The Nextlander Watchcast

Happy Halloween, watchcasters! To round out our month-long tribute to The Horror Master himself, John Carpenter, we're closing things out with the most holiday appropriate film we could think of in 1978's classic slasher, Halloween!

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.
(00:00:19) - Intro.
(00:01:01) - Happy Halloween! It's, uh, Halloween (1978)!
(00:06:22) - What is the morality of killing horny teens?
(00:09:33) - Neither Vinny nor Brad had (likely) ever seen Halloween before. Also, trying to define what a "slasher" is.
(00:12:04) - The surprisingly deep history of Halloween (and that Shatner mask).
(00:15:51) - A divergence on the many haunted houses of the American suburbs, including our own.
(00:18:52) - Back to the production history, including some alternate casting stuff.
(00:31:38) - Launching into the film proper, and the amazing theme music.
(00:34:58) - A Very Normal dark and stormy night, in which nothing bad can possibly happen.
(00:39:55) - The evil has gone! And it has a station wagon!
(00:50:01) - Break!
(00:50:20) - We're back, and it's time to murder! A dog!
(00:52:15) - It's babysittin' time, and a short note on Carpenter's beta collection.
(00:56:32) - Bye Annie.
(01:00:15) - The boogyeman is about to murk these teens that are just here to boogie down.
(01:08:55) - *Street Fighter II announcer voice* FINAL! GIRL!
(01:16:37) - Surely this is the true end of Michael Myers, right? Right?!?
(01:19:05) - Talking about the ludicrous number of sequels and reboots that followed.
(01:26:48) - Final thoughts and rankings.
(01:32:23) - Outro.

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OBEY! MARRY AND REPRODUCE! LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEXTLANDER WATCHCAST! And be extra sure to listen to this week's episode, wherein Alex and Vinny introduce Brad to the capitalist nightmare world of They Live!

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.
(00:01:11) - Intro.
(00:01:51) - Brad is VERY anxious to talk about this week's movie: They Live!
(00:05:39) - Time to get into some of the history of They Live, and the short story it's based on.
(00:08:57) - On the subject of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
(00:15:26) - Some last production and casting notes.
(00:17:32) - The movie's long wind-up (and terrific intro music).
(00:23:42) - Something funny is going on in this church.
(00:26:59) - And here come the pigs!
(00:29:08) - The discovery of the glasses.
(00:37:03) - Time for Nada to do the only sensible thing: just start gunning aliens down in broad daylight.
(00:40:07) - Break! 
(00:40:25) - We're back! Meet Holly. She's weird.
(00:48:04) - The mother of all fight scenes.
(00:56:02) - Viva la revolución!
(01:00:04) - Hogan's Alley-ass gunfight.
(01:02:42) - Guards with PKE meters, and the Human! Power! Elite!
(01:09:04) - Time for the big TV studio showdown.
(01:15:55) - "Gloria, you look like @%$&!"
(01:17:47) - Thoughts on the alien designs. 
(01:18:53) - Final thoughts and feelings on the majesty of They Live, and the possibility of remaking it.
(01:26:13) - Outro.

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Do you read Sutter Cane? Do you watch John Carpenter? Do you listen to the Nextlander Watchcast? If you answered yes to all three, then you're in luck! It's time to take a journey into the pie hole of delirium as we tackle Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness!

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.
(00:00:13) - Intro.
(00:01:14) - This week's movie: In the Maw of Loopiness!
(00:04:16) - Getting into a bit of the film's history. 
(00:09:42) - Time to climb inside that yap of wackiness.
(00:11:26) - Just who is John Trent and why has he gone off the deep end?
(00:18:09) - The Sutter Cane disappearance.
(00:21:05) - Julie Carmen, licensed psychotherapist.
(00:21:57) - Trent doesn't truck with this horror crap.
(00:26:04) - No scarier puzzle to put together than a map of New Hampshire.
(00:28:04) - Get in losers, we're going to Hobb's End.
(00:30:06) - Uncovering  the dark mystery of Sam Neill's nationality (and a little about his delightful Twitter presence).
(00:32:22) - Back to the car ride from hell.
(00:35:19) - Weird town is weird.
(00:39:07) - Weirder church is weirder.
(00:41:05) - A brief aside on Vigo the Carpathian, and Vinny suddenly realizing Jurgen Prochnow is Cane.
(00:45:22) - Break!
(00:45:42) - We're back! Bad dogs! Bad old ladies!
(00:49:38) - It's mommy's day down at the church.
(00:55:49) - Getting at some of the Lovecraftian stuff (minus the race science, thankfully).
(00:58:38) - John Trent wants out!
(01:02:05) - Spider-walking upside-down neck lady is an all-timer. Calling it here.
(01:03:41) - OK Trent, you can leave, but you've got an errand to run once you do.
(01:09:11) - You can't escape, Trent. FedEx will always find you.
(01:13:28) - Time for the world you knew to go bye-bye.
(01:18:36) - Final thoughts, and a surprise Hayden Christensen reveal!
(01:25:51) - Outro.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Watchcast we take on the John Carpenter film voted on by our patrons, the second film in the director's loose Apocalypse Trilogy, Prince of Darkness. Join us as we watch a bunch of ill-equipped graduate students fall victim to the incredible powers of a liquefied Satan!

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.
(00:00:33) - Intro. 
(00:02:06) - Our Carpenter for this week: Prince of Darkness!
(00:10:20) - The history of how Prince of Darkness came into the world.
(00:17:00) - Scientists! Assemble!
(00:21:55) - Jesus, the misunderstood space traveler.
(00:26:21) - That sick-ass VHS dream.
(00:30:43) - The first guy goes down, and it's to Alice Cooper's impaling device. Plus all the bug stuff.
(00:33:33) - Liquid Satan, straight in your damn mouth.
(00:40:09) - Nothing scarier in this mortal plane than someone typing weird.
(00:42:58) - Break!
(00:43:16) - We're back, and people keep disappearing! Wonder why that is.
(00:45:45) - This movie might have a few pacing issues.
(00:47:42) - Shout out to Calder for at least trying to avoid possession. Unfortunately, death is no impediment.
(00:50:45) - Sorry Kelly, you're The One.
(00:55:04) - Let's talk about all this mirror stuff.
(00:58:29) - Whoa-oh! Somebody's coming (through the mirror).
(01:02:19) - Things wrap up pretty quickly here.
(01:04:16) - We finally get the full dream vision and--oh, oh no.
(01:09:37) - Our final verdicts, and some talk about Carpenter's music.
(01:16:19) - Outro.

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Who goes there?!? Why, it's nobody but the cast of the Nextlander Watchcast, of course! We're just here to enjoy a genuine horror classic in John Carpenter's The Thing, and certainly not planning to absorb you, dear listener. We would never do that! Now sit back, relax, and enjoy a quality podcast about a quality film and don't mind that slithering sound you hear behind you. Nothing to be concerned about.

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.
(00:00:58) - Intro.
(00:07:14) - Sorry Brad, this month's theme isn't Dracula related. It's John Carpenter! And we're leading off with The Thing.
(00:10:44) - Launching into one of the greatest movie intros ever (according to Alex).
(00:15:36) - Touching on the Norwegians' story, which is told in the 2011 prequel.
(00:18:37) - The Thing's chilly critical reception.
(00:20:44) - Talking about the incredible practical effects, and how well they hold up today.
(00:25:03) - What a cast! And some additional history of the production.
(00:32:13) - Time to see what the hell the Norwegians were getting up to.
(00:36:22) - Jed the dog is a very good dog playing a very bad dog.
(00:38:06) - The mechanics of becoming the thing, and the big question: would you know you're the thing?
(00:44:17) - Break!
(00:44:38) - We're back, and it's time for the EXTREMELY UPSETTING dog monster!
(00:51:50) - Wilford Brimley is figuring some stuff out.
(00:55:44) - Whoops, we almost skipped over the Bennings death.
(00:58:51) - A leadership vacuum has opened up. Garry has gone bye-bye.
(01:00:34) - Is Blair still Blair at this point?
(01:02:20) - This is where shit goes fully sideways.
(01:06:33) - Nobody trusts anybody now.
(01:09:25) - Alas, poor Norris.
(01:12:30) - Finally, the blood test.
(01:18:32) - And then there were four (and Blair).
(01:25:19) - Some final debate about the nature of self-awareness as the thing, and goodbye to Garry and Nauls.
(01:30:18) - A brief scotch digression.
(01:30:55) - Anyway, now for the REAL debate of the ages: Is there a thing still living at the end?
(01:40:06) - We're calling it: The Thing still whips ass 40 years later.
(01:44:36) - Outro (Prince of Darkness won the poll, so it's up next).

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Dan Ryckert is in town with a few podcasts to kill, so he joins us once again to talk through our mostly uncomplicated feelings about this profoundly stupid sequel, 1990's 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.
(00:00:13) - Intro.
(00:03:32) - The Hollywood cultural shift from "New York is a crime-scorched hellscape" to "Los Angeles is a crime-scorched hellscape" and the Morton Downey Jr. digression.
(00:07:23) - How the hell did this movie get made?
(00:16:10) - Bill Paxton, you are giving this movie way more effort than it deserves. Plus, some "do you remember this person?" character actor trivia.
(00:18:48) - Launching into the actual movie. It's chaos on the streets of LA!
(00:22:17) - Musings on Danny Glover, and why the Predator gets fixated on him.
(00:25:40) - The sheer '80s-ness of this movie's vision of near-future LA.
(00:27:14) - Danny Glover giving "the speech" to "the kid".
(00:32:09) - This Predator sprung for the upgrade package.
(00:34:43) - More Predator mimicking, and one of the dumber callback lines in movie history.
(00:37:09) - King Willy and the voodoo gang.
(00:43:03) - Oh Danny Boy...
(00:45:39) - Break!
(00:46:00) - We're back, and talking about that subway scene.
(00:51:12) - Time to trap ourselves a Predator. These government guys will handle this, right?
(00:58:09) - What feels like fifteen riveting minutes of Danny Glover shimmying across rooftops.
(01:01:52) - Gasp! The Predator's ship!
(01:04:29) - Too much Predator in this movie! Especially for how much of a dumbass this Predator is.
(01:09:07) - Gasp! Even more Predators!
(01:14:20) - Final thoughts, and some musings on the sequels.
(01:22:08) - Outro.

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It's a very special triple-dip episode on this week's Watchcast as we rewind time to check out the original Star Trek pilot episode The Cage, then fast forward to the two-part courtroom drama The Menagerie!

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.
(00:00:12) - Intro: Breakfast shaming and Watchcast housekeeping.
(00:03:42) - Time to get into this week's Star Trek Episodes: The Cage, and The Menagerie!
(00:06:21) - Some history of this very expensive pilot episode.
(00:10:06) - A little chat about the career of Jeffrey Hunter, and Pike as a character.
(00:13:37) - The rest of our not-to-be-retained cast.
(00:20:32) - Some final production notes.
(00:23:02) - Vina's backstory throws about as dark as anything in this series.
(00:25:28) - OK, time to actually kick off the episode proper!
(00:28:40) - Brad is missing that Next Generation engine hum.
(00:29:35) - The Enterprise is drawn to a mysterious planet.
(00:32:31) - Pike kind of seems like an asshole in the early goings here.
(00:34:07) - To be fair, Pike is very troubled.
(00:39:34) - Heading on down to Talos IV.
(00:41:21) - The ensnarement of Captain Pike.
(00:45:53) - Pike's starting to figure out just how powerful the Talosian's power of illusion is.
(00:50:42) - Break!
(00:51:08) - We're back, and still talking The Cage.
(00:52:46) - Vinny is absolutely vexed by this recipe for "chicken tuna".
(00:54:11) - Green lady dance sexy!
(00:55:32) - Of course! The solution was hate all along. Plus now Number One and Yeoman Colt get trapped.
(00:59:22) - Now the ensnarer has been ensnared!
(01:02:57) - Turns out humans are too buckwild for what the Talosians need.
(01:08:11) - And now... The Menagerie!
(01:10:08) - How The Menagerie came to be.
(01:12:43) - The set-up.
(01:17:54) - Spock ain't actin' right.
(01:24:30) - It's a court martial, baby!
(01:30:08) - Finally, Spock's ridiculous plan comes into focus.
(01:38:49) - Final thoughts.
(01:41:30) - Outro.

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Ruuuuuunnnnn! Get to zah podcaaaahhhhst! Because we've got ourselves a special guest! Giant Bomb's Dan Ryckert joins the Nextlander crew as we introduce Brad to an all-time action classic in 1987's Predator!

NOTE: One of our individual audio tracks got messed up in this recording, so this was edited using the master mix with everyone's tracks. It all sounds just fine, but wanted to give the heads-up in case anyone noticed a difference. Enjoy!

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.
(00:00:52) - Intro.
(00:02:19) - Our personal histories with this week's film: Predator!
(00:10:42) - Our precious Bradley had his first viewing! What did he think?
(00:15:13) - Holy shit what a meaty cast!
(00:17:31) - We can't resist talking about that damn rebel base assault.
(00:19:48) - So what's the set-up?
(00:26:17) - Some background and history on the film's production.
(00:37:37) - Effects talk.
(00:40:24) - Break!
(00:40:48) - We're back, and it's time to actually talk about the movie (actually we mostly talk about man beef).
(00:45:51) - Time to Run Through the Jungle.
(00:46:52) - Where's our prequel story about Jim Hopper (Hooper? Harper?).
(00:48:12) - Back to the action, and that rebel base assault (and ol' Painless).
(00:51:03) - Goodnight Hawkins. You're telling ribald jokes in hell now.
(00:55:17) - The Predator says You Can't See Me.
(00:56:51) - Bye bye Blain.
(00:59:46) - Mac is coming unglued.
(01:01:13) - Surely setting some ground-based traps will protect us from the thing in the trees, right?
(01:04:37) - Time to bait the trap with some Arnold meat.
(01:06:46) - Pour one out for Mac.
(01:09:26) - Let's give Dillon a hand for his efforts. In fact, let's give him a whole arm.
(01:10:31) - And then there were four. Also, are Predators nerds?
(01:14:16) - It's just about time for Arnold and the Predator to go mano a mano.
(01:19:44) - Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.
(01:23:12) - Love a good curtain call in the credits. Plus some final thoughts and rankings.
(01:28:35) - Outro.

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After a couple of rough Star Trek stretches, the Nextlander Watchcasters find a lot more to like in this week's pair of episodes, Dagger of the Mind and The Corbomite Maneuver!

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.
(00:00:46) - Intro.
(00:03:00) - Kicking things off with Dagger of the Mind.
(00:06:10) - Some background on the episode.
(00:08:42) - And featuring Dr. Noel as this week's conspicuous romantic interest!
(00:14:15) - Fire your transporter team. The whole staff. These people don't know what they're doing.
(00:17:35) - Seeing some repeated elements in these episodes, especially the Kirk/Bones tension.
(00:20:57) - Time to beam down and definitely not fall victim to anything!
(00:26:17) - Should we try out the mind-wipey-outey machine ourselves? Of course!
(00:28:38) - It's a mind meld, baby!
(00:37:00) - How's ol' Kirky gonna wiggle out of this one?
(00:42:39) - Some final thoughts on the episode.
(00:45:53) - Break!
(00:46:10) - And we're back, and talking The Corbomite Maneuver.
(00:50:09) - Some background on the episode, and why it aired so late in the order.
(00:52:08) - This Bailey guy? He ain't got it.
(00:55:48) - Can you warp backwards?
(00:58:07) - And then they blow up the cube. Oops.
(00:59:41) - Enter Balok, the most homicidal timekeeper in the galaxy.
(01:05:06) - Kirk comes up with the most radical plan in the known universe: lying!
(01:10:56) - These poor extras having to bop back and forth like they're in a pretend earthquake.
(01:12:24) - Time to meet Balok. I'm sure he's very normal.
(01:16:00) - What exactly WAS Balok's motive here?
(01:20:52) - This is really the Star Trek mission statement episode.
(01:26:15) - Outro.

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We're joined one more time by special guest Drew Scanlon to close out sub month with the mother of all submarine movies in the director's cut of Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot!

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.
(00:00:13) - Intro.
(00:00:44) - Our film for this week: DAS BOOT (pronounced boat).
(00:05:22) - But just what IS Das Boot all about?
(00:11:29) - Talking cinematic depictions of Nazis in German cinema and German censorship laws.
(00:16:17) - Some history on the film's production and the book it's based on.
(00:24:47) - When you watch a movie in a foreign language, do you remember it in that language? Or in yours with an accent?
(00:25:38) - We, as a society, were not ready for submarines.
(00:27:08) - How anti-war is Das Boot?
(00:28:40) - The captain's respect for his adversaries, and open disrespect for German command.
(00:38:37) - Food, food, glorious rotting food. And boy howdy what a stink.
(00:45:15) - Break!
(00:45:34) - And we're back, and talking about the long stretches of tension and terror.
(00:52:14) - Brad talks sound design.
(00:56:34) - Is the captain good? (At his job, we mean.)
(01:01:05) - One of Alex's favorite scenes, the scene on the German supply ship.
(01:08:17) - The Gibraltar suicide mission, and some of the movie's model work.
(01:15:17) - We're going down, down, DOWN!
(01:22:42) - Wow! They made it! Everything's gonna be alright now, right? Right?!?
(01:31:45) - Final impressions.
(01:39:35) - Our sub mission has come to a close.
(01:44:13) - Outro.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.