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.
111: V/H/S (2012)
Oct 28, 2024
Show notes
On this week's Watchcast we continue to barrel through our month of anthology horrors with the movie that spawned a shockingly successful found footage franchise in V/H/S! CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 111: V/H/S (2012) (00:00:56) - Intro. (00:02:47) - Our movie this week: the found footage horror anthology, V/H/S! (00:05:57) - Boy, they have made a bunch of these things since 2012. (00:08:30) - Some production history. (00:16:24) - The set-up for all this grimy nonsense. (00:26:04) - Our first full short: Amateur Night. (00:32:49) - This girl...is not what she seems. (00:38:20) - Rivers Cuomo is not getting out of this one alive. (00:43:08) - Break! (00:43:30) - We're back, and it's time for Second Honeymoon! (00:52:14) - Moving on to Tuesday the 17th. (01:00:08) - Eventually, the glitch comes for us all. (01:06:06) - Next up, The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger. (01:11:04) - Is this better than having your house be haunted? No. No it is not. (01:19:25) - Our wrapper scumbags get got. (01:21:32) - Our final short: 10/31/98. (01:26:39) - If I pay $0 for a haunted house I better die. (01:33:19) - You see what happens, Larry? You see what happens when you help a stranger in a witch house? (01:35:58) - Final thoughts. (01:43:01) - Our plans for next week's Treehouse of Horror spectacular. (01:46:02) - Outro.
110: Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Oct 21, 2024
Show notes
With Brad out this week, Remap Radio's Patrick Klepek is here to fill the third chair as we talk through one of his personal favorite horror anthologies, Trick 'r Treat! CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 110: Trick 'r Treat (2007) (00:00:23) - Intro. (00:02:18) - Our movie this week: Trick 'r Treat! A movie that had a weirdly difficult path to being seen by the masses. (00:09:55) - Cast chat. (00:13:55) - Jumping right into the movie's set-up. (00:22:55) - A barfy hello to Principal Wilkins. (00:31:24) - Break! (00:31:46) - We're back, and it's time to get into some Warren Valley deep lore. (00:40:15) - Kids are very much NOT safe in this movie. (00:44:34) - Anna Paquin and her sisters. (00:50:46) - On the subject of werewolf transformations. (00:56:09) - Our final segment: Brian Cox runs afoul of a pumpkin demon. (01:04:44) - We've learned the true meaning of Halloween: killing those who have wronged you from beyond the grave. (01:08:06) - Final thoughts. (01:12:46) - A brief Halloween Ramblecast crashes into the Watchcast. (01:20:26) - Vinny's ranking, and a short bit on next week's movie: V/H/S! (01:23:43) - Outro.
109: Creepshow (1982)
Oct 14, 2024
Show notes
It's officially spooky season here on the Watchcast, and we kick off our month of anthology horror with the dream team of George Romero, Stephen King, Tom Savini, and a cavalcade of early '80s stars in Creepshow! CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 109: Creepshow (1982) (00:00:24) - Intro. (00:01:28) - Our film to kick off our month of horror anthologies: Creepshow! (00:05:55) - What do we know about EC Comics, and how did these two crazy horror makers get together? (00:13:22) - Our star-studded cast, and the ongoing relevance of the Creepshow brand. (00:17:41) - You kids and your trash comics! (00:20:04) - Our first short, featuring the scariest holiday of all: Father's Day! (00:25:32) - Our daddy's come back and you're gonna be in trouble! (Hey-laaaa, day-la! I want my cake!) (00:30:47) - Stephen King like you've never seen him before! (00:39:45) - Break! (00:40:05) - We're back, and it's time to torture Ted Danson! (00:56:12) - Here come the soggy ghouls. (01:00:51) - Onto The Crate. (01:12:26) - An opportunity presents itself. (01:17:52) - Please do not dump your arctic beasts in our quarry. (01:19:54) - It's time to get buggy with Upson Pratt. (01:31:15) - Dad could not foresee the old voodoo doll twist. (01:32:46) - Final thoughts. (01:36:06) - Onto our remaining schedule for the month. (01:39:41) - Outro.
108: eXistenZ (1999)
Oct 07, 2024
Show notes
We close out our month of vaguely video game related movies with the goopiest game in town, eXistenZ! Join us as we dive many layers deep into the subrealities of Cronenberg's fleshy cyberpunk delight to see if it holds up to our fond memories. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 108: eXistenZ (1999) (00:00:37) - Intro. (00:02:19) - What are we doing here? We're talking about eXistenZ! (00:03:47) - Vinny has questions, and we talk a little about when we first saw this thing. (00:11:48) - Alex's one David Cronenberg story. (00:14:47) - Some background on the movie's inspirations and production. (00:19:21) - Our (shockingly young) cast. (00:25:03) - High praise for Howard Shore and the effects team. (00:30:39) - Our immediate introduction to the GamePod. (00:41:37) - Death to the demoness! (00:49:39) - Break! (00:50:05) - We're back, and it's time to pull out a tooth bullet. (00:58:13) - It's Gas! That guy who works at the Country Gas Station! (01:05:58) - Let's go see what kind of accent Ian Holm has. (01:08:53) - Time to jack into eXistenZ. (01:19:07) - We are going Trout Farm mode, we are Chinese Restaurant maxing. (01:31:17) - Well, the waiter's dead. Now what? (01:37:29) - We've finished all the side-missions, let's get back to the main quest. (01:45:54) - You are the queen of eXistenZ! Here's your VR tiara (VRa?) (01:50:32) - A Death to the Demon encore! (01:57:35) - Final thoughts. (02:03:48) - Some forward-looking talk about our October theme: horror anthologies! (02:08:14) - Outro.
107: Ready Player One (2018)
Sep 30, 2024
Show notes
It's Ready Player One week on the Watchcast, and that's all Vinny Caravella's fault, so send any relevant complaints his way. Join us as we take our shift in the nostalgia mines of the Oasis, and wonder just how many empty licensed calories we can take in before overdosing. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 107: Ready Player One (2018) (00:00:52) - Intro. (00:01:40) - It's Ready Player One week, and that's Vinny's fault. (00:09:57) - Vinny has read the book, and he knows the differences (I could not find clips of his Bombcast rant, sorry). (00:16:34) - Who is responsible for this? (00:26:39) - The licenses that got away. (00:30:31) - Cast talk. (00:42:09) - Some initial houghts about why this movie doesn't work for us. (00:46:56) - Break! (00:47:14) - We're back, and it's time to launch into whatever the hell is going on here. (00:58:08) - Kicking off the first challenge with King Kong Kart. (01:09:38) - What the hell is IOI's deal. (01:17:09) - Onto challenge two and the Halliday archive. (01:22:43) - The Shining level. (01:29:15) - The IOI pitch. (01:38:48) - Real world meet-up.} (01:40:53) - Challenge three on Planet Doom (but not that DOOM, just a generic sort of Doom). (01:48:02) - This is not a great final battle. (01:56:28) - We found the damn egg. (02:09:57) - We won the game! Life is OK for everybody now! (02:13:09) - Final thoughts. (02:24:28) - Talking about our final movie for the month: eXistenZ! (02:26:30) - Outro.
106: Cloak & Dagger (1984)
Sep 23, 2024
Show notes
This week on the Watchcast, it's Cloak & Dagger! No, not the Marvel thing. The loosely Atari-related thing from the '80s! Join us as we discuss illegal game tapes, Dabney Coleman's action hero credentials, and how we feel having just watched the kid from E.T. kill a guy. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 106: Cloak & Dagger (1984) (00:00:24) - Intro. (00:01:00) - Our movie this week: Cloak & Dagger! (Not the Marvel thing.) (00:10:42) - Talking about the movie's connection to Atari and video games. (00:17:52) - Some top-line thoughts about what does and doesn't work in the movie. (00:20:49) - Talking about some of the folks who helped make this thing. (00:27:33) - The strangely common refrain of this movie being important to kids who have trouble relating to their dad. (00:28:30) - More production and cast talk. (00:35:43) - The movie's opening Hitman level. (00:37:10) - Our intro to the kids and Morris. (00:44:45) - Infiltrating Textronics. (00:51:07) - Evil video game scientists are hunting your children! (00:58:30) - Break! (00:58:46) - We're back, and the bad guys are coming to kill this kid. (01:05:39) - Unlocking the secrets of the forbidden Atari tape. (01:12:28) - There is no plan here. These people are dumb as hell. (01:16:13) - Davey is on the run. (01:21:30) - Sure, let's make a kid ride in a trunk with a corpse. PG! Parental Guidance! (01:26:07) - To the Alamo! (01:31:32) - Wacky child driving antics! (01:36:28) - Jack Flack might not be a great role model. (01:45:41) - To the airport! Where unsupervised children will be welcomed with only moderate questioning. (01:50:37) - This is one of the goofiest hostage situations in film history. (01:56:40) - Final thoughts. (01:59:58) - Girding ourselves for next week's movie: Ready Player One! (02:05:00) - Outro.
105: Tetris (2023)
Sep 16, 2024
Show notes
Continuing along our path of video game related movies, we come to last year's Apple TV retelling of the story of Tetris and its makers. Join us as we dig through the true history of the game, pick apart the extremely Hollywood-ized additions to the story, and muse about our own histories with Tetris. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 105: Tetris (2023) (00:00:13) - Intro. (00:03:48) - A second Robert Maxwell reference has hit the Watchcast. (00:07:50) - Let's talk about our histories with Tetris, and dive into some licensing history. (00:12:40) - A certain ongoing lawsuit, and a little bit on the folks involved in this production. (00:17:44) - Getting into the extremely hasty intro to this story. (00:28:20) - Running down some of the real world figures and their portrayals here. (00:40:40) - Break! (00:41:12) - We're back, and it's time to start picking apart licensing rights. (00:51:22) - The cheesy (but delightful) Game Boy unveiling. (01:06:37) - Henk's Moscow adventure begins. (01:18:01) - The real negotiations begin. (01:29:14) - Henk and Alexei bond. (01:34:45) - Is Henk about to lose everything? No, because there'd be no movie otherwise. (01:40:41) - Donald Kaufman's Tetris. (01:47:56) - The aftermath (and some loose talk about the Tetris movie we ALMOST got). (01:55:24) - Final thoughts. (01:58:22) - Talking about our film for next week: Cloak & Dagger! (02:02:32) - Outro.
104: The Wizard (1989)
Sep 09, 2024
Show notes
We're kicking off a full month of video game related movies with what is far and away the most important video game commercial of our collective childhoods, The Wizard! Join us as we torment our younger selves by forcing them to confront the cold, hard reality of a movie from our youth not quite standing up to the test of time...or the test of anything, really. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 104: The Wizard (1989) (00:00:27) - Intro. (00:04:27) - We finally get around to saying the name of our movie this week: The Wizard! (00:10:15) - Picking apart a bunch of the family scenes that were cut. (00:18:32) - Getting into the background of the folks who made this thing. (00:34:18) - Why did Nintendo get involved in this nonsense? (00:47:31) - Break! (00:48:06) - We're back, and let's kick off this video game movie with a wildly neglected child. (00:58:59) - Just two young kids skateboarding from Utah to California. An extremely normal thing to do. (01:06:26) - Haley has an idea to exploit this traumatized child's adeptness at video games. (01:11:09) - Is that how a Power Glove™ works? (01:14:13) - Father and son bonding over Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (01:22:04) - Reno! It's a town! And some musings on the Nintendo Help Line. (01:30:25) - Haley gets her monologue. (01:36:04) - FINALLY, we are in California. (01:41:55) - A Universal backlot chase climax? In this economy?!? (01:49:01) - The real star of the movie: Super Mario Bros. 3! (01:56:00) - Sure, Jimmy just won $50k, but what is that worth if we don't solve his trauma before the credits? (02:02:42) - Final thoughts. (02:05:55) - Talking about the rest of our films for this month. (02:12:14) - Outro (and Vinny's ranking).
103: Repo Man (1984)
Sep 02, 2024
Show notes
We're closing out our run of movies with Twin Peaks cast members with the '80s punk classic, Repo Man! Join us as we chase down a rogue Chevy Malibu, do a bunch of idiotic crimes, and explore the lattice of coincidence that binds us all. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 103: Repo Man (1984) (00:00:12) - Intro. (00:01:35) - Our film this week: Repo Man! And some discussion of how it relates to the punk scene of its time. (00:10:47) - Some background on how this movie came to be. (00:20:39) - Cast chat. (00:24:47) - That soundtrack. (00:26:56) - Driving full speed down a desert highway into the film itself. (00:29:45) - Our introduction to Otto. (00:33:14) - I am become Repo Man, pilferer of vehicles. (00:37:18) - Otto's home life. (00:42:06) - Break! (00:42:39) - We're back, and it's time to learn the Repo Code. (00:45:56) - The Rodriguez Brothers. (00:49:03) - Otto meets Leila. (00:51:42) - Miller's musings about the universe. (00:55:32) - Playing hot potato with an extremely hot Malibu, and a brief history of American ska. (01:01:49) - A gunfight in San Pedro. (01:03:37) - Things start getting weird(er). (01:06:30) - Let's give a warm welcome to The Circle Jerks! (01:11:10) - Bud gets in hot water, Otto happens upon the Malibu, and some talk about the movie's reception. (01:16:49) - The Repo Wives, and the goofiest hold-up you've ever seen. (01:20:47) - Tracking the many seemingly incoherent things that happen toward the end. (01:30:11) - Flying off into the wild irradiated yonder. (01:33:18) - Final thoughts. (01:40:54) - Housekeeping for next month. (01:44:31) - Outro.
102: The Hidden (1987)
Aug 26, 2024
Show notes
On this week's Watchcast we continue our loose theme of films featuring Twin Peaks actors that also happen to take place in Los Angeles and have memorable soundtracks with the 1987 sci-fi/horror/action romp, The Hidden! Join us and Agent Not Cooper as we track down a body-hopping, spree-killing alien before he becomes President of the United States. CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 102: The Hidden (1987) (00:00:26) - Intro. (00:02:07) - Our film this week: Agent Cooper (and Hank!) in The Hidden! And some Commando catch-up talk. (00:08:38) - A little bit about the production history and people involved. (00:15:21) - Our killer cast. (00:24:53) - Launching into the film itself (in a stolen Ferrari). (00:34:49) - The body swapping begins, and we meet Lloyd Gallagher. (00:46:54) - Break! (00:47:17) - We're back, and it's time to eat steak weird and listen to punk rock! (00:54:11) - Ferraris! Cocaine! Guns! All the pleasures of Earth. (01:01:40) - Guess who's coming to dinner? (01:05:48) - Commander Ivanova like you've never seen her before! (01:10:41) - A lukewarm pursuit in a pimp car to a mannequin factory. (01:16:14) - Bad dog, bad lieutenant. (01:21:41) - The police station massacre. (01:27:57) - Why you stalkin' about, Willis? (01:34:24) - A brand! New! FAMILY! (01:39:19) - Final thoughts. (01:42:11) - Housekeeping for next week, and outro.
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