Na Hong-Jin - Torment and Despair

He pulls the rug from under your feet. He will torture you emotionally. He will demonstrate how societal stereotypes become lethal when combined with an ineffective police force. Dive with us into the unforgiving and emotional roller coaster of the South Korean director Na Hong-jin.

Films covered in this episode:

The Chaser (2008) (Chugyeokja / 추격자)
The Yellow Sea (2010) (Hwanghae / 황해)
The Wailing (2016) (Gokseong / 곡성)

And shorts:

A Perfect Red Snapper Dish (2005) (완벽한 도미요리)
Sweat (2007)

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edit by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell and Karri Ojala.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

Picture “Na Hong-jin in Deauville Asian film festival” released by ENoz under the license CC BY-SA 3.0 . Changes were made to the original.

The Day the Clown Cried - We Have the Full Copy! (- April Fools!)

[DISCLAIMER: This episode was made for April Fools. But it was also a fun ‘simulation’ for us, and hopefully for you. We DO NOT have any sort of full version of ‘The Day the Clown Cried’. The episode content is part factual, part improvised fantasy.]

The Day the Clown Cried is one of the most wanted ‘lost’, or rather, unreleased films ever made. Set in Nazi Germany, it tells the story of a clown who gets sent to a political concentration camp. Due to the controversial subject matter, it was never released. To this day, it has been seen only by a handful of people.

It was long believed that only a rough cut exists, but as it turns out, industry professionals close to Jerry Lewis had put together a copy that is as finished as the film will ever be, but it remains unreleased. However, our podcast has now obtained that finished copy.

Join us for the exclusive analysis of the full version of ‘The Day the Clown Cried’.

The Day the Clown Cried (1972). Directed by Jerry Lewis. Starring Jerry Lewis, Harriet Andersson, Lars Amble, Anton Diffring, Carl Billquist.

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edit by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell and Karri Ojala.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

Satoshi Kon and Toxic Fandom

The late Satoshi Kon was a highly respected and creative anime director. His first two films tackle the topic of fandom. When does fandom reach toxicity and what are the underlying triggers for such behavior?

Films covered in this episode:

Perfect Blue (1997) (パーフェクトブルー) 
Millennium Actress (2001) (千年女優) 

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edit by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell and Karri Ojala.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

Hellraiser Franchise - What Went Wrong?

Are the Hellraiser sequels worth your time? What worked, what went awry and why? Karri and Henrik discuss all the sequels of Hellraiser. Previously parts 1, 2 and 3 were analysed in detail in individual episodes. This episode here concentrates on the theme of ‘What went wrong with Hellraiser’, hence the focus is on the later, remaining sequels – 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 9 and 10.

Films covered in this episode:

Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (1996) – Kevin Yagher
Hellraiser V: Inferno (2000) – Scott Derrickson
Hellraiser VI: Hellseeker (2002) – Rick Bota
Hellraiser VII: Deader (2005) – Rick Bota
Hellraiser VIII: Hellworld (2005) – Rick Bota
Hellraiser IX: Revelations (2011) – Víctor García
Hellraiser X: Judgment (2018) – Gary J. Tunnicliffe

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edit by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell and Karri Ojala.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

Cinema of Hu Bo & An Elephant Sitting Still

In this episode of the podcast, Karri and Henrik look at ‘An Elephant Sitting Still’; an almost 4-hour feature, one of the most acclaimed feature debuts of the last decade. Is ‘Elephant’ a cascade of suffering? Does it depict life’s meaninglessness? Does the late Hu Bo offer us a silver lining even amidst his character’s darkest hours? The episode also covers the two short films ‘Night Runner’ and ‘Man in the Well’.

Guest appearance by Chinese Sen.

Films covered in this episode:
Night Runner (夜奔, 2014)
Man in the Well (井里的人, 2017)
An Elephant Sitting Still (大象席地而坐, 2018)

You can watch ‘An Elephant Sitting Still’ on Amazon Prime, Vimeo or order DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon. Regional restrictions apply.


Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Guest visit by Sen. Edit by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell and Karri Ojala.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

Jurassic Park Sequels - What Went Wrong?

The original Jurassic Park is a loved classic that revolutionised the blockbuster cinema. Following the previous Jurassic Park episode, now The Lab will look at the more maligned sequels. Why did the once thought omnipotent franchise go dormant for years and return? Can the franchise be rejuvenated, or will the weight of the original drag everything down?

Films covered in this episode:

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) – Steven Spielberg
Jurassic Park 3 (2001) – Joe Johnston
Jurassic World (2015) – Colin Trevorrow
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) – J.A. Bayona
Battle at Big Rock (2019) – Colin Trevorrow

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edit by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell and Karri Ojala.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

Krampus the Christmas Monster

The monster who punishes children for Christmas, Krampus, is part of an Alpine folklore which, still to this day is well-known in many European countries. Lately, Americans have become aware of this evil counterpart of Father Christmas. One cultural result of this is the family-friendly (?) horror film, Krampus.

Happy Holidays to our listeners! The Flick Lab will now take a break and will return revamped on February 4th, 2021.

Krampus (2015). Directed by Michael Dougherty. Starring Emjay Anthony, Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Conchata Ferrell.

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edit by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune by Nick Grivell.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

“Silent Night, Holy Night” rendition performed by Alamaailman vasarat, source MoonTV, 1999. Used under the kind permission of Marko Manninen.

Cathedral’s Bells on Christmas Eve, Op. 501 by composer Simon Ernst, performed by Constantin Stephan, licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0). Some changes ie. cuts were made.

Welcome or No Trespassing - Passed USSR Censors!

From war horror to cheerful family comedy – Russia’s Elem Klimov was able to pull off both ends. But is his ‘Welcome, or No Trespassing’ more than a delightful summer camp story under the surface? Is it indeed an allegory to the USSR? How did this get past the censors? Karri and Henrik join forces with the Russophiles Unite! Movie Podcast‘s Ally Pitts to find out.

Russophiles Unite! Movie Podcast can be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, or wherever you get your podcasts. Social media sites include Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can buy Ally a coffee on Ko-fi. More related links of the podcast available on Linktree.

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Guest Alistair Pitts. Edit by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune by Nick Grivell.

Welcome, or No Trespassing (1964) (Добро пожаловать, или Посторонним вход воспрещён). Directed by Elem Klimov. Starring Viktor Kosykh, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Arina Aleynikova, Ilya Rutberg.

Unknown Soldier - Did Finland Lose?

Did Finland win or lose the Continuation War, and what constitutes as winning here? This week, a quick lesson on the less charted chapter of World War II to coincide with the Finnish Independence Day. Last year, TFL covered the original 1955 version of The Unknown Soldier. Now, it’s time to look at the 1985 remake, the less preferred yet more realistic take on the original novel by Väinö Linna. Which one fares better under the Lab’s scrutiny?

Directed by Rauni Mollberg. Starring Risto Tuorila, Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Paavo Liski, Mika Mäkelä, Pertti Koivula.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

Jääkärimarssi (The Jäger March) – Acoustic guitar version by Kyösti Rautio (www.youtube.com/krautio) used under the kind permission of Mr. Rautio. Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edit by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune by Nick Grivell.

Dream Warriors - A Classic or a Catastrophe?

A dream monster or dream comedian? ‘Nightmare 3’ changes tonal gears and introduces more laughs and fantasy. Is it too campy or a welcome change? Welcome to prime time, dear listener.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). Directed by Chuck Russell. Starring Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Patricia Arquette, Rodney Eastman, Laurence Fishburne.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edit by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune by Nick Grivell.