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 91 - THE PAGEMASTER

Culkin! Lloyd! Between the combined star power of these two 90's movie pillars, it's a wonder The Pagemaster isn't more of a mainstay in our collective memory. Perhaps the "Macaulay mystique" had waned by 1994, or maybe kids just don't go to the movies for reminders to visit their local library. A love letter to the written word, the live-action animated hybrid paints a shared universe of anthropomorphic books and familiar literary characters (strictly those in the public domain) in a rare cinematic attempt to encourage reading.

It turns out we both could stand a re-read, having remembered this 80-minute breeze more for the associated promotional content than the actual film itself. So get your library card ready and join us as we determine if this short story is a classic, or if it has us longing for that giant floating exit sign in the sky. When in doubt, look to the books!

The Pagemaster (1994)
Directed by Joe Johnston and Maurice Hunt
Produced by David Kirschner and Paul Gertz
Screenplay by David Casci, David Kirschner, and Ernie Contreras
Starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Ed Begley Jr., and Mel Harris; and the voices of Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Welker, and Leonard Nimoy

Episode 11 - BLANK CHECK and RICHIE RICH

Money can't buy you love, happiness, or class...but it can buy you a lot of Nerf guns and four-wheelers.  That's one thing we learned in our financial double feature of Blank Check and Richie Rich, two 1994 films designed to teach children that though materialism is an empty pursuit, it can sure fill your house with awesome stuff.  (Gotta start 'em early!)

In the spirit of this season of excess, enjoy a super-sized podcast covering everything from the surprising duality of Preston Waters and Richie Rich to the comfort of having a sidekick from a different English-speaking nation.  Also, having to choose favorites in this pair of financially-obsessed (though ultimately family-oriented) films finally puts us at odds...in a strictly collegial way.

Go ahead, help yourself to seconds - it's a special Thanksgiving episode of What Were We Watching!

Blank Check (1994)
Directed by Rupert Wainwright
Produced by Gary Adelson, Craig Baumgarten, and Tony Shimkin
Written by Blake Snyder and Colby Carr
Starring Brian Bonsall, Karen Duffy, Miguel Ferrer, James Rebhorn, Tone Lōc, and Michael Lerner

Richie Rich (1994)
Directed by Donald Petrie
Produced by Joel Silver and John Davis
Written by Neil Tolkin and Tom S. Parker
Starring Macaulay Culkin, John Larroquette, Edward Herrmann, Christine Ebersole, and Jonathan Hyde