The Nextlander Watchcast

On this week's Watchcast we scrutinize the ridiculous 1987 movie version of TV's driest cop show, Dragnet! And in the process Vinny and Alex try their best to figure out why the heck this movie, of all movies, holds so much real estate in their brains.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 88: Dragnet (1987)
(00:00:37) - Intro.
(00:02:07) - Goofball Hanks vs. Dramatic Hanks.
(00:05:45) - Talking about old Dragnet.
(00:11:22) - Did any of us know the show at all? And where does this movie fit in the lineage of cop comedies?
(00:18:43) - Some (limited) production notes.
(00:22:06) - Our (mostly) all-star cast.
(00:29:09) - The chapter you've all been waiting for.
(00:38:29) - Why don't they make Dragnets anymore.
(00:42:04) - Break!
(00:42:25) - We're back, let's set some pornos on fire and get Tom Hanks in here.
(00:49:59) - The nature of P.A.G.A.N.
(00:54:59) - The interrogation of Emil Muzz.
(00:57:47) - Grab your goat leggings, it's party time.
(01:06:56) - How do you top a P.A.G.A.N. party? You don't.
(01:11:44) - Grandma Mundy and the Brown Derby.
(01:16:59) - Pep to the rescue, and trying to piece together this evil plot.
(01:25:04) - Party at the Bait mansion.
(01:31:55) - To the airport!
(01:36:16) - A reverend arrested is a virgin saved.
(01:38:38) - Final thoughts.
(01:44:19) - Our film for next week: Mission: Impossible!
(01:47:54) - Outro.

On this week's Watchcast we kick off a month of TV-related movies with the first trip to the big screen for a beloved pair of cartoon dumbasses in Beavis & Butt-Head Do America! 

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 87: Beavis & Butt-Head Do America (1996)
(00:00:12) - Intro.
(00:01:27) - What does Beavis & Butt-Head mean to us?
(00:10:10) - The music video (and reality show) riffs, and Mike Judge's voices.
(00:15:10) - The various controversies.
(00:21:20) - Liquid Television origins, and the show's limited availability.
(00:25:27) - Pelting Vinny and Brad with Beavis & Butt-Head related questions.
(00:35:10) - Getting into the movie's production history.
(00:41:30) - Our all-star cast.
(00:46:35) - Break!
(00:46:58) - We're back, and it's time to study Butt-head's giant crotch.
(00:51:22) - Theme song talk.
(00:53:18) - A brief stop at Highland High, and meeting Muddy. 
(00:58:31) - Our journey across America begins.
(00:59:46) - Arriving in Vegas, and soundtrack talk.
(01:03:53) - Beavis & Butt-Head Don't Do Dallas.
(01:06:49) - On a bus tour to destroy America's landmarks, and Tom Anderson's life.
(01:12:04) - Lost in the desert.
(01:16:42) - Throwing Beavis from a moving trunk.
(01:18:42) - It's all going down in Washington.
(01:24:22) - White House Dumb.
(01:29:20) - The final stand-off. 
(01:30:41) - A kindred spirit in Bill Clinton.
(01:32:54) - Finally, the boys are united with their one true love.
(01:34:16) - Final thoughts.
(01:39:16) - Talking about next week's movie: Dragnet!
(01:42:09) - Outro.

We close out our month of '90s hero flicks with the heroes in the half shell! Join us as we dive deep into Turtlemania and ponder the strange edges of this surprisingly solid rubber suit turtle movie.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 86: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990
(00:00:14) - Intro.
(00:02:21) - What level of Turtles fandom are we operating at, and some talk about the comic origins.
(00:05:55) - Toy talk, and discussions of censorship around the cartoon and movie.
(00:11:44) - The movie's production history.
(00:21:30) - The animatronic suits.
(00:36:19) - Soundtrack talk, and sequel talk.
(00:44:54) - Break!
(00:45:14) - Cowabunga, we're back!
(00:48:26) - (Roger Daltry voice) TEENAGE CRIME WAVE!
(00:53:31) - The boys achieve their first victory.
(00:59:10) - Casey Jones you'd better watch your swing.
(01:04:45) - The Danny problem.
(01:08:35) - Half (shell) of the turtles' origin story.
(01:12:44) - Splinter gets rat-napped.
(01:15:04) - Sam Rockwell?!?
(01:16:51) - A very ridiculous Shredder.
(01:22:45) - Raiding April's apartment.
(01:26:01) - Splinter tries to get through to Danny.
(01:28:59) - A nice trip to the country.
(01:37:13) - Sewer sweet sewer, and Casey goes on a sneaking mission.
(01:39:57) - The second half (shell) of the origin story.
(01:45:04) - Racing toward our final battle.
(01:51:34) - The final showdown with Shredder.
(02:00:14) - Final thoughts.
(02:08:07) - What's coming up on the Watchcast.
(02:12:26) - Outro.

On this week's Watchcast we tackle the mother of all comic book blockbusters in Tim Burton's Batman! Join us as we talk Nicholson's Joker, the Keat-dawg, cool gadgets, and all that sweet, sweet merchandise.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 85: Batman (1989)
(00:00:27) - Intro.
(00:01:44) - The status of superhero movies when Batman came around.
(00:07:13) - The cultural phenomenon that was this movie, and some thoughts on its tone.
(00:10:24) - Talkin' Jokers past and present.
(00:18:27) - Where we were at when Batman came out, and what merchadise did we partake of.
(00:27:46) - The movie's production history.
(00:38:25) - Our cast, and how the Keat-dawg got the part.
(00:51:20) - Why Tim Burton didn't stick around past the first sequel.
(00:54:08) - Some additional production notes.
(00:57:26) - Talking about the soundtrack, both Elfman and Prince.
(01:04:18) - Somehow, Warner claims this lost money.
(01:09:38) - Break!
(01:10:09) - We're back, and it's time to actually talk about this movie!
(01:15:44) - The introduction of Jack Napier and Vicki Vale.
(01:22:36) - #@&%ing Eckhardt.
(01:27:43) - Raiding Axis Chemicals.
(01:38:55) - Bruce and Vicki get together.
(01:43:20) - Here comes the Joker!
(01:49:54) - The Joker's sick crime table.
(01:55:00) - Hired goons?!?
(02:00:19) - The Joker's grand plan.
(02:05:13) - A bad night at the museum.
(02:11:31) - And we are off to the Batcave.
(02:16:53) - Let's get nuts.
(02:22:04) - The reveal of Bruce Wayne's childhood trauma.
(02:29:50) - Let's go blow up a chemical factory, then we can have a Prince party.
(02:38:14) - Our cathedral climax.
(02:49:52) - Tune in next time for the continuing adventures of Batman and Vicki Vale!
(02:52:17) - Final thoughts.
(03:00:42) - Outro.

 We continue to push through our current spate of '90s hero flicks, and this week we attempt to sate a deep need for more Billy Zane in our lives with the 1996 comic strip adaptation The Phantom! Did we enjoy watching him Slam Evil? Not so much, but we did have fun talking about it! 

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 84: The Phantom (1996)
(00:00:36) - Intro.
(00:03:32) - Taking the 20,000 foot view of this very ridiculous movie.
(00:11:46) - Getting into the production history.
(00:22:12) - Launching into this grand-ish adventure, and the movie's history of the Phantom.
(00:27:02) - The opening jungle action sequence.
(00:30:50) - Joining our hero and his ghost dad in the Skull Cave.
(00:34:38) - Meanwhile, at the Playboy Mansion.
(00:44:06) - Break!
(00:44:26) - We're back, and we cleared up Vinny's phantom, uh, Phantom t-shirt.
(00:45:49) - Drax confronts a librarian.
(00:50:32) - Catherine Zeta-Jones' sky pirates, and the Phantom to the rescue.
(00:54:42) - Now it's the wolf and the horse to the rescue.
(00:59:12) - My friends, "The Rope People."
(01:02:56) - The Phantom takes Manhattan.
(01:10:15) - A very disrespectful museum trip.
(01:14:36) - Diana gets kidnapped, the Phantom gives chase.
(01:21:00) - The Phantom hangs on for dear life, and we arrive at magical pirate island.
(01:32:01) - Let's fight some pirates and unite some skulls.
(01:38:49) - It was Kit Walker all along! Who knew?!?
(01:43:23) - Final thoughts.
(01:51:18) - Tracking the path of Billy Zane.
(01:53:37) - Outro.

On this week's show we work our way through a movie that looms large in Alex's mind, The Crow! Does it hold up to Alex's memory? We discuss that and much more, including the incredible soundtrack, and the air of tragedy that permeates the entire production.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 83: The Crow (1994)
(00:00:39) - Intro.
(00:03:43) - Talking a bit about James O'Barr's comic, and the undercurrent of tragedy attached to all of this.
(00:09:44) - Some early impressions and thoughts.
(00:17:18) - Getting into the film's production history.
(00:24:15) - Talking about our cast.
(00:29:01) - The death of Brandon Lee.
(00:39:18) - The aftermath, the soundtrack, and the movie's unusually long cultural shadow.
(00:48:28) - The incredibly awful succession of sequels.
(00:59:34) - Break!
(01:00:03) - We're back, and let's get into the movie itself.
(01:06:17) - One year later.
(01:12:53) - T-Bird and his gang of assholes.
(01:17:05) - First up for death: Tin Tin.
(01:20:07) - Here comes Top Dollar.
(01:24:49) - Goodbye Gideon's Pawn Shop.
(01:32:44) - It's Funboy's turn.
(01:37:47) - Swooping in on Albrecht.
(01:41:37) - Gideon mouths off to the wrong guy, and Sarah puts on a record.
(01:44:17) - The spectacular death of T-Bird.
(01:49:31) - Sarah and her mom reconcile, Albrecht is suspended, and Sarah goes to visit Eric.
(01:53:15) - Eric's last guitar solo, and the Devil's Night club shootout.
(02:07:30) - The Crow is ready to go, but it ain't over yet.
(02:16:44) - The wrap-up, and final thoughts.
(02:21:53) - Outro.

Our journey through '90s hero flicks kicks off in earnest this week, and we do mean earnest, as we take on Disney's gee-golly-aw-shucks adaptation of The Rocketeer!

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 82: The Rocketeer (1991)
(00:00:17) - Intro.
(00:03:09) - Introducing our film for the week: The Rocketeer!
(00:12:46) - When we saw The Rocketeer, if we had seen it before.
(00:16:01) - The film's long and winding production history.
(00:28:05) - Talking about our cast.
(00:34:14) - The remaining production notes.
(00:39:40) - Break!
(00:40:03) - We're back! Let's talk about what actually happens in this movie.
(00:52:31) - Finding the iconic jetpack.
(00:55:16) - Sinclair and the mobsters refuse to explain what the heck they actually want.
(00:58:28) - And introducing: Jenny!
(01:05:47) - The longwinded Nazi set-up, and Lothar starts cracking backs.
(01:10:52) - Gaining the iconic helmet.
(01:12:04) - Making movie magic.
(01:14:14) - The Rocketeer (finally) saves the day, and the gunfight with Lothar and the FBI.
(01:18:02) - The club scene.
(01:25:13) - Jenny puts one over on Sinclair.
(01:30:37) - You can't stop this rocket man.
(01:33:16) - Nazis storm Los Angeles!
(01:43:28) - Shame about the jetpack, but here's a new plane.
(01:47:18) - Final thoughts.
(01:50:01) - Outro.

We're closing out February with a Vinny pick, and one of the most delightfully weird and gross hero movies of the '90s in Sam Raimi's not-quite-a-Batman, Darkman!

CHAPTERS: 

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 81: Darkman (1990)
(00:00:19) - Intro.
(00:09:03) - Getting into Darkman's production, and the cast.
(00:20:40) - The direct-to-video sequels, and how well the movie did in theaters.
(00:27:05) - The killer intro.
(00:31:47) - Peyton Westlake's previous life, and the memo of doom.
(00:43:39) - Peyton becomes the Darkman.
(00:48:33) - Break!
(00:48:54) - We're back, and we're dissolving into funerals and burn units.
(00:57:50) - Rebuilding the lab.
(01:00:40) - Strack puts the moves on Julie, and Darkman kills Ted Raimi (more like Dead Raimi!)
(01:08:01) - Darkman has a plan.
(01:17:34) - Revealing his new face to Julie.
(01:20:39) - The ol' Double Durant.
(01:25:32) - The carnival scene.
(01:31:41) - Strack reveals his true intentions, and Durant's "demise".
(01:38:00) - The final confrontation with Strack.
(01:49:36) - Final thoughts.
(01:54:59) - Plans for next month.
(01:59:53) - Outro.

To round out the month of February, Brad and Vinny have each picked a film they most wanted to revisit for the podcast, and Brad's pick is the colorfully outsized comic strip adaptation Dick Tracy! Join us as we discuss Tommy Guns, Pacino's scenery chewing habits, and Warren Beatty's extracurricular activities wearing the trademark hat and coat.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 80: Dick Tracy (1990)
(00:00:25) - Intro.
(00:09:54) - How into Dick Tracy were we when we saw it as kids?
(00:16:39) - Getting into the bizarre production history of the movie.
(00:27:43) - Disney's lofty Batman goals, and discussion of the soundtrack.
(00:30:59) - On the film's visual style and lack of computer effects, and discussion of the cast.
(00:38:09) - Where has Dick Tracy been all these years since the movie? In Warren Beatty's closet, apparently.
(00:48:23) - Break!
(00:48:44) - We're back! Let's actually talk about what happens in the film.
(00:55:28) - Setting the tone with a bunch of weird guys getting shot the hell up.
(01:02:00) - Big Boy wants to own all the crime.
(01:07:56) - Good old Mumbles, and even more discussion of the ridiculously stacked cast.
(01:15:30) - Dick wants Big Boy. Big Boy wants to be a choreographer. Breathless wants Dick. 
(01:23:13) - The montages are the best parts of the movie.
(01:25:06) - Trying to kill Dick Tracy like he's Bugs Bunny, and the introduction of No Face/The Blank.
(01:34:23) - The frame job.
(01:37:54) - The one time Dick Tracy actually feels like a human being.
(01:42:38) - The OTHER frame job, and the final confrontation.
(01:52:55) - Here's lookin' at you, Tess.
(01:54:31) - Final thoughts.
(02:04:54) - Outro.

This is it, folks. We have arrived at the Black Lodge, and the finale of Twin Peaks' second season. It's been a hell of a journey up to this point, but please do join us one more time as we gather under the sycamores and piece together the wild events of the original series' final two episodes.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 79: Twin Peaks: Miss Twin Peaks, and Beyond Life and Death
(00:04:04) - Intro.
(00:09:16) - Leading off with the story of the show's cancellation, and the attempts to save it.
(00:17:52) - Kicking things off with Miss Twin Peaks.
(00:20:27) - Leo frees Briggs, and incurs Earle's (extremely stupid) wrath.
(00:22:52) - Norma tells her girls she wants to see them win Miss Twin Peaks, and Audrey laments her lost love.
(00:31:24) - Andy studies the petroglyph, Cooper reveals his vision when Josie died.
(00:35:17) - Leo's fate, such as it is. And Tim Pinkle returns as a lousy choreographer.
(00:39:29) - Annie does not have the juice.
(00:43:04) - A brief check-in on Nadine's ongoing nonsense. 
(00:47:30) - Andrew is a goofball, and Donna freaks out on her parents.
(00:50:57) - Cooper deciphers more of the petroglyph, and Andy accidentally uncovers Earle's bug.
(00:55:41) - The pageant finally arrives.
(01:09:05) - Andy wins Lucy's love, and Earle hatches his master plan.
(01:23:09) - Break! 
(01:23:45) - We're back, and this is it folks. The finale, Beyond Life and Death.
(01:39:52) - The aftermath of the pageant.
(01:47:17) - The grand conclusion of the Nadine saga.
(01:54:07) - The considerably less grand conclusion to the Donna saga.
(02:03:08) - Andrew is up to some nonsense, and Pete wants in. And Cooper and Harry find the portal.
(02:07:50) - The strange events at Twin Peaks Savings & Loan.
(02:15:47) - My grieving widow has a message for you.
(02:18:18) - Welcome to the Black Lodge.
(02:39:55) - How's Annie?
(02:47:45) - Final thoughts.
(02:50:59) - Discussing at greater length the changes Lynch made to the shooting script, and a little bit of (non-spoiler) forward looking.
(03:01:14) - Announcing when we will return to Twin Peaks, and what the last two weeks of this month will be.
(03:06:14) - Outro.