Colin's Last Stand: Knockback

Way back in 1954, JRR Tolkien released the first of three seminal books that are referred to colloquially as "the trilogy," but that is otherwise collectively known as The Lord of the Rings. And, believe it or not, it took decades for this wonderful fantasy franchise to see life on the silver screen. By way of the talented Peter Jackson and his extraordinary team, Fellowship of the Ring (and its two subsequent, book-based films) bring us to Middle-earth on the verge of great potential disaster. The One Ring is in danger of falling into the wrong hands, and it's up to a wizard, some Hobbits, elves, humans, and even an ax-wielding dwarf to keep it secret, keep it safe. It's time to go high fantasy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some television shows come along that are way ahead of their time, and Freaks and Geeks -- which ran for a scant 18 episodes between 1999 and 2000 on NBC -- is one such program. That's especially ironic, of course, since it's actually about the past. Taking place in 1980 and 1981 in and around a Michigan high school, Freaks and Geeks is the brainchild of writers, directors, and producers Paul Feig and Judd Apatow, who are of course wildly famous today. So, too, is much of the cast, from James Franco and Seth Rogen to Linda Cardellini and Jason Segel. But beyond all of that, Freaks and Geeks is a show about the teenage experience, set through the lens of multiple groups of oft-conflicting cliques. So let's discuss one of the most beloved cult classic television shows of all-time, and then get really sad that we never received more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Depending on who you are, who your parents are, when and where you grew up, and many other factors, your experience eating at home as a kid was... well... different. We Moriartys were quite lucky, indeed: Italian Long Islanders with an extended family of talented cooks constantly putting delectable treats in front of us (carbs, especially). But some of you out there... well... you may not have been as lucky. So let's explore stories of eating at home, of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, or beloved meals and loathed options. Was your mom a better cook, or your dad? Maybe your grandparents? There's much to discuss. Just one thing: Don't go into this episode on an empty stomach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

KnockBack's 159th episode is a unique one in that it's dedicated to the wholesale recrafting and rewriting of 2015's Star Wars film The Force Awakens. Quite simply, we've decided to follow it up with our rewriting of Episode VIII! Now, it's important you listen to or watch Episode 159 first, or you'll have no idea what we're talking about. You've been warned! Otherwise, please enjoy yet another episode voted on by you, the fans! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nintendo has long dominated gaming's lucrative handheld scene, vanquishing foes who dared enter the space, one after another, from Atari to SEGA to SNK. But then 2004 rolled around. It was late in that year (and into the next) that Sony launched PlayStation Portable, or PSP, the only non-Nintendo handheld in the history of the industry to... well... hold its own against its arch-rival in an ecosystem it had to scratch, claw, and bite its way into. Yet, PSP's legacy is a mixed one, remembered as much as a fabulous on-the-go emulator as it was a unique proving ground for some of Sony's biggest IP. Discontinued in 2014, our memories of PSP are growing dimmer by the year. So let's put some thoughts on the record, and let's do so with a special guest: MrMattyPlays, who holds PlayStation Portable near-and-dear to his heart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You, our precious audience, have a wide array of wants when it comes to KnockBack. You like the episodes about games, and about movies, and TV shows, and all the rest, but you also like when we get into the ephemera of the past, too. Today's show is thus dedicated to just that. We, the Brothers Moriarty, have chosen 10 'somethings' from the decade of the 1990s -- maybe a show we used to watch, or a way we used to do something, or whatever the case might be -- and talked about those memories, why they matter, and how they brought us to today. Needless to say, we really think you're going to like this one, especially if you were around and can remember the firsthand essence of the stories we tell. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For pretty much every child, going to the movie theater is a rite of passage. The thing is, the nature of that rite hinges mightily on when and where you grew up. For we The Brothers Moriarty, our formidable movie theater experiences were on Long Island in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, and it's from there that we can draw many memorable, funny, and resonant stories. Our pre-movie rituals. What snacks to eat. Getting rides to and fro. Meeting girls (or boys!). Playing in the arcade. Seeing flicks you weren't supposed to. The saga truly goes on and on. Today's episode of KnockBack -- voted on by the audience -- is dedicated to our favorite cinematic stories. Not on the screen, of course, but our stories of visiting them, instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early '80s, Harrison Ford was completely and undeniably in his element. Over a five year period, he appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, and The Temple of Doom. That's one hell of a run. But squished right in between those four movies is 1982's Blade Runner, where we see Ford lose the roguishness (kind of) for something decidedly deeper, darker, and more philosophical. Ridley Scott's classic sci-fi film tells the story of maverick androids that need to be hunted down and "retired," and it's based upon a '60s novel from Philip K. Dick. But -- much like with most of Dick's writing -- this is a story that challenges our very concept of what it is to be human. To feel, to think, to remember, to act. So let's head to Los Angeles in 2019, where things aren't quite what you'd expect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're pretty hard on Star Wars here on KnockBack. But it's only because we care so damn much! Yet, we're rarely (if ever) asked to put up or shut up when it comes to the topic... until now. As voted on by our listeners, this episode is the first of three that will be dedicated to the new Star Wars trilogy, but through a simple lens: If given free reign, what would our new trilogy look like, one that takes place after the events of Return of the Jedi and includes as much or as little of established lore as possible? Well, today, we open our respective trilogies with our Episode VIIs. Dagan sets up a tale of familial redemption through haunting spectres of Darth Vader's past. Colin writes about an out-of-control corporation commanded by a religious prophet intent on showing the lies of the Force. They are very different stories from each other, and certainly different from canon. Naturally, we hope you enjoy both. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

High above the clouds is a city in the sky. It's called Columbia, and it was once a part of the United States, a floating testament to American Exceptionalism and the sacred religion of The Founders. This is all true in BioShock Infinite, anyway, an adventure set in an alternate version of 1912. As Booker DeWitt, your charge is clear: Rescue an unusual girl named Elizabeth from the grasp of Columbia's deified leader and get out of dodge. But, as with Ken Levine's original BioShock, Infinite is about much, much more than meets the eye, a clever, well-written title that challenges the very essence of what makes games... well... games! Racism, nationalism, militarism, industrialism. These aren't exactly common thematic elements of the fare we usually play. But here, they're central to the story. So press play, my friends. It's time to wipe away the debt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Through a modern lens, board games seem... well... quaint. After all, why would a child play with plastic toys when they can hold an iPad, are we right? Thus, it's incumbent on us to explore the Old Ways, and in reality, those Old Ways are still quite new, indeed. Board gaming, as it turns out, is in a boomtime as we speak. But enough of the contemporary. Let's instead explore the borderline-antiquated, from the capitalistic madness of Monopoly and the frantic Game of Life to the ever-pugnacious Battleship and everyone's first bout with murder: Clue. Oh, and there's plenty more in there, too, from your checkers and chess to your Risk and Axis & Allies. So let's roll the dice to see who goes first, and don't even think about cheating. We're watching closely. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's episode of KnockBack makes you an offer you can't refuse, as we open up the floor to a discussion all about the classic 1972 film The Godfather, a movie some consider to be the very best that American cinema has ever had to offer. Is it true? Well, that's subjective, but what we do know is this: The Godfather is an amazing flick, and sets such an important template for all of the wonderful Mafia media that would come after it. Character, story, dialogue... it has it all. But the major question is: Is it the most influential movie ever made? We dive deep into this notion, because when you consider just how many quotes, scenes, and iconic imagery are pulled from this picture to this day, it becomes clear that it may indeed hold that level of exceptional influence. So, click play. Because today we take care of all family business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Long Island, New York is the nautical homeland of The Moriarty Boys, and it comes up on KnockBack constantly. Almost every one of our childhood and teenage stories, memories, and events happened there, and -- at the request of the audience -- we thought we'd take the opportunity to do a non-IP-driven episode of our show all about that peculiar strip of land in New York City's shadow. For without it, there would be no Colin and Dagan as you know us today, and in its absence, our lives would have been radically different. Why does this place matter so much to us? What do we miss the most about living there? Will we ever go back? Let's breakdown the sacred setting of Moriarty Lore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The term 'action movie' is sometimes used as a pejorative in order to hand-wave away bombastic and violent films that don't have some sort of deeper meaning. Yet, 2014's John Wick -- starring the seemingly-affable Keanu Reeves -- may just have redefined the term for a modern era. The titular Wick's head-first dive into the underworld seems almost unimaginably absurd at first. And maybe it is. But it's the texture underneath that truly gleams here: The shadowy characters, the thoughtful world-building, the unrivaled stuntwork. So let's take a step into the Continental, friends. Just mind the rules. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the late '90s and early '00s, writer and director Wes Anderson came out swinging with his beloved comedies Bottle Rocket and Rushmore. His third film, however -- 2001's The Royal Tenenbaums -- is perhaps his most beloved project, a movie all about an equally talented and troubled family of two estranged parents, three peculiar adult children, and a small group of outsiders that make up their wider clan. The Royal Tenenbaums is a hysterical flick, but it's also deep, moody, and meaningful. Let's discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

World War II raged from 1939 to 1945, and as its name aptly suggests, there was fighting pretty much everywhere: the Pacific, North Africa, the Middle East, the Soviet Union, France and the UK, and on and on. However, HBO's 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers -- released in 2001 -- explores one piece of one of the theaters of war through the eyes of the United States' much-celebrated Easy Company Airborne Regiment, one of the fiercest group of fighting men America has ever assembled. Band of Brothers tells their story from training camp all the way through the Nazi surrender, with stops at Normandy, Carentan, and Eindhoven, to Bastogne, Landsberg, and Berchtesgaden. It's a wonderful, much-watch series, and we're thrilled to talk about it here on KnockBack. Band of Brothers is a history lesson, yes. But it's also a story about brotherhood, valor, fear, and doing what's necessary for God and Country. Naturally, there's much to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every one of us have had a "we're not even supposed to be here today" moment, whether at work, school, or just about anywhere else. For Dante Hicks, though -- a young, 20-something worker at a local convenience store -- being where he wasn't supposed to be ends up netting him one of the most memorable (and also unfortunate) days he could possibly remember. Clerks is Kevin Smith's very first film, and it's an absolute doozy, showing us Jay and Silent Bob for the first time, giving us a glimpse into early-'90s New Jersey slacker culture, and providing a plethora of (largely inappropriate) laughs along the way. So come celebrate a great American comedy with us, and yes, we assure you: We're open! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our retro and nostalgia podcast KnockBack is a bit of an enigma. On one hand, it's a relatively straight-forward, passion-driven project -- heavily directed by our wonderful audience -- but there's a catch: The nature of our show means it's hard to go back and talk about already-trodden topics again. Since we've reached this 150 episode milestone, however, we figured we'd try to change that, if not just for a brief flicker of time. That's because this episode gives you -- that aforementioned lovely audience! -- the ability to pick our brains further about already-visited topics, as well as discuss the past, present, and future of KnockBack. And yes: The future is indeed bright. So let's chat about all of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you really sit and think about it, it's kind of interesting that a ghoulish holiday like Halloween and a celebratory and feel-good holiday like Christmas kinda butt-up against each other, with nary a couple of months separating them. It's here that Tim Burton's and Disney's 1993 stop-motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas begins, introducing us to Jack Skellington and his crew of mischievous misfits that help Halloween's horror operate effectively. But what happens when their leader gets distracted by a very shiny, very bright, and very hopeful holiday that has nothing to do with them? A lot of confusion (and some great music), that's what. What's this?! A podcast, of course! We hope you enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's easy to make fun of child actors and children's performances in film and TV -- we do it all the time on this show -- but what makes 1990's classic film Home Alone so interesting is that its lead is a compelling kid protagonist. We all know who Macaulay Culkin is because of this movie, and rightfully so: He does a great job as Kevin McAllister, the mischievous child who's... well... left home alone when his family goes on a strangely-opulent European Christmas vacation. What results is one of the great holiday flicks of all-time, full of laughs, warmth, and physical comedy galore. So come to suburban Chicago, friends. Just watch out for that statue in the driveway when you pull in, and lock your valuables away. The Wet Bandits lurk... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices