Ben was able to attend the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville, VA and saw 12 feature films and one short film collection. He recorded some onsite reactions and introductions to each film and we intercut those with our post-festival conversational Q&A. Red Rooms discussion will follow tomorrow and our regular programming will resume next Thursday with Bugonia!

Sound Credit: drumroll2.aif by ddohler -- https://freesound.org/s/34258/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Works Cited

• Resurrection (2025, Bi Gan)
• Kontinental '25 (2025, Radu Jude)
• The Eyes of Ghana (2025, Ben Proudfoot)
• SirÂt (2025, Oliver Laxe)
• The Plague (2025, Charlie Polinger)
• Ghost Elephants (2025, Werner Herzog)
• It Was Just an Accident (2025, Jafar Panahi)
• Arco (2025, Ugo Bienvenu)
• Train Dreams (2025, Clint Bentley)
• Late Shift (2025, Petra Volpe)
• The President's Cake (2025, Hasan Hadi)
• Zodiac Killer Project (2025, Charlie Shackleton)
• Zodiac Killer Project: A Wry Critique of the True Crime Genre (2025, David Ehrlich)
• In Totality (2025, Jesse Rudoy)
• How She Was (2024, Jeff Luppino-Esposito)
• Shallow (2025, Luca Huff)
• Conference of the Moths (2025, Samhita, Sunya)
• The Lonely Dog (2024, Jacob Seltzer)
• Leaving the Light (2025, Steven Krueger)
• Chinese Independent Filmmakers Look to Locarno Festival (2015, Edward Wong)

Email us at [email protected]!

Find us elsewhere!

Ben Verschoor

• https://cinema-purgatorio.ghost.io/
• https://letterboxd.com/jamn4sure/
• @benverschoor.bsky.social

Steven Santana

• https://breakingarrows.substack.com/
• https://letterboxd.com/number8axel/
• @number8axel.bsky.social‬

Opening music is Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel

Closing music is G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa

Subscribe, rate and review us!

• Apple Podcasts: Mise en Screen - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
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After The Hunt is a 2025 film directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Nora Garrett. It stars Julia Roberts as Alma Imhoff, a philosophy professor at Yale on the verge of tenure. Ayo Edebiri plays Maggie, a star student of Alma's and Andrew Garfield as Hank, a fellow professor also on the verge of tenure. Alma is caught between the two when Maggie confides in Alma that Hank sexually assaulted her after a party one night. Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloe Sevigny star in supporting roles as Alma's husband Frederik and a school doctor/therapist respectively.

Timestamps

• (01:36) Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
• (17:43) The Devils
• (31:55) The Piano Teacher
• (45:57) After the Hunt discussion
• (1:32:49) After the Hunt Spoilers
• (1:55:21) Next Time!

Works Cited

• After the Hunt (2025, Luca Guadagnino)
• "All These Things That I've Done" (The Killers, 2004)
• Call Me by Your Name (2017, Luca Guadagnino)
• The Devils (1971, Ken Russell)
• Elle (2016, Paul Verhoeven)
• Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008, Nathan Frankowski)
• Freddie deBoer's letterboxd review of After the Hunt
• Hell on Earth: The Desecration and Resurrection of 'The Devils' (2002, Paul Joyce)
• Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975, Chantal Akerman)
• Opus (2025, Mark Anthony Green)
• The Piano Teacher (2001, Michael Haneke)
• Possession (1981, Andrzej Żuławski) 
• Southland Tales (2006, Richard Kelly)
• Tár (2022, Todd Field)

Email us at [email protected]!

Find us elsewhere!

Ben Verschoor

• https://cinema-purgatorio.ghost.io/
• https://letterboxd.com/jamn4sure/
• @benverschoor.bsky.social

Steven Santana

• https://breakingarrows.substack.com/
• https://letterboxd.com/number8axel/
• @number8axel.bsky.social‬

Opening music is Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel

Closing music is G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa

Subscribe, rate and review us!

• Apple Podcasts: Mise en Screen - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
• Spotify Podcasts: Mise en Screen | Podcast on Spotify
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• Podcast Addict: Mise en Screen - Podcast Addict

Anemone is a 2025 film directed by Ronan Day-Lewis, written by Ronan with his father Daniel Day-Lewis, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Ray Stoker, and Sean Bean as Jem Stoker, with supporting performances from Samantha Morton as Nessa Stoker, Samuel Bottomley as Brian Stoker, and Safia Oakley-Green as Hattie. In this film Jem seeks out his brother Ray, who has lived in isolation for an extended period of time, in order to bring him back to help aid the young Brian through a tumultous and consequential crossroads of his life.

Timestamps

• (01:14) Artemis Fowl
• (19:30) Field of Dreams
• (39:43) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
• (51:17) Anemone introduction, skip to next stamp to avoid synopsis spoilers
• (55:40) Anemone discussion
• (1:35:10) Anemone Spoilers
• (1:53:41) Next Time!

Works Cited

• Anemone (2025, Ronan Day-Lewis)
• Artemis Fowl (2001, Eoin Colfer)
• Artemis Fowl (2020, Kenneth Branagh)
• Anemone review by Monica Castillo for RogerEbert.com
• 'Anemone' Is More Than Just the Return of Daniel Day-Lewis by David Fear for Rolling Stone
• Fallout: New Vegas: Dead Money (2010, Obsidian)
• Field of Dreams (1989, Phil Alden Robinson)
• 'Field of Dreams' Turns 30: Why the Baseball Classic Still Holds a Special Place in America's Hearts (and Heartland)
• Magnolia (1999, Paul Thomas Anderson)
• Review: Daniel Day-Lewis returns in 'Anemone,' a flimsy vehicle that can't contain his gale-force intensityReview: Daniel Day-Lewis returns in 'Anemone,' a flimsy vehicle that can't contain his gale-force intensity
• The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948, John Huston)

Email us at [email protected]!

Find us elsewhere!

Ben Verschoor

• https://cinema-purgatorio.ghost.io/
• https://letterboxd.com/jamn4sure/
• @benverschoor.bsky.social

Steven Santana

• https://breakingarrows.substack.com/
• https://letterboxd.com/number8axel/
• @number8axel.bsky.social‬

Opening music is Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel

Closing music is G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa

Subscribe, rate and review us!

• Apple Podcasts: Mise en Screen - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
• Spotify Podcasts: Mise en Screen | Podcast on Spotify
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• Podcast Addict: Mise en Screen - Podcast Addict

The Smashing Machine is a 2025 film directed, written, produced, and edited by Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr, Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples, Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman, and Bas Rutten as himself. We follow Mark Kerr from 1997-2000 as he wins his first title in a Brazilian tournament before skipping forward to focus on a fight in Tokyo, Kerr's tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend Dawn, his addiction to painkillers, and his participation in the Pride Grand Prix 2000 again in Tokyo where his former coach Mark Coleman might end up being his final opponent if he can win each round.

Timestamps

• (01:54) The Tooth Fairy
• (21:19) Find Me Guilty
• (34:35) Southland Tales
• (50:29) The Smashing Machine
• (1:26:36) Spoilers
• (1:53:41 ) Next Time!

Works Cited

• "All These Things That I've Done" (The Killers, 2005)
• Anarchy in the USA movie review (2007) (Roger Ebert, 2007)
• Be Cool (F. Gary Gray, 2005)
• Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (Ang Lee, 2016)
• The Chronicles of Riddick (David Twohy, 2004)
• Code Unknown (J. Hoberman, 2006)
• Doom (Andrzej Bartkowiak, 2005)
• The Expendables (Sylvester Stallone, 2010)
• Fast Five (Justin Lin, 2011)
• The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (Justin Lin, 2006)
• A Few Good Men (Rob Reiner, 1991)
• Find Me Guilty (Sidney Lumet, 2006)
• Gotti (Kevin Connolly, 2018)
• INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch, 2006)
• JFK (Oliver Stone, 1991)
• Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola, 2024)
• Mr. Nanny (Michael Gottlieb, 1993)
• Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2000)
• One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2025)
• Pain & Gain (Michael Bay, 2013)
• Pride and Glory (Jake Rossen, 2010)
• Race to Witch Mountain (Andy Fickman, 2009)
• Red Notice (Rawson Marshall Thurber, 2021)
• Revelation (J. Hoberman, 2007)
• The Scorpion King (Chuck Russell, 2002)
• The Smashing Machine (Benny Safdie, 2025)
• The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr (John Hyams, 2002)
• "The Smashing Machine" Pulls Its Punches | The New Yorker (Richard Brody, 2025)
• The Smashing Machine review: There's a rock stuck in the gears (Jacob Oller, 2025)
• Southland Tales (Richard Kelly, 2007)
• 'Southland Tales': A Cannes flop readies for a big-screen rebirth (Dennis Lim, 2007)
• Southland Tales - The Pinocchio Theory (Steven Shaviro, 2007)
• Suburban Commando (Burt Kennedy, 1991)
• "Teen Horniness is Not a Crime" (Krista Now, 2007)
• Tooth Fairy (Michael Lembeck, 2010)
• Twelve Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957)
• Walking Tall (Kevin Bray, 2004)
• When Movie Stars Become Brands (Patrick H. Willems, 2024)

Find us elsewhere!

Ben Verschoor

• https://cinema-purgatorio.ghost.io/
• https://letterboxd.com/jamn4sure/
• @benverschoor.bsky.social

Steven Santana

• https://breakingarrows.substack.com/
• https://letterboxd.com/number8axel/
• @number8axel.bsky.social‬

Opening music is Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel

Closing music is G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa

• Apple Podcasts: Mise en Screen - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
• Spotify Podcasts: Mise en Screen | Podcast on Spotify
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• Podcast Addict: Mise en Screen - Podcast Addict

Leftist guerillas Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) and her lover "Ghetto" Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) leading their revolutionary group the French 75 in storming and liberating a migrant holding facility operated by race pervert Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn). But after a bank robbery turns deadly the group is shattered and scattered, with Perfidia vanishing and Pat going into hiding with their infant daughter Charlene. Sixteen years later Pat is living in a Colorado sanctuary city in a haze of drugs, under the assumed name of Bob Ferguson. His paranoia makes him an overbearing parent to his daughter, raised as Willa and now played by Chase Infiniti. When Colonel Lockjaw learns of their hiding place and leads a series of migrant roundup raids on the city, the remainders of the French 75 spirit Willa away to a safe house. Meanwhile Bob is forced to rely on the support of kung fu sensei and immigration activist Sergio St Carlos (Benicio Del Toro), as well as the protocol and praxis he forgot years before in order to escape capture and reunite with his daughter.

Timestamps

• (01:48) Godzilla
• (11:20) Out (Deadly Drifter)
• (23:28) The Battle of Algiers
• (42:41) Salvador
• (53:41) One Battle After Another
• (1:27:16) Spoilers
• (1:52:01 ) Next Time!

Works Cited

• The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966)
• Born on the Fourth of July (Oliver Stone, 1989)
• Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006)
• Disco Elysium (ZA-UM, 2019)
• Deadly Drifter, a.k.a. Out (Eli Hollander, 1982)
• Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino, 2012)
• Godzilla (Ishirō Honda, 1954)
• Godzilla (Roland Emmerich, 1998)
• Godzilla review & film summary (1998) | Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert, 1998)
• Independence Day (Roland Emmerich, 1996)
• Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014 movie; Thomas Pynchon, 2009 novel)
• JFK (Oliver Stone, 1991)
• Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
• The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012)
• Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino, 2019)
• One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2025)
• 'Out' Review (Evan "Raymond Gun-Virus" Pincus, 2019)
• Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986)
• Salvador (Oliver Stone, 1986)
• A Savage War of Peace: Algeria, 1954–1962 (Alistair Horne,1977)
• Souvenirs de la Bataille d'Alger (Saadi Yacef, 1956)
• The Simpsons (Matt Groening, 1989)
• Siskel & Ebert, Season 12, Episode 37, 'Godzilla/Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas/Bulworth/The Horse Whisperer' (Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, 1998)
• Lo Staniero/The Stranger (Luchino Visconti, 1967)
• There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
• The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013)
• Thirty Years Later… (Susan Sontag, 1996)
• This Is What It's Like Now: On "One Battle After Another" (Sam Bodrojan, 2025)
• Unclear and Present Patreon, The Battle of Algiers (Jamelle Bouie and John Ganz, 2023)

Find us elsewhere!

Ben Verschoor

• https://cinema-purgatorio.ghost.io/
• https://letterboxd.com/jamn4sure/
• @benverschoor.bsky.social

Steven Santana

• https://breakingarrows.substack.com/
• https://letterboxd.com/number8axel/
• @number8axel.bsky.social‬

Opening music is Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel

Closing music is G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa

• Apple Podcasts: Mise en Screen - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
• Spotify Podcasts: Mise en Screen | Podcast on Spotify
• Player.fm: Mise En Screen podcast
• Podcast Addict: Mise en Screen - Podcast Addict

HIM follows Cameron "Cam" Cade (Tyriq Withers) an up and coming college quarterback star who suffers a serious head injury before the draft combine. Unable to participate, Cam finds himself singled out and selected by his idol, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) who invites Cam to his isolated compound to train for a week as a test to see if he is capable of succeeding White as the San Antonio Saviors next quarterback. The training quickly descends into ritualistic violence as Cam discovers a deep secret behind White's superstar career.

Timestamps

• (00:00) The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All
• (24:06) Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
• (46:35) Foxcatcher 
• (1:02:25) HIM
• (1:41:33) Next week's pick: One Battle After Another

Works Cited

• Atlanta, Season 3 Episode 9 "Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga" (Donald Glover, 2022)
• The Blind Side (John Lee Hancock, 2009)
• BASEketball (David Zucker, 1998)
• Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (Ang Lee, 2016 film; Ben Fountain, 2012 novel)
• Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005)
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000)
• Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller, 2014)
• Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017)
• Gemini Man (Ang Lee, 2018)
• HIM (Justin Tipping, 2025)
• Him director Justin Tipping explains Marlon Wayans' 'terrifying' moment on set (Tasha Robinson, 2025)
• HIM movie review & film summary (2025) | Roger Ebert (Robert Daniels, 2025) 
• 'Him' Review: Justin Tipping's Football Horror Movie Is One Fumble After Another (David Ehrlich, 2025)
• 'HIM' Review: Jordan-Peele Produced Football Horror Is a Huge Fumble (David Fear, 2025)
• The Life of Pi (Ang Lee, 2012)
• Magic Mike (Steven Soderbergh, 2012)
• Metal Gear Solid (Hideo Kojima, 1998)
• NOPE (Jordan Peele, 2022)
• The Passion of Joan of Arc (Theodor Dreyer, 1928)
• Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell, 2012)
• The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All (Robert Radler, 1999)
• Together (Michael Shanks, 2025)
• Uncut Gems (Josh and Benny Safdie, 2019)
• Us (Jordan Peele, 2019)
• The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

Find us elsewhere!

Ben Verschoor

• https://cinema-purgatorio.ghost.io/
• https://letterboxd.com/jamn4sure/
• @benverschoor.bsky.social

Steven Santana

• https://breakingarrows.substack.com/
• https://letterboxd.com/number8axel/
• @number8axel.bsky.social‬

Opening music is Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel

Closing music is G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa

• Apple Podcasts: Mise en Screen - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
• Spotify Podcasts: Mise en Screen | Podcast on Spotify
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The Long Walk is the latest film adaptation of a Stephen King novel and takes place in an alternate 1970s United States in which a past war has ruined the country economically. The totalitarian regime that now runs the country has devised a new annual event to encourage larger GDP growth: a marathon walk in which one kid from each state is chosen via voluntary raffle. Each individual must walk at least 3mph, should they fail to do so after three warnings they are killed and the walk lasts until only one remains. The film's focus is mainly on Raymond Garraty as #47 (Cooper Hoffman) and Peter McVries as #23 (David Jonsson) who strike up a friendship despite the competition and its lethal end for all but one competitor.

Timestamps

• (00:00) The Cell
• (22:06) Misery
• (41:01) Children of Men
• (53:10) The Long Walk
• (1:34:32) Next week's episode: Him

Works Cited

• 11.22.63 (Bridget Carpenter, 2016 miniseries; Stephen King, 2011 novel)
• Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976 film; Stephen King, 1974 novel)
• Cell (Tod Williams, 2016 film; Stephen King, 2006 novel)
• Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006 film; P.D. James, 1992 novel)
• Dreamcatcher (Lawrence Kasdan, 2003 film; Stephen King, 2001 novel)
• Ghostbusters (Paul Feig, 2016)
• The Green Mile (Frank Darabont, 1999 film; Stephen King, 1996 novel)
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Mockingjay - Part 1, Mockingjay - Part 2, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Francis Lawrence, 2013-2015, 2023 films; Susanne Collins, 2009-2010, 2020 novels)
• It (Any Muschietti, 2017/2019 films; Stephen King, 1986 novel)
• Jurassic World (Colin Trevorrow, 2015)
• Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (J.A. Bayona, 2018)
• Jurassic World Dominion (Colin Trevorrow, 2022)
• Jurassic World Rebirth (Gareth Edwards, 2025)
• The Long Walk (Francis Lawrence, 2025 film, Stephen King (as Richard Bachman) 1979 novel)
• The Long Walk - Just King Things (Cameron Kuntzelman and Michael Lutz, 2021)
• Neon Genesis Evangelion (Hideaki Ano, 1995)
• Mass Effect 3 (BioWare, 2012)
• Misery (Rob Reiner, 1990 film; Stephen King, 1987 novel)
• Needful Things (Fraser Heston, 1993 film; Stephen King, 1991 novel)
• The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994 film; Stephen King 1982 novella)
• The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980 film; Stephen King 1977 novel)
• The Stand (Stephen King, 1978)
• Star Wars, Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (Rian Johnson, 2017)
• Star Wars, Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (J.J. Abrams, 2019)
• Thinner (Tom Holland, 1996 film; Stephen King (as Richard Bachman) 1984 novel)

Find us elsewhere!

Ben Verschoor

• https://cinema-purgatorio.ghost.io/
• https://letterboxd.com/jamn4sure/
• @benverschoor.bsky.social

Steven Santana

• https://breakingarrows.substack.com/
• https://letterboxd.com/number8axel/
• @number8axel.bsky.social‬

Opening music is Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel

Closing music is G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa

• Apple Podcasts: Mise en Screen - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
• Spotify Podcasts: Mise en Screen | Podcast on Spotify
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Private eye Honey O'Donahue (Margaret Qualley) begins investigating the suspicious death of one of her clients, who turns up dead in a car accident before they can even meet. Her sleuthing, with the help of MG (Aubrey Plaza), a police officer she hooked up with, points to the Four Ways church of Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans), a sleazy preacher who brings new meaning to the term 'Come to Jesus,' all while she is trying to help her sister keep her niece Corrine (Talia Ryder) out of trouble.

Timestamps

• (01:35) The Ladykillers
• (18:44) Jennifer's Body
• (32:09) The Hudsucker Proxy
• (48:40) Honey, Don't!
• (1:30:27) Next week will be The Long Walk

Works Cited:

• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018) The Big Lebowski (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1997)
• The Big Sleep ( Howard Hawks, 1946)
• Blood Simple (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1984)
• Burn After Reading (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2008)
• Drive Away Dolls (Ethan Coen, 2024)
• Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke Break Down 'Honey, Don't's Bogart Influence and Being "Out of Sync" With Joel (Mike Ryan, 2025)
• Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke's Queer Caper (Naomi Fry, 2024)
• The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981)
• Fargo (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1996)
• Hail, Caesar! (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2016)
• Highest 2 Lowest (Spike Lee, 2025)
• Honey, Don't! (Ethan Coen, 2025)
• The Hudsucker Proxy (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1994)
• I Love You, Phillip Morris (John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, 2009)
• Jennifer's Body (Karyn Kusama, 2009)
• Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind (Ethan Coen, 2024)
• The Ladykillers (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2004)
• The Ladykillers (Alexander Mackendrick, 1955)
• No Country For Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007)
• Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell, 2020)
• The Tragedy of Macbeth (Joel Coen, 2021)
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Michael Bay, 2009)
• Raising Arizona (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1987)
• A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2009)

We get into the nitty gritty details of the back half of Ne Zha 2 as well as dive into the cultural war between the US and China and specifically China's rapid gains in dominating the worldwide box office seemingly all on its own.

Timestamps

(00:00) Na Zha 2 spoilers (37:20) China, America, the global box office, and international influence (1:15:05) American culture, past and future

Works Cited

• Avengers: Endgame (Russo Brothers, 2019)
• The Battle at Lake Changjin (Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, Dante Lam, 2021)
• Barbie (Greta Gerwig, 2023)
• Beowulf (Robert Zemeckis, 2007)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science, 2024)
• The Boy and the Heron (Hiyao Miyazaki, 2023)
• 'The Boy and the Heron' review (Sam B., 2023)
• The Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force (Wuershan, 2025)
• The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
• Doctor Strange (Scott Derrickson, 2016)
• Detective Chinatown 3 (Chen Sicheng, 2021)
• Foodfight! (Lawrence Kasanoff, 2012)
• 'Foodfight!' review (Devan Scott, 2025)
• Full River Red (Zhang Yimou, 2023)
• Genshin Impact (MiHoYo, 2020)
• Hi, Mom (Jia Ling, 2021)
• Hollywood Searches For 'Pot Of Gold' In China : NPR (Renee Montagne and Kim Masters, 2013)
• Homefront (Kaos Games, 2011)
• Gamasutra - Features - Kaos Descends: How Homefront's Developer Met its End (Leigh Alexander, 2012)
• Homefront: Invasion Media, Justified Violence, Images with No Substance (Steven Santana, 2023)
• Light of Motiram (Tencent, 2025)
• How China's Soft Power is Rewriting Asian Culture (Brabim Karki, 2025)
• The Investiture of the Gods (Xu Zhonglin, circa 16th century)
• Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)
• Iron Man 3 (Shane Black, 2013)
• Journey to the West (Wu Cheng'en, circa 1592)
• Journey to the West (Steven Chow, Derek Kwok, 2013)
• The Karate Kid (Harald Zwart, 2010)
• Kingdom of Loathing (Asymmetric Publications, 2003)
• Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012)
• Ne Zha (Jiaozi, 2019)
• Ne Zha 2 (Jiaozi, 2025)
• "Ne Zha: China's Symbol of Rebellion" (Accented Cinema, 2025)
• Nazha Conquers the Dragon King (Wang Shuchen, Yan Ding Xian, Xu Jingda, 1980)
• Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan, 2023)
• The Polar Express (Robert Zemeckis, 2004)
• "ROTTEN: Behind the Foodfight" (Ok so…, 2024)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Gore Verbinski, 2007)
• Red Dawn (Dan Bradley, 2012)
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 14th century)
• Soleimani Death: Spider-Man, SpongeBob Only US Heroes, Iran Cleric Says - Business Insider (Sahar Esfandiari, 2020)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (Jon Watts, 2021)
• The State of Video Gaming in 2025, p.77 (Matthew Ball, 2025)
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, 2024)
• 3 Body Problem (David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Alexander Woo, 2024)
• Transformers: Age of Extinction (Michael Bay, 2014)
• Total Recall (Len Wiseman, 2012)
• The Wandering Earth (Frant Gwo, 2019)
• The Wandering Earth 2 (Frant Gwo, 2023)
• The Unholy Truth Behind 'Black Myth: Wukong's Massive Sales and False Hype (Shannon Liao, 2024)
• Water Gate Bridge (Dante Lam, Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, 2022)
• What Is 'Ne Zha 2'? How It Became the Biggest Animated Movie Ever (David Opie, 2025)
• Yolo (Jia Ling, 2024)

Find us elsewhere!

Ben Verschoor

• https://cinema-purgatorio.ghost.io/
• https://letterboxd.com/jamn4sure/
• @benverschoor.bsky.social

Steven Santana

• https://breakingarrows.substack.com/
• https://letterboxd.com/number8axel/
• @number8axel.bsky.social‬

Opening music is Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel

Closing music is G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa

• Apple Podcasts: Mise en Screen - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
• Spotify Podcasts: Mise en Screen | Podcast on Spotify
• Player.fm: Mise En Screen podcast
• Podcast Addict: Mise en Screen - Podcast Addict

Ne Zha 2 is the fifth highest grossing film of all time worldwide, so why hasn't anyone in the US really seen or heard about it? We talk about the awful, no good animated film Foodfight! (2012) first, followed by our guessing game for related screenings, then get into Investiture of the Gods, Ne Zha 1 from 2019 and Ne Zha 2 released earlier this year in China and subbed in the US and most recently dubbed in English for another release that has landed with a thud stateside. Our follow up episode tomorrow will get into both spoilers for Ne Zha 2 and a discussion on why it has not found success in the United States and the cultural war between these two regions.

Works Cited

• Avengers: Endgame (Russo Brothers, 2019)
• The Battle at Lake Changjin (Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, Dante Lam, 2021)
• Barbie (Greta Gerwig, 2023)
• Beowulf (Robert Zemeckis, 2007)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science, 2024)
• The Boy and the Heron (Hiyao Miyazaki, 2023)
• 'The Boy and the Heron' review (Sam B., 2023)
• The Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force (Wuershan, 2025)
• The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
• Doctor Strange (Scott Derrickson, 2016)
• Detective Chinatown 3 (Chen Sicheng, 2021)
• Foodfight! (Lawrence Kasanoff, 2012)
• 'Foodfight!' review (Devan Scott, 2025)
• Full River Red (Zhang Yimou, 2023)
• Genshin Impact (MiHoYo, 2020)
• Hi, Mom (Jia Ling, 2021)
• Hollywood Searches For 'Pot Of Gold' In China : NPR (Renee Montagne and Kim Masters, 2013)
• Homefront (Kaos Games, 2011)
• Gamasutra - Features - Kaos Descends: How Homefront's Developer Met its End (Leigh Alexander, 2012)
• Homefront: Invasion Media, Justified Violence, Images with No Substance (Steven Santana, 2023)
• Light of Motiram (Tencent, 2025)
• How China's Soft Power is Rewriting Asian Culture (Brabim Karki, 2025)
• The Investiture of the Gods (Xu Zhonglin, circa 16th century)
• Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)
• Iron Man 3 (Shane Black, 2013)
• Journey to the West (Wu Cheng'en, circa 1592)
• Journey to the West (Steven Chow, Derek Kwok, 2013)
• The Karate Kid (Harald Zwart, 2010)
• Kingdom of Loathing (Asymmetric Publications, 2003)
• Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012)
• Ne Zha (Jiaozi, 2019)
• Ne Zha 2 (Jiaozi, 2025)
• "Ne Zha: China's Symbol of Rebellion" (Accented Cinema, 2025)
• Nazha Conquers the Dragon King (Wang Shuchen, Yan Ding Xian, Xu Jingda, 1980)
• Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan, 2023)
• The Polar Express (Robert Zemeckis, 2004)
• "ROTTEN: Behind the Foodfight" (Ok so…, 2024)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Gore Verbinski, 2007)
• Red Dawn (Dan Bradley, 2012)
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 14th century)
• Soleimani Death: Spider-Man, SpongeBob Only US Heroes, Iran Cleric Says - Business Insider (Sahar Esfandiari, 2020)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (Jon Watts, 2021)
• The State of Video Gaming in 2025, p.77 (Matthew Ball, 2025)
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, 2024)
• 3 Body Problem (David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Alexander Woo, 2024)
• Transformers: Age of Extinction (Michael Bay, 2014)
• Total Recall (Len Wiseman, 2012)
• The Wandering Earth (Frant Gwo, 2019)
• The Wandering Earth 2 (Frant Gwo, 2023)
• The Unholy Truth Behind 'Black Myth: Wukong's Massive Sales and False Hype (Shannon Liao, 2024)
• Water Gate Bridge (Dante Lam, Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, 2022)
• What Is 'Ne Zha 2'? How It Became the Biggest Animated Movie Ever (David Opie, 2025)
• Yolo (Jia Ling, 2024)

Find us elsewhere!

Ben Verschoor

• https://cinema-purgatorio.ghost.io/
• https://letterboxd.com/jamn4sure/
• @benverschoor.bsky.social

Steven Santana

• https://breakingarrows.substack.com/
• https://letterboxd.com/number8axel/
• @number8axel.bsky.social‬

Opening music is Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel

Closing music is G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa

• Apple Podcasts: Mise en Screen - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
• Spotify Podcasts: Mise en Screen | Podcast on Spotify
• Player.fm: Mise En Screen podcast
• Podcast Addict: Mise en Screen - Podcast Addict