Episode 31: Champion
In this episode, we forsake our ethnocentric ways by looking away from U.S. Independence Day to celebrate a far more international occasion: International Talk Like Randy “Macho Man” Savage Day. When you tire of hearing our less than manly attempts at replicating Mr. Savage, there’s still plenty of film talk. In keeping with the occasion, this episode is boxing themed. We revive our DocuAsia segment with a look at an early work by Toshiaki Toyoda (Blue Spring, 9 Souls), his 2000 boxing documentary Unchain. Next, our feature discussion is based around Champion, a 2002 biopic based on the life of Kim Deuk-koo, a South Korean boxer who forever changed the sport. And, of course, we have our usual banter, banter, banter, updates on the New York Asian Film Festival and Japan Cuts, and a whole lot more. OOOOHH YEEEEEAH!!!
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About The Author
Jon Jung
Jon Jung (aka “Coffin Jon”) is the producer and host of the VCinema podcast and editor-in-chief of the VCinema blog. He is an avid movie fan who specializes in Japanese cinema, but enjoys everything from artsy high-brow to mega-billion blockbusters to straight-to-video turds. As an Asian-American, he got the best of all cinematic worlds as a child by receiving mega-doses of Ozu, Bruce Lee, Kamen Rider, and American drive-in movies in addition to a steady diet of punk rock, Japanese literature, and Buddhism. He spent six years in Japan as an English teacher and translator. In 2004, he returned to the United States to complete his Masters in Language Education and continue his career as a language educator and cultural anthropologist with a focus on language policy and language shift. Jon is a former Myrle Clark Award recipient for excellence in creative writing and has contributed to World Film Locations: Tokyo (Intellect, 2011).