Heroic Purgatory: An Asian Cinema Podcast

It's that time of the year again, and the Heroic Purgatory crew has decided to celebrate the festive season by revisiting John Carpenter's They Live (1988). John and Jason discuss the symbolism, the politics, the style, as well as the balls to the wall action of this 80s classic. Enjoy the discussion! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/12/xmas-special-they-live-1988.html Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.socia Follow John: https://bsky.app/profile/jmhimara.bsky.social

After a longer than usual break, the Heroic Purgatory podcast is back with a Halloween special, covering none other than John Carpenter's Halloween (1978). John and Jason discuss this horror classic's aesthetics, historical significance, and its metaphorical representation of patriarchal norms. We also talk about the sequels. Enjoy the discussion! Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/10/special-halloween-1978.html Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.socia Follow John: https://bsky.app/profile/jmhimara.bsky.social

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, we tackle a classic, Jackie Chan's Project A. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/07/s5e8-project-1983.html Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.socia

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason travel to the Kingdom of Joseon to witness the Qing invasion of Korea in the War of the Arrows (2011). Both hosts characterized this film as a fairly straightforward historical action flick, albeit one with excellent action scenes, pacing, and historical accuracy. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/07/s5e7-war-of-arrows.html Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.social

In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John, Jason, and invited guest Jack (Optimism Vaccine) discuss Hideo Gosha's 1965 chanbara film, The Sword of the Beast. Far from a simple minded samurai flick, the film reflects the anxieties, tensions, and complex politics of the time by deconstructing the faux nobility of a past era. We hope you enjoy our discussion. Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/07/s5e6-sword-of-beast-with-guest-jack.htmIn Follow Jack Eason: https://bsky.app/profile/jackeason.bsky.social Listen to Optimism Vaccine: https://www.optimismvaccine.com/ Follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/heroicpurgatory.bsky.social Follow Jason: https://bsky.app/profile/filmnohito.bsky.social