Second Features

Pulgasari (1985) with Travis Workman

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 12:57:43 GMT

The story behind the North Korean kaiju film Pulgasari is so incredible it's in danger of overshadowing just how interesting the film is itself. In this episode we are joined by Travis Workman, Associate Professor of Korean Studies at the University of Minnesota, to try and cover both the making of Pulgasari and what it might all mean. His chapter "Parodies of Realism at the Margins of Science Fiction: Sin Sang-ok's Pulgasari and Jang Jun-hwan's Save the Green Planet," in Simultaneous Worlds: Global Science Fiction Cinema, forms the basis of the discussion.

North Korea has an official YouTube channel! You can find it here.

Do get in touch with us via Twitter - @secondfeatures - or by email - secondfeaturespod@gmail.com - if you have any feedback or suggestions. We would love to hear from you! Please also leave us a rating and a review wherever you listen.

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Robocop (1987) with guest Dr Pete Turner

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 10:39:09 GMT

Yes, it's Second Features, and we're back with a long-awaited episode with Dr Pete Turner of Oxford Brooks University, where we talk Robocop (1987, Paul Verhoeven) and watching inappropriate films when we were underage. Who watched the worst possible film at the youngest age: Pete, Laura or Adrian? Listen to this discussion to find out!

You can find the article Pause and Rewind: Memories of Age-Inappropriate Film Viewings in the 1980s here. You can also follow the project Memories of Underage Film Viewings in 1980s UK on Twitter @FilmMemories80s.

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The Clue of the Twisted Candle (1960) & House of Mystery (1961) with Laura Mayne

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 17:25:15 GMT

After almost two years of using the Edgar Wallace theme we finally get around to covering one of Merton Park studio's early Wallace thrillers, The Clue of the Twisted Candle (Allan Davies, 1960), paired with another low-budget second feature, The House of Mystery (Vernon Sewell, 1961). We take this opportunity to discuss Dr Laura Mayne's article 'Whatever happened to the British ‘B’ movie? Micro-budget film-making and the death of the one-hour supporting feature in the early 1960s', which was published in the Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. There will be murder, mystery, and nostalgia for a cinema experience our hosts are really too young to remember.

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The Exterminator (1980) with Neil Jackson

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 14:42:42 GMT

It's been a loooong summer break, but we are finally back with a new episode. Join us as we talk 'Namsploitation with the University of Lincoln's Dr Neil Jackson. He chose the 1980 classic The Exterminator (James Glickenhaus) as our point of entry, but the conversation covers many classic, and relatively obscure, Vietnam war-themed movies. So join us as together we experience massive explosions, decapitations and industrial mincing machines.

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Prey (1977) & Norman J. Warren Special! With Adam Locks

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 09:47:37 GMT

To celebrate the recent publication of the book Norman J. Warren: Gentleman of Terror, we invited Dr Adam Locks back on the show to discuss his memories of the much-missed British director. As co-author, Adrian has basically used this podcast as an excuse to plug his own book, but hey! If he doesn't, who else will? Laura is made to watch the sci-fi/ D.H. Lawrence mashup Prey (1977) but does find some redeeming features.

If you would like to get your own copy of the book (and why wouldn't you?) it can be ordered from FAB Press if you are in the UK, Creepy*Images if you are in Europe, or Dream Haven Books in the US.

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Diamonds are Forever (1971) with Llewella Chapman

Fri, 27 May 2022 13:52:22 GMT

Diamonds are Forever may not be considered one of the better James Bond films, but there is still much to love about Sean Connery's return to the franchise, as Laura and Adrian discover. Also on the podcast is Dr Llewella Chapman, whose excellent new book Fashioning James Bond: Costume, Gender and Identity in the World of 007 is available now.

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Kill, Baby... Kill! (1966) with Leon Hunt

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 15:01:41 GMT

This time we're delving into the dread-infused gothic world of Italian maestro Mario Bava with writer, academic and Italophile Dr Leon Hunt. His new book Mario Bava: The Artisan as Auteur, is out now as part of Blomsbury's fabulous Global Exploitation Cinemas series.

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Slaughter High (1986) with Johnny Walker

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 14:29:20 GMT

Marty was the dork of Doddsville High. One day he got mad... then he got even!

Join us as we enjoy the British slasher doing its best to be American, Slaughter High. Our guest for this episode is horror historian Dr Johnny Walker, Associate Professor in the Department of Arts at Northumbria University and expert in eighties horror and the VHS rental boom.

You can find out more about Johnny's research on his website. You can find details of his current exciting research project 'Raising Hell: British Horror Cinema in the 1980s and 1990s' on the UKRI site. The best way to keep up with his many projects is by following him on Twitter @johnnycwalker

Do get in touch with us via Twitter as well - @secondfeatures - or by email - secondfeaturespod@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you! Please also leave us a rating and a review wherever you listen.

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Fuego (1969) with guest Victoria Ruétalo

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 15:21:45 GMT

We start the new year by taking a swim with Argentinian superstar Isabel Sarli. Dr Victoria Ruétalo joins us to talk sexploitation, censorship, and the amazing thirty year filmmaking partnership between Sarli and her director Armando Bo. We mention several sources in the episode, so as promised here is a list of things to check out:

"Violence and Sex in the Work of Armando Bó and Isabel Sarli" by Victoria Ruétalo

"Temptations: Isabel Sarli exposed" by Victoria Ruétalo

Violated Frames: Armando Bó and Isabel Sarli's Sexploits by Victoria Ruétalo

"‘The girl the whole world is waiting to see more of!’ Isabel Sarli, and the failed attempt to launch a new star in 1960s Britain" by Adrian Smith

When John Waters met Isabel Sarli in 2018

The closing song is "Fuego" by Eleni Foureira, and was the Cyprus Eurovision entry in 2018. Sorry. Couldn't resist.

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Curse of the Werewolf (1960) with guest Kieran Foster

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 09:00:01 GMT

It's Christmas and what better way to celebrate than with Hammer's first festive film, Curse of the Werewolf (1960, Terence Fisher). Joining the podcast this month is the University of Nottingham's Dr. Kieran Foster, who spent his PhD days in the dusty, cobweb-enshrouded vaults of the Hammer script archive at De Montfort University and survived to tell the tale. He is currently working on a monograph on the unmade Hammer films of the 1970s, and has recently co-edited a collection on unmade films called Shadow Cinema: The Historical and Production Contexts of Unmade Films which will be available in paperback in 2022.

There is currently a Call for Papers for the conference "Shadow Screens: Unmade, Unseen, Unreleased Film and Television" which is being held in May 2022 at Sheffield Hallam University.

Do get in touch with us via Twitter @secondfeatures or our email secondfeaturespod@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you! Please also leave us a rating and a review wherever you listen. And Merry Christmas!

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El Vampiro y el Sexo (Santo in the Treasure of Dracula, 1968) with Dolores Tierney

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 15:47:34 GMT

In this episode we go in search of Dracula's treasure with a Mexican masked wrestler and Dr Dolores Tierney, head of Film Studies at the University of Sussex. You can watch El Vampiro y el Sexo with English subtitles on Archive.org if you want to play along at home.

Dolores wrote an excellent article on this film for the journal Porn Studies which you can find HERE, and the book chapter referred to in this episode can also be found HERE.

Do get in touch with us via Twitter @secondfeatures or our email secondfeaturespod@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you! Please also leave us a rating and a review wherever you listen.

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Pumping Iron (1977) with guest Dr Adam Locks

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 14:53:31 GMT

In this episode we are joined by Dr Adam Locks as we enter the sweaty world of bodybuilding and witness the birth of a Hollywood legend care of the fascinating documentary Pumping Iron (1977, George Butler & Robert Fiore).

The documentary can be streamed via Amazon Prime, and the other documentary we mention, Raw: The Making of Pumping Iron, is available on YouTube.

You can get in touch with us via Twitter @secondfeatures or our email secondfeaturespod@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you! Please also leave us a rating and a review wherever you listen.

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The Man Who Saved the World (Turkish Star Wars) with guest Iain Robert Smith

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 14:35:43 GMT

For this episode we are exploring the wild world of Turkish exploitation cinema with the help of Dr Iain Robert Smith. If, like Laura, you have ever struggled to get through The Man Who Saved the World (Dünyayi Kurtaran Adam, 1982, Çetin Inanç), perhaps this deep dive will help encourage you to have another go!

You can find the film in full, with English subtitles, on YouTube

Ed Glaser's really great short documentary can also be found on YouTube

This article on The Guardian is also pretty helpful: "Attack of the killer Jedi! The bizarre story of Turkish Star Wars"

Here's a great review from Michael Brooke, who saw the restored version on its UK tour

You can get in touch with us via Twitter @secondfeatures or our email secondfeaturespod@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you! Please also leave us a rating and a review wherever you listen.

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Smashing Time (1967) with guest Melanie Williams

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 09:43:37 GMT

Join us and our special guest Professor Melanie Williams of the University of East Anglia as we discuss a somewhat forgotten 1960s classic! Be warned however, that some of the songs from Smashing Time will get stuck in your head for days...

If you would like to find out more about the 1960s British Cinema project mentioned in the show you can find their fascinating blog here: 60sbritishcinema.wordpress.com

You can get in touch with us via Twitter @secondfeatures or our email secondfeaturespod@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you! Please also leave us a rating and a review wherever you listen.

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Sexmission (Seksmisja, 1984) with guest Michal Oleszczyk

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 13:27:01 GMT

Stagger out of your hibernation pod and join us in a dystopian Polish future world where all men have been wiped out as the result of an experimental chromosome bomb. In an underground world run entirely by women, what are two guys from an extinct age supposed to do? Listen to this latest Second Features episode on Sexmission (Seksmisja, Juliusz Machulski) to find out! To understand this unique post-apocalypse we are joined by Michal Oleszczyk, a teacher in film at the Liberal Arts department at the University of Warsaw.

You can get in touch with us via Twitter @secondfeatures or our email secondfeaturespod@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you! Please also leave us a rating and a review wherever you listen.

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Slumber Party Massacre (1982) & Slumber Party Massacre 2 (1987) with guest Dr Alice Haylett Bryan

Fri, 28 May 2021 08:17:30 GMT

Just what exactly is a feminist slasher film, and do these two fit the bill? Get your pyjamas on, order yourself a pizza, lock all the windows and doors and then join us and our guest Dr Alice Haylett Bryan as we dissect Slumber Party Massacre and Slumber Party Massacre 2 and try to figure this out!

You can get in touch with us via Twitter @secondfeatures or our email secondfeaturespod@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

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Shogun Assassin (1980) with guest Jonathan Wroot

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 16:30:18 GMT

Join us for a blood-soaked discussion on this classic video nasty, an American remix of two equally classic Japanese films Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (both 1972, Kenji Misumi).

Our guest this month is Dr Jonathan Wroot, an expert in Japanese cinema, and he gives us a fascinating overview of the history of this film, the original Lone Wolf series and its brother-in-arms, Zatōichi. Along the way we talk hip hop, blood pressure, Andy Warhol and killer penises. Just a regular episode of Second Features.

You can contact us by email at secondfeaturespod@gmail.com or on Twitter @secondfeatures

Please remember to leave us a review or rate the podcast on your app of choice!

Reading List (generously supplied by Jonathan):

A review (Jasper Sharp, 2001) of Sword of Vengeance, scenes of which appear in Shogun Assassin

A feature article (Robin Gatto and Tom Mes, 2005) on Kenji Misumi, who directed the footage that appears in Shogun Assassin

FrameRated review of the Lone Wolf and Cub film series by Remy Dean (2020) including the different DVD releases

Derek Johnston’s research paper on the transcultural impact of Lone Wolf and Cub

And so you can hear RZA talk about Wu-Tang Clan far more eloquently than Adrian can:

Wu-Tang’s RZA Breaks Down 10 Kung Fu Films He’s Sampled

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The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970) with guest Caz Rickards

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 10:56:39 GMT

This month we discuss the Roger Moore-starring The Man Who Haunted Himself, which leads to us talking about eyebrow acting, James Bond (naturally), safari suits and knitwear modelling. We also welcome Dr Carolyn Rickards to tell us about her involvement in the AHRC-funded project 'The Eastmancolor Revolution and British Cinema, 1955-1985)', and the striking use of colour in this month's film.

You can read Dr Rickard's excellent chapter "The Rise and Fall of the Colourful Corporate Fantasy in 1960s British Cinema" in the book Sixties British Cinema Reconsidered

You can find out what Dr Rickards is up to currently by following her on Twitter: @caz_rickards

The Eastmancolor Revolution and British Cinema, 1955-1985 also has an excellent blog: eastmancolor.info

You can email us at secondfeaturespod@gmail.com with any feedback on this episode, or with suggestions for future shows.

You can also contact us on Twitter:

Dr Laura Mayne - @LauraJaneMayne

Dr Adrian Smith - @retroramblings

The Man Who Haunted Himself is available on blu ray from Network

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Eskimo Nell (1975) with guest Professor Sue Harper

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 12:37:07 GMT

Here at last is the second episode of Second Features, featuring a lengthy discusion on Eskimo Nell (1975, Martin Campbell, UK), being embarrassed easily, the British sex comedy and whether it really was all that bad for the British film industry in the 1970s. Our guest is Professor Sue Harper, who has been involved in some fascinating research projects in this area. Her book, co-written with Justin Smith, is called British Film Culture in the 1970s: The Boundaries of Pleasure, and is essential reading.

Although she was too polite to mention it, Professor Harper is also an author of short stories, and you can find more details about those here: www.sueharper.co.uk

Eskimo Nell is available on blu ray and DVD from 88 Films

The published screenplay by Michael Armstrong is available from Paper Dragon Productions

The music for this episode is a cover version of The Edgar Wallace Mysteries theme, performed by Oscar.

You can email us at secondfeaturespod@gmail.com with any feedback on this episode, or with suggestions for future shows.

You can also contact us on Twitter:

Dr Laura Mayne - @LauraJaneMayne

Dr Adrian Smith - @retroramblings

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Death Line (1972) with guest Paul Dobraszczyk

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 11:58:40 GMT

Welcome to the first episode of Second Features, where we discuss the British horror classic Death Line (1972) and wonder why more people don't talk about how great it is. We are also joined by Paul Dobraszczyk, a lecturer at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London, who has written and researched the spaces under London extensively. Could cannibals really exist down there? Just what is going on in those dozens of abandoned train tunnels and tube stations? Join us to find out.

You can find out more about Paul's research on his website: www.ragpickinghistory.co.uk

The music for this episode is a cover version of The Edgar Wallace Mysteries theme, performed by Oscar.

You can email us at secondfeaturespod@gmail.com with any feedback on this episode, or with suggestions for future shows.

You can also contact us on Twitter:

Dr Laura Mayne - @LauraJaneMayne

Dr Adrian Smith - @retroramblings

Buy Death Line (2972) on blu-ray from Network On Air

Reading List:

Chris Alexander (2017), ‘How Marlon Brando was Almost the Monster in Death Line’

Laura Mayne (2019), ‘Mind the Doors! Death Line (Gary Sherman, 1972)’

Roger Ebert (1973), ‘Raw Meat’ review,

Diabolique Interview with Gary Sherman

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