Jack Nicholson spent his acting career railing against the system, so it’s weird to see the movie icon receive the last of his 12 Oscar nominations playing a reserved insurance agent silently suffering the indignities of old age.  Will retirement free the suit to leave behind a disappointing marriage, and find his voice out on the open road? And what happens when his RV reaches its final destination, and Jack has the chance to stop his daughter from marrying a foolish waterbed salesman?  You’ll learn all About Schmidt when you become a Now Playing Podcast Patron this January. 

White horses. “Knights in White Satin.” Sherri Moon Zombie drifting through dream imagery. Halloween II is Rob Zombie at his most stylized and divisive, a sequel to his 2007 remake that doubles down on brutality, trauma, and surreal symbolism. Abandoning much of the structure of Halloween, this follow-up pushes deeper into psychological horror, fractured identities, and a Loomis who may be as monstrous as the killer he chases. If, as Loomis declares, “Bad taste is the petrol that fuels the American dream,” then this movie runs on premium. As Now Playing Podcast concludes its Halloween retrospective series, the hosts examine whether this sequel to a remake can justify its existence or if it proves some legends should remain untouched.