Nostalgium Arcanum
A Repository For The Pop Culture That Made Us Who We Are
Displaying items 1-10 of 55 in total of Nostalgium Arcanum with the tag "90s".
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Darkman
July 20th, 2026 | 2 hrs 19 mins
1990s, 90s, action, coen brothers, comic book, comic books, comics, cult classic, cult classics, cult film, cult films, cult movie, cult movies, danny elfman, film, films, frances mcdormand, horror, liam neeson, movie, movies, phantom of the opera, sam raimi, the coen brothers, the phantom of the opera
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 Hunchback of Notre Dame, Batman, and many more. A true Frankenstein of a film lurching wildly from comic book action, to horror, to tragedy, to manic comedy, the movie walks a hard-to-resist tightrope that only Sam Raimi can pull off. We're joined by guest filmmaker Alex Sosin ("The Canyon") to peel back Darkman's many faces to explore what lies underneath.
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Songs of 1992
July 6th, 2026 | 2 hrs 41 mins
1990s, 90s, alice in chains, alternative, gin blossoms, grunge, hair metal, hip-hop, hiphop, metal, metallica, mtv, music, nirvana, pop, r.e.m., radiohead, rage against the machine, rap, red hot chili peppers, rock, the cure, weird al, whitney houston
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 personal favorites from 1992's jukebox with guest creeps and weirdos comedian Rich Baker, and our co-hosts from "Playing By Ear", Ami Lief and Kyle Lieberman.
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The Rocketeer
June 21st, 2026 | 2 hrs 26 mins
1990s, 90s, alan arkin, billy campbell, comic, comic book, comic books, comics, disney, james horner, jennifer connelly, joe johnston, paul sorvino, superhero, timothy dalton
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 leads Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Paul Sorvino, and Timothy Dalton take what could have been an ordinary movie into the stratosphere. Guest Tarik Davis (@tarikrdavis, tarikrdavis.com) joins us to take to the skies, punch some Nazis, and celebrate 35 years of this high-flying adventure film.
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Final Fantasy VII
April 20th, 2026 | 2 hrs 55 mins
1990s, 90s, fantasy, final fantasy, game, gamer, gamers, games, gaming, jrpg, jrpgs, nobuo uematsu, playstation, ps1, psx, retrogame, retrogamer, retrogamers, retrogames, retrogaming, rpg, rpgs, videogame, videogamer, videogamers, videogames, videogaming
By 1997 SquareSoft had honed its turn-based JRPG engine and operatic story to a fine point. Although Final Fantasy VII followed on its exquisite predecessor, no one could have predicted what a groundbreaking phenomenon the series' first 3D entry would be. The fusion of cyberpunk and medieval motifs, its melancholy but striving world, emotional soundtrack, and unforgettable characters have stood the test of time. Guest podcaster Gen Moonen ("Fun" and Games, www.genmoonen.com) joins our party to celebrate nearly 30 years of Final Fantasy VII casting a planet-changing spell.
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Freakazoid!
February 23rd, 2026 | 1 hr 48 mins
1990s, 90s, animaniacs, animation, cartoon, cartoons, comic book, comic books, deadpool, freakazoid, looney tunes, superhero, tiny toons
He's here to save the nation, so stay tuned to this station. Freakazoid! was unlike any cartoon before or since. Superficially a superhero parody, Paul Rugg and company used their cache and platform to create this satirical fever dream populated with outdated impressions, inexplicable bits, unforgettable characters, and writing wholly untethered to reailty and the rules of comedy. Guest super-dude extraordinaire, comedian and filmmaker Tarik Davis (@tarikrdavis, tarikrdavis.com) joins us to celebrate a show that broke the fourth wall, every convention, and quite possibly, our brains.
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The Silence of the Lambs
February 16th, 2026 | 2 hrs 27 mins
1990s, 90s, anthony hopkins, halloween, hannibal, hannibal lecter, horror, jodie foster, jonathan demme, serial, serial killer, serial killers, thomas harris, thriller, thrillers
Quid pro quo. For 35 years The Silence of the Lambs has been a profoundly troubling (and controversial) film. Like its singularly memorable antagonist Hannibal Lecter, the film forces us to stare down the horrors that haunt us, both external violent threats, and more importantly, internal traumatic scars we'd rather not revisit. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster's Academy Award winning career-best performances and Jonathan Demme's masterful direction come together to create one of the finest and scariest films ever made. We're joined by fellow inmate filmmaker Alex Sosin (The Canyon) to sew together what makes The Silence of the Lambs the compelling masterpiece it is, and dissect it with this blunt little tool.
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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!
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Mariah Carey
September 29th, 2025 | 2 hrs 3 mins
1990s, 90s, all i want for christmas is you, butterfly, christmas, fantasy, mariah carey, music, pop, pop music, r & b, r and b, r&b, songwriting, soul, whitney houston, xmas
We give our full-throated endorsement to Mariah Carey, an artist of immense talent, superhuman vocal ability, and hit after hit after hit after hit. Friend-of-the-pod Ryan Merlo, podcaster Ami Lief (Playing By Ear), and comedian Eileen Mayse (@i_lean) roudntable their favorite tracks from Mimi's illustrious career.
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Super Mario World
September 8th, 2025 | 1 hr 37 mins
16 bit, 1990s, 90s, computer, computers, console, consoles, game, gamer, gamers, games, gaming, mario, nintendo, platformer, retrogame, retrogamer, retrogamers, retrogames, retrogaming, snes, super nintendo, videogame, videogamer, videogamers, videogames, videogaming
35 years later Super Mario World remains a high watermark in video games. The venerable plumber and new pal Yoshi the dinosaur's adventure features pixel perfect platforming, satisfying secret scouring, and whimsical wonder. Guests podcaster Matt Storm a.k.a. Stormageddon ("Fun" and Games, Reignite) and comedian Rich Baker (richbakercoaching.com) hit the Star Road to celebrate a classic that is still tubular, groovy, and funky today.
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Songs of 1998
July 7th, 2025 | 3 hrs 3 mins
1990s, 90s, alternative, country, hip hop, indie, metal, music, pop, pop music, rap, rock, rock and roll
By 1998 the grunge and gangsta rap of the early 1990s had petered out. Ska came and went. Musical tastes had begun to drift, and our year-review reflects these tectonic shifts with mainstream pop ascendant and indie artists beginning to peek through. Guests Ami Lief, musician Kyle Lieberman, and comedian Rich Baker (@richbakercoaching) join us to roundtable our top ten songs of this year.