The Sword (1980)

And here we are. 151 episodes in and we're putting the Fu for Thought podcast to bed. This has been my baby for 6 years now, and it's been an absolutely joy to watch it grow. To those listeners that have come along for the ride, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We're just three idiots talking nonsense in Cyrus' living room. The fact you gave us time and energy has meant the world to us. We hope you enjoyed what we did. I know it's been a weird ride, with even weirder tangents. But we've loved every second. Thanks for giving us a chance. With love, Shaun. Cyrus, and Devan

In this episode we tackle the first sequel in the Rurouni Kenshin series, Kyoto Inferno. And if I do say so myself, we have a great conversation about it. We ask, "Does anything actually happen in this film?", I try to explore its themes and subtext, and we discuss the fantastic action direction and the film's usage of shaky cam. Later, we tackle listener questions ands probably go on far too long about the type of pirate we'd have sex with. Yes, that's as weird as it sounds. Enjoy!

The gang's all here as we chat about Gareth Evans' long awaited action extravaganza, HAVOC. I talk about my viewing experience and how it relates to graphic novels, we discuss the film's much talked about CGI, we hash out a few of the confusing plot devices and much, much more! Later, we answer some fantastic "Which of you is most like to...?" listener questions and Cyrus finally makes me edit an episode. Enjoy!

It's the entire crew this week as we dive into Vincent Zhao's battle-heavy God of War. I always thought Cyrus would like this one but does he? We discuss the film's not-so-fleshed out plot, the coolness of Samurai armour, tree spear thingies and Vincent Zhao's badass wife (in the film). Later, we answer listener questions. We talk about crimes we've committed, I bring up a story about how much of a d*ckhead I was when I was a teenager, and Cyrus gives us his list of red flags women can have. Enjoy!  

The man...the legend...the icon...Cyrus, is back! He dives back into the Fu for Thought foray to discuss Lau Kar Leung's comedic classic, DIRTY HO. I've avoided showing this one to Devan for years because I thought the "shenanigans" would annoy her. Well, she's finally seen it. Did she love it? Hate it? On this episode, we dicuss the concept of "covert fights," we wonder "What are the 7 Agonies all about?" and Devan expresses her dislike for the "killer cowbell." Later, we answer listener questions. Including whether we'd fight our parents in their prime and if Gordon Liu is an underrated actor. Enjoy!

This episode Devan and I discuss the ultra-violent Korean horror-action film, Project Wolf Hunting! We address the film's level of gore and how it feels different from other films, we bring up Britney Spears and later on we ask, "If you fought your parents, who would win?" Enjoy!

No Cyrus this week, but Devan and I sit down and discuss Patrick Tam's wuxia tragedy, THE SWORD. We get into the randomness of the first few scenes, Devan has qualms about sword lore and fight scene length, and I try (and probably fail) to dig deep for metaphor and symbolism. Tangents include our new adventures with the ol' marijuana. Later we discuss the joys of Christmas when you're a kid and kung fu cinema's finest swordsmen! Enjoy!    

I have to apologize in advance for this episode. It's the first ever solo episode. Go easy on me! On this week's episode I get into 1974's Sonny Chiba classic, THE STREET FIGHTER. I ask, "What makes a karate man?", compare its choreography style to early 70's Bashers, and ask you guys to give me your favourite year in martial arts cinema. After a technical blip, I jump into listener questions. Including an impromptu rant about CGI. Enjoy!

This week we delve into the underworld of Indonesian crime with Timo Tjahanto's latest action epic, THE SHADOW STRAYS. We kick the show off with some important Fu for Thought news and then jump into the review. Varied opinions on this one from the old Fu for Thought crew!   We talk about the juxtaposition between 13 and Umbra, the film's graphic violence, and how gimp masks add an extra layer to a villain. As well as loads more.   Later, we get into listener questions and discuss the feminine qualities of Lord of the Rings orcs, Devan makes a difficult decision between Thor and Black Panther, and we ask, "Are jump scares actually good?"   Enjoy!

It's spooky season so we decided to get a bit ominous and eerie with the 2024 Korean horror, EXHUMA. A bit of a wild ride, this one. It seems one of the things I like about the film, Devan and Cyrus don't (the whole "severe left turn" thing), both Devan and Cyrus ask, "Why's it so big!?" and one of us (and trust me, it's not who you think) wants MORE jump scares. As well as film banter, Cyrus makes Devan spit out her drink...twice. Cyrus tells the story of when he saw people in his closet and I divulge why I'm scared of haunted houses (spoiler: it's racism).   Enjoy!