S2E9 - Beatsploitation w/ Tokyo Drifter (1966) & A Bucket of Blood (1959)

Podcaster, pop-culture writer and three-time and reigning Ms. Noir City AUDRA WOLFMANN joins us to talk about defending her Ms. Noir City crown, and one of her favorite sub-genres: Beatsploitation. We kick things off with Seijun Suzuki's psychedelic yakuza noir, TOKYO DRIFTER (1966). This isn't Beatsploitation per se, but there are plenty of dudes in mod suits and the film is so incomprehensible that it's gotta be poetry man. Plus it's got jazz, rock and roll, 60s bubblegum pop, and haunting Japanese torch songs. Audra asks if this movie is really a noir, and Bob wonders if it's actually a musical. Either way, Cory gets it right when he says it's a "trip factor 10." Our next film is Roger Corman's dark, beatnik satire A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959), where Walter Paisley (Dick Miller) becomes a coffee house arts sensation by killing pets and people and covering up his victims with clay. It's one of Roger Corman's best and Hollywood everyman Dick Miller's only lead roles. We also talk about the unexpected dominance of Gweneth Paltrow's new weed brand, the return of Taco Bell's Volcano Menu, how Covid drove Bob to binge on Hostess Ding Dongs, and how the movies are back baby--but at what cost? Audra also discusses her history with Noir City, her all Weird Al burlesque troupe, and her podcasts: SPEAKEASILY VS. THE 80s and RETROPHILIA. If you're digging OMFYS, you should definitely check out and subscribe to Audra's amazing pods: http://www.audrawolfmann.net https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/retrophilia-the-90s-in-music-film-culture/id1598247675 Philena also joins us later on for "The Strike Tok Report," a now regular feature on OMFYS until those cheap studio bastards pay the actors and writers some decent wages and royalties for keeping our asses at home watching Netflix, Hulu and Max (It's not HBO; it's just Max). We had to shelve our BARBIE EPISODE because Philena is a SAG AFTRA member and there is no more struck work than BARBIE. We'll be sure to post this ep as soon as the strike is over and it's no longer relevant. Yay. Join us in August as we keep things jazzy with ALL NIGHT LONG (1962) and KING CREOLE (1958). Special Guest: Audra Wolfmann Hosts: Bob Calhoun, Cory Sklar and Greg Franklin PHILENA FRANKLIN IS ON STRIKE. Trailers and movie audio courtesy of ARCHIVE.ORG. Twitter: OM4YStoners Instagram/Facebook (Meta): oldmoviesforyoungstoners Contact: oldmoviesforyoungstoners AT gmail DOT com