Ep. 188 – Yojimbo

The real villainy in this world belongs to the corrupt politicians and systemic discrimination leveled at local and marginalized populations at the mercy of enormous capitalistic systems. Or, you know, the hired hitmen (and women) looking to scratch a sociopathic itch. So let’s buckle in for a nice cathartic tale.

Three documentary filmmakers trail a serial killer in a mockumentary attempting to point out the violence that film can celebrate. However, does this deconstruct the violence or merely propagate more of it on screen?

Come around the world with us as we adventure into the future of 1999. You’ll feel like you’re at the heart of the action as you traverse the wondrous landscapes of Europe, America, Asia, and Australia across the nearly 5 hour runtime of Wim Wenders Until the End of the World. (We wish he’d just release that 20 hour cut already!)

Not all family problems can be sorted out in the span of a single day. But there are often bonds that connect us to those who came before. Join us for Hirokazu Koreeda’s Still Walking.

Escape to the wild free country of…World War III. Or is it? Regardless, you’re in for a heartwarming tale as we take a look at Andrei Tarkovsky’s final film, The Sacrifice.

There are dystopias and there are dystopias. Welcome to Gilead, where all your repressive nightmares are true and marketing executives are the new ruling class. That’s right, we’re off to Margaret Atwoods visage of hell with The Handmaid’s Tale.

Sometimes there are different paths open to us all. Apple and Suzanne know this better than most, keeping a friendship alive despite a difference of location and style of life. Join us for Agnes Varda’s 1977 film: One Sings, the Other Doesn’t.

Welcome to Fury Road. Or rather, just a desert in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where bands of nomads scrounge for food and sex. Or you can contrast that with the real remnants of society far below. Either way, prepare yourself for a grim experience in A Boy and His Dog.

The samurai with no name returns in another caper. Watch as Toshiro Mifune outwits and outfights his opponents in Akira Kurosawa’s Sanjuro.

The original man with no name isn’t Clint Eastwood. That honor goes to Toshiro Mifune, in one of his most iconic samurai roles. So, how can one bodyguard solve the problem of two warring factions in a small town? Probably not how you think. Join us for Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo.