Retro Grade Podcast

“WHY’S EVERYTHING SO BLACK, TOOT?“

(CONTENT WARNING: Although this movie was very good, we do have to warn you that it might not be for everyone. The subject matter is difficult and might be triggering for some, as it deals with domestic violence, sexual assault and suicide.)

On this episode, we explore mid 90’s New Zealand Maori cinema in the critically acclaimed Once Were Warriors, directed by Lee Tamahori. The film stars Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, and Cliff Curtis, and it is based on the first entry of Alan Duff’s book trilogy. We went into this movie blind, only really knowing Temuera Morrison from playing Jango/Boba Fett in Star Wars, and seeing Cliff Curtis show up everywhere from Avatar 2 to Training Day. We took it up after one of Austin’s streamer friends RasNoMas, a native Hawaiian, recommended it to cover the podcast. The film was a huge hit in New Zealand when it was originally released in 1994, drawing more at the NZ box office than Jurassic Park! It was released to the states the following year, and almost 20 years later we both watched it for the first time.

The film is about a Maori family living in Auckland, New Zealand. Jake, played by Temuera Morrison is at first very charming, but has a violently abusive side to him that terrorizes his whole family. Beth, played by Rena Owen, is trying to be there for her children but is slowly losing them one by one. Throughout the course of the film, we see the family take refuge in parts of the Maori heritage and culture.

The great thing about watching films from different periods, from different parts of the world, and from different cultures, is that we get a good luck at what it’s like to live in someone else’s shoes. Once Were Warrior succeeds here, as it doesn’t portray our characters as one dimensional archetypes, but as complex people brought to life by truly phenomenal acting.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“AND IT WAS HERE, IN THIS BLIGHTED PLACE, THAT HE LEARNED TO LIVE AGAIN.“

On this episode of the podcast we talk about one of the most influential post-apocalypse films of all time. One that’s legacy has just been extended in an incredible prequel film that hit theaters on this year’s Memorial Day weekend. We are talking about Mad Max 2, also known as The Road Warrior, directed by George Miller, starring Mel Gibson. We are also honored to have a guest, Nebula, who is a streamer, and a big Mad Max fan. In fact, Nebula was on our FIRST Mad Max episode: here. This is Jorge’s first time watching the film, having only seen Fury Road and the first Mad Max film, so we were curious to see how he would react to George Miller’s second attempt at depicting Australia at the end of the world.

Sequels are often regarded as derivative, and “cash grabs“ of a previously successful movie. What makes Mad Max 2 different? We talk about how the film demonstrates how much George Miller has gotten as a film maker, being more deliberate with cinematography, making use of the bigger budget, and building a world without relying on heavy dialogue. There is so much to look at in this film, so much character, and for what little dialogue there is, some absolutely classic lines that we will remember forever. To this day, George Miller continues to grow as a filmmaker, challenging audiences and everyone crazy enough to be in his movies. And despite all of that, everyone seems to enjoy working with him.

We talk about the iconic look of this film. Mad Max 2 is often used as the blue print for how people dress in the apocalypse, and maybe how some depictions of the gang might not hold up as well when we consider the history of how queer characters are represented in film. We nerd out about the stunts and the effect of real danger being caught on film, and what steps they took to keep people safe. And of course, we talk about Dog, the Australian cattle dog that acted as Max’s companion in the Wasteland, but was rescued from an animal shelter in real life!

We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you haven’t yet, consider seeing Furiosa in theaters! Austin got a chance to see it and highly recommends to any one looking for a great theatrical experience by one of the greatest living filmmakers!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“YOU BETTER HOLD ON TIGHT SPIDER MONKEY.“

On this Valentine’s Day, we decided to cover a romance movie that captured the attention of an entire generation of girls, contributed to the YA adaptation craze, and gave us vampire baseball. Today, we are talking about 2008’s Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. 

When the film franchise was making its rounds at the box office, we remember that this was a thing that was very popular for adolescent boys to hate on. Austin hasn’t even seen the film, despite being a fan of vampire films as we talked about on the Horror Movie Genre Tier List episode on our Patreon. We talk about how our tastes have evolved and why we might be more open to this film, despite not being in its target audience. Will we still find something to enjoy about it, or will we struggle to say nice things? Just in case, we will have a Twilight fan, Elle Parker as a guest to let us know what makes the film so special to her.

We talk about the films commitment to the moody, blue aesthetic. How Hardwicke opted to shoot on location in the Pacific Northwest to capture the rain and the greenery. We talk about how significant her absence was in the following films, and give her praise for her craftsmanship and dedication to translating the essence of Stephanie Meyer’s novel into a film. We also talk about the reasons she may not have been invited back to direct the sequels. 

We talk about the way the camera moves, the on point musical cues and soundtrack, the attention to mise en scene, the comedy, the practical effects and the relentless commitment to telling the story of a boy and girl who feel so tortured despite having pretty great lives. Seriously, even the step dad has a good relationship with Bella. 

Regardless of how you feel about Twilight, there is a reason why it had such an irrevocable hold on its fans. After watching the film and talking about it, it was very easy and fun to find out why!

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“KEEP THE CHANGE, YA FILTHY ANIMAL.“

On this episode, we are going to be talking about one of the most popular and beloved Christmas films of all time. We will be talking about 1990’s Home Alone, directed by Chris Columbus, starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, and Catherine O’Hara. It is the first movie we have covered that was written by John Hughes, the second Chris Columbus movie, and believe it or not, the third movie we have covered to feature one of the Culkin brothers.

When someone mentions “Home Alone,” the first thing we think about is obviously Kevin McCallister (played by Macaulay Culkin) laying traps for a pair of burglars to fall for, and experience head trauma that would kill a normal person, only to get up to fall down more stairs. However, upon reviewing we discover that there was actually a lot more to the movie than over-the-top comedic violence, but a story of a young child’s growing resentment for his family and learning to take care of himself. It’s success in telling that story is up for debate between your hosts, but we both still enjoy the film, buy maybe one of us didn’t like it as much as he used to.

We talk about how successfully (maybe too successfully) the film gets us to hate the McCallister family along with Kevin. We talk about the strengths of the films inclusion of the mysterious scary neighbor who isn’t all that scary, admire the use of the fake noir film ‘Angels with Filthy Souls,’ and discuss the great charisma of Macaulay Culkins performance, and also how good Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are at playing dumb.

Can you believe there are 6 films in this franchise? Why did they make so many, and why is it that the first film was the only film with a relatively positive reception from both critics and audiences? Why did Roger Ebert prefer Home Alone 3? Why did Macaulay Culkin stop away from acting a few years after Home Alone’s historic theatrical run? What’s he up to now? We get into all of that!

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“UNTIL THE BREAK OF DAWN..”

On this Halloween, we decided to cover one of the first horror films ever made. We cover the famous, German Expressionist film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, directed by Robert Wiene from 1920. If you would like to watch the film before listening to us, the film is available for free on various sites, but we recommend watching the one that has fancy intertitles for the text and a blue tint in the beginning like this version here. The film is a “silent film“ so there is no spoken dialogue which we understand maybe might be a little intimidating for some audiences. However, we encourage you to give it a try so we can go on this adventure together. What does a horror film that is over 100 years old look like? How dated is it really? (Spoilers: It actually isn’t)

What is Expressionism? To put it simply, it is the artistic depiction of an emotional experience, rather than a realistic one. The set design of Caligari doesn’t resemble our own world, but a world that suits the content of the narrative. Caligari seeks to tell an emotional truth, how the characters feel living in this world, than present the world as it is. We talk about why we think this choice works and the film is rightly described as a classic, but also hope that if the film is ever remade, that this Expressionist theme isn’t lost in the translation to modern filmmaking sensibilities. The film’s strong style in its set design influenced the choices made for the actors, the costumes and even the previously mentioned intertitles. Some of the techniques used to generate audience anxiety in this film can be seen in films today such as Alien, It Follows, and even The Babadook!

We talk about how the film was made, and how not everyone agrees on how that went down. The film has a “frame story.” For this film, that means the bulk of the film takes place within a story told by one of the characters. The writers of the film were allegedly very upset about this, and stay they knew nothing about it, but 70 years later when the only surviving script was made available for public viewing, we find out that wasn’t 100% true. The writers talk about being on set, but the set designers say they were never there, there are conflicting reports on who actually was the producer for the film, etc etc. The narrative of the production of the film is almost as unreliable as the film’s narrator!

We also talk about the history of when this film came out. The world was different, and the expectations of what the experience of “going to the movies” was also very different. A close up on a giant screen hit different for those audiences, an authority figure taking advantage of ordinary citizens meant something different for a Germany that just got out on the losing side of a World War. Despite being 100 years removed from the intended audience, we believe the film can still resonate with a modern audience.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Due to recent events in the film industry, Retro Grade Podcast decided to take a different approach to the movies we will cover on the podcast until the strikes are over in support of the unions. We will be covering films that are not under the companies being struck, starting with one of the greatest anime films of all time: Akira, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, from 1988. We talk about how this very strange, at times confusing, violent and beautiful film fits in the conversation of nuclear power in the minds of film goers today with Oppenheimer’s success at the summer box office. While Nolan’s film tells the story from the perspective of the man that invented the bomb, what about the perspective of the people that survived it? Through the cyberpunk, alternative future of a post-WW3 Neo-Tokyo, perhaps Otomo offers that through Akira.

This is the third animated film we’ve talked about on the podcast, and the second anime film after our Totoro episode. Fun fact, Totoro also came out the same year Akira did! We talk about how this film uses extreme detail, slow motion, violence, sound, and silence to give us a unique, enthralling experience. Starting with a high octane motorcycle chase, and ending with one of the most disturbing images we’ve seen since our Hellraiser episode. 

We talk about what makes Kaneda a different kind of protagonist. One that might not fit the hero archetype laid out by Joseph Cambell. We talk about the ensemble cast of characters whose individual actions (and even their names) are unknown to each other, despite them having so much screen time. Does Akira even have a main character? We don’t really agree on this one, but maybe the underlying issue is part of Akira’s DNA.

What is Akira’s DNA? Well, the film that was released in 1988, was based on the manga, (also created by Katsuhiro Otomo) that started in 1982 and ended in 1990. Yes, you read that right, the film came out while the manga was still in production. Although the film is a compromised version of the manga, Otomo was the one in charge of both. He chose what to change for the film, and in that process, likely changed how the manga would then end. We give a few examples on what the differences are, and maybe that might help us all understand what the film was trying to say.

Interpretation of film is a fun, and enriching exercise that we love here on Retro Grade Podcast. Given the setting of a post-war Japanese government rebuilding a city that has been destroyed by an atomic force, a militaristic police force violently suppresses protesters while Bosozoku gangs of disgruntled teenagers battle on motorcycles.. It’s safe to say this film is sort of about the reconstruction era of Japan post World War 2. However, there may be other things going on, and only looking at it through the lens of ‘post war trauma,’ might be selling Akira short. We go through some think pieces on what Akira was about, and then provide our own analysis of what it means to us! 

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“YOU CAME HERE PREPARED TO FIGHT A MAD MAN, AND INSTEAD YOU FOUND A GOD?“

On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about an adaptation to one of the most beloved video game series of all time. One of Hollywood’s earliest attempts at adapting a video game movie, and the first financially successful one. We are talking about 1994’s Street Fighter, directed by Stephen E. de Souza, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, Ming-Na Wen, and Kylie Minogue.

We talk about our history with Street Fighter. Austin has been a fan of Street Fighter and fighting games in general for a while, and has been playing the newest Street Fighter 6 any chance he gets. Jorge knows Street Fighter is a fighting game with a character called Cammy, and that’s about it. Will our different backgrounds with the existing franchise change how we see the film? Does the film’s departure from the source material annoy Austin? Do the references to the video game feel lost on Jorge?

Although the film was a financial success for Capcom, the critics of 1994 hated the film. In fact, this film has the lowest Rotten Tomato score from all of the films we have covered up to this point. We talk about the film’s shortcomings but also talk about some of the things that make this film endearing almost 30 years after its theatrical release. We talk about the late Raul Julia’s final film role as the villain M. Bison, arguably one of the best video game character performances of all time. We go over some of the cheesy one-liners from Jean-Claude that range from “bad,” to “so bad it’s good,” and even to genuinely hilarious. And the overall campy feel to the film that makes it an enjoyable experience with the right perspective.

However, Street Fighter is far from a perfect film. In fact, it might not even be a very good film at all. Despite the fact that we like parts of it, there’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t work. We talk about the lackluster fight scenes, the nonsensical plot, the bloated roster of characters, and uneven performances. We also talk about the reason why the film may not have been the best it could have been. It feels unfair to blame every bad movie on the director, the lead actors, or even the screenwriter. Sometimes, movies are set up to fail from the very beginning, because the non-creative people funding the film have ultimate creative control. 

We also have a fun section of the episode where Austin quizzes Jorge on Street Fighter trivia. Given that the only thing Jorge knows about the world of Street Fighter is the 1994 live-action film, how many of these multiple choice questions do you think he will get right? How many did you answer correctly? 

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“THEY ARE THE BAD GUYS, WE ARE THE GOOD GUYS. UNDERSTAND?“

On this week’s episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about a film from a genre we have never covered before. We talk about the 1983 Hong Kong Wuxia classic Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, directed by Hong Kong New Wave filmmaker Tsui Hark, starring Yuen Biao, Adam Cheng, Corey Yuen, Brigitte Lin, Moon Lee, Damian Lau, Mang Hoi, and Sammo Hung. 

We begin by talking about the story, breaking it down by what we thought of the characters, comedy, the philosophy depicted by the use of the Dual Swords, and whether there can be a connection between the story on screen with the real-life history of Hong Kong under rule of differing governments and how the film can be interpreted as a call for unity. We talk about the depiction of the elders and masters in the film, and how their inability to enact real change has thrown the world into conflict that the new generation must find a resolution for.

From there we get into the technical side of the film, from it’s impressive use of wire work during the fight scenes, to the in-camera techniques that were used to achieve the amazing choreography, to the film’s very dated visual effects (though ambitious may not have aged as well.) But the film’s editing becomes a larger focus in the episode, breaking down how the fast-paced editing helps the film, but also might be hindering it when compared to other wuxia films.

Lastly, we go into the multiple versions that exist of the film, calling into question whether Tsui Hark ever got the version of the film he wanted. We breakdown the elements that go into a wuxia film, and how well Zu Warriors follows it, and go briefly go into the history of the Hong Kong New Wave cinema, and how Zu Warriors was a huge success for the movement but also a source of inspiration for future filmmakers.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy this special episode of Retro Grade Podcast!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

On this special episode, we give a FREE preview of all the fun we have over at on the Retro Grade Podcast Patreon! We have our Modern Grade series where we review newer movies, our This Month In Movies series where we talk about current events in the industry, our Tier List Special where we make up tier lists for movie topics, and finally our Sequel Speed Pitch which is a little bit more complicated to explain.

We have covered a little over 70 movies over the years of doing Retro Grade Podcast. We started this show because we love movies but ultimately, someday we wish to make some ourselves. So we put our writing skills to the test, and both Austin and Jorge come up with their own sequels to a movie they have covered. One pitch from each of us, two pitches total. The catch is, we don’t know what movie we are doing until its time to record, and only get 45 minutes to write a pitch to that sequel. We must also follow four rules:

1) Each host must include the quote we picked for the movie when we covered it.

2) Decide whether or not this is going to be a sequel, or some kind of remake/reboot of the original film.

3) Include a previous actor from the film to be included in our sequel (can be just a cameo.)

4) If a sequel already exists, the host cannot just plagiarize the existing sequel.

5) We must mention the song that will inevitably be featured as a down tempo cover in our film’s trailer.

We spun the wheel and got Sam Raimi’s, Spider-Man (2002.) Later this month, we will be recording another Sequel Speed pitch JUST for our patrons. If you like this episode, let us know, and perhaps consider signing up for our Patreon where we do all kinda of fun stuff like this! We hope you enjoy!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o

“IN SHORT THERE’S SIMPLY NOT, A MORE CONGENIAL SPOT.“

On this episode, we return to the 1960’s to catch the beginning of the end of the big budget musical era. We watch the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, Camelot, starring Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, and David Hemmings. Although this was the 10th highest grossing movie of the year, neither Austin or Jorge have ever heard about it, and had a listener not requested it for their birthday, we may have never seen this 3 hour long musical of the Arthurian legend. Why was this film not a huge success despite the musical being so popular? Why did this drive Jack Warner of Warner Brothers, out of the company he worked hard to swindle from his surviving brothers? Will this break the streak of being the first musical Jorge doesn’t like?

Sometimes describing a film as “interesting,” can be interpreted as a nice way of saying “I don’t like it.“ However, in the case of Camelot, interesting is actually a very fitting description of the film. Even though it has its flaws, it is very entertaining to watch. It has a G rating, but it is one of the most sexually charged G ratings we have ever seen. Despite this film winning some Academy Awards, it was not very well received critically, possibly due to the aforementioned flaws, but perhaps also due to its content vastly differing from the rest of the films of this era. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the film, is what part of the King Arthur story it chooses to focus on: his wife and his best friend falling in love.

We have different opinions on the quality of the music in this film, but the one thing we do agree on is how it deals with the love triangle trope. Sometimes we like to have sides to root for in the triangle, we want to see our character(s) make the correct choice and celebrate with them. Sometimes you need one or two sides of the triangle to hate, or at least sit back and watch them hate each other. Camelot takes the path less traveled, and presents the love triangle where there is no villain. Only three sides getting hurt, and feeling bad for hurting each other.

We talk about the shortcomings and personal gripes with the film. This is a three hour film with a pacing problem, some of the songs don’t hit as hard as songs from previous musicals we’ve covered, and there is a question of what the film meant to say in the first place. Musicals can afford to be very direct and throw subtlety out the window, but something about the riddles the mysterious Merlin leaves Arthur leave us thinking about what we just saw, and what we were supposed to make of it. It’s not a bad thing to think about a film’s message was, but this is also the same genre of film where we get direct insight on a characters internal thought process, so why be coy about the take away?

Regardless, this was an incredibly fun film to watch and talk about, and a piece of cinema history. They literally don’t make them like this anymore.

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o