Episode 69: MEN IN BLACK (1997)

It's Tarantino time, baby! In this special interim episode of NostalgiaCast, Jonny and Darin sit down for a discussion of Quentin Tarantino's "controversial" Top 20 Films Of The 21st Century (so far). Listen as your objective hosts chat about the subjectivity of "Best Of" lists, why it makes no sense to lose your mind over someone else's opinions, and even compile their own lists of the Top 10 films they loved most over the past 25 years, as a proof of concept as to why any list should be emphatically 100% your own.

The future is history as NostalgiaCast winds the clock back... then forward... then back again for a mind-altering discussion of TWELVE MONKEYS, directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, and Madeleine Stowe. Jonny and Darin are joined by friend, film scholar, and Sonic Cinema podcast host Brian Skutle for an attempt to unravel the timey-wimey plot twists and wackadoo acting choices of a movie so apocalyptic, it takes several watches just to get your bearings on it. Plus, Jonny, Darin, and Brian rank their Top 3 films from Gilliam, Willis, and Pitt. Colonics for everyone! Listen now!

We are go for launch as NostalgiaCast welcomes friend, scholar, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic Manuel São Bento for a rocket-fueled chat about Ron Howard's APOLLO 13, starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Kathleen Quinlan, Gary Sinese, and Ed Harris. Manuel joins Jonny and Darin to discuss the movie's technical mastery, stellar performances, and out-of-this-world historical accuracy, plus an exploration of the introspective nature of film, and how our reactions say infinitely more about us than we possibly realize.

Look at me, Harry! NostalgiaCast kicks off its 1995 retrospective with a fond look back at GET SHORTY, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito. Jonny and Darin don't say anything more than they have to, if that, as they compare this meta-comedy classic confection to the Elmore Leonard book on which it's based, gush over their favorite performances and dialogue, and marvel at how Sonnenfeld and screenwriter Scott Frank make the adaptation their own. Don't be a f*** ball. Listen now!

I'm your huckleberry! It's a tale of two Wyatts as NostalgiaCast gallops back to the Old West with a double dip into TOMBSTONE (directed by George P. Cosmatos and starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer) and WYATT EARP (directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid). Our friend / above average fanboy Joe Buttice of the Reel Spoilers podcast joins Jonny and Darin to discuss the wiiiildly different approaches to the legend of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, the Gunfight At The O.K. Corral, and whether both versions stand better on their own or if they'd work better as an amalgam of aesthetics, writing, and performances. 

Broadcasting nationally coast to coast, from New York to Los Angeles, from Seattle to St. Petersburg, coming up next, it's the latest episode of NostalgiaCast! Wind back the clock as Jonny and Darin investigate QUIZ SHOW, directed by the late great Robert Redford and starring Ralph Fiennes, Rob Morrow, and John Turturro. Listen as they dig in to the '50s scandal that rocked the nation, and how the performances and themes of truth and disillusionment still resonate so strongly today.

Sing "Nants' Ingonyama," "Hakuna Matata," and "Mamela lelando we" as NostalgiaCast returns to Pride Rock for a discussion of THE LION KING, starring the voices of James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, and Matthew Broderick. Rachel Wagner and Stanford Clark of the Talking Disney Classics podcast join Jonny and Darin to chat about the film's long-lasting legacy, stunning animation and adult Shakespearean themes, and place within the '90s Disney Renaissance.

Get busy livin' or get busy dyin' as NostalgiaCast kicks off our four-part 1994 retrospective with a captivating look back at THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Hold tight to your rock chisels and Rita Hayworth posters as Jonny and Darin relive the movie's most memorable lines and performances, compare Darabont's adaptation to other Stephen King adaptations, and dig dig dig to the bottom of how the film has secured the #1 spot on the IMDb's Top 100 list for 17 years now. Salvation lies within!

NostalgiaCast searches every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse, and doghouse for THE FUGITIVE, directed by Andrew Davis and starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. Film critic Jaylan Salah of the Women InSession podcast joins Jonny and Darin on the hunt as they discuss the iconic performances and crackerjack set pieces of what might be the greatest action thriller of the '90s, plus all the fun little flourishes that put most of today's actioners to shame.

You ask us if we've got a god complex? Let me tell you something: we ain't gods, we're podcasters! NostalgiaCast sidles up to the surgical table with a look back at MALICE, directed by Harold Becker and starring Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, and Bill Pullman. Join Jonny and Darin as they sort through the twisty, turny, Aaron Sorkin-y stylings of this wannabe Hitchcock-ian thriller—maybe the first to include serial killers, child murder, and thick New Yawk accents purely as "flavor."   SPOILER WARNING! Please see the movie itself before listening to Jonny and Darin discuss its many jaw-dropping twists!