Obscure Obsessions: A Pop Culture Podcast

Taylor & Nick kick off a marathon of Val Kilmer movies, beginning with Top Secret! (1984). In his big screen debut, Kilmer plays a rock n’ roller caught up in a wild espionage plot from the directing team behind Airplane! and the Naked Gun.  __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer  Nick Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Editor

After lording over Chicago’s criminal underworld, Al Capone (Tom Hardy) spends the last year of his life chewing on carrots, shooting alligators, and battling incontinence as neurosyphilis ravages his brain… at least that’s according to Josh Trank’s wonderfully wonderfully bonkers biopic Capone (2020).  __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer  Nick Zaccario…Host, Director, Prod...

The Doc’s alive! He’s in the Old West! But he’s alive! Join Taylor & Nick as they head to Hill Valley 1885 to rescue Doc Brown from Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen in Back to the Future Part III (1990). Listen in as your hosts discuss the film’s blending of science fiction and western tropes, the simultaneous production with Part II, and why this installment ranks as Taylor’s favorite! __________ Taylor Z...

Despite the death of his leading man, director Blake Edwards forged ahead with yet ANOTHER attempt at resuscitating the Pink Panther series. This time, Edwards decided to replace both the late Peter Sellers and Inspector Clouseau with a new bumbling detective, New York investigator Clifton Sleigh (Ted Wass). The result: Curse of the Pink Panther (1983). __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, P...

The James Bond franchise has endured for over 60 years. But it nearly ended with Pierce Brosnan’s final outing as 007: Die Another Day (2002). After Bond escapes from a North Korean prison, he searches for the traitor in MI6 who betrayed him. Ice fortresses, satellite lasers, and Madonna cameos abound in this wonderfully wretched Bond installment. __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Produce...

For the final movie in their Martin Campbell marathon, Taylor & Nick return to a simpler time in superhero movies. A time when heroes wore costumes made of bad CGI. A time when Michael Clarke Duncan voiced an angry space pig. A time when Blake Lively’s biggest controversy was bad acting. The time was 2011 and the movie was Green Lantern.  __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Wr...

The Mask of Zorro (1998) remains one of the greatest action adventure movies ever made. Its sequel, The Legend of Zorro (2005),  remains one of the worst. Martin Campbell, Antonio Banderas, and Catherine Zeta-Jones are all back for another go, but the spirit of adventure, deeply personal stakes, and dynamic chemistry are all gone. If you thought the original film lacked enough marital discourse an...

You probably don’t know director Martin Campbell’s name. But you’ve definitely seen some of his great films like GoldenEye, The Mask of Zorro, and Casino Royale. Over the next three weeks, Nick & Taylor undertake a marathon of Campbell’s lesser known (and lesser loved) movies. They begin with Vertical Limit (2000). After a group of climbers (including Bill Paxton) become trapped in a crevasse...

Are you looking for a good time at the movies? Do you want to feel optimistic about the future of mankind? Do you want to see colors beside gray? Then Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) is the last movie to choose. Perhaps the bleakest of all “Apes”, this fourth installment finds Caesar (an incredible performance from Roddy McDowall) leading apes out of slavery and into rebellion.  ________...

After their parents perish in a fire, three orphans are sent to live with their fiendish uncle, who plots to steal their fortune in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). Taylor & Nick discuss the original book series and other popular reading choices for kids in the early 2000s. They marvel at the bevy of great actors in the film, probe the perils of adapting three books into...

When his elder sons threaten the future prosperity of Hell, Satan (Harvey Keitel– yes, THAT Harvey Keitel) has only one hope to save their underworld: his loser son, Little Nicky (Adam Sandler). Your hosts explore Sandler’s varied career, analyze Quentin Tarantino’s outlandish performance as a blind deacon, and love on John Witherspoon’s far-too-brief cameo.  __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Direc...

How does one provide a pithy and concise summation of Tentacles (1977)? Here it goes: Jaws with a giant octopus! Or maybe a giant squid? We don’t know… and quite frankly... it doesn’t matter.  __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer  Nick Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Editor

Do you know how hard it is trying to talk for an hour about the fourth Land Before Time movie? But Taylor & Nick do their best. In this one, there’s an unprecedented amount of lazy animation, wretchedly composed songs, and a whole host of nostalgia. We’re obsessing on The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists (1996). __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer  Nick Zaccar...

In 1994, Tim Burton made Ed Wood, the critically-acclaimed biopic about the director of Plan 9 from Outer Space. Two years later, Burton mounted his own homage to classic sci fi B movies with Mars Attacks! (1996). Despite a  sprawling cast of actors, featuring everyone from Jack Nicholson to Jack Black to Michael J. Fox to Annette Benning, the film failed to meet the critical success of Burton’s e...

Kick off Chapter Six with Taylor & Nick as they obsess over the many campy and goofy joys of Congo (1995). Based on a novel by Michael Critchon, Congo tells the tale of an expedition into the heart of Africa in search of the Lost City of Zinj. The adventure includes a terrific cast of actors, including Laura Linney and Ernie Hudson. Oh, and there’s a monkey speaking sign language and a laser g...

To close out the 5th season of the show & the year 2025, Taylor and Nick look back at some of their favorite watches of the year as well as recount some of the best moments from the series’ history! __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer Nick Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Editor

Pour yourself a mug of eggnog and break out the sugar cookies. Taylor, Nick, and Anthony are gifting you three obscure Christmas movies:  When a toy is misplaced, the son of Santa Claus races against the clock to deliver it to a young girl before she wakes on Christmas morning in Arthur Christmas (2011). Then in Klaus (2017), the spoiled son of a postmaster general befriends a mysterious toymaker...

You’ve eaten the turkey, devoured the stuffing, and scarfed down the mashed potatoes. Now you’ve gathered your family around the TV to watch a movie. But what do you put on? Taylor, Nick, and Anthony have some suggestions! They’re recommending the perfect movies for you to enjoy with your family this Thanksgiving: Club Paradise (1986), The Straight Story (1999), and Free Willy 2: The Adventure Hom...

The Holiday Trilogy returns! Taylor & Nick are joined again by show correspondent (and middle cousin) Anthony for more holiday movie recommendations! We start off with Shadow of the Vampire (2000), a unique blend of fact and fiction: a filmmaker obsessed with adapting Dracula hires a real vampire to play the infamous count. Then a photographer searches for a vicious serial killer in this gory...

Well listeners, it's taken 5 seasons, but finally Nick & Taylor can obsess over one of the greatest terrible movies ever conceived in the mind of Roland Emmerich. Follow your hosts as they hide in the subway systems, blow the crown off the Chrysler Building, and proudly proclaim: “that’s a lot of fish!”. Join in as we celebrate our 100th episode! It’s… Godzilla (1998)... starring… Matthew Broderic...

A novice fairy godmother (Martin Short) tries to grant a girl’s wish, but runs afoul of a witch and a giant rabbi. Taylor & Nick obsess over one of their favorite obscure movies: A Simple Wish (1997). Martin Short and Mara Wilson star. __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer Nick Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Editor

There is really no way to properly summarize Howling III - The Marsupials (1987), a movie where werewolves with kangaroo-like pouches live in communes in the Outback. It’s both a unique deconstruction of the werewolf myth and an outrageously stomach-churning experience. Join us down under for the final film in our werewolf marathon.  __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer Nick...

Our werewolf marathon continues with An American Werewolf in Paris (1997). Here, Taylor & Nick encounter frat boys bungee jumping off the Eiffel Tower, music by Smash Mouth, and a tasty recipe for human-heart smoothies. Your hosts compare and contrast the film with the original, discuss the use of CGI vs. practical effects, and proclaim their love for That Thing You Do!, a much better movie st...

There’s a full moon for the next three episodes as your hosts undertake a marathon of werewolf movies. We begin with Stephen King’s Silver Bullet (1985). Brutal killings are putting a small town on edge. While the townspeople suspect a homicidal killer, a young boy (Corey Haim) believes a different kind of monster is on the loose!  __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer Nick Z...

Two years after his death, Peter Sellers was “resurrected” via unused and recycled footage to return for the seventh installment in the Pink Panther franchise. This time Nick & Taylor discuss the history of the series, debate the morality of using an actor’s likeness without their consent, and obsess over one of Hollywood’s most bizarre products as they follow the Trail of the Pink Panther (19...