Here in America -- and certainly in many other parts of the world -- swimming pools are a fundamental part of our summer tradition. Whether above-ground or inground, whether vinyl, fiberglass, or concrete, whether shared, community, or private, if you live in the USA and it's summertime, chances are you will readily encounter a pool. Perhaps you're a member of one, or even own your own. Since so many of us share this experience, we figured it'd be fun to talk about our pool memories from childho...
Jun 20, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 227
James Cameron's 1984 sci-fi/horror flick The Terminator isn't so much under appreciated as it is oft-overlooked. After all, this film's sequel is one of the most famous action and sci-fi movies of all-time, but its predecessor is something more stayed, grounded, and thrilling. Intertwining themes of nuclear war and time travel with a very recognizable 1980s Los Angeles and a handful of wonderful performances, The Terminator does a lot of heavy lifting, not only in catapulting forward a series th...
Jun 13, 2022•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 226
For many, the sixth season of Game of Thrones is when the show begins to decline. A lot of that unfortunately has to do with the subject matter itself: We are now beyond the boundaries of George RR Martin's books (at least as he's written and released them so far). With that structure gone, and with lots of holes to fill in, places to see and go, people to meet, and events to occur, the brisk pace of Game of Thrones' sixth season is perhaps its most glaring weakness. That's because within its 10...
Jun 06, 2022•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 225
No, we've not Forgotten: Our audience voted for us to record an episode of KnockBack all about Linkin Park's seminal 2000 album Hybrid Theory, and needless to say, we're pleased to provide a Cure For the Itch. At a brisk 37 minutes a change, Hybrid Theory doesn't Runaway with fluff and filler. Instead, it stays With You, bringing you One Step Closer to the record's next great moment, one that always seems to be just around the corner. In the End, many consider Linkin Park's major label debut to ...
May 30, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 224
The fifth season of Game of Thrones, which first aired on HBO in 2015, represents somewhat of a plateau for the critically-acclaimed show. While the first four seasons presented a steady progression in quality, intrigue, and execution, season five seems outright rushed, with too much content in too little time. It's still awesome for what it is, though, and that's perhaps where our biggest criticism becomes a blatant compliment: Because we want more, and we want it slower and more methodically, ...
May 23, 2022•2 hr 12 min•Ep. 223
At first blush, Sam Raimi wasn't a natural fit to direct a Spider-Man film, and yet his 2002 entry into the series did awesome at the box office and is much-beloved to this day. Two years later, he -- along with Tobey Mcguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, and others -- delivered Spider-Man 2, an even better film than the original that builds wonderfully on its themes, characters, and world. Spider-Man 2 also introduces an iconic villain in the form of Albert Molina's Dr. Octopus, who many Spidey...
May 16, 2022•2 hr•Ep. 223
We're halfway through George RR Martin's famous HBO fantasy series now, and some would argue that season four is the strongest Game of Thrones gets. That's high praise, of course -- the entire run (save maybe the end) is some of the best television ever produced -- but, whether you're a fan of the books or merely a lowly TV-watcher like we are, there's a whole lot to love. What's perhaps most interesting about this season (at least for us) is how different combinations of characters begin meetin...
May 09, 2022•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 221
Our slow-and-steady voyage through the Star Wars films continues unabated this week, as we move our focus to 2005's Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (as voted on by our listeners on Patreon). Capping off a tumultuous and ill-received prequel trilogy, Episode III is widely considered the strongest effort in that specific arc. But do we, The Brothers Moriarty, agree? Not particularly. Revenge of the Sith was when Lucas ran out of runway, and as a result, we're met with a rushed film that sets the ...
May 02, 2022•2 hr 47 min•Ep. 220
It's no understatement to say that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is perhaps the most singularly important game to ever come to a PlayStation platform, at least when taking into account the environment in which it launched. When it released in 2009, it did so at a vital time for the brand: PS3 Slim was out, its price was cut, and PlayStation had what seemed to be one last chance to best its rival and pull itself out of a dark three year period. Sony-owned Naughty Dog did a lot of the heavy lifting w...
Apr 25, 2022•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 219
If the first two seasons of HBO's Game of Thrones didn't get your blood pumping, the third season -- which first aired in 2013 -- almost certainly will. With multiple kings (and a queen!) staking a claim and vying for power across the land, the stakes are ratcheting-up. One would-be monarch is equipped with a trio of dragons; another with more money than anyone could imagine; another with the power of fire magic, and so on. In the wake of each rest death and destruction, but it also brings us on...
Apr 18, 2022•2 hr 45 min•Ep. 218
It's time for us to once again go back in time, not to celebrate and discuss a movie, video game, or TV show, but rather our own childhoods. Specifically: Our bedrooms growing up. These were our fortresses of solitude, places where we can regroup, study, be alone, and generally do whatever we want. Video games. Toys. TV. Computers. And, yes, schoolwork as well. Lots happened in our childhood bedrooms, which is why we're pleased to spend some two hours talking about our fondest and funniest memor...
Apr 11, 2022•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 217
While lots of viewers obviously love the first season of Game of Thrones, it's the second season -- which first aired on HBO in 2012 -- many consider the beginning of the series' long-running and well-earned golden era. There's action all over the map: In the far-north with rumblings of 'A King Beyond the Wall,' in Winterfell and the Iron Islands, which stir with and fall victim to the spirit of raiding, across the Narrow Sea in Essos, where we discover a desert city called Qarth, and certainly ...
Apr 04, 2022•2 hr 27 min•Ep. 216
While Toy Story wasn't the first 3D animated offering, it was certainly the film that proved the technique viable, desirable, and even preferable to the old ways of doing things. It also made a boatload of money, which never hurts. When it launched in theaters in late 1995, Toy Story left audiences enamored with its characters, blown-away by its visuals, and instantaneously hungry for more (it would take four years for more to arrive). At a brisk 80 minutes, Toy Story doesn't linger. Instead, it...
Mar 28, 2022•2 hr 44 min•Ep. 215
When it comes to HBO's mega-hit Game of Thrones -- arguably the single most famous offering in the four decade-long history of cable television -- there's so much to say. Like, tons. Infinite amounts, even. So, we've decided to tackle Game of Thrones here on KnockBack with an episode dedicated to each season, in an attempt to do some justice to something so grand. The first 10 episodes set George RR Martin's epic story (derived from his novel series A Song of Fire and Ice) into motion. We meet t...
Mar 21, 2022•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 214
While Ghost in the Shell began its life as a manga in the late '80s, the 1995 animated feature film that interpreted its story is what most people are familiar with. Created by renowned artist and writer Masamune Shirow and brought to the big screen by Mamoru Oshii, Ghost in the Shell deals with surprisingly heady subject matter: Science, politics, philosophy, and morality, amongst many other themes. The future world of cyborgs and humans envisioned in this work isn't too far off the mark, eithe...
Mar 14, 2022•2 hr 9 min•Ep. 213
It's no exaggeration to say that 2007's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune launched at the perfect time. Naughty Dog's Indiana Jones-and-Tomb Raider-inspired adventure was released exclusively on PlayStation 3 when the console was in dire straits, getting beaten badly on the market by both Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii. In fact, that era may be the lowest point ever for the entire brand. But, for the first time for many PS3 players and would-be owners, Uncharted gave them something to be truly...
Mar 07, 2022•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 212
We love John Hughes here on KnockBack. The (sadly deceased) American filmmaker and writer is perhaps best-known for his work on the likes of Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller, and Home Alone. But before he got to any of those films -- and the rest of his legion of '80s masterpieces -- he undertook Sixteen Candles, which also happens to be his directorial debut after a series of writing gigs, including with National Lampoons. Starring Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall, two staples of his actor...
Feb 28, 2022•2 hr•Ep. 211
This episode of KnockBack is for all you pretty young things out there. In late-1982, Michael Jackson -- already world-renowned both with his family band The Jackson 5 and via his solo vehicles -- released his most seminal work, the three-times Diamond certified record Thriller. While its title track may be what's most remembered these days, it's interesting to look back to the early-'80s, when Thriller (the song) was released sixth (!) when it comes to singles. From Billie Jean and Wanna Be Sta...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 210
The culmination of Sci-Fi's reimagined Battlestar Galactica series is exceptional. Airing between 2008 and 2009 and interrupted by the Writer's Strike, its final season may be one of the greatest runs of programming in television history. Religious, spiritual, scientific, and above all else human, BSG wraps up with a satisfying conclusion that forces us to confront difficult questions about our heroes, villains, and perhaps most of all about ourselves. Humanity versus Cylon is a distraction. It'...
Feb 14, 2022•2 hr 10 min•Ep. 209
Wes Anderson's filmography is pocked with remarkable films, and 1998's Rushmore is undoubtedly one of them. Starring Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, Rushmore is -- in our estimation -- a movie all about dealing with pain: The pain of growing up, the pain of loss, the pain of emptiness. But, in traditional Anderson form, Rushmore's melancholy is accompanied by copious wit and humor that balances everything out, delivering something perhaps far greater than the sum of its individual parts. So t...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 208
There's just no denying it: The gaming series Halo and the Xbox console are intrinsically linked, and will be forever. Indeed, Microsoft went and bought Halo mid-development to become its maiden console's killer app, and... well... it worked... because Xbox was unlikely to survive without it. Two decades-plus later, Halo remains one of the most important console franchises in the world, and yet, it all began innocuously enough with a 2001 product subtitled Combat Evolved. While far from the firs...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 207
So many of our remembrances are centered on our 'home territory' of Long Island, and the places where we would later call home, from Boston to Philadelphia to California. But what about the times we left, specifically for vacation with our family or friends? This week's episode of KnockBack is dedicated to those leisure-filled days and weeks of yore, when we had nothing to do and no expectations, but lots of funny and ridiculous stories to tell. We hope you enjoy. Learn more about your ad choice...
Jan 24, 2022•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 206
Back in the late '70s, Ridley Scott and Dan O'Bannon released the seminal sci-fi horror movie Alien. It took more than half a decade to get a sequel off the ground, however, this time manned by none other than auteur James Cameron. It's with Aliens, with an S, that the quiet horror franchise-to-be became an action franchise with horror elements, and while it was a somewhat divisive move, there's no doubt that Aliens -- finally launched in 1986 -- is one of the best-regarded and most influential ...
Jan 17, 2022•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 205
You may not be familiar with the concept of Shovelry, but veterans of 2014's smash-hit indie darling Shovel Knight will know all about it. Kickstarted nearly a decade ago by a new team called Yacht Club Games and launched to massive commercial and critical success, Shovel Knight is an ode to the NES era, taking liberal amounts of inspiration from the likes of DuckTales, Mega Man, Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, Faxanadu, Zelda II, Super Mario Bros. 3, and more. Yet, it's also a adventure that can act...
Jan 10, 2022•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 204
We love music, and we don't focus on it enough here on KnockBack. We're endeavoring to change that, starting now. Music is tied up so intimately with nostalgia that it barely merits further explanation. Yet, for all of us, songs and time, songs and people, songs and a moment or an event, these are the connections we simply cannot escape. Here are 10 songs we love that also remind us of happiness or pain from times gone. Indeed, they may represent the only tangible connection we have to some of t...
Jan 03, 2022•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 203
In between seasons three of four of Sci-Fi's reimagined Battlestar Galactica series came a standalone movie. It's called Razor, and -- as the name suggests -- it focuses on the trials and tribulations of the Battlestar Pegasus, which we were introduced to in season two. Pegasus is commanded by an icy officer named Cain, who does whatever's necessary to survive. But Razor shows us a different side of Cain, and gives us insight into how she and her ship lived through the Cylon assault on their hom...
Dec 27, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 202
Back in 1978, something truly horrifying happened. Following the worldwide, blockbuster success of the original Star Wars in 1977 (which we now lovingly refer to as A New Hope), audiences waited for what was next. And while The Empire Strikes Back arrived in 1980 and set the world ablaze, there were a few stops along the way, and one of them was almost impossibly ill-advised, in hindsight. The Star Wars Christmas Special aired only one time that holiday season, and it's widely-considered to be t...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 201
Surprise! For our 200th episode, we decided to cover one of the most-requested topics from our audience since we began KnockBack some four years ago. Avatar: The Last Airbender came to Nickelodeon in 2005, and its first season immediately raised the bar of what could be expected from a 21st century Nick that helped define the previous 20 years of children and teen television content. Full of heart and soul, beautifully animated, and charming to the max, Avatar is undeniably appealing and worth y...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 200
Choice A or Choice B? We're met with this conundrum over and over again in life, and yet, there are certain choices that are far more consequential than others. This episode of KnockBack is dedicated to such forks in the road, where two or more options are presented, and whichever choice you make will resonate far beyond that point in time, perhaps for the rest of your life. From jobs and living situations to education and the start and stop of relationships, these are 10 moments from the lives ...
Dec 06, 2021•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 199
Everyone knows that Kill Bill was originally intended as one epic-length film, but Miramax ultimately convinced writer and director Quentin Tarantino to do things their way. The result is a second installment that's quite different from its first. Depending on how you look at things, of course, that may be a good thing. 2004's Kill Bill: Volume 2 is a far less violent, far more cerebral offering that exchanges swordplay for dialogue, but the same themes transcend both films and remain at their b...
Nov 29, 2021•2 hr•Ep. 198
