Join Ryan, John, and Dixon as we attempt to piece together the multi-verse plot lines of this animated acid western.

From classics to cultural to pop cultural, this Recommend or Refute rounds the bases to deliver discussions from the Australian outback's Mad Max 2 (1981), Osmane Sembène's snapshot of a post-colonial Senegal with Mandabi (1968), and the Canadian insanity invading the United States in Tom Greene's Freddy Got Fingered (2001). There's definitely something here for everyone, and if there isn't perhaps you should send us a rec or ref on our discord. See https://theafterpod.transistor.fm/ for more details

Strap in as we bring the backbreaking tragedy of The Iron Claw to you!!! Ryan has finally watched it, and he adds his encyclopedic knowledge of wrestling to our discussion of this beautiful film.

Do you like fighter pilot movies? Do you enjoy the camaraderie of a band of scrappy pilots executing a dangerously dumb mission that could very well save all of humanity? The Sky Crawlers (2008) is not that. Don't get us wrong, it's got dogfights, hotshot pilots, and executing dangerously dumb missions, but it's also got PTSD, existentialism, and some truly bleak moments that undercut all of that. John saw it as a youth, and now he's bringing Dixon and Ryan to the airshow to discuss what the hell happened in the controlled fog of war that fuels this movie. Join us as we tailspin into Mamuro Oshii's thoughtful reflection on war and peace with a film that was well executed yet poorly marketed in the US.

Join us for another roundtable review session as we plan out your weekend's upcoming watchlist with an eclectic set of offerings. Ryan discusses a heartfelt anime about rediscovering humanity through Violet Evergarden (2018), John brings his first schlock exposure to Cynthia Rothrock and her Latin rhythm infused martial arts with Sworn to Justice (1996), and Dixon calmly revisits the classic 12 Angry Men (1957) decades after his first watch in middle school.

With Creed 3 (2023) in theaters, Dixon figured it's a good time to revisit the classic that started it all. That's right, the bums of the Afterthoughts podcast will not be deterred by their lack of friends who work in a meat factory. Come drink the raw eggs of the Rocky franchise with us and go the distance on this discussion as we run up the steps of the metaphorical Philadelphia Museum of Art  in this retrospective on Rocky (1976), the influences it had on an entire genre, and the legacy of Sly Stallone's Philly Underdog.

In Part 2 of our SXSW discussion, Dixon breaks down the festival by category and talks about his favorite film in each section.  We also discuss other local Austin film festivals and how SXSW stacks up against them.

Films we talk about:
- Joy Ride (2023)
- Raging Grace (2023)
- Angel Applicant (2023)
- Down Low (2023)
- Chronicles of a Wandering Saint (2023)
- Fremont (2023)

In our first topic discussion episode, John interviews Dixon about the recent SXSW 2023 festival. In Part 1 we'll be talking Film Festival strategy, Dixon's top highlight, lowlight, and nolight (i.e. meh moive) from the fest, as well as dissect a few of the documentaries he'd recommend or meh-commend.

Films we talk about:
- Aberrance (2023)
- With Love and a Major Organ (2023)
- Revival69: The Concert that Rocked the World (2023)
- Last Stop Larrimah (2023)
- Kite Zo A (2023)
- A Disturbance in the Force (2023)

It's a new week and a new round of Recommend or Refute. Join Dixon as he discusses the Rocky formula's return to form in Creed (2015), Ryan's descent into Magic Stripper Madness with the Magic Mike trilogy, and John... well... uh... yeah. John's bringing something obscurely terrible to the table, and we're probably never going to let him do it again.

Call us Ishmael because we're talking about Darren Aronofsky's most recent film The Whale (2022), an adaptation of the Samuel D. Hunter stage play of the same name. Is it worthy of all the accolades and standing ovations? Did it merit its controversy? Where does it rank on the list of Aronofsky films? Join us for afterthoughts on these questions and more!

On this episode of Recommend or Refute, Dixon dishes the deets on the screwball comedy Ball of Fire (1941), John talks about da famous Soady Family buck huntin' of Jeff Daniels's Upper (You-pper) comedy Escanaba in da Moonlight (2001), and Ryan explains why Queen of Katwe (2016) puts Queen's Gambit (2020) in check (we know, we know --that's a mildly apples to oranges comparison).

In our inaugural episode, the Afterthoughts crew is diving nose first into Elizabeth Banks's 3rd directorial feature Cocaine Bear (2023). Does this Horror Comedy deliver on cocaine-fueled, laugh-a-minute thrills? Or is its powdery white essence as bland and tasteless as a batch of flour? John, Dixon, and Ryan are here to cut up a fresh line of Afterthoughts, so let the party begin.

This episode isn't a hoax or a prank, it's just a regular Recommend or Refute episode. Why would we open with that? Well, when John brings Thank You Very Much (2023), a biographical documentary about Andy Kaufman, we feel obligated to emphasize that we aren't trying to fool anyone with the rest of our picks. Sure, Ryan did bring something called Spy x Family: Code White (2024), and  that reads like a math problem, but we assure you its very real and so is his take on the feature. Meanwhile, Dixon is keeping it Criterion by telling us about the spirits and curses brought upon samurai by their misdeeds in Kaneto Shindo's Kuroneko (1968). Join us for another fun roundtable discussion and don't forget to submit your own recommend or refutes to us via our social handles or on Discord.

Find more info at https://theafterpod.transistor.fm

The great Al Pacino and his luscious head of hair star in this gritty biopic about one honest cop who stood up against the corrupt structures of the NYPD. Join us as we discuss Sidney Lumet's impressive film and Frank Serpico's real world impact on modern policing.

On this episode of Recommend or Refute, Dixon brings up All The President's Men (1976) and we lament the devolution of journalistic integrity. John talks pseudo-70s aesthetic with the David Dastmalchian led horror movie Late Night With The Devil (2023). And Ryan talks about his time sitting in a Sunday School of alternative biblical perspective with Satan's Guide to The Bible (2023). Could this episode have the controversial makings of an Afterthought-gate scandal?!

John continues to force us to revisit the movies he loved as a teenager that may or may not have aged well since then. This week we're talking about the horny British coming-of-age dramedy Cashback (2006).

This is a Recommend or Refute with plenty of tangents. Prepare yourself to wade through the quagmire of mixed feelings as Ryan whips up a special chocolate covered condemnation of the latest Charlie & The Chocolate Factory film companion with Wonka (2023). Dixon talks about Civil War (2024), not actual Civil War though. John leads the crew on an expedition to secure the hottest takes and anti-war diatribes from Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998).

Did y'all hear that Stalin died? They made a movie about it starring Steve Buscemi and Jeffrey Tambor.

Dixon and John have returned --with special guest Parker-- to serve up some fresh picks for the dwindling watchlists out there. Prohibition may be over, but the legends it spawned live on in The Roaring Twenties (1939), and Dixon is going to dish on all of it while somehow managing to never work in references to the Simpsons episode we're all thinking about. Parker talks about Sofia Coppola's Priscilla (2023) and we inevitably find ourselves in a compare and contrast with Baz Luhrmann's Elvis (2023). And John invites us to collectively check out the public library propaganda piece known as The Pagemaster (1994).

We're finally doing Dixon's favorite movie, the profoundly transformative Silence (2016) by the great Martin Scorsese. Join John, Dixon, and special guest Parker as we discuss our backgrounds in the church and how the film has impacted our personal beliefs. Check out Dixon's article on his journey with the film below.

https://medium.com/the-outtake/revisiting-a-forgotten-masterpiece-how-silence-changed-the-way-i-view-the-world-c805f0915400

On this episode of Recommend or Refute, Ryan brings us a feature length dose of Andrew Callaghan's gonzo journalism with the Max exclusive documentary This Place Rules (2022), John takes the Dune Part 2's success as motivation to snort a rail of spice from the studio-interfered, audience-panned interpretation Dune (1984), and Dixon rounds everything out with some choice picks from the recent film festival side of SXSW 2024. 

We're riding the musical bandwagon now, following our recent episode on Encanto the Afterthoughts crew steps into a much more adult themed musical in the form of John Cameron Mitchell's intimate comedy musical Hedwig and The Angry Inch (2001). Much like Hedwig herself, this film discussion goes on a tour with several unexpected stops. Join Dixon, Ryan, and John as they reflect on Hedwig's approach to the musical and filmmaking, the culture it was released into, and its cultural significance now.

Thank you for listening to this episode.  There's no proof that podcasting causes cancer.  Yet.

Join the usual Afterthoughts crew as they share another sampling of drastically different films. Dixon takes us for a hike into The Eight Mountains (2022), giving just enough of a glimpse into why its one of his recent favorite films. Ryan tells us about his recent attempt to dumpster dive in the Netflix backlog and the resulting discovery of Maburoshi (2023). And John harkens back to his high school days of working in a theater as he recalls the reasons he regrets avoiding Hoyt Yeatman's Guinea Pig espionage/action adventure film G-Force (2009).

Just a very chill movie about a few Nazi housewives having a small get-together to talk about Nazi shit.

Another RoR is here and we're proud to serve up another set of eclectic offerings spanning sci-fi, horror, and something that's labeled "comedy". Dixon tells us why size does matter with his review of The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), John shakes hands with horror trope refreshed for a new generation as he talks to us about Talk to Me (2022), and Ryan regrets letting his family decide his film fate with his recap of the Brendan Frazer comedy Furry Vengeance (2010).

This is by far our drunkest episode. You're welcome.

On this episode of Recommend or Refute, Ryan pays tribute to the late Carl Weathers by bringing Action Jackson (1985) to the episode. John finally follows up that Black Dynamite episode we posted by talking about his experience with Michael Jai White's latest homage to Black Cinema: Outlaw Johnny Black (2023). And Dixon takes a film trip to Argentina to see how they do heist films with the The Delinquents (2023). Plus a bonus tangent about streaming services that quickly devolves into old men yelling at clouds!

John picked the movie this week, so you know it's gonna be a fuckin' doozy.  We're talking about Richard Rush's batshit crazy passion project The Stunt Man (1980).  It's full of wild stunts, zany characters, and Peter O'Toole chewing the scenery like his life depends on it.  We've never seen anything quite like this.

It's time for the roundtable roundup known as Recommend or Refute. Jump back to the 1930s as Dixon talks about the impressively risqué, precode film Baby Face (1933). Get carried away in a signature rant about The Infinity Saga (2008-2019) with Ryan. And to cap it all off, take a toke of foggy thoughts from John's recent viewing of Inherent Vice (2014). Tune to find out what John's Owen Wilson impression sounds like.

Podcaaaaastin' in the rain, podcaaaaastin' in the rain! What a glooooorious feeeeelin! I'm haaaaaapy agaaaain!

On this very 2023 edition of Recommend or Refute, Ryan rags on the overblown Y2K crisis with Timebomb Y2K (2023), John shifts into drive and off-roads his way through the new Twisted Metal (2023) series, and Dixon talks about the 4 hours of life he and John spent sitting in the corner of the 3-Star Michelin restaurant of Frederick Wiseman's Menus-Plaisirs - Les Troisgros (2023).

On this very family-friendly episode of Afterthoughts, Ryan's daughter Ella joins the usual crew to share her disdain for Encanto (2021). Will the entire table be down on Disney or is there a faint flicker of favoritism burning in this discussion? It would take a miracle to sway Dixon's feelings on Lin Manuel Miranda, but this might be the episode to do it. Tune in for a swear-free exercise in personal restraint as we pull the door open to reveal what power the casita has given us.

Join us for our second ever listener request episode! Our listener Tyler recommended that we watch the 1962 samurai classic Harakiri, and we're very glad he did. This is one of the best movies we've seen in quite a while, and we had a blast breaking down this beautiful story of class and honor in feudal Japan. If you'd like to hear our Afterthoughts on your favorite movie, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and mention the movie in your review.

On this completely unscripted episode of Recommend or Refute, Dixon brings a Frank Capra comedy You Can't Take It With You (1938) that you actually can take with you in digital or blu ray form. John talks about the well-intentioned, but weirdly muddled allegory of Pleasantville (1998), and Ryan is starts the year off right with a movie the whole family can watch (entertainment not guaranteed) as he shares his experience with the Freaky Friday spiritual successor Family Switch (2023).

It's that time of year when we look back and celebrate the best (and worst) that 2023 had to offer. Join us as we discuss our favorite episodes, 2023 releases, and older films we just discovered.

On this episode of Recommend or Refute special guest Mark (who might be a Cylon) takes to space with Battlestar Galactica (2004), Dixon publishes his spoken word review of American Fiction (2023), and John claims the sky is falling --but it's a wholesome and chill kind of falling-- in Carol & The End of World (2023).

Happy Holidays from the Afterthoughts crew!  This week we're talking about Christmas in the context of America's favorite TV cartoon family, The Simpsons.

On this episode of Recommend or Refute, the Afterthoughts crew forgoes Holiday recommendations (those are yet to come) in favor of a semi-conventional episode. John's excited to introduce you to his new friend D.A.R.Y.L. (1985) and tell you about another 1980s family movie that's not really for kids, Dixon grabs a night cap in preparation to share his thoughts on Nic Cage's latest performance in Dream Scenario (2023), and Ryan tests the limits of our format as he attempts to cram Air Bud (1997) and 8 other Air Bud Entertainment related features into this episode --WE WON'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT! Well, maybe we'll let him get away with some of it.

Tune in to hear two sane men try to help another man down off the cinematic ledge that is animals playing human sports, and stick around after the usual outro to hear an extended conversation on our dream Air Bud scenario.

We're finishing our anime series with Hayao Miyazaki's career-capping triumph The Boy and the Heron (2023). Join us as we dive deep into the film's meaning and discuss its place among Miyazaki's other great works.

Ryan's gone missing, but John and Dixon are holding down the fort with two new movies each. John discusses the latest Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman (2023), as well as Mike Flanagan's new Netflix project The Fall of the House of Usher (2023). Dixon delves into some Nicolas Cage schlock with The Old Way (2023) and marvels at the tragic beauty of Lakota Nation vs. United States (2023).

This episode could have been and should have been about an entirely different film; however, fate didn't permit the discussion of our initial pick. While the decision of what to watch and discuss was left to Ryan, he went MIA somewhere on a flight over the fictional country of Parmistan. We're sure he'll be fine, but just in case we're sending in our two remaining co-hosts --Dixon and John-- to discuss their way through this totally unique and original foreign nation, all while wielding the wisdom and insights granted by the ancient, 1985 fighting techniques of Gymkata (1985). Join them as they talk about one of John's top picks from Schlocktober, the differences between contemporary action and '80s action, and mix in some Gymnastic conspiracy theories along the way.

On this round of Recommend or Refute, we've got another eclectic sampling for your consideration. Dixon talks journalism and classic Hollywood with His Girl Friday (1940), John is #SorryNotSorry for bringing a narcissistically made piece of indie schlock known as  Honorable Men (2004), and Ryan brings another animated limited series about cyberpunk dystopia in the form of Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix (2023).

Welcome to the latest episode of Recommend or Refute! Join us as John unpacks Abel Ferrara's Dangerous Game (1993) starring Harvey Keitel and Madonna, Dixon breaks down the trippy John Frankenheimer sci-fi classic Seconds (1966) starring Rock Hudson, and Ryan talks through the new Pixar movie Inside Out 2 (2024).

In the second episode of our mini-spotlight series on anime cinema, the Afterthoughts crew is jumping from the fantastical fairytale world of Hayao Miyazaki. We're catching the next interstellar transport ship out to Shin'ichirô Watanabe's jazzy sci-fi western film (and related series) as we discuss Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001). Is it able to stand on its own if you don't know anything about the show? Does it appease followers of the series? These and many more questions will asked and answered (to some extent) as we go Knockin' on Heavens Door with the bounty hunters of the Bebop.

This week on Recommend or Refute, Ryan follows up on our Scott Pilgrim episode and dives into the new Netflix series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023), Dixon gets uncharacteristically nostalgic talking about The Simpsons Movie (2007), and John scrapes the bottom of the trash heap with Neil Breen's latest dumpster fire Cade: The Tortured Crossing (2023).

With the impending release of Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and The Heron (2023), we've decided to kick off a short series of anime film discussions to ready ourselves for the visual feast Studio Ghibli is sure to serve up. What better way to start that than with a Hayao Miyazaki joint? Join Dixon, Ryan, and John as journey into the waste and the war-torn lands of Howl's Moving Castle (2004) to discuss and discover the motifs and meaning in this fantastical love story. What's up with the wizard war? Does a pretty girl's heart just taste better than other hearts? Why is everyone able to cast spells without knowing the means to break them? The Afterthoughts crew is going to do their best to answer these questions and more as they cobble together the core reasons Howl's Moving Castle may still be roaming around in the minds of film lovers today.

We're talkin' about some shiny new movies this week. Ryan breaks down the latest and greatest comic book green screen extravaganza with The Marvels (2023), Dixon struggles to articulate the emotional experience of Godfrey Reggio's new film Once Within a Time (2023), and John double dips with the heartbreaking documentary Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993) and the John Carpenter horror film In the Mouth of Madness (1995).

Travel forward one hour, eight minutes, and fifteen seconds with the Afterthoughts crew as Dixon, Ryan, and John discuss Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes (2020). Aside from this film being a charming, grounded, and oddly cohesive story about time travel --Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020) is also our first ever Listener Request episode. We're excited to set our vocal time dilation devices (microphones) opposite of each other and see what topics our future and past selves interweave. You have two options, give this episode a listen or risk a time paradox and a subsequent run in with the time police. We think the choice is obvious, but we'll leave it up to you --even though we know you're gonna listen to it because future you sent us a carrier pigeon saying you would. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hot off the heels of Schlocktober and the Austin Film Festival, the Afterthoughts crew is bringing a balanced mix of recommends and refutes to the table. John talks the end of Schlocktober with Deathrow Gameshow (1987), Ryan has a radical time talking about the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated movie, and Dixon brings an Austin Film Festival pick. Plus some bonus recommends from the Austin Film Festival selection.