If Huey Freeman is our well meaning radical, Riley is our ambitious "Whatever, got mine" capitalist. And in this episode, we explore what Riley means to the heart of not just why The Boondocks is such a seminal piece of black entertainment; we

Stones, Refused #2: This is Huey Freeman

Jul 4th, 2022 1h 8m

It's time to talk about our favorite revolutionary: Huey Freeman. We explore the inspirations for Huey, his relationships with the truth and the people around him, as well as what his character says about the ideology of both The Boondock and i

Stones, Refused #1: Welcome to The Boondocks

Jun 23rd, 2022 1h 2m

Welcome to The Boondocks! And welcome to Stones, Refused! Our newest spin-off in which Xzy walks Max through the culture of blackness and nostalgia via Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks.In this episode we talk about the history of The Boondocks

#100 The Cornetto Trilogy (Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz/The World’s End)

Jun 3rd, 2022 2h 48m

Whoa mama, we made it to #100! To celebrate this momentous occasion, your buds decided to break the format of the show and cover not just one movie, but three! And these aren't blind watches, but three movies that speak directly to their dang s

#99 To Live and Die in L.A. (with Perry Jackson!)

May 29th, 2022 1h 24m

Perry Jackson returns to the show with his pick for our Guest's Pick miniseries, and boy does he not disappoint. This week, we're talking about William Friedkin's most under-seen film, 1985's To Live and Die in L.A.! In the news: Your friends

#98 12 Monkeys (with Bernadette Gorman-White!)

May 18th, 2022 1h 26m

Hey friends! It's time to continue our guest's pick series with our pal, Bernadette (from Story Screen Beacon)! She's chosen to go back in time with 1995's 12 Monkeys, starring Bruce Willis and directed by Terry Gilliam. In this episode we talk

#97 The Boxer’s Omen (with Alex Katz!)

May 7th, 2022 1h 36m

It's time for a new miniseries! Alex Katz joins us to kick off our Guest's Choice series, and boy did he take the premise and run. Is 1983's The Boxer's Omen the grossest movie ever made? I mean, maybe! But is it also a kick-ass Shaw Brothers c

#96 Fruitvale Station

Apr 30th, 2022 1h 4m

[Content warning for abuse and violence against women between 11:30 and 14:33]For the finale of our first mini-series, Black History Months, we watch 2013's Fruitvale Station for the first time. Beyond the righteous anger we felt by the end, w

#95 Dope

Apr 22nd, 2022 1h 5m

It's the penultimate episode of Black History Months! After a week off, your friends are digging into 2015's Dope! In a nice change of pace, it turns out Black cinema can be fun and tackle important issues. Who knew! In the news, DC wants to c

#94 The Watermelon Woman

Apr 8th, 2022 1h 16m

In our last episode on Black Cinema in the 90s, we're covering 1996's The Watermelon Woman! Come for the deep conversations on blackness and queerness, stay for the discussion on the importance of archiving.In the news, Disney suddenly wants t

#93 Set it Off (with Aja Essex!)

Apr 1st, 2022 1h 32m

On this particularly unhinged episode, we welcome back Cicada Cinema's own Aja Essex for an in-depth ranking of the A24 Twinks and I guess an extended discussion of 1996's Set it Off!In the news, the Oscars changed up their COVID rules (yet ag

#92 Dead Presidents (with Solomon Missouri!)

Mar 25th, 2022 1h 23m

Twitter's favorite preacher, Solomon Missouri, joins us to take a deep dive into failing institutions, the plight of urban communities, and what it means to return home after war. That's right, we're talking 1995's Dead Presidents!In the news,

#91 Juice

Mar 18th, 2022 1h 25m

This week, we're moving on over to the Beast Coast with 1992's Juice! It's a different coast, but we do continue our discussion of black violence and black police relations. But in between the heavy stuff, you know we're talking about the fashi

#90 Boyz n the Hood

Mar 10th, 2022 1h 54m

We're continuing on with our deep examination into Black Cinema with 1991's Boyz n the Hood! John Singleton's debut feature provides lots of discussion points, including gentrification, low-income urban living, and how much of a smoke show Laur

#89 Killer of Sheep

Feb 26th, 2022 1h 4m

Black History Months continues with an examination of 1978's Killer of Sheep. A lost film from director, Charles Burnett, your friends are here with you to discuss the realities of living in the American ghettos and the community that comes wi

#88 Shaft

Feb 19th, 2022 1h 5m

It's that classic tale everyone knows. A nerdy-looking white dude writes a novel that gets adapted into becoming the biggest and baddest blacksploitation movies of all-time. This week, we're watching 1971's Shaft! Your pals discuss the photogra

#87 Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song

Feb 10th, 2022 1h 8m

This podcast may not be Rated X by an all-white jury, but this week's movie sure was! Black History Months continues with 1971's Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song! Join your stalwart pals as they discuss the truly wild production history (That

#86 The Blood of Jesus

Feb 3rd, 2022 1h 18m

Happy Black History Months! This week, we're starting our first mini-series of the year by looking back at the history of Black Cinema. First stop? 1941's The Blood of Jesus! Come for the origins of race films, stay for the incredible story of

#85 Inherent Vice

Jan 27th, 2022 1h 12m

Our stalwart host Xzyliac Ariel has survived another trip around the sun, so it only makes sense to let her have her birthday wish. Which is to talk about Paul Thomas Anderson's 2014 neo-noir...detective...something...Inherent Vice! Can your p

#84 The Iron Giant

Jan 20th, 2022 1h 2m

When Max told Xzy that he had never seen 1999's The Iron Giant, it completely bowled Xzy over. Once Max reminded her that this was the whole premise of the show they did together, they sat down to discuss Brad Bird's debut feature and all that

#83 Heat (with Shaggy Black!)

Jan 13th, 2022 1h 32m

It's 2022 baby and you know we're bringing the heat! Unrelatedly, we're joined by Shaggy Black of Cinema Villains to cover Michael Mann's 1995 crime epic Heat! We're talkin' the diner scene. We're talkin' the shootout. We're talkin' about ghost

The 2nd Annual BS Awards!

Dec 30th, 2021 3h 39m

Welcome everyone to the 2nd Annual BS Awards! After a long year, it's finally time to come together and celebrate the movies we covered on the show in 2021! After Xzy and Max get through their categories, it's on to crafting the show Top 10. Pr

#82 Sing Street

Dec 23rd, 2021 1h 20m

You are legally obligated to wish Max a happy birthday. And to enjoy this episode! Today, we're celebrating the occasion with a true blue Max Pick: 2016's Sing Street! The classic story of boy meeting girl, boy asking girl to be in a music vide

Fire Walk with Friends #28

Dec 19th, 2021 1h 36m

On this, the final episode of Fire Walk with Friends, Max and Xzy wrap it all up. We discuss the major beats from Mark Frost's books The Secret History of Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier, answer every lingering question Xzy has, p

#81 Adaptation. (with Alex Navarro!)

Dec 16th, 2021 1h 11m

It's our last regular episode of the year! To celebrate, we're joined by Nextlander's own Alex Navarro to discuss the finer points of 2002's Adaptation. How does a comedy transcend and become about life, work, meaning, and obsession? What can i