Varicon Video
54 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★★ - 6 ratingsJoin Brandon and Jordan as they relive forgotten and unforgettable movies from the video store era!
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Episode 49 - The Fifth Element (1997)
December 15, 2023 19:45 - 1 hour - 101 MBFinally, the very-nearly-lost episode on Luc Besson’s action-packed space adventure THE FIFTH ELEMENT is here! Get French with us, and be sure to bring your Multi-pass ‘cuz we’re goin’ to Fhloston PARADISE!
Episode 48 - Fletch (1985)
April 02, 2022 00:32 - 1 hour - 82.1 MBWe're back to wrap up our Impostors & Doppelgangers theme with a Chevy Chase comedy! Charge any and all expenses to the Underhills!
Episode 47 - The Prestige (2006)
November 14, 2021 17:01 - 1 hour - 90.5 MBIn this episode, we investigate a rivalry between two magicians, one with a closely guarded secret that the other desperately wants. We discuss this tale of obsession and turn-of-the-century intrigue while unpacking Nolan’s narrative design and approach to storytelling. Prepare for loads of Michael Caine impressions.
Episode 46 - Gattaca (1997)
September 14, 2021 00:21 - 1 hour - 81.7 MBIn this episode, we travel to the not-too-distant future of Andrew Niccol’s minimalist sci-fi drama to take a hard look at how it addresses bioethics, eugenics, and determinism. Also, Gore Frickin’ Vidal is in this movie.
Episode 45 - The Mask of Zorro (1998)
August 10, 2021 20:35 - 1 hour - 86.9 MBIn this episode, we wrap up our theme on classic serials by heading west to California to explore a story that starts in 1821 during the Mexican War for Independence from Spain, featuring a masked hero dressed in black...
Episode 44 - The Shadow (1994)
July 27, 2021 14:00 - 1 hour - 94 MBThe sun is shining…but the ice is slippery, just like Alec Baldwin’s performance. He’s running around with a big schnoz, ripping off his face, and cackling in the breeze, while a madman is running amok and Ian McKellen stands around with nothing to do. This might be the first movie we’ve covered that gets us some mail. Who can say? The Shadow nose.
Episode 43 - Flash Gordon (1980)
July 20, 2021 19:32 - 1 hour - 106 MBIn this episode, we fight the evil Ming the Merciless and save the lovely Dale Arden with the help of Prince Vultan as the music of Queen plays triumphantly in the background! We tackle race representation, camp, and queerness in the film, and we do exhaustive Brian Blessed impressions to entertain ourselves. And you, of course.
Episode 42 - Closer (2004)
May 17, 2021 15:31 - 1 hour - 95.8 MBToday we head across the pond to follow the intersecting lives of four flawed, very conflicted, contradictory people... a love- and lust-seeking quartet trying to find themselves and what they want in a partner…or rather, a stranger.
Episode 41 - Heist (2001)
May 07, 2021 17:14 - 1 hour - 75.1 MBIn this episode, we discuss a curious entry set in the Mamet-verse that's all about sleight of hand and what could be Gene Hackman's last great movie. We're here for the gold; it makes the world go round. Join us as we unpack David Mamet's affectations and his take on the heist genre!
Episode 40 - In Bruges (2008)
April 03, 2021 20:27 - 1 hour - 88.2 MBIn this episode, we go to the most beautiful place in Europe -- it's like a fookin fairytale or somethin' -- to talk about Martin McDonagh's cleverly written directorial debut!
Episode 39 - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
March 06, 2021 20:01 - 1 hour - 95.2 MBIn this episode, we take on a detective case, or maybe it isn’t, about a body in a lake, a rich man and his daughter, two sisters running in different directions, a pink wig, and a finger in a dog’s digestive tract. If it sounds like it’s right out of a dime novel, there’s a reason for that.
Episode 38 - Gods and Monsters (1998)
February 25, 2021 21:32 - 1 hour - 98.2 MBIn this episode, we examine and scrutinize the relationship between an aging Hollywood director and his yard man, and we also discuss queer representation in front of and behind the camera in Bill Condon's award winning film.
Episode 37 - Matinee (1993)
February 08, 2021 18:31 - 1 hour - 87.2 MBToday we’re traveling back to 1962 for the premiere of Lawrence Woolsey’s monster movie, Mant!. We had to sign a waiver in the lobby because it’s that scary! And now, we’re settling into these plush seats with our popcorn and snacks before the picture goes up , and the crowd is electric. Join us!
Episode 36 - Batman Returns (1992)
December 21, 2020 03:34 - 1 hour - 108 MBSeasons greetings! Today we’re taking you to Gotham City at Christmastime, to deliver a dark chapter in the story of the caped crusader. It’s the bat, the cat, and the penguin, together at last!
Episode 35 - Frequency (2000)
December 09, 2020 20:19 - 1 hour - 81.1 MBToday we’re talking about a time travel thriller that many people might have missed or probably haven’t given much thought since its release, so we’re traveling back 20 years to revisit Frequency! In this episode, we’re going to be testing out a totally new format for the show, so be sure to let us know what you think!
Episode 34 - Hudson Hawk (1991)
November 18, 2020 17:44 - 1 hour - 92.4 MBToday we’re singing show tunes while we globetrot from New York to Rome to Castle da Vinci, dodging the double-crossing CIA, a Catholic secret society, and an insane, megalomaniacal couple with an interest in alchemy hellbent on destroying the global economy!
Episode 33 - A Chat with Roger L. Jackson
November 03, 2020 17:06 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBToday we settle into our second episode of our chat series with special guest Roger L. Jackson, a man with over 230 voice acting credits whose voice you’re sure to recognize. Halloween ain’t over until Ghostface speaks!
Episode 33 - A Chat with Roger L Jackson
November 03, 2020 17:06 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBToday we settle into our second episode of our chat series with special guest Roger L. Jackson, a man with over 230 voice acting credits whose voice you’re sure to recognize. Halloween ain’t over until Ghostface speaks!
Episode 32 - The Addams Family (1991)
October 28, 2020 21:43 - 1 hour - 100 MBToday we’re raiding the Addams family fortune for da DUBLOONS! We find our way to some dark territory in this one and head straight to the vault! If it's not clear, we absolutely adore this movie.
Episode 31 - The Fugitive (1993)
October 12, 2020 19:31 - 1 hour - 89.2 MBWe have a fugitive on the loose! We’ll be joining Sam Gerard and his quirky team of U.S. Marshals to do a hard target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse, and doghouse in the Cook County area for the elusive, resourceful vascular surgeon on the run, Dr. Richard Kimble! So hurry up and get your Provasic prescription filled and join us for one helluva manhunt as we do a Peter Pan right into today’s episode!
Episode 30 - Stay Tuned (1992)
September 21, 2020 20:01 - 1 hour - 85 MBToday we’re testing out a new satellite system with 666 channels you can’t get on regular TV. We’ll be channel surfing programming intended as “light amusements” for “one very demanding viewer below”! Join us for the ultimate television adventure in today's episode on STAY TUNED with special guest Marc Halem from That's Not Quite All Folks!
Episode 29 - A Chat with Ira Heiden
August 20, 2020 17:25 - 32 minutes - 30 MBThis is the first episode in our new chat series, where we sit down with someone who works in the film industry and has some connection to a culturally significant film from the video store era. To kick things off, guest-host Louis from Random Movie Roulette (and co-host of sideshow The Gory Picture Show) joins Brandon to talk with actor and producer Ira Heiden, the Wizard Master himself from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST 3: DREAM WARRIORS!
Episode 28 - O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
June 23, 2020 01:03 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBWe're back! Today we set off across Mississippi during the Great Depression with chaingangers Ulysses Everett McGill, Delmar O'Donnell, and Pete to find a buried treasure if we can make it past the gangsters, klansmen, and lawmen along the way!
Episode 27 - True Lies (1994)
March 12, 2020 18:22 - 2 hours - 123 MBToday we follow an unassuming family man computer salesmen who actually works for a secret government agency called the Omega Sector who shoots and blows up bad people and saves the world for a living, but his wife and daughter think he’s kind of dull. He is Harry Tasker, and some terrorist assholes stole some nukes and that’s his problem now, as is the suspicion of his wife having an affair -- oh my!
Episode 26 - Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
January 25, 2020 23:52 - 1 hour - 87.6 MBToday we’re trying to get home in time for turkey dinner! We’ll be trying to make it from New York to Chicago, battling motel clerks, rental car agencies, and airlines, all while GOING THE WRONG WAY!
Episode 25 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
December 15, 2019 22:02 - 1 hour - 93 MBToday we venture off to ToonTown with our friends from Random Movie Roulette: Louis, Mike, and Jack! We muse on how toons procreate, the severity of Eddie Valiant's rampant alcoholism, and who thought this would be appropriate for children, among many other things.
Episode 24 - The Devil's Advocate (1997)
November 20, 2019 04:00 - 2 hours - 115 MBWe start off in Gainesville, Florida, but we soon head to New York City to help hotshot defense attorney Kevin Lomax pick a jury — he’s never lost a case! And we help his wife, Mary Ann, pick the right shade of green for their apartment. We also encounter dressing room demons, Coach, baby fever, baby holding bloody ovaries, Don King, subway Spanish, throat cutting, Trump’s golden New York apartment, ghost joggers, sexual fantasies, perversion, incest, really big sculptures that come to life ...
Episode 23 - Hocus Pocus (1993)
October 21, 2019 22:00 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBToday we’re flying to Salem, Massachusetts, to dance All Hallows Eve away with the Sanderson Sisters — they will put a spell on you. We’ve got spells and magic, black cats and pointy hats, grab a broom n’ hide yo kids, it’s HOCUS POCUS from 1993!
Episode 22 - Jack the Bear (1993)
September 29, 2019 19:19 - 1 hour - 84.5 MBToday Mando and Patrick from THEMATIC ELEMENTS come on the show to talk about a curious little gem of the early 90s that we all appreciate called JACK THE BEAR! It’s an emotional coming of age story with just enough of the macabre for those Monster Kids out there!
SNEAK PEEK - Twister (1996) [A Patreon Exclusive]
August 30, 2019 18:10 - 6 minutes - 5.76 MBHere's a little snippet of our Patreon exclusive episode on TWISTER (1996)! If you're not a patron of the show and want to learn more about how that works, head over to www.patreon.com/variconvideo for more information!
Episode 21 - Scream (1996)
July 09, 2019 17:23 - 1 hour - 100 MBToday we take a trip to Woodsboro to see what the hell’s going on with this horror movie-luvin’ Ghostfaced killer who is slicing and dicing his way through town! Thanks to our patrons: Collin, James, Ryan S., Ryan M., Test Pattern, Pete, Mando, Jonathan, Mike, Jack, Louis, and Annette!
Episode 20 - Tombstone (1993)
June 12, 2019 22:53 - 1 hour - 78.1 MBToday we’re packing up and heading west to Arizona because silver has been discovered there, and there are some cottages coming up for rent in a little mining town called Tombstone full of sash-wearing cowboys, opium addicted women, and no law. Join us as we lay it down!
SNEAK PEEK - What About Bob? (1991) [A Patreon Exclusive]
May 24, 2019 20:29 - 3 minutes - 3.29 MBHere’s a little snippet of our Patreon exclusive episode on WHAT ABOUT BOB?! If you’re not a patron of the show and want to learn more about how that works, head over to www.patreon.com/variconvideo for more information!
SNEAK PEEK - Jacob’s Ladder (1990) [A Patreon Exclusive]
May 24, 2019 17:03 - 6 minutes - 5.58 MBHere’s a little snippet of our Patreon exclusive episode on JACOB’S LADDER! If you’re not a patron of the show and want to learn more about how that works, head over to www.patreon.com/variconvideo for more information!
Episode 19 - Meet Joe Black (1998)
April 29, 2019 00:14 - 1 hour - 107 MBWow, Joseph and I didn’t realize there would be so much to unpack in this one, so we brought along guest host Chris: Red to Joseph’s Andy. We have some laughs, some deep dives, and even a few existential questions that still need answered. What is Death? And WHO. IS. JOE. BLACK? Special thanks to our patrons Annette W., Collin S., James D., Louis O., Ryan M., Mando M., Test Pattern: A Horror Movie Podcast, Jonathan W., Mike P., Ryan S., Pete I., and Jack P.!
Episode 18 - Chopping Mall (1986) + Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
March 30, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 109 MBVaricon Video and Random Movie Roulette join forces and check out the Park Plaza Mall and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in today's episode! We also talk about some really, really random stuff.
Episode 17 - Batman (1989)
March 18, 2019 13:57 - 1 hour - 105 MBToday we’re in Gotham City for its 200th anniversary birthday festival, despite it being overrun by the clown prince of crime, The Joker. We dine with Bruce Wayne and talk to reporter Vicki Vale and Alexander Knox to find out if there really is a six foot bat in Gotham City — THIS TOWN NEEDS AN ENEMA! Special thanks to our patrons Annette W., Collin S., James D., Louis O., Ryan M., Mando M., Test Pattern: A Horror Movie Podcast, and Jonathan W.!
SNEAK PEEK - Robocop (1987) [A Patreon Exclusive]
March 11, 2019 16:18 - 4 minutes - 3.89 MBHere's a little snippet of our Patreon exclusive episode of ROBOCOP! If you're not a patron of the show and want to learn more about how that works, head over to www.patreon.com/variconvideo for more information!
Episode 16 - Clerks (1994)
February 24, 2019 18:13 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBToday we’re jockeying the cash registers at the Quick Stop and RST Video to deal with (and talk about) unsavory customers — buncha savages — with our first guest host (and patron) Ryan! Grab a tabloid and some Gatorade because we’re chatting about shitty jobs! And spare 12 minutes for a hockey game and some sex jokes! Special thanks to our patrons Annette W., Collin S., James D., Louis O., Ryan M., Mando M., and Test Pattern: A Horror Movie Podcast! Check out Annette and Hayden’s podcast...
Episode 15 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
February 16, 2019 04:35 - 1 hour - 75.3 MBToday we’re trekking to Springwood, Ohio to cruise down Elm Street and check ourselves into Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital. We’ve been having bad dreams about this guy who’s burned, wears a red and green striped sweater, and has knives for fingers. Join us for group therapy, only straight talk here, and help us take down the murderous slasher of our nightmares, Freddy Krueger, the bastard son of a hundred maniacs! Special thanks to our patrons Annette W., Collin S., and James D.! Check ...
Episode 14 - Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
February 09, 2019 15:40 - 1 hour - 80.3 MBYou're about to hear two podcasters in a fledgling video store watch a film from 1983, one based on a popular television show ripe with societal commentary. Soon they’ll be transported, as will you, to the fifth dimension. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition. That’s the signpost up ahead — your next stop: Varicon Video! Brandon created the musical transitions based on the Twilight...
Episode 13 - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
January 26, 2019 18:49 - 1 hour - 69.5 MBGrab your rock hammer because we’re going to prison! We meander off the beaten path a few times to indulge in some digressions, but revisiting this award-winner film was a treat, and we bet you three cigarettes and a pin-up poster that you’ll enjoy it, too. Or are we being obtuse?
Episode 12 - Freaked (1993)
January 19, 2019 03:00 - 1 hour - 78.1 MBWe follow actor Ricky Coogan and his pal Ernie down to Santa Flan to check out FREEK LAND in today’s episode! Co-written, co-directed, co-produced and co-starring Alex Winter, this is a fun cult film for all to enjoy! Just stay away from that Zygrot 24 because hey, you’re not supposed to have that stuff!
Episode 11 - Clue (1985)
January 12, 2019 15:38 - 1 hour - 72 MBHappy New Year to all! Today we trek up to a New England mansion called Hill House back in the 50s for a dinner party, and get to the bottom of a string of murders. We find out WHODUNNIT, WHERE, and WITH WHAT. Join us for the mystery, and perhaps for fruit or...dessert? Brandon recreated some music cues from the score by John Morris for today’s episode.
Episode 10 - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
December 01, 2018 04:12 - 1 hour - 89.1 MBWe’re sledding back to 1989 to rap about ginormous Christmas trees, attack squirrels, flying sheets of ice, non-nutritive cereal varnish, and the jelly of the month club. Clark W. Griswold, Jr. will show you where to put a tree that big in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation! Grab your moose mug and scoop up some eggnog because we’re getting ready to empty the shitter, dream about a new swimming pool, and get down with the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nut house!
Episode 9 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
November 17, 2018 01:50 - 1 hour - 77.3 MBToday we drop into the sewers to rap with Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and Ralph to battle the evil Shredder and his Foot clan in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from 1990! The highest grossing independent film at its time, this movie is still jammin’. And Brandon recreated some bits from John Du Prez’s score for this episode! Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!
Episode 8 - American Psycho (2000)
November 14, 2018 04:43 - 1 hour - 86.2 MBIn today’s episode, we delve into the posh ranks of 1980s Wall Street yuppies and their shallow, materialist world to pontificate about that memorable satire American Psycho starring Christian Bale. It’s a laugh riot — a playful but mysterious little film; you’ll love it. Also, do you like Huey Lewis and the News?
Episode 7 - Sleepy Hollow (1999)
November 02, 2018 23:23 - 1 hour - 67 MBHalloween might have just passed, but we’re not through with it yet! Joseph and Brandon take a trip to Sleepy Hollow and revisit Tim Burton’s gothic take on Washington Irving’s tale of the Headless Horseman. We had a lot of fun with this one, and we hope you do, too! The Horseman rides again!
Episode 6 - Child's Play (1988)
October 22, 2018 21:37 - 1 hour - 74.1 MBWe’re baaaack after a little break, and today’s episode digs into a story about a boy and his killer doll possessed by a madman and where the Chucky franchise got its start. Put on your favorite Good Guys jammies and get ready for some child’s play! Brandon performed and produced a snippet from Joe Renzetti’s score for this episode.
Episode 5 - Forrest Gump (1994)
October 02, 2018 02:33 - 1 hour - 99.6 MBGet your Bubba Gump shrimp cookin’ however you like it! Today we’re talking Forrest Gump, running, and a bit about destiny. This Academy Award winner needed fresh eyes to give it due credit, so we hope you enjoy it. Due to some technical issues, our primary recording track got corrupted, but fortunately we had a backup recording from the computer mic, so the quality isn't quite up to par, but it's definitely listenable -- we apologize! Brandon contributed a brief performance recreated from A...