Wednesday, December 30, 2020

19 | After Dinner Lounge - December 2020

Michael May, Rob Graham, and Evan Hanson reconvene for another informal conversation about what they’ve been reading, watching, and thinking about lately. 

Topics meander merrily, but start from: 
  • Books like Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Dickens' Christmas Books, The Devil’s Due by Bonnie MacBird, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, and Becoming by Michelle Obama. 
  • Comics like Silver Spoon by Hiromu Arakawa 
  • Movies like the original Black Christmas, this year's Fatman, and the documentary Pilgrims
  • TV shows like Dicktown and Truth Seekers 
  • And real talk on Holiday Traditions, Movie Theaters, and This Podcast.

Download or listen to the episode here.

Monday, December 21, 2020

18 | Christmas TV Episodes

Christian Nielsen and new guest Karen Flieger join Rob and Michael to talk about their favorite Christmas episodes of TV shows. In discussions of The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, Friends, and Justice League, the Clampetts learn about the politics of gift-giving, the Stephens' help an orphan boy discover the spirit of the season, Ross tries to teach his son about Hanukkah after a lifetime of Santa, and Superman invites Martian Manhunter home for the holidays. 

Featuring music by Straight No Chaser.

Friday, December 18, 2020

17 | Fantastic Four Films

With Disney's recent announcement that there's a new Fantastic Four movie coming that will be part of the MCU, it's a great time to discover a lost podcast episode about the four FF films so far. From the no-longer-with-us Geek Fallout: The Comic Book Episodes, host Erik Johnson leads a discussion with Nerd Lunch/AfterLUNCH regulars Paxton Holley and Evan Hanson about Fantastic Four (2015), Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), and The Fantastic Four (1994).

Monday, December 7, 2020

16 | Lost Christmas Specials

Mike Westfall and Michael DiGiovanni join Michael May and Rob Graham to create Rankin-Bass stop-motion Christmas specials that never existed, but should have. Lots of holiday spirit AND SINGING in this episode, so gather the family, get some hot chocolate, and enjoy!

Friday, November 27, 2020

15 | After Dinner Lounge, Part 1

In the first of hopefully many such discussions, Michael, Rob, and Evan Hanson have a very informal conversation about what they've been reading, watching, and thinking about lately.

Topics lead to unpredictable places, but include:
  • Comics like X of Swords, Batman: Three Jokers, and The Orville.
  • Novels like The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty, The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton, and Bonnie MacBird's Sherlock Holmes series.
  • TV shows like The Good Wife, Dark Shadows, and Police Squad!.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

14 | Lost in Space Story Editor Vivian Lee

On this very special episode, Rob talks with Vivian Lee, one of the writers on Lost in Space (2018) about her behind-the-scene experiences helping to create the show. 

Monday, November 16, 2020

13 | Lost in Space (2018), Season 1

Evan Hanson joins Rob and Michael to talk about the first season of the 2018 Lost in Space series streaming on Netflix. We don't all agree about the show, but we do love talking about it and we talk about everything. If you'd like to be unspoiled, be sure to watch the season before listening to this conversation. We bury ourselves in it like a Robinson buried in ice. 

Monday, November 2, 2020

12 | '80s Laff-a-Lympics

Remember Scooby's All Star Laff-A-Lympics where various Hanna Barbera characters crossed over to compete against each other in Olympics-style events? Even if you don't, it was really fun, so Amanda VanHiel, Shawn Robare, Rob Graham, and Michael May imagine what that would be like with characters from '80s TV shows and movies. 

Monday, October 19, 2020

11 | Hocus Pocus (1993)

Kay returns to introduce Rob and Michael to the '90s cult classic Hocus Pocus starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Thora Birch. 

Monday, October 5, 2020

10 | Expendables of Horror (Undead Edition)

Last October, we created an Expendables of Horror movie featuring only living actors. This year, Joanna from Bloody Popcorn, Evan Hanson, Rob, and Michael resurrect their favorite dead actors to create an all-star cast. They pick the actors, discuss the types of roles they'd play, and Evan writes a plot. Listen and imagine The Evil Hunters... IF YOU DARE! 

Monday, September 21, 2020

9 | Joel Schumacher's Batman

Michael, Rob, Paxton Holley, and Jay Ryan have bats on the brain. Three months after the death of director Joel Schumacher, AfterLUNCH tries to solve the riddle of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. What do they do well, what do they do poorly, and how do they compare to other versions of the character? 

Monday, September 7, 2020

8 | Ultimate Triple Features 3

Michael and Rob welcome Michael DiGiovanni and Kay to revisit a classic Nerd Lunch topic. We put together movie triple-features around the themes of witches, soundtracks, walking away from explosions, and movies that make us feel alive. 

Sunday, August 30, 2020

7 | Pandemic Palliates

A palliate is something that reduces or eases the symptoms of something horrible. In this special episode of AfterLUNCH, Rob Graham talks to AfterLUNCH guests and listeners to learn what has brought them joy or relief during the uncertainty and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tune in and find out what movies, TV, video games, creative activities, and other things your podcast friends have been into to get them through. 

Monday, August 17, 2020

6 | Blackbeard's Ghost

Before we run out of summer, let's talk about another Disney pirate movie. In this second flashback to the dead 'Casting Off podcast, Michael and David May are joined by Rob Graham to blather about Blackbeard's Ghost from 1968 starring Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones, and Suzanne Pleshette. But before we get to that, we also have a quick announcement about AfterLUNCH itself. 

Monday, August 3, 2020

5 | Who Would Win?

Michael May, Rob Graham, Jeff Somogyi, and Chad Young hit the playground to argue about who would win in four legendary match-ups between various characters. Gandalf vs Sasquatch is just the first competition (and not even the weirdest) in this hilarious discussion.

Download or listen to the episode here.

Monday, July 20, 2020

4 | magnum pi, season 2

The Magnum PI panel reconvenes to discuss Season 2. It's Evan Hanson, Jeeg, Michael May, Rob Graham, and William Bruce West talking about their favorite episodes, who they ship, TC's photography skills, and of course Higgins' half-brother from Texas. 

Monday, July 6, 2020

3 | Police Cop Super Squad

Adam Pope pitched the idea and Michael May dug it, so they invited Chris Bailey, Rob Graham, Evan Hanson, and Christian Nielsen to help create teams of fictional police characters. Each team has a leader, a detective, a ballistics expert, a wild card, a scientist, an undercover expert, a dispatcher, and a beat officer. And as an added bonus, we had to record late at night for logistical reasons, so the panelists are extra loopy.


Monday, June 15, 2020

2 | The Curse of the Black Pearl

While AfterLUNCH is officially a monthly show, Michael has been thinking about how to have fun things to listen to in the weeks between episodes. One has to do with a short-lived podcast that he and his son David did called ‘Casting Off, about nautical adventure stories. We won't rerun the whole series on AfterLUNCH, but there are a couple of episodes with some guests who’ll be familiar to Nerd Lunch listeners. 

This first one is a deep dive into the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl. There’s already been an official Nerd Lunch drill-down on the first four movies of the Pirates series, but this conversation is different enough that hopefully it'll be worth listening to. In addition to Michael and David, the panel includes Nerd Lunch Fourth Chair Army members Lizzie Twachtman and Mike Westfall, as well as comics writer Ron Marz. 

The plan was always to have this same panel come back and talk about the rest of the Pirates movies, but that never happened. Part of the reason for sharing this episode now though is to set the stage for finally continuing the series, hopefully sooner rather than later. Whatever happens with that, this was a fun conversation and we hope you’ll enjoy it. 

Monday, June 1, 2020

1 | Elevator Pitches and Studio Notes

Paxton Holley pitched the idea for this episode in which he, Adam Pope, Michael May, and Shawn Robare each try to sell an idea for a movie, TV show, or product, then modify that idea based on notes from the other panelists. It's a weird and funny episode; the perfect way to kick off the new, but familiar AfterLUNCH podcast. 

And a very special thank you to the legendary Mike Westfall for creating the AfterLUNCH logo.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

FCA Invasion 20 | A Tribute to Nerd Lunch

On this final episode of Fourth Chair Army Invasion, members of the Fourth Chair Army talk about what they love about Nerd Lunch, their favorite episodes, and say goodbye to the show. But all is not done. Stay tuned to the end for details about the new monthly show that will replace Invasion on the Nerd Lunch feed. 

The list of speakers is longer than this website will let us tag, so we'll list them here:

Adam Pope
Annaliese Trammel
Bill Webster
Chad Young
Chris Bailey
Christian Nielsen
Doug Frye
Evan Hanson
Jay Ryan
Jeff Somogyi
John Vanover
Kay 
Lizzie Twachtman
Michael DiGiovanni
Michael May
Mike Westfall
RetroMash
Rob Graham
Robert Zerbe
Shawn Robare
William Bruce West

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

FCA Invasion 19 | Turning Movies into TV Shows 3

Mike Westfall, Michael DiGiovanni, Annaliese Trammel, and Paxton Holley join Michael May for another round of the classic Nerd Lunch feature: "Turning Movies into TV Shows." After a discussion of what movie-based TV shows have worked (and which haven't), the panel pitches TV shows based on A League of Their Own, Gremlins, Xanadu, Tomorrowland, and Pretty in Pink

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

FCA Invasion 18 | The Expendables of Spy Movies

If you're bummed about No Time to Die getting pushed back to November, have no fear. William Bruce West, Doug Frye, Evan Hanson, Rob Graham, and Michael have created the best spy movie in the world and you can enjoy it right this very second in your imagination. 

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

FCA Invasion 17 | The Mandalorian

Michael, Kay, Jeeg, Carlin Trammel, and Paxton Holley talk about the Mandalorian, Cara Dune, and the cuteness of The Baby That's the Same Species as Yoda. 

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

FCA Invasion 16 | Nerd Year Resolutions

Michael, Jeeg, and Robert Zerbe look back on some of their favorite movies, TV shows, and books from 2019 while also predicting what their favorites of 2020 might be. They also make some pop culture resolutions and maybe even a Nerdstradamus prediction or three.