Episode 243 - MAC AND ME

"Borrowing" liberally from a certain Spielbergian tale of a boy and his alien, Mac and Me has attained its own kind of cinematic immortality thanks to its unique mix of shameless commercialism, saccharine sincerity, and fugly extraterrestrials. 

Sam Stovold brings the Coca-Cola and Skittles to our freewheeling discussion of this cult classic - brought to you by McDonald's!

Released August 12, 1988
Directed by Stewart Raffill
Written by Steve Feke and Stewart Raffill
Starring Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward, Tina Caspary, Lauren Stanley, Jade Calegory, and Ronald McDonald as himself

Episode 235 - ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS

Hey Vern, it's the holiday season! This year, we're taking a break from the snow and cold to help a commercial pitchman find the next Santa Claus in sunny Orlando as Ernest Saves Christmas. Nate Tapp joins us in a warm exchange of memories about the magic of the Yuletide and Jim Varney. Knowutimean?

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
Directed by John Cherry
Written by B. Kline and Ed Turner
Starring Jim Varney, Oliver Clark, Noelle Parker, Gailard Sartain, Bill Byrge, Billie Bird, and Douglas Seale

Episode 234 - DIE HARD / DIE HARD 2

Yippie-ki-yay, mother-cluckers! Thanksgiving season is here and so is our annual double feature episode. This year, we welcome Geoff Clarke to the party (pal) to celebrate Die Hard and Die Hard 2 - and to remove all doubt that they are, in fact, Christmas movies. Join us as we Die Hard for the Holidays!

Die Hard (1988)
Directed by John McTiernan
Written by Jeb Stuart and Stephen E. de Souza
Based on Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp
Starring Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Paul Gleason, Alexander Godunov, William Atherton, and Reginald VelJohnson

Die Hard 2 (1990)

Directed by Renny Harlin

Written by Stephen E. de Souza and Doug Richardson

Based on 58 Minutes by Walter Wager

Starring Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Sadler, John Amos, Dennis Franz, Fred Thompson, William Atherton, Art Evans, and Franco Nero

Episode 118 - THE LAND BEFORE TIME

In the 1980s, the partnership of famed animator Don Bluth and cinema wunderkind Steven Spielberg signaled an evolutionary change in the cartoon business. The Land Before Time was perhaps their most moving collaboration, presenting compassion and friendship as the best antidote to bleakness and despair.

Eric Wheeler of Text Before Calling joins us to recount the film's cataclysmic impact on his young mind and its memorable framing of the Darwinian struggle for survival. Whether you're a longneck, a threehorn, or a bigmouth, it's the perfect way to conclude our Jurassic June series, yep yep yep!

*Fun Fact: This episode is just about the exact length of the actual movie! Theoretically, one could press play on both simultaneously for some sort of weird commentary experience... We haven't tested it ourselves, but perhaps a dedicated listener can report back with the results!

The Land Before Time (1988)
Directed by Don Bluth
Produced by Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas
Written by Stu Krieger
Starring Gabriel Damon, Candace Huston, Judith Barsi, Will Ryan, Helen Shaver, and Pat Hingle

Episode 115 - WILLOW

As Solo: A Star Wars Story swaggers into theaters, we turn our attention to the O.G. collaboration between Ron Howard and Lucasfilm: the epic fantasy Willow, a movie that leans hard into genre traditions while attempting to make children simultaneously giggle with delight and soil their pants in terror. Just your garden-variety '80s family film operating within a far more permissive ratings board culture.

Sean Davis, co-host of the After the Credits podcast, was there to experience the magic at the beginning, and shares his memories with us during the glorious conclusion of Not Quite Star Wars Month. Listen in to learn how Willow blends practical wizardry and cutting-edge technology, and how it serves a story that is by turns emotionally resonant, staunchly conventional, and wildly silly.

Willow (1988)
Directed by Ron Howard
Produced by George Lucas, Nigel Wooll, and Joe Johnston
Written by Bob Dolman
Story by George Lucas
Starring Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, Patricia Hayes, Kevin Pollak, Rick Overton, Gavan O'Herlihy, Pat Roach, and Billy Barty

Episode 66 - BEETLEJUICE

Beetlejuice is an example of collaborative filmmaking at its finest, combining a wonderfully weird script, startling visual realizations of director Tim Burton's macabre vision, and virtuosic comedy from the likes of Catherine O'Hara and Michael Keaton. It's a shambling story that feels made up on the fly, but to fans--much like the outpouring of appreciation for the movie's perverse title character--the blemishes simply contribute to a greater overall charm.

Brian Rudloff returns to help us unfurl our freak flags as we examine a movie that looms large in early nightmares and latter-day nostalgia alike.

Beetlejuice (1988)
Directed by Tim Burton
Produced by Michael Bender, Richard Hashimoto, and Larry Wilson
Written by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren
Starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones, Winona Ryder, Glenn Shadix, Sylvia Sidney, and Michael Keaton