In 1989, underground filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto wrote, directed, produced, edited, and co-starred in Tetsuo: The Iron Man. It became astoundingly influential in the cult, cyberpunk, and pop art scenes of the era, leading to surprising mainstream penetration in the form of movies (Darren Aronofsky’s Pi [1998], for example, would not exist without Tetsuo’s success), music videos (Portishead’s “Machine Gun”), and advertising (Tsukamoto teamed with Trent Reznor for an MTV promo t

It’s always exciting when I get a review copy of a film I almost covered for a podcast. It’s extra exciting when I get a review copy of a film I almost covered on multiple episodes of the podcast. Donald Farmer’s Scream Dream (1989) was initially going to be included on the four-part podcast Patrick Ripoll and I recorded about Shot-on-Video (SOV) Horror Movies (listen to part one here). Then it was going to be included with our two-part SOV Addendum podcast (listen to part on

Sold as a softcore curiosity in the midst of the Porno Chic boom (“Women will understand…Men will be shocked,” cried the adline), Theodore Gershuny’s Sugar Cookies (1973) was a commercial and critical flop, and would’ve been little more than a forgotten oddity, had it not been for the uncommon confluence of cult stars that made it.

In early 2023, perennial Genre Grinder podcast co-host Patrick Ripoll and I recorded a two-part piece on the giallo movies released during the genre’s peak year (in terms of theatrical output), 1971 (listen to it here and here). Of the 40-plus gialli and giallo-adjacent films I researched, we covered 12, which I picked based on their accessibility, familiarity of the filmmakers, and particular thematic qualities that I hoped would paint the most complete picture of the genre

A contemporary of Kinji Fukasaku, Sadao Nakajima was another hit-maker for Toei Studios during the ‘70s, who found success across genres, especially softcore and exploitation with titles like Twisted Sex (Japanese: Sekkusu dokyumento: Seitôsaku no sekai, 1971), The Kyoto Connection (Japanese: Poruno no joô: Nippon sex ryokô, 1973), and Girl Boss: Escape From Reform School (Japanese: Sukeban: Kankain dassô, 1973). He grew into an influential figure during a wave of popular jit

The so-called spaghetti westerns were a series of European films set largely in the American west, made mostly by Italians, shot in Spain, and often co-financed by West Germans. They were designed for multiregional release and utilized international casts to aid sales in other countries. These efforts ensured that the spaghettis were popular across Europe, North America, and Asia, especially in Japan, where the genre’s connections to samurai cinema weren’t forgotten, and in H

1978 was the big turning point year for young Jackie Chan. Director Yuen Woo-ping had finally unlocked his comedic potential with a pair of hits, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master, Chen Chi-hwa utilized his newfound charisma in Half a Loaf of Kung Fu and Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin, and, finally, producer/director/production company head Lo Wei tapped him for two more films, Spiritual Kung Fu and, the subject of this review, Magnificent Bodyguards, which was no

Arguably, the most important figure of the first Hong Kong New Wave (along with Ann Hui), Tsui Hark became best remembered for directing and producing lavish special effects fantasies, supernatural comedies, wuxia melodramas, and heroic bloodshed shoot ‘em ups that re-introduced Hong Kong filmmaking to Western audiences, eventually legitimizing the region’s box office viability alongside the likes of Jackie Chan, John Woo, Sammo Hung, and...

Post-WWII, following many years of decline, the Australian film industry was rescued by a concerted, government-supported effort to fund new films and train new filmmakers via the Australian Film Television and Radio School. As a result, more than 400 new movies were released between 1970 and 1985. Starting (arguably) with Nicolas Roeg’s Walkabout (1971), international audiences were introduced to a new brand of artistic drama, followed by a new brand of rowdy comedy in Bruce

Independent animation mogul Ralph Bakshi worked his way up from cell polisher to animation director at Terrytoons, the B-grade studio behind Mighty Mouse (1960), before striking out on his own with Bakshi Productions in 1968. Against impossible odds, through sheer tenacity and stubbornness, Bakshi built his solo career off of his 1972 feature debut, Fritz the Cat, which was the first officially X-rated cartoon released in US theaters. It was made with producer Steve Krantz an