Episode 149: PLEASANTVILLE (1998)
NostalgiaCast
It looks like another sunny day here at NostalgiaCast, with a high of 72 and a low of 72 as Jonny and Darin tune in to PLEASANTVILLE, directed by Gary Ross and starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, and Reese Witherspoon. Friend and fellow podcaster Robert Yaniz Jr. is our very special guest for this episode, in which we discuss the peachy keen comedy, boss digital FX, and outta-this-world performances that bring this multi-meaning'd social commentary fantasy to life.
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Episode 148: OUT OF SIGHT (1998)
NostalgiaCast
You wanted to tussle? Let's tussle, as NostalgiaCast sets its sights on OUT OF SIGHT, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, and Albert Brooks. Jonny and Darin discuss the movie as an Elmore Leonard adaptation with a voice, the jump cuts, freeze frames, and electric filmmaking choices that defined the rest of Soderbergh's career, and the megawatt movie star performances by Clooney and Lopez. Also, where does the movie rank among PULP FICTION wannabes?
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Episode 147: THE MASK OF ZORRO (1998)
NostalgiaCast
Justice leaves its mark! Grab your whip and your fedora as NostalgiaCast celebrates cinema's other greatest pulp adventure hero with a retrospective look at THE MASK OF ZORRO, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Friend and fellow podcaster Stanford Clark joins Jonny and Darin for a swashbuckling, horse-riding, Spanish Tango-ing discussion of this '90s adventure classic, the characters (like Batman and Indiana Jones) that Johnston McCulley's iconic creation inspired, and the story choices and practical stuntwork that sets the...
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Episode 146: FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998)
NostalgiaCast
We can't stop here, it's bat country! Take a mind trip you'll never forget as NostalgiaCast kicks off its 1998 Bucket List retrospective with FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, Terry Gilliam's polarizing adaptation of the novel by Hunter S. Thompson. Jonny and Darin are joined by author/ podcaster/ Jonny's wife Ruth Harris Craddock to discuss the gonzo performances and camera tricks that immerse us in a world of debauchery and excess, and also delve into the '60s counterculture that inspired the book. Buy the ticket, take the ride!
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Episode 145: MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING (1997)
NostalgiaCast
NostalgiaCast says a little prayer for you as Jonny and Darin welcome film critic, friend, and good luck charm Natasha Alvar for a joy-filled discussion of MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING, directed by P.J. Hogan and starring Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett. They talk about the current state of romantic comedies in today's political climate, why modern movie watchers push back on the idea of imperfect protagonists, and also interview Natasha about her invaluable work cultivating the arts as editor-in-chief of The Fiction Department. Don't be the pus that infects the...
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Episode 144: GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997)
NostalgiaCast
How do you like them apples, it's the latest '90s Bucket List episode of NostalgiaCast! Jonny and Darin are joined by returning friend (and Matt Damon lookalike) Tim Hade for a deep-dive psychoanalysis of GOOD WILL HUNTING, directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, and Minnie Driver. Listen as they discuss the performances, Damon and Affleck's award-winning screenplay, and why a movie made up almost entirely of monologues positively should not work but absolutely does. Let the healing begin! Listen to Tim at Brown Pocket Radio here: ...
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Episode 143: CONTACT (1997)
NostalgiaCast
Hey, podcast listeners: wanna take a riiiiiide? Search the stars for meaning and purpose as NostalgiaCast revisits Robert Zemeckis's CONTACT, starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. Returning guest (and fellow philosophizer) Kevin The Critic joins Jonny and Darin to help make sense of the scientific/ religious/ political debate at the center of this mind-bending sci-fi classic, plus the glorious mix of spectacle and storytelling that defines Zemeckis's best work.
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Episode 142: GROSSE POINTE BLANK (1997)
NostalgiaCast
It's bing bing bing bing bang! popcorn! as NostalgiaCast winds back the clock to our high school days and GROSSE POINTE BLANK, directed by George Armitage and starring John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd, and Alan Arkin. Jonny and Darin talk about the movie as the "Second Coming of PULP FICTION" with its ironic violence and throwback soundtrack, plus its endlessly quotable dialogue and maybe possibly deeper meaning at its core. Give it a shot!
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Episode 141: TWISTER (1996)
NostalgiaCast
"We've got cows!" as NostalgiaCast weathers the storm to talk about TWISTER, starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Returning guest (and hat enthusiast) The Lady Wan of the ScreenRun podcast joins Jonny and Darin to discuss the thunderous action, earth-shaking special effects, and drizzly character dynamics of Jan De Bont's pulse-pounding disaster spectacle, then settle down to bemoan the state of blockbuster cinema today.
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Episode 140: SLING BLADE (1996)
NostalgiaCast
It's time for the latest episode of NostalgiaCast, m-hm, as Jonny and Darin sit down for an order of french-fried potaters and SLING BLADE, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton and starring Billy Bob Thornton, John Ritter, and Dwight Yoakam. Listen as your hosts chat about the movie's origins, filmmaking choices, and how it became an Indie darling at the 69th Academy Awards, plus a discussion of the ongoing battle between streaming services and physical media. All right then!
info_outlineIt's a time to question what you believe and no time for mistakes as NostalgiaCast opens its 1996 retrospective with A TIME TO KILL, directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, and Samuel L. Jackson. Listen as Jonny and Darin discuss the movie's hot-button subject matter as filtered through the blockbuster sensibilities, knockout performances, and questionable legal tactics that bring John Grisham's most personal novel to life.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode features frank conversations about racial violence and sexual assault.