Afterthoughts

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 Harry) in the form of John De Hart's personal opus Champagne and Bullets (1993). It's quite an eclectic set of films to discuss, so we hope you made space on your "do" and "do not" watchlists. 

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 us as we talk about Clint Eastwood's transition from Wild Cowboy to Loose Cannon Cop, and listen to Dixon recite the greatest hits in his Detective Callahan impression.

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 talking about the new corporate propaganda film Air (2023).

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 on his journey through Toronto's film scene, follow him on Instagram or Twitter @ginohinooo.

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 (1947).

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 it somewhere in between, conjuring wild magic that delights as well as damages its audience experience. If you don't know what any of that means, don't worry, Dixon doesn't understand it either. 

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 Luc Godard's work: Breathless (1983).

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).