Waypoint Radio

This month on Mannhunting, Alex and Rob are tackling Public Enemies, Michael Mann's dramatization of the FBI manhunt for notorious Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger. The film touches on the fascist sympathies of FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover and the prologue to the modern surveillance state. But fundamentally Public Enemies is about a bank robber and the way he is hunted and eventually cornered. In that story Rob finds a lot to love, but Alex sees a thematic muddle and doubtful execution of every idea. Like Dillinger and the FBI, they just have to settle this with a shootout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miami Vice was regarded as a misfire for Michael Mann upon release, then reappraised by some critics as one of this best and most misunderstood works. Dia, Alex, and Rob all approach the 2006 motion picture adaptation with fresh eyes and see, to varying degrees, both sides of the argument. One thing everyone agrees on: you do not disrespect Phil Collins like that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austin Walker takes a ride with Mannhunting as the gang discusses Michael Mann's 2004 Collateral, in which Jamie Foxx's shy LA cabdriver Max is forced to drive professional assassin Vincent (played by Tom Cruise) from killing to killing over the course of a long night. What role does Mann's early-adoption of digital cameras play in creating the indelible look of the film? What is the transformation to the two characters work on each other over the course of their journey? And most importantly, what is going on with the photo collection in Max's mother's hospital room? Every secret is revealed over the course of this hall of fame-level Mannhunting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Mann walks the blurry lines between homage, imitation, and theft as he attempts to tell the stories of Muhammed Ali, Malcolm X, the 1960s, and the Cold War geopolitical order in a single sprawling biopic. Join as Rob and Alex Navarro take the movie to ten rounds discussing just how much Mann borrowed from Spike Lee's Malcolm X and the documentary When We Were Kings, and to what degree he ends up directing poor stealth-remakes of both. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might not be shocked to learn Patrick loves Netflix's Stranger Things. But could you have guessed Rob has also been hanging out in the Upside Down these past few years? With the most recent season—including that whopper of a two-and-a-half-hour finale that was really a normal episode with a LOTR-style epilogue—now concluded, Rob and Patrick felt it was time to dig into a show they think is often mediocre but always tremendously fun. Also, Patrick gets to explain to Rob what “vecnussy” is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When beginning Mannhunting, Rob made a hypothesis that (barring The Keep) any of Mann's films could be argued to be his Best Work. Now, one movie past the highly regarded Heat, the Mannhunters are in a position to really put that theory to the test. Join as Alex, Dia, and Rob take to the airwaves with Mann's drama about 60 Minutes, a Tobacco industry whistleblower, and corporate power over news media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Waypoint Crew continues our watch along of the Twilight Saga with Twilight: New Moon! There were some wild moments in the first movie, but little did we know that we had barely seen the tip of the bizarre iceberg! So dig out your Twilight: New Moon DVD or MP4 or MKV and watch along with us as we return to the world of Vampires, Werewolves, and italian tribunals! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick really wanted to watch a movie with our audience during our recent Waypoint Summer Games Feast, and it just so happens that 3/5 Waypointers hadn't seen Twilight. Natalie would not let this stand, so we're leaning all the way in and starting our series of Twilight Watch Alongs with this inaugural episode, starting, of course, at the beginning. So dig out your Twilight DVD or MP4 or MKV and watch along with us as we enter the world of Vampires, Baseball, and Mormon Moments (TM). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After an increasingly harrowing stream series, the Waypoint Radio crew is here to finally dig into The Thing (2002), a video game follow up to the horror film classic The Thing. We get into how the game plays with the themes of the film, how excited we were as it introduces its mechanics, and how it all falls apart by the endgame. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's finally time, the Mannhunters have reached what is often cited as one of Mann's greatest films, Heat! But does it live up to the hype, or is a stacked cast the reason it's so popular? Join Nextlander's Alex Navarro, Waypoint contributor Dia Lacina, and Waypoint's own Rob Zacny as they beat the summer heat by watching Heat, and admit that maybe Moby was right choice this ONE time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this very special Waypoint + pod, Rob, Patrick, Ren, and Cado all sit around the warmth of their computer screens to watch The Thing From Another World, the 1951 film that inspired John Carpenter to make The Thing! First the crew answers a few questions from the live stream audience, then we begin our live commentary at 27:45. Sync up your own copy with the countdown to listen as we poke fun at the weird 1950's "romance" plot, laugh at the Obviously Evil Scientist, and talk about how Weirdly Horny it is for something from the 50's. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Manniacs are back at it again, Rob, Alex Navarro, and Dia Lacina drill into Michael Mann's LA Takedown, what ends up basically being a rough draft of his magnum opus Heat, emphasis on the rough. It's surprising what a bigger budget and big name actors can do with what in some places is essentially the same script! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob takes Ren, Patrick, and Cado on a journey to a different era: the late 90's. The crew has been playing Sid Meiier's Gettysburg!, a seminal strategy game that seems to be all but completely forgotten in the history of the genre. We discuss its context in the 90's Civil War pop culture boom, some of its strengths and weaknesses in UI design, and its massive manual which attempted to give context to the different playable scenarios and how they played out in history. We touch on simulation and history, and the particularity with which media depicting the Civil War requires to not fall into fraught ideological territory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Ren, Cado, and special guest Cameron Kunzelman as they dive into the world of NORCO, a point-and-click adventure game set in a magical realist future Louisiana and asks questions of place, home, identity, industry, and what we do at the end of it all.NORCO on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1221250/NORCO/NORCO OST On bandcamp - https://thou.bandcamp.com/album/norco-original-soundtrackNORCO review by Cameron Kunzelman - https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7nmxz/norco-review-greatness-in-the-tenacious-weirdos-who-live-there Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ren takes Rob, Patrick, and Cado through two of her favorite visual novels, We Know the Devil and Heaven Will Be Mine, two games about queer kids struggling with their queerness, queer adults with messy relationships, self acceptance in a hegemonic culture, and some of the possible futures of queer community.Worst Girl Games: https://www.worstgirlsgames.com/We Know the Devil Soundtrack : https://aleclambert.bandcamp.com/album/we-know-the-devil-ostHeaven Will Be Mine Soundtrack : https://aleclambert.bandcamp.com/album/heaven-will-be-mine-ost Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Manniacs are back at it, this time with Rob's introduction to the Manniverse: Last of the Mohicans. Special Guest Troy Goodfellow joins Alex, Dia, and Rob as they discuss the movie that very likely caused the existence of this podcast series: a period drama about colonists fighting other colonists and the first nation peoples caught up in the conflict of the Seven Years War. Come to question the historical accuracy, stay to learn more Mann-as-wife-guy deep lore! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mere days before Elden Ring finally drops, Patrick and Cado gathered around the bonfire with special guest LobosJr to talk all things King's Field IV. The first franchise that From Software developed, the King's Field series didn't make as big of a splash as the Souls franchise would eventually, but you can see all the trappings of Souls in King's Field IV, from dour NPCs to deliberate stamina based combat. We talk about From Soft's legacy, our favorite moments from the game, and answer listener questions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning: Discussions of alcohol consumption throughout.Rob, Cado, and Patrick gather around the ole microphones with new Waypoint hire Renata Price! We get an introduction to who she is and what she's excited to do here at Waypoint, and we roast Rob for some poor life decisions, it's a blast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mannhunters Rob, Dia, and Alex are joined by special guest Jeff Green to talk about Crime Story, Michael Mann's second foray into television. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time to jack back in one last time. Gita Jackson is back alongside Rob, Patrick, and Cado to talk about The Matrix Resurrections, the latest movie in the Matrix franchise, and one who's own inception is scrutinized within this film. While Gita, Patrick, and Cado left their initial viewings having enjoyed the film, Rob was ultimately left cold. We get into how our different reads diverged, the ways in which this Matrix fits into Lana Wachowski's work since the original trilogy, queer text and subtext, and the true power of love.Articles Discussed: Body Talk: Conversations on Transgender Cinema with Caden Mark Gardner, Hanya's Boys by Andrea Long Chu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob, Alex, and Dia are back at it again in the Manniverse! Join them as they dive into the world of Miami Vice, the hit TV show that often gets attributed to Mann despite the fact that he's only the Producer for the show. Still, the show has some classic Mann-erisms with some killer soundtrack moments, men losing themselves in their jobs, and ridiculous premises that boarder on Saw-like near the end of the show's run."punk" car : https://twitter.com/RobZacny/status/1461938920552345601 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Rob, Patrick, Cado, and special guest Gita Jackson as they jack back into The Matrix sequel(s). What arguably could've been one movie is instead two, and the crew discusses how the series POV shifts, the franchise's new philosophical questions, and which fight scenes they'd cut out of Reloaded. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick, Rob, Cado and special guest Gita Jackson are rewatching The Matrix trilogy in preparation for The Matrix Resurrections. They discuss why it's such an enduring film, from it's visually stunning production to it's deeply meaningful and deft allegories for oppressive structures and a trans experience. We also try to figure out some names for this podcast, but ultimately they're all cursed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob, Patrick, and Cado gather around the campfire to tell tales of their time in The Zone. Join as the crew gets deep into S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s open world design, its historical context as a shooter and open world game, and the ways its influence has spread over the years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Manhunting crew has finally reached their eponymous movie! Join Rob, Dia, Alex, and returning special guest Patrick Klepek as they discuss Michael Mann's adaptation of the first of the Hannibal Lecter novels Red Dragon. It's a fascinating look at one of the earliest serial-killer-profiler-gets-in-too-deep movies with a performance by William Petersen that would go on to inspire the TV version of Will Graham in the hit series Hannibal, a surprisingly grounded Brian Cox turn as Hannibal Lecter, and Tom Noonan being uncomfortably method as serial killer Francis Dolarhyde. Hell Fuzzy Yeah! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've got special guest Gita Jackson on the pod to talk through the beautiful meditative Stalker. Based on Roadside Picnic, this 2 hour and 41 minute long film uses the Zone to ask questions about the true shape of desire, hope, and faith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

STALKTOBER IS HERE! Rob is leading the entire Waypoint crew on a grand journey through all things S.T.A.L.K.E.R, and first up Roadside Picnic, the novel that started it all. We discuss this seminal sci-fi text at length, from its striking and terrifying worldbuilding to its economic allegories, its existential questions of humanity's essential nature to the material realities of coming in contact with something beyond your comprehension, and who's life is placed in danger for others to step over. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time on Mannhunting, special guest Patrick Klepek joins Rob, Alex, and Dia to delve into Michael Mann's take on schlock horror: The Keep. Listen to find out why Mann has largely disowned this film, how it differs from the source material, and whether Ian Mckellen has been playing the same character for his entire Hollywood career? Come for the Tangerine Dream soundtrack, stay for the hilarious smoke monster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here it is! Austin did one final podcast with Waypoint before riding off into the sunset for greener pastures. Rob, Patrick, and Cado join him in reminiscing over the last five years, the ways we've changed as people, and the ways the industry has changed (and stayed the same) around us. Also Rob has got a story to tell about a tailor, a wedding, and a pair of slacks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's football season, so what better way to mark the occasion than watching … an NFL propaganda film? Rob and Patrick are joined by IGN's Kat Bailey to discus Draft Day, an officially approved NFL movie that might actually work better as accidental satire than advertisement, even if there's a ton of product placement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Super Metroid popularized a genre that to this day bears it's name, but does it hold up after all these years? Join Austin, Patrick, and Cado as they re-examine one of the all time greatest games from the 16 bit era, how it's level design leads the player without sacrificing a sense of exploration, talk about it's killer soundtrack, and discuss it's lineage through to modern games like Dark Souls and others. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well folks, it's come to this. Through highs and lows, Impacts and Near Impacts, Fantastic Fights and Groan inducing Fan service, the time has come to put a cap on our time with Neon Genesis Evangelion. Join as special guest Gita Jackson joins Rob, Patrick, Austin, and Cado to talk about the final impact this series has had on each of us, both intellectually and emotionally, both positively and negatively. It's time to say goodbye. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Austin, Patrick, Rob, and Cado as they re-enter and re-examine the world of Evangelion once again. What starts as something familiar begins to shift, has us asking why this work is revisited, what all the differences amount to, and where we think Evangelion might go from here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning - Threat of Rape and Racial Slurs in a movie clip at 2:16:48Special guests Dia Lacina and Alex Navarro join Rob to discuss and dissect Michael Mann's feature film debut Thief. They talk through the subtle ways Mann characterizes the main character, the killer soundtrack, and the film's somewhat surprising take on the value of labor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Rob, Patrick, and Cado as they discuss the seminal survival horror game, Resident Evil, after playing it on stream for all to see. They get into the design decisions behind fixed camera angles and tank controls, the uneven second half (now a franchise staple), and just who or what the evil resident is in Resident Evil. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Purge franchise has been a staple of Waypoint's various movie podcasts, so of course we had to watch the newest one as soon as it came out. Unfortunately, this might be the worse Purge yet? Listen as Austin, Patrick, Rob, and Cado discuss the movie's boring action sequences, centrist politics, and overall misuse of it's Mexican protagonists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As part of our new Waypoint 101 initiative, Patrick has invited Alex Aniel, Author of “Itchy, Tasty: An Unofficial History of Resident Evil,” on to talk all things Resident Evil. They chat about where they started with the franchise, how RE has influenced the gaming landscape, and discuss Alex's intensive interviews with many of the creative minds behind the early Resident Evil games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back, Waypoint + subscribers, to the movies. It's with your generous support that we're able to return to the world of TV and Film just as we're slowly returning to watching movies in actual theaters. Up first however is No Sudden Move, an HBO Max release from director Steven Soderbergh, who is popularly known for his modern remake of Ocean's 11. His new film was partially marketed as a heist film, but quickly reveals itself to be a dark comedy more interested in how race, gender, and wealth intersect more broadly than the particulars of one heist gone wrong. Join Rob, Austin, Patrick, and Cado as they dig deep into what worked, what fell flat, and why the extreme wide angle lenses kinda make sense. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob and Patrick talked about basketball before this recording and thankfully left it out, which is why you, dear listener, get to hear this conversation about our Waypoint Plus plans for July technically before any of them happen! (Well, at least if you listened right away....) With that classic After Dark casual swagger, they tell you what streams and podcasts to expect in July, reminisce about the console wars, and consider how many movies is too many movies to watch (and record podcasts on) in a month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Waypoint 101 is back! And to kick it all off, we have special guest Cameron Kunzleman on to talk all things noir with Rob. They discuss LA Noire's troubled development, uneven movie references, surprisingly bleak ending, and answer your LA Noire questions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

These are difficult words to type, but welcome to the final episode of Waypoint Radio. After sharing some thoughts on the excellent Street Fighter 6 and the promising but technically challenged new Telltale-style Star Trek game, the final Waypoint lineup–Rob, Ren, Patrick, and Cado–reminisce about the end of Waypoint. It's as much a trip down memory lane as it is a signpost towards the future, as we reveal our post-Waypoint plans. Thanks for the memories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick misses the start of the podcast so Rob hits the crew with his Persuadertron and gets everyone excited to talk about Syndicate (2012). Then the gang discusses the grim tidings around Relic and Company of Heroes 3. Fortunately, Alan Wake is here to save the day, along with some other highlights from the PlayStation State of Play Showcase.Discussed: Syndicate 6:32, Relic Layoffs 28:56, break 50:15, Playstation Showcase 50:38, Dragon's Dogma 2 1:13:41, Outro and Announcements 1:21:24 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.