The Retro Nostalgia Podcast

Any list of greatest summer blockbuster movies would have to include 1988's DIE HARD starring Bruce Willis. It's one of the few films of the genre that could perfectly balance explosions, gunfire and plenty of insane stunts with a rather lighthearted and comical approach. Believe it or not, Cristina had never seen DIE HARD until just now! In fact, she wasn't all that familiar with the...

Chad and Cristina revisit INDEPENDENCE DAY for its 30th anniversary and find out if this alien invasion classic is as fun to watch now as it was in 1996. It definitely was one of the biggest science fiction blockbusters of the 1990s (rivaling The Matrix and The Phantom Menace!). Starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Randy Quaid, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, and Brent Spiner, INDEPENDENC...

Two weeks ago, Chad and Cristina reviewed the 1989 movie THE WIZARD featuring Fred Savage. Something that movie is best known for is its sneak preview of SUPER MARIO BROS 3. It seemed only natural that we would discuss that game for its own episode. But we had to bring in an expert in Nintendo NES games: James from  @BigOleWords . Chad had been following James since he initially launched his chann...

In this special crossover episode of The Retro Nostalgia Podcast, Chad and Cristina are joined by Don and Dude from  @AlbumNerdsPodcast  for a nostalgic music draft featuring some of the greatest one-hit wonders ever recorded! Using VH1's famous list of the 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders as our draft pool, each host builds a dream team of unforgettable songs from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Fro...

1989's THE WIZARD may not be a masterpiece, but it remains one of the most nostalgic movies ever made for Gen X gamers and Nintendo fans. In this episode of the Retro Nostalgia Podcast, Chad and Cristina revisit the cult classic starring Fred Savage, Christian Slater, Jenny Lewis, Luke Edwards, and Beau Bridges. Along the way, we relive the excitement of Super Mario Bros. 3, the Power Glove, N...

ROSEANNE Season 1 gets the Retro Nostalgia Podcast treatment as Chad and Cristina revisit the groundbreaking 1988 sitcom that viewers and critics both loved. From Dan and Roseanne Conner’s believable chemistry to the blue-collar realism of Lanford, Illinois; this deep dive explores why ROSEANNE connected with so many Gen X viewers. The discussion covers classic episodes; forgotten storylines; 1980...

MALLRATS (1995) gets the full Retro Nostalgia treatment as Chad and Cristina are joined by special guest Milo from  @The80sand90sCom  to revisit Kevin Smith’s cult comedy classic! In this deep-dive movie review and discussion, the hosts break down Jason Lee’s breakout performance, Stan Lee’s legendary cameo, the unforgettable 90s mall culture, the iconic alt-rock soundtrack, comic book references,...

Last week we reviewed the movie Clerks with our new friends Kelly, Steve and Eric from the Gen X Unfiltered podcast . This week the roles are reversed: we guest starred on their podcast and talked about our first jobs as teenagers in the 1990s. Here's how they described the episode: Remember the smell of deep-fryer oil, the struggle of a predawn paper route, or the "glamour" of 80s mal...

Kevin Smith made his debut in 1993 with CLERKS. This Cult Comedy Classic was made on a literal shoestring budget by a bunch of amateurs and it shows. And that's kind of what makes it so great. It's completely unlike anything you'd ever see in a Hollywood movie: really frank sex talk; pop culture minutia dissection; and a complete lack of a conventional plot. Also, it's hilarious (i...

Chad & Cris break down DAZED AND CONFUSED: Richard Linklater’s laid-back, plotless hangout film, discussing the characters, hazing culture, 70s teen lifestyle, and how the movie inspired That ’70s Show. From Matthew McConaughey’s iconic “alright, alright, alright” to the curated soundtrack and ensemble cast, this is a 2026 look back at how the 90s remembered the 70s! FOLLOW US EVERYWHERE👉 htt...

The 1990s saw a massive evolution of rock 'n roll. The 1980s corporate sound of synths and drum machines was replaced by many sub-genres that were all quite experimental and edgy. Entire radio stations were dedicated to "Alternative Rock". It was a Big Tent term that encompassed a wide variety of artists and bands. From Alice In Chains to Dave Matthews Band to Beck to R.E.M. to Radiohe...

Metallica's seminal album "Master Of Puppets" just celebrated its 40th anniversary; so what better time to discuss it than now? Even if you're not a headbanger, you're probably aware of the impact this record had on the heavy metal genre and the rock music industry. It proved that bands could make radio UNfriendly music and still sell millions of copies. This record was quite t...

Fleetwood Mac didn't invent soft rock (or "Yacht Rock" as we call it today); but they probably perfected it. If you turned on pop/rock radio in the late 1970s/early 1980s you were pretty likely to hear hits from this album such as DREAMS, YOU MAKING LOVING FUN, THE CHAIN, GO YOUR OWN WAY, etc. And let's not forget SILVER SPRINGS, which was left off the album and was only available...

Chad has been a Rush fan since high school, but Cristina only knew of their popular songs. Could there be a better introductory album to this band than 1981's MOVING PICTURES? This record was a turning point for the Canadian progressive rock trio of Alex Lifeson (guitar), Neil Peart (drums/lyricist), and Geddy Lee (bass; keyboards and vocals). Each of their previous albums had only one or two...

We're a little behind schedule, so to make up for it; here's a review of BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM Chad conducted with Rob Walker* way back in 2013! This was the first time Batman was given a full length animated film and it was even shown in cinemas (briefly). It's loosely based on Frank Miller's BATMAN: YEAR ONE and Todd McFarlane's BATMAN: YEAR TWO. Though animation; neit...

We always intended this podcast to cover more than movies, so we're finally going to talk MUSIC for March! Cristina picked one of her childhood favorites: DISINTEGRATION by The Cure. Released in 1989, this was a major shift in tone from a band that started out as post-punk, but wound up as a pop rock singles band (much to the chagrin of bandleader Robert Smith). Cristina had this album when it...

The last entry for romantic movie month (though technically a day late) is Chad's pick of Chasing Amy. This was Kevin Smith's third-ever movie and is quite the change of pace from the outrageous comedies of Clerks and Mallrats. Ben Affleck stars in one of his first ever leading roles as comic book artist Holden O'Neil who meets-cute with fellow comic book creator Alyssa Jones (Joey Lau...

There were a LOT of crime/thriller/mindbender movies in the 1990s. Quentin Tarantino, Danny Boyle and Tony Scott probably made some of the most memorable films of the genre. But one most Americans missed was the 1998 indie German film RUN LOLA, RUN! Critics and movie nerds raved about this film at the time as it was a unique approach to the genre featuring multiple storylines and outcomes. It'...

Continuing with "Romantic Movie Month", Chad picked one of his all-time favorite films: HIGH FIDELITY starring John Cusack and directed by Stephen Frears. It's one of the most original romantic comedies ever made as there are no "meet cute" moments; no melodramatic tear jerking scenes; and no race-to-the-airport ending. This movie is like if the kids from John Hughes' 1980s...

When it comes to "cult classic" movies, HAROLD AND MAUDE is usually considered one of the greats. It's the story of a twisted young man who's obsessed with death and likes to crash funerals who crushes on an elderly woman who has similar proclivities. This film has become a cult classic likely due to the fact it mixes and defies genres. It's mostly absurdist dry comedy with som...

Cristina has been on a 1987 kick lately, so we mutually picked THE RUNNING MAN for this episode. This is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's lesser known 80s movies; which is kind of ironic since it EPITOMIZES (or possibly parodies) the Cyberpunk dystopian/sci-fi/action genre and of course Ah-nold himself. Lots of explosions, fistfights, stunts, ridiculous costumes, and of course puns galore! This...

The Princess Bride could be considered a perfect movie... maybe. It's got everything: adventure, fantasy, romance and of course comedy. It manages to balance these elements pretty well with a breezy story that never lags. It's also remarkably family friendly as there's something for adults and kids alike. Cristina loved this movie as a child; Chad thought it was okay. Watching it in 20...

Amy Lewis started ‪@PopCultureRetrospectivePodcast‬ nearly six years ago when COVID first hit. She's been consistently posting content ever since. Her show is a mix of did-you-know facts as well as reviews and reminiscing about certain movies, music, toys and other pop culture landmarks of the 1980s and 90s. Since she's been doing this a lot longer than we have, it was only natural for us...

We never intended this podcast to be strictly movie reviews, but somehow that's all we did in 2025. Well it's 2026 and we decided to finally change it up and talk about a comic strip pretty much every Gen Xer, Xenial and Millenial loved: Calvin and Hobbes. It didn't matter who you were or where you came from, it seemed impossible to dislike Calvin and Hobbes. It clearly inspired both c...

Seems like every podcast and YouTube channel does a "best moments of the year" clip show right about now, so why not us? These are the clips that got the most views for each podcast (presented in a completely random order). Enjoy! FOLLOW US EVERYWHERE👉 https://linktr.ee/hisandhersgenx