Media Obscura - Retro and Obscure TV/Movie Reviews

Nick and Raekwon sit down to discuss Magnolia. The 1999 film is an ensemble Drama that was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA). It follows several characters in the San Fernando Valley through their day as they pursue happiness, forgiveness, peace, and meaning (while music by Aimee Mann plays). It was released to critical acclaim and was nominated for several Academy Awards, along with two Golden Globes. Of them, Tom Cruise brought home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. In this episode, Nick and Raekwon tackle:- Why the film was named “Magnolia”- Whether this is the best performance of Tom Cruise’s career (along with the quality of the other performances by John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman and William H. Macy, to name a few)- What parallels can be drawn between guys like Frank T.J. Mackey and male influencers in the current day- What the film represents in broader culture.

Danny Boyle’s 1996 feature Trainspotting (based on the Irvine Welsh book of the same name) is one of the most iconic films of the 90s. And seeing as it’s the 30th anniversary of that seminal Miramax feature, we thought there was no better time to sit down and discuss it. Because behind the absolute beast of a soundtrack, the endless parade of quotable lines, and that hyper-stylized 90s cinematography, there’s also a deeply resonant story about coming-of-age and choosing life, as opposed to stewing in an environment that no-longer serves you. 

In this episode of Glaring Admissions, Nick revisits one of his favorite movies of all time while Raekwon watches Trainspotting for the first time.

We break down Ewan McGregor’s Mark Renton, Sick Boy, Spud, Tommy, and the terrifying Francis Begbie while exploring what Danny Boyle’s film has to say about addiction, toxic friendships, and the fear of moving forward. We also make the case that Trainspotting is essentially the anti-John Hughes movie: a coming-of-age story about adults who never really came of age.

We also discuss:

• Why Renton is an unreliable narrator
• The meaning of the phrase “Choose Life”


• Whether Trainspotting glorifies heroin and drug use
• Renton’s relationship with Sick Boy, Spud, Tommy, and Begbie

• Why Renton’s friends may be holding him back
• Tommy’s tragic character arc


• Danny Boyle’s directing and visual style
• The iconic Trainspotting soundtrack, including Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, New Order, and Underworld


• The infamous “Worst Toilet in Scotland” scene


• Trainspotting vs. Requiem for a Dream and other movies about addiction
• Why the ending may represent Renton finally choosing life

Close Encounters of the Third Kind or: Full Disclosure, this rips harder than just about anything else Spielberg “I’m Mr. In Contention for being the Greatest Filmmaker of All Time” Spielberg has ever cooked up. Take that Jurassic Park! 



On this episode of Glaring Admissions, Nick and Raekwon sit down to review and provide an analysis/retrospective on 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the iconic science fiction film that was helmed by the iconic director of Jaws, ET: The Extra Terrestrial, and Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg! In the process, they ponder whether anyone else could’ve made a movie that’s quite as good (in spite of its few flaws) as Close Encounters. Including Steven Spielberg himself!

Their conversation also discusses the way that Spielberg seems to love making movies about aliens, how his humanist touch to storytelling elevates the material, and how he may be trying to evoke his iconic alien movie once again with 2026’s Disclosure Day, another film about aliens coming to Earth and the attempt of several human characters to make sense of it.

On this episode of Glaring Admissions, Nick and Raekwon sit down to discuss First Blood, a smart and criminally underlooked action film/thriller from 1982.

In the process, they explore an interesting question: would we have been better off had we never gotten any Rambo sequels?Their conversation also covers the production history of the first Rambo movie, some insights into the alternate versions of the movie that we almost got back in the 70s, Rambo's place in the history of mental health and the introduction of PTSD into the American lexicon, and the sequels that came out and tarnished this first flick's reputation throughout the 80s up to today.

Wanna get full video versions of Glaring Admissions up to two weeks earlier than everyone else? You can do so by becoming a Patron/Channel Member! Links below. On this episode of Glaring Admissions, Nick busts out the movie that made Jackie Chan a star in America, Rumble in the Bronx! This episode finds him and his faithful co-host Raekwon discussing: - The differences between the US and Hong Kong cuts of the film (also known as Red Bronx in Japan), and which one is better/easier to find on streaming/physical media- How Jackie Chan movies were altered for American audiences, and marketed (including the infamous and dubious claim that Chan 'never uses stuntdoubles.'- Why Rumble in the Bronx was a turning point in Chan's career, as it made him known in America.- And whether or not the movie is truly a 'seminal' piece of cinema, or if it's even worth revisiting 30 years later.

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Glaring Admissions shall return in... This podcast episode. On the final Glaring Admissions of 2024, Nick and Raekwon sit down with their friend (and original Media Obscura co-host Mike's brother) John to discuss GoldenEye! It's his first time watching a 007 movie before, and that leads to a long and playful conversation about the franchise and where he should take things from here.

Scream! Louder! Scream is a 1996 horror film directed by Wes Craven. It follows a group of teenagers (led by Neve Campbell) and a reporter (Courtney Cox) that are getting attacked by a killer wearing a common Halloween mask. The film is known for helping revitalize the slasher genre in the 90s and for being a deconstruction of its tropes. Despite coming out right before Christmas and not being expected to be a hit, the film ended up being a runaway success that has since spawned five sequels and a TV series.

The best movie podcast duo out there (sorry, not sorry) is back to discuss John Landis 1980 musical comedy, The Blues Brothers! Raekwon’s never seen it before and, boy oh boy, did Nick feel the need to change that. For those of you that don’t know, The Blues Brothers is a film adaptation of the popular SNL characters of the same name/real blues revue band led by Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi. The film, which casts them as the Blues, follows them on an adventure to raise $5000 to save the orphanage they grew up in, and finds them joined by legendary black musicians such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway and Ray Charles. They’ve got a souped up car they’ve named “The Blues Mobile,” a killer band, and they’ve pissed off everybody they could in the state of Illinois in the process.

Nick and Raekwon are back to chat about Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick on the latest episode of Glaring Admissions! Be sure to drop your thoughts on whether or not the 2022 sequel to Top Gun can really be considered a classic already down in the comments, as well as your thoughts on the series as a whole.

Independence Day is a 1996 action/disaster blockbuster that was directed by Roland Emmerich. It stars Bill Pullman, Will Smith, and Jeff Goldblum (among many others) as humans forced to scramble to fight off an alien invasion in the days leading up to the 4th of July. The film was released to massive success back in the 90s and briefly held the title as the second highest grossing film of all time (behind Jurassic Park). Despite it's popularity, and it's notability for helping jumpstart Will Smith's film career, it's also a movie that has received a mixed reception from critics and audiences alike for close to thirty years now.