HEYYYYYYY!!
Huge thank you to everyone who came out to the Flashback Weekend Horror Convention — it was an absolute blast, and the turnout made it one for the books. So great to see so many of you in person!
Reminder: Next Wednesday, August 12, is Nick’s Pix screening of Defending Your Life at the Lake Theatre in Oak Park! Come hang out, watch it on the big screen, and stick around for discussion, trivia, and prizes.
Meanwhile, here’s what happened in the Pop Culture Village...
Recorded LIVE at the Flashback Weekend Horror Convention, this special bonus episode has Nick and Esmeralda Leon on stage with a rowdy, fired-up crowd, trading scary childhood memories and horror favorites — with a surprise pop-in from Chicago horror legend Svengoolie.
The stage also welcomed the cast of the cult classic Night of the Creeps — Jason Lively, Jill Whitlow, and the legendary Tom Atkins — celebrating the film’s 40th anniversary with stories, memories, and a great live conversation in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are back to talk about the box-office success of The Odyssey, plus reviews of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex, and the sci-fi family drama Sheep in a Box.
Esmeralda Leon jumps in later to recap the Flashback Weekend Horror Convention, and we drift into a conversation about TV characters who got written off their shows because the actors were reportedly too difficult to work with — from Susan on Seinfeld to Chef on South Park.
Dan Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter is back to review Adult Swim’s President Curtis, the Will Ferrell golf comedy The Hawk, and Apple TV+’s Lucky starring Anya Taylor-Joy — plus their ongoing bi-weekly check-in on Big Brother Season 28.
Esmeralda Leon jumps in later as we gear up for the live Flashback Weekend show, talking tribute bands, Stephen King, and the genuinely unsettling 1972 documentary Future Shock — narrated by a truly terrifying Orson Welles.
A listener-requested deep dive into one of Saturday Night Live’s funniest recurring sketches: Bronx Beat, created and performed by Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler. We revisit standout installments with guests like Jake Gyllenhaal, Brian Williams, Miles Teller, Tina Fey, Justin Timberlake, and Andy Samberg — plus behind-the-scenes stories and an unaired sketch with Betty White. It may not be cold outside, but this one’s definitely “Sweata Weatha.”
Last Week!
Next Week!
Spider-Man: RANKED
‘Nick’s Pix’ Screening: “Defending Your Life”
In Theaters Now
Streaming
The Drama – Now on HBO Max
August
Defending Your Life (1991)
Wednesday, August 12 @ 7 pm
One of Albert Brooks’ best — a smart, funny, and surprisingly touching comedy about a man who dies and has to defend the choices he made in life. Romance, fantasy, and comedy all rolled into one, with a killer performance from Meryl Streep.
Big screen viewing, followed by discussion, trivia, and prizes.
September
Duck Soup (1933)
Wednesday, September 9 @ 7 pm
The Marx Brothers at their absolute peak. A gloriously anarchic comedy about the fictional nation of Freedonia that still holds up as one of the funniest films ever made.
Big screen viewing, followed by discussion, trivia, and prizes.
October
The Babadook (2014)
Wednesday, October 14 @ 7 pm
One of the best horror films of the last decade — a genuinely terrifying, emotionally devastating look at grief and motherhood from writer/director Jennifer Kent. Perfect timing for spooky season.
Big screen viewing, followed by discussion, trivia, and prizes.
November
One False Move (1992)
Wednesday, November 11 @ 7 pm
An underseen gem — a tense, brutal crime thriller from Carl Franklin featuring one of Billy Bob Thornton’s earliest great performances. One of my all-time favorite hidden classics.
Big screen viewing, followed by discussion, trivia, and prizes.
40 Years, 40 Films is available now through Eckhartz Press.
And don’t forget — Substack is where the video reviews, live events, and community happen. Paid subscribers get all of it.
Thanks, and let’s continue to rock,
Nick
PS: My subscribers rule the planet.
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