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-soundtrack NORCO 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-ost Heaven 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.