The Nextlander Watchcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Alex's final pick for February is here, and for this week's Watchcast he's taking us to the Spanish coast to peek in on the idyllic life of retired thief Gal Dove in Jonathan Glazer's Sexy Beast, a movie that's got a whole lot of unusual style and flavor going on, even outside of Ben Kingsley's ferociously memorable central performance.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 170: Sexy Beast (2000)(00:01:20) - Intro.(00:03:05) - Our final February film for 2026: Sexy Beast!(00:10:57) - How this movie got made.(00:20:58) - Our extremely British cast.(00:26:14) - Sweating, baking, boiling, things of that nature.(00:35:02) - Break!(00:35:26) - We're back, and so is Don Logan.(00:44:10) - The plan.(00:52:00) - Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes! Yes! Yes!(01:06:38) - Don leaves, and then doesn't.(01:14:04) - Onto the heist, but what of Don?(01:24:54) - These are the true heirs to the Wet Bandits moniker. (01:31:03) - Shooting off, are we?"(01:36:52) - Gal survives to suntan another day.(01:39:03) - Final thoughts.(01:44:12) - Housekeeping for next month and next week's movie.(01:45:48) - Outro.

It's Fargo week on the Watchcast, and Alex is just gosh darned excited as all get out to talk about his favorite Coens classic. Join us as he takes Brad and Vinny through the frozen wasteland of the Northern Midwest to discuss the supposedly (but not actually) "true events" of the film, the darkness that runs under the surface of Minnesota Nice, and the spectacular array of accents on display.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 169: Fargo (1996)(00:00:15) - Intro.(00:01:18) - What the boys knew about Fargo going in, and how Alex first saw it.(00:10:03) - Some broader Coens talk.(00:17:20) - Cast chat.(00:30:18) - Launching down a snowy highway into the movie proper.(00:46:52) - Wade and Jerry are not exactly aligned.(00:51:07) - Break!(00:51:27) - We're back, and it's time for a kidnapping.(01:06:37) - The plan is in motion, but it's about to hit its first homicidal snag.(01:11:48) - Marge is on the case.(01:19:24) - This is Jerry's deal.(01:25:32) - Marge meets some ladies.(01:27:00) - The Yanagita Affair, and a few other assorted scenes.(01:32:22) - Jerry's getting cut out of his own kidnapping, and Carl endures many indignities.(01:44:11) - The drop goes bad.(01:50:47) - Here are some guys talking, and Carl buries the money.(01:59:32) - Jerry flees the interview, Jean is dispatched, and Carl gets Gaear'd.(02:09:33) - Chipper Cop Finds Man in Wood Chipper.(02:15:46) - Jerry's undignified end, and one last moment with Marge and Norm.(02:23:27) - Final thoughts.(02:27:31) - Housekeeping for our final film of the month: Sexy Beast!(02:30:12) - Outro.

For this week's Watchcast Alex is returning to his previous profession as a Mannhunter, as he takes the crew through one of his favorite Michael Mann flicks, 1981's Thief. Join us as we pick apart the taxonomy of crooks and goofs populating Chicago's early '80s underworld, and marvel at all the exquisite detail that went into this movie's look and vibe.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 168: Thief (1981)(00:00:27) - Intro.(00:04:09) - On Mann, his early days, and how this movie got made.(00:12:48) - Before we start talking about the movie, gotta talk about the soundtrack.(00:17:18) - The opening heist.(00:23:12) - What is this movie if not a showcase for profoundly Chicago-type guys?(00:31:46) - Break!(00:32:07) - We're back, and Frank wants his damn money(00:38:13) - Okla and Leo, from one father figure to an aspiring one.(00:51:36) - On the subject of these corrupt dirtbag cops.(00:55:20) - The original Michael Mann Diner Scene.(01:09:37) - The California job, and getting comfy in the suburbs.(01:13:29) - How many fingers am I holding up?(01:17:48) - Chaos in the adoption agency.(01:21:34) - Refusing to grease the wheels.(01:29:10) - Okla, we hardly knew ya, but now we have a baby, so it all evens out.(01:32:07) - Ditching those goofy cops.(01:40:01) - Finally, the big job.(01:52:05) - My money is in your pocket.(02:00:24) - Bye bye, Belush. Bye bye, old life.(02:09:41) - Going tactical in the Chicago suburbs.(02:15:39) - Final thoughts.(02:21:02) - Housekeeping for next week.(02:22:55) - Outro.

It's a new month and a new theme for the Watchcast, and this month Alex is foisting some of his all-time favorites on the rest of the cast, starting with Francis Ford Coppola's profoundly paranoid thriller, The Conversation! Join us as we uncover this deadly plot, marvel at Gene Hackman's performance, and swoon at just about the youngest Harrison Ford we ever did see.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 167: The Conversation (1974)(00:00:40) - Intro.(00:01:56) - Beginning our conversation about The Conversation.(00:20:04) - Cast chat.(00:27:59) - The terrific and bewildering opening recording sequence.(00:42:09) - Break!(00:42:32) - We're back, and it's time to peek into Harry's home life.(00:54:10) - Harry gets his recording.(00:59:08) - A brief interlude with Teri Garr.(01:03:44) - Lookit baby Harrison Ford!(01:08:48) - Alienating Stan, and the last piece of the audio puzzle.(01:13:48) - Spycon '74.(01:23:22) - Never party with surveillance guys, for several reasons.(01:36:23) - Chastity is the only security you can rely on.(01:46:06) - Meeting the Director.(01:50:37) - Bugging the hotel.(01:55:21) - You ain't gonna win this one, Harry.(02:04:35) - Final thoughts.(02:11:59) - Next week's movie: Michael Mann's Thief!(02:15:14) - Outro.

The final film in our slate of toy commercials turned cinema is arguably the roughest watch yet. Specifically, we all argue that maybe Masters of the Universe with Dolph Lundgren and a rubber Skeletor COULD have maybe been something watchable, if only every single creative choice were different, and better. Then you might have something!CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 166: Masters of the Universe (1987)(00:00:16) - Intro.(00:02:51) - Where did we land on He-Man as kids?(00:14:10) - On the toys themselves, and the delightful weirdos who made them. And a bit on Filmation.(00:21:14) - How in the world did this movie happen?(00:43:37) - Somehow, there was almost a direct sequel to this.(00:48:55) - Break!(00:49:18) - We're back, and this is way too grand an entrance for what we're about to see.(00:59:52) - This man, this is not my kind of He-Man.(01:04:11) - Skeletor has won, but thankfully there's exactly one man who can save us: a weird little inventor guy.(01:13:30) - We can go anywhere in the universe, we end up in 1980s Southern California.(01:22:54) - These things just happen, you know?(01:30:59) - Skeletor breaks it down, and things start getting real dumb on Earth.(01:45:35) - Courteney's leg gets zapped, He-Man's a slave, and that cop is still running around.(01:47:31) - Warping to Eternia for one last battle.(01:58:26) - Saying a long goodbye.(02:01:50) - Who cares about timeline integrity when you can wish your parents back to life?(02:06:18) - Final thoughts. You can probably guess what they are.(02:15:03) - Housekeeping for next month's movies.(02:20:03) - Outro.