The Nextlander Watchcast

It's time to close out another month of horror on the Watchcast, and this week we've got the movie voted on by you! The patron! Specifically, we've got Argentina's When Evil Lurks on deck, and we dig deep into its portrayal of demonic possession as a fact of life that its characters are neither overly surprised by, nor especially adept at dealing with.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 156: When Evil Lurks (2023)
(00:00:36) - Intro.
(00:06:07) - A little bit of production background.
(00:13:26) - Kicking things off with some gunshots and scattered pieces of a guy.
(00:18:19) - Meeting the Rotten.
(00:27:13) - Maybe we just shouldn't have told Ruiz about any of this.
(00:37:44) - Break!
(00:38:04) - We're back, and it's time for people to start dying.
(00:46:02) - It's time to get the kids...and the dog...
(00:59:59) - Grandma's here to explain some things.
(01:05:08) - Consulting our local Demon Cleaner.
(01:10:30) - Mom's back, and it's time to split the party.
(01:19:31) - A midnight snack, and Jair changes.
(01:25:05) - There's always something unseemly about kids in school at night.
(01:32:06) - It all comes apart.
(01:38:37) - When evil births.
(01:42:08) - Where's grandma?
(01:47:32) - Final thoughts.
(01:53:29) - List placements, and what we've got coming up next month.
(02:00:52) - Outro.

On this week's Watchcast it's all about the horrors of the family variety in Ari Aster's Hereditary! Join us as Brad takes his first trek through the movie's minefield of guilt, grief, and grandma's weird hobbies, while Alex and Vinny ponder how it lands when you know what's coming.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 155: Hereditary (2018)
(00:00:12) - Intro.
(00:01:06) - Our film this week: Hereditary!
(00:08:58) - On Ari Aster and how this movie got made.
(00:14:06) - What's up with Paimon, generally.
(00:22:39) - Back to production and cast talk.
(00:30:54) - Jumping into the set-up for the movie.
(00:38:54) - Annie's eulogy, and getting to know your parents' weird beliefs.
(00:44:05) - Establishing the family dynamic, and a big honkin' grief dump.
(00:49:41) - Break!
(00:50:01) - Charlie gets weird, and Annie dumps a lot of grief.
(00:59:54) - An ill-fated night of revelry.
(01:10:34) - The accident, and the aftermath.
(01:16:40) - Where Alex thinks the movie makes its big transition.
(01:28:05) - From car crash art to a car crash of a family dinner.
(01:32:52) - Never accept seances from strangers.
(01:42:36) - Annie's meltdown has begun.
(01:45:23) - Opening a big box of backstory.
(01:55:08) - Clean your attics, people!
(01:59:12) - How's Annie?
(02:02:18) - Not great.
(02:06:57) - Is this your king?
(02:11:19) - Final thoughts.
(02:19:57) - List rankings, and housekeeping for next week's movie: When Evil Lurks!
(02:25:36) - Outro.

The Watchcast Month-O'-Horror continues apace, and this week we're checking out a movie that's been on Vinny's bucket list for years now, Final Destination! Join us as we confront Vinny's fears of everyday household objects conspiring to murder him, and pick apart this pleasingly goofy teen horror flick.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 154: Final Destination (2000)
(00:00:42) - Intro.
(00:03:26) - How are we feeling about this Final Destination?
(00:11:27) - The origins of this franchise.
(00:23:59) - Cast chat.
(00:34:12) - Getting ready for a bad flight.
(00:43:47) - What kind of messed up God would down this flight?
(00:49:48) - Break!
(00:50:17) - We're back, and somehow it was all a horrible dream.
(00:56:20) - It is perhaps understandable that these teens are very confused.
(01:00:56) - It's amazing that eagle statue doesn't end up falling on someone's head.
(01:03:38) - Tod gets...choked up.
(01:13:17) - Finally, Tony Todd is here to explain some things.
(01:17:52) - Reading the patterns, and then it's Terry's turn.
(01:22:36) - Fraught for teacher.
(01:28:46) - Clear's tragic backstory, and eventually onto our next death.
(01:38:06) - Going survivalist mode, and Clear is next.
(01:45:28) - The ending swap.
(01:50:42) - Final thoughts.
(01:54:44) - List placements, and housekeeping for next week's film: Hereditary!
(01:58:51) - Outro.

Our fourth annual Halloween season of the Watchcast has begun! We're kicking off our month of personal horror picks with Alex's choice, the 1978 adaptation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a deft combo of alien horror and '70s paranoia thriller that features killer mustaches, the youngest Jeff Goldblum you've ever seen, and a very weird dog.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 153: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
(00:00:27) - Intro.
(00:01:58) - Our film this week: Invasion of the Body Snatchers! (The 1978 version)
(00:05:27) - Talking about the source novel and the '56 film.
(00:09:53) - The San Francisco-ness of this movie, and a little on the folks who made it.
(00:15:47) - A brief list of some of the other adaptations.
(00:17:51) - A note about the ending.
(00:21:02) - Launching into the early goings of the film.
(00:31:59) - A health inspector worth rooting for.
(00:35:22) - Something shifted overnight.
(00:40:15) - Break!
(00:40:41) - We're back, and it's time for weird things to happen to our heroes.
(00:52:07) - The shit hits the windshield, and we meet some new friends.
(01:03:18) - A body is found at the bathhouse, and Elizabeth is nearly turned.
(01:16:37) - No one will believe any of this.
(01:26:06) - An orgy of human copying.
(01:30:30) - Fleeing down the streets of San Francisco.
(01:34:47) - The aliens make their mission statement.
(01:41:12) - A really, really bad dog, and the pod trade network is up and running.
(01:45:27) - We've lost Elizabeth, time to burn it all down.
(01:51:57) - The next day...
(01:58:18) - Final thoughts, housekeeping for next week, and the lists are finally updated.
(02:06:28) - Outro.

For our second and final Columbo for the immediate future, we're diving into Fade in to Murder, and there we find an especially hammy William Shatner matching wits with our favorite TV detective while playing a famous TV detective himself. Layers!
 
CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 152: Columbo: Fade in to Murder
(00:00:17) - Intro.
(00:02:31) - Our second and final Columbo for this month: William Shatner in Fade in to Murder!
(00:07:25) - A little bit about the folks who made this one.
(00:09:24) - Let's get into the set-up for this week's murder.
(00:15:31) - This is quite the murder concept.
(00:25:50) - Showdown at the deli.
(00:32:22) - Break!
(00:32:42) - We're back, and hey! That's a Chekov! Also, a brief diatribe about why the '70s are Like This.
(00:37:07) - Columbo does his best Jerry Lewis routine, and Fowler lays it on thick.
(00:50:47) - Sid shows up, and Mark's watch gives the game away.
(00:54:03) - The Universal tour makes an appearance.
(00:57:52) - It's the Shatner and Falk show from here on out.
(01:04:55) - Pinning it on Sid, and Columbo plays dress-up.
(01:13:36) - Sid wasn't playing chess.
(01:17:27) - The video tape reveal (and some great screwing around).
(01:21:07) - Are we talking to Fowler or Lucerne?
(01:25:27) - Just one more thing...
(01:31:02) - Final thoughts.
(01:36:33) - What's coming up on the Watchcast for October. Or most of it, anyway.
(01:43:42) - Outro.

The Watchcast is back! And while we've got a shortened slate for September, that slate is going to be entirely populated with one of America (and the world)'s favorite detectives, Columbo! And we're kicking off our duet of Columbos with A Stitch in Crime, an early installment featuring Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 151: Columbo: A Stitch in Crime
(00:00:19) - Intro.
(00:01:50) - How familiar are we with this show?
(00:04:36) - A brief history of the television institution that is Columbo.
(00:16:10) - Remaining Columbo questions.
(00:23:12) - Break!
(00:23:41) - We're back, so let's catch up on our cast and the initial introduction of murder and would-be victim.
(00:31:03) - Is it still malpractice if you try to kill a guy on purpose?
(00:39:12) - Goodniiiiiiight, nurse!
(00:43:45) - Good morning, Columbo!
(00:47:52) - Mayfield is not an experienced apartment tosser.
(00:54:16) - Very helpful, Marsha.
(01:01:05) - Columbo attends a garden party.
(01:03:47) - You're really out on a limb with this one, Dr. Mayfield.
(01:08:29) - Time to claim another victim.
(01:17:22) - No matter how hard Mayfield tries, Columbo ain't buying it.
(01:21:14) - Colon surgeries and fun facts about sutures.
(01:27:27) - How Columbo finally gets his man.
(01:32:48) - Final thoughts.
(01:35:38) - Talking about next week's Columbo: Fade into Murder with William Shatner!
(01:38:37) - Outro.

The finale of Star Trek Summer is upon us, and before we send the crew of the Enterprise on their merry way, we've got a final pair of adventures to get through! First up, yet another old-human-society-on-an-alien-planet-thing in Bread and Circuses, then we meet Assignment: Earth's Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln, two crazy kids in the 1960s who have to stop World War III while Kirk and Spock stand around watching.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 150: Star Trek: Bread and Circuses and Assignment: Earth
(00:00:33) - Intro.
(00:01:01) - Wasting no time at all launching straight into Bread and Circuses (and all the other Earth-like planet episodes).
(00:06:59) - Some of the fraught background of this episode's production.
(00:12:50) - Our penultimate guest cast.
(00:19:13) - Planet Rome.
(00:23:34) - Sun worshipers? They're more common than you think!
(00:30:36) - At least we get a properly slimy villain in this episode.
(00:37:50) - Sending Spock and Bones into the arena.
(00:41:13) - The tank is on E and we've still got almost 15 minutes left in the episode.
(00:49:08) - Are we really tacking a Jesus thing on here? Yes we are.
(00:51:55) - What happens to this planet after this? And final thoughts.
(00:55:00) - Break!
(00:55:28) - We're back, and it's time to head back home in Assignment: Earth!
(00:58:08) - The Star Trek Spin-Off Showcase!
(01:01:59) - Cast chat, wherein we learn of Teri Garr's distaste for Star Trek and its fans.
(01:05:23) - Brushing up against history.
(01:09:12) - Here comes Gary.
(01:16:34) - Gary has a mission (and a sick office).
(01:20:45) - Oh no, a normal human woman!
(01:24:46) - Here come Spock and Kirk to...stand around mostly?
(01:26:01) - Wacky antics ensue.
(01:29:00) - Gary climbs a rocket, Roberta messes with stuff.
(01:35:46) - Kirk and Spock crash into the final scene for just long enough to do something lightly important.
(01:40:25) - World War III is averted, but Gary Seven was never brought to series, so it all comes out in the wash.
(01:44:15) - Final thoughts.
(01:45:40) - Time for our favorites (and least favorites) of the season.
(01:57:56) - What we have coming up in September.
(02:01:30) - Outro.

We've had a lot of splits on the Watchcast recently where we end up with a great Star Trek episode and a not-so-great Star Trek episode on the same podcast, but the gulf between great and not-so-great has never been greater than it is this week as we tackle The Omega Glory and The Ultimate Computer!

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 149: Star Trek: The Omega Glory and The Ultimate Computer
(00:00:31) - Intro (and by intro, we mean trying to understand what the hell The Omega Glory is).
(00:11:46) - Alright, let's start tearing into this thing for real and figure out who's responsible.
(00:19:42) - What poor guest actors were subjected to this?
(00:24:07) - They had us in the first 15 minutes.
(00:29:21) - Talkin' Yang about the fountain of youth.
(00:37:55) - How long can we stretch this jail cell fight.
(00:43:00) - The snowball of stupid has officially started rolling down the hill.
(00:47:45) - Welcome to chunk four, the worst chunk of all.
(00:56:02) - A big dumb fist fight, Spock hypnotizes women now, and Kirk gives his history report.
(01:04:49) - Final thoughts, such as they are.
(01:08:25) - Break!
(01:08:55) - We're back, and we should talk about an episode that doesn't suck, The Ultimate Computer!
(01:10:11) - Production talk.
(01:12:59) - We've got a heck of a guest star for this one.
(01:17:36) - Launching into the unusually prescient plot.
(01:28:36) - The M5 is perfect. Tooooo perfect.
(01:34:04) - You put a brain in a computer?
(01:43:39) - Has a war games scenario on Star Trek ever not resulted in unexpected consequences?
(01:46:43) - Daystrom has gone bye-bye.
(01:50:01) - The last time Kirk talks a computer to death (this season).
(01:58:40) - Final thoughts.
(02:00:06) - Housekeeping for next week.
(02:03:09) - Outro.

This week on the Watchcast the Star Trek crew pays a visit to a Nazi planet in Patterns of Force, and teaches some Andromedan aliens how to hold their liquor in By Any Other Name!

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 148: Star Trek: Patterns of Force and By Any Other Name
(00:00:17) - Intro.
(00:01:00) - Launching right into our first episode, Patterns of Force!
(00:04:33) - Some historical context for this episode and its, uh, history.
(00:13:45) - Who is responsible for all of this?
(00:19:13) - Cast chat.
(00:23:36) - How did we wind up on Nazi planet?
(00:32:27) - Here's that shirtless Spock you ordered.
(00:37:19) - Clonking our way out of Nazi HQ, then hooking up with the rebellion.
(00:44:22) - Crashing the Nazi party.
(00:49:23) - The Fuhrer has gone bye-bye.
(00:53:02) - Slapping that Fuhrer back to consciousness.
(00:57:05) - Recall the nukes! We're undoing all of this!
(01:03:48) - Final thoughts.
(01:05:58) - Break!
(01:06:25) - We're back, and it's time for By Any Other Name!
(01:10:56) - Production history and cast talk.
(01:22:05) - Whoops, we walked into a trap by some conquerin' aliens.
(01:31:36) - Please do not crush Yeoman Cube.
(01:37:51) - What is flower?
(01:41:49) - Breaching the galactic barrier.
(01:46:08) - Traversing the galactic void, and exploring all these human sensations.
(01:57:01) - Solving this the only way humans know how: with a fistfight.
(02:02:34) - Final thoughts.
(02:06:15) - Next week's episodes.

 We're in the home stretch of Star Trek's second season, and on deck we have the extraordinarily blunt Vietnam War parable A Private Little War, and the body swapping saga of Return to Tomorrow! 

(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 147: Star Trek: A Private Little War and Return to Tomorrow
(00:00:54) - Intro.
(00:06:21) - Kicking things off with A Private Little War and its development history.
(00:14:27) - Our cavalcade of guest stars this week.
(00:26:11) - Launching into the episode proper.
(00:36:15) - Kirk get's Mugato'd, then he gets ensorcelled.
(00:41:10) - How did these guys get these guns?
(00:45:25) - Wrapping up the Spock plot.
(00:48:34) - Tying this as tightly as you can to the Vietnam War without strangling it in the process.
(00:53:02) - Nona's wants, such as they are. And the blondes get guns.
(00:57:15) - This ending is a damn mess.
(01:00:48) - Final thoughts.
(01:03:53) - Break!
(01:04:18) - We're back, and it's time for Return to Tomorrow!
(01:09:50) - A VERY special guest star, and her lasting impact on Trek.
(01:16:32) - What's up with the big booming voice?
(01:21:49) - Beaming through thousands of miles of solid rock to hang with some orbs.
(01:28:40) - Would you put your brain in a robot body? Would you put that brain's energy in your own body?
(01:33:22) - Time to let the orbs ponder us, so to speak.
(01:44:56) - The mad dash to the conclusion.
(01:48:25) - Into oblivion.
(01:52:13) - Final thoughts, and our upcoming episodes.
(01:55:37) - Outro.