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What do the movies we love say about us? At Close Watch with Robert Yaniz Jr. -- formerly the Crooked Table Podcast -- that's what we do. Every episode, we're joined by a different guest to discuss their personal history with a current or classic release. And in doing so, we aim to get to know them through the movies they love.
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You talkin' to me? No, NostalgiaCast is talking to you about Martin Scorsese's TAXI DRIVER, one of the most controversial films of the 1970s and still one of the most divisive films of its esteemed director's career. Listen as Jonny and Darin discuss the subjective camerawork and brutal violence that immerse you in New York City as hell on earth, p…
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Grab your Gobstoppers and your Scrumdidilyumptious Bars as NostalgiaCast enters the seventh circle of hell with Gene Wilder and WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY! Film critic and friend of the show Phoenix Clouden joins Jonny and Darin for a discussion of the teeth-rotting horrors and Monty Python-esque satire that permeates this perennial chil…
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It's killer rabbits and k-nig-hts and coconuts as NostalgiaCast journeys back to medieval times for what is arguably the most quotable movie of all time, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. Jonny and Darin try to keep their hysterics in check as they recount their favorite lines and sketches from the film, as well as the history of Monty Python and ho…
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Shout "Attica! Attica!" as the latest episode of NostalgiaCast '70s Palooza is taken captive by DOG DAY AFTERNOON, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino and John Cazale. Film critic Tom O'Keefe of the Reel Spoilers podcast joins Jonny and Darin to discuss the claustrophobic direction, progressive(?) storytelling, and magical eye acting of…
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We know what you're thinking: Hasn't NostalgiaCast covered a Clint Eastwood movie before? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, we've kinda lost track ourselves. But there's still plenty of icons and iconography to cover, and this episode takes aim at DIRTY HARRY, Don Siegel's crime thriller classic that catapulted Eastwood from West…
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You'll believe podcasters can podcast as NostalgiaCast takes flight with SUPERMAN, Richard Donner's 1978 super-hit starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, and Marlon Brando. Jonny and Darin are joined by Chris Scalzo of The First Run and ScreenRun podcasts for a discussion of the story structure, special effects, music score, and sincerity that n…
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Welcome, all you baddiwad malchicks and ptitsas! Grab a glass of Moloko Plus and get ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence as NostalgiaCast shares a few choice slovos about Stanley Kubrick's dystopian crime classic, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, based on the novel by Anthony Brugess. Jonny and Darin tackle the controversies surrounding the film, whether …
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Celebrate 8 years and 100 episodes of NostalgiaCast as Jonny and Darin journey (at last!) to a galaxy far, far away for a discussion of George Lucas's o.g. STAR WARS Trilogy. Author R.J. Craddock sits in the gunner's seat for a lively chat about the movies' impact on countless filmmakers and film nerds, and how the 1997 Special Editions either did …
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GREASE is the word (is the word that you heard) as NostalgiaCast returns to Rydell High for a boppier, bouncier-than-expected discussion of what is arguably the quintessential '70s musical, directed by Randal Kleiser and starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Jonny and Darin chat about the energetic performances, irresistible songs, and R-r…
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It took 98 episodes and double-oh-seven-and-a-half years for Jonny and Darin to talk about a James Bond film, but NostalgiaCast finally tackles everyone's favorite tuxedo-wearing, license-to-kill-bearing sex pest with THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, starring 007 as Roger Moore. Popcorn Digest co-hosts Gareth Green and Andrew Raphael lend their Bond expertise…
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I love the smell of napalm in the morning! Journey up the Nùng River with Jonny and Darin as they take a psychedelic look back at Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 epic APOCALYPSE NOW, starring Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, and Marlon Brando. But is this the Vietnam War movie to end all Vietnam War movies, 45 years after the fact? Or is the controversy ab…
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Look to the skies as NostalgiaCast attempts to make contact with Steven Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. Paperback Flicks hosts R.J. Craddock and Rae Davidson join Jonny and Darin for an out-of-this-world discussion of the groundbreaking FX, overly overlapping dialogue, and sense of awe and wonder that permeates Spielberg's 1977 magn…
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Scoot and boot! Childhood friend Jason Payne makes his fourth token appearance on NostalgiaCast for a discussion of Carroll Ballard's 1979 children's classic THE BLACK STALLION, starring Kelly Reno, Teri Garr, Mickey Rooney, and Hoyt Axton (or, as Jonny calls him, "the guy from GREMLINS"). Listen as Jason, Jonny, and Darin speak in awed reverence a…
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For the latest episode of NostalgiaCast '70s Palooza, Jonny and Darin tackle the faux-documentary / biography / proto-YouTube video essay that is Orson Welles's F FOR FAKE. They talk about the movie as an examination of authorship over art, Welles's (brazen but ultimately unsuccessful) attempts to explode the documentary form, and how a story of ch…
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NostalgiaCast '70s Palooza heads back to the '60s for a discussion of AMERICAN GRAFFITI, from indie director George Lucas. Crank up your radios and bop along to the beat as Jonny and Darin chat about the nonstop parade of music and muscle cars that permeate this rock 'n' roll coming-of-age tale. But is it a fun and breezy time at the movies, or the…
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Oo-de-lally, what a day! Jonny and Darin venture into Sherwood Forest to discuss the anthropomorphic action of Disney's ROBIN HOOD, with special guest Stephen J. Anderson, director of MEET THE ROBINSONS and WINNIE THE POOH! (I know, right?) Listen as they get to reminiscin' and this-n-thattin' about the 1970s as a transitional period for Walt Disne…
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NostalgiaCast '70s Palooza continues with a look back at Michael Cimino's harrowing epic drama THE DEER HUNTER, which tries to out-GODFATHER THE GODFATHER with elongated, lugubrious wedding sequences and a shakedown of American idealism. Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, and the late, great John Cazale star in a tale about working-c…
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It's "Leave the gun, take the cannoli," "Go to the mattresses," and "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" as Jonny and Darin kick off a 1970s-centric season of NostalgiaCast with a look back at Francis Ford Coppola's THE GODFATHER. We talk about the characters, story structure, cinematography, and directorial choices that make up what is ar…
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NostalgiaCast returns for a special Halloween episode in which we brave Michael Jackson's THRILLER, arguably the greatest music video of all time. Cue up the link below and watch along with Jonny and Darin as they provide a running commentary for the event that made them lifelong horror fans and forever cemented Jackson as an icon. You're in for a …
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In a harmonious double feature, Close Watch continues venturing through the world of movie musicals with an in-depth breakdown of both the 1961 classic West Side Story and Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake. Does the Oscar-winning original still hold up, and was its update worth the creative risk? Darin Lundberg of NostalgiaCast joins us in this melodi…
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In a special bonus episode of NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza, returning guest Jason of @BingeMovies takes us on a guided tour of the many films that inspired and were inspired by the most unsung of movie directors, the late, great(?) Albert Pyun! We talk about his Menahem Golan-produced 1990 masterwork(?) CAPTAIN AMERICA, and its legacy that lives on i…
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Plug back into THE MATRIX as Robert Yaniz Jr. of Crooked Table Productions joins us for a season-capping conversation about the sci-fi action extravaganza that not only capped off the '90s but also inspired films and filmmakers for decades to come. We talk about THE MATRIX's groundbreaking FX, its influence on fashion and fringe groups, and how Lan…
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Crank up The Cranberries, boot up your computer, and begin that sloooooow dial-up to the internet, as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza kicks it with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in YOU'VE GOT MAIL! Film critic Megan Kearns joins Jonny and Darin to chat about the capitalism, kindness, and human connection that permeates Nora Ephron's romantic comedy classic. Lo…
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It is the east, and NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza is the sun as Jonny and Darin do battle with the Bard and SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, directed by John Madden (no, not THAT John Madden) and starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, and Geoffrey Rush. We chat about the movie's controversial Oscar run, Anti-Stratfordian conspiracies, sweeping romance, and non…
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Strap your rocket pack to your back as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza takes to the skies with THE ROCKETEER, Joe Johnston's serial cliffhanger comic book throwback from 1991. Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, and a scenery-gnawing Timothy Dalton star in this Indiana Jones-ish adventure that crashed and burned at the box office, and critic / Disney-phi…
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Grab your spaghetti with marinara sauce and your f**kin' shinebox as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza continues with a fond look back at GOODFELLAS, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, and Joe Pesci. Hear Jonny and Darin geek out over the acting, shot choices, and messaging of what might be Scorsese’s gre…
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Every episode, Close Watch gives us the chance to get to know our guest through the movie they love. But more recently, the show has sharpened its focus on the wide world of movie musicals. And after the man-eating plant of Little Shop of Horrors and the cultural celebration of In the Heights, musical icon Gene Kelly has officially entered the chat…
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It's face ON as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza continues with a fond look back at FACE/OFF, directed by Hong Kong action maestro John Woo and starring John Cage and Nicolas Travolta! Film critic Sara Michelle Fetters joins Jonny and Darin to discuss the spectacular two-gun gunplay and deeper emotional underpinnings of Woo's finest American film. Let th…
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Woman... woe-man... whoooa, man! Author R.J. Craddock returns to the 'Cast to chat with Jonny and Darin about Thomas Schlamme's 1993 cult comedy SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER, starring Mike Myers as a beat poet and serial relationship-phobe who also can't seem to treat dramatic scenes very seriously. But does all our talk about over-sized espresso c…
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Grab your multipass and look to the future as Jonny and Darin feast their eyes on Luc Besson's sci-fi action extravaganza THE FIFTH ELEMENT, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm, and Chris Tucker. Film critic and journalist Nguyên Lê joins the latest episode of NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza to discuss the movie's bright futures…
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Hellllllooooo, Poppets! NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza continues with a look back at Chris Columbus's box office behemoth MRS. DOUBTFIRE, starring Robin Williams, Pierce Brosnan, and Sally Field. Returning guest Dave "The Nuge" Nugent joins Jonny and Darin for an in-depth and introspective discussion of the movie's bittersweet themes and saccharine-swe…
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NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza goes to DEFCON Four as Twitter's own James "That Tony Scott Guy" Coddington joins Jonny and Darin for a deep-dive (sorry) discussion of 1995's classic Cold War thriller CRIMSON TIDE, starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman. Hang on to the edge of your seat as they chat about the towering performances, Quentin Tarantin…
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Way back in 2020, a few hardcore Hamilfans -- including this episode's guest -- united for the first-ever Crooked Roundtable to talk up the Disney+ release of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-winning musical Hamilton. Now, at last, loyal listeners get the long-awaited spiritual sequel to that discussion. On this episode, Close Watch continues its year-lon…
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What if you were watched every moment of your life? What if everyone you knew was pretending? What if your world was make believe? What if you didn't know it... until now? These questions—and more!—are mulled over and discussed as Jonny and Darin turn their dials to Peter Weir's THE TRUMAN SHOW! Jim Carrey makes his first (and best?) attempt at dra…
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Pop quiz, hot shot! You've got one of the most influential action films of the '90s on your docket and you want to invite one of Twitter's fastest rising stars onto your podcast to chat about the movie in all its DIE HARD-inspired glory... what do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO? Easy: you invite friend and fellow film fanatic Jackson Boren onto the latest …
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Raise your kilts and your battle axes as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza wages war against Mel Gibson's BRAVEHEART, winner for Best Picture and Best Director at 1996's Academy Awards. Mutual childhood friend Jason Payne returns to the 'Cast to chat with Jonny and Darin about fallen Hollywood idols, grossly inaccurate historical epics, and long drawn-out…
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It's 2023, and Close Watch has a song in its heart this year. For the next year, we're dedicating this podcast to movie musicals. Every month, the show will feature at least one episode in which Rob and a guest go in-depth on a beloved movie musical. And what better way to celebrate one of cinema's most beloved genres than with a man-eating plant f…
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All rise! In the latest episode of NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza, Jonny and Darin subpoena Sonic Cinema founder and friend of the show Brian Skutle to make his case for JOHN GRISHAM'S THE RAINMAKER, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon, Claire Danes, and Danny DeVito. We debate the movie's B-movie trappings and A-list cast, plus Co…
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Same make. Same model. New episode! NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza continues with a fond, fun look back at James Cameron's TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, and Robert Patrick. Grab your sunglasses and your miniguns and listen as Jonny and Darin discuss the movie's revolutionary special effects,…
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It's nothing but "Oh yeah"s, "You betcha"s, and "Dontcha know"s as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza takes a fond look back at 1996's black comedy crime classic FARGO! Film critic Josh Bell of the Awesome Movie Year podcast joins Jonny and Darin for their double-dip into Coen Brothers territory, to chat about the next-level performances, shocking violence…
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The Dude abides in the latest episode of NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza, as Jonny and Darin wind back the clock on THE BIG LEBOWSKI, the Coen Brothers' cult comedy classic from 1998. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Julianne Moore, and the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman star in a movie that's equal parts stoner fantasy and …
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After UHF, "Weird Al" Yankovic fans faced a wait of more than three decades for another movie featuring the musical icon. And finally, along comes Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Starring Daniel Radcliffe as "The Weird One" himself, the movie pokes fun at Yankovic's life and career as well as the very notion that someone would make a biopic about him…
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Grab your neuralyzers and your Noisy Crickets as NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza uncovers the best-kept secret in the universe, the MEN IN BLACK! Jonny (Agent J) and Darin (Agent D) are joined by special guest The Lady Wan (Agent L) for an out-of-this-world discussion of Barry Sonnenfeld's sci-fi comedy classic, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. …
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Look out, podcast listeners, it's... The Wonders! NostalgiaCast '90s Palooza continues with a fond, fun look back at Tom Hanks's directorial debut THAT THING YOU DO!, starring Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Steve Zahn, Johnathon Schaech, and Ethan Embry. Jonny and Darin skip to the beat of this homage to 1960s culture and Beatlemania, and discuss th…
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