"Otto is Forrest Gump."

In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by assistant director James Chestnut to dive into Repo Man (1984), Alex Cox's punk-rock, sci-fi, anti-Reagan cult classic that refuses to sit still or make sense in a conventional way.

Released in 1984, Repo Man follows Otto, a disaffected LA punk who stumbles into a world of car repossession. He soon finds himself caught up in conspiracies, aliens, the government, and the "lattice of coincidence." The film moves with deliberate disorientation, treating genre, narrative, and meaning as things to be challenged.

James brings a filmmaker's perspective to the conversation, helping unpack how Repo Man was made, why it looks and feels the way it does, and how its low-budget ingenuity, location shooting, and practical effects reinforce its punk nature. Together, we talk about Los Angeles as a character, the film's embrace of randomness, and why its refusal to explain itself is exactly the point.

We discuss:

• Alex Cox's collaborative approach to filmmaking
• The mix of punk culture, science fiction, and political satire
• Harry Dean Stanton's unforgettable monologues and personal philosophy overlapping with the film
• How Repo Man uses confusion as a feature instead of a flaw
• Why this film belongs in the Criterion Collection

If you've ever watched Repo Man and thought, "I don't know what I just saw, but I loved it," this conversation is for you.

You can also follow James's new YouTube project, One Man's Trash (linked below), where he documents cleaning up his Los Angeles neighborhood, one block at a time.

One Man's Trash

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Hollywood ManeStays - Not a pin, not a clip. Just Better.

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"The gun really doesn't mean anything until people start obsessing over it."

In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by historian and author Brady Crytzer to explore Winchester '73 (1950), Anthony Mann's landmark Western starring James Stewart. Released as Criterion Collection Spine #1248, Winchester '73 helped redefine the Western genre by shifting focus from frontier justice to obsession, revenge, and moral ambiguity in postwar America.

Directed by Anthony Mann, Winchester '73 centers on a prized rifle known as "the gun that won the West" as it moves from person to person, leaving violence and obsession in its wake. Set against the backdrop of the American Centennial and the aftermath of the Civil War, the film uses the rifle as a symbolic object of desire, revealing how fixation and mythology shape both individual lives and national identity.

Brady Crytzer brings his expertise in American frontier history to the conversation, helping unpack the historical realities behind the film's mythology. Together, we examine how Winchester '73 blends real historical figures with fiction, how it reflects changing American attitudes after World War II, and why James Stewart's performance marked a turning point in his on-screen persona.

We discuss:

• The myth of the "gun that won the West"
• How the Western frontier functioned as a place of cultural blending, not just conflict
• James Stewart's wartime experience and its influence on his postwar roles
• The film's exploration of the themes of revenge, masculinity, and obsession
• How Winchester '73 helped modernize the Western genre
• Why this film belongs in the Criterion Collection

Whether you're revisiting Winchester '73 or encountering it for the first time, this conversation explores why Anthony Mann's Western remains a crucial turning point in American film history.

You can find more from Brady from the links below:

The National Road: George Washington and America's First Highway West

Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis

Brady Crytzer

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"It's such an important film in his [Scorsese's] filmography. I'm so happy people are discovering it and Criterion decided to focus on it."

In this episode of Why This Film?, Ron is joined by critic and writer Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com to discuss After Hours, Martin Scorsese's dark comedy and anxiety-driven odyssey through late-night SoHo. Sheila also wrote the essay for Criterion's release of the film.

Together, they walk through the film scene by scene, tracing how the evening spirals out of Paul's control. The poor guy just wants to go home. The discussion goes from Scorsese to Hitchcock to Kafka to Mr. Softee.

And as always, Sheila answers the central question: Why is After Hours included in the Criterion Collection, and why does it still matter today?

You can find more from Sheila from the links below:

The Sheila Variations

RogerEbert.com Archive

Frankenstein by Sheila O'Malley

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Support the show

Follow the Podcast:

Instagram: @whythisfilmpod