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Podcast

Episode 318 – Praising Kane – The Lemon Sisters (1989)

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We like to have fun here on PRAISING KANE, the world's finest chronological Carol Kane-themed podcast, but occasionally - rarely - even Carol Kane's charms are not enough to lift up a film, and that's certainly the case with Joyce Chopra's misguided misfire THE LEMON SISTERS from 1989 (though held back from release until 1990). Despite a dynamite supporting cast (including Elliott Gould, Aidan Quinn, a young Nathan Lane, and Ruben Blades) and the talented trio of Diane Keaton, Kathryn Grody and Kane herself as the titular Lemon Sister (friends who grew up together on the Atlantic City boardwalk who sing standards in a nightclub.. sorta), it's just a disaster. Bad music, incomprehensible plot elements, and a lack of chemistry just dooms the whole thing. But is there ANYTHING to recommend it? Listen and find out!Read more

Wild In The Streets

Episode 317 – Wild in the Streets – Young, Violent, Dangerous (1976)

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Three well-to-do young men go on a crime and killing spree for KICKS while Tomas Milian is.. uh.. kinda on their trail in Romolo Guerrieri's YOUNG, VIOLENT, DANGEROUS from 1976! Milian is sort of wasted, but the trio are a hoot (and there's plenty of homoerotic under(?)current as well, because of course there is! There's blood, murder, and a tremendous car chase. Who could ask for anything more? We also discuss our favorite trios for some reason. ENJOY!Read more

How Do You Do Fellow Kids?

Episode 316 – How Do You Do, Fellow Kids? – The Big Lebowski (1997)

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On a brand new episode of HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS? we're finding a stranger in the alps with THE DUDE and all his funny pals in The Coen Brothers' neo-noir cult favorite THE BIG LEBOWSKI from 1997. Featuring Jeff Bridges as the dude, John Goodman as his pal Walter Sobchak and - of course - the great Steve Buscemi as the mild-mannered Donny (and also Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Turturro, Sam Elliott and MORE). We talk about Dudeism, oat sodas, Caucasians.. all that stuff! Enjoy!Read more

We Do Our Own Stunts

Episode 315 – We Do Our Own Stunts – Heart of Dragon (1985)

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Before we get to the sublime (POLICE STORY) we need to experience the ridiculous, and it doesn't get much more ridiculous than 1985's HEART OF DRAGON which features Jackie taking care of his developmentally delayed brother (played by Sammo Hung) even though he really just wants to be on the SWAT Team.. or a police officer.. or a sailor. While sometimes a total disaster (the Sammo antics are NOT GREAT) it also features some extraordinary choreography (from Yuen Biao), particularly in the Japanese version we watched for this episode that has TWO extra fight scenes and closing credits outtakes. Hear some conflicted opinions on this episode of WE DO OUR OWN STUNTS!Read more

Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out

Episode 314 – Cinema Smorgasbord Sells Out – Is this Thing On? (2025)

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On a returning CINEMA SMORGASBORD SELLS OUT we're talking about Bradley Cooper's divorced dad energy mid-life crisis comedy-drama IS THIS THING ON? for some reason. Will Arnett plays a RICH BASTARD who divorces former volleyball star Laura Dern and turns to stand-up comedy to discover insights about himself and somehow we STILL decided to watch it. Bradley Cooper plays a character named BALLS! Yikes! Anyway, there are plenty of shocking revelations, so give it a listen. Spoilers ahead, but who cares? Read more

Further Reeding

Episode 313 – Further Reeding – Tommy (1975) (/w Kolleen Carney Hoepfner)

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On a brand new episode of FURTHER REEDING (the world's finest Oliver Reed-themed podcast) you can SEE US, FEEL US, TOUCH US and HEAL US as we check out Ken Russell's all-star film adaptation of The Who's classic rock opera TOMMY starring Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson, Tina Turner and - of course - OLIVER REED! We couldn't cover such an epic experience by ourselves, so we're joined by special guest Kolleen Carney Hoepfner to cover the good and bad of Russell's overblown, over-the-top, synth-heavy monster! Our senses will never be the same!Read more

Eric Roberts is the Man Redux

Episode 312 – Eric Roberts is the Man – Luck of the Draw (2000)

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On an UNPRECEDENTED new episode of Eric Roberts is the Man, we're covering a film.. FOR THE SECOND TIME! Due to a series of unfortunate events (and fading memories) The Catered Quiz host (and Family Feud veteran) Rick Katschke joins us for our second kick at the all-star counterfeit money crime caper LUCK OF THE DRAW from 2000 (/w Dennis Hopper, Ice-T, Michael Madsen, William Forsythe and - of course - ERIC ROBERTS). Did we like it any more this time? GUESS YOU'LL HAVE TO LISTEN AND FIND OUT. All that and the latest Eric Roberts news. ENJOY.Read more

Wild In The Streets

Episode 311 – Wild in the Streets – No, The Case is Happily Resolved (1973)

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What if you witnessed a murder but the ACTUAL murderer goes to the cops first and accused YOU of being the killer? UH OH! That's what happens to Enzo Cerusico's hapless Fabio Santamaria in 1973's comically titled NO, THE CASE IS HAPPILY RESOLVED where Fabio's attempts to not get involved in the criminal justice system lands him in a heap of trouble, while the actual murderer (a school professor played by Riccardo Cucciolla) is treated like a hero by the cops. It's a dire look at class differences, the criminal justice system and making a lot of BAD decisions when you think someone is looking for you. At least, until a terrible, tacked-on ending (which we discuss!). CHECK IT OUT!Read more

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

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.