Episode 24 - JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE

If it had been released in a different era, Jungle 2 Jungle - a movie about a rich white man trying to prevent a kid raised in a remote Amazonian village from attempting to kill and consume every animal he sees in the big city - would have triggered a thinkpiece avalanche.

But this was 1997.  Nobody was going to question Tim Allen, a bona fide box office king thanks to his smart-alecky schtick and shit-eating grin.  The sitcom stalwart and Disney company man stars alongside a debuting Sam Huntington, who is asked to spend way more time in a loincloth than any 13-year-old should.

As desperate in its broadly telegraphed comedy as it is prescient about films with subplots about pushy reality TV crews, Jungle 2 Jungle is a prime example of one of our favorite genres: the dad-venture.  So please, put down your satellite phone and try to refrain from talking about the commodities market long enough to stop disappointing your estranged son.

Jungle 2 Jungle (1997)

Directed by John Pasquin

Produced by Richard Baker and Brad Krevoy

Written by Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon

Based on the film Un indien dans la ville

Starring Tim Allen, Martin Short, JoBeth Williams, Lolita Davidovich, David Ogden Stiers, and Sam Huntington

Episode 23 - STREET FIGHTER

April Fool!  It's the perfect time to debut our special "anti-podcast" feature, What Weren't We Watching, and record our thoughts on a film that somehow slipped through the cracks of our childhoods: the 1994 video game adaptation Street Fighter.

You can practically see the seams in this notoriously troubled production, which nonetheless stands as an appropriately colorful and wacky interpretation of a plot-thin game featuring a masked toreador-turned-cage fighter with metal claws and a green mutant that electrocutes people.  The movie only compounds the madness with an "American" military officer played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, numerous sartorial in-jokes, and a tone that veers between madcap and murderous.

Street Fighter (1994)

Written and directed by Steven E. de Souza

Produced by Edward R. Pressman and Kenzo Tsujimoto

Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raúl Juliá, Ming-Na Wen, Damian Chapa, Byron Mann, Kylie Minogue, and Wes Studi

Episode 22 - GLADIATOR

Gladiator's place in our cultural canon is almost entirely due to its violence: just thinking about the title conjures up images of severed limbs, overflowing viscera, and a beefy Russell Crowe asking a crowd whether or not that day's murders have amused them sufficiently.  What's most interesting about this violence, however, is how little of it (relatively speaking) is actually shown.

In a way it makes perfect sense that Ridley Scott's film ruled the first Oscar ceremony held in the 21st century.  It is a very old-school drama in a throwback genre, clean and simple, and its lack of metatextual meddling makes it almost like cinematic comfort food.  Aside from a few grisly moments, Gladiator is most disturbing in our imaginations.

Gladiator (2000)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Produced by Douglas Wick, David Franzoni, and Branko Lustig
Written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson
Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Dijmon Hounsou, and Richard Harris

Episode 21 - SPACE JAM

"The customer is always right. The. Customer. Is. Always. Right... ALWAYS." This is the philosophy advocated by antagonist Mr. Swackhammer, as he mugs for the camera, within the first few minutes of Space Jam. His evil plan will consist of exploiting both the Looney Tunes and basketball legend Michael Jordan to be made attractions for his intergalactic amusement park, Moron Mountain. Are the filmmakers openly acknowledging the fact that Space Jam is ultimately an extended plug for Bugs Bunny, "His Airness," and its own merchandise? Were we the morons back in 1996?

Daren Sprawls, creator of our infectious theme song, finally joins us on the podcast to answer that question, dissecting our conflicting feelings of alienation from such a blatant commercial maneuver and unabashed nostalgia for the very things the movie advertised, namely that stellar soundtrack. Speaking of which, Daren tops it all off by treating us to a slam-dunk cover of R. Kelly's classic hit, "I Believe I Can Fly."

Welcome to the Jam. 

Space Jam (1996)

Directed by Joe Pytka

Produced by Ivan Reitman, Joe Medjuck, Daniel Goldberg

Written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod

Starring Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, Bill Murray, Billy West, Dee Bradley Baker, Bob Bergen, Bill Farmer, Maurice LaMarche, June Foray, Kath Soucie, and Danny DeVito

Episode 20 - A GOOFY MOVIE

Almost the polar opposite of the operatic musical dramas that defined the output of Walt Disney Animation Studios during the 1990s, A Goofy Movie is a simple, sweet story about a single dad and his insecure teenage son trying to bond with each other on a summer road trip.

Loosely based on Goof Troop, a mid-90s weekday afternoon cartoon series featuring many of the same characters, A Goofy Movie mostly eschews spectacle for a handful of well-defined relationships, small scale drama, and classic Disney slapstick.  Even with the occasional cartoon mayhem and comic exaggeration, it's a surprisingly recognizable world, grounded in familiar emotions and elevated by a stellar soundtrack that's still influencing modern pop culture.



A Goofy Movie (1995)
Directed by Kevin Lima
Produced by Dan Rounds
Written by Jymn Magon, Chris Matheson, and Brian Pimental
Starring Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Rob Paulsen, Kellie Martin, Jim Cummings, and Pauly Shore

Episode 19 - The 1st Annual Dubbie Awards!

The Grammys. The Emmys. The Oscars.

And now, the Dubbies!

We put our own spin on awards season in the inaugural Dubbie Awards, honoring the previous year in cinematic nostalgia, as well as discussing our favorite films and performances of 2014.

Categories include:

• Best Comeback
• Most Unnecessary Throwback
• Future WWWW Candidate
• Most Nostalgic Moment

Episode 18 - STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES

"She hardly even recognized me, Jar Jar" complains a plaintive Anakin Skywalker early on in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, perhaps echoing the disappointment the creators of The Phantom Menace must have felt regarding Star Wars partisans' tepid reaction to Episode I.  As such, this second prequel is crammed full of fan service-y tidbits and grace notes - sometimes interesting, sometimes awkward - meant to spark associations with the films of the original trilogy.

Yet though the effort to please is plainly visible onscreen, Attack of the Clones leaves most people cold.  Prequel whisperer Eric Wheeler returns as our special guest to help us unpack the glimmers of artistic ambition and the inevitable commercial retrenchment of Star Wars Episode II.

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Directed by George Lucas
Produced by Rick McCallum
Written by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales
Starring Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Temuera Morrison, and Ian McDiarmid

Check out the rest of our series on the Star Wars saga:
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Episode IV: A New Hope
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Solo: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars: Clone Wars
Star Wars Holiday Special
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure