Episode 112 - Pack your bags because we are headed to 1940's-50's Sweden to cover the early films of Ignmar Bergman. Bergman is considered one of the most important directors in the history of cinema so clearly we are not qualified to comment, but we are doing it anyway. You will get our initial reactions to Bergman through the first film he wrote and directed; Prison (1949), as well as some supplemental talk about Thirst (1949). Both films comment on marriage, faith and human nature... which we in turn comment on.
Join us for the... fun?
and join us next week as we watch an discuss Wild Strawberries (1957) and Summer Interlude (1951)
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 111 - Pack your bags, and make sure you pack lightly because you are going to be paddling over 20 miles from an island in the southern pacific to the nearest airport. But of course, you aren' t Arnold in the 80's, and you aren't trying to get to Los Angeles to be reunited with your biological twin from whom you were separated at birth, and this twin just happens to be Danny Devito. Of course with this ridiculous synopsis, we are talking the Ivan Reitman 80's classic Twins (1988). Strap yourself in for a fun ride, and then fasten your seatbelt because following this romp Marco will reveal what brooding philosophical and existential theme we will transition into next month.
email all comments and complaints to mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 110 - Pack your bags, and don't forget to pack your gatling gun because we are heading to the jungle to face the ultimate predator. And speaking of hunting, Happy Thanksgiving! This episode is being released on Thanksgiving back to back with our Running Man episode, much like how Arnold had two movies come out in 1987. So enjoy our discussion of Predator (1987) while you are digesting your Thanksgiving feast.
And tune in next week for our final Arnold in the 80's discussion with Twins (1988)
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 109 - Pack your bags, and if you forget to pack any one liners, don't worry because this movie has plenty to go around. We are traveling to the dystopian future year of 2019 to discuss The Running Man (1987), which stars Arnold alongside Richard Dawson of the Family Fued and Match Game. In this one, Dawson is the host of a game show called the Running Man, which pits convicted felons against killer professional wrestlers. When Arnold is wrongfully accused of a crime he has to go toe to toe with these wrestlers. Who will come out on top? Definitely watch this one if you haven't before listening to us talk about it.
And tune in next time as we cover Predator (1987)
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 108: Pack your bags, and don't forget to pack a kettlebell, because we are headed back to the 80's to track the early career of an icon of cinema and America in general; Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is our second week of 1980's Arnold where we watch and discuss Commando (1985). And if you are wondering what happened to the missing epsode where we cover a notable Arnold film from 1984, don't go looking because it dissent exist. Why did we skip that one? Tune in t find out. And tune in to listen to us gush over Commando because it was a blast.
We'll be back next week to talk The Running Man (1987)
Email all puns to mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 107 - We have been talking about it for years, and we finally answer the question; Is it possible to do an Arnold month? This month Brian is up to the challenge and taking 5 weeks to cover the evolution of Arnold Schwarzenegger as an actor in the 1980's. And while there may be one film in particular that is missing for the month, we are starting off week one strong with Conan the Barbarian (1982) as well as some supplemental talk about Conan the Destroyer (1984). In these early films we see Arnold getting his first real acting start and speaking roles (although minimally) in his role as Conan.
Tune in as we break this down. And tune in next time for Commando (1985)
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 106 - We conclude our October coverage of Horror Remakes with Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) with special guest Chris Bartoli. Chris is a big horror fan and hosted Carpenter month with us earlier this year and it was great to have him back. To wrap up this month we watched the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) as a compare and contrast. At the end we picked which version we preferred. Tune in to find out which version prevailed.
We also find out next months theme; Arnold in the 80's. Tune in next time for Conan the Brabarian (1982)
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 105 - This week we are joined once again by the great RaGhoul to rejoice in one of the best remakes ever made; John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). This is the third part of our 4 part series of Horror Remakes that rival the original. Apologies for the delay as this was supposed to come out in October. Coming soon will be our coverage of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), with our final special guest.
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 104 - It's week 2 of our October coverage of Horror Remakes, and we are covering the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead, which was directed by special effects legend Tom Savini. In addition to covering these remakes all month, we will also be joined by a new special guest each week. For this one we are joined by superfan Barely Ashley. You would be hard pressed to find a bigger fan, not only of this film, but of the horror genre in general. We had a blast. Join us for the fun.
And join us next week as we cover The Thing (1981) with another special guest.
Email all questions, comments or gripes to mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Epsiode 103 - It's October! And it's an Anthony R month which means we are doing some horror for sure. This month we are looking at Horror Remakes that hold their own against the original, or possibly even surpass the original. And all month long we will be joined by special guests. This week we are joined once again by OOTim to discuss the 2002 remake of The Ring. We run down our general thoughts about remakes, and go down a vortex about the title of the original Japanese version before breaking down the remake starring Tim's crush Naomi Watts.
Join us for the fun.
And tune in next week when we are joined by another special guest for Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 102 - This week we are joined but special guest 00Tim, who schools us all on the classic Sci-Fi Blade Runner (1982). Tim is a huge fan of the the film and without him we most likely would have been floundering around trying to talk about this one. So tune in and learn something. And we also learn next month's theme. For October we are continuing with the remake theme and flipping from OG Sci-Fi to Horror Remakes. Week 1 is The Ring (2002) where we will be joined once again by OOTim.
Join us for the fun
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 101- Pack your bags, we are headed to a theme park of the Wild West. Before there was the HBO series, there was the original film Westward (1973) centered around two friends who visit a kind of adult fantasy camp where people get to live in the Wild West for 1000 dollars per day, amongst lifelike robots. Sure there are guns, but it's all maintained and nothing can go wrong.. right? Tune in to find out. And let us know which world you would like to visit.
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 100 - It's our 100th episode! And in classic MRAC fashion we lost track and forgot which episode we were on and it went unmentioned other than in the outtakes at the end when we talk about how it was last week. Either way, we are doing out usual thing and talking film. This is week 2 of Original Sci-Fi films that have been re-did. We watched and discussed The Time Machine (1960), a movie based on an HG Wells story about a man in the turn of 20th century who travels forward in time. Join us for the fun, and even though we haven't seen the remake we implore you to watch the original!
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 99 - It's a new month here at MRAC, and for September Pete is bringing us the OG version of classic sci-fi films that have been re-did... or remade. For week 1 we watched and discussed The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), a classic science fiction film about an alien that comes to earth with his giant robot friend to warn the earthlings about their behavior. After some nerding out on the accuracy of the science in this 1950's work of fiction, we get into this one. And as always we encourage you to skip the remake and watch the OG.
Tune in soon for week 2 where we watched and discussed The Time Machine (1960)
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 98 - This week we head over to America to put a big shiny ninja bow on this month. We dive into the Cannon gem of a ninja film: Enter the Ninja (1981). While the whole trilogy is worth watching we only have time to get into the first installment of a fully trained American ninja helping his American war buddy save his land in the Philippines, which is being threatened by a local warlord. And what an office this warlord has. This wraps up the month, so stay tuned in until the end when Pete makes his reveal for next month.
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 97 - This month we head back to Japan and we are animated. This is anime ninja week, part 4 of Marco's deep dive into ninjas. We are watching an early anime classic Ninja Scroll (1993). Ninja scroll is the story of a vagabond ninja who gestured dragged into battling a group of demons involved in a plot to overthrow the shogunate. And just because this is animated don't let it fool you to thinking you can watch this on a plane. Just ask Pete. We hope you enjoy this episode which was long delayed in being released. Coming soon is our conclusion of Ninja Month, and Pete's reveal for next month.
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 96 - Pack your bags because we are headed back to China as the ninjas take on the Shaolin monks. This week's main feature is the Ninja vs Shaolin (1983). This one is more kung fu than ninja and the ninjas are not portrayed very favorably. It once again features Japanese in China as the Japanese employ ninjas and other schemes to try and take over a Shaolin Temple. It is pretty ridiculous and low budget but it has some great martial arts. We had a lot of fun discussing this, and Brian and Marco spent some time discussing the supplemental: 5 Elements Ninja, a Shaw Brothers production.
Tune in next week as we cover some anime and watch Ninja Scroll (1993).
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 95 - This is part 2 of our ninja coverage. This week we are looking at another classic Japanese ninja origin film; Castle of Owls (1963). This is a more polished version of last weeks story of ninjas plotting against the powers that be as well as each other. There is also an intriguing story of ninja having to choose between duty and their prospective love interest. This week we are also joined by long time friend of MRAC; Colin. Join in for the fun.
And join us next week as we head back to China as the ninja takes on king-fu in: Ninja vs Shaolin (1983)
Send your feedback to mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 94 - Pack your bags, and keep you nunchucks packed, because we are transitioning from Kung Fu to Ninja month. This is a Marco month, so the month wouldn't be complete without an old Japanese film. And this may not be the last. We are digging deep into he origins of the ninja with Shinobi no Mono (1962), a story about ninjas plotting against ninja and other powers that be. We try to break this one down in spite of the ridiculous subtitles in the version we watched. It was quite the journey. Join us for the fun.
And stay tuned for part 2 coming soon; Castle of Owls (1963)
And let us know your thoughts by emailing us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com
Episode 93 - Our schedule has not been consistent lately but helpfully we are back on track after a summer of travel and adventures, all while watching Kung Fu films. This wraps up July and our month of Kung Fu Legends. This week we watched Ip Man (2008) starring Donnie Yen. Ip Man is the story of a Kung Fu master defending his town and country once again from those pesky Japanese. The real Ip Man was the teacher of Bruce Lee, so we come full circle to wrap things up.
And we are carrying this momentum over to next month as we move over to Japan to cover a series of Ninja films. First up is Ninja: A Band of Assassins (1962), brought to you by Marco.
email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com