Episode 143: CONTACT (1997)

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! 

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 mucus that cruds up the fungus that feeds on the pond scum. Listen now!   Read in-depth reviews of TV, film, books, and so much more by Natasha and her esteemed contributors here: https://thefictiondepartment.com/

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:  brown-pocket-radio.mixlr.com

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.

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!

"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.

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!

It's "Engage!", "Make it so!", and "Space—the final frontier!" as NostalgiaCast crosses another item off its bucket list with STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, directed by Jonathan Frakes and starring Patrick Stewart, James Cromwell, Alfre Woodard, Alice Krige, and the entire NEXT GENERATION crew. Jonny and Darin welcome director, photographer and fellow Trekker/Trekkie Rachel Masters to the 'Cast for a discussion of the stellar performances, timeless FX, and terrific balance of TREK lore and blockbuster filmmaking that define what is arguably TNG's finest big-screen adventure. Listen now or risk assimilation!   Check out Rachel's podcast Film Fritter, here: https://www.youtube.com/@filmfritter   Check out Rachel's music video work, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1HhIXH-v1g

It'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.

Podcasting is what happens while you're busy making other plans! NostalgiaCast closes out its 1995 retrospective with a look back at MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS, directed by Stephen Herek and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, William H. Macy, and Jean Louisa Kelly. Listen as Jonny and Darin wax nostalgic about their high school days, how the movie captures the importance of art and imagination as well as the highs and lows of a life worth living, and Dreyfuss's tour de force performance. Also the masterful way that MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS spans 30 years without resorting to digital de-aging or other cheap tricks used ad nauseam by filmmakers today.