Nighthawks' Podcast

Credits:Mark Ball (Podcaster- Doing the Nasty, Action Figure PhotographerChris Bucheit (Chef, Musician- Middle Class Joe)Susan Burke (Comedian, actor, director, writer- Southbound, Stan Against Evil)C. Robert Cargill (Novelist, podcaster, writer- Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Sinister)Rebecca Frost (Podcaster, critic)Steven DeGennaro (Podcaster, writer, director- Found Footage 3D, Stop)Lucas Lee Graham (Producer, director, cinematographer- Escape from Tomorrow)Cameron Maris (Oscar Czar, musician- Middle Class Joe)Matt Peters (Comedian, actor- Orange is the New Black, Weeds)Maxim Pozderic (Video clerk, live trivia game show host) Charity O’Haodagain (Podcaster, previous Nighthawks guest)Scott Schalchlin (State of Texas, previous Nighthawks guest)Nicholas Don Smith (Comedian, host- Dungeons and Comedy)Kristal Starr (Comedian)Special guest appearance by Cadence (Small child)It’s a simple question. What do movies mean to you? It’s the answers that aren’t always so simple. For this episode we asked this question of fou

It was bound to happen sooner or later and a collision of streaming coincidence allowed us to get this done in our first hundred episodes.Matt is an old aficionado of the Robert B. Parker Spenser novels, a fan of the television series Spenser: For Hire, and he has strong opinions about the made-for-TV Spenser movies from the 90s and early aughts. He’s going into the 2020 Netflix offering, Spenser Confidential, with a keenly hewn fandom and a careful critical mind.Trevor hadn’t consumed ANY Spenser properties when he finally sat down and socially distanced himself with Spenser Confidential. But after watching the new film with Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, and Iliza Shlesinger Trevor did his homework and read some Robert B. Parker to beef up for the episode.The streaming gods did also smile upon Matt and Trevor, bestowing them with an unexpected and very welcome gift- three seasons of Spenser: For Hire on ImdbTV, a free-with-commercials service.So in this episode the guys talk about Robert B. Parker’s work, Spe

Welcome to the 80s!Tortoiseshell glasses, with smoky lenses, Texas tech impresarios and Silicon Valley Dudes programing the latest hit video games.As technology began to explode into the American home, the world struggled with how to interpret this new way of life. Inevitably the artistic medium of our times saw a pretty incredible attempt to imagine the world from within technology itself.This is Disney's TRON, a 1985 science fiction film starring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, and David Warner. The movie would become and infamous flop, and a bold new bar in the world of technology and animation.A harbinger of things to come, not only narratively, but in the film industry; love it or hate it, TRON has grist for the Nighthawks' Diner conversation.Pull up a seat and join us.

It's official. South Korean Director Bong Joon Ho ties Walt Disney for the most Oscar statuettes taken home in a single night, as Parasite walks away the literal winner, and the metaphorical winner.Oscar Czar and House Musician Cameron Maris checks in with Matt and Trevor, as the Nighthawks record their first Oscar reaction episode, and what a year to do it.A lot of love gets thrown around in this episode and very, very little shade.But a little shade.

A comprehensive UNCENSORED special, exploring the 92nd Annual Academy AwardsMatt and Trevor have pulled Cameron out of cold storage, after an extra-long bout in the Nighthawks Diner's walk-in freezer- where he is stored between awards seasons. And to save ourselves a headache in the edit for our 3 hour episode...This episode is uncensored for profanity and content.We drop F-Bombs.After taking the 91st Annual Academy Awards off, the Co-Hosts and the Oscar Czar make up for lost time with a special triple-long episode, that's STILL SHORTER THAN THE IRISHMAN!!!In this episode we discuss (pulls out banjo): Dolemite is My Name; Toy Story 4; How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World; Mulan; The Little Mermaid; Missing Link; I Lost My Body; Rocketman; Harriet; Breakthrough; Frozen II; Joker; Little Women; Marriage Story; Bombshell; 1917; Jojo Rabbit; The Irishman; The Two Popes; Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker; What We Do In The Shadows; Uncut Gems; American Factory; Knives Out; Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood; Ju

It's a new year, and the guys in the Nighthawks diner are coming back from their holiday vacation having watched a special "Christmas Movie."No. Not Die Hard. Die Hard is soooo 1986. (Just kidding, we love you, Die Hard.)This holiday season, the boys checked in with director Harold Ramis and actors John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Platt, and Randy Quaid for a freezer-burned caper, in a Christmas time noir.In the Ice Harvest, the boys find a fantastically dark film, based on a novel from Scott Phillips. The heist has already happened, all our characters have to do is behave themselves, and they can get away.But sometimes, failing is the best way to succeed.Also in this episode, an extra-long Trailer Talk concerning Ghostbusters Afterlife, the upcoming sequel to the original Ghostbusters franchise, starring (you guessed it) Harold Ramis.Ghostbusters Afterlife trailer:https://youtu.be/ahZFCF--uRY

Star Wars 1977 - 2019Rest in PeaceIn episode 94 of the Nighthawks Podcast we discuss Episode IX of the Third Star Wars trilogy, and marking a future uncertain for the franchise.While opinions are starkly divided and battle lines have been drawn on social media- we humbly offer what we believe is a very mature, even-handed, and fair look at the movie.Like everyone else, we have our opinions, but we are able to discuss the opinions of others without insulting their mothers.

The boys celebrated Black Friday, not by going out and spending, but by staying in and watching a movie.Honoring the holiday, Matt and Trevor made this Friday especially Black by talking about a Black Movie. Shane Black, to be precise.The subject of Nighthawks Episodes 21 and 22 is on deck, and Matt and Trevor are talking about his 1970s period detective comedy The Nice Guys.First up though, the guys have been watching The Mandalorian on Disney+ an have a few spoiler free thoughts.Also with an equipped spoiler curtain in place the Nighthawks examine another writer/director turn by Shane Black. This isn't Black's latest turn in the director's chair, also briefly discussed is The Predator and the scandal involving Black hiring a known sex offender.Those wanting more information on those reports can begin here. These are historical articles and are presented here for information and context purposes:Olivia Munn Says Fox Didn’t Return Her Call Initially After Reporting ‘Predator’ Sex Offender (Variety)https://var

As day breaks on this year's extended Monstoberfest coverage, we send the 2019 horror season off by taking another stab at a boss monster.And we mean "boss" both as "superlative" and "in charge."In 2015's Nighthawks Episode 3, Matt and Trevor discussed the incomparable Christopher Lee and his first turn as Dracula in 1958's DRACULA from Hammer Films (distributed in the US as THE HORROR OF DRACULA).During that episode, the boys found the Hammer treatment changed a great deal from the source material and elevated it for then-contemporary audiences. This, despite Trevor's shocking confession that he doesn't like the Dracula novel all that much.This time around, in 1992's BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA, director auteur Francis Ford Coppola uses older and time-honored production techniques to craft a well-executed and out-of-time look and feel for a story that was originally published in 1897.BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA features legendary makeup, costumes, and performances from Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins.Also featured: not-

The Monster is back, baby!As things in the Nighthawks Diner are often conceptual, so goes the Gregorian Calendar. The Spawn of Monstoberfest knows no bounds!As our Monstoberfest coverage bleeds into Monstember, we want to thank you for staying with the spooky coverage.Listen, we’ll be frank. When faced with the choice of jettisoning our Monstoberfest coverage vs sitting on our Telluride coverage for later release… WE DID NEITHER. OUTLAW COUNTRY!!!The gimmick is fun, but the thesis is stronger than the fun of the calendar gimmick. We promise.Hot on the heels of watching 2010’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, the boys turn the PLATINUM DUNES clock back a year and watched the re-make/boot/hash/imagining of the 1980 slasher classic FRIDAY THE 13th.Jared Padalecki stars in this non-supernatural (ahem) chapter of the hockey-mask-wearing killer Jason Voorhees. Was this another tired remake, or did the 2009 edition bring something to the table?The Redux of Monstoberfest continues.For our original discussion on Friday the

It’s a Halloween Special, WITHIN A HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!!! The boys postponed the Monstoberfest action, in favor of a little Monstemberfest bleed (we’re committed to this bit).This gives us a little space to bring you:Matt, Trevor, and Mark bring you the low down from two miles up (give or take) in the beautiful mountain community of Telluride, Colorado. As it would so happen, the Telluride Horror Show was also in town- so we have a lot of relevant stuff to talk about.There will be no spoilers for these films.The guys talk about hotly anticipated films from Hulu and Netflix, ELI and WOUNDS. Matt has opinions on the film 1BR, Mark talks THE DEEPER YOU DIG, and Trevor makes the case for SCARE PACKAGE.And sure to become a fan favorite, VFW gets a look from our panel, while opinions differ on the upcoming THE LODGE.Don't forget the word is: Don't miss SWEETHEART.Also! Coincidentally, spectral guest co-ghost Mark Ball, who dabbles in action figure animation, worked on this newly released video from the band Pleasure

It's a Halloween Special, WITHIN A HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!!!The boys postponed the Monstoberfest action, in favor of a little Monstemberfest bleed (we're committed to this bit). This gives us a little space to bring you "The Nighthawks Telluride Horror Show '19 TelluLive (on Memorex) Halloween Special with Special Ghost-Host Fancy Mark Ball" (Trademark possibly pending).Matt, Trevor, and Mark bring you the low down from two miles up (give or take) in the beautiful mountain community of Telluride Colorado. As it would so happen, the Telluride Horror Show was also in town- so we have a lot of relevant stuff to talk about.No Spoilers for these films, in this episode. The guys want you to look out for MAKING MONSTERS and AFTER MIDNIGHT. Two horror films that want to play and expand into very different but very interesting territories in the genre.The guys also discuss the (capital-G) Genius of Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Ghoul, who stopped by and pressed the flesh while dropping heavy knowledge bombs like colleg

For the autumnal season, the Nighthawks are talking about remakes of horror movies that have been covered previously in the podcast before.First up, throwing back to Nighthawks Episode 11 (Titled Wes Craven’s Impossible Dream) Matt and Trevor chatted in the diner booth about the 1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street and its meta sequel Wes Craven’s A New Nightmare.The boys check back in with the Nightmare franchise, by watching the Freddy Krueger movie whose most unexpected victim was the Platinum Dunes horror remake model.Neither Matt nor Trevor had seen the 2010 Nightmare before this episode. Were they right to hold off? Does the remake deserve the hate, or is it a misunderstood innocent victim of remake prejudice?Give ‘er a spin and try us. It’s prime time…Link to Nighthawks Ep 11: https://bit.ly/2VXrkBz

On the lonely highways in West Texas, a young man faces down a lone hitch hiker who is on a screaming ride to Hell. Such is the case for The Hitcher in 1986, starring C. Thomas Howell (Far Out Man, Soul Man) and the late Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Escape From Sobibor, Blind Fury).A film that saw a lot of change between the page and the screen, John Ryder hitches a ride with Jim Halsey, and he begins to terrorize the young man on a cross-country psychological car chase and mental breakdown.Also along for the ride is Jennifer Jason Leigh, as a tough and smart waitress in a small town diner.We also took a look at the 2003 sequel and the 2007...so you don't have to.

Once again the curse of coincidental timing has made our planned nostalgic look at a childhood favorite, oddly timely.As was announced on August 17, 2019; Richard Williams, animator, auteur, creator, and artist died at age 86. Among Williams' credits is the film that we talk about in this episode?Part tent-pole special effects film, part period noir, part madcap animated feature; Richard Williams was the man who told director Robert Zemeckis "yes we can," when the rest of the industry told him "we can't."An in-depth mystery, an iconic presence in pop culture, and a watershed moment in special effects film making, Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a generation's introduction to hard boiled detectives, femme fatales, and corruption in Los Angeles city planning.An enduring classic that tested the limits and is yet to be matched. An enduring legacy for an animator who did the impossible.

Content Warning: Diggstown contains overt themes of racism, violence and brutal deaths of people of color, and is headlined by James Woods. Woods has been accused in relation to the #MeToo movement.The year is 1992 and the sport of boxing is enjoying a heyday in the United States.Director Michael Ritchie would take a stab at some of that boxing success, after a string of other sports films including The Bad News Bears.While not a hugely successful film, and panned by critics as being derivative; Matt and Trevor make the case that a fresh watch in 2019 isn't a wholly unwelcome thing.With an all-star cast including Louis Gossett Jr., Heather Graham, Oliver Platte, Tex Cobb, and Jim Caviezal; the crackling dialogue and the Sting-like grits elevate this beyond any simple boxing movie.

Now is the time of Doom!Now is the time of revenge!Now is the time of high adventure!Or... rather, 1982 was the time of Doom, revenge, and high adventure; when relative newcomer Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed with John Milius and brought the legendary pulp hero Conan of Cimmeria to the silver screen.The R-Rated adventure epic borrowed plenty from Robert E. Howard, Texan native and Conan's creator, not only pulling from the Conan canon, (Conanon?) but from other Howard works as well.To celebrate one year of partnership with the Hello Sweetie Podcast Network, the Nighthawks bring you this special, extra-long exploration into the bowels of beefcake masculinity, scantily clad femininity, racial ambiguity, swords, sorcery, a giant snake, and a "Weird Al" Yankovic reference within the first 30 seconds.You'll have to wait longer for the first Invincible Ator reference.

Way back when, most of us watched a movie that scared us - but maybe at the wrong times, and about the wrong things. Then we read a story that scared us - or maybe it just filled us with premature angst? Then, someone buried that movie where the earth was sour, and now, we have a chance to watch a resurrected movie that will scare us some more…. OR WILL IT? This episode, we took that little game we sometimes play - “Should it be remade” - and turn it into a comprehensive game of Should It Have Been Made and Also Should it Have Been Remade as we talk all things Pet Semetary (including that odd spelling). We’re comparing the (very) 1989 release of Pet Semetary to its shiny new cousin...and that means scary kid talk, scary sister talk, scary kitty talk, with some bonus book talk, and a whole lot of Fred Gwynne love. By the time we’re done pitting these differing adaptations against each other, the scorecard may just surprise you. We also delve, once more, into the filmability of stephen King - a man with so m

In 2014 a woman facing insurmountable odds in the American legal system, published a telling memoir about the most elite poker game to hit either the East or West coasts.Molly Bloom published Molly’s Game, about her stellar achievements in the world of (mostly) legitimate underground poker. Molly’s book named some names of the many Hollywood heavy swingers that used to sit around Molly’s poker table, pulling in million dollar pots.After the book was released, Molly’s journey continued, and the story, including the publishing of the book, was adapted into a movie, directed by Aaron Sorkin.Make sense?Molly’s Game isn’t a movie that fits into an easy category for a quick sell. But it is an interesting story, about a fascinating person, who did some impressive things, and faces daunting adversity. On top of that you have Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and Michael Cera filling out the cast.The boys in the cafe sit down for a hand of liar’s poker as they discuss both the book and the movie.Speaking of conversations

This is the end...My beautiful friend...After 11 years, Disney/Marvel takes its victory lap, bringing a huge amount of closure to a franchise that spans over 20 films since 2008.As is discussed in the episode, the twists and turns of Endgame come early in the film, and there's not much granular discussion to be had about the film, without spoilers.That being said, the Nighthawks take the opportunity to discuss their reactions to the film without any spoilers, the state of the Marvel franchise, and a hot take about the dateability of Seth Rogen.For those of you who have seen the film, there is an audible warning, and then the Nighthawks will talk about the film spoilers and all. Again, no spoilers at the beginning, audible warning, spoilers at the back half of the episode.Was the great Marvel gambit (heh) worth it?What do you think?