MRAC Film Club

Episode 145 - The LA Summer of Sleaze continues with more bed time stories filled with grimy revenge. This week we watch and discuss the cut classic Savage Streets (1984) which stars Linda Blair as a crossbow wielding vixen hell bent on vengeance. The recipient of said vengeance is a local gang headed by the razor blade earringed Robert Dryer. This is the exemplar of sleazy 80's LA cult film and to do it justice we are joined once again by the legendary Barely Ashley. Ashley brings her knowledge of exploitation film as well as a love of cult film to...

Episode 144 - This week we have a double feature of early 80's LA Sleaze, with Vice Squad (1982), and Angel (1983). Both of these films have a lot of similarities; a prostitute protagonist, the setting of the Hollywood strip, a savage killer. But while these elements unite the film there are clear differences in tone which sets them apart. Join us as we discuss these two films and dive deeper into the LA sleaze. And join us next week as we are joined by special guest Barely Ashley to discuss Savage Streets (1984).email us at mracfilmclub@gmail...

Episode 143 - Pack your bags, we are headed to the city of lights Los Angeles circa early 1980's for the month. It's July and we are doing an LA Summer of Sleaze, looking at exploitation films set in Los Angeles from 1982-1985. For the first week we are focusing more on Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) and the Death Wish franchise, focusing on Death Wish II (1982). Death Wish II features Kersey after he's moved to LA with his daughter following the events of the first Death Wish which took place in New York City. Kersey returns to his vigilante ways...

Episode 142 - Happy 4th of July! As this episode is released it is July 4th, and what better way to celebrate the Independence Day of the United States than to celebrate a national treasure: Nick Cage. We wrap up our Nick Cage month with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022). This one stars Nick Cage playing himself, and Pedro Pascal as a Cage fan who hires him to appear at his birthday. Any fan of Nick Cage would appreciate this one which has plenty of easter eggs and nods to former films. It was a great way to end...

Episode 141 - Pack your bags, we are headed to the bayou and the city of New Orleans to watch some more Cage being Cage. Bad Lieutenant; Port of Call New Orleans (2009) stars Nick Cage as a loose cannon of a police lieutenant and was directed by another MRAC favorite Werner Herzog. This one had the potential of being an MRAC favorite but ended up being decisive for reasons you will have to tune in to find out. We also discussed the supplemental Color Out of Space (2019)And tune in next week for our final week of Cold...

Episode 140 - What's better than a movie with Nick Cage? How about a movie with 2 Nick Cages? This week we get meta with the story of Charlie Kaufman (played by Nick Cage) as he struggles to adapt the screen play for the novel The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (played by Meryl Streep). Directed by Spike Jonze, this one is a modern meta classic that features and additional Cage who plays his own twin brother Donald. This one also made the MRAC history books as the 4th film to make it into the prestigious MRAC honors society, receiving a 10/10...

Episode 139 - Pack your bags! The time has finally some. We have been talking for years about a Nicholas Cage month and that month is now. This month is what we like to call our Lottery style, where we choose one theme submitted by three of us and then each of us takes turns choosing a film each week. For week 1 we are diving in head first with Brian's choice; Mandy (2018). Panos Cosmotos directed this dark revenge horror fantasy film which showcases Cage at a time when the Cage revival was in full swing. Tune in as we break...

Episode 138 - Pack your bags and get ready to leave our nation's capital because it is our last month of Top Dog month. But before we leave we watch and discuss Adam McKay's Vice (2018). Vice is a somewhat satirical biopic on Dick Cheney and how he shaped the presidency and politics of his time, spanning 4 decades. We end the month where we began it with a discussion of historical accuracy and the ethics of historical fiction. Try as he might, Marco could not walk away from that conversation. So tune in as we wave goodbye to Top Dog month...

Episode 137 - Pack your bags because we are headed back to the US of A. We recorded this on Memorial Day so Happy Belated Memorial Day everyone. For this week we watch and discuss a complicated figure in our nation's history; Richard Nixon. Frost/Nixon is a 2008 historical fiction directed by Ron Howard. It is a dramatized account of the legendary interviews of the former president Nixon by David Frost. And just as Frost and Nixon went four rounds together face to face, we all debate this film... all except for Marco who watched the wrong film again. But...

Episode 136 - Pack your bags, we are headed to the Soviet Union under the rule of Joseph Stalin. This week we watch and discuss The Death of Stalin (2017), a dark comedy about the death of Stalin (it's not just a clever name) and the ensuing struggle for power amongst his underlings. DISCLAIMER: This episode we had some technical issues due to internet issues. As result there may be some jumps in conversation and points where the conversation does not synch up well with some us talking over each other. We apologize for this but wanted to put it out...

Episode 135 - Pack your bags, we are headed to the nation of Tamainia circa 1940. It is week 2 of Top Dog month, a month focusing on films related to authoritarian rule and struggles within government. This week we are watching Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940) which features Chaplin playing dual roles as a Jewish barber/ WW1 vet, as well as the dictator Adenoid Hynkel, which is a satirical version of a certain dictator from history. This is a unique film in history so tune in to hear a much tamer conversation than last week's.Also tune in next...

Episode 134 - Pack your bags, we are headed to England during the reign of King Henry the 8th. Why? Because it's Top Dog month, and for the next 5 weeks we will be exploring authoritarian rulers and struggles within government. And boy does this week start off with a bang. The discussion gets "fiery" for the film Firebrand (2023). Firebrand is a historical fiction film set during the reign of King Henry VII and his marriage to Catherine. There is some heated debate about how historical this fiction is and the issues within the historical fiction genre in general. If that...

Episode 133 - Pack your bags, and get ready to possibly leave Japan if you can survive the journey through the dark bamboo forest. This week we wrap up our month in Japan by watching and discussing Kuroneko (1968). Directed by Kaneto Shindo, Kuroneko is a classic Japanese supernatural story set during a time of civil war in Japan. After two women are murdered by a gang of samurai, the samurai go mysteriously missing one by one at the hands of a couple of local ghosts. Does a local cat have anything to do with it? Tune in to find out...

Episode 132 - Pack your bags, and make sure you pack lightly because you might have to walk 200 miles across Burma. This week we are watching and discussing The Burmese Harp (1956), a story of a Japanese soldier in WW2 Burma. After the war ends, the solder, Mizushima, goes through a spiritual transformation and adopts the lifestyle of a buddhist monk. A classic Marco choice, join us as we go through our own spiritual quest and break this one down.And tune in next week as we wrap up Critical Japanese History month with Kuroneko (1968)email us...

Episode 131 - Your bags are packed, but hopefully you packed a proper sword, because this week we dive into a couple of classic samurai films with Harakiri (1962) and the required supplemental Samurai Rebellion (1967). You won't want to miss this episode since one of these films joins the elite MRAC Honors society which has been given to only two other films that we all unanimously rated it a minimum of 10/10. Which one is it? Tune in to find out. Also tune in to hear a very special guest and fellow Japan enthusiast, Ettore San, coming at us live from Japan...

Episode 130 - Pack your bags! We are headed back to Japan by none other than our resident Japanophile, Marco. The theme of this month is a cinematic critique of Japanese history, and week 1 we watch and discuss the film The Life of Oharu (1952) directed by the great Kenji Mizoguchi. This film looks at the treatment of women and the overall social structure of feudal era Japan through the perspective of the main character Oharu. Join us for a deep dive into Japan as we indulge Marco in his obsession. And tune in next time for a double...

Episode 129 - Pack your bags and don't forget to pack your funny bone. We are headed to Transylvania to wrap up spring break and our Gene Gone Wilder month. This week we watch another classic, Young Frankenstein (1974), written by Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks, directed by Mel Brooks. A parody of the classic story of Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein stars Wilder along side Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman and Teri Garr among others. It's an unbelievable cast putting on a comedic clinic. We also finish this month strong with another classic pairing of Gene Wilder with Richard Pryor in...

Episode 128 - Pack your bags because we are headed to the Wild West, as seen though the eyes of comedy legend Mel Brooks. For the second time this month we enjoy the paring of Brooks and Gene Wilder as we watch and discuss Blazing Saddles (1974). Wilder plays the Waco Kid, who had the fastest hands in the west before crawling into a whiskey bottle. He teams up with newly appointed Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little) to save the town of Rock Ridge. It's a classic comedy and we had a lot of fun with this one so tune in for...

Episode 127: Pack your bags, we are headed to the land of chocolate. It's week 2 of Gene Wilder month, and this week we are looking at the classic Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (1979), a tale of Charlie Bucket and 4 horrible children as they journey through the chocolate factory of Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder). We break it down and discuss watching this growing up as well as our observations as "adults." We had a lot of fun with this one. How high did we rate it? Tune in to find out.And tune in next week as we...

Episode 126 - It's Spring Break! So, back your bags because we are headed to... Gene Wilder? Yes it's Gene Gone Wilder month for March and we will be breaking down the film career of comedy legend Gene Wilder. For week 1 we start at the beginning with his first major film role and the first of his collaborations with the great Mel Brooks. In The Producers (1967) Wilder stars an accountant Leo Bloom, who along with Broadway play producer Max Bialystock hatch a plan to make money by intentionally creating a flop on Broadway. This is the original film which sparked...