335 | After Midnight – Horror Comics, Part 1

Michael and Jess start a series of episodes focusing on horror comics. In this one, we talk about Junji Ito's adaptation of Frankenstein and Emily Carroll's short story collection, Through the Woods. 

We also discuss the movies Smile (2022), Talk to Me (2022), Eyes Without a Face (1960), and Kuroneko (1968).

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334 | Christmas Songs Sweet 16

Merry Christmas! As our very special gift to you, Michael, Rob, Michael DiGiovanni, and Jody Collins don't just talk about our favorite Christmas songs. We put them into brackets and vote on them until we determine the Greatest Christmas Song of All Time!

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333 | Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

Michael and Rob welcome Jeff Somogyi to talk about Les Mayfield's remake of Miracle on 24th Street, starring Mara Wilson, Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, and Dylan McDermott. We have differing opinions about its quality. How much does it makes sense? How does it compare to the original? And how well does it communicate its ideas about faith, truth, and capitalism? We get into all of it in this funny, thought-provoking conversation.

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332 | Elf (2003)

With this episode, all of the Sleigh Bell Cinema archives are now included in the After Lunch feed. Michael and his wife Diane talk about Jon Favreau's hilarious and heart-warming modern classic, Elf starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel.

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331 | Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)

In this penultimate rerun of old Sleigh Bell Cinema episodes, Michael talks with Jeff Somogyi about the hilarious and underrated Ernest Saves Christmas.

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330 | Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

In the second of this week's Sleigh Bell Cinema reruns, Michael and Dan Taylor talk about killer robots, polar bears, and Martian uprisings in Nicholas Webster's notorious Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

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329 | Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

In this rerun from Michael's old Sleigh Bell Cinema podcast, he talks with Mike Westfall about the 1947 classic Miracle on 34th Street starring Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara, and Natalie Wood.

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328 | The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

Michael and Rob welcome back Jacob Bean-Watson to discuss what's either a tangential Christmas movie or a Christmas ghost story, depending on your point of view. It's The Curse of the Cat People, Val Lewton's controversial follow-up to his noir horror film Cat People from a couple of years earlier. Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph, and Elizabeth Russell return from the earlier movie, joined this time by child actor Ann Carter, Lewton-favorite Sir Lancelot, and Julia Dean.

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327 | Office Christmas Party (2016)

Michael and Rob welcome David May back to the show to discuss this year's Holiday Spirit movie. For us, Holiday Spirit films are undeniably about Christmas, but without any fantastical or magical elements. And this one is Office Christmas Party starring Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, TJ Miller, Jennifer Aniston, and Kate McKinnon, while also featuring Courtney B Vance, Rob Corddry, Randall Park, Sam Richardson, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Jillian Bell, Vanessa Bayer, Karan Soni, and Jamie Chung.

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326 | A Christmas Carol (1951)

In accordance with tradition, Mike Westfall from the Advent Calendar House podcast returns to help Michael and Rob kick off the Christmas season right with another Christmas Carol adaptation. This year, we're watching the classic 1951 version (titled Scrooge in the original British) starring Alastair Sim.

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325 | After Dinner Lounge – Why Does After Lunch Hate America?

Rob, Michael, and Pax finish up this month's lounge talking about Agatha All Along, Seasons 4 and 5 of Fargo, lots of podcasts, a game in which Rob has Pax and Michael create new MCU characters, Tears for Fears' new concert film, and much much more.

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324 | After Dinner Lounge – Do Not Open. Ever.

In the first half of this month's lounge, Rob, Michael, and Pax talk about movies for Native American Heritage Month, recent movies Heretic and Woman of the Hour, books like The Daughters of Block Island by Christa Carmen, What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher, The Devil You Know by KJ Parker, and ever so much more.

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323 | Ultimate TV Themes Sweet 16

After a few episodes determining the best TV themes from various genres, Michael and Rob are joined by Jacob and KC from The Movie Connection podcast to discuss the top four from each category and decide which is the Ultimate TV Theme Song of All Time. 

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322 | Fast & Furious (2009)

Michael, Rob, and Pax watch the fourth Fast and Furious movie. It's a prequel to the third one, but it also starts putting the disparate first three movies together to move the series towards what it's going to become. It's crazy, it's exciting, but is it good? And what about its own prequel, Los Bandoleros, directed and co-written by Vin Diesel? 

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321 | Die Another Day (2002)

Michael, Rob, and Karen finish the Brosnan Bond films with the most hated Bond film of them all. Or is it? It's Die Another Day co-starring Halle Berry, Rosamund Pike, Toby Stephens, a ton of references to earlier Bond films, and that song by Madonna.

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320 | After Midnight – Vampire Movies

Michael and Jess talk about a couple of vampire movies from Mike Mignola's list of favorite horror movies. After revisiting The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), which we'd both previously seen and disliked, we try Neil Jordan's Byzantium (2012), starring Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton, to see if we like it any better.

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319 | After Dinner Lounge – The Title is a Warning

Pax, Rob, and Michael finish this month's lounge talking about Scream: The TV Series, Universal’s Dracula and Frankenstein movies, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, Friday the 13th with Gourley And Rust, The Witch (2015), Salem's Lot (2024), and more.

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318 | After Dinner Lounge – Do You Use Collapachop?

Pax, Rob, and Michael talk about haunted apartments, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, layoffs, Holmes/Poirot, taking breaks from comics, Lone Women by Victor LaValle, Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson, and cetera.

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317 | Witches Spooky 16

Michael and Rob welcome back Joanna from Bloody Popcorn and Becky Tyler to talk about our favorite pop culture witches. And of course also to put them into brackets and vote on them until we decide on the ultimate witch of all time.

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316 | After Midnight – Ghost Stories 2

Michael and Jess continue watching Mike Mignola's 20 Horror Movies That He Can't Live Without. This time it's all ghost stories with The Innocents (1961), The Haunting (1963), and The Others (2001). 

If you especially like movies about ghosts, this makes a phantasmic follow up to Episode 286 where Michael, Jess, and their friend Darla discussed three other ghost movies: Poltergeist (1982), The Orphanage (2007), and The Woman in Black (2012).

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315 | The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

Michael, Rob, and Pax continue drifting the Fast and the Furious drift with the third drift: Tokyo Drift. It's time to drift goodbye to Brian and drift hello with Sean, Han, and Twinkie. 

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314 | The World Is Not Enough (1999)

After a fun exercise in which they create their own one-off Bond films, Michael, Rob, and Karen discuss the tone, the villains, and the Christmas Jones of Pierce Brosnan's third Bond film (and Desmond Llewelyn's last), The World Is Not Enough. Also starring Sophie Marceau, Denise Richards, and Robert Carlyle, and directed by Michael Apted.

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313 | After Dinner Lounge – Khan-text

Michael, Rob, and Pax talk about the Scream movies, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Agatha All Along, Sherlock Holmes live theater, Alien: Romulus, relistening to yourself on podcasts, Yellowjackets, Omen movies, and more.

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312 | After Dinner Lounge – Cool Jerk

Michael, Rob, and Pax talk about rescuing princesses, refrigerator delivery, Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey, comfort media, Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout, Pax's revisiting early Nerd Lunch, Kill Creek by Scott Thomas, and so much more.

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311 | Drama and Miscellaneous TV Themes Sweet 16

Michael and Rob welcome back Carlin Trammel from last week and also John Vanover to nominate and vote on TV themes from dramas or any other genres that didn't fall into one of the previous categories we've covered. It's an especially eclectic hodge podge of musical styles this episode (making it particularly difficult to vote) in our road to determine the greatest TV theme song of all time.

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310 | Action and Mystery TV Themes Sweet 16

These TV themes Sweet 16s aren't getting any easier. This time, Michael and Rob are joined by Paxton Holley and Carlin Trammel to agonize over, nominate, and vote on our favorite opening themes from action and mystery shows. It may be an impossible mission, but we'll open a bottle of magnum and try to become the greatest American heroes as we reveal the unsolved mystery of the best action/mystery theme ever.

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309 | Rod La Rocque as The Shadow

Michael and Rob travel back to the late 1930s for the first screen adaptations of the pulp hero The Shadow. The Shadow Strikes (1937) and International Crime (1938) both star Rod La Rocque as the Shadow, or at least Lamont Cranston. Or Granston. We'll get into it.

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308 | Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

After largely agreeing about GoldenEye, Michael, Rob, and Karen are divided once again. We differ about the enjoyability of Tomorrow Never Dies, Pierce Brosnan's second turn as James Bond with Jonathan Pryce as an over-the-top villain, Michelle Yeoh as a butt-kicking rival agent, Teri Hatcher as the never-before-revealed love of Bond's life, and a heart-breaking tale of two theme songs. 

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307 | After Dinner Lounge – Doctor Octavian

Michael, Rob, and Pax stay up late talking about The Alienist, Avenue 5, Presumed Innocent, Sugar, The Six Million Dollar Man, Batman: Caped Crusader, Cleopatra movies, The Cat from Outer Space, Zardoz, Murder on the Orient Express movies, the Time Bandits TV series, Mayor of Kingstown, Deadpool & Wolverine, Knox Goes Away, Under Paris, generation gaps, The Man from Atlantis, Sealab 2020, Borderlands, Jackpot!, Guitar Hero, and more.

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306 | After Dinner Lounge – Relax Your Eyes

After a quick conversation with Evan about ancient history, Michael, Rob, and Pax discuss Jedi gloves, Tomb Raider, Star Trek video games, salsa, Masterpiece by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, DC's Dark Knights of Steel event, a Ghostbusters oral history, Starter Villain by John Scalzi, Charlesgate Confidential by Scott Von Doviak, Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ensign Flandry by Poul Anderson, The Space Between by Corinna Bechko and Danny Luckert, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, when to quit a book or TV series, and more.

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305 | After Midnight – Black Sunday and The Witch

Michael and Jess talk about a couple of Mike Mignola's favorite movies about witches: Black Sunday (1960) and The Witch (2015). Plus Spirit Halloween, Maxine Minx, remakes, and strangely enough: Tarzan.

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304 | Jetpack Tiger – A Rebuttal of Animation as a TV Themes Category

The Return of Jetpack Tiger! In response to our episode on the Cartoons and Kids TV Show Themes Sweet 16, Dashiell and Carlin Trammel critique the decision to include the medium of animation as a separate category that competes with live action genres like sitcoms and action shows. Should animated shows be included with live action shows of similar genres?

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303 | Cartoons and Kids TV Show Themes Sweet 16

Michael and Rob welcome Ben Graham, Kay, and Pax to talk about the greatest cartoon and kids show theme songs of all time. Only sixteen tunes can go in the brackets, but there are honorable mentions galore. Even so, we've undoubtedly left out some great ones, so let us know your favorites!

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302 | 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Michael, Rob, and Pax ditch Dom and Mia for Roman, Tej, Monica, and Suki. And talk about whether or not that was a good move.

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301 | GoldenEye (1995)

Michael, Rob, and Karen watch Pierce Brosnan's introduction as James Bond and talk about how well GoldenEye rebooted and reinvigorated the series after a few years' break post-Licence to Kill. Directed by Martin Campbell, the movie also features Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Cumming, and introduces Judi Dench as the new M.

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300 | After Dinner Lounge – Corporation Defamation

Michael, Rob, and Pax talk about Marvel’s Indiana Jones comics, DC/Marvel crossovers, Marvel novels, Deadpool and Wolverine pre-work, movies about the Greek Empire and the rise of Rome, the Despicable Me movies, Tár, the Ti West/Mia Goth Maxine movies, Clone Wars, Kimba the White Lion, Marvel’s Blood Hunt event and other comics, Ernest Hemingway, favorite movie props, IF, the final season of Star Trek: Discovery, Season 3 of Bridgerton, Delicious in Dungeon, John Lennon's supergroup The Dirty Mac, and ever so much more.

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299 | After Dinner Lounge – Like a Vergence

Michael, Rob, Pax, and Evan talk about snakes, TV shows and documentaries about politicians, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, sequel novels to Star Trek TOS episodes, Classic Nerd Lunch, Furiosa, Brats, the Beverly Hills Cop movies, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, The Boys, Cobra Kai, X-Men cartoons, Ripley, space cat novels, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? and other stuff by Agatha Christie, The Acolyte, and much much more.

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298 | TV Sitcom Themes Sweet 16

Michael and Rob welcome Jeeg and Mike Westfall to help nominate 16 favorite TV sitcom theme songs, then vote on them until we determine the single greatest TV sitcom theme of all time. This was crazy hard with some impossible decisions, so let us know what we forgot and which themes should have advanced further in the tournament.

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297 | The American Ring Movies

Michael and Jess discuss their love for Samara Morgan in Gore Verbinski's 2002 US remake of Ringu (1998). They also talk about whether the sequels are any good: the short film Rings (2005), The Ring Two (2005), and the feature-length Rings (2017).

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296 | Licence to Kill (1989)

Michael, Rob, and Karen wrap up 1980s James Bond as well as Timothy Dalton's too short time on the series with Licence to Kill. It's one of Rob's favorites, but not so much one of Michael's. And it's Karen's first time seeing it. So there's a lot to unpack as always.

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295 | Paramount Superman Cartoons

Michael, Rob, and Pax are going to kill time between Fast and Furious episodes by watching some old superhero stuff. We're starting with the wildly influential Superman cartoons released by Paramount in the early 1940s. The first nine were produced by Fleischer Studios and their fingerprints are also all over the eight that followed by a renamed studio under different leadership. Because of that, all seventeen are usually referred to as the Fleischer Superman cartoons and we talk about the whole set: what worked, what didn't, and what went on to inspire not just future cartoons, but even the comics themselves.

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294 | I Read Movies: The Shadow

We continue our celebration of The Shadow's 30th anniversary with this special podcast crossover episode! Paxton Holley brings his I Read Movies podcast to After Lunch for a special look at James Luceno's Shadow novelization, based on the screenplay by David Koepp.

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293 | The Shadow (1994)

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Russell Mulcahy's The Shadow, Michael and Rob welcome superfans of the movie, Paxton Holley and Adam Pope. The conversation covers the ups, the downs, and the impressive cast featuring Alec Baldwin, Penelope Ann Miller, John Lone, Peter Boyle, Ian McKellen, Tim Curry, Jonathan Winters, James Hong, Al Leong, John Kapelos, Max Wright, Ethan Phillips, and Robert Trebor.

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292 | Rob's European Vacation

Rob talks with Michael and Pax about his recent visit to France and England with his wife to celebrate their 30th Wedding Anniversary. There's sightseeing in Paris and the French countryside, mealtime scheming on the cruise ship, and a trip to Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey)!

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291 | Movie Tie-In Glasses

Michael and Rob are joined by Carlin Trammel and Michael DiGiovanni to talk about collectible movie tie-in glasses. They discuss various ones they've collected over the years, including recent ones. But the highlight of the episode is when each panelist creates a whole line of four glasses for a movie that never got them. Carlin even created mock-ups of his line, which you can see below (click to enlarge).

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290 | CT Talks to Infinity Con

Carlin Trammel returns to the podcast feed for a special interview with David Heringer, organizer of the Infinity Con entertainment convention. They talk about the history of the show, why events like it are necessary, and the next one coming to Tallahassee, Florida on July 6 and 7.

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289 | The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Michael, Rob, and Pax begin a new series of episodes covering the Fast and Furious movies, starting of course with the introduction of Brian, Dom, Mia, and Letty (and alright, Vince) in Rob Cohen's The Fast and the Furious. And because it's just the way we are, we also talk a little about John Ireland and Edward Sampson's 1954 film of the same name that also stars Ireland and Dorothy Malone.

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288 | After Midnight – The Thing & Jacob's Ladder

Michael and Jess investigate a couple of movies on Mike Mignola's 20 Horror Movies I Can’t Live Without. A lot of the movies on Mignola's list have common themes - vampires, witches, ghosts, etc. - but The Thing (1982) and Jacob's Ladder (1990) were outliers, so we decided to start with them. 

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287 | The Living Daylights (1987)

Michael, Rob, and Karen welcome Timothy Dalton to the James Bond films in The Living Daylights. After the mostly over-the-top Roger Moore era, the series gets back to basics with Dalton's realistic, angry, but also charming take on 007.

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