Westworld

Adam and Nate take a trip to Westworld (1973), Michael Crichton’s somewhat forgotten directorial debut with a long shadow that reaches into sci-fi and slashers movies, theme parks, and open-world video games. Along the way, they dig into The Simpsons’ full-length parody, “Itchy & Scratchy Land” (S6E4).Also in this episode:• The incomparable influence of Michael Crichton on 1990s culture• Special effects that changed the face of movie-making • The Simpsons’ many unclear movie references, including Principal Skinner’s walk through the river in “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” (S5E20)• Our memories of Disneyland, including its recent shift toward role playingNext time, special guest Marko Djurdjic joins Adam and Nate to turn it up to 11 with This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and “The Otto Show” (S3E22).