This week on The Wasteland Retrospective, host Shane Conto (The Wasteland Reviewer) is joined by film blogger and SPDM Crew podcaster Luke Burian for a deep dive into two essential entries in one of Japanese horror cinema’s most iconic franchises — the Ringu series:

🎬 Films Discussed:

• Ringu 2 (1999) — directed by Hideo Nakata — the direct sequel to the original Ring film that deepened the mythology of Sadako and the cursed videotape
• Ringu 0: Birthday (2000) — directed by Norio Tsuruta — the haunting Sadako origin story that reveals the tragic backstory behind one of horror cinema’s most iconic villains

If you’re a fan of Japanese horror, J-horror, Sadako, Hideo Nakata, the Ring franchise, supernatural horror, or Halloween season horror viewing — this is essential listening!

Shane Conto — film critic, writer & YouTuber: 🌐 Website | ▶️ YouTube | 📸 Instagram | 🎵 TikTok | 🎥 Letterboxd

Also hosts Wasteland Watchlist, Cinematic Wasteland, and Wasteland Spotlight on the SPDM Crew network.

Luke Burian — film writer, blogger & podcaster: 🌐 Lost in Movies | ✍️ SiftPop | 🎙️ Flix and Chill | 🎙️ The Cinematic Wasteland | 🎙️ SiftPop Writers' Room

Have a film pairing suggestion or want to join the SPDM Crew? Email spdmcrew@gmail.com

📲 Follow SPDM Crew: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | Bluesky 🌐 www.spdmcrew.com

🎵 Theme music by Kristofer Twadell | Logo by Jason Wilbur @ HiFlyer Creative

Leave a review and rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on your favorite podcast app!

This week on The Wasteland Retrospective, host Shane Conto (The Wasteland Reviewer) is joined by SPDM Crew creator Mike Hilty for a deep dive into two of the most visually stunning and emotionally powerful films from Laika Studios — the masters of stop-motion animation:

🎬 Films Discussed:

• Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) — directed by Travis Knight — Laika's most ambitious and visually breathtaking stop-motion animated film, set in ancient Japan and featuring an Oscar-nominated score
  • ParaNorman (2012) — directed by Sam Fell & Chris Butler — Laika's beloved stop-motion horror comedy about a boy who can speak to the dead — perfect for Halloween season watching

The Wasteland Retrospective is a weekly film podcast where Shane Conto and a guest each pick a related film to discuss together — spanning animation history, cult cinema, and hidden gems across every era of filmmaking

Shane Conto — film critic, writer & YouTuber: 🌐 Website | ▶️ YouTube | 📸 Instagram | 🎵 TikTok | 🎥 Letterboxd

Also hosts Wasteland Watchlist, Cinematic Wasteland, and Wasteland Spotlight on the SPDM Crew network

Mike Hilty — SPDM Crew creator, TV & film enthusiast: 📸 Instagram | 📺 Serializd | 🎥 Letterboxd | ✍️ SiftPop

Also hosts Family Movie Night, Sportsball, Mix CD, SPDM TV, and Geek Speak Louder Than Nerds on the SPDM Crew network.

Have a film pairing suggestion or want to join the SPDM Crew? Email spdmcrew@gmail.com

📲 Follow SPDM Crew: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Bluesky 🌐 www.spdmcrew.com

🎵 Theme music by Kristofer Twadell | Logo by Jason Wilbur @ HiFlyer Creative

Leave a review and rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on your favorite podcast app!

This week on The Wasteland Retrospective, host Shane Conto (The Wasteland Reviewer) is joined by Jess Conto for a double dose of the one and only Dolly Parton — two iconic musical comedies that cemented her status as one of Hollywood's most beloved stars:

🎬 Films Discussed:

• 9 to 5 (1980) — directed by Colin Higgins, starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin — the beloved workplace comedy that became a feminist classic and spawned one of the most iconic songs in history
• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) — directed by Colin Higgins, starring Dolly Parton & Burt Reynolds — the Broadway musical adaptation that gave Dolly one of her most memorable film roles

The Wasteland Retrospective is a weekly film podcast where Shane Conto and a guest each pick a related film to discuss together — spanning cult comedies, musical cinema, and hidden gems across every era of filmmaking.

Shane Conto — film critic, writer & YouTuber: 🌐 Website | ▶️ YouTube | 📸 Instagram | 🎵 TikTok | 🎥 Letterboxd

Also hosts Wasteland Watchlist, Wasteland Spotlight, and Cinematic Wasteland on the SPDM Crew network.

Have a film pairing suggestion or want to join the SPDM Crew? Email spdmcrew@gmail.com

📲 Follow SPDM Crew: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Bluesky 🌐 www.spdmcrew.com

🎵 Theme music by Kristofer Twadell | Logo by Jason Wilbur @ HiFlyer Creative

Leave a review and rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on your favorite podcast app!

This week on The Wasteland Retrospective, host Shane Conto (The Wasteland Reviewer) is joined by writer, reviewer, and filmmaker Jeff Alan for a deep dive into two of Kathryn Bigelow's most powerful and acclaimed films — both exploring the post-9/11 world through the lens of modern warfare:

🎬 Films Discussed:

• The Hurt Locker (2008) — starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie & Brian Geraghty — Kathryn Bigelow's Academy Award Best Picture winner that redefined war cinema and made history as the first film directed by a woman to win Best Picture
• Zero Dark Thirty (2012) — starring Jessica Chastain — Bigelow's gripping and controversial thriller about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden following the September 11 attacks

The Wasteland Retrospective is a weekly film podcast where Shane Conto and a guest each pick a related film to discuss together — spanning war cinema, prestige drama, and landmark filmmaking across every era.

Shane Conto — film critic, writer & YouTuber: 🌐 Website | ▶️ YouTube | 📸 Instagram | 🎵 TikTok | 🎥 Letterboxd

Also hosts Wasteland Watchlist, Wasteland Spotlight, and Cinematic Wasteland on the SPDM Crew network.

Jeff Alan — photographer, filmmaker & film/TV reviewer: 🌐 Portfolio & Contact Available for photography and videography — check out his portfolio!

Have a film pairing suggestion or want to join the SPDM Crew? Email spdmcrew@gmail.com

📲 Follow SPDM Crew: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Bluesky 🌐 www.spdmcrew.com

🎵 Theme music by Kristofer Twadell | Logo by Jason Wilbur @ HiFlyer Creative

Leave a review and rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on your favorite podcast app!

This week on The Wasteland Retrospective, host Shane Conto (The Wasteland Reviewer) is joined by film blogger and SPDM Crew podcaster Luke Burian for a double dose of Steve McQueen at the peak of his powers — two landmark 1968 crime films that cemented his status as the King of Cool:

🎬 Films Discussed:

• Bullitt (1968) — directed by Peter Yates, starring Steve McQueen — home of the greatest car chase in cinema history through the streets of San Francisco
• The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) — directed by Norman Jewison, starring Steve McQueen & Faye Dunaway — the ultimate stylish heist thriller of the 1960s

If you're a fan of Steve McQueen, 1960s crime films, classic Hollywood thrillers, Faye Dunaway, or the greatest car chases in movie history — this is essential listening!

The Wasteland Retrospective is a weekly film podcast where Shane Conto and a guest each pick a related film to discuss together — spanning classic Hollywood, crime cinema, and hidden gems across every era of filmmaking.

Shane Conto — film critic, writer & YouTuber: 🌐 Website | ▶️ YouTube | 📸 Instagram | 🎵 TikTok | 🎥 Letterboxd

Also hosts Wasteland Watchlist, Cinematic Wasteland, and Wasteland Spotlight on the SPDM Crew network.

Luke Burian — film writer, blogger & podcaster: 🌐 Lost in Movies | ✍️ SiftPop | 🎙️ Flix and Chill | 🎙️ The Cinematic Wasteland | 🎙️ SiftPop Writers' Room

Have a film pairing suggestion or want to join the SPDM Crew? Email spdmcrew@gmail.com

📲 Follow SPDM Crew: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | Bluesky 🌐 www.spdmcrew.com

🎵 Theme music by Kristofer Twadell | Logo by Jason Wilbur @ HiFlyer Creative

Leave a review and rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on your favorite podcast app!

This week on The Wasteland Retrospective, host Shane Conto (The Wasteland Reviewer) is joined by SPDM Crew creator Mike Hilty for a deep dive into two of Martin Scorsese's most profound and controversial explorations of faith, doubt, and spirituality:

🎬 Films Discussed:

• Silence (2016) — starring Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver & Liam Neeson — Scorsese's devastating meditation on Christian missionaries in feudal Japan and the silence of God
• The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) — starring Willem Dafoe — the controversial Martin Scorsese biblical drama that shocked the world and redefined religious cinema

The Wasteland Retrospective is a weekly film podcast where Shane Conto and a guest each pick a related film to discuss together — spanning prestige drama, religious cinema, and hidden gems across every era of filmmaking.

Shane Conto — film critic, writer & YouTuber: 🌐 Website | ▶️ YouTube | 📸 Instagram | 🎵 TikTok | 🎥 Letterboxd

Also hosts Wasteland Watchlist, Cinematic Wasteland, and Wasteland Spotlight on the SPDM Crew network.

Mike Hilty — SPDM Crew creator, TV & film enthusiast: 📸 Instagram | 📺 Serializd | 🎥 Letterboxd | ✍️ SiftPop

Also hosts Family Movie Night, Sportsball, Mix CD, SPDM TV, and Geek Speak Louder Than Nerds on the SPDM Crew network.

Have a film pairing suggestion or want to join the SPDM Crew? Email spdmcrew@gmail.com

📲 Follow SPDM Crew: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Bluesky 🌐 www.spdmcrew.com

🎵 Theme music by Kristofer Twadell | Logo by Jason Wilbur @ HiFlyer Creative

Leave a review and rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on your favorite podcast app!

This week on The Wasteland Retrospective, host Shane Conto (The Wasteland Reviewer) is joined by Jess Conto for a deep dive into two of the most essential and terrifying folk horror classics ever committed to film:

🎬 Films Discussed:

• The Wicker Man (1973) — directed by Robin Hardy, starring Edward Woodward & Christopher Lee — the undisputed masterpiece of British folk horror and one of the greatest horror films ever made
• Witchfinder General (1968) — directed by Michael Reeves, starring Vincent Price — a brutal and haunting historical horror film set during the English Civil War

The Wasteland Retrospective is a weekly film podcast where Shane Conto and a guest each pick a related film to discuss together — spanning folk horror, cult cinema, and hidden gems across every era of filmmaking.

Shane Conto — film critic, writer & YouTuber: 🌐 Website | ▶️ YouTube | 📸 Instagram | 🎵 TikTok | 🎥 Letterboxd

Also hosts Wasteland Watchlist, Wasteland Spotlight, and Cinematic Wasteland on the SPDM Crew network.

Have a film pairing suggestion or want to join the SPDM Crew? Email spdmcrew@gmail.com

📲 Follow SPDM Crew: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Bluesky 🌐 www.spdmcrew.com

🎵 Theme music by Kristofer Twadell | Logo by Jason Wilbur @ HiFlyer Creative

Leave a review and rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on your favorite podcast app!

This week on The Wasteland Retrospective, host Shane Conto (The Wasteland Reviewer) is joined by writer, reviewer, and filmmaker Jeff Alan for a deep dive into the full directorial story of Josh Trank — from his acclaimed found footage superhero debut to one of Hollywood's most infamous production disasters:

🎬 Films Discussed:

• Chronicle (2012) — Josh Trank's groundbreaking found footage superhero film starring Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell & Michael B. Jordan — a genre-defining indie that launched careers
• Fantastic Four (2015) — the notoriously troubled Marvel reboot starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan & Jamie Bell — one of the most talked-about box office bombs in superhero movie history

The Wasteland Retrospective is a weekly film podcast where Shane Conto and a guest each pick a related film to discuss together — spanning superhero cinema, indie film, and Hollywood history across every era of filmmaking.

Shane Conto — film critic, writer & YouTuber: 🌐 Website | ▶️ YouTube | 📸 Instagram | 🎵 TikTok | 🎥 Letterboxd

Also hosts Wasteland Watchlist, Wasteland Spotlight, and Cinematic Wasteland on the SPDM Crew network.

Jeff Alan — photographer, filmmaker & film/TV reviewer: 🌐 Portfolio & Contact Available for photography and videography — check out his portfolio!

Have a film pairing suggestion or want to join the SPDM Crew? Email spdmcrew@gmail.com

📲 Follow SPDM Crew: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Bluesky 🌐 www.spdmcrew.com

🎵 Theme music by Kristofer Twadell | Logo by Jason Wilbur @ HiFlyer Creative

Leave a review and rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on your favorite podcast app!