Anson & Branan launch a new segment. Anson scrolls to the bottom of Danny Trejo’s IMDB page and asks him about that little known credit, then challenges him to remember the names of characters past. Enjoy! “Cantina Rag”, performed by Jackson F. Smith is provided under an Attribution, Non-Commercial, No-Derivatives, 3.0 International license. Link for CC license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Also, follow the link below to join our new Patreon to see exclusive content bef...
Jun 19, 2025•17 min
One day in 1968, Danny Trejo had hit rock bottom: solitary confinement at the Correction Training Facility, otherwise known as Soledad Prison. From that moment, he decided to change his life completely. During a live interview at DragonCon 2024, Danny tells Anson about the redemptive power in helping others. Music in this episode was provided by John Bartmann under a Creative Commons 1.0 Universal License. Link to John Bartmann’s Patron: https://www.patreon.com/johnbartmann Link to CC License: h...
Apr 18, 2025•41 min
How does Adam see himself, his life and his role as an inventor, artist and educator? Adam reflects on his unique career path, work/life balance, what to do when feeling overwhelmed, investing in your own world-building, how meditating on the origins of things connects him to creators of the past, the miracle of sentience and zombie Richard Feynman. https://youtu.be/wg5laIYBkcA
Apr 15, 2025•30 min
Adam gets a touch philosophical on the subject of creativity, discusses some memorable builds and Anson breaks out his Guillermo del Toro impression. https://youtu.be/MmMMV3TnPmg
Mar 20, 2025•42 min
We covered Isaac Newton’s monstrous nature, the inevitability of calculus, pottery, Clive Owen’s need for a foil, aesthetics as a point of view, lessons from Steven Soderbergh, following the story’s lead, relinquishing control, Sir Anthony Hopkins’ need for George C. Scott’s tension, and how audience feedback improves creators. https://youtu.be/bsi0RcKLmS4
Mar 17, 2025•38 min
We’re tremendously saddened by the loss of a great artist, humanitarian and beautiful human being. David Lynch meant a lot to many people and we were lucky to have shared time and space with him. Branan and Anson shares recollections and Branan breaks out his Lynch impression and a remastered fan film. Mentioned in this episode: Room to Dream is a wonderful biography / autobiography hybrid by Kristine McKenna and David Lynch. We recommend the audiobook version so you can Lynch tell his story in ...
Jan 23, 2025•51 min
After a very busy fall season of Anson moving to a new town and Branan moving everywhere they finally find time to make contact. This episode feature a bit of Branan’s travelogues. Recommendations include ‘The Penguin’ , Werner Herzog’s ‘Every Man for Himself and God Against All’ , ‘Wild Robot’ , ‘Anora’ by Sean Baker, The Apprentice , ‘The Name of the Wind’ by Patrick Rothfuss, and a new book called Don Quixote. Full performance by Sean Ryan, proprietor and wizard of Leap Castle, Ireland. https...
Jan 01, 2025•57 min
Part 2 of our conversation with AI Filmmaker Roope Rainisto gets into the philosophical, ethical and legal aspects of generative art. Is the genie out of the bottle? How do we respond and what choices do we have? https://youtu.be/ja4S2d8fSB8
Aug 15, 2024•51 min
AI filmmaker Roope Rainisto joins us from Finland for part 1 of our discussion about generative tools and working within AI’s current possibilities and limitations. https://youtu.be/nR__J4L3KY4
Jul 25, 2024•46 min
Branan and Anson broadcast from a rooftop in Toronto accompanied by the soothing sounds of a nearby house renovation. In this Drop: Star Trek set tour, Moondog, Hermanos Gutiérrez, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds, Emergence Magazine’s “Winds of Awe and Fear” by Nick Hunt and Ethernal Damnation’s INDXcoin. https://youtu.be/H7Lonjt2CrM And here, as read by Branan, the original apology video posted by Eli Regalado regard...
Jul 01, 2024•37 min
Film Director Rod Lurie was in Bulgaria, deep into pre-production for his film “The Outpost” when he got the call that his son Hunter had suffered a sudden cardiac event. What you are about to hear is a story of loss, but also one of victory through the very decision to keep going. Special thanks to Rod Lurie for sharing his story with us. Happy Father’s Day. Extra music provided by Poddington Bear under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 International license....
Jun 16, 2024•31 min
In this episode: Bilge Ebiri, esteemed film critic (New York, Vulture) and friend of the show drops by to discuss where FURIOSA fits in George Miller’s MAD MAX saga, Netflix, ATHENA, IN A VIOLENT NATURE, and the how going out to the movies is more fun and may just make you a better dresser. https://youtu.be/y4kKxIX707w
Jun 08, 2024•58 min
In this episode: Back surgery, heart ablation, genetic memory, the eternal jellyfish, Jules Verne, big leather books, The Heart Goes Last , The Curs e, Uncut Gem s, Safdie’s music choices, squid games game show, Alice in Borderland , Connections , James burke, Incan potatoes, hulked out grasses, The Holdovers featuring the mysterious Andrew Garmen, and Anson and Branan get Verklempt reading a listener review. https://youtu.be/oUCwSOfVpac
Apr 03, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Anson and Branan are still banging on about OUT OF DARKNESS and we are thrilled to have the film’s director Andrew Cumming join us for a chat from the far-flung Shetland islands. Mentioned in this episode: Learning to be a caveman, William Golding’s “The Inheritors”, “Quest for Fire”. “Clan of Cave Bear”, “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari and shooting in remote locations during COVID in the harsh Scottish winter. WARNING: Spoilers within! If you have not seen the film ...
Mar 13, 2024•44 min
When actor Kenneth Mitchell was given a life altering medical diagnosis, it forced him to change his relationship to the concept of time itself. Join us for our first LIVE episode recording from April, 2022 reposted in remembrance. https://youtu.be/VKD-FniubEs?si=u-9KfvIDpaXm8dIO
Mar 01, 2024•43 min
In this episode: OUT OF DARKNESS, amateur speculation regarding the provenance of our species, recent vacations where Anson and Branan both experience passport issues, volcanoes in Iceland and an actual dick measuring contest (not ours). https://youtu.be/tzSijwuEjs4
Feb 23, 2024•57 min
In this episode: Learning Sequences, Mosquitoes on Rainy Lake and other mosquito nightmares, BEEF, painted nails, pizza tours, THE HARVEST, attending the world premiere of OPPENHEIMER, SAG Strike, the heaviest film ever made and what we all suspected about men and sports cars in now scientific fact. https://youtu.be/ByLSaZN7x9I
Jan 31, 2024•28 min
Anson and Branan take on the weighty subject of gravity and gravity waves with our guest Daniel Reardon doing most of the heavy lifting. Please enjoy this fun and fact-filled historical romp though time and space. https://youtu.be/5FqEVMsL_Jk?si=PuCjGKPXwCL2KTDL
Jan 10, 2024•53 min
In this short Drop Anson and Branan discus STILL , the documentary about Michael J. Fox, BARRY, Beavis and Butthead, Something in the Dirt and new music from Little Moon .
Dec 07, 2023•18 min
Doua Moua’s tireless pursuit of his dream to produce his screenplay, “The Harvest,” finally paid off. We are joined by Doua and his co-star, Perry Yung, who dedicated himself to understanding Hmong culture to portray the father in this deeply personal story.
Jul 24, 2023•52 min
Did you know Anson used to be a Dungeon Master? In this episode Branan lures Anson into a surprise reunion with his old campaign players under the pretext of interviewing Nathan Stewart of Wizards of the Coast about his role as advisor on the movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves . Nathan does eventually join the conversation, it’s like two episodes in one!
Jul 10, 2023•1 hr 19 min
In this episode: Branan discusses his oceanic adventure turning 50, Anson recommends Dan Simmon’s ‘Hyperion’, and they both catch-up on ‘Succession’, ‘Beau Is Afraid’, The Dungeons & Dragons movie, meeting John Cleese, some new music and the unforgivable desecration of Jimi Hendrix’s guitar at the hands of he-who-shall-not-be named.
Jun 12, 2023•38 min
Eric and his buddies decided they would make a shot-for-shot remake of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. The only problem? They were just kids. But they had a secret weapon at their disposal: they were just kids. Interested listeners may watch the fan film itself, and see those moments as described, at threaderskids.com Special thanks to John Hudgens. Additional music for this episode provided by Audiorezout under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial International license ....
Mar 16, 2023•45 min
We are not finished talking about ATHENA by Romain Gavras. This time we let film critic Bilgi Ebiri do all the talking. We also get into marketing versus promotion and how even a film like ATHENA can get lost in all the noise....
Jan 31, 2023•38 min
In this installment of The Drop Branan and Anson discuss and highly recommend the astonishing film ATHENA by Romain Gavras and film critic Bilgi Ebiri stops by to help us articulate what makes this such an amazing film. Also, Branan and Anson perform an original play written by artificial intelligence....
Jan 09, 2023•39 min
One of our cultural heroes, Jello Biafra is a legendary figure in the punk rock scene and a spoken word artist and politician. He joins us to discus how he found his unique voice and how to weather the slings and arrows of our chaotic political reality. His solution? Wicked humor.
Dec 05, 2022•51 min
Just in time for Halloween Branan sits down with author Marshall Julius and legendary makeup FX maestro Howard Berger to discuss their new book , and Branan gets nostalgic and wistful thinking back upon his own almost makeup career....
Oct 27, 2022•57 min
We were so taken with S.S. Rajamouli’s landmark film, RRR , we deciated a whole Drop to it! Also, odd news stories and a subtle plea for a new watch.
Sep 03, 2022•38 min
Back in April of 2020 author and journalist Jack Hitt sat down with us to discuss the beginings of the pandemic and make a few predictions. Over two years later we emerge from our basements and closets to check the accuracy of those predictions and we are once again visted by the ghost of Ignaz Semmelweis. What did we get right and what did we get wrong? Have any lessons been learned?
Jul 04, 2022•57 min
Imagine getting an anonymous phone call. The person on the other end tells you that, not only has your work been recognized by group of world recognized artists and innovators, but they are also going to inject your bank account with enough money to change your work and, yes, your life. That’s what happened to Vijay Gupta. Here’s our episode about Vijay’s induction into the MacArthur Foundation’s Fellows program and the strange history of the so-called “Genius Grant.” Vijay’s album “When the Vio...
Jun 21, 2022•15 min
