KnockBack: The Retro and Nostalgia Podcast

This week's episode of KnockBack is a special one, not only because of its subject matter -- the 1982 Steven Spielberg smash-hit film E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial -- but because our guest host this week is none other than Dagan's wife, Helene. E.T. was, is, and will likely always be one of the most seminal movies ever created, and it's because it has what so many other pictures all-too-often lack: Heart and imagination. There's a good reason why, for more than a decade after it launched, it was the highest-grossing film in the history of the industry, and why -- nearly 40 years later -- it remains a seminal piece of Americana. So sit back, hit play, and don't phone home. At least, not until you hear what we have to say.

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The Powerpuff Girls might seem like an unassuming piece of animation... yet it's anything but. Nestled within the soul of Cartoon Network's hit show is a surprising amount of depth, an amalgamation of influences ranging from anime to gaming to old superhero TV shows. The result is one of the most charming cartoons of the last 30 years. The adventures of Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles -- three five year old girls, mind you -- are equal parts hilarious and clever, with a cast of memorable villains and side characters that round out the entire product. In the late '90s and early aughts, The Powerpuff Girls were everywhere. For the next few hours, allow them to barrage your ears like they barrage HIM. You'll be glad you did.

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It's true: We would have never chosen to do this topic on our own. But when our beloved audience voted on Patreon to hear this discussion, we simply had to oblige. In 1992, the Moriarty Brothers' parents split. In the wake of that event, our lives were reshaped forever. This isn't an uplifting episode of KnockBack by any stretch of the imagination, but it's most certainly a candid and honest one, one about loss, pain, choice, and consequences. We are who we are, in part, because of this traumatic event, one that occurred when we were 18 and 7. Two wildly different ages packing two radically different perspectives.

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The so-called run-and-gunner Cuphead is hands down one of the most beautiful video games ever created. Crafted in the spirit of the rubber hose cartoon stylings of the 1920s and 1930s, Cuphead is a rarity in the modern industry: It's drawn and animated by hand, and it's brutally (and we mean brutally) difficult. It's also charming, artfully designed, funny, and full of lush detail that truly showcases the sheer amount of work and energy that went into making it. Thus, we simply had to dedicate an episode of KnockBack to Studio MDHR's masterpiece, and we hope you enjoy it. Without further ado: Here's a real high-class bout!

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With thousands upon thousands (upon thousands!) of video games released since the 1970s, it's easy for some (well... many) to fall through the cracks. Very few are seminal titles that helped to define their era, genre, or hardware. Yet, 1997's Final Fantasy VII is undoubtedly one of the most important games ever released. It brought JRPGs from niche to mainstream, put Squaresoft on the map for millions of new customers around the world, helped solidify the original PlayStation's place in a competitive and changing market, and spawned a globally-viable franchise that only saw limited western releases in the years prior. Beyond that, though, Final Fantasy VII is deep. Like, really deep. It's a story about eco-terrorism, environmentalism, capitalism-run-amok, power, fear, and more. It also has a wonderful cast of characters -- from the evolving Cloud to the dangerous Sephiroth -- buttressed by what was at the time world-class 3D graphics and a still-amazing soundtrack. There's so much to say, really, and while we can't say it all, we can certainly say something. And that's what this episode of KnockBack is all about.

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