Apres Culture
46 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 6 years ago - ★★★★ - 9 ratingsPodcast by Apres Culture
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Episodes
Episode 43: Texas Pop Culture - Fixer Upper and Giant over Shiner Bocks
April 13, 2018 00:24 - 1 hour - 114 MBThis week we’re swinging by the Lone Star State, with stops in Waco, to talk juggernaut home renovation show Fixer Upper, and Marfa, to talk 1950s Western epic Giant. Feel free to take a drink every time Sara Ann says “mythmaking”—or just once for every one of Liz Taylor’s husbands. Pull up a chair and let JoJo explain her vision for your $300,000—it’s time for Après Culture. Tipple of the Week Shiner Bock, proud product of the Texas German Hill Country Next Week Nothing! It’s the end of ...
Episode 42: Chicago Pop Culture: Adventures in Babysitting and Roger Ebert over Malort
March 29, 2018 22:24 - 55 minutes - 76.5 MBThis week we’re talking about the Windy City, with 80s comedy, um, classic? Adventures in Babysitting (1987), plus Life Itself (2014), a documentary about the life and death of iconic film critic Roger Ebert. It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, but don’t worry: Sara Ann’s and Kasey’s relationship will probably survive. Pull up a chair and and accept our sincere apologies for discussing Elisabeth Shue and not mentioning her 1996 Oscar nom for Leaving Las Vegas—it’s time for Apr...
Episode 41: Roseanne and One Day at a Time over Cuba Libres
March 23, 2018 00:08 - 1 hour - 84.5 MBEpisode 41: Roseanne and One Day at a Time over Cuba Libres This week old sitcoms are new again: we’re talking about the Netflix reboot of Norman Lear’s One Day at a Time, and everything that made the soon-to-be-rebooted Roseanne beloved. We’ve got killer comedic actors, eye-opening storylines, and yes, behind-the-scenes shenanigans—and some of the best TV ever made. Pull up a chair and pay the three-pretzel ante—it’s time for Après Culture. Tipple of the Week: Cuba Libre Squeeze the juic...
Episode 40: St Patrick's Day Celebration with The Quiet Man and Catastrophe over Guinnesses
March 16, 2018 00:09 - 57 minutes - 79 MBThis week we’re toasting the Emerald Isle with a look at John Ford’s 1952 Maureen O’Hara/John Wayne romance, The Quiet Man, and Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney’s ungilded look at married life, Catastrophe. It’s two very different American men falling for two very different Irish women in two very different eras—and we have thoughts. Pull up a chair and pray you can understand the waitress’s thick County Cork accent—it’s time for Après Culture. Tipple of the Week: Guinness We’re sure there’s a...
Episode 39: I Love Lucy and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel over Mudslides
March 09, 2018 00:57 - 53 minutes - 73.5 MBThis week we’re talking 50s comediennes both factual (the iconic Lucille Ball) and fictional (Amy Sherman-Palladino’s latest fast-talking heroine, Midge Maisel). We’d say they do everything the guys do but in high heels and corsets—but let’s be real, no man has ever reached quite the same iconic status as Lucy. Pull up a chair and send the band leader your song request—it’s time for Après Culture. Tipple of the Week The Mudslide (recipe credit: https://www.supercall.com/recipe/the-ultimate-...
Episode 38: Oscars Scandals over Red Carpet Cocktails
March 02, 2018 02:46 - 54 minutes - 74.5 MBThis week we’re talking Oscars scandals throughout the years, from Dudley Nichols and the original writers’ strike, to George C. Scott and his opinions on awards shows, to Marlon Brando and Sacheen Littlefeather, to the McCarthy era and the infamous Hollywood blacklist, to Harvey Weinstein, his Oscar campaign tactics and all the rest of it. It’s a lot, guys, and it’s all fascinating. Pull up a chair and explain whose award you’re here to refuse and why—it’s time for Après Culture. Tipple of...
Episode 37: Rainbow Rowell and Fanfiction over Tequila Sunrises and a Scary Rainbow Cocktail
February 22, 2018 13:51 - 1 hour - 85.2 MBThis week we’re talking fanfiction, with our girl Rainbow Rowell’s two novels Fangirl and Carry On, plus a freewheeling discussion of how fanfiction has touched our lives and shaped our culture with special guests April Maguire and Lillian Diaz-Przybyl. Whether you’re a fanfic newby (Kasey), a ship wars veteran (April and Lilian), or somewhere in between (Sara Ann), we’ve got you covered. Pull up a chair and prepare to defend your ship—it’s time for Après Culture. Tipple of the Week Tequila...
Episode 36: Crazy Rich Asians and The Crown over Black Velvets
February 16, 2018 02:10 - 56 minutes - 77.4 MBThis week we’re talking the rich, the powerful and the deeply unhappy with Netflix’s fictionalized account of the life and times of England’s Queen Elizabeth II, The Crown, and Kevin Kwan’s soapy tales of families so rich you’ve never heard of them, Crazy Rich Asians. It’s everything you were pretty sure was true about the mega-rich and nothing you ever imagined. Pull up a chair and prepare to explain why you wrote lewd letters home about the royal consort’s shenanigans in Borneo—it’s time f...
Episode 35: Happy Valentine's! Some Like It Hot and The Big Sick over Manhattans
February 08, 2018 13:45 - 56 minutes - 77.4 MBThis week we’re talking romance, comedy, cross-dressing and romancing the parents, with the Billy Wilder classic Some Like It Hot (Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis) and 2017’s indie hit The Big Sick (Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano). It’s rom-com goodness and a classic cocktail only one of us finished (we’ll let you guess who). Pull up a chair and crack a tasteful terrorism joke—it’s time for Après Culture. Tipple of the Week: Manhattans Fill a short glass ⅔ ful...
Episode 34: The Last Jedi & Catch-Up over Champagne
February 02, 2018 02:31 - 1 hour - 84.2 MBThis week we’re talking the latest entry in the Star Wars franchise, Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, plus everything we’ve been watching and reading in the many long months we’ve been away, from YA novels to Lainey Gossip, the Aeneid (yes, the ancient Latin poem) to Oscar hopefuls—and why not, a dash of Stranger Things. Pull up a chair and prepare to defend your deeply held Reylo feelings — it’s time for Après Culture. Tipple of the Week: Champagne Chill. Pop. Pour. Enjoy. Next Week Valenti...
Episode 33: Marathoning January Away over Tom Collinses
February 01, 2017 03:07 - 55 minutes - 77.1 MBThis week we’re filling those no-new-TV spaces in our lives with relentless marathoning, of new stuff like Stranger Things and The Crown, old stuff like Star Trek TNG, and, for one of us, a whole lot of Hallmark movies. I’ll let you guess which of us. Pull up a chair and put on your snuggie—it’s time for Après Culture. Tom Collins Combine 2 oz gin, 1 oz lemon juice and 1 tsp superfine sugar over ice in a tall glass, then top off with club soda or fizzy water. Garnish with a lemon slice.
Episode 32: Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life over Scotch
December 13, 2016 23:30 - 45 minutes - 63.5 MBThis week we’re talking Gilmore Girls past and present, from the ecstasy of season 1 Dean (so dreamy!) to the agony of spending even one more minute with the Life and Death Brigade in 20-fricking-16 (you know every one of those guys was peddling subprime loans back in 2007). Pull up a chair and order your tenth coffee of the day—it’s time for Après Culture. Scotch Pour scotch in a glass. Taste it. Realize it tastes terrible. Go see if you have the ingredients for a Rob Roy or something...
Episode 31: Sleepy Hollow and Buffy the Vampire Slayer over Dra-Kahluas
October 31, 2016 14:06 - 56 minutes - 64.5 MBWelcome back to Season 4 - Coast to Coast! Kasey has moved to Boston & Sara Ann is still beach-side in Malibu, but we don't let a little plane ride come between us. This week we’re getting our Halloween on with Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow and the short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" written by Washington Irving, plus two favorite episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Halloween” and “Hush.” Tipple of the Week: Dra-Kahlua http://www.nj.com/homegarden/entertaining/index.ssf/2008/10/abbar.h...
Episode 30: Freaks and Geeks and Ghostbusters over Slimers
July 26, 2016 16:45 - 1 hour - 92.6 MBThis week we’re talking about the brilliance (OR IS IT) of Paul Feig, with cult classic TV show Freaks and Geeks, and 2016’s favorite political firestorm, Ghostbusters. SPOILER: Kasey and Sara Ann do not agree about the latter. Listen and find out who’s your real, true pop culture podcast friend. Pull up a chair and prepare to defend disco—it’s time for Après Culture. Slimers 1 ounce Peach Schnapps 1 ounce Midori (or any type of melon liqueur) 3 to 5 drop of an Irish cream liqueur such as B...
Episode 29: Maus and Bitch Planet over Redheaded Sluts
July 19, 2016 23:19 - 1 hour - 93.7 MBThis week we’re diving into the wide, wonderful world of graphic novels with Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust memoir Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, and Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro’s exploitation-style feminist face-punch Bitch Planet. Pull up a chair—it’s time for Après Culture. Tipple of the Week: The Redheaded Slut: In a cocktail shaker, combine 1.5 oz Jagermeister, 1.5 oz peach schnapps, 3 oz cranberry juice and ice. Shake until frosted and serve in shot glass...
Episode 28: When Harry Met Sally and Everything Is Copy over Apple Pie a la Mode Milkshakes
July 12, 2016 17:01 - 1 hour - 92.6 MB***DISCLAIMER*** We apologize, we've been encountering some sound technical difficulties this week in particular. The beginning of the episode will sound a bit "echo-y" however, as the podcast continues you will notice it evens out. We are working on creating a better sound experience in the future. Thank you for bearing with us! This week we’re talking Nora Ephron, with HBO bio-doc Everything Is Copy, directed by her son Jacob Bernstein as a search for why veteran personal essayist Ephron k...
Episode 27: The Sandlot and Rhymes for Young Ghouls over Long Island Iced Teas
July 04, 2016 20:04 - 1 hour - 95.1 MBThis week we’re celebrating the Fourth of July with two movies about American childhoods: baseball and friendship tale The Sandlot, and magical realism and revenge tale Rhymes for Young Ghouls. We’ve got nostalgia! And history! And Canadian accents, but don’t concentrate too hard on that! It’s all about America this week. Pull up a chair and try to figure out how to express to Smalls how much he’s frustrating you—it’s time for Après Culture. Long Island Iced Tea We followed this Chowhound r...
Episode 26: Finding Dory and Disney Princesses over Arnold Palmers
June 29, 2016 22:05 - 1 hour - 85.3 MBThis week we’re talking animation with friend of the show Daniel Barcroft, starting with Finding Dory, Pixar’s beautiful, funny ode to the abilities of the differently abled. Then we check in on our complicated feelings about Disney’s princess empire, from how Disney has tried to adapt its model to match the times, to how toy companies’ marketing models can actually determine the entertainment girls are allowed to watch. Pull up a chair and prepare to think heavy thoughts about kids’ cartoon...
Episode 25a: Mini Aperitif - Chinese Pop Culture over Chivas and Green Teas
June 23, 2016 15:45 - 33 minutes - 45.9 MBThis week we’re lobbing y’all a short bonus episode in the form of a chat with Sara Ann’s Chinese friends about pop culture in the People’s Republic. Movies? TV? Piracy? Kung Fu Panda? We’ve got it all, plus the best explanation of the Cultural Revolution and its impact you’ll hear on any pop culture podcast this year (guaranteed). Pull up a chair and prepare to ganbei—it’s time for Après Culture. Chivas and Green Tea 1 ½ oz Chivas Regal 5 oz bottled green tea Sugar to taste Ice Combine in...
Episode 25: Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea over Rum Punch
June 21, 2016 16:02 - 49 minutes - 68.2 MBThis week we’re putting our snooty pants on and talking a pair of literary classics (or alternately, a romance novel and the fanfic it spawned): Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, and Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys. We’ve got spooky atmospherics, questionable love interests, Jamaican history, and sisters getting theirs. It’s the literary canon at both its smartest and dishiest. Pull up a chair and be ready to explain those funny noises coming from the attic—it’s time for Après Culture. Rum Pu...
Episode 24: Singin’ in the Rain and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend over Spiked Boba Teas
June 14, 2016 16:07 - 59 minutes - 81.9 MBThis week we’re talking musicals with pal Elyse Peterson, from 1952’s classic Singin’ in the Rain to the CW’s devastating gem Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. We argue over that weird interlude with Cyd Charisse, invoke the Reynolds-Fisher family saga for the second time this season (for a fuller discussion/explanation, check out episode 22, Postcards from the Edge and You’re the Worst), debate the attractiveness of Greg Serrano, and praise the spiky but deceptively layered relationship between Rebecca a...
Episode 23: Taylor Swift’s 1989 and Lesbian Vloggers over Bad Blood Cocktails
June 07, 2016 19:46 - 59 minutes - 81.9 MBThis week we’re tipping our hat to Pride Month with a visit from a couple of guests: Ryan Michaud, who boldly pits Taylor Swift against Beyonce in a bid for one gay man’s affections, and Shelby Vasko, who introduces us to lifestyle vloggers Shannon Beveridge (https://www.youtube.com/user/flips8trgrl3) and Cammie Scott (https://www.youtube.com/user/CammieScott), and talks about why their relationship (and breakup) has been so important to young lesbians growing up in red states like her. Pull...
Episode 22: Postcards from the Edge and You’re the Worst over Vodka Smoothies
May 31, 2016 15:52 - 52 minutes - 72.5 MBThis week we’re tipping our hat to Mental Health Month with Carrie Fisher’s fictionalized memoir on film Postcards from the Edge, and FXX’s acid rom-com You’re the Worst. Nothing says comedy like mental illness! And we’ve got all the depression yuks you can take. Pull up a chair and make sure booze isn’t contraindicated with your medication—it’s time for Après Culture. Chocolate-Peanut Butter Adult Smoothie (adapted from nightclub.com) 1 1/4 oz. Absolut Vanilia Vodka 1 oz. Kahlúa 1/2 froze...
Episode 21: While We Were Away over Fresquilas
May 24, 2016 14:37 - 1 hour - 152 MBThis week we’re talking about everything we watched and read since season two, including Captain America: Civil War, The People v. OJ Simpson, and New X-Files, plus a Bravo run-down and Redbook recommendation (yes, that Redbook) with Kasey, and a whole lotta reading recommendations from Sara Ann (American Born Chinese, Who Fears Death, Wolf Hall, Left Hand of Darkness, Rainbow Rowell, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Lumberjanes, and John Lewis’s graphic novel memoir March). Pull up a cha...
Episode 20: Tin Cup and Pardon the Interruption over Micheladas
February 02, 2016 03:35 - 1 hour - 90.1 MBThis week we’re going jock with special guest Greg Barnett, who’s introducing us to the Kevin Costner golf movie Tin Cup and ESPN’s original sports shouting show Pardon the Interruption. For a bonus, Kasey gives Sara Ann a sports quiz (which she’s sure to ace) and we take a look back at season two. Pull up a chair and do a little penguin dance—it’s time for Après Culture. NEXT WEEK: Nothing! Because season 2 is over. But we’ll be back in the spring! Look for it!
Episode 19: Little House on the Prairie and Little Women over Dirty Shirley Temples
January 27, 2016 02:01 - 59 minutes - 82.4 MBThis week we’re talking great American girlhood novels, from the real lives behind the fictionalized autobiographies, to the two very different visions of one tumultuous time in American history they offer, to how ridiculous it is that a real-life dude would actually be named Manly Wilder (seriously, Manly Wilder). Who left the family’s time on a commune out of her story? Who hung out with Dorothy Parker and got sued by Charlie Chaplin? And who really wrote the Little House series (yeah, ther...
Episode 18: Do the Right Thing and Love & Basketball over an Assortment of Blue Moon
January 20, 2016 02:31 - 58 minutes - 81.5 MBThis week we’re celebrating MLK Day with two films by African-American writer-directors. Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing is the tale of one day on one street in New York’s predominantly black Bed-Stuy district, and the thousand small moments that lead to a conflagration come nightfall. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love and Basketball traces the romance of two dedicated basketball players from their time as childhood sweethearts through their volatile college and professional careers, and how their ...
Episode 17b: Mini Aperitif - Making a Murderer over Lagunitas India Pale Ale
January 13, 2016 00:55 - 32 minutes - 45 MBThis week in a short mid-season check-in, we toss our two cents into the overflowing giant novelty piggy bank of rage that is our collective internet reaction to Netflix’s Making a Murderer. We talk murder theories, we talk prosecutorial misconduct, we talk RAGE. Are there spoilers? Oh, you betcha. Pull up a chair and brush off your Importance of Due Process speech — it’s time for Après Culture. NEXT WEEK: We resume full-length eps with an MLK Day-themed ep on: Do the Right Thing (1989) ...
Episode 17a: Mini Aperitif - Star Wars: The Force Awakens over Vodka Cranberries
January 08, 2016 01:48 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBThis week we’ve got a couple of short eps to wet your appetite* for the last few eps of season 2 (we know!). We’re starting with a follow-up to our Star Wars marathon episode, with a spoilerrific review of The Force Awakens. (Can you believe ----------- ----------??????) We’re sure you’ve been holding off on seeing it until you heard our verdict, so here it is! Pull up a chair and make sure to shoot first—it’s time for Après Culture. NEXT TIME: Making a Murderer (Netflix) WE HAVE THOUGHTS...
Episode 17: Star Wars (Machete Order) over Tatooine Sunrises
December 24, 2015 03:36 - 47 minutes - 66.3 MBThis week we’re succumbing to the pop culture inevitable and talking about Star Wars. That’s right, we've marathoned the movies to date in Machete Order and we’re ready to talk about what made us smile, what made us wince, and what we’re looking forward to as Disney unleashes a new round of Star Wars films on the world. Next Week: We're taking a break for the holidays. We’ve got travel, we’ve got family, we’ve got to put the podcast on hold. But we’ll be back with the back half of Apres Cul...
Episode 16: Holiday Pop Culture Swap 2: Die Hard and A Princess for Christmas over Grown-Up Eggnogs
December 17, 2015 05:04 - 56 minutes - 78.3 MBThis week we’re celebrating the holidays with explosions and Hallmark schmaltz. That’s right, Pop Culture Swap is back, and the pieces of pop culture we gave each other were … not the same. Fortunately, there was eggnog. Very, very grownup eggnog. (This is absolutely the tipsiest we’ve ever gotten on the podcast.) We talk about the surprisingly progressive politics of the 1988 Christmas/action classic Die Hard, and how unlikely it must have seemed in 1987 that it would become a classic. Plus,...
Episode 15: Pop Culture Gift Guide over Mulled Wine
December 09, 2015 03:49 - 1 hour - 140 MBThis week we’re doing you a solid with pop culture gift recommendations for everybody on your list. We’ve got kids’ books from toddlers to teens, and film, TV and movie picks for adults of every personality and type of gift obligation. Whoever you’ve got to buy for, we’re here to point you in the right direction. Pull up a chair and pop open your Christmas gift spreadsheet—it’s time for Après Culture. Important Note: We don’t want to risk spoiling anything for our listeners, so outlined bel...
Episode 14: The Thin Blue Line and Los Angeles Plays Itself over Kahlua Milkshakes
December 03, 2015 03:17 - 41 minutes - 57.3 MBThis week we’re looking at a pair of classic documentary films. First up is seminal true crime drama The Thin Blue Line, which examines the politics and personalities that put a man on death row for killing a Dallas police officer -- and asks whether it might have all been a horrible mistake. Then we’re diving into Los Angeles Plays Itself, a simultaneously cantankerous and swoony look at the history of Los Angeles as it appears on film. One grumpy film professor and native Angeleno sets out ...
Episode 13 - Thanksgiving Marathoning over Hard Cider Sangria
November 25, 2015 02:26 - 1 hour - 98.6 MBThis week we’re helping you plot your ideal Thanksgiving TV and movie marathon. We’ll look at all the best Turkey Day episodes available to stream for free (because we’re all poor until after Christmas). Turkey abuse! American football! All the family feeling you can stand, and some really ill-advised orange/green color combos! It’s all happening in the Après Culture Lounge this week. Pull up a chair and try to suppress your sympathetic gravy belches—it’s time for Après Culture. Important...
Episode 12: Tootsie and Sicario over Tootsie Roll Cocktails
November 18, 2015 01:19 - 56 minutes - 77.5 MBThis week we’re saluting Sadie Hawkins Day with a nod to gender flipping. First we’ve got Emily Blunt demonstrating why it doesn’t need to be a “girl part” to cast a woman, in the War on Drugs thriller Sicario. Then we flash back to Dustin Hoffman casting himself in the girl part, and doing it smashingly, in classic cross-dressing comedy Tootsie. Pull up a chair and manspread to your heart’s content—it’s time for Après Culture. Important Note: We don’t want to risk spoiling anything for ou...
Episode 11: Fall TV over Jack Roses
November 11, 2015 01:19 - 1 hour - 96.8 MBWelcome to Season 2 of Après Culture! We’ve spent weeks wading through the flood of fall TV, and now we’ve dried off, donned our Backwards Baseball Cap of Deep Thought (Kasey) and Bedazzled Monocle of Comic Consideration (Sara Ann), and returned to the secret underground Apres Culture Lounge for THIS, our REVIEW of FALL TV 2015. What’s good? What’s not? And what is the one thing all personality quirks, mental illnesses and super powers are good for (according to television)? We’re ready to re...
Episode 10: The Yellow Wallpaper, The Lottery, and The Things They Carried over Pinot Grigio
July 22, 2015 01:53 - 45 minutes - 62.7 MBThis week we’re donning our literary canon sports coats (do they have elbow patches? Of course they do) and digging into some short stories. There’s lots to unpack in these tales of war, tradition, madness and bad decor, and we’re just the wine drinking gals to do it. Pull up a chair and think up a meaningful story for everything in your pockets. It’s time for Après Culture.
Episode 9: Game of Thrones and Orange Is the New Black over Screwdrivers
June 25, 2015 05:03 - 1 hour - 114 MBThis week, with special guest April Maguire, we’re spoiling the heck out of a pair of zeitgeist-y TV shows. We talk rape, CGI, fan theories, and zombie Jon Snow in an uneven season of Game of Thrones. Then we dig into OITNB’s twisty treatment of its very human characters, the importance of faith this season, a much smarter and more considered treatment of rape, and one very unfortunate lapse in the show’s usually smart approach to racial stereotypes. Pull up a chair and keep an eye on that ...
Episode 8: Pop Culture Swap over Sidecars
June 18, 2015 05:06 - 1 hour - 101 MBThis week we’re assigning each other pop culture homework, and discussing the results. First, Sara Ann made everyone watch Korean drama Secret Garden, a romantic comedy about a snobby department store CEO and humble stuntwoman who can’t stand each other -- at first. Did Kasey and Margaret find it worth putting up with the subtitles? Next we debate the attractions of Kasey’s assignment, lifestyle blogs The Everygirl, Into the Gloss, Cupcakes and Cashmere, Style Me Pretty Living, Elements of S...
Episode 7: Spring TV Review and Summer TV Preview over Margaritas
June 10, 2015 19:26 - 59 minutes - 82.2 MBThis week we’re looking back at shows that surprised us, disappointed us, won us over or finally lost our love this past TV season. (We may be the only Pop Culture pundits to mention Fixer Upper in our year-end review. Maybe.) Then we’re looking forward to summer, with a ton of returning favorites and possible new loves, plus all the TV we’re finally, totally catching up on now that TV has “slowed down.” It’s a whirlwind of awesome, and we couldn’t be more excited. Pull up a chair and open...
Episode 6: M*A*S*H and Das Boot over Sam Adams
June 03, 2015 06:13 - 48 minutes - 66.2 MBThis week we’re observing Memorial Day with German U-boat film Das Boot, about a crew of average German sailors just trying to survive the Third Reich’s disastrous war. Then we’re talking two of the best episodes of one of the best shows ever, M*A*S*H. From season 1, “Sometimes You Hear the Bullet,” and from season 2, “Abyssinia, Henry.” Pull up a chair and picture your hairiest uncle in a Carmen Miranda costume—it’s time for Après Culture.
Episode 5: Mad Men Finale over Bloody Marys
May 20, 2015 05:28 - 47 minutes - 65.3 MBThis week we’re relentlessly dissecting the Mad Men finale. We’ll settle for once and for all what that Coke commercial meant, explain why that nameless secretary gave Pete a cactus, of all things, and get real about how Mad Men changed our lives. Plus, we guarantee we’re the only one of the literally millions of Mad Men finale reviews this week to name check both Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Wyatt Earp. That’s right, check us out: we’re complex. Pull up a chair and give your Bloody Mary a conte...
Episode 4: Terms of Endearment and Sitcom Mother’s Days over White Wine Spritzers
May 13, 2015 05:26 - 42 minutes - 57.9 MBThis week we’re honoring our mothers (or at least the general idea of motherhood): we talk seminal weepy Terms of Endearment, including John Lithgow’s unexpected role and the genteel way one died of cancer in 1983. (SPOILERS) Then we do a totally comprehensive survey of the sitcom Mother’s Day, from Golden Girls to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to The Middle. We found some sharp writing and some affecting insight, and also a whole lot of PG-rated masturbation jokes. And it wouldn’t be Apres Cul...
Episode 3: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Furious 7, La Femme Nikita, The Professional over Kasteel Rouge
May 06, 2015 02:12 - 41 minutes - 56.8 MBThis week we’re talking action, from modern franchise installments to classic Luc Besson flicks. We’ll render the judgment you’ve no doubt been waiting for before deciding to see the blockbusters du jour. Then we’ll jump back to the 90s for a French flick that got no sequels but still started a cottage industry, plus an assassin movie that amounts to “Lolita with explosions.” And we’ll finish off with a VERY IMPORTANT BET about the upcoming Mad Max reboot. So grab a nice anonymous Belgian ale...
Episode 2: Girl on the Train and Strangers on a Train over G&T's
April 29, 2015 04:58 - 43 minutes - 60.2 MBThis week we talk about train-adjacent murder, starting with Paula Hawkins’ immensely popular new novel, The Girl on the Train, a murder mystery full of unreliable narrators, metaphor-laden commuter trains, and suburban ennui. Then we head back to 1951 for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, Strangers on a Train. Is there more to see than the famous strangers switching murders setup? And why does Hitchcock put his scary bad guy in a monogrammed, lobster-patterned neck tie? We finish up a Pulitze...
Episode 1: Beauty and the Beast and La Belle et la Bête over Rosé
April 21, 2015 01:58 - 28 minutes - 55.4 MBThis week on Après Culture, we’re taking a look at two canon-worthy movies based on the same fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. Criterion’s restored version of Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast is streaming on Hulu Plus. Disney’s version isn’t streaming anywhere (nothing streams from the vault), but it can be borrowed from your local library, or almost any friend who has young children. Get more of-the-moment wit and wisdom on Twitter @apresculture, plus our between-episodes blogging at ou...