KnockBack: The Retro and Nostalgia Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#179 | Spider-Man (2002 film) Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

Some 20 years removed from the release of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, it's easy to get lost in the weeds. After all, we are absolutely inundated with superhero media today, particularly from Marvel, whether it's movies, TV shows, and even video games. But back in 2002, Spider-Man's 21st century film debut was both quaint and extraordinary. On one hand, it's wild to think about how important this particular movie is to the landscape that would come. On the other hand, it's fun to think about what may have happened if it wasn't made at all, and if it wasn't such a rousing success. So let's chat about Toby Maguire's Peter Parker, Kirsten Dunst's MJ, and the true star of the show: Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin. And no matter what you do, please don't cause the deaths of countless innocents in selfish battle again and again and again until we're both dead!

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#178: The Nostalgia of Seasons Jul 19, 2021

Show notes

Memories are structured. There's a place, an event, and perhaps even other people. And then there's the true setting: The year, the era, the month, or indeed the season itself. It's that latter notion that we want to explore in this episode of KnockBack, because the four seasons themselves -- Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter -- are absolutely teeming with nostalgic remembrance begging to be uncovered. The turning of Spring and the end of school, the promise and freedom of Summer, the changes and back-to-normal of Fall, and the end of it all (with a promise of more to come) of Winter. We're excited to delve into the fuzzy and meaningful feelings tethered to each season, feelings that are probably more universally-felt than you'd initially think.

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#177 | The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (film) Jul 05, 2021

Show notes

Peter Jackson's epic film rendition of JRR Tolkein's equally-epic fantasy book series wraps up with 2003's Return of the King, a flick many (including us) consider to be the strongest of the three. As Middle-earth seeks balance and peace, the forces of evil remain very much in play. While Frodo and Sam make a beeline for Mount Doom, the Fellowship and their forces fight for survival. With amazing performances, a wonderful score, solid CG, and an amazing story (of course!), we're sad to see Tolkein's Trilogy off. But fear not, for all hasn't yet turned to vain ambition.

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#176: Grandma's Boy Jun 28, 2021

Show notes

The 2006 stoner comedy Grandma's Boy is a classic for multiple reasons: It's a stoner romp with great characters, it's fun without being dramatically crude or inappropriate (with some notable exceptions, of course), and -- perhaps most understatedly -- it mercilessly lampoons the gaming industry. Since E3 2021 is now over, we thought we'd do a quick episode all about potentially our hobby's most famous comedy. Just be wary of whatever's in Sophie's tin. It may just turn you into a deer.

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#175: Battlestar Galactica (Miniseries + Season 1) Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

In the early aughts, a late '70s sci-fi show was reimagined for a whole new generation of viewers. It was called Battlestar Galactica, and -- unlike the original, cult-favorite run -- the reboot was a smash hit. It's simple enough to understand, in premise: Humanity creates robotic slaves who turn on them in a vicious war before disappearing for decades. But then, they come back and inflict a holocaust on their masters. BSG deals with more themes than we can even imagine: Fascism and terrorism, economics and philosophy, religion and death. There's so much to talk about, in fact, that we're doing four episodes on the show. This is the first. We hope you enjoy.

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#174 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (film) Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

During episode #167 of KnockBack, we spent nearly three hours gushing about Peter Jackson's 2001 rendition of The Lord of the Rings' first book, Fellowship of the Ring. Naturally, we couldn't merely stop there. The following year -- in 2002 -- the second of three Lord of the Rings movies came out. It's called The Two Towers, and this is the flick and book alike that many people consider the best in Tolkein's Trilogy. But does the film hold up, particularly with a heavy mix of special and practical effects? How about the performances and the story? We've much to discuss, of course. So join us as we delve back into Middle-earth, where things are just starting to heat up...

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#173 | Rewriting Star Wars: Episode IX Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

It's all been leading to this! Our audience on Patreon voted to have us rework the new Star Wars Trilogy (Episodes VII, VIII, and IX), and... well... we got a little carried away and dedicated entire episodes to our visions on a film-by-film basis. Remember! You should listen to KnockBack Episodes #159 and #164 before jumping into this one, if you haven't done so already. You may be lost, otherwise...

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#172: Catching Up May 31, 2021

Show notes

This week's episode of KnockBack is a little different. Instead of covering a topic or some memories, we thought we'd talk a bit about our little retro and nostalgia podcast itself. How has the show grown and changed? How do we think we're doing? What topics do we think we covered best? Which do we think we could have done better with? What's the future hold? This is an episode for the thousands and thousands of hardcore KnockBack listeners, without which we couldn't do this show.

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#171: The Woods May 24, 2021

Show notes

As you know, we (The Brothers Moriarty) grew up on Long Island, nestled between the water and the woods. It's the latter that we thought we'd focus this particular episode on. We absolutely adore the woods. Playing, hiking, exploring. We basically lived amongst the trees as children! Thus, we thought it would be fun to regale you with some stories of our past being in the woods: Boy Scouts, mountain biking, BMXing, and running away from fictional foes. Discovering new things, using our imaginations, getting to know ourselves and others... and maybe catching some poison ivy, too. Are you an arborist like we are? Only one way to find out.

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#170: Training Day May 17, 2021

Show notes

The important thing to remember about the 2001 film Training Day is the context in which it was filmed and released. The decade of the '90s were scattered with serious issues of police brutality, and the Los Angeles Police Department was at the center of the storm. Thus, Denzel Washington's and Ethan Hawke's foray into the Southern California underworld -- and the seriously crooked behavior by Washington and his cop colleagues -- can really be interpreted as something greater: A glimpse into a specific place and time where a story like this not only made a lot of sense, but was almost expected. The backdealing, the violence, the betrayal... it's all here in Training Day, one of the most tense movies perhaps ever made. And hey, just remember: Stay off of the rover.

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