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 220 - GREMLINS / GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH

It's time for another Thanksgiving twin bill, and this year we're getting gluttonous with Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch. We're celebrating the sensibility of Joe Dante as he and his collaborators hurl a hearty 'nyah-nyah' at cherished American institutions from Christmas to capitalism.

Nate Tapp lifts up our holiday spirits in our anything-goes appreciation of these chaotic, cartoony classics. This is G1 and G2, people!

Gremlins (1984)
Directed by Joe Dante
Written by Chris Columbus
Starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Frances Lee McCain, Polly Holliday, Dick Miller, Glynn Turman, Judge Reinhold, Corey Feldman, and Howie Mandel as the voice of Gizmo

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Directed by Joe Dante
Written by Charlie Haas
Starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, John Glover, Robert Picardo, Robert Prosky, Haviland Morris, Dick Miller, Gedde Watanabe, and Christopher Lee with Howie Mandel as the voice of Gizmo and Tony Randall as the voice of the Brain Gremlin

Key and Peele - "Gremlins 2" Brainstorm

 

Episode 215 - DICK TRACY

The podcast gets pulp-y as we launch the Summer of Serials - a celebration of Hollywood's infatuation with the heroic icons of pre-WWII comic strips, radio dramas, and matinee serials. First up is Dick Tracy, as Warren Beatty dons the canary yellow overcoat and fedora to battle goons and gangsters blessed with easily distinguishable physical features.

We call up Alex Rodriguez on our trusty two-way wrist radio to celebrate the film's embrace of the comic aesthetic and marvel at Detective Tracy's staying power in pop culture for nearly a century.

Dick Tracy (1990)
Directed by Warren Beatty
Written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.
Based on the characters created by Chester Gould
Starring Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Glenne Headly, Charlie Korsmo, William Forsythe, Ed O’Ross, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Patinkin, Dick Van Dyke, and Madonna

Episode 132 - HOME ALONE / HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK

The first two Home Alone movies didn't just give us ideas for inflicting pain and suffering upon hapless burglars. They affirmed the importance of familial bonds, turned Macaulay Culkin into a prepubescent celebrity icon, and sold kids a dream of heroic self-sufficiency via jury-rigged deathtraps and handheld voice changers. More than just a slapstick romp, Home Alone has blossomed into an essential holiday tradition.

Join us for a yuletide double feature as we thoroughly unpack the McAllister mythos, from its homespun John Hughes-ian roots to its emergence as an unstoppable--and unchanging--comedic force. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals! (And a happy new year!)

Home Alone (1990)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Written and produced by John Hughes
Starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, and John Candy

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Written and produced by John Hughes
Starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Tim Curry, Dana Ivey, Rob Schneider, Eddie Bracken, and Brenda Fricker

Episode 105 - TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1990)

Like Renaissance sculptures made flesh, the film debut of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles transforms the testudinal heroes from cartoon characters into three-dimensional wisecracking, pizza-gobbling machines. Along the way, they somehow rediscovered their grittier comic book aesthetic, as they emerge in a seedy urban landscape rife with brainwashed children, unhinged vigilantes, and a ninja cult that's very comfortable with torture.

Guest star Nate Tapp joins us as we serve up some wide-ranging banter about family and fatherhood, rank our favorite turtles, and, of course, reminisce some more about the most awesome TMNT toys. So grab a New York slice and get ready for some serious turtle talk, 'cause this is what we do!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Directed by Steve Barron
Produced by David Chan, Kim Dawson, and Simon Fields
Written by Todd W. Langen and Bobby Herbeck
Based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
Starring Josh Pais, Brian Tochi, Corey Feldman, Robbie Rist, Kevin Clash, Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, James Saito, Toshishiro Obata, Michael Turney, and Sam Rockwell


Cowabunga! Check out more of our TMNT tributes:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)
Raph Punk

Episode 93 - KINDERGARTEN COP

After almost three decades, Kindergarten Cop still represents an aspirational standard for the thespian trapped in a cycle of typecasting: Arnold Schwarzenegger, at the crest of his rough-and-ready muscleman trajectory, poking fun at his brawny persona and spinning it into comedy gold. Real-life educators Daren Sprawls and Ariel Quist Sprawls help us rate the movie's classroom verisimilitude and celebrate its tremendous quotability, evident in its contributions to a classic prank call soundboard.

How do six-year-olds stack up against a former Mr. Universe? Why are so many family classics filmed in Astoria, Oregon? Who is your daddy, and what does he do? Find the answers to these questions and much more in this special back-to-school episode!

Kindergarten Cop (1990)
Directed by Ivan Reitman
Produced by Ivan Reitman and Brian Grazer
Written by Murray Salem and Herschel Weingrod & Timothy Harris
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pamela Reed, Penelope Ann Miller, Richard Tyson, Carroll Baker, Christian Cousins, Joseph Cousins, and Linda Hunt

Episode 8 - THE WITCHES

What better way to celebrate the Halloween season than with the work of Roald Dahl, whose eccentric tales have been amusing and scarring children for generations?  The Witches contains plenty of prime nightmare fuel for the elementary school set - a crummy vacation at a crumbling old hotel, poisoned candy, and scores of bewigged British biddies.  With a dash of Henson Creature Shop magic and director Nicolas Roeg’s insistence on shooting like he’s making a low-budget ‘70s horror film, The Witches is a movie that appears to be at cross-purposes but endures with its unique combination of dark intensity and kid-friendly kookiness.

The Witches (1990)
Directed by Nicholas Roeg
Produced by Jim Henson, Mark Shivas, and Dusty Symonds
Written by Allan Scott
Based on the novel by Roald Dahl
Starring Anjelica Huston, Jasen Fisher, Mai Zetterling, and Rowan Atkinson