The Nextlander Watchcast

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.

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.

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.

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.