In this episode, former Forbes.com film critic Scott Phillips and filmmaker Eddie O'Blivion, look at underseen films set in the world of martial arts. While there's nothing wrong with a good chopsocky Kung Fu film from the 1970s, these Needles are more than just mindless action fare. The episode kicks off with a discussion about the need to make foreign films a regular part of your film diet and getting over your fear of subtitles.

Scott kicks off the discussion with the mid-life martial arts action-comedy The Paper Tigers (2020), an astonishingly entertaining film from first-time director Quoc Bao Tran. Then Eddie takes the episode back to 1978 with his analysis of Brian Trenchard-Smith's The Man From Hong Kong, a film that famously might have starred Bruce Lee if not for his untimely death.

The episode wraps up with a look at the 2019 dark comedy The Art of Self-Defense from writer-director Riley Sterns. As with all good episodes of The Needle, your hosts stray from their game plan into a brief discussion of a pair of Sterns' non-marital arts Needles, Faults (2014) and Dual (2022). And how can you have an episode about martial arts Needles without mentioning Jackie Chan and his undersung film, Police Story 4: First Strike.

The Paper Tigers can be found on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hoopla, Kanopy, Hi-Yah (a martial arts streaming service) and various VOD platforms.

The Art of Self-Defense can be found on Hoopla, Kanopy and various VOD platforms.

Faults can be found Fubo, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV and various VOD platforms.

Dual can be found on AMC+, Hoopla, Sundance Now, Philo and various VOD platforms.

Police Story 4: First Strike can be found on Kanopy and various VOD platforms.

Remember that streaming contracts come and go, so when in doubt, consult the JustWatch app for the up-to-the-minute whereabouts of the Needles mentioned on the show. (No. JustWatch isn't a sponsor. We just love their app.)

You can reach Scott and Eddie at theneedlefilmpodcast@gmail.com with your questions or suggestions for Needles they should discuss on future episodes.

Thanks to songwriter Burt Perryman for the theme for The Needle and the various music bumpers that were taken from his song "Faded Memory" with his express permission.

Eddie O'Blivion Instagram: @eddie_oblivion

Eddie O'Blivion Letterboxd: EddieO'Blivion

Scott Phillips Instagram: @mscott_phillips

Scott Phillips Bluesky: @mscottphillips.bsky.social

Scott Phillips Letterboxd: ScottPhillips