Nostalgium Arcanum
A Repository For The Pop Culture That Made Us Who We Are
Episodes
-
Groundhog Day
February 2nd, 2026 | 2 hrs 14 mins
1990s, 90s, andie macdowall, bill murray, buddhism, chris elliott, comedy, fantasy, harold ramis, punxatawney, self-improvement, time loop
Well its Groundhog Day... again... Part comedy, part horror, part romcom, part existential crisis, and part philosophical religious experience, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray deliver a monumental filmmaking achievement in the form of weatherman Phil Connors' unexplained incarceration on February 2. This inventive and influential film casts a shadow worthy of its prognosticating namesake rodent. We're joined by our friend Matt Powers to gather at Gobbler's Knob and celebrate why Groundhog Day still has us, babe. Watch out for that first step. It's a doozy!
-
Alien
January 26th, 2026 | 2 hrs 10 mins
1970s, 70s, ai, aliens, astrobiology, astronomy, halloween, horror, jerry goldsmith, parasite, predator, ridley scott, ripley, sci fi, sigourney weaver, space
Ridley Scott's seminal sci-fi horror masterpiece remains a "perfect organism". Alien is equal parts atmospheric, paranoid, and just plain disgusting. With a career-making performance from Sigourney Weaver and unparalleled visuals from the deep recesses of H. R. Giger's psyche, the film latches on and implants itself, not unlike its extraterrestrial antagonist. Guest podcaster and lucky star Case Aiken (Another Pass, Men of Steel) stows away on board to discuss why Alien is a beloved classic over 45 years later. You have our sympathies.
-
Legend
January 19th, 2026 | 2 hrs 21 mins
1980s, 80s, cinematography, fantasy, mia sara, ridley scott, tangerine dream, tim curry, tom cruise, unicorn, unicorns
No light without darkness. Legend is a film about duality and yet, the story of the dual cuts of the film is just as captivating as Ridley Scott's spectacular visuals, performances from a young Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, and a make-up consumed Tim Curry. Indeed, this is truly a unicorn as the theatrical and director's cut versions of the film are radically different movies, with different tones, themes and stories. While Ridley Scott made diddley squat at the box office, the legend of the film has only grown. We're joined by guests Jala Prendes (host of Jala-Chan' Place, Monster, Dear Monster, and Duckfeed.tv's The Level) and her husband, Dave (co-host of Monster, Dear Monster), to celebrate this cult classic of 80s fantasy.
-
Super Mario Kart
January 12th, 2026 | 1 hr 20 mins
16 bit, game, gamer, gamers, games, gaming, mario, nintendo, racing, racing game, retrogame, retrogamer, retrogamers, retrogames, retrogaming, snes, super nintendo, video game, video games, videogame, videogames
3... 2... 1... Go!!! By 1992 Mario had conquered koopas, rescued the princess (again and again), played tennis, practiced medicine, and more, but that year launched a new venture, Super Mario Kart. Buoyed by the Mode 7 chip, a new racing genre was born as beloved Nintendo characters zipped around tracks, blasting each other with shells, lightning bolts and more. Guest comedian Rich Baker (@richbakeractor) grabs a controller and joins us to revisit the first entry in this venerable franchise.
-
Stand By Me
January 5th, 2026 | 2 hrs 21 mins
1980s, 80s, corey feldman, jerry o'connell, kiefer sutherland, richard dreyfuss, river phoenix, rob reiner, stephen king, wil wheaton
Deeply personal, darkly profound, the late Rob Reiner's masterpiece "Stand By Me" is the film he said he most wanted to be remembered for. The film lays bare the pain in growing pains in the seemingly simple tale of four children trudging to see a dead body, but which explores the complex emotions on the precipice of adulthood, the traumas that shape us, in perhaps the finest coming-of-age film ever made. We're joined by filmmaker (and fellow wilderness-exploring childhood friend) Alex Sosin ("The Canyon") to celebrate this crown jewel of Reiner's career. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
December 29th, 2025 | 36 mins 30 secs
animation, boris karloff, cartoon, cartoons, christmas, chuck jones, comedy, dr. seuss, grinch, santa, santa claus, x-mas, xmas
It wouldn't be Christmas without Yuletide stealing, so we've got one more episode that's very revealing. The kids drop by the pod, to discuss who's Who, and give How The Grinch Stole Christmas a proper review.
-
The Muppet Christmas Carol
December 22nd, 2025 | 2 hrs 14 mins
a christmas carol, charles dickens, christmas, dickens, jim henson, michael caine, muppet, muppets, musical, musicals, puppet, puppets, the muppets, x-mas, xmas
God bless us, every one! It's a special cross-over podcast as we bring an episode of Still Muppetting to Nostalgium Arcanum. Co-host Josh Covel (Still Loading) and comedian Eileen Mayse (@i_lean) revisit Muppets past and Michael Caine's turn breaking good as Ebeneezer Scrooge in "The Muppet Christmas Carol". And it was always said of them, that they knew how to keep Muppets well, if anyone alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!
-
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
December 15th, 2025 | 1 hr 26 mins
1960s, 60s, animation, burl ives, carols, christmas, christmas carol, christmas carols, frosty, musical, musicals, rankin bass, rudolph, santa, santa claus, stop motion, x-mas, xmas
Our holiday coverage continues as we recall the most famous reindeer of all. Rankin-Bass' stop-motion retelling of Rudolph's super-mutant origins remains the most beloved version of the holiday mainstay. Guest podcaster and misfit toy Case Aiken (Another Pass, Men of Steel) joins us to sing the praises (and carols) of this Christmas classic.
-
A Christmas Story
December 8th, 2025 | 2 hrs 15 mins
1980s, 80s, christmas, comedy, santa, santa claus, x-mas, xmas
On this episode you'll shoot your eye out as we join Ralphie, his family, and the world's sexiest lamp to revisit A Christmas Story. We drink our ovaltine with our friends from from the Media / Lit Podcast, Kris Ingersoll and Randy Allain and use our tongues for discussing a holiday classic instead of sticking them to frozen poles.
-
Ernest Saves Christmas
December 1st, 2025 | 1 hr 42 mins
1980s, 80s, christmas, comedy, ernest, jim varney, santa, santa claus, x-mas, xmas
It's time to pass the torch, knowwhatImean? We're returning to the weird world of Ernest P. Worrell as Jim Varney's blue-collar rubber face works a double shift to ensure the magic of Christmas is passed to a new generation. Guest comedian Rich Baker (@richbakeractor) and filmmaker Tarik Davis (@tarikrdavis, tarikrdavis.com) join us to celebrate a comedy that knows when to step on the gas and when to hit the air brakes.
-
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
November 23rd, 2025 | 3 hrs 15 mins
andy serkis, bilbo, cate blanchett, christopher lee, d&d, dragon, dungeons and dragons, dwarf, elf, fantasy, gandalf, gollum, hobbit, howard shore, ian mckellan, liv tyler, lord of the rings, lotr, middle earth, peter jackson, rings of power, sean astin, the rings of power, tolkien, viggo mortensen, wizard
We're glad to be with you, here at the end of all things. Frodovember closes with our look back at Peter Jackson's incredible capstone to his adaptation of The Lord of The Rings, which collected a record-tying 11 coveted gold Oscar statuettes in exchange for the destruction of one pesky gold ring. We're joined by Jacob Price of the Pre-Order Bonus podcast to celebrate a film that can only be described as precious. I will not say, "Do not weep", for not all tears are an evil.
-
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
November 17th, 2025 | 3 hrs 9 mins
andy serkis, bilbo, cate blanchett, christopher lee, d&d, dragon, dungeons and dragons, dwarf, elf, fantasy, gandalf, gollum, hobbit, howard shore, ian mckellan, liv tyler, lord of the rings, lotr, middle earth, peter jackson, rings of power, sean astin, the rings of power, tolkien, viggo mortensen, wizard
The stakes continue to rise as the last hope for Middle Earth faces the looming of The Two Towers. We're joined by wicked, tricksy hobbitses from the Media / Lit Podcast, Kris Ingersoll and Randy Allain to revisit the middle chapter in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece. From its landmark special effects, to one of the greatest battles ever filmed, The Two Towers remains as precious as it was in 2002.
-
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
November 10th, 2025 | 2 hrs 50 mins
andy serkis, bilbo, cate blanchett, christopher lee, d&d, dragon, dungeons and dragons, dwarf, elf, fantasy, gandalf, gollum, hobbit, howard shore, ian mckellan, liv tyler, lord of the rings, lotr, middle earth, peter jackson, rings of power, sean astin, the rings of power, tolkien, viggo mortensen, wizard
Frodovember continues as we begin the quest to destroy the One Ring with guest Dave Jackson (the "Tales from the Backlog" podcast). Released to massive critical and financial sucess in 2001, the first film of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy masterfully condenses and adapts the first third of Tolkien’s seminal work with winning performances from an all-star cast, and all the powerful emotional depth the story contains. Bring a second breakfast, because this pod goes ever on and on.
-
The Hobbit
November 2nd, 2025 | 2 hrs 9 mins
animation, bilbo, cartoon, cartoons, d&d, dragon, dungeons and dragons, dwarf, elf, fantasy, gandalf, gollum, hobbit, lord of the rings, lotr, middle earth, rings of power, the rings of power, tolkien, wizard
The greatest adventure is what lies ahead, as Frodovember begins with the 1977 Rankin Bass adaptation of The Hobbit. We go there and back again with guest podcaster Case Aiken (Another Pass, Men of Steel) to enjoy our mutual first experences with Middle Earth and the works of J.R.R. Tolkein.
-
Coraline
October 31st, 2025 | 1 hr 9 mins
00s, 2000s, animation, dakota fanning, fairy tale, ghost, ghosts, halloween, horror, ian mcshane, keith david, neil gaiman, parenting, stop motion, teri hatcher, they might be giants
Be careful what you wish for this Halloween. On this special it's a family affair as the Other Doug and the Other Ami welcome their children Celeste and Ben into the other world of 2009's Coraline. This stop-motion masterpiece spins a web and puts a button or two on a modern Grimm fairy tale about how the grass seems greener on the other side of a tiny mysterious door.
-
The Colour Out Of Space
October 29th, 2025 | 1 hr 18 mins
alien, aliens, audiobook, cosmic, cosmic horror, cthulhu, halloween, horror, invasion, literature, lovecraft, lovecraftian, short stories, short story, the thing
For this year's Halloween bonus reading, we're going down to Nahum's farm and taking a gander at "The Colour Out Of Space", cosmic horror master H.P. Lovecraft's unsettling tale of a chromatic contagion from beyond the stars.