A Touch of Zen (1971; Dir.: King Hu)

Canon Fodder Episode 59

In this highly enlightened episode, Daniel and Corky bring their cinematic world tour to Taiwan to review King Hu’s widescreen wuxia epic. A story of corruption, subterfuge, and ghosts both real and imaginary, A Touch of Zen starts slow but keeps building for three hours towards a transcendently psychedelic ending. But did your hosts resist Hu’s Touch, or is the Zen truly mightier than the sword?

A TOUCH OF ZEN FACTS & FIGURES

Sight & Sound 2022 Critics Poll Ranking: #225 [tied]

World premiere: July 10, 1970 (Taiwan)

IMDB synopsis: “A lady fugitive on the run from corrupt government officials is joined in her endeavors by an unambitious painter and skilled Buddhist monks.”

CLIPS & CLIPPINGS

Trailer for A Touch of Zen

The Shaolin monks

Bamboo forest fight

NEXT EPISODE’S MOVIE

Andrei Rublev (1966; Dir.: Andrei Tarkovsky)

IMDB synopsis: “The life, times and afflictions of the fifteenth-century Russian iconographer St. Andrei Rublev.”

Our review of Andrei Rublev comes out Tuesday, April 28!

Follow Dare Daniel & Canon Fodder on Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to listen, rate, review and subscribe to the show on Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Listen Notes, Castbox and more. New episodes every other Tuesday! Please help support the show by clicking the Donate button on the homepage or find “Support the Show” in the main menu.

Read more of Daniel’s movie reviews at Dare Daniel and Rotten Tomatoes.

The post Canon Fodder – A Touch of Zen appeared first on Dare Daniel Family of Podcasts.

Single Take with Daniel Barnes Episode 9

Interminably disgraced film critic Daniel Barnes is back with another episode of his wet and wild Single Take podcast. This week, Daniel reviews Riz Ahmed, all melancholy and no Dane in the title role of Aneil Karia’s reimagined Hamlet (2026). Daniel also offers his Single Take on 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and other films now available on VOD and streaming services.

Hamlet (2026; Dir.: Aneil Karia)

DANIEL SAYS: DUMP IT

*Now playing at the Tower Theatre in Sacramento.

IMDB Synopsis: “Hamlet comes home for his father’s funeral and finds his uncle Claudius marrying his widowed mother Gertrude. His father’s ghost reveals Claudius murdered him, leading Hamlet toward revenge and introspection.”

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026; Dir.: Nia DaCosta)

DANIEL SAYS: BUMP IT

*Now streaming on Netflix.

IMDB Synopsis: “As Spike is inducted into Jimmy Crystal’s gang on the mainland, Dr. Kelson makes a discovery that could alter the world.”

Read more of Daniel’s reviews at Dare Daniel and Rotten Tomatoes and listen to Daniel on the Dare Daniel & Canon Fodder podcasts. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Listen Notes, Spotify, Pandora, Pocket Casts and more.

The post Single Take – “Hamlet” (2026) appeared first on Dare Daniel Family of Podcasts.

Single Take with Daniel Barnes Episode 8

Irregularly disgraced film critic Daniel Barnes is back with another episode of his boffo blockbuster Single Take podcast. Although he was never really a plumber, Daniel shook up the 2008 presidential race when he confronted Barack Obama about… Oh shoot, I’m confusing him with Joe the Plumber again. That Daniel Barnes guy just reviews movies.

This week, Daniel reviews Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as the perfect couple gone wrong in The Drama. Daniel also offers his Single Take on Paula Beer in Christan Petzold’s latest drama, Miroirs No. 3.

The Drama (2026; Dir.: Kristoffer Borgli)

DANIEL SAYS: BUMP IT

*Now playing everywhere.

IMDB Synopsis: “A happily engaged couple is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails.”

Miroirs No. 3 (2026; Dir.: Christian Petzold)

DANIEL SAYS: BUMP IT

*Now playing everywhere.

IMDB Synopsis: “After a car crash kills her boyfriend, piano student Laura is taken in by Betty, who witnessed the accident. Living with Betty’s family brings comfort, but Laura starts questioning their intentions as time passes.”

Read more of Daniel’s reviews at Dare Daniel and Rotten Tomatoes, and listen to Daniel on the Dare Daniel & Canon Fodder podcasts. Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Listen Notes, Spotify, Pandora, Pocket Casts and wherever fine podcasts are consumed.

The post Single Take – “The Drama” and “Miroirs No. 3” appeared first on Dare Daniel Family of Podcasts.

The Night of the Hunter (1955; Dir.: Charles Laughton)

Canon Fodder Episode 58

Daniel and Corky are leaning… leaning… leaning on the everlasting charms of Robert Mitchum in Charles Laughton’s stone-cold masterpiece The Night of the Hunter. Unquestionably the greatest film directed by someone who only made one movie, The Night of the Hunter influenced filmmakers from David Lynch to Spike Lee to Guillermo del Toro. But did your hosts go gentle into that great Night, or do they possess the hearts of a lonely Hunter?

THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER FACTS & FIGURES

Sight & Sound 2022 Critics Poll Ranking: #25 [tied]

World premiere: July 26, 1955 (Des Moines, IA)

IMDB synopsis: “A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he’d stolen in a robbery.”

CLIPS & CLIPPINGS

Original theatrical trailer for The Night of the Hunter

The story of right-hand left-hand

Harry and God

The Devil wins sometimes

Daniel’s 2010 review of The Night of the Hunter

NEXT EPISODE’S MOVIE

A Touch of Zen (1971; Dir.: King Hu)

IMDB synopsis: “A lady fugitive on the run from corrupt government officials is joined in her endeavors by an unambitious painter and skilled Buddhist monks.”

Our review of A Touch of Zen comes out Tuesday, April 14!

Follow Dare Daniel & Canon Fodder on Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to listen, rate, review and subscribe to the show on Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Listen Notes, Castbox and more. New episodes every other Tuesday! Please help support the show by clicking the Donate button on the homepage or find “Support the Show” in the main menu.

Read more of Daniel’s movie reviews at Dare Daniel and Rotten Tomatoes.

The post Canon Fodder – The Night of the Hunter appeared first on Dare Daniel Family of Podcasts.

Single Take with Daniel Barnes Episode 7

Regularly disgraced film critic Daniel Barnes returns with another episode of his world record-setting Single Take podcast. One of the first true MySpace celebrities, Daniel is best known for starring in the reality show A Shot at Love, although a controversial sex tape would prove…hang on a second, I’m thinking of Tila Tequila. That Daniel Barnes guy just reviews movies.

This week, Daniel reviews Ryan Gosling in the highly anticipated sci-fi adventure Project Hail Mary. Daniel also offers his Single Take on the lowly anticipated horror sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.

Listen as Daniel talks about space bacteria, spontaneous explosions and stolen spotlights.

Project Hail Mary (2026; Dir.: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller)

DANIEL SAYS: BUMP IT

*Now playing everywhere.

IMDB Synopsis: “Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spaceship light-years from Earth. As his memory returns, he uncovers a mission to stop a mysterious substance killing the sun, and save Earth. An unexpected friendship may be the key.”

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026; Dir.: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett)

DANIEL SAYS: DUMP IT

*Now playing everywhere.

IMDB Synopsis: “After surviving one deadly game, Grace and her sister Faith must now outrun four rival families competing for a powerful throne – winner takes all.”

Read more of Daniel’s reviews at Dare Daniel and Rotten Tomatoes, and listen to Daniel on the Dare Daniel & Canon Fodder podcasts. Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Listen Notes, Spotify, Pandora, Pocket Casts and wherever fine podcasts are consumed.

The post Single Take – “Project Hail Mary” and “Ready or Not 2” appeared first on Dare Daniel Family of Podcasts.

Brief Encounter (1945; Dir.: David Lean)

Canon Fodder Episode 57

On this very stiff-upper-lip episode, Daniel and Corky make a date to review David Lean’s masterful romance Brief Encounter. A seemingly simple yet remarkably complex story of an illicit affair elevated by Lean’s cinematic mastery, Brief Encounter set a standard that few tragic romances have ever matched. But did the film ignite cinematic Flames of Passion for your hosts?

BRIEF ENCOUNTER FACTS & FIGURES

Sight & Sound 2022 Critics Poll Ranking: #211 [tied]

World premiere: Nov. 26, 1945 (London)

IMDB synopsis: “Meeting a stranger in a railway station, a woman is tempted to cheat on her husband.”

CLIPS & CLIPPINGS

Original theatrical trailer for Brief Encounter

“Shall I see you again?”

Over the bridge

Runnin’ in the rain

NEXT EPISODE’S MOVIE

The Night of the Hunter (1955; Dir.: Charles Laughton)

IMDB synopsis: “A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he’d stolen in a robbery.”

Our review of The Night of the Hunter comes out Tuesday, March 31!

Follow Dare Daniel & Canon Fodder on Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to listen, rate, review and subscribe to the show on Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Listen Notes, Castbox and more. New episodes every other Tuesday! Please help support the show by clicking the Donate button on the homepage or find “Support the Show” in the main menu.

Read more of Daniel’s movie reviews at Dare Daniel and Rotten Tomatoes.

The post Canon Fodder – Brief Encounter appeared first on Dare Daniel Family of Podcasts.