Podcast
The Nextlander Watchcast
Hosted by The Nextlander Watchcast · EN
The Nextlander crew branches out into media that doesn't require a controller to enjoy! Join Alex, Brad, and Vinny as they watch the movies, shows, and anime they've either missed out on up to this point in their lives, or just want to revisit again.
30episodes
Episodes
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181: Trekkies (1997)
1w ago01:56:35Tap to summarizeWe've got a one week break coming up before Star Trek Summer begins again in earnest, but before that happens we've got one more documentary to serve our Watchcasting listeners in Trekkies! Join us for some nerd archeology as we dig through this doc that's chock full of superfans of all flavors and stripes, and marvel with us at how quaint it all seems compared with our extremely fandom-oriented present.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 181: Trekkies (1997)(00:00:14) - Intro.(00:05:40) - Why we're doing Trekkies (because Star Trek Summer is on the horizon).(00:08:10) - The fandom, and how this movie treats its nerds.(00:16:41) - On Denise Crosby, and how this movie got made.(00:20:32) - The cast reactions to all this stuff. (00:31:30) - Break!(00:31:54) - We're back, and we're beginning this journey with the Spiner-Femme.(00:37:18) - Gabriel, the star of the movie, if we're being honest.(00:52:32) - Barbara, the Whitewater juror.(00:58:29) - Actual Star Trek (and affiliated) people. (01:07:06) - The Slash Fiction crowd.(01:12:03) - The Greensteins.(01:17:18) - Starbase Dental.(01:20:29) - Filking.(01:22:54) - The wildly different radio shows.(01:30:43) - An encounter at Radio Shack.(01:34:53) - A few scattered bits.(01:40:17) - Final thoughts.(01:53:08) - Housekeeping for our upcoming Star Trek season 3 watch.(01:55:59) - Outro.
Transcribe →180: Apollo 11 (2019)
2w ago02:04:42Tap to summarizeNothing brings people together like a good old fashioned space mission, and for this week's Watchcast we've got a documentary about the goodest of old fashioned space missions, Apollo 11! Join us as we marvel not just at the unbelievable human achievement this story represents, but also the ludicrously high quality footage they managed to capture 50-plus years ago.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 180: Apollo 11 (2019)(00:00:24) - Intro.(00:02:50) - Brad tells us why he picked Apollo 11, and we muse on how wild it is that this footage exists.(00:11:01) - On the achievement itself, and what it's meant to the world since.(00:22:51) - Some context for the previous Apollo missions.(00:32:20) - Once again talking about the ludicrous amount of high quality footage we have here.(00:38:30) - On the filmmaker, and how this movie came to be.(00:43:02) - Break!(00:43:28) - We're back, and Brad has a familial anecdote.(00:45:50) - Launch day.(00:59:27) - Once again, gotta give it up for the clarity of this footage.(01:05:41) - Off to the (space) races.(01:12:54) - Arrival at the Moon, and the descent.(01:25:12) - Two hours on the Moon.(01:30:03) - Rejoining with the ship, and heading home.(01:35:35) - The boys come home.(01:39:18) - What came after.(01:53:27) - Final thoughts (we did a cool thing, once).(01:58:01) - What's coming up on the Watchcast.(02:04:08) - Outro.
Transcribe →179: Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976)
3w ago02:12:33Tap to summarizeThis week's Watchcast takes us on a trip down to Harlan County, U.S.A. as we tackle Barbara Kopple's gripping (and Academy Award winning) documentary about the 1973 miners' strike against Duke Power.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 179: Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976)(00:00:57) - Intro.(00:07:38) - Geography lessons with the Nextlander gang.(00:12:53) - On Bloody Harlan, and some discussion of the movie's structure.(00:20:41) - How this movie came to be.(00:37:02) - Break!(00:37:24) - We're back, and it's time to venture down to Kentucky.(00:42:01) - Our first glimpses at the life of the strikers.(00:51:34) - A personal retelling of Bloody Harlan, and the first encounter with the gun thugs.(00:58:05) - The women of the community become more directly involved.(01:05:24) - Open conflicts begin to errupt, and people are taken to jail.(01:10:37) - Heading to New York.(01:17:22) - The Farmington accident, and discussion of black lung.(01:23:26) - The Boyle/Yablonski affair.(01:32:02) - Tensions are boiling in Harlan.(01:41:13) - The road blockade and the warrant for Basil Collins.(01:46:58) - The killing of Lawrence Jones.(01:51:18) - The fight is never over.(02:01:24) - Final thoughts.(02:07:00) - Housekeeping for next week's doc: Apollo 11!(02:11:45) - Outro.
Transcribe →178: Class Action Park (2020)
May 1801:56:57Tap to summarizeWe're filling out May's Watchcast schedule with a trio of documentaries that have been on our respective lists for a while now, and first up is Vinny's pick, Class Action Park! Join us as we recount our own memories of weirdo theme parks of yore, marvel at the brazen lawlessness of this whole operation, and wonder aloud if we aren't just living in Action Park all the time now.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 178: Class Action Park (2020)(00:00:43) - Intro.(00:04:00) - Class Action Park is Vinny's pick this month, and here's why.(00:10:37) - How this podcast is going to go, generally, and our own personal experiences with local theme parks.(00:20:57) - How the hell was this allowed to go on for so long?(00:27:04) - Break!(00:27:32) - We're back, and it's time to talk about who made this movie, and who some of the folks speaking in it are.(00:32:11) - Kicking things off with who Gene Mulvihill was. and how he came to own this place. (00:36:26) - The Action Park complex, and the rides that didn't work out.(00:46:42) - Some of the rides that lasted the duration, and the Lord of the Flies situation going on here.(00:56:02) - The deadliest kayak experience this side of the Colorado.(00:57:31) - The wave pool deaths.(01:05:49) - Motorworld, and George Larsson's death on the Alpine Slide.(01:14:52) - How Gene Mulvihill dodged consequences.(01:24:05) - What became of Action Park, and what, if anything, is there to be learned from all this?(01:46:12) - Final thoughts.(01:53:26) - Our film for next week: Harlan County, USA!(01:56:18) - Outro.
Transcribe →177: Burn After Reading (2008) with Austin Walker
May 1102:17:15Tap to summarizeWe close out our slate of Coens comedies with their 2008 spy thriller farce, Burn After Reading! And joining the crew as we unravel this sordid tale of idiot spycraft is none other than our friend and yours, Austin Walker!CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 177: Burn After Reading (2008)(00:00:16) - Intro.(00:01:02) - Our guest this week is Austin Walker, and our movie is Burn After Reading!(00:05:36) - On the movie's overall tone, it's cynicism, and how it treats its characters.(00:21:14) - How this movie came into the world.(00:29:03) - Break!(00:29:24) - We're back, and it's time to handle the most important political issue of our time: HR violations at the CIA.(00:36:38) - Katie, and the Pfarrers.(00:44:52) - Osborne's explosive memoirs (and exploding marriage).(00:51:32) - Linda arrives, and she wants some work done.(01:00:49) - The discovery of top secret shit.(01:07:22) - The master plan begins.(01:15:56) - We gotta get these two crazy kids together.(01:18:34) - The drop, and the Russians become involved.(01:24:40) - No one ever expects the adult novelty chair, and the fall of Osborne Cox.(01:31:36) - Things escalate, to say the least.(01:36:07) - JK Simmons is here to say what we're all thinking.(01:41:16) - Everyone and everything becomes unwound.(01:57:55) - What did we learn?(02:03:58) - Final thoughts.(02:09:21) - Housekeeping for the remaining May movies.(02:13:01) - Outro.
Transcribe →176: Raising Arizona (1987)
May 401:56:18Tap to summarizeThe third film in our Coens Comedy Classics lineup is an all-time favorite of Alex's, and a genuine screwball hall-of-famer if you don't mind such bold proclamations. We are, of course, talking about Raising Arizona, a movie chock full of yuks that still has a genuine heart that cannot be denied.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 176: Raising Arizona (1987)(00:00:22) - Intro.(00:08:19) - Some initial impressions, and how Raising Arizona got made.(00:21:09) - On the subject of Randall "Tex" Cobb.(00:25:43) - A brief bit on Trey Wilson.(00:27:05) - On the movie's success and reception (and also a lengthy Siskel and Ebert bit).(00:33:11) - Break!(00:33:31) - We're back, and it's time for Hi and Ed's whirlwind romance.(00:43:32) - Taking your pick of the Arizona Quints.(00:52:42) - Our new nuclear family, and the Snoats brothers come calling.(01:01:47) - The demon biker first appears, and Nathan Jr. is discovered missing.(01:07:57) - The true horror of the nuclear family is revealed.(01:15:09) - One of the all-time great failed hold-ups in cinema.(01:18:04) - The bank robbery is pitched, and Junior's origins are discovered by unsavory types.(01:29:59) - Hi and Ed are nearly done, and the bank robbery pops off.(01:33:10) - All forces converge on Nathan Jr.(01:36:47) - Hi and Ed make things right, and a (potential) vision of the future.(01:44:05) - Final thoughts, and various other Cage musings.(01:53:42) - Our final Coens movie for this lineup: Burn After Reading!(01:55:47) - Outro.
Transcribe →175: The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Apr 2702:04:19Tap to summarizeOur journey through some of the wackier Coen Brothers capers continues this week as we take on The Hudsucker Proxy, a star-studded, over-the-top affair that is equal parts His Girl Friday and Roadrunner cartoon, and is every bit as ungainly as that description makes it sound.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 175: The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)(00:00:20) - Intro.(00:01:28) - Our movie this week: The Hudsucker Proxy!(00:10:49) - How this movie got made, and discussion of its ill box office fortunes.(00:25:03) - Break!(00:25:26) - We're back, and it's time to tell the tale of Norville Barnes.(00:35:04) - Everything's going great at Hudsucker Industries, until it isn't.(00:40:04) - Let's hatch a stock scam.(00:44:22) - Mailroom mayhem, and the introduction of the Blue Letter.(00:57:17) - A perfect patsy is born, but one ace reporter smells a bunko scam.(01:05:20) - A fabricated meet-cute at the diner, and Amy becomes a Muncie gal.(01:10:20) - Taking a letter, and the fancy dress ball.(01:21:02) - The dawn of the extruded plastic dingus.(01:28:29) - The stock scam is in shambles, and Norville is tripping on his own dingus.(01:32:20) - Norville's dancing dreams, and the downfall.(01:42:25) - Long way down (one more thing).(01:54:14) - The epilogue, and our final thoughts.(02:02:13) - Our film for next week is a killer one: Raising Arizona!(02:03:48) - Outro.
Transcribe →174: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Apr 2001:52:33Tap to summarizeAfter an unexpectedly long odyssey that delayed the Watchcast's scheduled arrival, we're finally back to our movie watching ways, and launching into our month of Coen Brothers comedies, starting with the duo's southern-fried take on one of the great Homeric works in O Brother, Where Art Thou?!CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 174: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)(00:01:04) - Intro(00:02:53) - It took us longer than we expected to get back, but we're finally here. Now, on a totally unrelated subject, let's talk about The Odyssey.(00:09:17) - The music, and some chatter about our main cast.(00:16:46) - Some last production notes.(00:23:32) - What was our familiarity with this one prior to this watch?(00:27:01) - Break!(00:30:01) - The blind seer's prophecy, and a night on the farm.(00:40:41) - A genuine geographical oddity, and the dreamiest Baptism you ever did see.(00:43:43) - Meeting Tommy at the Crossroads, and singin' into a can.(00:54:19) - Money talk around the campfire, and the introduction of Babyface.(01:04:55) - The sirens, a toad, and Big Dan.(01:13:17) - Homer Stokes, the Wharvey gals, and the pater familias.(01:21:59) - Reuniting with Pete, and rescuing Tommy from the klan.(01:30:11) - Everything converges at the music hall.(01:37:34) - Babyface's fate, and one last challenge to overcome.(01:44:41) - The McGills reunited.(01:46:10) - Final thoughts.(01:49:45) - Next week's movie: The Hudsucker Proxy!(01:51:57) - Outro.
Transcribe →173: Stop Making Sense (1984)
Mar 2402:01:15Tap to summarizeIt's our last Watchcast before we take a two week hiatus, so Alex wants to send us off on a high note, and to do so he has hand selected the 1984 Talking Heads concert extravaganza Stop Making Sense! Join us as we experience together the myriad pleasures of great music, cardiovascular exercise, and enormous suits.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 173: Stop Making Sense (1984)(00:00:45) - Intro.(00:02:46) - Our personal histories with the Talking Heads, if we have them.(00:10:36) - Brad has a couple of questions.(00:14:38) - A little bit of history about the band.(00:33:45) - How the film came to be.(00:41:13) - The touring musicians who help make this show so dynamic.(00:48:37) - Break!(00:48:58) - We're back, and we're kicking things off with Psycho Killer.(00:54:52) - Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.(01:02:33) - Jerry Harrison Found a Job.(01:04:49) - (Mostly) The full backing crew arrives for Slippery People.(01:06:19) - A song from the extended edition, Cities.(01:08:40) - Burning Down the House.(01:12:32) - The incredible performance of Life During Wartime.(01:17:54) - Making Flippy Floppy.(01:20:06) - Swampin' it up.(01:22:30) - What a Day That Was.(01:24:21) - This Must Be the Place (Naive Podcasters)(01:27:43) - This is not my beautiful Watchcast!(01:30:07) - Big Business / I Zimbra(01:32:40) - The Tom Tom Club takeover.(01:35:08) - BIG SUIT (also featuring Girlfriend Is Better).(01:39:30) - Take Me to the River.(01:43:42) - Closing out with Crosseyed and Painless.(01:46:57) - Final thoughts.(01:56:35) - Housekeeping for next month.(02:00:35) - Outro.
Transcribe →172: Annihilation (2018)
Mar 1602:42:04Tap to summarizeBrad has made his pick for the month, and he's decided to take a trip down south to Alex Garland's Annihilation, where a funny kind of Shimmer has got everyone all confused and refracted and dead. Join us as we discuss at length the phantasmagoric scenes that await our scientific adventurers, the human drama that plagues them both in and out of the zone, and just how how messed up that bear really is.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 172: Annihilation (2018)(00:00:26) - Intro.(00:04:06) - Brad's pick is up this week, and he has chosen Annihilation!(00:08:50) - Talking about the book, Alex Garland, and how he set about adapting this story.(00:16:48) - On the production, and the trouble it ran into pre-release.(00:27:02) - The flashback.(00:38:23) - This is not my beautiful house. This is not my beautiful wife. How did I get here?(00:42:35) - Break!(00:42:54) - We're back, and it's time for our first look at the Shimmer.(00:53:28) - Meeting the squad.(00:59:34) - Time becomes immediately weird.(01:03:11) - The mutations start to become apparent.(01:15:33) - Video logs and environmental storytelling.(01:24:24) - Another flashback in a flashback, and the bear makes its first appearance.(01:33:44) - They find Cassie, then they find some tree people.(01:42:50) - Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear absorbs your consciousness at the moment of grim death.(01:52:28) - Josie becomes one with the field.(01:56:59) - That lighthouse is messed up.(02:07:51) - The titular line.(02:13:13) - Dancing with...myself?(02:26:20) - Are you you? Am I me?(02:30:59) - Final thoughts.(02:37:57) - Housekeeping for next week's movie: Stop Making Sense!(02:41:21) - Outro.
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