Nostalgia Theater: A MovieFilm Podcast

My guest this month is author Mark O'Connell, who joins me all the way from the U.K. for the full hour to discuss his great new book, Watching Skies: Star Wars, Spielberg, and Us. It's a fun and far-ranging conversation that touches on James Bond, Star Wars, the Spielberg output of the 1980s, and so much more as we dive deep into the Nostalgia Theater that shaped not only both of us, but entire ge...

For the latest Nostalgia Theater show, I was honored to be joined for the hour by veteran actor Steven Weber for a fond look back at his time as snarky pilot Brian Hackett on the seminal '90s sitcom Wings. In addition, he also reflected on his turn stepping into Jack Nicholson's shoes in the TV remake of Stephen King's The Shining, playing TV exec Jack Rudolph on Aaron Sorkin's short-lived Studio...

I'm joined by my MovieFilm co-pilot Brian Hall for this very special crossover episode of the Nostalgia Theater show, featuring our conversation with longtime Simpsons writer-producer Mike Reiss about his new book Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons. If you've listened to our show for any lenghth of time, you know who important The S...

Today marks ten years since the release of Marvel Studios' The Incredible Hulk! The Edward Norton starrer directed by Louis Leterrier sometimes feels like an unloved afterthought in the otherwise hugely successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, but as a huge Hulk fan for most of my life I've always felt that was a bit unfair. Luckily, I'm not alone in that assessment, and here to help mark this movie'...

For this month's Nostalgia Theater I mark twenty-five years since Cheers -- one of the greatest TV show of all time -- left the airwaves. I was in junior high at the time, but I remember well how anticipated it was. A legitimate cultural event that prompted joy and sadness in equal measure. And in the intervening quarter-century the show has remained as beloved as it was during its initial run. My...

On the latest Nostalgia Theater show I was fortunate to be joined by Mark Hughes, film critic, Forbes contributor, and Superman super-fan, for a celebration of the Man of Steel's big 80th anniversary just in time for the momentous 1000th issue of Action Comics to hit store shelves! Mark and I reminisce about our shared affinity for this most iconic of superheroes, offer our opinions on the differe...

And we're back with the latest Nostalgia Theater Commentary Trek! My friend Glenn Greenberg, writer of many Star Trek books and comics, is my co-pilot once again as we talk through one of hte most divisive Star Trek adventures ever put onscreen, 1989's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. As always, you'll hear personal histories with this sequel, with plenty of trivia and behind-the-scenes anecdotes...

For this episode of the show, I'm joined by Brian C. Baer, author of the new book How He-Man Mastered the Universe: Toy to Television to the Big Screen for a fun and engaging conversation about the 1980s action figure phenomenon from Mattel that was so integral to so many childhoods. Brian shares the origins of his own He-Man fandom, and then delves into the origins of the toyline, the iconic anim...

Attention all personnel! Today marks exactly 35 years to the day that the classic TV series M*A*S*H aired its final episode on CBS. The two-hour event remains the highest rated TV episode of all time, and to celebrate the occasion I'm honored to be joined by none other than Captain BJ Hunnicutt himse, Mike Farrell, for a fun hour of reminiscing about his most iconic role, the impact of the show th...

25 years ago last October, the Fox network debuted the X-Men animated series as part of its Saturday morning lineup. Along with Batman: The Animated Series, which had premiered two months earlier, this was really a turning point in terms of how action and adventure shows were presented for animation, and it was a real leap forward for complex, serialized storytelling, which had basically been unhe...

The Nostalgia Theater show is back with a new Commentary Trek! My friend Glenn Greenberg, writer of many Star Trek books and comics, joins me on the 31st anniversary of the release of 1986's Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Like always, listen in for our own personal histories with this sequel and lots of fun trivia and behind-the-scenes stories. We're two thirds of the way through the classic Trek...

For this episode I'm joined by special guest Danny Bilson, a movie and TV veteran who's probably best known for being co-creator (along with Paul DeMeo) of the 1990 version of The Flash, which aired for one season on CBS, and co-writer of the 1991 feature film The Rocketeer. Danny was gracious enough to join me for a fun and freewheeling conversation about the ins-and-outs of the industry as we co...

Today marks thirty years to the day that TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation first premiered in syndication. The sequel series was a risky venture by Paramount, but three decades later, it’s fair to say that Captain Picard, Commander Data, and the other crewmembers of the Enterprise-D are at least as beloved as their legendary predecessors. Why did The Next Generation work almost despite itself? I...

Attention all personnel! Today marks exactly 45 years to the day that the classic TV series M*A*S*H first premiered on CBS. Based on the novel by Richard Hooker and the 1970 feature film directed by Robert Altman, the boundary-busting sitcom had an impressive eleven season run, redefining what television was capable of, and leaving the air with a finale that remains to this day the highest rated e...

Thirty-five years ago this December, directors Jim Henson and Frank Oz first took audiences into the mystical land of Thra, home of The Dark Crystal. While the ambitious puppet-centric feature didn't quite land with audiences at the time, its mix of effects and fantasy have turned it into a cult artifact in the decades since. For this episode, I'm joined by special guest is Caseen Gaines, author o...

The Commentary Trek continues! This time I'm rejoined by my friend Glenn Greenberg, former Marvel Comics editor, and writer of many Hulk and Star Trek comics, for the third feature voyage for original Star Trek crew, 1984's Star Trek III: The Search For Spock. As always, you can hear our own personal histories with this installment, plus plenty of trivia and behind-the-scenes factoids. As always,...

In just a few short months, the legendary Batman: The Animated Series hits its big quarter-century anniversary. In order to mark the occasion, I'm joined by John Trumbull -- author of an expansive oral history of the series for Back Issue! magazine featuring interviews with most of the key creatives -- for a fun and free-ranging conversation including John's conversations with Bruce Timm, etc. abo...

The Commentary Trek continues! Just in time to celebrate the 35th anniversary of fan-favorite film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, I'm joined once again by my friend Glenn Greenberg, former Marvel Comics editor, and writer of many Hulk and Star Trek comics, for the second of our commentary tracks talking through the original Trek feature films. Listen as we discuss our own histories with this bel...

It's a special episode of the Nostalgia Theater Podcast! After we had such a good time with our special 50th anniversary Star Trek episode last summer, I'm joined once more by frequent friend-of-the-show Glenn Greenberg, former Marvel Comics editor, and writer of many Hulk and Star Trek comics, for what we hope will be the first in a series of commentary tracks talking through the original Trek fe...

From co-founding Apple Computer in the '70s to his continued work in groundbreaking new technologies right up to the present day, Steve Wozniak is a pioneer in the field of personal computing. His Silicon Valley Comic Con just celebrated its second year, bringing together such diverse luminaries as astronaut Buzz Aldrin and NASA scientists to cast members from TV's The Walking Dead, Star Trek: The...

For my latest Nostalgia Theater show I'm honored to be joined by authors Jim Beard & Rich Handley as they discuss their new short fiction anthology Planet of the Apes: Tales From the Forbidden Zone, which collects stories by some of the leading lights in sci-fi writing as they imagine new worlds within the multitudinous franchise. They discuss their own lifetime love of Planet of the Apes, how...

For the first Nostalgia Theater show of 2017, I'm joined by illustrator Joe Simko, who discusses the Garbage Pail Kids phenomenon from the 1980s, including his own work as producer and director of the documentary 30 Years of Garbage. There's lots of insights as we dive into the icky-eww-kitschy-cool fad that first captivated kids of all ages three decades ago, and continues to do so to this very d...

For the final Nostalgia Theater show of 2016, I'm joined by standup comedian (and avowed Corey Feldman fan) Zahra Noorbakhsh, host of the hilarious #GoodMuslimBadMuslim Podcast for a fun and freewheeling conversation celebrating the thirty year anniversary of the classic coming-of-age tale Stand By Me, directed by Rob Reiner and based on a novella by Stephen King. The film stars Wil Wheaton, Feldm...

I struck oil on the latest Nostalgia Theater show, as TV icon Patrick Duffy joins me for the hour to discuss his long career, including his start on NBC's Man From Atlantis, and his career-defining role as "good" son Bobby Ewing on CBS' long-running primetime soap Dallas. Listen as Patrick talks about how he coped with the sudden onrush of fame from the series, his lifetime friendship with J.R. Ew...

It was thirty years ago that Jareth the Goblin King (David Bowie) first invited young Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) into his magical, mysterious maze in the Jim Henson-directed classic Labyrinth. As I discussed in my retro review last month, the film didn't land with audiences at the time, it's become a beloved, multi-generational cult artifact in the years since, with its mix of dazzling puppetry and...