Nostalgium Arcanum

The stakes continue to rise as the last hope for Middle Earth faces the looming of The Two Towers. We're joined by wicked, tricksy hobbitses from the Media / Lit Podcast, Kris Ingersoll and Randy Allain to revisit the middle chapter in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece. From its landmark special effects, to one of the greatest battles ever filmed, The Two Towers remains as...

Frodovember continues as we begin the quest to destroy the One Ring with guest Dave Jackson (the "Tales from the Backlog" podcast). Released to massive critical and financial sucess in 2001, the first film of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy masterfully condenses and adapts the first third of Tolkien's seminal work with winning performances from an all-star cast, and all the powerful emot...

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead, as Frodovember begins with the 1977 Rankin Bass adaptation of The Hobbit. We go there and back again with guest podcaster Case Aiken (Another Pass, Men of Steel) to enjoy our mutual first experences with Middle Earth and the works of J.R.R. Tolkein. You can support Case and his network, CertainPOV, at patreon.com/CertainPOVMedia Be sure to also check out...

Be careful what you wish for this Halloween. On this special it's a family affair as the Other Doug and the Other Ami welcome their children Celeste and Ben into the other world of 2009's Coraline. This stop-motion masterpiece spins a web and puts a button or two on a modern Grimm fairy tale about how the grass seems greener on the other side of a tiny mysterious door. Be sure to also check out ou...

For this year's Halloween bonus reading, we're going down to Nahum's farm and taking a gander at "The Colour Out Of Space", cosmic horror master H.P. Lovecraft's unsettling tale of a chromatic contagion from beyond the stars. Be sure to also check out our monthy musical podcast, Playing By Ear! - https://playingbyear.fireside.fm If you have feedback, find us on the socials here: Facebook: https://...

Hi-Diddly-Ho, neighborino! When Jerry Dandridge moves in next door, young Charlie Brewster's worst fears are confirmed, leading to a one-of-a-kind horror comedy that, unlike Jerry, does not suck. Guest comedian and filmmaker Tarik Davis (@tarikrdavis, tarikrdavis.com) joins us to stake out this meta Halloween tale that we're happy to invite into our homes. You can find Tarik on NBC's The Amber Ruf...

There's only one word to describe Evil Dead 2 - Groovy! On this episode we're joined by deadite Dan Oster (MadTV, A Podcast, But Evil) to accidentally read from the Necronomicon and summon Sam Raimi's wild ride of horror, gore, and comedy that literally takes a chainsaw to just about everything. Headlined by human cartoon Bruce Campbell, the film remains a rollicking great blood geyser of Hallowee...

Be afraid... be very afraid. For a bonus episode this year we're returning to the subejct of our fourth podcast for a more in-depth look at David Cronenberg's profound and deeply upsetting remake of The Fly. Filmmaker Alex Sosin gets into the teleporter with us for the grossest love story ever made. Check out the teaser for The Canyon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFFWbNbdtKA Be sure to al...

9... 10... we can sleep again because, at long last, Freddy's Dead. For real this time. We mean it. This episode we nod off with Rick Firestone of the Pixel Project Radio podcast to eulogize the undisputed roastmaster of horror, Freddy Krueger. This entry is one of the most unweildy in the franchise, but it still carries the series' flare for wild, imaginative dream sequences, and the most one-lin...

Why don't we just wait here for a little while, see what happens? 1982's "The Thing" was a critical and commercial failure, until its insidious genius began an infection that has spread to its complete takeover as a horror landmark. Comedian Rich Baker (@richbakercoaching) joins us to examine this brilliant, grotesque, and paranoia-inducing film. Be sure to also check out our monthy musical podcas...

We give our full-throated endorsement to Mariah Carey, an artist of immense talent, superhuman vocal ability, and hit after hit after hit after hit. Friend-of-the-pod Ryan Merlo, podcaster Ami Lief (Playing By Ear), and comedian Eileen Mayse (@i_lean) roudntable their favorite tracks from Mimi's illustrious career. Be sure to also check out our monthy musical podcast, Playing By Ear! - https://pla...

Anything goes in Indiana Jones' second (but technically first) outing. The film is flawed, but relentlessly entertaining, buoyed by engaging performances from future Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan and villain expert Amrish Puri. We make a meal out of this classic with filmmaker Alex Sosin (The Canyon) and fondly reminisce about a movie that has its heart in the right place - Mola Ram's fist. Check out t...

For over five decades Bruce Springsteen has been The Boss. Combining profound but accessible, empathetic, and comforting lyrics buoyed by anthemic melodies that can electrify stadiums, Bruce and his collaborators in the E-Street Band embody the spirit within all of us that yearns to be moved, and to be free. Tramps like our guests, improviser Dan Oster (MadTV, "A Podcast, But Evil") and comedian /...

35 years later Super Mario World remains a high watermark in video games. The venerable plumber and new pal Yoshi the dinosaur's adventure features pixel perfect platforming, satisfying secret scouring, and whimsical wonder. Guests podcaster Matt Storm a.k.a. Stormageddon ("Fun" and Games, Reignite) and comedian Rich Baker (richbakercoaching.com) hit the Star Road to celebrate a classic that is st...

It's time to start running! Cheesy, gratuitous, and satirically biting, The Running Man showcases everything that makes 80s movies great, and why no one can anchor a film and deliver one, two, and three-liners like Arnold Schwarzenegger. We're joined by a full panel to stalk this classic including comedian Rich Baker (@ricbakercoaching), filmmaker Alex Sosin ("The Canyon"), and podcaster Jala Pren...

Welcome to paradise! Green Day exploded in the '90s, matured into a political force in the '00s, and continues to blend pop, punk, and power to this day. We're joined by comedian Rich Baker (@richbakercoaching) musician and podcaster Kyle Lieberman (Playing By Ear) and his daughter Ali to celebrate the legacy of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Drrnt, and Tre Cool. Be sure to also check out our new mont...

Tango & Cash typifies 1980s action excess and buddy-cop odd-couple comedy as Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell play the titular loose cannons with a complete disregard for police procedure and the laws of physics. We're joined by guest podcasters Josh Covel (Still Loading) and Dan Oster (A Podcast, But Evil) to settle scores and spew one-liners. Be sure to also check out our monthy musical p...

2001 was nothing like what Stanley Kubrick promised, but the music of that year continued to expand into a wide variety of different directions. Guests Ami Lief, musician Kyle Lieberman, and comedian Rich Baker (@richbakercoaching) join us to roundtable our top ten songs of 2001. Be sure to also check out our monthy musical podcast, Playing By Ear! - https://playingbyear.fireside.fm If you want to...

1988's Ninja Gaiden was a leap forward in video game storytelling, featuring splashy cut scenes, a propulsive soundtrack, and notorious difficulty. Ryu Hayabusa faces off against military goons, relentless wildlife, and otherworldly grotesque demons in his quest to keep Jaquio and the forces of darkness at bay. Guest comedian Rich Baker (@richbakercoaching) joins us to give this unforgiving landma...

For the longest time Billy Joel's music has thrilled generations. Guests podcaster Matt Storm a.k.a. Stormageddon ("Fun" and Games, Reignite) and comedian / musician Dylan Ris ( www.lostmoonradio.com , www.themoonunits.com ) are in the mood for a melody, and this episode will have you feeling alright. Be sure to also check out our monthy musical podcast, Playing By Ear! - https://playingbyear.fire...

It's mosnters versus aliens as Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and company find themselves at the mercy of an extraterrestrial menace in 1968's "Destroy All Monsters". Why have one kaiju when you can have them all? We don rubber suits and stomp on model cities with guest Joe Mastropiero aka Joedecahedron of the Dice Training podcast to celebrate a franchise that literally left an enormous footprint on ci...

You asked for something special for our 150th episode so all we can say is "as you wish." The Princess Bride is inconceivably perfect. The film has everything - fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles, and a superlative cast and script to bring it all together. Guest comedian and filmmaker Tarik Davis (@tarikrdavis, tarikrdavis.com) joins us to r...

By 1998 the grunge and gangsta rap of the early 1990s had petered out. Ska came and went. Musical tastes had begun to drift, and our year-review reflects these tectonic shifts with mainstream pop ascendant and indie artists beginning to peek through. Guests Ami Lief, musician Kyle Lieberman (Kyle and the Silver Dork), and comedian Rich Baker (@richbakercoaching) join us to roundtable our top ten s...

What is a nostalgia podcast if not a time machine? We're firing up the flux capacitor and setting the time circuits to Back to the Future for the 40th anniversary of this seminal temporal comedy. We're joined by guest Darren Lanning (darrenlanning.com) to celebrate a film so heavy that its success was practically density. Be sure to also check out our new monthy musical podcast, Playing By Ear! -...

Shall we play a game? 1983's WarGames presciently predicts the dangers of both human intelligence and artificial intelligence that we still wrestle with today. In this classic Matthew Broderick accidentally nearly sets World War III into motion by seemingly innocently challenging an AI to a game with potentially apocalyptic consequences. We're joined by returning guest B.T. Moorer to discuss the f...