The Nextlander crew branches out into media that doesn’t require a controller to enjoy! Join Alex, Brad, and Vinny as they watch the movies, shows, and anime they’ve either missed out on up to this point in their lives, or just want to revisit again.
161: Escape from New York (1981)
Dec 16, 2025
Show notes
The Watchcast is back for its final slate of movies in 2025, and this month we're picking whatever strikes our fancy. First up is Alex's pick, a palate cleanser for all the Escape from New York also-rans we've seen this year in the form of actual, honest-to-Snake Escape from New York! Join us as we dive deep into the movie that spawned an iconic character, dozens of rip-offs, and pretty much Hideo Kojima's whole deal. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 161: Escape from New York (1981) (00:00:15) - Intro. (00:08:18) - How did John Carpenter realize his vision of crime-scorched hellscape New York (00:26:23) - The insane cultural shadow that this movie cast. (00:33:51) - Crime has risen 400%, so New York is a prison now. You don't need to know anything else. (00:41:55) - The President is crashing out. (00:46:40) - Break! (00:47:00) - We're back, and it's time for a quick failed rescue. (00:49:44) - Our first introduction to Snake Plissken. (00:59:55) - Gliding into the Big Apple. (01:03:28) - No matter how bad things get in New York, people will still make time for the theater. (01:07:47) - We've got C.H.U.D.S, and also Kurt Russell's (then) wife. (01:15:36) - Maggie and the Brain. (01:19:09) - Here comes The Duke of New York. (01:23:34) - This is a sneaking mission. (01:27:35) - The Duke wants his damn map, and Brain figures out where the glider is. (01:32:04) - That's Ox Baker's music! (01:39:37) - The mad dash to the World Trade Center, then to the bridge. (01:46:20) - An even madder dash over the wall. (01:48:25) - Snake ain't letting this slide. (01:54:28) - Final thoughts. (01:59:44) - Our remaining films for the month. (02:04:19) - Outro.
160: Action Jackson (1988)
Dec 02, 2025
Show notes
Turkey Month is nearly at an end, but before we head out for the holiday break, we've got one more fully barbecued turkey for all of you in the bombasically stupid Action Jackson! Join us as we marvel at Carl Weathers' glistening physique, Craig T. Nelson's inexplicable martial arts prowess, and the cavalcade of delightfully awful one-liners issued before someone explodes. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 160: Action Jackson (1988) (00:00:17) - Intro. (00:05:31) - Action Jackson's blaxploitation inspirations, and how this thing got made. (00:13:44) - Cast chat. (00:23:31) - Five minutes until flaming defenestration. (00:29:08) - The introduction of Jericho "Action" Jackson. (00:33:54) - Some of the other assorted cops, and our first meeting with Dellaplane. (00:41:33) - Break! (00:41:47) - We're back, and it's time to assassinate some more union leaders. (00:48:25) - Sydney Ash: medium talent. (00:53:30) - Interrupting lunch, and Coach knows karate. (01:01:35) - Yeah, sure. Action Jackson can outrun a car. We'll roll with that. (01:06:34) - Sharon Stone dies, so now Vanity gets to be in the movie for a while. (01:17:03) - Carl Weathers unveils the pecs, and the utterly bizarre pool hall fight. (01:23:36) - Sweet Dee. (01:25:48) - Billy, you son of a bitch. (01:29:03) - From one industrial space to another. (01:39:15) - Off to the fancy party for a frame job, and then let's just drive a damn car into a bedroom. (01:46:56) - Final thoughts, and list placements. (01:52:57) - Next month: It's a Watchcast free-for-all. (01:58:21) - Outro.
159: The One (2001)
Nov 25, 2025
Show notes
Our Turkey month continues unabated! And this week we're visited by several of 125 possible Jet Lis in the profoundly silly 2001 action flick The One! Join us as we talk about Jet Li's various wigs, the finer points of nu-metal, and the tragedy of Jason Statham's American accent. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 159: The One (2001) (00:00:13) - Intro. (00:03:14) - Now that our nu-metal jokes are mostly out of the way, let's talk about this week's movie: The One! (00:14:11) - A little bit about the production. (00:17:20) - Establishing the multiverses as quickly as we can. (00:25:26) - The first kill (that we see, anyway). (00:30:39) - Here comes Delroy Lindo and Jason Statham's American accent. (00:39:28) - Break! (00:39:47) - We're back, and we're in cop universe now. (00:46:10) - There's only one Jet Li left to kill, and wouldn't you know it he's a nice guy. (00:51:36) - This excruciatingly long MRI bit. (01:00:24) - A great cameo with a considerably less-great joke attached to it. (01:03:03) - Syncing egg timers and splitting the party. (01:11:15) - All these cops milling around, can't find one guy hiding in an attic. (01:13:41) - TK dies, and then it's just a quick stop at the gas station before the final battle. (01:18:38) - Let's have a fight in a sparks factory. (01:24:58) - Back to cop universe, but we have to do one more mistaken identity bit before we go. (01:27:24) - Welcome to bright colors universe, where everybody's happy and your wife isn't dead. (01:29:23) - Meanwhile, let's check in on Yulaw. (01:32:47) - Final thoughts.Final thoughts, and list placements. (01:37:52) - Our movie for next week: Action Jackson! (01:40:33) - Outro.
158: Doomsday (2008)
Nov 17, 2025
Show notes
It's Doomsday Day on the Watchcast, a day that our own Vinny Caravella has hoped and prayed for ever since we launched this podcast. So join us as we go through Vinny's all-time favorite movie, trying to make sense of its frenetic editing and nonsensical plot, or at least as much sense as it deserves. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 158: Doomsday (2008) (00:00:14) - Intro. (00:07:54) - How Vinny came to this movie. (00:11:15) - Neil Marshall, and how he went from The Descent to this. (00:19:39) - Some last production notes, and cast chat. (00:32:23) - Getting some questions out up top, and the opening salvo of pandemic horror. (00:41:43) - Break! (00:42:07) - We're back, and it's time to rocket into the terrifying future of 2035. (00:51:05) - An impossible mission and a forgettable team tasked with carrying it out. (00:55:55) - Let's just go ahead and dispatch most of this team as quickly as we can. (01:04:18) - We meet the Prodigy gang. (01:10:04) - Dinner and a show. (01:19:13) - A mad dash to a surprisingly well-preserved train, and a conspicuous apocalypse bunker. (01:27:46) - Welcome to Medieval Times. (01:32:40) - Reaper Madness has hit London. (01:35:57) - A quick gladiator battle before we're scurrying off the way we came. (01:40:59) - Mad Max: Beyond Shame. (01:44:12) - Eden gets...revenge? Or something like it? (01:54:36) - Final thoughts, and list placements. (02:01:04) - Housekeeping for next week's movie: Jet Li in The One! (02:04:05) - Outro.
157: Ghosts of Mars (2001)
Nov 10, 2025
Show notes
We're kicking off our third annual Turkey Month with a very bad sci-fi action movie by a person who usually makes pretty enjoyable sci-fi action movies, John Carpenter! Ghosts of Mars is the first movie on this month's roster of dumbass action flicks, and boy howdy, is this one both dumb and ass. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 157: Ghosts of Mars (2001) (00:00:14) - Intro. (00:01:32) - Kicking off our annual turkey month with John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars! (00:08:52) - How the heck did this movie end up like this? (00:12:06) - An all-star cast, mostly wasted on this. (00:19:57) - Love these cheap models. Love these matte paintings. The rest? Eh... (00:28:00) - Ballard has quite the story, and we meet the team. (00:33:46) - Break! (00:34:09) - We're back, and it's time to meet Desolation (and some other randos). (00:39:25) - Flashbacks on flashbacks on flashbacks. (00:46:43) - Heads on pikes. Heads on pikes! (00:50:22) - Uno, Dos, and Tres. (01:00:43) - The first big shootout. (01:07:42) - Oh good, another flashback! (01:11:56) - A psychedelic alien freakout. (01:15:32) - Big Daddy has a battering ram, and it's time to take off! Or...not? (01:25:32) - A bad train fight, wrapping up the flashbacks, and a TERRIBLE note to end on. (01:32:19) - Final thoughts. (01:36:22) - Housekeeping for next week, and list placements for Ghosts of Mars. (01:42:53) - Outro.
156: When Evil Lurks (2023)
Nov 03, 2025
Show notes
It's time to close out another month of horror on the Watchcast, and this week we've got the movie voted on by you! The patron! Specifically, we've got Argentina's When Evil Lurks on deck, and we dig deep into its portrayal of demonic possession as a fact of life that its characters are neither overly surprised by, nor especially adept at dealing with. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 156: When Evil Lurks (2023) (00:00:36) - Intro. (00:06:07) - A little bit of production background. (00:13:26) - Kicking things off with some gunshots and scattered pieces of a guy. (00:18:19) - Meeting the Rotten. (00:27:13) - Maybe we just shouldn't have told Ruiz about any of this. (00:37:44) - Break! (00:38:04) - We're back, and it's time for people to start dying. (00:46:02) - It's time to get the kids...and the dog... (00:59:59) - Grandma's here to explain some things. (01:05:08) - Consulting our local Demon Cleaner. (01:10:30) - Mom's back, and it's time to split the party. (01:19:31) - A midnight snack, and Jair changes. (01:25:05) - There's always something unseemly about kids in school at night. (01:32:06) - It all comes apart. (01:38:37) - When evil births. (01:42:08) - Where's grandma? (01:47:32) - Final thoughts. (01:53:29) - List placements, and what we've got coming up next month. (02:00:52) - Outro.
155: Hereditary (2018)
Oct 27, 2025
Show notes
On this week's Watchcast it's all about the horrors of the family variety in Ari Aster's Hereditary! Join us as Brad takes his first trek through the movie's minefield of guilt, grief, and grandma's weird hobbies, while Alex and Vinny ponder how it lands when you know what's coming. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 155: Hereditary (2018) (00:00:12) - Intro. (00:01:06) - Our film this week: Hereditary! (00:08:58) - On Ari Aster and how this movie got made. (00:14:06) - What's up with Paimon, generally. (00:22:39) - Back to production and cast talk. (00:30:54) - Jumping into the set-up for the movie. (00:38:54) - Annie's eulogy, and getting to know your parents' weird beliefs. (00:44:05) - Establishing the family dynamic, and a big honkin' grief dump. (00:49:41) - Break! (00:50:01) - Charlie gets weird, and Annie dumps a lot of grief. (00:59:54) - An ill-fated night of revelry. (01:10:34) - The accident, and the aftermath. (01:16:40) - Where Alex thinks the movie makes its big transition. (01:28:05) - From car crash art to a car crash of a family dinner. (01:32:52) - Never accept seances from strangers. (01:42:36) - Annie's meltdown has begun. (01:45:23) - Opening a big box of backstory. (01:55:08) - Clean your attics, people! (01:59:12) - How's Annie? (02:02:18) - Not great. (02:06:57) - Is this your king? (02:11:19) - Final thoughts. (02:19:57) - List rankings, and housekeeping for next week's movie: When Evil Lurks! (02:25:36) - Outro.
154: Final Destination (2000)
Oct 20, 2025
Show notes
The Watchcast Month-O'-Horror continues apace, and this week we're checking out a movie that's been on Vinny's bucket list for years now, Final Destination! Join us as we confront Vinny's fears of everyday household objects conspiring to murder him, and pick apart this pleasingly goofy teen horror flick. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 154: Final Destination (2000) (00:00:42) - Intro. (00:03:26) - How are we feeling about this Final Destination? (00:11:27) - The origins of this franchise. (00:23:59) - Cast chat. (00:34:12) - Getting ready for a bad flight. (00:43:47) - What kind of messed up God would down this flight? (00:49:48) - Break! (00:50:17) - We're back, and somehow it was all a horrible dream. (00:56:20) - It is perhaps understandable that these teens are very confused. (01:00:56) - It's amazing that eagle statue doesn't end up falling on someone's head. (01:03:38) - Tod gets...choked up. (01:13:17) - Finally, Tony Todd is here to explain some things. (01:17:52) - Reading the patterns, and then it's Terry's turn. (01:22:36) - Fraught for teacher. (01:28:46) - Clear's tragic backstory, and eventually onto our next death. (01:38:06) - Going survivalist mode, and Clear is next. (01:45:28) - The ending swap. (01:50:42) - Final thoughts. (01:54:44) - List placements, and housekeeping for next week's film: Hereditary! (01:58:51) - Outro.
153: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Oct 13, 2025
Show notes
Our fourth annual Halloween season of the Watchcast has begun! We're kicking off our month of personal horror picks with Alex's choice, the 1978 adaptation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a deft combo of alien horror and '70s paranoia thriller that features killer mustaches, the youngest Jeff Goldblum you've ever seen, and a very weird dog. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 153: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) (00:00:27) - Intro. (00:01:58) - Our film this week: Invasion of the Body Snatchers! (The 1978 version) (00:05:27) - Talking about the source novel and the '56 film. (00:09:53) - The San Francisco-ness of this movie, and a little on the folks who made it. (00:15:47) - A brief list of some of the other adaptations. (00:17:51) - A note about the ending. (00:21:02) - Launching into the early goings of the film. (00:31:59) - A health inspector worth rooting for. (00:35:22) - Something shifted overnight. (00:40:15) - Break! (00:40:41) - We're back, and it's time for weird things to happen to our heroes. (00:52:07) - The shit hits the windshield, and we meet some new friends. (01:03:18) - A body is found at the bathhouse, and Elizabeth is nearly turned. (01:16:37) - No one will believe any of this. (01:26:06) - An orgy of human copying. (01:30:30) - Fleeing down the streets of San Francisco. (01:34:47) - The aliens make their mission statement. (01:41:12) - A really, really bad dog, and the pod trade network is up and running. (01:45:27) - We've lost Elizabeth, time to burn it all down. (01:51:57) - The next day... (01:58:18) - Final thoughts, housekeeping for next week, and the lists are finally updated. (02:06:28) - Outro.
152: Columbo: Fade in to Murder
Oct 06, 2025
Show notes
For our second and final Columbo for the immediate future, we're diving into Fade in to Murder, and there we find an especially hammy William Shatner matching wits with our favorite TV detective while playing a famous TV detective himself. Layers! CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 152: Columbo: Fade in to Murder (00:00:17) - Intro. (00:02:31) - Our second and final Columbo for this month: William Shatner in Fade in to Murder! (00:07:25) - A little bit about the folks who made this one. (00:09:24) - Let's get into the set-up for this week's murder. (00:15:31) - This is quite the murder concept. (00:25:50) - Showdown at the deli. (00:32:22) - Break! (00:32:42) - We're back, and hey! That's a Chekov! Also, a brief diatribe about why the '70s are Like This. (00:37:07) - Columbo does his best Jerry Lewis routine, and Fowler lays it on thick. (00:50:47) - Sid shows up, and Mark's watch gives the game away. (00:54:03) - The Universal tour makes an appearance. (00:57:52) - It's the Shatner and Falk show from here on out. (01:04:55) - Pinning it on Sid, and Columbo plays dress-up. (01:13:36) - Sid wasn't playing chess. (01:17:27) - The video tape reveal (and some great screwing around). (01:21:07) - Are we talking to Fowler or Lucerne? (01:25:27) - Just one more thing... (01:31:02) - Final thoughts. (01:36:33) - What's coming up on the Watchcast for October. Or most of it, anyway. (01:43:42) - Outro.
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