Heroic Purgatory: An Asian Cinema Podcast

Feb 02 2025 67 ep. 92 mins 9
Heroic Purgatory: An Asian Cinema Podcast artwork

A show with reviews and discussions on Asian Cinema. We talk about movies from Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, etc.

  TV & Film
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Special - Best of 2024

Feb 02 2025 116 mins  
Yet another year is behind us, so John and Jason get back behind the mics on this special episode of Heroic Purgatory to discuss their favorite films of 2024. Enjoy! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/02/special-best-of-2024.html Follow the show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/filmn

Special - Lone Star (1996)

Dec 16 2024 71 mins  
In another special episode of Heroic Purgatory, we take a right turn towards Texas to visit John Sayles' Lone Star, a film about history and identity. We discuss the film's authenticity, brilliant performances, and which version of history is right or moral. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2024/12/special-lone-star-1996.html Follow

Special - The Corman Poe Cycle

Oct 31 2024 81 mins  
Halloween is here, and Heroic Purgatory is celebrating the spooky season with a spoonful of Roger Corman, Vincent Price, and Edgar Allan Poe. That's right, in this special episode we discuss Roger Corman's Poe cycle. Though we focus mostly on The Raven and The Pit and The Pendulum, we touch on all 8 films as well as other Corman and Price films in the scary category. We hope you e

Special - Alien (1979)

Oct 03 2024 117 mins  
In a season of female action heroes for the Heroic Purgatory podcast, we tackle what may be perhaps the first female action hero in the history of cinema: the iconic Ripley in Ridley Scott's 1979 seminal science-fiction horror film, Alien. From the special effects to the production design to the paradigm-shifting female-led action franchise, we can't help but admire every detail of

S4E12 - House of Flying Daggers

Aug 28 2024 97 mins  
In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, we discuss Zhang Yimou's 2004 wuxia love story, House of Flying Daggers, staring Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Andy Lau. We discuss the film's impressive visuals, anti-authoritarian themes, and its place in Yimou's expansive filmography. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2024/08/s4e12-house-o

Special - Japan Cuts Film Festival 2024

Jul 20 2024 57 mins  
Once again this year, the Heroic Purgatory podcast is covering the Japan Cuts 2024 film festival which took place between July 10 and 21. As usual, the podcast will present John's and Jason's favorite films of the festival. Additionally, this page includes short written reviews by John of the Japan Cuts movies he managed to see. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2024/0

Special - Interview with Japan Society

Jul 06 2024 86 mins  
In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, in anticipation of the upcoming Japan Cuts 2024 film festival, we interview two members of Japan Society: director of film Peter Tatara, and programmer Alexander Fee. Find out more about the festival at: https://japansociety.org/film/japancuts/ We hope you enjoy our discussion! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2024/07/special-inter

S4E11 - Righting Wrongs / On the Run

Jun 20 2024 88 mins  
In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, we take on a Hong Kong Yuen Biao double feature, Righting Wrongs (1986) and On the Run (1988). Both films see Biao share the screen with a female co-star, Cynthia Rothrock and Patricia Ha, two riveting action stars who steal the show and make these movies memorable. We hope you enjoy our discussion! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com

Special - Shin Godzilla (2016)

May 28 2024 97 mins  
In this special episode of Heroic Purgatory, we discuss the 2016 kaiju movie, Shin Godzilla, as well as the franchise's various other incarnations that followed it. We talk about the film's themes, social commentary, visual aesthetic, and its place in the Godzillaverse. We hope you enjoy our discussion! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2024/05/special-shin-godzilla-2

S4E10 - The Villainess (2017)

May 14 2024 78 mins  
In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, we discuss the 2017 South Korean film, The Villainess. We discuss the film's action, style, and the merits of its questionably derivative revenge story. We hope you enjoy our discussion! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2024/05/s4e10-villainess-2017.html Follow the show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeroicPurgatory Follow Jason: