Afterthoughts

This week Ryan, Dixon, and John are talking about Steve Martin's 1979 breakout hit The Jerk . Join them for their afterthoughts on how the film holds up today both comedically and culturally, as well as its influence on the comedy genre over the past four decades.

Another week means another round of Recommend or Refute! Dixon is gonna tell us all about Spider-Man: Across The Spider-verse (2023) , Ryan's spilling the tea on his time with Milk (2008) and, Don't Panic , John is... talking about some 1987 proto-Malignant horror mystery movie he made his friends watch. Ready your watchlists for additional entries!

Dive deep into the shit with John, Dixon, and Ryan as we break down Ben Stiller's biting Hollywood satire Tropic Thunder (2008) . It's packed with industry commentary, controversial choices, and a solid ensemble cast, but how does it all hold up? Is it a cult classic if it was successful at launch? Does it have the best performance Tom Cruise has ever given? You want some [answers], get some in th...

Dixon and John are running the show on this episode of Recommend or Refute! John talks about the Swedish thriller Knocking (2021) , drawing comparisons to Invisible Man (2020) , but will he ultimately knock it? Dixon opens his film bible to a new chapter and verse with The Starling Girl (2023) and   its story of finding agency in a devout Christian community. After all is recommended and refuted,...

Fast-ten your seatbelts (get it?), crack open an ice cold Corona, and join the Afterthoughts family for a breakdown of the latest installment in Hollywood's most absurd action franchise. Does Fast X live up to the batshit insanity of the previous 9 movies, or is this series starting to slip away from Vin Diesel like a giant spherical bomb careening through the streets of Rome?

Dixon's off galavanting through the Scottish highlands, so Ryan and John are holding down the fort without him this week. Ryan breaks down Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (2023) with a brief flashback to the previous entries, John discusses the absurdist Soviet cultural satire Zerograd (1988) , and --with bureaucratic commentary fresh on the mind-- the two take some time to discuss the biting workplace...

In our first official Afterthoughts discussion episode around a television show, we decide to tackle a near impossible to describe cult anime Serial Experiments Lain (1998) . Join John, Ryan, and returning guest Mathew (aka Ginohino), as they talk about this psychedelic trip into the metaphysical and philosophical quandaries of budding internet culture in the late '90s.

On this episode of Recommend or Refute, John revisits True Lies (1994) after 20 years of maintaining a double life that prevented him from watching it, Ryan talks about his bonding experience sharing T2: Judgement Day with his son among a few other family firsts, and Dixon lights some candles at his Nic Cage shrine as he talks about the differences between Renfield (2023) and Vampire's Kiss (1988)...

Dixon, John, and Ryan are dropped off on the opposite side of The Warriors. Stranded with only their afterthoughts, they must talk their way through the grime of this 1970s New York City cult film, its influences on pop culture, and even the video game that revitalized it in the early aughts.

Hot on the heels of our Dirty Harry episode, the Afterthoughts crew brings some fitting titles to Recommend or Refute. Ryan decided to revisit Clint Eastwood's directorial debut with Play Misty For Me (1971) , Dixon slowed his heart rate down so he properly attune to Andrei Tarkovsky's sci-fi masterpiece Solaris (1972) , and John found another Loose Cannon Cop flick (nowhere near as good as Dirty...

You have the right to remain silent... while Dixon, John, and Ryan talk about the iconic copaganda flick Dirty Harry (1971) . Since this film can be credited as the sole source of modern police-positive movies that endorse justice outside the law, it behooves us to ask a few questions. Has it aged well? Who's really to blame for Scorpio's actions? Did Harry really fire six shots or only five? Join...

Our guest Mathew is back, joining John and Dixon for this week's Recommend or Refute. John fawns over the painstakingly hand-animated racing insanity of Redline (2009) , Mathew tells us all about All About "All About Lily Chou Chou" (2002) --you read that right-- and in the process sneaks a handful of other Sunji Iwai recommendations into our watchlists, and Dixon scuffs up Ben Affleck's kicks tal...

Be Afraid, be very afraid. In the streets, in the sheets, in suburbia or the forest beyond --Ari Aster wants you to laugh, cry, and cringe at the absurd anxiety of his latest film. Join Dixon, John, and long time listener, first time guest, Mathew (aka Gino) as we stretch out on a therapy sofa of topics and try to process the trauma of Beau is Afraid (2023). If you're interested in following Gino...

Our guest Parker is back, joining Ryan, Dixon, and John for this week's Recommend or Refute. John professes his love for Johnnie To's superhero movie The Heroic Trio (1993) , Ryan breaks down Makoto Shinkai's new anime film Suzume (2023) , Parker talks about the overlooked Paramount Plus show Why Women Kill (2019) , and Dixon dives into the Powell and Pressburger sexual thriller Black Narcissus (1...

Dixon, Ryan, and John hit up their local theaters to inspect the latest Dungeons & Dragons movie and now they're bringing in D&D aficionado Parker to help assess whether the film rolled enough successful saving throws to spare the franchise's dying cinema presence. Is the movie's charm good enough to bestow bardic inspiration? Does it leave us with a burning sense of barbarian rage? Or is...

Our guest Werner is back, joining Ryan and John for this week's Recommend or Refute. Werner talks about his affinity for the hit Hulu show Reservation Dogs (2021) and calls John out for being a sh*t@$$ with commitment issues when it comes to good TV, Ryan discusses the surprisingly well-reviewed kids movie Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) , and John dives into the horniest reimagining of Jean L...

On this episode of Afterthoughts, Ryan brings his good friend Werner to the podcast to dig into one of Werner's favorite crime drama epics. While Ryan and Werner have seen this film before, John is new to the favelas, friends, and enemies residing in its frames. Join us as we use fresh and seasoned perspectives to peel back the layers of tragedy, power, and life in the City of God (2003).

Our guest Mark is back, joining Dixon and John for a Recommend or Refute to remember --or, in John's case, to forget [who's hosting]. Mark's finally gotten around to sampling the notes of humor and hints of commentary in The Menu (2022) and he's ready to serve up his thoughts. Meanwhile, Dixon and John join forces to deliver a paired review of two movies related only in the theme of espionage. Wil...

It's 11:14pm. The time when teenagers run rampant through town wreaking havoc everywhere they go, leading to two violent accidental deaths and one tragically severed penis. Join us on Afterthoughts as we discuss the comic thriller 11:14 (2003) . Does it live up to the films that inspired it like Pulp Fiction and Memento ? Or is it a grim disappointment like fatal coitus in a rundown cemetery?

On this episode of Recommend or Refute, John waxes poetic about the inspirational indie Potato Dreams of America (2021) , Ryan traumatizes his children with the pure nightmare fuel that is Return to Oz (1985) , and Dixon can't believe the insanity of John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) .

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....

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...

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  i...

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 Con...