Episode 112 - TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: THE SECRET OF THE BOOZE

A beloved childhood film meets a favorite adult pastime as we celebrate Cam's birthday with a very special commentary track/drinking game hybrid episode. Dust off your copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, as we offer two ways to enjoy it with us: listen along to our real-time observations about the movie and the Turtles phenomenon, and/or go ninja go ninja go hard with our original TMNT II drinking game. It's a bodacious birthday bacchanal!

Drinking Game Rules
Take a drink when...

• someone eats pizza
• "ooze" is seen or heard
• the Turtles demonstrate their personalities: Leonardo leads, Donatello "does machines" (acts like a nerd), Raphael is rude, Michelangelo is a party dude
• someone makes a pop culture reference

Chug your drink when...

• Vanilla Ice appears

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
Directed by Michael Pressman
Produced by Thomas K. Gray, Kim Dawson, and David Chan
Written by Todd W. Langen
Based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
Starring David Warner, Paige Turco, Ernie Reyes Jr., Francois Chau, Toshishiro Obata, Kevin Nash, Adam Carl, Laurie Faso, Robbie Rist, Brian Tochi, Kevin Clash, Frank Welker, and Vanilla Ice

Cowabunga! Check out more of our TMNT tributes:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Raph Punk

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 95 - 3 NINJAS

The coolest threads, the finest toys, the slickest moves: 3 Ninjas isn't just a movie, it's wall-to-wall wish fulfillment. Nothing is too excessive for a film centered on three prepubescent martial arts masters that combines the acrobatic clowning of vintage Jackie Chan with the outsize "kid power" ethos of the 1990s. (Not to mention a healthy dose of the noble ninja code, which apparently allows for low blows.)

Jean Magers makes her thrilling podcast debut for this delectable stew of kiddie flick tropes. So just kick back, knuckle up, and get ready to enjoy this most honorable episode. Eeeeyah!

3 Ninjas (1992)
Directed by Jon Turteltaub
Produced by Martha Chang and Yuriko Matsubara
Written by Edward Emanuel
Starring Michael Treanor, Max Elliot Slade, Chad Power, Rand Kingsley, Alan McRae, Margarita Franco, Kate Sargeant, Patrick Labyorteaux, and Victor Wong

Episode 81 - MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE

In a case of striking before the iron begins to rapidly cool off, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie appeared in theaters during the summer of 1995, benefitting from nearly two years of groundwork laid by the television series. The movie's immediately apparent increase in production value, as well as the refreshing change of pace offered by its one-off villain with endless Borscht Belt-approved wisecracks, presented a stark contrast from the relatively dinky TV show. Not that this mattered in the long run, as one of the film's major plot points would be undermined in just a matter of months by a multi-episode arc presenting an alternate version of events.

The Power Rangers would soldier on--and they continue to endure in one form or another--but Mighty Morphin March must come to an end. Text Before Calling's Eric Wheeler teleports in to assist in our final salute to these variegated karate warriors and their robotic spirit animals.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
Directed by Bryan Spicer
Produced by Haim Saban, Shuki Levy, and Suzanne Todd
Written by Arne Olsen
Based on the TV series "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"
Starring Karan Ashley, Johnny Yong Bosch, Steve Cardenas, Jason David Frank, Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Jason Narvy, Paul Schrier, Gabrielle Fitzpatrick, and Paul Freeman

Catch up on all Mighty Morphin March episodes:
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 1)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 2)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

Episode 80 - MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS (Part 2)

Mighty Morphin March rolls on with the second half of our massive MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS discussion, as we react to replacement Rangers, a melange of monsters, and the unholy nuptials of the show's most iconic villains.

It's a journey to the end of franchise viability, and we follow it all the way through confusing zord swaps and aquatic aliens, culminating in an explosive conclusion to a morphenominal era.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993-1995)
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers (1996)
Created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy
Based on multiple seasons of the Super Sentai series created by Toei
Starring Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Johnny Yong Bosch, Karan Ashley, Steven Cardenas, Catherine Sutherland, Paul Schrier, Jason Narvy, and Jason David Frank

Episodes featured in this podcast:
"The Power Transfer, Part 2" (11/9/94)
"The Wedding, Part 3" (2/15/95)
"Ninja Quest, Part 3" (9/13/95)
"Hogday Afternoon, Part 2" (2/17/96)

Catch up on all Mighty Morphin March episodes:
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 1)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 2)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

Episode 76 - MORTAL KOMBAT

Arriving at the tail end of Hollywood's initial mini-boom of video game adaptations, Mortal Kombat tried to kapitalize on a sensationalistic media kraze centered on the popular game's macabre backstory and gratuitous violence. The resulting PG-13 film is, at best, an uneven-yet-sincere attempt to kapture the game's spirit, but its lack of polish didn't stop it from enjoying a residual '90s koolness and kamp appeal--especially as subsequent films based on games failed to significantly raise the bar.

Our MK guru, Kevin Gutierrez, grabs an extra kontroller to join us in a discussion of Mortal Kombat as both movie and game, as we seek an elusive konsensus on what we want out of our video game flicks. Toasty!

Mortal Kombat (1995)
Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson
Produced by Lawrence Kasanoff
Written by Kevin Droney
Based on the video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias
Starring Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Talisa Soto, Trevor Goddard, and Christopher Lambert

Episode 56 - TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1987)

From satirical underground comic book characters to alpha reptiles of the late '80s and early '90s, the ascension of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a quintessential pop culture success story. TV, movies, music, books, toys (my god, the toys)--there wasn't a marketing opportunity missed by the Turtles brain trust.

As the wellspring from whence all consumer goods came, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon occupies a special place in the hearts of TMNT fans. We delve into the mythology, the minutae, and the merchandise in an especially sentimental discussion. This episode doesn't ask if the beloved series was crassly commercial (it most certainly was), but invites us to find within the profit motive and the artistic impulse a symbiotic entertainment entity that enthralled a generation.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1996)
Created by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, and Fred Wolf
Based on the comic series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
Starring Cam Clarke, Barry Gordon, Rob Paulsen, Townsend Coleman, Peter Renaday, Renae Jacobs, James Avery, and Pat Fraley

Episodes featured in this podcast:
"Shredder & Splintered" (aired 1/1/1988)
"The Case of the Killer Pizzas" (aired 11/5/1988)
"Casey Jones: Outlaw Hero" (aired 11/7/1989)
"The Making of Metalhead" (aired 11/27/1989)
"Night of the Rogues" (aired 11/20/1993)

Cowabunga! Check out more of our TMNT tributes:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Raph Punk