True Film Fan

By KTRH (KTRH-AM)

A weekly deep dive for passionate film fans, including reviews, interviews and commentary on film topics.... more

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FAQs about True Film Fan:

How many episodes does True Film Fan have?

The podcast currently has 69 episodes available.

True Film Fan episodes:

March 17, 2026 THE MOVIE SHOW FREE DELUXE BONUS EPISODE ORIGINALLY AIRED ON 950 KPRC 3.15/2026
Full of information, reviews, commentary and movie trivia, this is the extended edition of the
950 KPRC MOVIE SHOW that aired on Oscar night. Hosted and produced by John Wesley
Downey and Frankie Westmoreland, it's filled this 86 minutes with enough information to
satisfy any movie geek hungry for opinions and information.

Some of the movies discussed are The Bride!, Bride of Frankkenstein, Hoppers, and Secret
Agent,. Also discussed are the decline in ratings for the annual Academy Awards broadcast,
which aired this night, Timothee Chalaamet's unfortunate remarks about ballet and opera, George Lucas received the Saturn Award, the heightened experience of seeing movies in a Los Angeles movie theater as opposed to elsewhere, the Best Picture nominees, and much
more.

You can hear the Movie Show live on Sunday nights at 8:05pm on 950 KPRC radio or on
the I Heart radio app.,But due to time constraints on the air, the show is limited to 39 minutes.
To hear the FULL unedited recording, you'll have to come here to the True Film fan podcast.
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1h 27min
March 10, 2026 Unboxing the Box Office Episode II John reviews March 6 to 8
John Wesley Downey reviews domestic box office figures from the weekend of March 6 to 8.
HOPPERS the new animated beaver movies from Disney was number one and John takes
the listner up to the number twelve slot.

Additionally, John talks about several projects in progress in Hollywood including KING CONAN,
BAYWATCH reboot, TINKERBELL and more.
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17min
March 05, 2026 Unboxing the Box Offiice John and Frankie review February 27 to March 1, 2026
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland talk about the results from this weekend (which includes John's birthday) and endlessly jabber about what it all means for Hollywood and the future of Western Civilisation. Well, not really, but they do go off on a lot of interesting tangents and gossip and guesses as to why a movie performed well or poorly. We end up discussing Scream 7, Glen Powell and How to Make a Killing, Elvis in Concert, Kevin James and Solo Mio, Avatar, Zootopia 2 and much more. Tell your friends, be informed, come back for more.

And don't forget to listen to John and Frankie every Sunday night on the Movie Shwo from 8:05 to 9pm on radio station 950 KPRC. You can find us on the KPRC website at kprcradio.iheart.com, or on the iHeart radio app live at iheart.com/live/2277.from anywhere in the world.

You can also see us on you tube https://www.youtube.com/@JohnWesleyDowney

or visit us on https://www.instagram.com/truefilmfan/
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53min
March 02, 2026 John and Frankie review the Oscar nominated Train Dreams and Midwinter Break
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland review TRAIN DREAMS, a movie nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Original Song. The movie stars Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones.

Plot. The film recounts the 80 years of the life of Robert Grainier around Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Arriving in the area on the Great Northern Railway as an orphaned child, Robert drops out of school and spends his younger years without direction or purpose, until he meets Gladys Olding.

This review is followed by Frankie giving his review for MIDWINTER BREAK, Starring Ciaran Hinds and Leslie Manville as a couple traveling to Amserdam and trying to heal their marriage.
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12min
March 02, 2026 Why don't the Avatar films affect people emotionally and culturally?
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland of the True Film Fan podcast (and the 950 KPRC Radio show) discuss the effectiveness of filmmakers Christopher Nolan and James Cameron's big budget movies. Do they only connect with audiences through spectacle and special effects or is there an emotional component to their storytelling. Other projects such as Big Fish, True Lies and The Prestige also become a part of the exploration of the work of these major filmmakers.
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48min
October 14, 2025 Alternative Cinema is alive and well as we explore indie filmmaking with filmmaker Tim Thomson
This week John Wesley Downey interviews Tim Thomson, an independent filmmaker, film editor and post production supervisor, and creative artist. Tim is also active in supporting and doing design work in the local theater community, including the Catastrophic Theater. The podcast takes a turn this week toward less mainstream filmmaking and a fun ride it was. Turns out VHS films from the 80s and 90s, especially scifi and horror and new distribution and restoration of some of this DIY filmmaking is underway with companies such as Vinegar Syndrome. Tim and John talked about film's enduring popularity and reach, including mainstream, independent and fringe. Tim talked about his excitement that a film he made on the streets of Houston in 1992 with a rag tag team of film enthusiasts, as well as his writings about PROJECT OMICRON. A wide ranging discussion with a seasoned filmmaker and creator well worth the time of anyone who wants to hear the latest on alternative filmmaking. Tim's day job is with Staging solutions where he is Creative Director.
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50min
August 11, 2025 Boomer, Gen Z and Gen X reviewers spotlight Jurassic World Rebirth, the Marvel Thunderbolts Movie and The Dirty Dozen from 1967

THE TEAM
John Wesley Downey, Frankie Westmoreland and Bret Gipson are the multi-generational contributors to the TRUE FILM PODCAST. From Gen Z to Gen X to the Baby Boomers, we
give you a wide sampling of critical opinion. What does the trio have in common? They are
all passionate movie nerds who share the same love of movies, from the silent era
classics to the latest movies playing at the box office.

DINOSAURS,CRIMINALS AND SOLDIERS
This week John reviews the latest movie in the 32 year old Jurassic Dionosaur series, Jurassic
World Rebith, Bret checks out the Marvel Studio's The Thunderbolts and Frankie climbs into a
time machine to check out the 1967 war film classici The Dirty Dozen. Surprisingly it turns out
Thunderbolts and Diirty Dozen share similar story elements. The idea of taking criminals and
giving them a chance to reddem themsleves through performing a heroic mission is at the core
of both films. And that provides lots of fule for fun discussion.

COMING ATTRACTIONS
Next week we'll talk about the Naken Gun movie starring Liam Neeson, and a disastrous remake of War of the Worlds. And in light of the death of astronaut Jim Lovell who was captain of Apollo 13,
we'll discuss the Apoolo 13 film by rRn Howard that captured the true drama for all time.

SOCIAL MEDIA
If you enjoy our podcast, visit us on Facebook on the True Film Fan page for more information.
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47min
April 21, 2025 Minecraft movie debut dominates world wide box office
Minecraft is a super popular vidoogame that has long been a favorite of video gamers world wide. But the movie version has debuted to huge tickets sales at theaters all over the world. While it does star Jack Black and Jason Momoa and was directed by Jared Hess (Nacho Libre, Napoleon Dynamiite) it's not the stars or the director that's the appeal. It's the Minecraft brand.

To explain this phenomena, John Wesley Downey brings in Zach Killian, the creator of the highly popular You Tube Channel WOW SUCH GAMING to discuss the game's populaiirty and it's transfer to the big screen.

This is part one of a two part interview. In part two, Zach will talk about his video gaming channel, Zombies and the classic Zombie movie, SHAUN OF THE DEAD.

Enjoy this podcast on the giant box office success of Minecraft and follow this podcast channel (hit the follow button) so you won't miss part two and Zombies and Shaun of tghe Dead.

Thanks for listening!
[email protected]
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10min
March 07, 2025 Gun Safety on Film Sets - How it's handled and what went wrong on RUST and THE CROW
On October 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Bonanza City, New Mexico, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was injured on the set of the film Rust when a live round was discharged from a prop revolver that actor Alec Baldwin was using. - Wikipedia

This film set tragedy ignited a discussion in the world of film and video production on the handling of guns on sets as well as raising questions about how accidents such as this can be prevented. Now TRUE FILM FAN brings you a comprehensive 63 minute interview with Dutch Merrick, a long time property master and armorer with three decades of film industry experience.

Both the RUST shooting as well as the 1993 death of actor Brandon Lee on the set of THE CROW are discussed in detail. Dutch also talks about a book he wrote on film set gun safety practices and talks about the courses he offers in gun safety both in Los Angeles and touring the country.

John Wesley Downey
TRUE FILM FAN

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1h 4min
October 26, 2024 TRUE FILM FAN interviews documentary filmmaker on RUNAWAY RADIO about legendary radio station KLOL
in this lengthy, in depth interview host John Wesley Downey interviews documentary filmmaker
Mike McGuff about his movie RUNAWAY RADIO which focuses on Houston's rock station KLOL which for decades was Houston's feisty, unvonventional radio rogue complee with a cast of distinctive personalities who brokes the rules and gained a loyal audience. Stevens and Pruett, Colonel St. James, Dayna Steele, Outlaw Dave, Crash and more along with the station's colorful logo and bizarre antics were a huge part of what Houston was from 1970 to the early 2000s. Downey also discusses McGuff's 14 year journey and battle to get the film made and completed. Houston radio fans and media buffs will find a lot to consider here, a trip down memory lane that is full of surprises.

IMPORTANT PROGRAMMING NOTE for next week's holiday Halloween weekend. John will explore the horror classic THE EXORCIST from all angles, it's origins, behind the scenes trivia, John's unique experience with the film, lots of "how they did it" info and a full leplanation of the film for those who didn't get it the first time around. It's called THE EXORCIST PHENOMENON - THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS next week on John Wesley Downey's TRUE FILM FAN podcast.

Don't forget to hit FOLLOW so you can hear future episodes covering the world of movies.
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52min

FAQs about True Film Fan:

How many episodes does True Film Fan have?

The podcast currently has 69 episodes available.