Nostalgium Arcanum
A Repository For The Pop Culture That Made Us Who We Are
Displaying 6 items of Nostalgium Arcanum with the tag "comic books".
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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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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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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parody, Paul Rugg and company used their cache and platform to create this satirical fever dream populated with outdated impressions, inexplicable bits, unforgettable characters, and writing wholly untethered to reailty and the rules of comedy.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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Batman Returns
December 25th, 2023 | 2 hrs 30 mins
1990s, batman, christmas, christopher walken, comic book, comic books, comics, danny devito, danny elfman, dc comics, freaks, gothic, horror, michael keaton, michelle pfeiffer, superhero, tim burton, xmas
It's Christmas in Gotham and writer/director of horror short "The Canyon" Alex Sosin joins to once again delve into Tim Burton's gothic nightmare vision of the Bat, the Cat, and the Penguin in a supersized present of an episode. It's bigger and more unwieldy than its predecessor, but no less compelling and terrifying.
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Batman (1989)
November 20th, 2023 | 2 hrs 14 mins
1980s, 80s, batman, comic, comic book, comic books, comics, dc, dc comics, film, gotham, gothic, horror, jack nicholson, joker, michael keaton, movies, superhero, tim burton
Tim Burton's fantastical vision of the Caped Crusader and his dark gothic expressionist world forever changed the superhero genre, and the way blockbusters are made. This episode writer/director of horror short film The Canyon Alex Sosin (@alexsosin4831) joins me to revisit our shared love of the summer of Batmania.
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Superman: The Movie
May 22nd, 2023 | 1 hr 14 mins
action, batman, christopher reeve, comedy, comic books, comics, dc, dc comics, entertainment, gene hackman, marlon brando, movies, scifi, superheroes, superman
It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's special guest Ken Cole (@kenergycole) joining us to discuss the superhero and his movie who set the template for all comic adaptations to come.