The Nextlander Watchcast

We're closing out 2024 for the Watchcast the only way we know how: with the most depressing movie we can fit into a theme. And this year it's with David Cronenberg's captivating Eastern Promises, featuring Viggo Mortensen like you've never seen him before. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 118: Eastern Promises (2007) (00:00:35) - Intro. (00:01:42) - Viggo appreciation right out of the gate. (00:03:23) - Our last movie of 2024: David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises! (00:07:20) - On the merits of putting on the accent. (00:13:31) - A little bit of background on the movie and its accuracy. (00:18:35) - Launching into the film, and its brutal opening. (00:22:28) - The baby enters the picture. (00:26:50) - Our first trip to Semyon's restaurant. (00:31:12) - Some discussion about Nikolai's true nature, and some of the family dynamics at play. (00:44:55) - The closest thing this movie has to a funny moment. (00:49:40) - Break! (00:50:02) - We're back, and things are developing. (00:55:00) - There are dens of iniquity, and then there's this place. (00:57:23) - Semyon comes calling. (01:04:34) - The pretense of a deal. (01:07:42) - Tying up loose ends. (01:13:50) - Anna has had enough, and Nikolai and Kiril hash it out. (01:19:39) - The set-up. (01:23:06) - The bathhouse. (01:29:32) - Nikolai's reveal. (01:34:56) - A subtler ending than you might expect. (01:40:48) - The sequel that never came together. (01:43:27) - Final thoughts. (01:44:54) - Our theme for January: Jude Law sci-fi! (01:49:03) - Outro. 

Midway through our December to Dismember, we've got Shane Black's bank-breaking screenplay The Long Kiss Goodnight, a chance for America's Sweetheart Geena Davis to maybe redeem herself after Cutthroat Island. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 117: The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) (00:00:18) - Intro. (00:01:33) - Does Geena Davis get her redemption arc with this one (00:04:46) - Did the box office suffer from the stank of Cutthroat Island (00:05:57) - Some Shane Black talk. (00:10:13) - Talking Sam Jackson and Geena Davis' performances. (00:15:18) - The rest of our cast, and some last thoughts before getting into the movie itself. (00:21:05) - The slightly limp intro. (00:25:55) - Enter Sam Jackson's Mitch Henessey.  (00:27:53) - She's got some of that Fred Flintstone amnesia, apparently. (00:30:16) - Mama's got a brand new murder bag, and Henessey just wants to be a dad. (00:35:16) - All kinds of knife crime. (00:40:37) - One-Eyed Jack comes calling. (00:43:34) - Break! (00:44:01) - We're back, and it's time for a little road trip. (00:49:04) - Enter Brian Cox. (00:52:12) - Giant guns in suitcases, and a shootout at the train station. (01:03:04) - Amish water torture, followed by a night in Atlantic City. (01:15:17) - Return to the suburbs. (01:21:10) - Holding the phone company hostage, then off to ruin a false flag operation. (01:29:31) - Timothy, you ARE the father! (01:38:07) - This child has made a very poor choice, but now we have a race against time. (01:46:52) - All good movies end with a Larry King segment. (01:51:33) - Final thoughts. (01:55:04) - Housekeeping for next week's movie, and our final film of 2024: Eastern Promises! (01:58:00) - Outro.

The Watchcast returns from its slumber for a trio of vaguely Christmas-related, and not-so-vaguely violence-related films, and we're kicking things off with Tim Burton's other Batflick, Batman Returns! CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 116: Batman Returns (1992) (00:00:19) - Intro. (00:03:42) - Our topline feelings on this week's movie: Batman Returns! (00:16:56) - Getting into the production history. (00:33:49) - Some cast talk, including who COULD have played some of these characters. (00:42:41) - Tim Burton vs. McDonald's. (00:48:17) - A few remaining cast notes. (00:52:30) - Break! (00:52:50) - We're back, and it's time for a bird baby. (00:55:49) - Flash forward to modern day Gotham...whenever that's supposed to be. (01:02:41) - Clowns to the left of me, Penguins to the right, and stuck in the middle with Batman. (01:05:20) - Meeting The Penguin. (01:10:11) - Things go bad for Selina. (01:18:22) - The Penguin makes his above-ground debut, and Bruce gets suspicious. (01:24:38) - Catwoman's vigilante mission begins, and Bruce and Selina meet. (01:31:22) - The mayoral campaign kicks off. (01:33:48) - The circus mayhem resumes, and our three main characters finally meet. (01:38:52) - An alliance is formed. (01:41:48) - Framing Batman for Ice Princess murder. (01:46:34) - The Batmobile is compromised, but Batman fixes everything like five minutes later. (01:54:34) - Bruce and Selina discover each other's secrets. (01:58:25) - Max is taken, and the children are in danger...briefly. (02:02:39) - The penguin army isn't much better of a plan. (02:06:45) - The final confrontation with Selina and Max, and the Penguin funeral. (02:12:53) - A beautiful black cat for Christmas? What more could a man ask for? (02:14:31) - Final thoughts. (02:21:31) - Going over next week's movie: The Long Kiss Goodnight! (02:23:58) - Outro.

We close out our November the only way we know how: with a bad movie. A bad Final Fantasy movie no less, in Spirits Within. Join us as we pick apart this troubled and expensive production, our own histories with Final Fantasy, and just what it is that happens to your soul when one of those phantom things eats it. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 115: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) (00:00:51) - Intro. (00:03:46) - The brief, expensive, and unremarkable life of Square Pictures. (00:05:43) - There's SOMETHING here. It's not enough of something, but there's SOMETHING. (00:13:50) - The cartoon villainy of James Woods. And also the cartoon villainy of James Woods' character. (00:18:32) - Getting into the production history. (00:35:44) - The first digital actress (and Maxim model), Aki Ross. (00:40:16) - The aftermath of the movie's failure. (00:42:53) - Our star-studded cast. (00:53:20) - Briefly touching on the decidedly not-Final-Fantasy-sounding soundtrack. (00:55:35) - Break! (00:55:55) - We're back, let's get into Aki's dreams! (01:02:26) - What Aki's getting up to. (01:09:11) - A good old fashioned spirtual science argument. (01:13:49) - Epic prank, Neil. (01:17:59) - Hein's mandate, and realizing what's going on with the dream. (01:20:48) - Finding the seventh spirit. (01:26:38) - Fascist idiot does a whoopsie and wipes out New York. (01:35:24) - This last act is ROUGH. (01:48:56) - Final (Fantasy) thoughts. (01:54:49) - Outro.