Heroic Purgatory: An Asian Cinema Podcast

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss Wong Kar Wai's 1997 film, Happy Together. They discuss the film's technical aspects, its place in the director's filmography, as well as the film's larger statement on the politics of the time. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 1:40 Media Consumed 9:43 News 14:00 Film Discussion Website link: https://heroic-purgatory.blogspot.com/2021/04/s2e2...

After a long delay, the second season of the Heroic Purgatory podcast is finally here. In this season we have decided to focus on Asian movies from the 90s, so be prepared for all kinds of 90s goodness with all the great movies and bad haircuts that it entails. In the first episode of the season, we talk about Shohei Imamura's 1997 Palme D'or winner, The Eel. We discuss various interpretations of...

The holiday season is finally upon us. John and Jason close 2020 with a Heroic Purgatory Christmas Special, discussing their favorite Holiday themed movies, among other things. We procrastinated a lot more than usual in this episode. Actual film discussion starts at 42:05. Finally, we'd like to wish every one of our listeners a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year. See you in 2021...

In the final episode of the first season of Heroic Purgatory: An Asian Cinema Podcast, John and Jason discuss Wen Jiang's 2000 war drama/comedy, Devils on the Doorstep. They talk about the effectiveness of the film's comedy, its statement on propaganda, the morality of war, and much more. Website link: https://heroic-purgatory.blogspot.com/2020/12/episode-8-devils-on-doorstep-2000.html Follow the...

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory: An Asian Cinema Podcast, John and Jason discuss Bong Joon-ho's 2003 crime-thriller, Memories of Murder. They delve into the film's themes and messages, its statement on class and woman, as well as its stance on the past politics of South Korea. Next Episode: Devils on the Doorsteps (China, 2000) Website link: https://heroic-purgatory.blogspot.com/2020/11/episod...

In this episode of the Heroic Purgatory podcast, John and Jason talk about Ang Lee's film, Eat Drink Man Woman, the final part of his "Father Knows Best" trilogy. They attempt to analyze the themes of tradition vs. modernity, as well as the film's autobiographical elements. As a side note, they also ponder on the current state of Asian cinema and what it means for Western audiences. Website link:...

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason celebrate the spooky month of October by discussing Takashi Miike's seminal 1999 horror film, Audition. They talk about the film's feminist themes, its excessive violence, as well as its overall place in the horror genre. Website link: https://heroic-purgatory.blogspot.com/2020/10/episode-5-audition-1999.html Follow the show on Twitter: https://t...

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason tackle John Woo's 1989 action flick, The Killer. They delve into the film's action, production values, religious themes, as well as its place in the "Heroic Bloodshed" genre which John Woo helped invent. Website link: https://heroic-purgatory.blogspot.com/2020/10/episode-4-killer-1989.html Follow the show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeroicPur...

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss Kim Jee-woon's action/crime film, A Bittersweet Life (2005). They talk about the film's existential themes, its well-crafted action scenes, as well as whether or not the whole thing is just happening in the main character's head. Website link: https://heroic-purgatory.blogspot.com/2020/09/episode-3-bittersweet-life-2005.html Follow us on...

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss Kinji Fukasaku's final feature film, Battle Royale. Released in 2000, the film is as controversial now as it was then. We talk about the film, its sequel, the novel it was based on, and much, much more. Website link: https://heroic-purgatory.blogspot.com/2020/09/episode-2-battle-royale-2000.html Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/H...

In the first actual episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason talk about Jackie Chan's seminal action-comedy, Police Story (1985). Considered to be one of the best action films of all time, Police Story was the first among many films that would catapult Jackie into international stardom. Website link: https://heroic-purgatory.blogspot.com/2020/08/episode-1-police-story-1985.html Follow us on Twi...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Heroic Purgatory: An Asian Cinema Podcast. In this episode, the hosts, John and Jason, introduce themselves and talk about their history with Asian cinema, as well as their plans for their new podcast. Be sure to follow our show and let us know what you think. Follow John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mildly_scifi Follow Jason on Twitter: https://twitter.com/f...