When you really sit and think about it, it's kind of interesting that a ghoulish holiday like Halloween and a celebratory and feel-good holiday like Christmas kinda butt-up against each other, with nary a couple of months separating them. It's here that Tim Burton's and Disney's 1993 stop-motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas begins, introducing us to Jack Skellington and his crew of mischievous misfits that help Halloween's horror operate effectively. But what happens when their leader gets distracted by a very shiny, very bright, and very hopeful holiday that has nothing to do with them? A lot of confusion (and some great music), that's what. What's this?! A podcast, of course! We hope you enjoy.

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It's easy to make fun of child actors and children's performances in film and TV -- we do it all the time on this show -- but what makes 1990's classic film Home Alone so interesting is that its lead is a compelling kid protagonist. We all know who Macaulay Culkin is because of this movie, and rightfully so: He does a great job as Kevin McAllister, the mischievous child who's... well... left home alone when his family goes on a strangely-opulent European Christmas vacation. What results is one of the great holiday flicks of all-time, full of laughs, warmth, and physical comedy galore. So come to suburban Chicago, friends. Just watch out for that statue in the driveway when you pull in, and lock your valuables away. The Wet Bandits lurk...

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There are really only a small handful of titles that are regularly bandied about as potential Best Game of All-Time, and 2005's Shadow of the Colossus is one of them. Created by Team ICO -- an internal group working out of Sony-owned Japan Studio -- Shadow of the Colossus is a truly breathtaking, gorgeous, clever, and admittedly contentious offering, one that has since migrated to PlayStation 3 (in 2011) and in completely remade form on PlayStation 4 (in 2018). Wander's mysterious, sullen, and melancholic journey is certainly one worth remembering, and his journey leaves us with many questions. So let's get into it without further delay. Oh, and don't forget Agro.

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Did you know KnockBack is a podcast about all things retro and nostalgia? It's true! Nearly 150 weeks into the project, we assume that's fairly well-established. But since this particular episode goes live on American Thanksgiving (for our Patrons, that is), we figured we'd do something just a little bit different. See, there are these things from our past that helped to establish who we are today: Sunday dinners. A specific artist's work. The perfect video game. Taken all together as a single tapestry, you can find out a great deal about any individual's personal journey. With that spirit in mind, let us take you through 100 pieces of personal nostalgia that may just give you a little bit of context into the nerds we were (and still are today). And of course, allow us also to offer up our sincere and everlasting thanks for you, our wonderful and loyal audience.

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We happen to love Studio Ghibli here on KnockBack, and we know that many of you do, too. However, Hayao Miyazaki's 1997 animated picture Princess Mononoke may be the most beloved movie in his team's extensive, decades-long filmography. The setup is simple: Ancient and solidified nature is in existential crisis thanks to humanity's industrial progress, and with both 'sides' dug in, it looks like only one can emerge. Or is there another way? Let's follow the journey of the cursed Prince Ashitaka as he tries to save his life, ward off societal and natural destruction, and perhaps even unite two sides of a conflict, a move that once seemed impossible. So whistle for Yakul, friends! Our journey begins on the other side of Play.

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In its mere existence, 2016's Rogue One is an interesting movie. It's the first Star Wars film (per se) that's unassociated from the three trilogies, yet it intimately intertwines with and sets the stage for the very first Star Wars offering: 1977's Episode IV. Of course, it's even more interesting when it comes to what it's about, a daring caper to steal Imperial plans for the original Death Star so that the Rebellion may exploit its weakness and destroy the Empire's moon-sized weapon. We see that play out in A New Hope, so Rogue One is entirely prologue. Yet, that's what makes it awesome. We're infinitely excited to talk to you about what we deem to be easily one of the best Star Wars films, and if you don't agree when you hit play, you may just agree on the other end.

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If you're a fan of documentaries, then there's a good chance you've heard of Grey Gardens, the 1975 so-called "direct-cinema" documentary that investigates the lives of two women -- a mother and daughter -- who live in isolation and complete squalor on the eastern end of Long Island. Why is that notable? Well, two reasons: They live in the Hamptons, one of the most exclusive and expensive places to dwell in the entire country, and the occupants of Grey Gardens (their crumbling estate) happen to be the aunt and cousin of none other than Jacqueline Kennedy. This is a truly strange film, eclectic and alive and real... and it's an absolute must-watch. Let's jump in.

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It's not easy for a development studio to pivot from one group of projects to something radically different, but Sony-owned Guerrilla Games did just that when it released its open world action-RPG Horizon: Zero Dawn in early 2017. Horizon was unlike anything Guerrilla had ever done: Rather than an FPS like Killzone, Horizon is a wide-open, non-linear, character-driven affair, an interesting mixture of American Indian imagery, sci-fi tropes, and action-oriented gameplay that makes Zero Dawn among PS4's very best games. So let's chat about it, fellow Old Ones.

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When you grow up with a father who's obsessed with all things retro, it's safe to assume the apple won't fall from the ever-nerdy tree. In that spirit, we have a guest on this episode: Dagan's son, Graeden. Together, father and son take a walk through their shared passions -- video games, especially -- and how one dad's love of nostalgia naturally enchanted his kid. The end result is something we hope you find charming, if not a little different. It's almost like getting to interview our younger selves, and we hope you get a kick out of it.

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On its periphery, the 2006 film The Prestige is about an ever-escalating rivalry between two 19th century magicians, but in reality, its thematic focus is about something far more sinister: Obsession. Christopher and Jonathan Nolan's adaptation of the novel by the same name boasts a star-studded cast and a convincing recreation of late-Victorian London, but -- in true Nolan fashion -- it's what rests far beneath the surface that perhaps matters most. So practice your sleight-of-hand and pay your ingénieur well, friends. After all, it's worth paying a high price in order to revel in the glory of the crowd. Are you watching (well, listening) closely?

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