030 Hard Boiled by John Woo

With a body count of 307, John Woo serves up a bullet-ridden slice of Hong Kong action with his 1992 breakout Hard Boiled. Cast from the Dirty Harry mold, Chow Yun-Fat's Tequila, with his ATF-Waco style of police intervention, is a hardened cop with a vigilante sense of street justice. Matt and Mark find it odd Tequila's ability to escape multiple manslaughter charges despite his sloppy gun play, but to inject reality into HB would only detract from its charm.

Downlaod: 030 Hard Boiled by John Woo

029 Delicatessen by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Unlike the depressing Cormac McCarthy adaption of The Road, 1991's Delicatessen is a a post-apocalyptic cannibal movie that caters to a wider audience. Jean-Pierre Jeunet would go on to direct The City of Lost Children and Amelie, garnering more praise for his Gilliam-esque style, but with Delicatessen he burnished his quirky chops with this off-beat cult classic. Matt and Mark attempt a deeper discussion regarding vegetarianism vs carnivorism, but instead get mired in the bizarre notions of cultural delicacies.

Download: 029 Delicatessen by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

028 Dead Alive by Peter Jackson

We indulge a little of Peter "Action" Jackson's earlier works this week on the podcast when we review his zombie comedy-horror film Dead Alive, released in 1993. Matt and Mark speculate how the Oscar winning director of the Lord of the Rings films got from homicidal rat-monkeys and zombie-babies to Gandalf and Frodo. Strangely, we come to the conclusion that it wasn't too great a leap. Emulating the style of Evil Dead director Sam Ramie, we're treated to splatter-fest of hilarious proportions. Enjoy!

Download: 028 Dead Alive by Peter Jackson

027 Gattaca by Andrew Niccol

Another means to keep the haves and the have-nots separate, or a Brave New World? Matt and Mark discuss the near-future world of Andrew Niccol's Gattaca, released in 1997, starring Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke, and Jude Law. Mark takes the libertarian transhumanist stand while Matt remains a bleeding heart skeptic. Is it human nature to defy human nature? The answer is probably yes. Enjoy!

Download: 027 Gattaca by Andrew Niccol