Nostalgium Arcanum
A Repository For The Pop Culture That Made Us Who We Are
Displaying items 1-10 of 13 in total of Nostalgium Arcanum with the tag "fantasy".
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Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto Del Fauno)
April 27th, 2026 | 2 hrs 24 mins
cinema, fairy tale, fairy tales, fantasy, film, films, guillermo del toro, horror, movies, myth, mythology, spain, spanish
A rumination on fairy tales that firmly embraces the "grim" in Grimm, Guillermo Del Toro's haunting masterpiece "El Laberinto Del Fauno" (or as it is known in the English-speaking world "Pan's Labyrinth") confronts us with horrors real and fantastical, the ones that force us to grow up all too soon. We're joined by guests Jala Prendes (host of Jala-Chan' Place, and co-host of Monster, Dear Monster, and Duckfeed.tv's The Level) and her husband, Dave (co-host of Monster, Dear Monster), to enter the mesmerizing maze of one of the finest films of the 21st century.
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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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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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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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The Princess Bride
July 14th, 2025 | 2 hrs 21 mins
1980s, 80s, andre the giant, billy crystal, carol kane, cary elwes, chris sarandon, christopher guest, comedy, fairy tale, fantasy, fred savage, mandy patinkin, peter falk, rob reiner, robin wright, wallace shawn
You asked for something special for our 150th episode so all we can say is "as you wish." The Princess Bride is inconceivably perfect. The film has everything - fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles, and a superlative cast and script to bring it all together. Guest comedian and filmmaker Tarik Davis (@tarikrdavis, tarikrdavis.com) joins us to revisit a storybook story that demands to be told over and over.