MRAC Film Club

Episode 41 - It is a new month and a new theme. This month we will be exploring films about face, hosted by Pete. And no Pete month would be complete without a dip into the cinematic past with silent film. This week we watch and discuss The Man Who Laughs (1928). After an introduction to the month, we discuss silent film, remakes and have a few laughs along the way. Join us all month long for some...

Episode 40 - This is the 5th week of our deep dive into the Japanese New Wave films of the 1960's. This week we tackle another film by Imamura Shohei; The Insect Woman (1963). This one shared a lot of the themes of previous weeks and left us with even more questions about this era in Japanese film. Join us as we break it down, and join us next week as we take a break from Japan. Pete unveils n...

Episode 39 - This is part 4 of our 10 week coverage of Japanese New Wave Cinema of the 1960's. This week we cover another Teshigahara film: The Face of Another (1966) , and continue the discussion of identity. There was also a guest appearance from a new host, 3D Pete, and there are even talks of making him a permanent host replacing regular Pete. Tune in next week to find out what happens as...

Episode 38 - We are plugging away at our deep dive into Japanese New Wave cinema. This week we enter into the theme of Identity and watch Teshigahara's Woman in the Dunes (1964) . We also explore more of Imamura with the supplemental The Pornographers (1966) . As of late we have been trying to cover way too much in too little time, and this week is no exception. We hope you are keeping up. At...

Episode 37 - Welcome to week 2 of our deep dive into Japanese New Wave cinema of the 1960's. This week we continue to explore the themes of youth and ideology, the Japanese film industry and American occupation in post war Japan. Yeah, it is a lot to cover so we went over 2 hours this week. The main film in discussion is Pigs and Battleships (1961) by director Imamura Shohei, and some suppleme...

Episode 36 - Welcome to the start our 10 week coverage of the Japanese New Wave cinema. Marco and Ragucci are teaming up to host the next two months, where we will be diving into Japan in the 1960's through a series of themes. The theme of the first two weeks is Youth and Ideology. We kick things off by discussing Night and Fog in Japan (1960) and the supplemental viewing, Cruel Story of Youth...

Episode 35 - Pack your bags, pack lightly and be prepared to never be allowed to come back again because we are heading to North Korea. This week we tap into the not so frequently discussed films of North Korea as Brian introduces us to Pulgasari (1985) , as well as the supplemental My Home Village (1949) . Tune in to hear us discuss the films along with the incredible real life story of an abduct...

Pack your bags, and make sure you pack some warm clothing because contrary to the name of the country, it is cold up there. This is week 3 of our journey to someplace new, and we are headed to Greenland to discuss the film Inuk (2010) . We also discuss Eksperimentet aka T he Experiment , also from 2010. While technically a Danish film, it takes place in Greenland and covers a particular occurrence...

It was a split decision on Sleeping Dogs (1977) , the film that kickstarted both the New Zealand New Wave and Sam Neil's career. We get into this, get sidetracked as usual, and also discuss What We Do in the Shadows (2014) as the New Zealand supplemental. And we didn't stop there. We also backtracked a bit to discuss last week's supplemental from Georgia: The Wishing Tree (1976) . Tune...

We are shaking things up this month, as we do every June. Each of us submitted a theme and one was chosen out of the hat via lottery. Once again Pete defied the odds and had his theme picked for the second time in a row. As a result, we are taking turns picking a film from a country we have not yet covered. Pete is up first and dug deep to find this hidden gem from the former Czechoslovakia: Tomor...

This week we wrap up our month of 1950s Atomic and/or Space Monster movies with a couple of "classics:" Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) and The Giant Claw (1957) . We had a lot of fun with these two so join us we discuss questionable 50's science and questionable 50's special effects. We also choose our surprise theme for next month via lottery. Tune in to see what we are cove...

The fun continues this week as we cover The Blob ( 1958) . This one falls into the space monster sub-genre, but we also spend time discussing the supplemental: Tarantula (1955) , yet another giant bug movie. How do these hold up against other films we've watched this month? Will Marco be a buzzkill once again and overanalyze the science in Tarantula? And what about the MRAC giveaway? Tune in t...

It may not be nuclear, it may not be from space, but Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1950's monster and we are covering it. Why? That's how we roll. Join us as we break down this classic, as well as a non-classic: The Beginning of the End (1957). Tune in for the fun, and tune in next week as we cover The Blob (1958) mracfilmclub@gmail.com

This is the first week of a new month. The theme: The Nuclear Space Monster: Fear and Normalization in the 1950's . This month was put together by Brian in reaction to last month's theme of Kurosawa and Post War Japan. This week we cover two films in rapid fire. The main feature is Them! (1954) , and the supplemental is The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) . Join us as we talk the nuclear...

This is the final week of covering the films of Akira Kurosawa in the context of Post WW2 Japan. And it is fitting that we finish with Kurosawa's final film: Madadayo (1993 ). How much can one person be fawned over? Tune in to find out, and to get QQ's gushing review. We also find out next month's theme. Brian is countering this month with The Nuclear Space Monster; Fear and Normalizat...

Richard Gere in an Akira Kurosawa film? How will this one hold up to the classics we've seen? Will Marco stay true to his word and rate this as a perfect film? What will QQ say? Will Pete ever watch a supplemental? Plus... an MRAC giveaway?? Tune in for the answers as we discuss Rhapsody in August (1991) . And tune in next week as we wrap up the month with Madadayo (1993) and find out what Bri...

It's our 25th episode! To celebrate, we finally got around to discussing Drunken Angel (1948) and the main feature I Live in Fear (1955) . We went a little long this week but had a lot of fun. Even QQ hung around for an extended visit. Join us for the fun. And join us next week as we watch Rhapsody in August (1991) If you made it though this make sure to let us know at mracfilmclub@gmail.com

This week we continue or review of Kurosawa films that took place in the context of Post WW2 Japan. We watched One Wonderful Sunday (1947) and discussed more post war history, censorship, scalpers, and how the story is still relevant today. We were cut short for supplemental talk, but it was put on hold for next week. Join is as we watch and discuss I Live in Fear (1955) , and hopefully Drunken An...

This month we dive into the films of the great Akira Kurosawa for the second time. Having covered many of the big hitters last March, we'll dive deeper into the Kurosawa filmography focusing on films set in Post War Japan. Week 1: No Regrets for Our Youth (1946) . Join us for this episode that is low key but jam packed with Japanese history nuggets from our guru Marco. Things are bound to pick...

This week the gang wraps up Persistence Month with a film that is epic in length: Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) . We watched it so you don't have to. Come spend an hour and 15 minutes with us and hear all about it. Time is money. Next week Marco hosts his second month of Akira Kurosawa, although the previous month was last March before we started recording. The fi...

The crew digs deep discussing the psychological and emotional rollercoaster that is the viewing experience of John Cassavete's 1974 film A Woman Under the Influence . Will this film even get a reaction from QQ? Tune in to find out, but definitely check out the film first.. if its a choice between the film or listening to this, it's a no brainer. Tune in next week as we wrap up Peristence m...

After some scheduling conflict then more technical difficulties, we finally bring you Week 2 of Persistence Month and our review of Jean Luc Godard's 1962 film Vivre Sa Vie. We are joined once again by a very special guest as we get into everything from the connections to Joan of Arc and Godard's influence on Tarantino. How did we all feel about the film? Tune in to find out. Article refer...

Pete, the dark horse, strikes again with another themed month and another silent film this week. The theme of this month is Persistence in honor of women's history month, and features films with women protagonists who persist. This week the crew tackles The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), and discusses the history of Joan of Arc, religion, and we even get our first call in from a special female...

This week we close the book on Bong Joon Ho month with the academy award winning film Parasite (2019). We hope you enjoyed our journey to South Korea this month with our deep dive into the filmography of another master director. Next month is a themed month, chosen by the dark horse Pete. Unpredictable as always he chose the theme of Persistence, and we are going way back to 1928 with The Passion...

For the third week of our Bong Joon Ho coverage we discuss Mother (2009). Just as the conversation was shaping up to be a quick and uneventful one, yet another debate broke out. What was it about? We still don't know, so tune in and maybe you can figure it out and let us know. Contact us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com And tune in next week as we wrap up the month with Parasite (2019). Plus, Pete un...