it. On this episode we go through some recent watches, discuss the Ari Aster films we've seen so far, and then have the DEFINITIVE conversation about EDDINGTON (with some warning before any spoiler talk). Enjoy!Read more

We Do Our Own Stunts

Episode 287 – We Do Our Own Stunts – The Protector (1985)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

For the final time (until his real breakthrough a decade later), Golden Harvest is trying to make Jackie Chan a star in the U.S. and they've signed up U.S. exploitation film director James Glickenhaus to transform Chan into a high kicking Charles Bronson in 1985's THE PROTECTOR. Playing a hard-nosed New York City cop teamed with Danny Aiello, Chan swears and shoots through a blood revenge film, but then - thoroughly displeased with the experience - he went and added a bunch of new scenes for the Hong Kong release. On this episode of WE DO OUR OWN STUNTS we look at Jackie Chan's frustrations, the good (and bad) of each release and WHICH REIGNS SUPREME. Enjoy!Read more

Episode 286 – Serpent’s Path: The Films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa – Kandagawa Pervert Wars (1983) & Bumpkin Soup (1985)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

It's the PREMIERE episode of our new limited series SERPENT'S TAIL: THE FILMS OF KIYOSHI KUROSAWA and on this episode we discuss why we chose the filmmaker as our subject, our (limited) experience with his work, a bit about his background and dive into his first two features: 1983's KANDAGAWA PERVERT WARS and 1985's BUMPKIN SOUP (aka THE EXCITEMENT OF THE DO-RE-MI-FA GIRL). Both films have a unique mix of eroticism and surrealism, and are a world away from the films we most closely associated with Kurosawa. Enjoy! Read more

You Don't Know Dick

Episode 285 – You Don’t Know Dick – Rock All Night (1957) (/w Alan Cerny)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

On this long-awaited episode of YOU DON'T KNOW DICK we're joined by film critic extraordinaire Alan Cerny to discuss the life and career of actor Dick Miller, starting with a cut sequence (directed by Joe Dante) from the film AMAZON WOMEN ON THE MOON featuring Dick as a beleagured ventriloquist, and finishing up with a lengthy look at the 1957 Roger Corman classic ROCK ALL NIGHT! We discuss its soundtrack (featuring The Platters and The Blockbusters), the attempted remake by Quentin Tarantino and Dick Miller's incredible performance as guy with the biggest chip on his shoulder imaginable. Check it out!Read more

Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out

Episode 284 – Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out – Superman (2025)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

You will believe a pod can cast on a brand new episode of CINEMA SMORGASBORD SELLS OUT where our mild-mannered hosts go deep on Superman lore, our favorite Superman comics and films and - of course - having a nice chat about James Gunn's new SUPERMAN film, and the launching of the new DC cinematic universe. There's lots to get angry about, so look up to the sky.. it's a bird, it's a plane, it's time to LISTEN!Read more

Praising Kane

Episode 283 – Praising Kane – Drop-out Mother (1988) & Rap Master Ronnie: A Report Card (1988)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

On an ACTION PACKED episode of Praising Kane we're DOUBLING UP: first with the 1988 satirical TV special from Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau RAP MASTER RONNIE: A REPORT CARD, featuring - you guessed it - Ronald Reagan kicking it old school (along with appearances from The Smothers Brothers, Jon Cryer and - of course Carol Kane), and finishing up with the Valerie Harper-starring TV movie DROP-OUT MOTHER (aka GOODBYE SUPERMOM) which finds a harried public relations professional "dropping out" of her corporate life to become a devoted wife and mother.. WITH "HILARIOUS" CONSEQUENCES! All this and the latest Carol Kane news, so start LISTENING!Read more

Wild In The Streets

Episode 282 – Wild in the Streets – Silent Action (1975)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Luc Merenda plays Inspector Giorgio Solmi, a renegade cop investigating a string of suspicious military deaths in Sergio Martino's poliziottesco SILENT ACTION, also featuring Mel Ferrer, Delia Boccardo and the always welcome Tomas Milian as the suspiciously uptight Captain Mario Sperli. Featuring a tremendous car chase and a grenade-filled helicopter attack sequence near the end, it's a mix of action, intrigue and - unsurprisingly - political commentary, and you're going to hear about ALL OF IT. EVERY LAST BIT. ENJOY!Read more

JodoWOWsky

Episode 281 – JodoWOWsky Part 17 – The White Lama (1988 – 1993) & The Borgias (2004 – 2010)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

We're lost in the stacks in this long-awaited episode of JodoWOWsky, not only covering half a year of Alejandro Jodorowsky news but tackling two of his most beloved - and complex - comics works, starting with his masterwork collaboration with the legendary Georges Bess THE WHITE LAMA and finishing with the lush, grotesque historical narrative THE BORGIAS, created with the equally legendary Milo Manara. There's plenty of wild, obscene, confusing and bizarre material to chat about, so let's get started!Read more

Eric Roberts is the Man Redux

Episode 280 – Eric Roberts is the Man – Saved By The Light (1995) (/w Lance St. Laurent)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

On an inspiring episode of ERIC ROBERTS IS THE MAN we're joined by author, teacher and Jeopardy champ Lance St. Laurent to do a deep dive into the 1995 made-for-TV film SAVED BY THE LIGHT, based on a TRUE STORY where town jerk Dannion Brinkley was hit by lightning, died, and came back with MYSTERUOUS POWERS - including a heap of predictions for the future that just might have come true! WOW! Anyway, it's a bunch of hooey, but let's talk about it anyway. We pair that with all the latest Eric Roberts news (including an upcoming collaboration with Kevin Spacey (ugh) and some Killer Tomatoes (yay!)). It's a packed show, so check it OUT!Read more

How Do You Do Fellow Kids?

Episode 279 – How Do You Do, Fellow Kids? – Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

On a smoky new episode of HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS? we're slamming java and puffing darts with Jim Jarmusch in the all-star black and white anthology film COFFEE AND CIGARETTES. Spun off from a series of previous caffeine-drenched shorts (several of which are included here) from as early as the mid-80s, you get interesting collections of actors and musicians (RZA & GZA & Bill Murray! Steve Coogan and Alfred Molina! The White Stripes! Cate Blanchett!) pontificating about a variety of subjects while downing the titular combo. It's all good fun, and you get to hear us talk about it, along with the latest Steve Buscemi news. Enjoy!Read more

George Kennedy is my Copilot

Episode 278 – George Kennedy is My Copilot – The Dirty Dozen (1968) (and Murder on Location – Part 1)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

George Kennedy wrote a book! In fact, George Kennedy wrote THREE books, with two being mystery novels featuring him playing himself and on THIS episode of GEORGE KENNEDY IS MY COPILOT we're talking about the first half of 1983's MURDER ON LOCATION featuring intrigue, suspense and lots of dialogue about BOOBS. Then we're going long on Robert Aldrich's classic 1968 men-on-a-mission WWII classic THE DIRTY DOZEN featuring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and a dozen convicted criminals sent on a suicide mission. Filled with tough guy character actors and lots of bros being bros. Any good? LET'S FIND OUT.Read more

We Do Our Own Stunts

Episode 277 – We Do Our Own Stunts – My Lucky Stars (1985)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

We're taking a brief respite from American films on WE DO OUR OWN STUNTS to return to Hong Kong (and Japan!) for the sequel to the wildly popular WINNERS & SINNERS, it's the even MORE wildly popular MY LUCKY STARS from 1986! Starring the 5 Lucky Stars (minus John Shum, but with extra bonus Eric Tsang), it's bookended with some wild Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao action sequences and the meaty center is full of silly comedy - and lots of uncomfortable stuff because of course there is. How does it stack up to the first film, and exactly how much Jackie do we get in this one? LISTEN AND FIND 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.