The Calcopia Podcast

It’s Calcopia’s Movie Time! Podcast! Listen as movie nerds Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans deep dive into their favorite films and cinematic scenes for your listening delight. Timed to celebrate 40 years of Super Mario Bros, we’re booting up Illumination and Nintendo’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the sequel to 2023’s blockbuster that signaled there was a new animation champion in Hollywood. For a character who started off in 1981’s Donkey Kong (when he was just a lowly carpenter), that’s quite an adventure. But critical reception has been much more divided this time around, which leads to an epic chat about whether so-so reviews matter for ready-made hits like this. Listen as the two plumb the deepest depths of the Mushroom Kingdom as they take on one of the year’s biggest blockbusters that may signal the arrival the Nintendo Cinematic Universe is upon us. You’ll also learn how Nintendo’s mascot owes most of his existence to Popeye, if Galaxy is really a Princess Peach origin story, if Fox McCloud really is the coolest dude, the undeniable comparisons of Nintendo to Disney (the company), and how even the most beloved franchises may have their limits.

Joining our own Nate Evans on this picturesque episode is legendary cartoonist and illustrator Steve Lafler to talk about his latest book, Crazy For You, where he adapts and illustrates two short stories by acclaimed travel, novelist, and fellow storyteller Paul Theroux (The Old Patagonian Express, The Mosquito Coast) into one highly buyable volume from Fantagraphics. The two chat how how his collaboration with Theroux came to be, and how the two stories in Crazy For You, Minor Watt and Siamese Nights (taken from Theroux’s 2014 collection Mr. Bones), were prime for a visual reinvention. Also discussed are why comics are perfect medium for short stories, translating narratively complex material, rocking out in Mexico, why commercial illustration isn’t a dirty term, being compared to fellow underground comic legends Robert Crumb and Harvey Pekar, the politics of transgressive material and much more. Crazy For You is available now in bookstores and libraries everywhere. Want more Steve Lafler? Check out his official site stevelafler.com

Joining our cinematic latchkey kids Nate Evans and Ethan Brehm on this totally tubular episode is author and film historian John Malahy to talk about his new book, Rewinding The ’80s: Cinema Under the Influence of Music Videos, Action Stars, and a Cold War, a look at not just some of the most popular and influential films from the “decade of excess”, but also makes a strong argument why the decade deserves a cinematic second look. The trio deep dive into some of the best and most notable films the 80s had to offer, tracing how the melancholy of 1970s New Hollywood led to a new wave of optimism in Hollywood spectacle (and success) like never before. Also discussed is how the emergence of VHS and cable TV helped create a revolution in genre diversity and indie film distribution (and popularity), the elevation of teen cinema, the importance of merchandising, and the lack of watercooler moments as cultural touchstones. Did 1980s nostalgia actually begin in the 1980s? Did Rocky end the Cold War? (spoiler: yes!) Will Hollywood ever stop remaking, rebooting, and rehashing the decade’s most recognizable IP? These questions and more will be answered – or at least vigorously discussed!

It’s Calcopia’s Movie Time! Podcast…for 2025! Regular hosts Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans are joined by fellow cinephiles Susana Bojorquez and Brian Kwayi in a spectacular, outrageously long episode overstuffed and ready to explode with everything about the movies they loved, liked, and loathed in a year filled with movie magic. Did your favorites (or stinkers) make the list? Ours include: Freaky Tales, One Battle After Another, Eddington, No Other Choice, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Rental Family, Hamnet, Sinners, Tron: Ares, 28 Years Later, Marty Supreme, Bugonia, Play Dirty, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Frankenstein, Ballerina, Good Fortune, Sentimental Value, The Naked Gun, Superman, KPop Demon Hunters, The Toxic Avenger, Weapons, and many others. Listen now – and don’t forget to take breaks!

Joining our resident cinephiles Nate Evans and Ethan Brehm on this cinematic episode is author Stephen Rebello, whose 1990 ‘Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho’ is widely considered the definitive journal of one of the most beloved films of all-time. After 35 years he returns to The Master of Suspense with the meticulously researched Criss-Cross – The Making of Hitchcock’s Dazzling, Subversive Masterpiece Strangers of a Train, chronicling the director’s 1951 classic adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel of chance, opportunity, and – of course – madness. Listen as the trio discuss the difficulties bringing Highsmith’s book to film (and writing a book about making a film), how women helped salvage the project, why humor and tension work well together, the importance of cinematographer Robert Burks, the fallacy of the auteur theory, subtext and subtlety in an age of cinematic suppression, why Strangers pairs perfectly with 1954’s Dial M for Murder, and why Alfred Hitchcock continues to matter.

Joining our own book nerd Nate Evans on this literary episode is the esteemed Dr. Bernard Schweizer, writer, editor, and Professor Emeritus of English at Long Island University, as well as founder of Heresy Press, an imprint dedicated to “enduring quality standards, i.e. literary merit, originality, style, relevance, courage, humor, and intellectual rigor”, celebrating its third anniversary and going stronger than ever. Listen as the two discuss the benefits of partnering with Skyhorse Publishing, the sweeping (and long overdue) changes taking place in the publishing world, the need for intellectual diversity among identity politics, the hyperbole (and hypocrisy) around the “Read Banned Books” campaign, the encroachment of – and backlash to – AI in literature and everywhere else, and so much more. Also, don’t miss two of Heresy Press’ newest releases: Georgette Bennett’s Half-Jew―Full Life and Max Watman’s Tomorrow, the War, both now available.

Joining hosts Nate Evans and Cory Galliher on this episode is photographer Christian Wenk to talk about his new book, Trigger Happy: A Visual Celebration of Video Game Controllers, a dazzling visual encyclopedia that chronicles not just the evolution of popular and obscure game controllers, but it’s a testimonial to why we love these peripherals told through Christian’s stunning photography and meticulous research, with anecdotes from contributors John Romero (DOOM), Trip Hawkins (3DO), James Rolfe (Angry Video Game Nerd) and many others. From Pong to Atari, Nintendo to Sony, Xbox to PC, and everything between, it’s an epic chat about the symbiotic relationship between controller and game development, memorable failures (hello, Power Glove and U-Force), what the future of interactive entertainment might look like, and so much more. Did your favorite controller make the cut? Grab your favorite joystick, gamepad, or whatever and find out now!

It’s the Consumer Electronics Show for 2026! The world’s biggest technology showcase has come and gone once again, but there’s still plenty of amazing (and some less so) innovations in the world of tech and gadgetry to fill up an entire episode, and that’s exactly what you’ll get in this extra-large (and extra-stacked) recap of tomorrow's technology...today! Calcopia's Senior Tech editor Herman Exum and innocent bystander Nate Evans join forces with our favorite tech ally Ben Crossman from The Computer America Show for an epic chat about what fans and curious onlookers could see in a show overflowing with robot servants, OLED displays, wearables, kitchen appliances, AI companions, fixable laptops, bird feeders, simplified phones and so much more, it's the next best thing to actually being in Las Vegas (without actually being in Las Vegas).

Joining our resident science nerd Nate Evans on this episode is best-selling author and science popularizer Mary Roach, whose books have explored human cadavers, the afterlife, scientific sex, bringing readers from the edges of space to the deepest regions of the human colon. She’s here to talk about her latest, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy, an exploration of human augmentation and body replacement, now available at your favorite book store or local library. Listen as they discuss limb replacements, artificial genitalia, plastic surgery fads, having journalistic standards, the importance of organ donation and much more. It’s a spirited, sometimes filthy, but never frivolous chat with one of today’s most passionate promoters of scientific literacy about the resiliency of human adaptability.

Joining Nate Evans and our own resident editor-slash-musician Besu Tadesse is the multi hyphenated composer, arranger, and ultimate game fan Daniel Jimenez-Wall, aka Rozen, to talk about his new album Ballads of Hyrule III, the third entry in his collection of reimagined themes and familiar melodies from Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise, available now on digital and physical media from Mecha Dream Records.  Listen as the guys harmonize about Rozen’s exquisitely arranged new album, as well as choice cuts from his previous albums totally worth buying. Also discussed are the continually blurred lines between scoring music for film and games, the interactive nature of game music, telling an effective story through sound, his original game soundtracks (Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Jade Order), and, of course, thoughts on the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. Director Wes Ball, if you’re listening…  To listen, buy, or gift (wink, wink) Rozen’s Ballads of Hyrule III album digitally or on physical media, click HERE!

It’s Calcopia’s Movie Time! Podcast! Listen as movie nerds Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans deep dive into their favorite films and cinematic scenes for your listening delight. On deck in 1987’s Spaceballs, comedy icon Mel Brooks’ loving homage to Star Wars, Star Trek, The Wizard of Oz, but mostly Star Wars. With an unforgettable cast of beloved comedy legends like Rick Moranis, John Candy, Dom DeLuise, and a double-helping of Mel Brooks himself, it’s gone from box-office disappointment to bona fide classic, especially for fans born into a world that couldn’t imagine a world without George Lucas’ space opera. There’s even a sequel planned to release sometime in 2027, a mere 40 years after the original. What could possibly go wrong? Listen as Ethan and Nate gush over Brooks’ unmatched catalog of comedy classics, the joys of Jewish humor, why John Candy (RIP) remains so beloved, what makes a joke funny (spoiler: it’s the delivery, stupid), and how Brooks would set the standard for future comedy crafters like the Zuckers (Airplane!, The Naked Gun!), the Farrelly brothers (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary), and even Judd Apatow (Freaks and Geeks, The 40-Year-Old Virgin). Or you could just skip the podcast and watch the movie instead. We’d totally understand.

It’s Calcopia's Movie Time! Podcast, new and improved! Movie nerds Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans deep dive into their favorite films and cinematic scenes. On today's episode they having a howling good time with two hairy and scary werewolf classics: The Wolf Man (1941) and American Werewolf in London (1981).