Asian A.V. Club: What to Watch podcast

The Asian A.V. Club returns with a new format of our What to Watch podcast and invite our fave guest co-host Patrick Heidmann on to talk about all the TV and movies that are on our radar at the moment! In this April 2026 episode we break down the pod into various categories.Tried and Tested: We talk about cult hit series Paradise Season 2 (Hulu / Disney+) and the Rachel Weiss black comedy Vladimir (Netflix) This is New: I create the genre Michelle Pfeiffer-naissance because she's doing such great work on The Madison (Paramount+) and also in Margo's Got Money Troubles (Apple TV). Patrick is a big fan of the award winning film My Father's Shadow (In theaters now / Mubi) and explains why it's been one of his favorite films since last year.This BETTER Be On Your Radar: You get to hear about my obsession over the reality series Battle of Fates (Hulu / Disney+) and Patrick's love for the latest season of Top Chef (Bravo) Speed Round: I've gone ahead and created a genre called "Rich people are all corrupt devil worshippers and we need to take them DOWN" only cause the films Ready or Not 2 (In theaters now) and They Will Kill You (In theaters now) tell me so! We also talk about the excellent Half Man (Hbo Max / BBC), the final season of Hacks (Hbo Max), the latest comedy thriller by Dan Levy called Big Mistakes (Netflix), a brand new Beef (Netflix), our mutual love of the British crime thriller Code of Silence (Britbox / ITV+), the return of the unsung detective series Criminal Record (Apple TV), the joys of LOL - Last One Laughing UK (Prime Video) and the return of The Muppet Show (Disney+) The goal was to keep it breezy but BOY do we pack in ALOT this episode!! Tell us if you like this revamped version of the podcast and hope you keep coming back for new episodes!

Welcome to the Asian A.V. Club interview podcast HANG! As you all know, we LOVE to HANG with our directors, and this time we’re sitting down with a fresh new voice making her debut with a film that’s bold in its premise and keeps you guessing all the way through.Australian-born director Amy Wang brings us her first feature Slanted, a film that begins in a grounded space before gradually shifting into something far more unexpected.The story follows Joan Huang, played by Shirley Chen, a young Asian teenager navigating school, family, and her own sense of identity. As she struggles with where she fits in, she becomes fixated on the idea that her life might be easier and more successful if she could exist in a white body. What begins as a quiet insecurity slowly builds into something much more extreme.That turning point comes when Joan emerges from her choices as a completely different person, played by Mckenna Grace, pushing the film into body horror territory. From there, Slanted explores that uneasy space between trying to become someone new and losing yourself in the process, as Joan attempts to navigate this new version of herself.The film is also grounded by the presence of her parents, played by Vivian Wu and Fang Du, whose perspectives bring in themes of generational tension, cultural expectations, and the complexities of identity within an immigrant household in a foreign country.While Slanted leans into body horror, it also uses that framework to explore ideas of identity, assimilation, and self-worth. Wang balances these themes with a distinct sense of dark humor, allowing the film to move between discomfort and satire in a way that feels really sharp and effective.The film premiered at SXSW Film Festival, where it received the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award, marking it as one of the standout titles of the festival.We had the chance to HANG with Amy Wang to talk about the film that first inspired her to become a director, her transition into screenwriting, and how her widened creative background allowed her to shape Slanted into a film that clearly carries her distinct stamp.If you like this HANG, please check out some of our other ones either where you listen to podcasts or watch the visualized version of this chat on our YouTube channel. Please also subscribe to our SUBSTACK where you get to read up on all the things the Asian A.V. Club are getting themselves into! Thanks and join us on our next HANG!

On the eve of the Academy Awards, Asian A.V. Club got to HANG with documentary director Geeta Gandbhir as she not only celebrates her two Oscar nominations for her short The Devil Is Busy (which she is co-director with Christalyn Hampton), but also the feature The Perfect Neighbor. With a background in narrative filmmaking, Geeta's documentaries are at once compelling, immediate and filled with humanity that people can relate to instantly!In The Devil Is Busy, we follow a day in the life of an abortion clinic in Atlanta, seen through the eyes of Tracii, their head of security. Across a single day, the short observes the routines of the staff as they try to provide the best safest healthcare, inside an environment where they operate under the daily threat of danger. Meanwhile, The Perfect Neighbor unfolds in a completely different way. Constructed largely from body-cam footage, the film pieces together a year-long neighborhood dispute that escalates into the fatal shooting of a young Black mother. As the footage accumulates, the film reveals how race and systemic bias are weaponized by the white shooter in an attempt to justify her actions, leading to a conclusion that is both shocking and heartbreaking. As the first female director to get nominations in both the short and feature Documentary categories, we were really honored to get the chance to HANG with the filmmaker so press play! If you enjoyed our chat, remember to press SUBSCRIBE and please check out our SUBSTACK where we have online exclusives that you can also get right in your inbox by joining there too! See you soon!

Welcome back to the Asian A.V. Club podcast series HANG! On this episode we get to know the director of the animation film In Your Dreams, Alex Woo. Almost ten years in the making, director Woo’s debut feature is inspired by his memories of a brief period during childhood when his parents separated. That personal history became the foundation for the story of a young girl named Stevie who, alongside her brother Elliot, attempts to strike a deal with the Sandman to make their dream of reuniting their parents come true.It’s a moving film that brings together the craft Woo developed during his formative years at Pixar, later refined through co-founding Kuku Studios, resulting in a debut that feels both deeply personal and assured.We talked to Alex about his first foray into drawing, the lessons he learned at Pixar, directing a film from Hong Kong during COVID lockdown and finally releasing this film 9 years in the making. If you liked our HANG with Alex Woo, remember to subscribe to where you usually listen to your podcasts OR watch the interviews themselves on our Youtube channel AND you always sign up for our Asian A.V. Club Substack where all of this is sent right into your inbox once you subscribe!

Welcome back to the Asian A.V. Club podcast series HANG! On this episode, we talk to director, writer and producer Hikari about her latest seasonal gem feature Rental Family. Total NERD disclosure, I’ve been a fan of director Hikari after I saw her name appear in a few episodes of the Emmy winning Netflix series Beef and was even more intrigued when I realized it was the creative moniker of Osaka born Mitsuyo Miyazaki, who chose the word "Hikari" as her name. Rental Family, is an actual true service in Japan where individuals can hire 'actors' to play different roles for different needs in their lives, In the film, a lonely isolated out of work western actor, played by Brenden Fraser (Philip), is hired as a token white guy to enter various lives including an alleged journalist asked to interview a legendary Japanese actor who is actually losing his memory, the other to play an American father to an 11 year old girl, who’s single mother needs this man in order to get her daughter into a prestigious private school. As the film progresses, Philip can't help but get caught deeper in these false relationships and in the end has to make a decision to what it truly means to him and the people around him. There are so many wonderful moments of love and humanity that exist in Hikari’s examination of relationships, which makes Rental Family one of this season’s sweet gems. I got some time with Hikari to talk about her creative upbringing, the lessons she learned working on tv shows, and the domino effect of love and kindness and honesty that connects the characters in her film.If you liked our HANG with Hikari, remember to subscribe to where you usually listen to your podcasts OR watch the interviews themselves on our Youtube channel and you always sign up for our Asian A.V. Club Substack where all of this is sent right into your inbox once you subscribe! Thanks again bye!!

It's another episode of the Asian A.V. Club podcast series HANG! For this episode, I have to start off by saying I TOTALLY nerded out with documentary filmmaker Elizabeth Lo because her latest film Mistress Dispeller is presented in such a way that I had a long list of questions, mainly about how the heck did she make this excellent film.The premise of Mistress Dispeller is a look at these services being offered in modern day China, in which a woman of a certain means, hires these individuals to infiltrate their family, gain the trust of the husband and eventually the 'other woman' and then manipulate the breakup of this affair. What makes this doc so compelling is that there are cameras capturing the whole experience from beginning to end, with two of the characters none the wiser on what's happening around them. It's a surprisingly moving (and sometimes nail-biting) look at a family unit in disarray and the lessons all parties learn as they go experience the dispelling together. I had questions. SO MANY QUESTIONS! And Lo broke down the mechanics of how she pieced this wonderful doc together. We also talk about our common bond of growing up in Hong Kong, getting into docs in the first place, and how she took the leap from her debut studying Stray dogs in the streets of Istanbul to focusing on China in her latest film Mistress Dispeller. It's a good HANG and I look forward to whatever dynamic storytelling Lo has up her sleeve in her future! Btw, please do us a favor and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you're listening to us, because we have so many fun chats coming in the next few weeks! Thanks again!

Welcome to the Asian A.V. Club podcast series HANG! This week we talk to actor Liam Oh who's making his debut on the hit Netflix series Boots. Based on Greg Cope White's memoir The Pink Marine, Boots tells the story of Cameron, played wonderfully by Miles Heizer, as a young closeted gay male who follows his straight best friend Ray (aka Liam) as they enlist in a Marine Boot Camp as a means to escape their complicated home life. Set against the 90's Don't Ask Don't Tell backdrop, the boys endure extreme training that not only pushes their physical limits, but tests their friendship to the brink. Along the way, there's a great ensemble of young actors on screen, but the heart and soul of this show is the friendship and brotherly love between these two.It's a far cry for Oh, who prior to getting this role was rooted in the Chicago theater scene with a focus on musicals!So we decided to go back and find out how Oh was inspired by the stage at an early age, jumping right into shooting this series in the heart of a New Orleans summer and how being the youngest on set was an experience in itself. We also get a bit of a cameo by Oh's dog Juno mid-chat too! Liam is super fun to chat with and we are even bigger fans now. If you liked our HANG!, please do us a favor and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you're listening to us, because we have A LOT more in the coming days! Thanks again!

We have a brand new Asian A.V. Club: What to Watch pod and we bring on fellow substacker and Gen X specialist Fawnia Soo Hoo of Whatever Nevermind, to jump on and give her thoughts on some film and tv titles that's out at the moment! After spending two eps on the fall film festivals and ALL the big movies that came from them, we are back to our usual format of looking at stuff that we think should be on your radar. We start off our film section with the really personal documentary about comedian, actor and podcast pioneer Marc Maron in the film ARE WE GOOD by dir: Steven Feinartz. Rather than a showcase of Maron's immense popularity as a funny man, the film focuses on a man trying to put together the pieces of his broken heart after the sudden passing of his girlfriend, filmmaker Lynn Shelton. Of course, Maron's distinctly funny observations make this doc a surprisingly inspiring feature. Next up, we take a look at dir: Paul Thomas Anderson's excellent ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER which has critics calling this political thriller one of the years best, with talk of award nominations for a whole slew of categories. We also check out the charming KÖLN 75 by dir: Ido Fluk, telling the true story of how a young brash Vera Brandes (Male Emde) convinced jazz pianist Keith Jarrett (John Magaro) to perform a once in a lifetime concert. Finally, we break down the surprise horror hit GOOD BOY by dir: Ben Leonberg, which focuses on the creepy goings on in a possible a haunted house, but through the POV of a dog. Yes... a dog! Over in the TV world, we jump over the pond to check out season 2 of UK comedian, writer, actor Mawaan Rizwan's cult comedy JUICE. Jamma (Rizwan) is back to figure out his life while juggling an ex (Russell Tovey) and a wacky family (played by real life brother Nabhaan and Shahnaz his mother). We are utterly charmed by the show and wanted to delve deeper into this gem.Another gem is showrunner Sterlin Harjo (Resevoir Dogs) new noir-esque series LOWDOWN starring Ethan Hawke. With a season long mystery that writer/"truthstorian" Lee Raybon (Hawke) is trying to figure out, the show features a large cast of characters that may or may not be telling the truth. We end the tv list with the 3rd (and possibly final) season of the ALICE IN BORDERLAND adapted from the manga series by show runner Shinsuke Sato. With even more twisted life or death games thrown at a new set of 'players', the real focus is whether Usagi (Tao Tsychiya) and Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) will make it out alive. Definitely not for the faint hearted but oh so fun to watch!It's alot to process, but hopefully something in our collection of titles will be your next watch! Press play to listen and if you like what you hear, SUBSCRIBE!

It's a new episode of the Asian A.V. Club What to Watch podcast as we continue to take a look at some of the buzzy titles that came out of the big fall film festivals the past few weeks. After kicking off our last episode from Venice, we now take a look at Telluride and Toronto film festivals and choose a few movies that we think should definitely be on your radar this season! Once again the amazing Patrick Heidmann returns to join in on the talk (mainly cause he just makes it more legit!)At the top of our list is dir: Kaouther Ben Hania's THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB, a devastating re-enactment film where a group of volunteers try to figure out how to save a young Palestinian girl as she is being surrounded by Israeli tanks. Officially Tunisia's submission for foreign language Oscars this might be a surprise title that people will be talking about in the coming months.We also take a look at the biopic SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE by dir: Scott Cooper starring Jeremy Allen White as the boss during a crossroads in his career. HAMNET is high on our must-watch list, as dir: Chloé Zhao gives Jessie Buckley a role that will be on everyone’s lips after they see this dramatic retelling of how William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.Next it's the return of Benoit Blanc, as Daniel Craig reunites with dir: Rian Johnson on a third installment of KNIVES OUT: WAKE UP DEAD MAN. With yet another star studded cast, the film is said to be more emotional than previous installments, and that gets us very excited! FINALLY, we talk about three movies that aren't at these festivals that will be big players during this season (SINNERS, WEAPONS and ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER)Hopefully these two special episodes from these film festivals will give you a good idea of the titles that should be on your award season radar this year. Remember to subscribe because we go back to our regular look at new tv shows and movies that will set you up for the next few weeks!

Welcome to the Asian A.V. Club podcast series HANG! This week we talk to director Justin Tipping. Born in Oakland, California, Tipping first made an impression in the filmmaking community with his acclaimed 2016 coming of age film Kicks, which looked at toxic masculinity seen through the eyes of a 15 year old boy. Soon afterwards, Justin brought his observational skills and keen directorial style to popular TV series like The Chi, Dear White People and Joe vs. Carole. This year, Justin continues his look at masculinity through the lens of horror in the film HIM. The story follows hotshot quarterback draft pick Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers), who gets the invite to legendary QB Isaiah White’s (Marlon Wayans) exclusive training compound. But once he’s there, Cameron quickly realizes that the kind of dedication and sacrifice it takes to match his mentor might be way more terrifying than he ever bargained for.At the film’s core, HIM asks what happens when the athlete becomes a commodity, where the body is the only currency for some players, and once it’s gone, so are you. By filtering that through a horror lens, the film explores the darker business of sports, but with a lot more blood!Of course, we were hoping to walk through this interesting theme and also find out more about Tipping as a filmmaker.... in a way we do talk about these things, but.... the result is something totally off the rails (in a good way!) The only way to understand what we're referring to is to press play cause you're not ready for what Tipping has to say about what inspired him creatively as a child, or what happens to him when he tells his parents he doesn't want to pursue his studies in economics. It's definitely like no other HANG! we've had before. If you liked our HANG!, please do us a favor and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you're listening to this chat. Thanks again!

Welcome to the Asian A.V. Club interview podcast series HANG! This week, we sit down with Chinese American director and cinematographer Bing Liu. Born in Beijing and raised in Rockford, Illinois, Liu turned to skateboarding and video-making as an escape from a turbulent home life. That early passion grew into a career behind the camera, eventually leading him to craft his acclaimed documentary Minding the Gap, which stitched together years of footage of himself and his friends literally coming of age. The raw emotional film earned Liu the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance, a 2018 Peabody, a New York Film Critics Circle award, and an Academy Award nomination, cementing him as one of the most distinctive nonfiction storytellers of his generation.Bing makes his narrative feature debut with Preparation for the Next Life, adapted from Atticus Lish’s award-winning novel. The film centers on Aishe, an undocumented Uyghur migrant struggling to survive while working in New York’s kitchens. Played with delicate sensitivity by Sebiye Behtiyar, Aishe falls in love with a troubled American soldier, portrayed by Fred Hechinger (Thelma, Gladiator 2), and what emerges is a raw, unsentimental love story, filtered through Liu’s deeply personal lens.So press play as we catch up with the director at home to talk about his unique upbringing, his path to directing, and the way he and cinematographer Ante Cheng brought a very specific vision of Queens’ Flushing neighborhood to the screen. And remember to subscribe to the podcast from whatever awesome platform you're listening to us on!

It's another episode of the Asian A.V. Club What to Watch podcast as we are trying something different by taking a look into the fall film festivals. If you didn't already know, the Venice, Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals basically set up the kickoff point for a slew of buzzy films that are vying for a spot in the Award season conversation. By the end of these two weeks, certain titles that are most talked about also inform the studios if they're going to spend the time and effort for their awards campaigns. Since I didn't make it to Venice Film Festival this year, I asked three of my fave journalists, Mathilde Bernard, René Mioch and returning friend of the pod Patrick Heidmann, to talk about 5 films that had the critics talking. First up, George Clooney plays the role of JAY KELLY, a megawatt smile superstar who is looking at his career and life, wondering if it was all worth it. Directed by Noah Baumbach, the film gives Clooney a chance to showcase a meta version of himself, which is always a good thing to experience. Next, director Luca Guadagnino leads Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield through the minefield of truth and lies in the divisive AFTER THE HUNT. The gang is split on director Yorgos Lanthimos' twisty 'comedy' thriller BUGONIA reuniting with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, giving the latter early kudos from the reviewers. Another dark 'comedy' comes in the form of director Park Chan-wook's new film NO OTHER CHOICE. Reuniting actor Lee Byung-hun (Squid Game) with the filmmaker, those who watched enjoyed how wicked and surprisingly touching the film turned out to be. Finally, director Guillermo Del Toro brings us his version of FRANKENSTEIN with Jacob Elordi as the monster in question and Oscar Isaac as his creator. As usual with anything done by Del Toro, the story is filtered through his amazing filmmaking skills, reimagining this iteration with a masterful perspective. We cover ALOT in this hour, so press play and enjoy this lively chat about Venice Film Festival and the movies that should be on our radar!

Welcome back to the Asian A.V. Club interview podcast HANG. This week we’re with first-time director Alex Russell, whose debut feature Lurker premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival and was quickly picked up by the boutique indie studio Mubi. Starring Theodore Pellerin as Matty, a seemingly impressionable store clerk drawn into the world of pop star Oliver, played by Archie Madekwe. Not only does Lurker dive into the intoxicating world of fame, but we see the dark lengths that someone will go to stay inside it.Russell started in the writers’ room on the cult tv series Dave and then went on to write and produce for Emmy-winning hits like Beef and The Bear. During lockdown, he penned Lurker as an exercise, never thinking he would be the one to go behind the camera to direct his script. But now the film is one of the year’s best-reviewed films and easily one of our 2025 favorites! So press play and spend some time with us as we ask Alex about his career, what he learned from writing for top showrunners, and that special moment of getting Auntie approval after a New York Times feature. And remember to subscribe to the podcast from whatever awesome platform you're listening to us on!

It's another new episode of the Asian A.V. Club: What to Watch pod and this time we drag in one of our favorite journalists Didier Allouch, who has been the LA correspondent for the Canal+ network for a hot second and our fave buddy to talk all things horror genre with. Lucky for him we have a few titles that fall under this category in this seriously packed episode! We kick off our movie section with the emotional doc of the late singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley. Directed by the award winning Amy Berg, IT'S NEVER OVER: JEFF BUCKLEY breaks down the iconic performers short life, leaving behind one of the most legendary debuts that just celebrated it's 30th anniversary, GRACE. Didier gets happy as we talk about the #1 horror box office smash WEAPONS and why dir: Zack Cregger is a director to watch! We also find ourselves a little 'mid' about Spike Lee's latest HIGHEST 2 LOWEST, but more forgiving with the return of NOBODY... um "2", helmed by buzzy Indonesian genre director Timo Tjahjanto. Didier and I have divergent thoughts about New Zealand director Samuel Van Grinsven's supernatural possession film WENT UP THE HILL, but we are in total agreement for dir: Alex Russell's successfully wild debut LURKER!Over at TV land, we try to guess what showrunner Noah Hawley (FARGO) has up his sleeve with the tense monster filled ALIEN EARTH. We also try to ask why THE RAINMAKER doesn't leave much of an impression. We both have much to say about the return of PEACEMAKER and have discovered a total surprise in the excellent K-drama limited series AEMA, about the dawn of erotic cinema in 1980s Korea. It's a massively diverse collection of titles, but hopefully somewhere here is your next favorite movie/show. Press play and give yourself some time to digest ALL of our happy nonsense and opinions - and if you like it, SUBSCRIBE!

Welcome to the Asian A.V. Club podcast series: HANG! Today we’re sitting down with one of the most exciting voices in genre filmmaking, Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto. If you’ve caught his films like Headshot or The Night Comes for Us, you know he’s got a gift for turning pure chaos into beautifully choreographed mayhem. And just when you think you’ve got him pegged as an action guy, he flips the script and dives headfirst into horror with the popular May the Devil Take You films, proving he’s just as awesome in that arena too!This year, Timo makes the leap into Hollywood with Nobody 2, putting Bob Odenkirk back in the shoes of unlikely action hero Hutch. Like the first film, expect plenty of wonderfully bloody setups and even a scene-stealing turn from Sharon Stone! Timo’s energy is relentless, and his films are as fun as they are brutal, which is exactly why we couldn’t wait to chat with him about his career, his influences, and what it’s like bringing his signature style onto a bigger stage.So press play and get to know a buzzy big time international director in the making, and remember to subscribe to this podcast on whatever podcast platform you're listening to us on!

We’re expanding the Asian A.V. Club podcast universe by sharing some of our favorite conversations with creatives working both behind and in front of the camera. This one’s a real gem as we got the wonderful director/writer Celine Song to HANG with us for a bit!We became superfans when Song released her loosely autobiographical love story (in fate and spirit) Past Lives back in 2023. The film went on to a successful awards run, culminating in Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture nominations. Two years later, the director returns with Materialists, a romantic yet harshly realistic film about dating in this day and age.And boy... do we talk about dating! By the time we finished this chat, I was convinced Song would make a GREAT relationship expert and fictitious thoughts of a podcast pivot came to mind! So sit back, grab a nice cup of tea and get to hear our exclusive HANG with the amazing Celine Song.

Our brand new episode of the Asian A.V. Club: What to Watch pod is here and in this episode, we've invited the brilliant Katie Spencer who you might know as the main entertainment correspondent on SKY NEWS, but for our listeners, she is just a friend of the pod! As usual, we've curated a wide berth of current movies and tv shows to have on your radar, and Katie has very kindly joined us for the ride. We kick off our film section with the thought provoking doc LIFE AFTER by the award winning director Reid Davenport. What started off as a look into the life of a disabled woman denied the right for assisted suicide back in 1983, develops into a fascinating deeper dive into how society currently approaches this tough topic. If you think the current SUPERMAN flies into lighter subjects, you might be in for a surprise in this iteration. We also return to Southport to witness the bloody reboot of the 90's classic I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. Finally, the REAL reason why I made Katie watch the Netflix genre hit BRICK.Over in TV land, we break down the Lena Dunham version of a rom-com TOO MUCH, return to the murderous world of DEXTER RESURRECTION, discover a comfy new title in the cozy crime milieu called BOOKISH, celebrate deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis as she stars in the tense crime drama CODE OF SILENCE and keep the crime/murder spree of tv shows coming with the surprisingly good BALLARD. Katie of course, comes across as a knowledgeable star and was a wonderful sport by going through our long list (AGAIN) of titles we packed into this episode. So press play and if you like what you hear, please subscribe!

The Asian A.V. Club What to Watch podcast returns with a REALLY packed episode of movies and tv shows that we think you should be watching right now or have on your radar. In this episode we've invited Germany based journalist / critic (and just all around specialist of all things movie and TV) Patrick Heidmann to the show. I've known Patrick for awhile now as he's been doing the international festival circuit for decades and has such great taste in general! As it's the main summer blockbuster season, both Patrick and I have stories to tell about getting invited to events centered around hot titles. Patrick went to a Jurassic World Rebirth press event and was charmed by a baby dinosaur, I went to the Squid Game premiere and FELT like a dinosaur surrounded by baby influencers. Of course we get to talking about films, kicking off with the moving doc My Mom Jayne, by actress and now director Mariska Hargitay, about reclaiming her relationship with the iconic pinup star mom, Jayne Mansfield. Then we go 28 Years Later to experience dir: Danny Boyle returning to the zombie world he made famous two decades ago.We then head over to Korea to talk about their summer superhero smash film Hi-Five by dir: Kang Hyeong-cheol and how local IP can still go up against Hollywood smashes like F1, which we also had some enthusiastic thoughts on!Our film quick takes looks at how surprised we were with the silly action comedy Deep Cover and our love of the indie film Sorry Baby (which everyone should go see asap!!)For TV, the return of The Gilded Age brings alot of questions why we watch this show in the first place (here's a hint: the actors), the surprisingly breezy limited series Outrageous introduces us to the scandalous Mitford sisters, we get our Scandi-crime fix through the compelling new drama Mafia, plus our thoughts on the final season of Squid Game, having The Bear back in our lives, and easy cozy tv shows like Poker Face and Elsbeth. It's PACKED, but we were just so excited to share our thoughts on all these titles! So plug in, and enjoy our latest Asian A.V. Club: What to Watch podcast!

In our inaugural episode, Stevie Wong invites the amazing Kate Rodger of The Projector substack to break down all the films and tv shows that you should be watching right now. We kick off with my breakdown of fave films I saw at this years 2025 Cannes Film Festival including Sirat, Sentimental Value, Pillion, Romeria and Resurrection. Then we take a look at current film releases like Tom Cruise's "final" Mission Impossible: The FINAL Reckoning, Ballerina expanding on the John Wick universe, the smash New Zealand film Tina and the surprising feel good movie by horror director Mike Flanagan called The Life of Chuck. We venture into TV shows as we talk about if the series finale of The Handmaid's Tale had a satisfying ending, we listen to Kate talk about her total love of Andor, we ask if there's a way to go beyond hate watching And Just Like That, and fawn over two new crime series in the form of Dept Q and the k-thriller Nine Puzzles. It's a packed episode but we were just so excited to share our thoughts on all the things in the world of movies and tv right now!