The Nextlander Watchcast

Jaksot

• 
  190: 190: Star Trek: Wink of an Eye and The Empath 09.09.2026 1t 50min

  We've officially hit the halfway point of Star Trek's final season, and while Wink of an Eye and The Empath aren't exactly series (or season) highlights, at least we get to watch some guest actors ham it up in wildly differing ways.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 190: Star Trek: Wink of an Eye and The Empath(00:00:08) - Intro.(00:03:47) - Staring straight into the confusing void of Wink of an Eye.(00:12:19) - Missing aliens, weird buzzing sounds, and red shirts yeeting out of existence.(00:17:22) - Now the ship's acting up, and Kirk is eventually time roofied.(00:27:19) - Kirk tries to resist, Compton dies, and the aliens' plan is really dumb.(00:35:17) - Getting a message to Spock, sabotaging the transporter, and knocking boots with a time alien."(00:41:16) - Spock gets the message, and decides he needs to drink the forbidden time water.(00:49:15) - Rushing to the end.(00:54:19) - Break!(00:55:21) - We're back, and it's time to meet The Empath.(00:58:22) - Those responsible for this episode.(01:09:46) - Stop us if you've heard this one before: this seemingly deserted planet is anything but.(01:15:20) - Filming in the void to save money, and we meet the titular empath and her captors(01:23:42) - Maybe the most pointless escape scene in Star Trek history.(01:27:59) - Gem nearly cracks saving Kirk, and now let's scramble over each other to heroically die.(01:35:07) - The not-at-all-confusing nature of this experiment.(01:41:14) - Once again, we're just giving up on an ending.(01:44:01) - Final thoughts.(01:47:48) - Upcoming scheduling notes, and the next episodes (which we'll get to after a week off).(01:50:04) - Outro.
• 
  189: 189: Star Trek: The Tholian Web and Plato's Stepchildren 31.08.2026 1t 59min

  This week's Watchcast brings us to one of the few bright spots in this final Star Trek season in The Tholian Web. Also this week is Plato's Stepchildren, a historically significant episode that is certainly unpredictable, if nothing else.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 189: Star Trek: The Tholian Web and Plato's Stepchildren(00:00:21) - Intro.(00:01:44) - Starting things off with The Tholian Web.(00:09:22) - The folks behind this episode, and various production notes.(00:21:27) - Who doesn't love a Starship where everyone's dead?(00:29:18) - Transporter chicanery, and Kirk's...dead...question mark?(00:33:00) - Time for Chekov's weekly freakout, though he's not alone this time.(00:35:21) - And here come the Tholians(00:42:38) - Spock and Bones are at each other's throats, and man screams during funeral.(00:51:46) - The ectoplasmic captain.(00:57:22) - Not sure we fully grasp how any of this stuff at the end worked.(01:00:56) - Somehow, Kirk returned.(01:04:41) - Break!(01:05:05) - We're back, and it's time for Plato's Stepchildren, such as they are.(01:07:15) - Production background.(01:20:49) - Get me off this Greek planet.(01:32:00) - Humiliating improv exercises IN SPACE!(01:36:34) - Breaking Spock.(01:40:34) - THAT'S how they got the mind powers?!?(01:44:46) - Let's get uncomfortable for a while.(01:49:36) - A taste of your own mind control.(01:56:51) - Final thoughts, and housekeeping for next week's episodes.(01:59:11) - Outro.
• 
  188: 188: Star Trek: Day of the Dove and For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky 24.08.2026 1t 46min

  For this week's Star Trek journey we've got a pair of episodes absolutely chock full of cardboard swords and ridiculous alien misunderstandings in the Klingon-heavy donnybrook Day of the Dove, and the generation ship disaster For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky!CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 188: Star Trek: Day of the Dove and For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky(00:00:21) - Intro.(00:06:31) - Kicking things off with Day of the Dove.(00:13:27) - Who made and starred in this episode.(00:20:29) - The Klingons crash the away party, and we discuss the nature of this alien.(00:31:25) - Chekov's sudden revenge boner, and a Klingon donnybrook breaks out.(00:36:27) - Feeding the hate to feed on the hate.(00:46:50) - Convincing the Klingons.(00:50:00) - Transporting into engineering and wrapping this one up as quick as we can.(00:58:28) - Break!(00:58:46) - We're back, and it's time for an episode with a very long title.(01:02:20) - Who made this, and who was in this.(01:06:49) - Getting into the episode proper, and not believing Bones is actually going to die.(01:12:30) - The people, and their phenomenally stupid outfits.(01:20:15) - Bones gets to be the loverboy for once.(01:27:48) - Giving everyone headaches and then solving a big adventure game puzzle.(01:40:50) - Final thoughts.(01:44:21) - Housekeeping for next week, and outro.
• 
  187: 187: Star Trek: Is There in Truth No Beauty and Spectre of the Gun 17.08.2026 1t 47min

  After the extraordinarily low lows of last week's Star Trek episodes, this week's batch feels like a welcome respite. Up to bat this week is previously-seen guest star Diana Muldaur in the psychedelic ugly alien freakout Is There in Truth No Beauty, followed by the good ol' fashioned wild west romp Spectre of the Gun!CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 187: Star Trek: Is There in Truth No Beauty and Spectre of the Gun(00:00:39) - Intro.(00:01:58) - Jumping right into Is There in Truth No Beauty, an impossible title to say correctly the first time.(00:15:26) - Don't look at the ugly alien. You'll go crazy.(00:17:57) - Pretty lady onboard, let's get weird about it.(00:29:13) - Goddammit, Larry.(00:37:49) - Show the pretty lady flowers while we step out with her ambassador.(00:44:11) - Piloting Spock around like it's the ambassador's vacation body.(00:47:57) - Spock goes crazy, and it barely matters.(00:51:41) - Spock's good, Dr. Jones got her mindlink, and Larry's dead, so I guess this is a happy ending.(00:56:37) - Break!(00:57:04) - We're back, and it's time to talk about Spectre of the Gun (and some OK Corral history)!(01:14:33) - A neon probe with a big booming snake head says to stay outta this space.(01:18:47) - A half-remembered idea of Tombstone, Arizona, where everybody is pointing you toward doom.(01:25:08) - A force field prevents escape, gas grenades are constructed, and Chekov "dies".(01:32:06) - Spock sees through the Matrix.(01:39:06) - Huh, you defeated our hastily assembled wild west trap. I guess you guys are cool.(01:44:21) - Final thoughts, and housekeeping for next week's episodes.(01:47:03) - Outro.
• 
  186: 186: Star Trek: The Paradise Syndrome and And the Children Shall Lead 10.08.2026 1t 42min

  Star Trek Summer is officially back on the menu, folks! We're once again joined by our compatriot Brad Shoemaker to continue our journey through the original series' third season soldiers on. And this week that journey meets one of its toughest challenges yet in the execrable episodes The Paradise Syndrome, and And the Children Shall Lead.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 186: Star Trek: The Paradise Syndrome and And the Children Shall Lead(00:00:23) - Intro.(00:06:12) - Launching straight into The Paradise Syndrome.(00:12:33) - ANOTHER planet full of random humans?(00:20:02) - Kirk gets zapped with the head empty beam.(00:25:53) - You're a handsome devil, you're our god now.(00:30:25) - Burning out your engines to move an asteroid like a centimeter.(00:34:31) - Kirk's so happy.(00:38:51) - Moonwalking back to the planet and discovering alien music.(00:40:35) - It's god time.(00:44:08) - Mind melding your way out of your bad life choices.(00:51:23) - Break!(00:51:46) - We're back, And the Children Shall Lead...us to this very bad episode.(00:55:10) - The somewhat, uh, unconventional casting choices.(01:03:36) - We're not dunking on this because it's a kid episode. It sucks well beyond the kid stuff.(01:08:54) - Wasting a perfectly creepy intro set-up.(01:18:07) - Them kids ain't right.(01:30:43) - The final confrontation with the pirate ghost.(01:37:27) - Final thoughts.(01:39:49) - Next week's episodes, and outro.
• 
  185: 185: The Night of the Hunter (1955) w/ Scott Benson 03.08.2026 3t 27min

  For this week's special guest Watchcast animator and game developer Scott Benson takes us on a tour of the creeper corners of Depression-era West Virginia in Charles Laughton's singularly strange thriller, The Night of the Hunter!CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 185: The Night of the Hunter (1955) w/ Scott Benson(00:00:21) - Intro.(00:12:39) - How we came to this movie initially.(00:19:47) - Some history of the film.(00:36:23) - Some talk about the cast.(00:44:14) - The film's initial lackluster reception, and subsequent reappraisal.(00:48:08) - Break!(00:48:51) - We're back, and it's time to get into the film proper.(01:00:51) - I'm Peter Graves, and this is a felony.(01:25:46) - Meeting the other townsfolk, and the preacher comes a callin'.(01:41:14) - A consequential picnic, and Willa makes some bad choices.(01:46:03) - An all-timer of a bad honeymoon.(01:52:53) - Good night, Willa.(02:07:00) - The trouble with Harry.(02:13:22) - A long, lazy trip down the river.(02:23:44) - The introduction of Rachel Cooper.(02:29:15) - Everything's going great until a teen girl gets a crush.(02:46:53) - Harry's approach is less viable under these circumstances.(02:52:29) - Do not mess with Whistler's mother.(03:05:14) - The strange epilogue to it all.(03:16:36) - Final thoughts.(03:23:59) - We might return to Star Trek next week (check the Patreon this week for more info).(03:26:38) - Outro.
• 
  184: Ghost in the Shell (1995) w/ Austin Walker 27.07.2026 2t 43min

  For this week's Special Guest Watchcast we've got none other than Austin Walker joining the show to tell us all about a seminal work of cyberpunk anime (that just happens to coincide with a new revival hitting the airwaves very recently) in the 1995 adaptation of Ghost in the Shell!CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 184: Ghost in the Shell (1995) w/ Austin Walker(00:00:26) - Intro.(00:03:32) - Talking about this week's movie, the manga and other adaptations, and how it feels to watch this in 2026.(00:25:53) - Do we understand what happened in this movie? We think so!(00:32:49) - Some talk about the animation techniques used, and then rampant cyberbrain chat.(00:39:48) - Break!(00:40:17) - We're back, and tackling some lingering questions before we launch into the plot.(00:45:40) - Setting the stage.(00:51:58) - Sorting the sections, and setting up the Puppet Master.(01:06:07) - The Major's cop buddies.(01:11:16) - The garbage men.(01:23:35) - I wanna sink to the bottom with you.(01:37:21) - The Puppet Master has demands.(01:52:57) - Ishikawa.(01:58:58) - The decoy, and the run-up to Old Town.(02:08:21) - The Puppet Master's pitch.(02:17:55) - Well, everyone's dead. Guess we'll just wrap this one up.(02:24:55) - Sequel talk, and final thoughts.(02:36:50) - Housekeeping for next week's movie: Night of the Hunter with Scott Benson!(02:38:48) - Austin's plugs, and outro.
• 
  183: Twilight (2008) w/ Abby Russell 20.07.2026 2t 45min

  The Watchcast rises from hiatus to sparkle for all of you once again, and while our friend Brad is out on leave, we've got a few guests lined up to take us through some of their favorite films. First up is Abby Russell with the movie she's been determined to make us watch for months now. the equally baffling and entertaining YA vampire romance, Twilight!CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 183: Twilight (2008) w/ Abby Russell(00:00:22) - Intro.(00:04:12) - Why does Abby love Twilight ever so much?(00:14:25) - On Stephenie Meyer and the folks who made this movie.(00:25:21) - MAN was this a big franchise (and more about how teens responded to the material). (00:34:39) - Break!(00:35:01) - We're back, and it's time to talk about this damn movie.(00:46:25) - This is quite the efficient intro, and then high school happens.(00:53:09) - The Cullens make their entrance.(01:10:42) - Edward saves Bella for the first time (of many).(01:21:55) - Things meander a bit before the big vampire reveal.(01:34:24) - A big, sparkly unveiling.(01:43:47) - Meeting The Family.(01:54:23) - Edward + Bella 4 Eva(02:01:34) - Wanna play baseball?(02:05:52) - Enter: the sleazy vampires.(02:14:41) - By the time I get to Arizona.(02:27:29) - Waking up in the hospital with the worst cover story ever concocted.(02:29:21) - Casino prom? Casino prom!(02:35:46) - Final thoughts.(02:44:11) - Housekeeping for the next couple of weeks, and outro.
• 
  182: Star Trek: Spock's Brain and The Enterprise Incident 22.06.2026 2t 10min

  One season is all that stands between us and our years-long goal of completing Star Trek: The Original Series. Yes, that season might be uniquely bad by series standards, but we are determined to push through any deep hurting that may result in order to achieve our goal. First up, an all-timer dumb-dumb episode in Spock's Brain, and the surprisingly solid The Enterprise Incident.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 182: Star Trek: Spock's Brain and The Enterprise Incident(00:00:17) - Intro.(00:03:45) - Why season 3 is Like This.(00:16:24) - Launching into this season of hell with Spock's Brain.(00:22:40) - Who made this episode, and why is it in this state.(00:27:52) - Pressing the "make everyone fall down" button so you can steal a brain.(00:37:27) - The horrors of the caveman planet.(00:41:37) - RoboSpock.(00:51:27) - I...KNOW...EVERYTHIIIIIING!(00:58:30) - They saved Spock's brain.(01:03:05) - Break!(01:03:32) - We're back, and it's onto The Enterprise Incident.(01:15:16) - The creatives involved in this episode, and the real life naval event that inspired theepisode.(01:23:00) - Veering into the Neutral Zone like a road rage incident.(01:30:11) - What is the Romulans' interest in Spock?(01:40:35) - It was all an elaborate, if confusing, ruse.(01:42:23) - Can love bloom on the battlefield, specifically between a Vulcan and a Romulan?(01:50:54) - Keystone Romulans, and Spock's filibuster.(01:58:16) - Try every USB adapter you've got, Scotty!(02:05:37) - Final thoughts.(02:09:34) - Outro.
• 
  181: Trekkies (1997) 10.06.2026 1t 56min

  We've got a one week break coming up before Star Trek Summer begins again in earnest, but before that happens we've got one more documentary to serve our Watchcasting listeners in Trekkies! Join us for some nerd archeology as we dig through this doc that's chock full of superfans of all flavors and stripes, and marvel with us at how quaint it all seems compared with our extremely fandom-oriented present.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 181: Trekkies (1997)(00:00:14) - Intro.(00:05:40) - Why we're doing Trekkies (because Star Trek Summer is on the horizon).(00:08:10) - The fandom, and how this movie treats its nerds.(00:16:41) - On Denise Crosby, and how this movie got made.(00:20:32) - The cast reactions to all this stuff. (00:31:30) - Break!(00:31:54) - We're back, and we're beginning this journey with the Spiner-Femme.(00:37:18) - Gabriel, the star of the movie, if we're being honest.(00:52:32) - Barbara, the Whitewater juror.(00:58:29) - Actual Star Trek (and affiliated) people. (01:07:06) - The Slash Fiction crowd.(01:12:03) - The Greensteins.(01:17:18) - Starbase Dental.(01:20:29) - Filking.(01:22:54) - The wildly different radio shows.(01:30:43) - An encounter at Radio Shack.(01:34:53) - A few scattered bits.(01:40:17) - Final thoughts.(01:53:08) - Housekeeping for our upcoming Star Trek season 3 watch.(01:55:59) - Outro.
• 
  180: Apollo 11 (2019) 01.06.2026 2t 4min

  Nothing brings people together like a good old fashioned space mission, and for this week's Watchcast we've got a documentary about the goodest of old fashioned space missions, Apollo 11! Join us as we marvel not just at the unbelievable human achievement this story represents, but also the ludicrously high quality footage they managed to capture 50-plus years ago.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 180: Apollo 11 (2019)(00:00:24) - Intro.(00:02:50) - Brad tells us why he picked Apollo 11, and we muse on how wild it is that this footage exists.(00:11:01) - On the achievement itself, and what it's meant to the world since.(00:22:51) - Some context for the previous Apollo missions.(00:32:20) - Once again talking about the ludicrous amount of high quality footage we have here.(00:38:30) - On the filmmaker, and how this movie came to be.(00:43:02) - Break!(00:43:28) - We're back, and Brad has a familial anecdote.(00:45:50) - Launch day.(00:59:27) - Once again, gotta give it up for the clarity of this footage.(01:05:41) - Off to the (space) races.(01:12:54) - Arrival at the Moon, and the descent.(01:25:12) - Two hours on the Moon.(01:30:03) - Rejoining with the ship, and heading home.(01:35:35) - The boys come home.(01:39:18) - What came after.(01:53:27) - Final thoughts (we did a cool thing, once).(01:58:01) - What's coming up on the Watchcast.(02:04:08) - Outro.
• 
  179: Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) 25.05.2026 2t 12min

  This week's Watchcast takes us on a trip down to Harlan County, U.S.A. as we tackle Barbara Kopple's gripping (and Academy Award winning) documentary about the 1973 miners' strike against Duke Power.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 179: Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976)(00:00:57) - Intro.(00:07:38) - Geography lessons with the Nextlander gang.(00:12:53) - On Bloody Harlan, and some discussion of the movie's structure.(00:20:41) - How this movie came to be.(00:37:02) - Break!(00:37:24) - We're back, and it's time to venture down to Kentucky.(00:42:01) - Our first glimpses at the life of the strikers.(00:51:34) - A personal retelling of Bloody Harlan, and the first encounter with the gun thugs.(00:58:05) - The women of the community become more directly involved.(01:05:24) - Open conflicts begin to errupt, and people are taken to jail.(01:10:37) - Heading to New York.(01:17:22) - The Farmington accident, and discussion of black lung.(01:23:26) - The Boyle/Yablonski affair.(01:32:02) - Tensions are boiling in Harlan.(01:41:13) - The road blockade and the warrant for Basil Collins.(01:46:58) - The killing of Lawrence Jones.(01:51:18) - The fight is never over.(02:01:24) - Final thoughts.(02:07:00) - Housekeeping for next week's doc: Apollo 11!(02:11:45) - Outro.
• 
  178: Class Action Park (2020) 18.05.2026 1t 56min

  We're filling out May's Watchcast schedule with a trio of documentaries that have been on our respective lists for a while now, and first up is Vinny's pick, Class Action Park! Join us as we recount our own memories of weirdo theme parks of yore, marvel at the brazen lawlessness of this whole operation, and wonder aloud if we aren't just living in Action Park all the time now.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 178: Class Action Park (2020)(00:00:43) - Intro.(00:04:00) - Class Action Park is Vinny's pick this month, and here's why.(00:10:37) - How this podcast is going to go, generally, and our own personal experiences with local theme parks.(00:20:57) - How the hell was this allowed to go on for so long?(00:27:04) - Break!(00:27:32) - We're back, and it's time to talk about who made this movie, and who some of the folks speaking in it are.(00:32:11) - Kicking things off with who Gene Mulvihill was. and how he came to own this place. (00:36:26) - The Action Park complex, and the rides that didn't work out.(00:46:42) - Some of the rides that lasted the duration, and the Lord of the Flies situation going on here.(00:56:02) - The deadliest kayak experience this side of the Colorado.(00:57:31) - The wave pool deaths.(01:05:49) - Motorworld, and George Larsson's death on the Alpine Slide.(01:14:52) - How Gene Mulvihill dodged consequences.(01:24:05) - What became of Action Park, and what, if anything, is there to be learned from all this?(01:46:12) - Final thoughts.(01:53:26) - Our film for next week: Harlan County, USA!(01:56:18) - Outro.
• 
  177: Burn After Reading (2008) with Austin Walker 11.05.2026 2t 17min

  We close out our slate of Coens comedies with their 2008 spy thriller farce, Burn After Reading! And joining the crew as we unravel this sordid tale of idiot spycraft is none other than our friend and yours, Austin Walker!CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 177: Burn After Reading (2008)(00:00:16) - Intro.(00:01:02) - Our guest this week is Austin Walker, and our movie is Burn After Reading!(00:05:36) - On the movie's overall tone, it's cynicism, and how it treats its characters.(00:21:14) - How this movie came into the world.(00:29:03) - Break!(00:29:24) - We're back, and it's time to handle the most important political issue of our time: HR violations at the CIA.(00:36:38) - Katie, and the Pfarrers.(00:44:52) - Osborne's explosive memoirs (and exploding marriage).(00:51:32) - Linda arrives, and she wants some work done.(01:00:49) - The discovery of top secret shit.(01:07:22) - The master plan begins.(01:15:56) - We gotta get these two crazy kids together.(01:18:34) - The drop, and the Russians become involved.(01:24:40) - No one ever expects the adult novelty chair, and the fall of Osborne Cox.(01:31:36) - Things escalate, to say the least.(01:36:07) - JK Simmons is here to say what we're all thinking.(01:41:16) - Everyone and everything becomes unwound.(01:57:55) - What did we learn?(02:03:58) - Final thoughts.(02:09:21) - Housekeeping for the remaining May movies.(02:13:01) - Outro.
• 
  176: Raising Arizona (1987) 04.05.2026 1t 56min

  The third film in our Coens Comedy Classics lineup is an all-time favorite of Alex's, and a genuine screwball hall-of-famer if you don't mind such bold proclamations. We are, of course, talking about Raising Arizona, a movie chock full of yuks that still has a genuine heart that cannot be denied.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 176: Raising Arizona (1987)(00:00:22) - Intro.(00:08:19) - Some initial impressions, and how Raising Arizona got made.(00:21:09) - On the subject of Randall "Tex" Cobb.(00:25:43) - A brief bit on Trey Wilson.(00:27:05) - On the movie's success and reception (and also a lengthy Siskel and Ebert bit).(00:33:11) - Break!(00:33:31) - We're back, and it's time for Hi and Ed's whirlwind romance.(00:43:32) - Taking your pick of the Arizona Quints.(00:52:42) - Our new nuclear family, and the Snoats brothers come calling.(01:01:47) - The demon biker first appears, and Nathan Jr. is discovered missing.(01:07:57) - The true horror of the nuclear family is revealed.(01:15:09) - One of the all-time great failed hold-ups in cinema.(01:18:04) - The bank robbery is pitched, and Junior's origins are discovered by unsavory types.(01:29:59) - Hi and Ed are nearly done, and the bank robbery pops off.(01:33:10) - All forces converge on Nathan Jr.(01:36:47) - Hi and Ed make things right, and a (potential) vision of the future.(01:44:05) - Final thoughts, and various other Cage musings.(01:53:42) - Our final Coens movie for this lineup: Burn After Reading!(01:55:47) - Outro.
• 
  175: The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) 27.04.2026 2t 4min

  Our journey through some of the wackier Coen Brothers capers continues this week as we take on The Hudsucker Proxy, a star-studded, over-the-top affair that is equal parts His Girl Friday and Roadrunner cartoon, and is every bit as ungainly as that description makes it sound.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 175: The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)(00:00:20) - Intro.(00:01:28) - Our movie this week: The Hudsucker Proxy!(00:10:49) - How this movie got made, and discussion of its ill box office fortunes.(00:25:03) - Break!(00:25:26) - We're back, and it's time to tell the tale of Norville Barnes.(00:35:04) - Everything's going great at Hudsucker Industries, until it isn't.(00:40:04) - Let's hatch a stock scam.(00:44:22) - Mailroom mayhem, and the introduction of the Blue Letter.(00:57:17) - A perfect patsy is born, but one ace reporter smells a bunko scam.(01:05:20) - A fabricated meet-cute at the diner, and Amy becomes a Muncie gal.(01:10:20) - Taking a letter, and the fancy dress ball.(01:21:02) - The dawn of the extruded plastic dingus.(01:28:29) - The stock scam is in shambles, and Norville is tripping on his own dingus.(01:32:20) - Norville's dancing dreams, and the downfall.(01:42:25) - Long way down (one more thing).(01:54:14) - The epilogue, and our final thoughts.(02:02:13) - Our film for next week is a killer one: Raising Arizona!(02:03:48) - Outro.
• 
  174: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) 20.04.2026 1t 52min

  After an unexpectedly long odyssey that delayed the Watchcast's scheduled arrival, we're finally back to our movie watching ways, and launching into our month of Coen Brothers comedies, starting with the duo's southern-fried take on one of the great Homeric works in O Brother, Where Art Thou?!CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 174: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)(00:01:04) - Intro(00:02:53) - It took us longer than we expected to get back, but we're finally here. Now, on a totally unrelated subject, let's talk about The Odyssey.(00:09:17) - The music, and some chatter about our main cast.(00:16:46) - Some last production notes.(00:23:32) - What was our familiarity with this one prior to this watch?(00:27:01) - Break!(00:30:01) - The blind seer's prophecy, and a night on the farm.(00:40:41) - A genuine geographical oddity, and the dreamiest Baptism you ever did see.(00:43:43) - Meeting Tommy at the Crossroads, and singin' into a can.(00:54:19) - Money talk around the campfire, and the introduction of Babyface.(01:04:55) - The sirens, a toad, and Big Dan.(01:13:17) - Homer Stokes, the Wharvey gals, and the pater familias.(01:21:59) - Reuniting with Pete, and rescuing Tommy from the klan.(01:30:11) - Everything converges at the music hall.(01:37:34) - Babyface's fate, and one last challenge to overcome.(01:44:41) - The McGills reunited.(01:46:10) - Final thoughts.(01:49:45) - Next week's movie: The Hudsucker Proxy!(01:51:57) - Outro.
• 
  173: Stop Making Sense (1984) 24.03.2026 2t 1min

  It's our last Watchcast before we take a two week hiatus, so Alex wants to send us off on a high note, and to do so he has hand selected the 1984 Talking Heads concert extravaganza Stop Making Sense! Join us as we experience together the myriad pleasures of great music, cardiovascular exercise, and enormous suits.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 173: Stop Making Sense (1984)(00:00:45) - Intro.(00:02:46) - Our personal histories with the Talking Heads, if we have them.(00:10:36) - Brad has a couple of questions.(00:14:38) - A little bit of history about the band.(00:33:45) - How the film came to be.(00:41:13) - The touring musicians who help make this show so dynamic.(00:48:37) - Break!(00:48:58) - We're back, and we're kicking things off with Psycho Killer.(00:54:52) - Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.(01:02:33) - Jerry Harrison Found a Job.(01:04:49) - (Mostly) The full backing crew arrives for Slippery People.(01:06:19) - A song from the extended edition, Cities.(01:08:40) - Burning Down the House.(01:12:32) - The incredible performance of Life During Wartime.(01:17:54) - Making Flippy Floppy.(01:20:06) - Swampin' it up.(01:22:30) - What a Day That Was.(01:24:21) - This Must Be the Place (Naive Podcasters)(01:27:43) - This is not my beautiful Watchcast!(01:30:07) - Big Business / I Zimbra(01:32:40) - The Tom Tom Club takeover.(01:35:08) - BIG SUIT (also featuring Girlfriend Is Better).(01:39:30) - Take Me to the River.(01:43:42) - Closing out with Crosseyed and Painless.(01:46:57) - Final thoughts.(01:56:35) - Housekeeping for next month.(02:00:35) - Outro.
• 
  172: Annihilation (2018) 16.03.2026 2t 42min

  Brad has made his pick for the month, and he's decided to take a trip down south to Alex Garland's Annihilation, where a funny kind of Shimmer has got everyone all confused and refracted and dead. Join us as we discuss at length the phantasmagoric scenes that await our scientific adventurers, the human drama that plagues them both in and out of the zone, and just how how messed up that bear really is.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 172: Annihilation (2018)(00:00:26) - Intro.(00:04:06) - Brad's pick is up this week, and he has chosen Annihilation!(00:08:50) - Talking about the book, Alex Garland, and how he set about adapting this story.(00:16:48) - On the production, and the trouble it ran into pre-release.(00:27:02) - The flashback.(00:38:23) - This is not my beautiful house. This is not my beautiful wife. How did I get here?(00:42:35) - Break!(00:42:54) - We're back, and it's time for our first look at the Shimmer.(00:53:28) - Meeting the squad.(00:59:34) - Time becomes immediately weird.(01:03:11) - The mutations start to become apparent.(01:15:33) - Video logs and environmental storytelling.(01:24:24) - Another flashback in a flashback, and the bear makes its first appearance.(01:33:44) - They find Cassie, then they find some tree people.(01:42:50) - Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear absorbs your consciousness at the moment of grim death.(01:52:28) - Josie becomes one with the field.(01:56:59) - That lighthouse is messed up.(02:07:51) - The titular line.(02:13:13) - Dancing with...myself?(02:26:20) - Are you you? Am I me?(02:30:59) - Final thoughts.(02:37:57) - Housekeeping for next week's movie: Stop Making Sense!(02:41:21) - Outro.
• 
  171: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) 09.03.2026 2t 41min

  With our March schedule being on the shorter side, we've decided to once again each pick a movie we felt like watching, and first up is Vinny with Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Join our party as we adventure through this tongue-in-cheek spin on tabletop storytelling, tell our own tales of DnD adventures, and say the name Jarnathan every chance we get.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 171: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)(00:00:13) - Intro, and immediately launching into our personal experiences with tabletop gaming.(00:13:41) - Initial thoughts about the movie.(00:19:14) - How this movie (finally) got made.(00:32:34) - The tonal tightrope this movie walks.(00:38:53) - Meeting our Bard and Barbarian in a frozen prison.(00:50:58) - Break!(00:51:19) - We're back, the gang is out of prison, and it's time to head to Neverwinter.(01:01:46) - Time to (re)form the party (and a sidebar about hidden effects shots).(01:14:37) - Scoping out the red wizard's security.(01:19:24) - The Helm of Solving This Specific Problem.(01:25:24) - Waking the dead.(01:29:12) - The most paladin paladin who ever paladin'd.(01:37:08) - To the Underdark.(01:49:19) - Attunement is a real pain in the ass.(01:57:03) - Doing some magical heisting.(02:04:22) - Surviving the games.(02:13:33) - A real life party might've made off with the treasure, but that's not a good movie ending.(02:23:23) - Saving Holga, and keeping the party together.(02:27:56) - Final thoughts.(02:34:51) - Housekeeping for the rest of this month's movies.(02:40:27) - Outro.