Empire of the Sun

We round out our look at Steven Spielberg's b-sides with a film that features Christian Bale in his first feature role as a preteen stuck in Shanghai during wartime: Empire of the Sun. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by J.G. Ballard, it follows Bale as a young version of Ballard, who gets separated from his parents at the onset of WWII. The movie then proceeds to meander for nearly three hours, attempting to have something important to say but ultimately failing at having anything to say.  DC Titan's Richard Hatem joins Chris to talk about the film, his favorite Spielberg film, and the problems with war movies.You can follow Chris Stachiw at @Casualty_Chris and the Kulturecast @kulturecast. The music is Tigerblood Jewel's The Bayou. You can also subscribe to the Kulturecast on iTunes here. Also, don’t forget to check out our official Facebook page for news, upcoming reviews, contests, and new content along with our Patreon page.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.