Nerd Lunch

Michael continues exploring Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels with the seventh in the series, Goldfinger. Like with the film version, the novel introduces a lighter tone than had been in the series so far. But is that a good thing or bad?

Michael, Rob, Evan, Pax, Kay, and Robert Zerbe reconvene to see how they all did on their pop culture resolutions and predictions from 2021. And to make new ones for 2022.

Michael continues exploring Ian Fleming's James Bond novels with the sixth in the series, Dr. No. It's the pulpiest so far, but also has big character development for Bond and a surprising thematic connection with Pierre Boulle's novel, Planet of the Apes.

Michael asks Dave, David, Erik, Evan, and special guest Rob Graham to find the hidden connection between A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968), Running Scared (1986), and V for Vendetta (2005). If you haven't seen one or more of the movies, feel free to skip to the discussions of your choice: 00:02:36 - Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968) 00:33:31 - Review of Running Scared (1986) 00:52:25 - Review of V for Vendetta (2005) 01:16:45 - Guessing the Connection

The AfterLunch Star Trek Council reconvenes to discuss Enterprise's attempt at a serialized story in its third season. Michael, Rob, Evan, and Delaney talk about the Xindi, the Expanse, and spatial anomalies in addition to Archer's darkening, Reed's insecurity, and whether there's such a thing as too much time travel.

Michael discusses the fifth Bond novel by Ian Fleming and it's a bold entry in the series. Fleming spends the first half of the book on the villains and their plan, not introducing Bond until halfway through. And then ends the story on a cliffhanger. 

One, last Christmas episode of the year and it's about Last Christmas. Michael and Rob talk about Paul Feig's film from a couple of years ago, co-written by Emma Thompson and starring Emilia Clarke, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson, and Henry Golding. And also featuring of course the music of George Michael.

Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax continue their conversation from last episode. They talk about (and unwrap) Christmas presents, break a tie, discuss shows like Hawkeye and Cowboy Bebop, share some Christmas traditions, and address the Bitsy McBitserson in the room.

Just before the Christmas holiday, Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax gathered to talk about what they've been listening to and reading. As always with these Lounge discussions, the conversation goes its own way, but major topics include how to read short story collections, irritating things about interview podcasts, The Force Awakens and the whole Star Wars sequel trilogy, and of course lots and lots of Christmas music.

A Christmas Carol week concludes with Michael talking with his brother Mark about the irreverent remake, Scrooged, starring Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Alfre Woodard, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Kane, and a bunch of other stars. As with the rest of this week's adaptation discussions, this originally aired on the former Sleigh Bell Cinema podcast.

A Christmas Carol week continues with another old Sleigh Bell Cinema discussion. This time Michael and Paxton Holley triple the run time of the movie they're talking about when they dig into the short Mickey's Christmas Carol starring a plethora of Disney characters in the various Dickens roles.

Christmas Carol week continues (and we hit Episode 75 of the podcast) with another Sleigh Bell Cinema discussion about one of the world's favorite Christmas Carol adaptations: The Muppet Christmas Carol starring Michael Caine as Scrooge. This was the very first episode of Sleigh Bell Cinema and featured frequent Nerd Lunch and AfterLunch guest Mike Westfall, whose Advent Calendar House podcast was a direct inspiration for Sleigh Bell Cinema in the first place.

A Christmas Carol Week continues with another re-run from Michael's old Sleigh Bell Cinema show. This time Michael and his wife Diane talk about the TV musical The Stingiest Man in Town starring Basil Rathbone as Scrooge. And if you'd like to hear Michael talk about the '70s Rankin-Bass animated remake starring Walter Matthau and Tom Bosley, be sure to check out his guest appearance on Mike Westfall's Advent Calendar House podcast.

A Christmas Carol week continues with this re-run from Michael's former Sleigh Bell Cinema podcast. Michael talks with Carlin Trammel about one of their favorite Christmas Carol adaptations: Clive Donner's TV movie from 1984 starring George C Scott.

Michael and Rob welcome new guest Nikki Rollier to talk about ghost stories, their connection to Christmas, and especially the most famous Christmas ghost story of all, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. They talk about favorite characters, scenes, and adaptations, and even a thing or two that don't work so well for them.

Michael covers Ian Fleming's fourth James Bond novel, Diamonds Are Forever, in another solo episode. Bond returns to the United States to bust up a mob-run diamond smuggling operation, but how do these hoods measure up as a threat to a spy used to taking on mad industrialists and agents of the Soviets' assassination bureau? And what about Tiffany Case?

Back on Episode 15 of the old Fourth Chair Army Invasion show, we imagined a live-action TV version of a DC Super Hero Holiday Special comic. Now it's Marvel's turn as Michael and Rob welcome Michael DiGiovanni, Mike Westfall, and Ben Graham to assign each other super heroes and holiday elements to turn into segments on a Marvelous Holiday Special.

Michael’s solo again with a short episode about the third James Bond novel, Moonraker. It's a unique entry in the Bond series, offering a glimpse at Bond's daily life while also sending him to solve a murder at a remote country estate where he meets one of the most remarkable women of his career.

Michael's brother Mark returns to the podcast along with third brother Matt to talk about one of their favorite '80s bands. Starting with The Cure's debut Three Imaginary Boys album and covering up through 1985's The Head on the Door, the brothers talk about their own experiences with the band, favorite and not-so-favorites songs, the group's evolving sound, and the three "genres" of music that the group tends to make. It's a different sort of episode for AfterLunch, but whether you're already a Cure fan or merely Cure-ious, we hope you'll enjoy this detailed look back at the early days of Robert Smith and Company.

Michael is joined by his brother Mark to start a journey through the filmography of one their favorite actors, Kiefer Sutherland. In this first episode, they cover Sutherland's career from his first jobs in Max Dugan Returns (1983) and The Bay Boy (1984), his revelatory 1985 performance in Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, and all four of his 1986 movies, including his blink-and-miss-it part in At Close Range, the wildly varying-in-quality TV films Trapped in Silence and The Brotherhood of Justice, and finally his breakout role as Ace Merrill in Stand By Me.