Fully Operational Fully Operational

For our diamond jubilee episode (60!!) we had to go big with a double dose of lady assassin action: Lady Snowblood and Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance. But before we get into this love song of an episode, we had to talk about what we watched this week. And as per usual, Dre outdoes the competition (i.e., Goodman).

Dre watched for the 2nd time the Brian De Palma neo-noir classic, Blow Out, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary; Branded to Kill, the Japanese film about a rice-sniffing hitman that influenced Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog; the new Guy Ritchie-Jason Statham armored car/heist collabo Wrath of Man; and the 4th film in the storied Lone Wolf and Cub franchise, which Goodman also watched: Baby Cart in Peril—long live Ogami Itto!

Then it was time for Goodman to unveil the first two episodes of HBO Max's latest series, The White Lotus, created, directed and written by Mike White (of Chuck and Buck and School of Rock fame) and featuring a top-notch cast, including Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Lacy from Obvious Child, Natasha Rothwell from Insecure, Murray Bartlett, and more! And Goodman also reveals a fun little tidbit about his connection to Hollywood and this show (amazingly there is one).

Then we go all snow and blood, with Lady Snowblood, another movie franchise based on a Kazuo Koike manga, directed by Toshiya Fujita and starring Meiko Kaji as the incomparable, titular Lady Snowblood. We discuss the film's beautiful artistry, the bodies severed in half and the many ways that it has influenced Quentin Tarantino. Then we follow up with the sequel, which brings back the same writer, director and actor trio.

Hey gang, we're taking a short break, so join us in ni  (2) weeks to close out our samurai swordplay series with a double animation feature of Ninja Scroll and Sword of the Stranger.

SONG CREDITS:
Theme music: "70s Funk" by Frank Cogliano
Closing music: "This is My Jam" by Will Van De Crommert

Ghost Dog, power, equality. Always see everything, my brother. That's the kind of vibe we're about to get on. So join us for this stoic, Jim Jarmusch samurai flick featuring Forest Whitaker, his son, Damon, the RZA and a whole slew of over the hill mobsters. But before we read passages from the Hagakure and hang out with our favorite Haitian ice cream vendor, we have to talk about what we watched this week.

Dre and Goodman privately agreed to watch the Sam Jackson-voiced, RZA-scored anime series, Afro Samurai, but Goodman could only get through 3 out of the 5 episodes, which means, sadly, he did not make 800 feet.

Dre also watched season 1 of Ted Lasso; the 3rd film in the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Baby Cart to Hades (which Goodman also watched because the magic is back, and is definitely the Fast Five of the franchise (if you get it, you get it)); the uber-popular Japanese anime series and movie, Demon Slayer and Demon Slayer: Mugen Train; the Elaine May written and directed, Mikey and Nicky, which feels like a Cassavetes movie, but isn't a Cassavetes movie, but stars Cassavetes, so you figure it out; and one of the best movies that Dre has seen in a while (he's watched it twice already): Wong Kar-Wai's 1994 indie hit, Chungking Express.

Goodman, not to be out done, watched A Quiet Place Part II, starring Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds and his spiritual event horizon, Noah Jupe.

Then it's time to communicate via pigeons and wave our silencer hand guns with the best samurai flourishes and talk about Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai—a movie with a score worthy of the genre courtesy of Wu-Tang Clan's RZA. We also go over our favorite quotes and top-notch trivia.

Next week we watch the film that heavily influenced Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Lady Snowblood and the sequel Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance.

SONG CREDITS:
Theme music: "70s Funk" by Frank Cogliano
Closing music: "This is My Jam" by Will Van De Crommert

Demon Woman, Demon Hag. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. However, you slice it up, it comes up Onibaba every time. But before we get lost in the flowing miscanthus, stumble into a pit and plummet to our deaths, only to have our clothes and valuables scavenged, and also have some frank depictions of sex, we have to talk about what we watched this week.

Goodman knocked out seasons 1 & 2 of Netflix's Lupin starring everyone's favorite caretaker from the 2011 French hit, The Intouchables, Omar Sy.

He also watched a couple movies that Dre also saw, including the new Steven Soderbergh ensemble noir on HBO Max, No Sudden Move, starring Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Brendan Fraser, David Harbour, Kieran Culkin, Amy Seimetz, Julia Fox, Ray Liotta and Noah Jupe (who's in everything these days); and the 2nd movie in the Lone Wolf and Cub series: Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx, which Goodman thinks surpasses the first movie and Dre thinks is equally ass-kicking.

Dre surpassed Goodman, however, because he also watched the Lone Wolf and Cub mash-up for the US/UK markets: Shogun Assassin (in the dubbed, as it was intended).

Then Dre watched Lynne Ramsey's 2012 short film, Swimmer, which is available on YouTube; a John Cassavetes flick starring Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel, Minnie and Moskowitz, about a museum curator who falls in love with a parking attendant (as happens); the 2019 horror movie, Saint Maud (which didn't come out until 2021) directed by Rose Glass; Bo Burnham's comedy special: Bo Burnham: Inside; and the Bob Odenkirk John Wick-styled film, Nobody, which Dre plunked down the rental money for.

Dre also read Quentin Tarantino's novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which goes beyond the movie's storyline and has a lot of fun stuff to sink your teeth into.

Then Goodman remembered that he went back to the theaters for the first time since the pandemic (how could he forget?) to see the only movie that could bring him back, F9: The Fast Saga. #thebusterbroughtmeback

Finally, we shift gears and get into Onibaba, the 1964 film by Shindo Kaneto, a masterful, spellbinding, creepy, sensual samurai-adjacent film with a questionable/silly tagline: The most daring film import ever...from Japan! We talk the story, the cast, quote and trivia.

Next week we go full-blown Rza with his film score and cameo in the Jim Jarmusch-directed Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

SONG CREDITS:
Theme music: "70s Funk" by Frank Cogliano
Closing music: "This is My Jam" by Will Van De Crommert

Holy, Shogun Assassin, Ronin, it's Samurai Swordplay Month-ish at Fully Operational! We're delving into some samurai classics and deep cuts (get it?), starting with the Rza/Wu-Tang Clan approved, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance. But before we start slicing off legs at the mid-calf, we have to talk about what we watched this week.

Dre continued his spaghetti western pilgrimage with Il Mercenario (or The Mercenary), starring Franco Nero, Tony Musante and Jack Palance as Curly (way before he was Curly in City Slickers), and the samurai-adjacent classic, Ugetsu. (He also officially finished Formula 1: Drive to Survive.)

While, Goodman, on the other hand, continued his Step Up danceathon with Step Up Revolution, a movie that posits, can flash mob protest dancing change the world? And, more importantly, will Moose show up in this one?

Then it's time to sever some limbs with the Shogun's executioner, turned ronin, turned baby cart pusher, Itto Ogami—played with a patient, furious fortitude by Tomisaburō Wakayama. We get into the cast (not much), the quotes (none), the trivia (some) and a whole lot of other stuff (definitely).

Then, join us next week in the weeds (technically miscanthus or Japanese silver grass, known in Japan as susuki), for a hell of a samurai time with Onibaba.

SONG CREDITS:
Theme music: "70s Funk" by Frank Cogliano
Closing music: "This is My Jam" by Will Van De Crommert

With West Coast temperatures in the 110s, we figured why not add a little more Heat... and Dust to the world. That's right, we watched a 4th Ruth Prawer Jhabvala film, this one based on her 1975 Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name.

But before we go back in time with our great-aunt Olivia to British Colonial India (and then 1970s India), we first have to talk about what we watched this week. And, honey, it was a lot.

Goodman watched two Jon M. Chu's: the new film version of In the Heights, the Tony Award-winning play by musical maestro Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the less well-revered Step Up 3D (although he didn't watch it in 3D this time around), starring everyone's favorite Step Up castmate, Moose played by Adam G. Sevani. Next, he watched the meta/innovative/super-impressive comedy special, Bo Burnham's Inside;  Raiders of the Lost Ark, a little 'indy' flick that a few people admire; Season 5 of Netflix's Workin' Moms, created by and starring Catherine Reitman; and The Wolf of Wall Street, featuring a stellar Leo performance that he should've won Best Actor for.

Dre loves spaghetti and meatballs, so he watched two Spaghetti Westerns starring Lee Van Cleef: The Big Gundown and Death Rides a Horse. Then he watched Hal Ashby's final directorial feature, 8 Million Ways to Die, starring Jeff Bridges, Rosanna Arquette and Andy Garcia;  The Hot Rock, a fun little caper starring Robert Redford, based on the book by Donald E. Westlake (i.e., not Richard Stark); Luca, the latest Pixar film about sea monsters, humans, Italy and bicycles; an Australian quasi-noir, The Dry; the 4-episode TV miniseries version of Howards End adapted by Manchester by the Sea's Kenneth Lonergan; and the show that's spreading like wildfire (according to Dre), Netflix's Formula 1: Drive to Survive.

Then it's time to age ourselves as best as technically feasible in the early 80s as we narrate what went on in Heat and Dust, including the cast, the one quote worth quoting, some trivia, and more.

Last we announce our next theme: Samurai films! And our upcoming slate of episodes:
7/8: Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance7/15: Onibaba7/22: Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai8/5: Lady Snowblood8/12: [Double Animation feature] Ninja Scroll and Sword of the StrangerSo get out your samurai sword and join us next week for Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance.

SONG CREDITS:
Theme music: "70s Funk" by Frank Cogliano
Closing music: "This is My Jam" by Will Van De Crommert

This is what remains of our three films by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala miniseries, the 8x Oscar-nominated (zero-winning), The Remains of the Day, starring Anthony Hopkins, in one of his most intricate roles and Dame Emma Thompson, coming hot off her Howards End Best Actress win.

But before we hang out at Darlington Hall (take that Downton Abbey!), we have to talk about what we watched this week.

And, for Dre, he actually was watching Downton Abbey, the movie! He also watched Robert Altman's upstairs/downstairs whodunit, Gosford Park—staying on theme.

Goodman stayed on theme, like Dre, and watched the not-Elizabeth Banks-written & directed Pitch Perfect, starring Anna Kendrick, based on the book by Mickey Rapkin, and the 'pinch' perfect Robert Redford ensemble caper, Sneakers.

Then we talk about butlers and housekeepers and lords and Darlingtons, including the cast, the quotes, the trivia and why Kazuo Ishiguro wanted to tell this particular story.

Join us next week for a BONUS Ruth Prawer Jhabvala film—we just couldn't get enough—based on her Booker Prize-winning novel, Heat and Dust.

SONG CREDITS:
Theme music: "70s Funk" by Frank Cogliano
Closing music: "This is My Jam" by Will Van De Crommert