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In preparation for the upcoming award season, we are covering the highly regarded 2025 gem of filmmaker Park Chan-wook, No Other Choice. Enjoy the discussion! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2026/01/award-special-no-other-choice-2025.html Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.socia Follow John: https://bsky.app/profile/jmhimara.bsky.social

It's that time of the year again, and the Heroic Purgatory crew has decided to celebrate the festive season by revisiting John Carpenter's They Live (1988). John and Jason discuss the symbolism, the politics, the style, as well as the balls to the wall action of this 80s classic. Enjoy the discussion! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/12/xmas-special-they-live-1988.html Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.socia Follow John: https://bsky.app/profile/jmhimara.bsky.social

After a longer than usual break, the Heroic Purgatory podcast is back with a Halloween special, covering none other than John Carpenter's Halloween (1978). John and Jason discuss this horror classic's aesthetics, historical significance, and its metaphorical representation of patriarchal norms. We also talk about the sequels. Enjoy the discussion! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/10/special-halloween-1978.html Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.socia Follow John: https://bsky.app/profile/jmhimara.bsky.social

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, we tackle a classic, Jackie Chan's Project A. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/07/s5e8-project-1983.html Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.socia

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason travel to the Kingdom of Joseon to witness the Qing invasion of Korea in the War of the Arrows (2011). Both hosts characterized this film as a fairly straightforward historical action flick, albeit one with excellent action scenes, pacing, and historical accuracy. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/07/s5e7-war-of-arrows.html Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.social

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John, Jason, and invited guest Jack (Optimism Vaccine) discuss Hideo Gosha's 1965 chanbara film, The Sword of the Beast. Far from a simple minded samurai flick, the film reflects the anxieties, tensions, and complex politics of the time by deconstructing the faux nobility of a past era. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/07/s5e6-sword-of-beast-with-guest-jack.htmIn Follow Jack Eason: https://bsky.app/profile/jackeason.bsky.social Listen to Optimism Vaccine: https://www.optimismvaccine.com/ Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.social

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory we put on our wuxia hats and EastmanColor glasses for King Hu's 1967 iconic piece, Dragon Inn. It is a film of many influences coalesced into a Ming dynasty tale of brave warriors standing up to an evil eunuch's army, with beautiful action pieces and big emotional swings. We discuss how the film holds up today and how it compares with the more recent Tsui Hark produce New Dragon Gate Inn (1992). We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/05/s5e5-dragon-inn.html Follow the show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeroicPurgatory Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/filmnohito

This week in the Heroic Purgatory podcast, we talk about Zhang Yimou's 2002 wuxia film, Hero, staring Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, and Tony Leung. A film as beautiful as it is controversial, Hero is one of the director's best known works, toping both Chinese and international box offices and catapulting the filmmaker into the world of commercial mainstream filmmaking. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/05/s5e4-hero-2002.html Follow the show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeroicPurgatory Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/filmnohito

This week, the Heroic Purgatory team travel to Edo period Japan to witness the bravery of 13 warriors against a tyrannical and sadistic lord. That's right, in this double whammy of an episode we discuss 13 Assassins, both the 1963 version directed by Eiichi Kudo and the 2010 version directed by Takashi Miike (with a light sprinkling of the 1990 version also thrown into the mix). Listen to the heated debate between John and Jason about which version is the better film. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/05/s5e3-13-assassins.html Follow the show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeroicPurgatory Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/filmnohito

The year is 1978. The place: a high school in Seoul, South Korea. The film: Once Upon a Time in High School. The Heroic Purgatory Asian Cinema Podcast is excited to bring you one of the most celebrated films of New Korean Cinema, Yoo Ha's 2004 coming of age story in an increasingly militaristic nation. John and Jason are joined by long time South Korean film reviewer Paul Quinn (http://www.hangulcelluloid.com/) to discuss the film themes, historical significance, and various references to Bruce Lee. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/04/s5e2-once-upon-time-in-high-school.html Follow the show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeroicPurgatory Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/filmnohito

The Heroic Purgatory Podcast returns with a brand new season, this time focusing in historical martial arts. We kickstart the fifth season with the 1972 Bruce Lee film, Fist of Fury. We discuss the film's historical context, action choreography, it's impact on Lee's career as well as its legacy in Hong Kong and Asian cinema. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/04/s5e1-fist-of-fury.html Follow the show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeroicPurgatory Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/filmnohito

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, we celebrate the life and works of the recently passed David Lynch (1946 - 2025). We discuss Lynch's career and the films that left the biggest impression on our lives. Enjoy! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/02/special-remembering-david-lynch.html Follow the show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.social Follow John on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jmhimara.bsky.social

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/filmnohito.bsky.social Follow John on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jmhimara.bsky.social

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 the show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.social Follow John on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jmhimara.bsky.social

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 enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2024/10/special-corman-poe-cycle.html Follow the show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeroicPurgatory Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/filmnohito