Nostalgium Arcanum

This podcast releases on Mondays - the least favorite day of one tubby beloved feline named Garfield. As his popularity began to take off in the early 1980s creator Jim Davis took a page from his comics colleage Charles...

True Lies is the quintessential 90s action movie. Equal parts comedy and high-stakes stunts, James Cameron teams up once again with Arnold Schwarzenegger and composer Brad Fiedel to deliver thrills and chills as Harry...

Like one of its subjects, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is a high powered mutant of some kind, never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die. Terry Gilliam's adaptation of Hunter...

Cartoons from Warner Bros. in the 90s were a little looney, totally insane-ey, and a chance for the creative forces behind them to Freak Out! Guest comedian/filmmaker Tarik Davis ( www.tarikrdavis.com ) and I are joined...

Boom shakalaka! In 1993 NBA Jam abandoned videogame basketball verisimilitude in favor of wild 2-on-2 arcade action and like its playable athletes, caught fire. Comedian and improviser Rich Baker (...

Final Fantasy X dives deep into complex themes of religion and race, love and sacrifice. From the opening strains of its memorable score, the game immediately grabs its audience with its narrative ambition, and unique...

From the moment you pop in a quarter or press start, video games have used music to enthrall, entice, and plumb even more complex emotions, far more than one might expect from the push of a button. On this podcast we...

"Shadow of the Colossus" truly casts a colossal shadow. When the question arises as to whether video games are art, this game is always Exhibit A in favor. Haunting, simultaneously minimalist and maximalist, Fumito...

Thwip! Our summer of Sam Raimi continues as we revisit Spider-Man's first outing with Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Frano, and Willem DaFoe bringing the storied web-slinger to high-flying death-defying action...

Who is Darkman? That question, posed by the film's marketing, is answered with a laundry list including creator Sam Raimi, actor Liam Neeson, and a slough of influences from The Shadow, to The Phantom of the Opera, the...

In 2005 "Robots" rolled off the assembly line from Blue Sky Studios, and it surprisingly remains greater than the sum of its nuts, bolts, and other assorted parts. Celebrating the aspects of capitalism that reward...

After Nevermind permanently altered the musical landscape in 1991, the following year continued music's fractured attempt to catch up with rapidly changing styles. We wish-a-you joy and happiness in revisiting our...

Though dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, on this episode we celebrate 40 years of the babe with the power, as Jennifer Connelly braves her way through Jim Henson's "Labyrinth". Full of astounding designs...

For the 35th anniversary of The Rocketeer, we don a jetpack and blast off for derring-do with test pilot-turned-hero Cliff Secord. The film's patriotic spirit, beautiful art deco design, and sparkling performances from...

Much like its subject, when "The Manhattan Project" premiered 40 years ago it did not go off with a bang, but this film remains a hidden gem of classic '80s kids-can-do cold war paranoia. When teenage genius Paul...