A Christmas Carol week continues with another old Sleigh Bell Cinema discussion. This time Michael and Paxton Holley triple the run time of the movie they're talking about when they dig into the short Mickey's Christmas Carol starring a plethora of Disney characters in the various Dickens roles.
Dec 24, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Christmas Carol week continues (and we hit Episode 75 of the podcast) with another Sleigh Bell Cinema discussion about one of the world's favorite Christmas Carol adaptations: The Muppet Christmas Carol starring Michael Caine as Scrooge. This was the very first episode of Sleigh Bell Cinema and featured frequent Nerd Lunch and AfterLunch guest Mike Westfall, whose Advent Calendar House podcast was a direct inspiration for Sleigh Bell Cinema in the first place....
Dec 23, 2021•56 min
A Christmas Carol Week continues with another re-run from Michael's old Sleigh Bell Cinema show. This time Michael and his wife Diane talk about the TV musical The Stingiest Man in Town starring Basil Rathbone as Scrooge. And if you'd like to hear Michael talk about the '70s Rankin-Bass animated remake starring Walter Matthau and Tom Bosley, be sure to check out his guest appearance on Mike Westfall's Advent Calendar House podcast....
Dec 22, 2021•57 min
A Christmas Carol week continues with this re-run from Michael's former Sleigh Bell Cinema podcast. Michael talks with Carlin Trammel about one of their favorite Christmas Carol adaptations: Clive Donner's TV movie from 1984 starring George C Scott.
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Michael and Rob welcome new guest Nikki Rollier to talk about ghost stories, their connection to Christmas, and especially the most famous Christmas ghost story of all, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol . They talk about favorite characters, scenes, and adaptations, and even a thing or two that don't work so well for them.
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 20 min
Michael covers Ian Fleming's fourth James Bond novel, Diamonds Are Forever , in another solo episode. Bond returns to the United States to bust up a mob-run diamond smuggling operation, but how do these hoods measure up as a threat to a spy used to taking on mad industrialists and agents of the Soviets' assassination bureau? And what about Tiffany Case?
Dec 15, 2021•15 min
Back on Episode 15 of the old Fourth Chair Army Invasion show , we imagined a live-action TV version of a DC Super Hero Holiday Special comic. Now it's Marvel's turn as Michael and Rob welcome Michael DiGiovanni, Mike Westfall, and Ben Graham to assign each other super heroes and holiday elements to turn into segments on a Marvelous Holiday Special.
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 42 min
Michael’s solo again with a short episode about the third James Bond novel, Moonraker . It's a unique entry in the Bond series, offering a glimpse at Bond's daily life while also sending him to solve a murder at a remote country estate where he meets one of the most remarkable women of his career.
Dec 08, 2021•18 min
Michael's brother Mark returns to the podcast along with third brother Matt to talk about one of their favorite '80s bands. Starting with The Cure's debut Three Imaginary Boys album and covering up through 1985's The Head on the Door , the brothers talk about their own experiences with the band, favorite and not-so-favorites songs, the group's evolving sound, and the three "genres" of music that the group tends to make. It's a different sort of episode for AfterLunch , but whether you're already...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr 56 min
Michael is joined by his brother Mark to start a journey through the filmography of one their favorite actors, Kiefer Sutherland. In this first episode, they cover Sutherland's career from his first jobs in Max Dugan Returns (1983) and The Bay Bo y (1984), his revelatory 1985 performance in Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories , and all four of his 1986 movies, including his blink-and-miss-it part in At Close Range , the wildly varying-in-quality TV films Trapped in Silence and The Brotherhood of ...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 39 min
Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax continue their ramble through various topics spurred by what they've been watching and thinking about. Discussions include big, spoilery discussions of Ted Lasso 's second season and the first of Only Murders in the Building as well as deep thoughts about holiday travels, the importance of Thanksgiving, and celebrity crushes.
Nov 24, 2021•2 hr 26 min
Loungers Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax gather again for another drifting discussion about what they've been listening to and reading. Big topics this time include superheroes Daredevil and Jason Todd, listening through musicians' discographies, and when it's appropriate to start celebrating Christmas.
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Everyone loves Robin Hood and we're no exceptions. Michael and Rob welcome Pax, Sue London, and - making his podcasting debut - Sue's husband Devin for the first in a series of episodes about the legendary merry man. Starting with the panel's experience with the Robin Hood legend in general, the conversation then moves to the classic 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood . Starring of course Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains.
Nov 15, 2021•2 hr 35 min
On the last episode, where our MCU panel talked about Iron Man 3 , Michael mentioned that he and William Bruce West had a conversation about the same movie for Michael's former Christmas movie podcast. Even though they did talk about how Iron Man 3 works in some Christmas themes, most of the conversation was about the movie in general. So for that reason, and because William Bruce West is awesome, we thought you might enjoy hearing that discussion.
Nov 10, 2021•58 min
The AfterLunch MCU Panel - Lizzie, Pax, Rob, and Michael - reconvene to talk about the final film in Marvel's Iron Man trilogy: how it builds on themes from the previous films and whether or not it flows well into what came later. And of course, there are its controversial villains, kid sidekick, and whether or not that ending works super well.
Nov 08, 2021•2 hr 37 min
Michael's back with another short, solo episode, this time about the second James Bond novel, Live and Let Die . Listen to how it differs from the film while also influencing other Bond movies like License to Kill and For Your Eyes Only .
Nov 03, 2021•22 min
We hope you haven't finished eating all your Halloween candy yet, because Michael and Rob are joined by Joanna from Bloody Popcorn and new guest Ron Ankeny to determine once and for all, Sweet 16 bracket-style, what the ultimate Halloween treat is. Whether it's what you pass out to trick-or-treaters or what you serve at your Halloween party, it's the season for sweets. And you bet there's some discussion of other Halloween traditions along the way.
Nov 01, 2021•1 hr 26 min
After a brief intermission, the AfterLunch Loungers finish their wandering conversation with thoughts on horror movies, DC superhero shows, acting better than you feel, and relationships with technology.
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 48 min
We're trying something different with the latest After Dinner Lounge conversation. Rather than drop another 3+ hour conversation on you, we're splitting it into two, smaller chunks. In this part, Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax talk about what they've been listening to and reading, with the conversation meandering into Dracula comics, film canon, murderbots, and Nerd Lunch 's lost Brenda Starr episode.
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 43 min
David asks Erik, Michael, and Dave to find the hidden connection between Fargo , Jingle All the Way , and Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back . If you haven't seen one or more of the movies, feel free to skip to the discussions of your choice: 00:01:24 - Review of Fargo (1996) 00:13:03 - Review of Jingle All the Way (1996) 00:32:09 - Review of Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998) 00:51:05 - Guessing the Connection...
Oct 11, 2021•58 min
Michael goes solo this episode to talk about the first James Bond novel, Casino Royale .
Oct 04, 2021•15 min
Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax gather in the library for another rambling discussion about what they've been listening to, reading, watching, and thinking about, including breakfast cereals, megamixes, musical theatre, and bad office jargon.
Oct 01, 2021•3 hr 33 min
Michael and Rob welcome back Chad Young and Jeff Somogyi for another few rounds of throwing improbable contestants into battles and arguing about who would emerge victorious. If our panel can stay on topic, that is.
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr 45 min
In the first of a series of James Bond episodes, Michael and Rob are joined by Karen Flieger to talk about Bond's first screen appearance in 1954's Climax! TV adaptation of Casino Royale . How watchable is "Card Sense" Jimmy Bond's team up with Clarence Leiter to take down Peter Lorre? Grab a seat at the table and we'll be glad to deal you in.
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax convene for another meandering conversation about what they've been listening to, reading, watching, and thinking about. As always, recommendations abound and lead into other discussions, this time about perfect albums, anticipation for Shang Chi, method acting, and V’Ger's eternal question.
Sep 10, 2021•3 hr 14 min
September 9, 2021 is the 10th anniversary of the very first episode of the Nerd Lunch Podcast. The original Nerds get back together to talk about it. And maybe make a quick Movie Menu.
Sep 07, 2021•1 hr 37 min
The AfterLunch MCU panel wraps up Phase 1 with an in-depth discussion of the improbably excellent Marvel mash-up film, The Avengers . Among the many important topics are Iron Man's hubris, Black Widow's agency, Hawkeye's archery technique, and Captain America's costume.
Aug 23, 2021•3 hr 2 min
AfterLUNCH 's 50th episode coincided with Michael's road trip south to see a bunch of friends he hasn't seen in a long time (and one he's never met face-to-face before). Some of them grew up in the South, some transplanted there, and some transplanted away from there, so Michael talks to them about Southern living and what movies, TV shows, and books best represent it.
Aug 20, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Following up on some discussions in the After Dinner Lounge episodes, Michael and Evan welcome Evan's daughter Sarah to talk about favorite manga and anime. Some of the manga discussed are: Black Butler Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Moriarty the Patriot Bungo Stray Dogs Silver Spoon Akira Samurai 7 Anne Freaks Children of the Sea A Silent Voice And anime like: Jujutsu Kaisen Death Parade Yuri on Ice Cowboy Bebop Grave of the Fireflies The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Mary and the Witch’s Flower Your Na...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Back on Episode 35, we sexified some stories for the CW. On this episode, we do the opposite as Michael and Rob welcome Karen Flieger and Adam Pope to turn material for grown-ups into kid-friendly fare.
Aug 02, 2021•1 hr 46 min