True Film Fan
A weekly deep dive for passionate film fans, including reviews, interviews and commentary on film topics.
UNBOXING THE BOX OFFICE APRIL 30 TRUE FILM FAN
If you are looking at the title on this podcast and thinking this may be a dry podcast on boring financial statistics on box office performance, you could not be more wrong. Sure, the information is here, but this episode in particular might be called John and Frankie Unleashed. John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland laugh, reveal, tussle, report, ridicule, reminisce and revel in all kinds of information and stories. They have a blast. All they want is your attention. It's a fun trip down the box office results with endless commentary and silliness along the way. Enjoy and tell yo...
A TRUE FILM FAN SPECIAL UPLOAD Spotlighting Kubrick's PATHS OF GLORY
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland do a deep dive into one of the greatest war films ever made. 29 year old Stanley Kubrick made the big time when Kirk Douglas agreed to star in his first internaional production, PATHS OF GLORY. The black and white film focuses on injustice in the French military during World War II. The French government banned the film's exhibition until 1972 due to the negative depiction of it's commanding officers. The film is a must see for Kubrick fans. The film features stunning photography, gliding tracking shots, a chessboard courtroom and a final...
The 950 KPRC Sunday night Movie Show for April 26 on The Mummy and Busboys
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland review two new movies at the box office, Lee Cronin's The Mummy and Theo Von's Busboys. What did they think? Listen and find out. They also talk about declining theater attendance, Hollywood executives getting outrageous compensation, and much more.
Finally, we devotge two full segments of the show to the 1957 class PARTHS OF GLORY, directed by Stanley Kubrick. This ws Kubrick's first big movi starring Kirk Douglas, and received trmeedous critical priase. Banned in France until 1972, this is the first of Kubrick's unique war trilogy and the most moral. Find ou...
UNBOXING SHOW APRIL 22 John And Frankie count down the top ten movies at the box office
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland count down the top ten movies at the box office this past weekend. How did your favorite movie do? How did the new movies do in their first weekend? It's not dry stats, it's fun and John And Frankie throw in lots of opinion, commentary and gossip If you the world of movies and how they get made, follow the podcast and hit autoload so that every one of our future movies comes to you automatically and rightly so.
The 950 KPRC Movie Show for April 19 talking about Avatar and A Great Awakening
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland talk about new developments with Avatar and more movie industry news stories in the first segment in The Qucik Draw, and then move on to Frankie's review of YOU, ME AND TUSCANY a rom com that was made in an attempt to revive the genre. Did it work? Listen to Frankie's review. Then John and Frankie take a deep dive into a new faith based film called A GREAT AWAKENING. The film is about the friendship betwen George Whitfield and Benjamin Franklin and how Whitfield's preaching in the late 1700s may have motivated Amer...
TRUE FILM FAN John and Frankie discuss events and information from CINEMACON Las Vegas
Once a year, all the major studios and movie producers get together in Las Vegas with all the major theater chains to talk about theatrical movie distribution, the upcoming releases for the next uear, to show trailers and reels to promote future movies, to have the major executives from all the companies talk about their plans and often to have actors and directors on stage to talk about their films.
John and Frankie digest all the speeches, the latest news and presentations and the upcoming releases publicized at Cinemacon in a relaxed and extended discussion...
The Leftovers April 17 WE LOVE THEO VON segment
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland talk at length about their admiration and appreciation for one of America's unique comedic talents, Theo Von. They discuss his appeal and persona as well as the release of his first movie, BUSBOYS with David Spade. What is his magic? Is Theo an idiot savant of comedy? Clearly John and Frankie had way too much fun recording this episode of the Leftovers but that's what it's all about. Thanks for listgening.
The Leftovers BONUS CONTENT for April 12 John and Frankie after show discussion
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland share information and opinions about the current state of the movie industry in this far ranging discussion. Covering topics such as the Paramount and Netflix attempt to buy Warner Brothers and how that can affect creators and the public alike. As the conversation continues they ended up tallking about the closure of JJ Abrams Los Angeles offices and his dimming career, his November movie the Great Beyond, the fragile ecosystem of Hollywood and the struggle for employment, the entire release schedule of movies for the first half of this year, the train wreck of...
The 950 KPRC Movie Show for Aoril 12, 2026 with John and Frankie
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland host the 950 KPRC Movie Show every Sunday night at 8:05pm. This week's show included our movie news bites which we call the Quick Draw. The new movie THE DRAMA starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya. was reviewed by both John and Frankie. They were in agreement it was a well made, well written film and that it captured how quirky and unpredictable life can be. Both comedic and dramatic, both John and Frankie approved. For our weekly classic film, we looked at the classic ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOOS NEST from 1975.
The 950 KPRC Easter Movie Show for April 5, 2026 including Ben Hur
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland co-host a show that includes not only the latest movie news and latest releases but also focuses on one of the most monumental movies of all time, Ben Hur (1959), directed by William Wyler and starring Charleton Heston. This nearly four hour epic has stood the test of time and is the stuff of Hollywood legend. Listen to two knowledgable film fans discuss this magnificent achievement with their usual enthusiasm for film quality. We also talk extensively about one of this year's biggest hits Project Hail Mary.
Unboxing the Box Office for the weekend of April 3 -5 A TRUE FILM FAN UPDATE
John Wesley Downey has the box office numbers fom this past weekends and does a countdown from number 10 to number one. John offers context and analysis on how the various movies performed. This podcast includes a brief look ahead at the upcoming released for the weekend of April 10 to 12. Frankie Westmoreland returns to this segment next week.
The Leftovers A TRUE FILM FAN BONUS SEGMENT Micro Dramas amd Vertical Video and are Videogames the new super hero trend?
When John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland recorded their Easter Movie Show radio broadcast and podcast, as usual, they went over their time limit. But they still had more to say! This time on the subject of the big new trend of micro dramas and vertical videos, entertainment content to be consumered on phones in a bite size one minute format. How big can it get? Will mainstream Hollywood take it over and corrupt these new avenues of creativity?
Frankie and John also discussed Minecraft as a possible bellwether for the future of feature films. I...
The Leftovers A BONUS SEGMENT John and Frankie talk about art and movies and music and connections
In the weekly ritual of recording the Movie Show for 950 KPRC John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland have discovered they almost always exceed the formatted time limit and enjoy talking about a wide range of subjects including but not limited to movies, music, acting, performing, creativity and more. Rather than discard these ramblings we think it is more fun to offer these segments up for your consideration as part of our ongoing exploration of the relationship betwen artists, creatiivety and the audience. This is a leftover from our March 29th radio show/podcast recording.
Unboxing the Box Office for March 27 throuogh 29 for True Film Fans plus Netflix raises streaming fees
John Wesley 'Downey and Frankie Westmoreland count down the top ten movies at the box office this past weekend and provide commntary on the movie's potential, creative quality and genre populairty. Why iis the horror genre so popular? And why did Netflix just hit it's subscribers with big increaes. Let's talk inside baseball about the film industry.
The 950 KPRC Movie Show for March 29 (deluxe edition) with John and Frankie
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoerland co-host the Movie Show on 950 KPRC for March 29. The spotlight is on the much anticipated PROJECT HAIl MARY PASS, READY OR NOT HERE I COME Part 2 and our classic feature NORTH BY NORTHWEST starring Cary Grant.
Directed by aLFRED hITCHOCK.
An additional bonus segment called "Leftovers" will be added very soon. This segment does not air on the radio sow, and is strictly for podcast listeners.,
STAR WARS ANNIVERSAY noted and opening segment of March 22nd 950 KPRC Movie Show
This segment opens up with John mentioned today March 22n is the 50 th anniversary of the very first day of shooting on the original Star Wars movie. George Lucas began shooting in the Tunisiian desert. And the movid industry would never be the same.
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland then go on to discuss the upcoming and highly anticipated Ryan Golsing movie, PROJECT HAIL MARY. We also discuss Steven Spielberg speaking at South by Southwest talking about his upcoming film DISCLOURE and our first look at a John Ford classic, the Quiet Ma...
The 950 KPRC MOVIE SHOW (aired March 22nd) with John and Frankie (and bonus material)
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland present another hour of great radio and podcasting with the latest information on what's happening in the movie world, reviews of the newest releases including Reminders of Him and Undertone, plus a tribute segment to the jOHN FORD CLASSIC the quiet man in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
iNCLUDES 21 MINUTES OF MATERIAL NOT AIRED ON THE RADIO SHOW.
Unboxing the Box Office (March 20-22) TRUE FILM FAN John and frankie crunch the numbers and give commentary
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland unbox the box office results for the weekend
of March 20-22, 2026. Project Hail Mary was number one at the box office in it's first weeks, and it's prospects look good to become a major success over the coming months. Also doing well are Hoppers, Scream 7 and more.
And don't forget to listen to John and Frankie every Sunday night on the Movie Shwo from 8:05 to 9pm on radio station 950 KPRC. You can find us on the KPRC website at kprcradio.ihea...
THE OSCARS 2026 A TRUE FILM FAN BONUS UPLOAD John and Frankie commentary and opinion
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland supply you with comprehensive coverage and
candid opinioins about the 2026 Oscars from the telecast itself, to the various controversies and
personalities and in their opinions, the validity of the voters choices for Oscars.
A fun look at Hollywood's most prominent tradition from a couple of passionate film fans who
aren't afraid to speak the truth. Enjoy.
Listen to John and Frankie on the Movie Show every Sunday night at 8:05pm on 950 KPRC
in Houston. If you aren't local, you can hear the show from anywhere in th...
Unboxing the Box Office (March 13-15) John and Frankie crunch the numbers
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland discuss the domestic box office results
from March 13th through the 15th.
The animated Pixar movie Hoppers was number one as expected but it's high price tag of
150 million dollars mean it could face a long road to profitability.
In this podcast John and Frankie discuss how "comparables" - using
current box office figures to predict performance of future movie projects
can play a mjaor role in determining whether future proects g...
THE MOVIE SHOW FREE DELUXE BONUS EPISODE ORIGINALLY AIRED ON 950 KPRC 3.15/2026
Full of information, reviews, commentary and movie trivia, this is the extended edition of the
950 KPRC MOVIE SHOW that aired on Oscar night. Hosted and produced by John Wesley
Downey and Frankie Westmoreland, it's filled this 86 minutes with enough information to
satisfy any movie geek hungry for opinions and information.
Some of the movies discussed are The Bride!, Bride of Frankkenstein, Hoppers, and Secret
Agent,. Also discussed are the decline in ratings for the annual Academy Awards broadcast,
which aired this...
Unboxing the Box Office Episode II John reviews March 6 to 8
John Wesley Downey reviews domestic box office figures from the weekend of March 6 to 8.
HOPPERS the new animated beaver movies from Disney was number one and John takes
the listner up to the number twelve slot.
Additionally, John talks about several projects in progress in Hollywood including KING CONAN,
BAYWATCH reboot, TINKERBELL and more.
Unboxing the Box Offiice John and Frankie review February 27 to March 1, 2026
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland talk about the results from this weekend (which includes John's birthday) and endlessly jabber about what it all means for Hollywood and the future of Western Civilisation. Well, not really, but they do go off on a lot of interesting tangents and gossip and guesses as to why a movie performed well or poorly. We end up discussing Scream 7, Glen Powell and How to Make a Killing, Elvis in Concert, Kevin James and Solo Mio, Avatar, Zootopia 2 and much more. Tell your friends, be informed, come back for more.
And...
John and Frankie review the Oscar nominated Train Dreams and Midwinter Break
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland review TRAIN DREAMS, a movie nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Original Song. The movie stars Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones.
Plot. The film recounts the 80 years of the life of Robert Grainier around Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Arriving in the area on the Great Northern Railway as an orphaned child, Robert drops out of school and spends his younger years without direction or purpose, until he meets Gladys Olding.
This review is followed by Frankie givin...
Why don't the Avatar films affect people emotionally and culturally?
John Wesley Downey and Frankie Westmoreland of the True Film Fan podcast (and the 950 KPRC Radio show) discuss the effectiveness of filmmakers Christopher Nolan and James Cameron's big budget movies. Do they only connect with audiences through spectacle and special effects or is there an emotional component to their storytelling. Other projects such as Big Fish, True Lies and The Prestige also become a part of the exploration of the work of these major filmmakers.
Alternative Cinema is alive and well as we explore indie filmmaking with filmmaker Tim Thomson
This week John Wesley Downey interviews Tim Thomson, an independent filmmaker, film editor and post production supervisor, and creative artist. Tim is also active in supporting and doing design work in the local theater community, including the Catastrophic Theater. The podcast takes a turn this week toward less mainstream filmmaking and a fun ride it was. Turns out VHS films from the 80s and 90s, especially scifi and horror and new distribution and restoration of some of this DIY filmmaking is underway with companies such as Vinegar Syndrome. Tim and John talked about film's enduring popularity and reach, including mai...
Boomer, Gen Z and Gen X reviewers spotlight Jurassic World Rebirth, the Marvel Thunderbolts Movie and The Dirty Dozen from 1967
THE TEAM
John Wesley Downey, Frankie Westmoreland and Bret Gipson are the multi-generational contributors to the TRUE FILM PODCAST. From Gen Z to Gen X to the Baby Boomers, we
give you a wide sampling of critical opinion. What does the trio have in common? They are
all passionate movie nerds who share the same love of movies, from the silent era
classics to the latest movies playing at the box office.
DINOSAURS,CRIMINALS AND SOLDIERS
This week John reviews the latest movie in the 32 year old Jurassic Di...
Minecraft movie debut dominates world wide box office
Minecraft is a super popular vidoogame that has long been a favorite of video gamers world wide. But the movie version has debuted to huge tickets sales at theaters all over the world. While it does star Jack Black and Jason Momoa and was directed by Jared Hess (Nacho Libre, Napoleon Dynamiite) it's not the stars or the director that's the appeal. It's the Minecraft brand.
To explain this phenomena, John Wesley Downey brings in Zach Killian, the creator of the highly popular You Tube Channel WOW SUCH GAMING to discuss the...
Gun Safety on Film Sets - How it's handled and what went wrong on RUST and THE CROW
On October 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Bonanza City, New Mexico, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was injured on the set of the film Rust when a live round was discharged from a prop revolver that actor Alec Baldwin was using. - Wikipedia
This film set tragedy ignited a discussion in the world of film and video production on the handling of guns on sets as well as raising questions about how accidents such as this can be prevented. Now TRUE FILM FAN brings you...
TRUE FILM FAN interviews documentary filmmaker on RUNAWAY RADIO about legendary radio station KLOL
in this lengthy, in depth interview host John Wesley Downey interviews documentary filmmaker
Mike McGuff about his movie RUNAWAY RADIO which focuses on Houston's rock station KLOL which for decades was Houston's feisty, unvonventional radio rogue complee with a cast of distinctive personalities who brokes the rules and gained a loyal audience. Stevens and Pruett, Colonel St. James, Dayna Steele, Outlaw Dave, Crash and more along with the station's colorful logo and bizarre antics were a huge part of what Houston was from 1970 to the early 2000s. Downey also discusses McGuff's 14 year journey and battle to get the film ma...
Actor James Earl Jones dead at 93 star of movies, TV, stage and animation
He voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in the Lion King. He appeared in over 80 movies including Field of Dreams, Conan\, The Hunt for Red October, Dr. Strangelove, Coming to America and more. He had a Broadway career too. He won all lthe big show biz awards, Emmy, Oscar, Tony and Grammy. The podcast contains an interesting story about how James Earl Jones' family will benefit financially from Jones amazing voice, long after his passing.
Please share this podcast and follow us for more great cinematic content on the I Heart Radio app.
TRUE FILM FAN Tim Burton doubles the fun in BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE sequel
This podcasts focuses on The Wizard of Odd, American film director Tim Burton,
the filmmaker who launched the modern era super hero blockbuster with Batman
in 1989, has created such memorable characters as Edward Scissorhands and
Jack Skellington in his Halloween/Christmas stop motion animated classic
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and brought the Broadway musical
SWEENEY TODD to cinematic form. Prolific, creative and practically his own
genre, Tim has a sequel to his 1988 comedy horror film BEETLEJUICE in the
theatres and John Wesley Downey, host of True Film Fan, GIVES YOU LOTS OF
Rob Saucedo talks about the re-opening of iconic River Oaks Movie Theatre
Cinephile Rob Saucedo is already well known to movie fans in Texas for his 13 year tenure as Manager, booker and creative director at the popular upscale Alamo Drafthouse Theater chain.
Now Rob has taken on a new challenge. When the effects of covid shut down the legendary
Ricer Oaks theater, passionate Houston film fans were devastated. This landmark venue had been playing movies in Houston since November 1939. It appeared it would not survide the covid era.
But now, a new company has rescued the property and...
Memorial Day Salute to Saving Private Ryan
Memorial Day is when we remember and pay tribute to those who have served and sacrificed in the U.S. military in order for us to be free. In the film world, no movie does that better than SAVING PRIVATE RYAN .
Director Steven Spielberg has said he made Schindler's List for his m other and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN for his father. His father Arnold served in India and the Pacific in World War II in the Signal Corps. The film puts the compassion for a mother who has lost three sons...
An epic film starting shooting 63 years ago today
On May 15th, 1961 the cameras rolled for the first time on one of the greatest
achievements in movie hitosry, the epic LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. Get the basics
on this landmark film and it's incredible influence on today's filmmakers such as
Steven Spielberg. Listen to the podcast and use the share button to ciculate it
among your fellow film fans.
John Wesley Downey
TRUE FILM FAN
Gollum gets his own Lord of the Rings movie!
Warner Brothers has announced a new Lord of the Rings movie will be
made called "The Hunt for Gollum." You'll never guess who directs it.
It's a few years away, but the irony is, a bunch of fans already did this
years ago. Huh? Listen to the podcast for all the details from your host
John Wesley Downey as well as a glimpse into the EXCITING future of the
True Film Fan FULL LENGTH episodes coming this summer that will delight
ever...
The Latest Movie News UPDATE
John Wesley Downey updates True Film Fans on this past weekend's
box office results, which include a movie from 1999 (!), the Star Wars
prequel the Phantom Meance due to the May Fourth Be with You weekend.
Ryan Gosling is # 1 but did the movie cost too much?
We'll salute to a fan favorite Bernard Hilll RIP who played iconic roles in
Lord of the Rings (Theoden) and Titanic (The Captain).
John will alert you to cool episodes of True ilm Fan that inclu...
Why Christopher Nolan is a Superstar Director
TRUE FILM FAN
