Episode 60. Samurai Swordplay: Lady Snowblood & Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance

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