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In the summer of 2005, a comedy hit theaters that surprised audiences: The 40 Year Old Virgin. The feature directorial debut of Judd Apatow -- previously best-known as a director, producer, and writer on TV projects like Freaks and Geeks and The Critic -- the film's title doesn't exactly belie its silly nature. But that's what's so fun and endearing about it. It's far from being the perfect comedy -- it has its notable weaknesses -- but it commands your attention with snappy writing, goofy characters, and a lot of heart. Is life all about butthole pleasures? One man says no, but we'll leave that up to you to determine... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time for us to talk about a bona fide classic! Super Mario Bros. 3 -- launched in 1988 on Japanese Famicoms and in 1990 on the NES -- is widely considered one of the greatest games of all-time. And it's true: SMB3 is a masterclass in gameplay, design, and intent. But above all else, it's fun. Really, really fun, just as fun today as it was decades ago. We're excited to gush about one of our favorite games of our youth, one rife with memories and stories to tell. Indeed, we'd argue that Super Mario Bros. 3 is so close to perfect that it's hard to present one meaningful criticism of it (outside of its lack of saving, perhaps). So grab your Tanooki Suit and report for duty in the grasslands! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you wanted to ask your friend to play in 1990, you had to call his house phone and hope for the best. Was anyone there? Who would answer? Would your friend be available? Maybe you'll leave a message... It was a weird tradition we repeated ad nauseam, one of many peculiar and lost customs we were subjected to in our analog childhoods. And it's those traditions that are the subject of this episode of KnockBack. Wild rumors and speculation on the playground? The internet solves that for today's youth, but in our day, we believed it all. Wanted to know if you had a snow day? You had to start watching the local news the night before and into the next morning, hoping to see your school district appear in the scrolling marquee. New year teacher assignments and quarterly grades? Sent through the old-fashioned mail, easy to intercept or lose. Waiting was a rite of passage for all schoolkids. Now, youngins can know anything at any time, about everything in the world. The mystery is gone, yes, but we hope this show rekindles it for a moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let it go?! No. Embrace it! Frozen turns 10 this year, and in ode, Dagan thought it'd be a good idea to give the film the KnockBack treatment. And so we did just that. The tale of sisters Elsa and Anna is surprisingly emotional, and the film itself is chock-full of a small-but-solid cast of surrounding characters. Over the last decade, Frozen has turned into a phenomenon, and -- for little girls, especially -- it remains an iconographic piece of fiction. The ultimate question we want to get to here on KnockBack is: Does it deserve all of the accolades? You'd have to be icy to think not. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time for we, The Brothers Moriarty, to continue our slow trek through the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thus, we've come to the third film in the seemingly never-ending run of new Marvel movies: Iron Man 2. Released in 2010, Iron Man 2 was actually in-production when Disney acquired Marvel, and while it's not the literal start of the MCU, you could call it the figurative beginning, one with a master plan, a host of characters, and a legion of spin-offs both planned and intended. This leaves Iron Man 2, at least from our perspective, as transparently interstitial. That said, it's still a fun watch full of interesting characters, and we're thrilled to discuss it here on KnockBack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

KnockBack is technically about anything, and we've naturally focused a great deal of our energy on video games. But there are other technologies vital to our childhoods that have nothing to do with our beloved consoles or handhelds. This episode of KnockBack is dedicated to that tech. What TVs did we grow up with? VCRs? What were our first stereo setups, and when did we finally get a Walkman? Did we have a home theater? When did computers enter the picture, and how did we interact with them? Today, we're surrounded by technology galore, but the Brothers Moriarty came up through decades where all of these various pieces were slowly being added, piece by piece. So let's put the puzzle together with some good, old-fashioned storytelling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PlayStation 3's Uncharted trilogy is inarguably a vital stepping stone in the history of Sony. These three titles helped breathe life into a once-struggling console, and gave the brand amazing momentum running into the following generation. But Naughty Dog's series about a globetrotting adventurer hit a bit of a snag when PS3 turned to PS4. Partially through development, Uncharted 4 would lose its creative force and writer, Amy Hennig, leaving the half-finished projects in the hands of the two men who just delivered The Last of Us: Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. It was going to be a hard task to make this one work. But ultimately, the team delivered in spades. Uncharted 4 is a fitting and high-quality end to Naughty Dog's Uncharted arc, visiting an older, wiser, and more reluctant Nathan Drake who's sucked back into 'the life' by his own brother, and by his own inability to let go of the past. Wonderfully paced and beautiful to look at, and with amazing performances and fun gameplay, A Thief's End is a must-play, and we're thrilled to spend a good-long time discussing it here on KnockBack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the five years we've been recording KnockBack, we've intentionally gone out of our way not to talk about A New Hope. It's an especially peculiar decision, considering the first-ever episode of KnockBack is about The Empire Strikes Back, the film that would follow it. But we wanted to get 2023 into gear with something positive and fun, a topic we can bring a lot of energy to, and we've finally succumbed: It's time to chat about 1977's original Star Wars film. But we do things a little differently, because this is probably the most-worn-out property to focus on, especially at this point. So instead of talking about the story, the main characters, and more, we discuss all we love in the negative space: The Jawas and the Sandcrawler, Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, the Imperial officers and that dope meeting room, TIE Fighter Pilots and Death Star Gunners, and on and on and on. Some may call us nothing more than mindless philosophers, but we think this is perfect fodder for a show like ours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For a good duration of the average childhood, you're dressed by your parents. You have very little choice or input, and certainly no financial means to make different decisions. But then, you start to care and exercise some agency: First a little bit, then a lot more. Before you know it, the way you present yourself to the world becomes a key component of your persona, something within your control. Today's episode of KnockBack is dedicated to both eras of childhood, the helplessness of school shopping with mom and the heady days of charting your own fashion course, with tons of stories, anecdotes, and choice gear from days past. The styles, the brands, and more. As always, we go deep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wait, what?! KnockBack is about the past! Well, that's typically true, but today we wanted to do something a little bit different. Why? Because beginning in 2023, KnockBack is going to change. And it begins with a month hiatus, while we retool. We wanted to explain where our heads are at with KnockBack, what the coming years hold, and deploy a new schedule that'll move the show to every-other-week beginning in January. Don't worry, though. Something new is spawning in those missing episodes' places... we're just not gonna tell you what that is just yet. And fear not: Dagan isn't going anywhere, either. You'll see him just as much as you used to. But more on that later. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Red Hot Chili Peppers were cruising along for nearly a decade by the time their most famous record, 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik, came to store shelves, the radio waves, and MTV. But it was a particular fusion of time, place, talent, and execution that propelled it to the stratosphere. Here in the US, it's a seven-times Platinum album teeming with earworm singles that explore the whole gamut of genres, from rap to funk to rock, all tied together by a renowned producer who happens to know quite a few musical styles very, very well. If you have to ask why Blood Sugar Sex Magik is so good, you've probably never listened to it. And while we could have lied, we know the secret. We're happy to give it away. Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1973's Pink Floyd record The Dark Side of the Moon is easily one of the most famous albums of all-time, toting what is perhaps the most recognizable cover art ever concocted. Its 10 tracks (or 9, if you're old-school) tell a deeply human tale, celebrating the ups and downs of life with some of the most vivid and emotional rock lyrics ever constructed, all within a progressive rock framework that sounds like it was written and recorded yesterday. Of course, it wasn't. It's a nearly 50 year old work of art, now. That's what makes it so special, and why we're so eager to gush about the wonderful work of Gilmour, Waters, Mason, and Wright. So hit play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the history of rock, there are seminal records... and then there are the true cream of the crop. The Beatles' 1967 classic Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is very much in the latter camp, a record so mind-bending and fresh that, 55 years later, it remains one of the most-revered albums ever recorded. And when we say recorded, we mean it in the old-fashion way: Using tape reels and decks without a semblance of computer assistance, which wouldn't have even been possible ast the time. From musicianship to lyrical work to production, Sgt. Pepper's may be unrivaled even in the Beatles' very own discography of genre titans. So let's delve in, go through some of these amazing songs, and discuss the neverending legacy of what some would argue is the strongest LP ever set to vinyl, one that shook the world it entered into, and continues to morph it to this day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Truth be told, we (The Brothers Moriarty) went into The Cabin in the Woods totally blind. Unlike our other romps through horror fare this October, we've both never seen this film... at least until preparing to record this episode. While controversial in nature -- it is, after all, a Joss Whedon joint -- The Cabin in the Woods happens to be a well-respected horror film for one specific reason: It's really good. Turning the genre on its head, poking fun at its archetypes and tropes, and even laying a greater groundwork for the actual meaning behind horror itself, Cabin in the Woods is a clever and thought-provoking flick, and we're thrilled to give it its due here on KnockBack. So listen, before we bind you with ancient logics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the prototype for the teen-and-20-something slasher films that would fill up theater marquees and video store shelves for the next 40 years. All the hallmarks are there: A set of bold and clueless antagonists, a mysterious, abandoned, and rural locale, a series of situational justifications, a mask-wearing killer, and an iconic weapon. With a brisk runtime, an air of surrealism and camp, and some incredibly strong performances (particularly in the film's second half), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a must-see for anyone interested in the genetic makeup of the horror genre as we know it, and we're thrilled to talk about it here on KnockBack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Beginning in the 1960s, a string of psychological-driven horror movies were released to great fanfare. A seminal film that perfectly fits the mold is none other than 1976's The Omen, starring the beloved Gregory Peck. The Omen is unique, even amongst psychological thriller and horror fare, in that it's also political. Not deeply so; it's certainly not partisan in nature. Rather, it focuses on how the supernatural can interface with the levers of power, and the disastrous potential consequences that could follow. If anything, our biggest complaints about The Omen are shared by many: It's brisk in its runtime, and it can be a little melodramatic, too. But that aside, it's chock-full of great performances, a promising narrative, and a truly spooky synopsis that asks whether the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost can be countered by the Devil, the Anti-Christ, and the False Prophet. Book of Revelation fans, get ready! It's your time to shine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's something about the time The Exorcist came to theaters, in that it almost certainly made the experience a hell of a lot more frightening than it would be today. When this film launched in December of 1973, one can imagine going to see it, being completely horrified, and then sitting at home. No internet, no cable TV, no phone to keep you busy. Just whatever's over the air and your landline, and hopefully no intrusive thoughts. Based on a novel released a couple of years prior, The Exorcist is a world-class example of Catholic horror told through the eyes of a tortured family that seems to have it all and a troubled priest who knows more than he should. What makes it so scary is that, like so many works of religious-themed horror, it feels like it could happen, at least in some sense. And, well, our recent viewing has left us with much to say on the matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While 1977's Stephen King novel The Shining preempts (and obviously inspired) the film that would come three years later in 1980, it's the movie and not the book that's most well-regarded. That's primarily due to auteur Stanley Kubrick, who delivered a film adaptation of King's horror story for the ages, one readily celebrated and obsessed over to this day. Drawing from a unique, one-of-a-kind aesthetic, rich use of color, sound, and symbolism, and exacting expectations from cast and crew, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a tentpole in the long history of cinema, the realization of something both profound and unsettling, not only on-screen, but entering real life, too. That's what makes art art, though, and what makes it so easy to celebrate The Shining as the true expression of brilliance it is, even if it's uncomfortable and, at times, outright frightening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learning the value of a dollar is a fundamental lesson for all fully-functioning young people. While some parents choose the allowance route (with chores mandatory or not), many teens are eager to score a part-time gig as soon as they're legally allowed (and often before they're not). Today's episode of KnockBack is dedicated to our earliest forays into the world of gainful employment. Dagan worked as a produce guy, at a skateshop, and even at a bagel store. Colin cleaned stables, made egg sandwiches, and landscaped in the hot sun. Naturally, there are stories to tell and memories to re-experience. And, perhaps most importantly, this gives us a great opportunity to remember some of the characters we've worked with along the way, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1989's Lethal Weapon 2 is one of the most beloved buddy-cop (and action) movies of all-time, and for good reason. A trio of excellent performances from the likes of Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Joe Pesci set the stage for two hours well-spent, another ride through 1980s Los Angeles full of crime, violence, and of course a never-ending stream of jokes. From straightjackets to nailguns, from tow truck chase scenes and Apartheid-era racists, Lethal Weapon 2 is a wild ride, and we're excited to talk about it in detail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices