The Nextlander Watchcast

We close out Michelle Yeoh March by celebrating the film that won her the Oscar in 2022's madcap multiverse action comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once. So bust out your butt plugs and chomp down on some chapstick, because it's time to rescue Raccacoonie (and also save the universe).

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate in versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:51) - Intro.
(00:05:48) - Talking about Everything Everywhere All at Once's Oscar run, and the Oscars in general.
(00:13:30) - Who made this crazy movie, and how did it come to be? Also, some discussion of the current fixation on multiverses.
(00:19:21) - Talkin' about our cast.
(00:27:31) - Getting into the film itself.
(00:33:18) - The IRS and the multiverse.
(00:40:58) - Who or what is a Jobu Tupaki?
(00:45:24) - Break!
(00:45:40) - We're back, and picking up the conversation on the film's special effects and what went into creating them.
(00:52:44) - Heaps of praise for Stephanie Hsu's performance.
(00:56:18) - Raccacoonie and Wong Kar-wai.
(01:03:18) - Digging into some of the nuances of Yeoh's performance.
(01:06:09) - Curtis' IRS agent and Hong's Gong Gong.
(01:09:42) - On another subject entirely: dildo fights.
(01:16:22) - The couple of notes that maybe didn't quite land toward the end.
(01:27:40) - The final "battle".
(01:36:13) - Some final thoughts on the movie.
(01:43:27) - Final thoughts on our theme for the month.
(01:46:36) - Unveiling the films for next month's theme: video game movies!
(01:52:22) - Outro.

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Michelle Yeoh March continues apace as we fling ourselves skyward into Ang Lee's wuxia epic, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate in versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:34) - Intro.
(00:01:17) - Our film this week is a banger: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!
(00:07:55) - Getting into a little (non-expert) background on the wuxia genre and the film's reception in China.
(00:11:57) - Talkin' Ang Lee and the production history of the film.
(00:21:43) - Launching into the film itself and some of its localization choices.
(00:26:53) - Meeting Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien.
(00:32:18) - And here comes Jen to wreck everyone's life. Plus, people can fly!
(00:41:12) - Break!
(00:41:32) - We're back, and it's time to suss out who stole the sword.
(00:49:27) - Our first big rumble with Jade Fox.
(00:57:27) - Jen and Li Mu Bai match skills for the first time.
(01:05:03) - A brief acknowledgment that movies used to know how to properly light dark scenes.
(01:06:36) - Flashback to the desert.
(01:16:32) - Stop the wedding!
(01:19:51) - Jen obliterates a restaurant. 
(01:25:25) - Shu Lien vs. Jen. Also, some more praise for the cinematography.
(01:35:12) - Gliding through the trees.
(01:38:13) - The killing of Jade Fox, and the death of Li Mu Bai.
(01:49:18) - Jen's final act.
(01:55:07) - Final thoughts.
(02:02:04) - Outro.

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Michelle Yeoh March continues apace as we move from Hong Kong to Hollywood in the second Pierce Brosnan Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies!

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate in versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:43) - Intro.
(00:02:00) - Brad hasn't seen many Bonds, but he's now seen this one (and he also watched GoldenEye on his own time). Plus a little Bond historical discussion.
(00:12:56) - What did Brad think of GoldenEye?
(00:17:40) - Sheryl Crow's Bond theme is not exactly an all-timer. The k.d. lang song, though? Awesome!
(00:20:12) - Getting into the premise of Tomorrow Never Dies.
(00:28:32) - Some production history discussion.
(00:42:24) - More soundtrack talk.
(00:46:16) - Break!
(00:46:41) - We're back, and we're going shopping at a terrorist supermarket.
(00:52:37) - Some more comments on the opening theme/titles.
(00:53:43) - Creating the conflict between the British and the Chinese.
(00:57:33) - Talkin' Judy Dench's M.
(01:01:14) - Time to party with a media mogul and get Teri Hatcher killed.
(01:08:32) - Enter Michelle Yeoh's Wai Lin.
(01:14:10) - Piloting a car with a proto N-Gage.
(01:15:52) - Shout out to Vincent Schiavelli killing it in his one scene.
(01:19:25) - HALO jumps: they're so hot right now. Boat explorations, less so.
(01:21:54) - Bond and Wai Lin are captured! Surely they won't be able to wriggle out of this one?
(01:29:53) - No better way to celebrate escaping mortal danger than with a sexy street shower.
(01:31:31) - Wai Lin's secret base.
(01:33:54) - Crashing the stealth boat.
(01:40:04) - Final thoughts on the film and Brosnan's Bond.
(01:46:51) - Outro.

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We've got a whole month of Michelle Yeoh classics lined up for you, and we're kicking things off with the Watchcast's very first double feature! We've got two of her most exciting Hong Kong action films lined up in 1985's girls-with-guns progenitor Yes, Madam! and her thrilling team-up with Jackie Chan in Police Story 3: Supercop!

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate in versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:15) - Intro.
(00:09:26) - A little history of how Michelle Yeoh found her way into action cinema.
(00:12:17) - A brief recap of the ridiculous lineage of In the Line of Duty movies.
(00:13:54) - Cynthia Rothrock's origin story, and Yeoh's stuntwork.
(00:18:18) - The rest of Yes, Madam's all-star cast.
(00:20:29) - Launching into the film and its buckwild opening scene.
(00:24:52) - The three thievin' brothers.
(00:28:34) - Kickin' a dude's ass all over Kai Tak Airport.
(00:33:25) - Talking about this era of HK cinema's preference for dubbing everything.
(00:35:48) - A celebration of James Tien's evil laugh, and the trio of bad guys.
(00:39:09) - Cynthia has no concept of police brutality, and our love for Tsui Hark's crazy apartment stunts.
(00:43:22) - Aspirin's big play, and Strepsil coming to the rescue. Sort of.
(00:48:28) - And here come the Madams!
(00:57:59) - And we're done here. Bad guys win. Evil laugh. Gunshot. Credits.
(01:02:35) - Break!
(01:03:15) - We're back, and we need a Supercop.
(01:04:50) - Talking abnout our histories with Jackie Chan movies.
(01:09:58) - Why do we need a Supercop? Drug stuff!
(01:11:48) - Talkin' Maggie Cheung and a little of the production history.
(01:16:40) - Jackie's first fight against the mainland soldier.
(01:22:03) - The prison break sequence, and Supercop's "hometown."
(01:33:57) - The Tetris-playing villain.
(01:38:29) - The Predator-ass jungle base sequence.
(01:44:08) - Welcome to Kuala Lumpur.
(01:48:46) - The ludicrous procession of stunts at the end here.
(01:57:11) - The always welcome blooper reel.
(02:00:11) - Final thoughts.
(02:06:37) - The Rothrock Mystery.
(02:08:05) - Outro.

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Good friend of the crew and cyberpunk expert Austin Walker joins us to round out our month of '90s action/sci-fi "classics" with a deep dive into Robert Longo and William Gibson's troubled but fascinating Johnny Mnemonic. So plug your brain directly into this pod as we save the world from evil corporations and drop a few busses on people along the way.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate in versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:18) - Intro for the movie and our guest: Austin Walker!
(00:02:59) - Our histories with this week's movie: Johnny Mnemonic.
(00:06:12) - A little cyberpunk history overview.
(00:12:13) - Talking about production history, and Gibson and Robert Longo.
(00:18:07) - Discussing the different cuts of the film that are out there.
(00:26:38) - What a cast we have floating in this cyberpunk soup.
(00:36:40) - Let's get into the actual movie with a dramatic reading of the intro crawl.
(00:44:08) - Johnny's brain tech and his role as a courier.
(00:49:48) - The free city of...Newark?
(00:51:33) - Johnny makes a bad decision, and some talk on Keanu's ability as a physical actor.
(00:58:14) - Break!
(00:58:31) - We're back, and laser razor wires are cool as hell. Also, talking about the movie's villain problem.
(01:06:55) - Wasting away in the free city of Newark. Searching for my lost three pictures of anime.
(01:14:54) - What's with the computer lady?
(01:21:04) - Henry Rollins' big moment, and Johnny needs to get on the computer.
(01:29:02) - The movie gets stuck in a weird gear for a while here.
(01:33:02) - Johnny's big moment of clarity.
(01:42:31) - The message will be delivered via the medium of the future: television.
(01:50:18) - What a mess of a climax.
(02:02:31) - View of a burning Pharmacom tower. Also, apologies for misidentifying a God Lives Underwater song as Stabbing Westward. We'll do better in the future.
(02:06:54) - Final thoughts on the film.
(02:13:06) - Outro.

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On this week's watchcast we tackle a very dumb movie that is near and dear to Alex's heart in the Emilio Estevez/Mick Jagger future thriller Freejack. Come marvel along with us at all the janky tech, the insane plotting, and the goofy-ass battle gear they deck Mick out in.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate in versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:16) - Intro.
(00:03:06) - Alex's dark secret reason for picking this week's movie: Freejack.
(00:08:47) - Just what the hell is Freejack all about?
(00:11:25) - How Did This Get Ma--wait, that's a different podcast. How did Freejack come to be? Yes, there we go.
(00:15:59) - Talking about our star-studded cast.
(00:25:14) - Our director may have been one of the big issues here (though certainly not the only one).
(00:27:23) - Did Alex Furlong actually die? Does it matter?
(00:35:35) - Who's afraid of the big bad freejack?
(00:38:50) - The twist that ain't much of one.
(00:40:47) - Aging makeup? Who needs it?
(00:43:00) - Break!
(00:43:17) - Brad's here! Brad's a turncoat.
(00:46:48) - Julie doesn't buy that this is still Alex.
(00:49:32) - The dumb motorcycle chase, and the even dumber champagne truck chase.
(00:53:16) - Eagle Man!
(00:58:32) - Grand L. Bush's dorky little sword.
(01:00:18) - Trying to get Alex out of the city, the club scene, and an all-time nutshot.
(01:12:56) - Furlong and Vacendak milling around in a warehouse for what feels like 15 minutes.
(01:15:37) - Michelette reveals his dastardly plan.
(01:18:31) - The spiritual switchboard. What a concept!
(01:27:18) - The mind transfer.
(01:32:17) - Nibble my ear so we can end this movie.
(01:39:19) - Outro.

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We're joined by Demolition Man superfan Tamoor Hussain as we introduce our man Bradley to Stallone and Snipes' '90s action classic, and do our best to try and finally settle the debate about what's up with the three seashells.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate in versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:16) - Intro for our film, Demolition Man, and our guest, Tamoor Hussain!
(00:02:44) - What are our histories with this piece of magnificent cinema?
(00:09:10) - The history of the production.
(00:22:25) - Time to bungee jump into the film proper.
(00:32:48) - Frozen Stallone.
(00:36:04) - Welcome to 2032.
(00:41:00) - Simon says: eye trauma.
(00:48:58) - Break!
(00:50:09) - The thawing of John Spartan, and and the recurring gag of the cuss detector.
(00:53:54) - The three seashells.
(00:57:16) - Museum curation of the future could use some scrutiny. Also, Tam's special cut of the movie.
(01:02:07) - What's going on in the rest of the world? Also, let's talk about the franchise wars.
(01:04:42) - Back to the big meaty men slappin' meat.
(01:08:08) - Fine future dining, Dan Cortese, and Denis Leary. 
(01:16:04) - A meeting of the evil minds, and VR sex.
(01:29:29) - Time to go down to where the scraps hang out.
(01:38:29) - 20th century muscle car vs. Future car, and the LA Convention Center as future architecture.
(01:43:19) - The final cryo-prison showdown.
(01:51:50) - The ending theme.
(01:53:11) - So what did we think? Does Demolition Man hold up?
(01:56:40) - Outro.

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The theme for month of February is goofy '90s action/sci-fi, and we're kicking things off with quite possibly the goofiest entry of them all in 1995's cyber-killer-thriller Virtuosity!

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate in versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:27) - Intro.
(00:03:13) - Our first goofy '90s action/sci-fi "classic" is: Virtuosity!
(00:07:01) - A little bit of background on how this thing got made, and the very '90s soundtrack.
(00:13:43) - Some notes on the cast.
(00:16:47) - Let's get into just what the hell is going on in this movie, and the opening in VR.
(00:22:00) - And heeeeeeereeeeee coooooooomes the exposition! Plus some talk about Russell Crowe.
(00:31:47) - What in the heck is up with this prison scene. WHY DOES HE HAVE A ROBOT ARM.
(00:34:51) - Sid's arrival into the real world.
(00:46:01) - Break!
(00:46:20) - Sid's on the loose! Parker's huntin' him! Madison's here too.
(00:51:03) - What's up with this Grimes character?
(00:54:07) - The club scene. The car chase. CINEMA.
(00:58:54) - Boy the UFC sure was different in 1995.
(01:04:31) - Parker plays a little Hogan's Alley in a subway station, and we learn more about Sid's motivations.
(01:13:22) - Chekov's kidnapping victim.
(01:15:24) - DEATH TV.
(01:19:01) - The final (real world) fight.
(01:22:05) - The final (virtual reality) fight.
(01:27:45) - The one thing this movie definitely needed was a second, considerably worse ending.
(01:33:54) - Our final thoughts, such as they are. And Roger Ebert's thoughts as a bonus.
(01:44:31) - Outro.

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We've come to the conclusion of Star Trek's first season, and we're closing things out with a triple-header of The Alternative Factor, The City on the Edge of Forever, and Operation -- Annihilate!

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate in versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:14) - Intro.
(00:03:07) - We've got a triple-header for our finale, kicking things off with The Alternative Factor.
(00:08:26) - Some background on the episode.
(00:10:16) - They kinda do Lazarus dirty, and the episode kinda tips its hand early.
(00:15:31) - There are like two things that happen in this episode and they happen over and over again.
(00:21:31) - Getting into the nitty-gritty of what this episode is going for.
(00:27:11) - Clearing up exactly what is going down in this final conflict.
(00:33:39) - Break!
(00:34:06) - We're back with our big time banger for the week, The City on the Edge of Forever!
(00:36:13) - Getting into the history of the episode and its many, many rewrites.
(00:43:28) - Surfing on the timewaves and McCoy wipes out.
(00:49:44) - Say hello to the talking time portal.
(00:58:10) - Welcome to the depressing '30s!
(01:02:26) - The sheer incandescence of Joan Collins.
(01:06:57) - Spock's perpetual irritation with 20th century tech.
(01:09:30) - Edith's mission (heh) statement.
(01:12:48) - Edith Keeler must live or die! One of the two! (Also Brad had a thing he forgot about the last episode.)
(01:20:42) - OK, Edith Keeler definitely needs to die.
(01:27:15) - It all comes together fast at the end.
(01:33:10) - Final thoughts on the episode.
(01:37:04) - Break! Again!
(01:37:45) - We're back, and it's time to close things out with Operation -- Annihilate!
(01:43:00) - Everybody's actin' real weird down on this planet. It's because of the puke parasites.
(01:46:27) - Spock gets got. And Kirk's sister-in-law ain't doin' so hot. 
(01:53:30) - Parasites too strong, and the nature of these things is wild.
(01:59:35) - Arriving at a solution through sheer force of Kirk brain.
(02:06:43) - The SENSELESS blinding of Spock.
(02:14:53) - Final thoughts on our experience with the first season of Star Trek.
(02:21:44) - Talking about our future Watchcast schedule. And Brad's SHOCKING ADMISSION.
(02:31:00) - Outro.

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We've seen the high water mark for pre-MCU Marvel filmmaking, so now it's time to jump into the low tide waters with the 1990 adaptation of Captain America. Finally, a movie worse than Predator 2!

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate in versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:16) - Intro.
(00:02:17) - Kicking things off with a deep sigh for Captain America and the low-budget works of Albert Pyun.
(00:07:16) - The convoluted history of this movie's production, and some bonus Cannon Group history.
(00:16:11) - Our star studded cast.
(00:19:08) - The movie's weird delayed release.
(00:20:49) - Where do we even begin? How about with how close this movie hews (or doesn't) to the source material?
(00:27:48) - What kind of bad is this movie? The fun kind? The interminable kind?
(00:29:20) - Our intro to Steve Rogers and Italian Red Skull.
(00:33:26) - The creation of Captain America.
(00:37:44) - It's (not) time for a training montage! No time! Gotta go punch Red Skull!
(00:41:20) - Punching Red Skull did not go according to plan.
(00:49:23) - Break!
(00:49:42) - We're back, and it's time to unfreeze Captain America. But first, some evil guys at a nice table.
(00:58:32) - One of Cap's lesser known powers: faking car sickness.
(01:02:48) - Cap's home. Sort of.
(01:05:36) - The president has been kidnapped! Is Cap a bad enough dude to rescue him?
(01:07:19) - Cap finds the old lab, and has a TERRIBLE fight.
(01:09:53) - Ah, Italia (Yugoslavia).
(01:15:13) - You will not believe how they discover Red Skull's identity.
(01:17:47) - Everyone's kidnapped. Time for Cap to (finally) do something heroic.
(01:23:15) - This final action sequence. Gee whiz.
(01:33:56) - Our final thoughts on the film, and where this one ranks. See if you can guess!
(01:41:00) - Outro.

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