NostalgiaCast

Celebrate 8 years and 100 episodes of NostalgiaCast as Jonny and Darin journey (at last!) to a galaxy far, far away for a discussion of George Lucas's o.g. STAR WARS Trilogy. Author R.J. Craddock sits in the gunner's seat for a lively chat about the movies' impact on countless filmmakers and film nerds, and how the 1997 Special Editions either did or didn't futz with our nostalgia for the original...

GREASE is the word (is the word that you heard) as NostalgiaCast returns to Rydell High for a boppier, bouncier-than-expected discussion of what is arguably the quintessential '70s musical, directed by Randal Kleiser and starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Jonny and Darin chat about the energetic performances, irresistible songs, and R-rated innuendos, lyrics, and visual gags that have...

It took 98 episodes and double-oh-seven-and-a-half years for Jonny and Darin to talk about a James Bond film, but NostalgiaCast finally tackles everyone's favorite tuxedo-wearing, license-to-kill-bearing sex pest with THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, starring 007 as Roger Moore. Popcorn Digest co-hosts Gareth Green and Andrew Raphael lend their Bond expertise to an in-depth discussion of Moore's best(?) outi...

I love the smell of napalm in the morning! Journey up the Nùng River with Jonny and Darin as they take a psychedelic look back at Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 epic APOCALYPSE NOW, starring Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, and Marlon Brando. But is this the Vietnam War movie to end all Vietnam War movies, 45 years after the fact? Or is the controversy about its making more interesting than the movie its...

Look to the skies as NostalgiaCast attempts to make contact with Steven Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. Paperback Flicks hosts R.J. Craddock and Rae Davidson join Jonny and Darin for an out-of-this-world discussion of the groundbreaking FX, overly overlapping dialogue, and sense of awe and wonder that permeates Spielberg's 1977 magnum opus, plus how it compares to the rat-a-tat sci...

Scoot and boot! Childhood friend Jason Payne makes his fourth token appearance on NostalgiaCast for a discussion of Carroll Ballard's 1979 children's classic THE BLACK STALLION, starring Kelly Reno, Teri Garr, Mickey Rooney, and Hoyt Axton (or, as Jonny calls him, "the guy from GREMLINS"). Listen as Jason, Jonny, and Darin speak in awed reverence about the film's breathtaking cinematography, envel...

For the latest episode of NostalgiaCast '70s Palooza, Jonny and Darin tackle the faux-documentary / biography / proto-YouTube video essay that is Orson Welles's F FOR FAKE. They talk about the movie as an examination of authorship over art, Welles's (brazen but ultimately unsuccessful) attempts to explode the documentary form, and how a story of charlatans, magicians, and frauds slots into the leg...

NostalgiaCast '70s Palooza heads back to the '60s for a discussion of AMERICAN GRAFFITI, from indie director George Lucas. Crank up your radios and bop along to the beat as Jonny and Darin chat about the nonstop parade of music and muscle cars that permeate this rock 'n' roll coming-of-age tale. But is it a fun and breezy time at the movies, or the same stilted slog as Lucas's later films?

Oo-de-lally, what a day! Jonny and Darin venture into Sherwood Forest to discuss the anthropomorphic action of Disney's ROBIN HOOD, with special guest Stephen J. Anderson, director of MEET THE ROBINSONS and WINNIE THE POOH! (I know, right?) Listen as they get to reminiscin' and this-n-thattin' about the 1970s as a transitional period for Walt Disney Animation, and the character designs that made R...

NostalgiaCast '70s Palooza continues with a look back at Michael Cimino's harrowing epic drama THE DEER HUNTER, which tries to out-GODFATHER THE GODFATHER with elongated, lugubrious wedding sequences and a shakedown of American idealism. Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, and the late, great John Cazale star in a tale about working-class joes torn apart by the ravages of war, and Jo...

It's "Leave the gun, take the cannoli," "Go to the mattresses," and "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" as Jonny and Darin kick off a 1970s-centric season of NostalgiaCast with a look back at Francis Ford Coppola's THE GODFATHER. We talk about the characters, story structure, cinematography, and directorial choices that make up what is arguably the most seminal pop culture phenomenon of...

NostalgiaCast returns for a special Halloween episode in which we brave Michael Jackson's THRILLER, arguably the greatest music video of all time. Cue up the link below and watch along with Jonny and Darin as they provide a running commentary for the event that made them lifelong horror fans and forever cemented Jackson as an icon. You're in for a killer, thriller time!   https://youtu.be/sOnqjkJT...

In a special bonus episode of NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza, returning guest Jason of @BingeMovies takes us on a guided tour of the many films that inspired and were inspired by the most unsung of movie directors, the late, great(?) Albert Pyun! We talk about his Menahem Golan-produced 1990 masterwork(?) CAPTAIN AMERICA, and its legacy that lives on in the X-MENs, WINTER SOLDIERs, and NAKED GUNs of t...

NostalgiaCast wraps up its totally fly season of '90s Palooza as Jonny and Darin recap their favorite episodes, gush about their guests, and drop their Top 10 films of the decade! The journey has been all that and a bag of chips! And there's still so much to come!

Plug back into THE MATRIX as Robert Yaniz Jr. of Crooked Table Productions joins us for a season-capping conversation about the sci-fi action extravaganza that not only capped off the '90s but also inspired films and filmmakers for decades to come. We talk about THE MATRIX's groundbreaking FX, its influence on fashion and fringe groups, and how Lana and Lilly Wachowski's passion for the project he...

Crank up The Cranberries, boot up your computer, and begin that sloooooow dial-up to the internet, as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza kicks it with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in YOU'VE GOT MAIL! Film critic Megan Kearns joins Jonny and Darin to chat about the capitalism, kindness, and human connection that permeates Nora Ephron's romantic comedy classic. Log in and listen now!

It is the east, and NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza is the sun as Jonny and Darin do battle with the Bard and SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, directed by John Madden (no, not THAT John Madden) and starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, and Geoffrey Rush. We chat about the movie's controversial Oscar run, Anti-Stratfordian conspiracies, sweeping romance, and nonstop in-jokes about Shakespeare and Hollywood. Lis...

Strap your rocket pack to your back as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza takes to the skies with THE ROCKETEER, Joe Johnston's serial cliffhanger comic book throwback from 1991. Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, and a scenery-gnawing Timothy Dalton star in this Indiana Jones-ish adventure that crashed and burned at the box office, and critic / Disney-phile Marianne Paluso brings her patented good humor...

Grab your spaghetti with marinara sauce and your f**kin' shinebox as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza continues with a fond look back at GOODFELLAS, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, and Joe Pesci. Hear Jonny and Darin geek out over the acting, shot choices, and messaging of what might be Scorsese's greatest film(?), the greatest film of the decade(?),...

It's face ON as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza continues with a fond look back at FACE/OFF, directed by Hong Kong action maestro John Woo and starring John Cage and Nicolas Travolta! Film critic Sara Michelle Fetters joins Jonny and Darin to discuss the spectacular two-gun gunplay and deeper emotional underpinnings of Woo's finest American film. Let those doves fly and get ready for the big ride, baby...

Woman... woe-man... whoooa, man! Author R.J. Craddock returns to the 'Cast to chat with Jonny and Darin about Thomas Schlamme's 1993 cult comedy SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER, starring Mike Myers as a beat poet and serial relationship-phobe who also can't seem to treat dramatic scenes very seriously. But does all our talk about over-sized espresso cups, haggis, and mugging for the camera make us fe...

Grab your multipass and look to the future as Jonny and Darin feast their eyes on Luc Besson's sci-fi action extravaganza THE FIFTH ELEMENT, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm, and Chris Tucker. Film critic and journalist Nguyên Lê joins the latest episode of NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza to discuss the movie's bright futurescapes, gender fluidity, French comic books and sen...

Hellllllooooo, Poppets! NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza continues with a look back at Chris Columbus's box office behemoth MRS. DOUBTFIRE, starring Robin Williams, Pierce Brosnan, and Sally Field. Returning guest Dave "The Nuge" Nugent joins Jonny and Darin for an in-depth and introspective discussion of the movie's bittersweet themes and saccharine-sweet comedy, and also the dramatic/comedic legacy Wi...

NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza goes to DEFCON Four as Twitter's own James "That Tony Scott Guy" Coddington joins Jonny and Darin for a deep-dive (sorry) discussion of 1995's classic Cold War thriller CRIMSON TIDE, starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman. Hang on to the edge of your seat as they chat about the towering performances, Quentin Tarantino-isms, and claustrophobic color scheme of what ma...

What if you were watched every moment of your life? What if everyone you knew was pretending? What if your world was make believe? What if you didn't know it... until now? These questions—and more!—are mulled over and discussed as Jonny and Darin turn their dials to Peter Weir's THE TRUMAN SHOW! Jim Carrey makes his first (and best?) attempt at dramatic acting in this seminal comedy-fantasy that s...