Back Through The Lens

Season 4.0 comes to a close with the comedic murder mystery, Clue! We discuss how difficult it was to write a screenplay that worked, the botched theatrical roll-out, and how it became a cult classic for our specific generation.

What would you do if you suddenly became a werewolf in the middle of your high school years? Become a basketball star, obviously. We dive into Michael J Fox's other 1985 movie, Teen Wolf.

We discuss Paul Reubens pop culture breakthrough and Tim Burton's directorial debut, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Join us on a trip to the Alamo to save one beloved bike while we discuss Reubens' creation of Pee-Wee Herman, all the weird supporting characters he meets along the way, and maybe some references to European art house cinema.

A nerd double feature! 1985 brought us two movies featuring teens performing great feats of science, released just 5 days apart. In this episode we look back at both Weird Science and Real Genius.

Where we're going we don't need roads. Join us on a trip back to the future, where we discuss the many failed attempts to get this movie green-lit, the failed original Marty McFly, and the most successful movie of 1985.

Join us for a deep dive into St. Elmo's Fire and the creation of the Brat Pack, which became a pop culture phenomenon alongside its release. The characters are yuppies in DC, the actors are brats running wild in LA, and we're here to detail all of it.

In this episode we're traveling back to Oz, but not in a sequel type way, more in a book series adaptation way. Trust us. Or don't, because none of this makes sense anyway. Join us for a discussion of Walter Murch's first and last foray into directing, starring baby Fairuza Balk and a whole lot of weirdos.

We smell ice cream! Join us for our second Richard Donner movie in a row, our millionth Steven Spielberg appearance, and a discussion full of booty traps, truffle shuffling, and opera-singing criminals

Hawk by day, wolf by night, forever together, eternally apart. In this episode we're discussing the Richard Donner fantasy movie, Ladyhawke. Enjoy our horrific French pronunciations and the most 80s of 80s soundtracks while we discuss the actual historical figure that inspired Philippe "The Mouse" Gaston, nonsensical side characters, and the real-life love story that resulted from the making of Ladyhawke.

Welcome to season 4, all about movies that turned 40 in 1985, the year we also hit that milestone. We're kicking it off with the John Hughes classic, The Breakfast Club. Both the budget and the expectations were low, but here we are 40 years later discussing whether we're a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, or a criminal.

With the recent passing of Catherine O'Hara, we look back at her classic role in Beetlejuice. We discuss how fate intervened to give us Catherine O'Hara as Delia Deetz, how this comedy-horror cult classic literally changed her life, and give you an overview of the rest of her career.  

Mawage is wot bwings us togeder today. Actually, it's The Princess Bride. We discuss the career of beloved director and actor, Rob Reiner, along with his 1987 classic. Once considered an unfilmable novel and later a box office disappointment, Reiner eventually succeeded in turning this fractured fairy-tale into a cult classic.

Keep this episode out of the light, don't get it wet, and definitely don't listen to it after midnight. We close out season 3 with a discussion all about Gremlins - a weird little movie that was never supposed to be made, but ended up defying box office expectations while becoming a Christmas classic (for some of us, at least).

We're hopping into our pink bunny suits and lighting our leg lamps for an episode all about A Christmas Story! We discuss the very specific reason our hometown of Cleveland, Ohio was chosen as a filming location, the confusion over when exactly this story is set, and its lasting legacy as both a Christmas classic and a Cleveland tourism site.

For many people, namely us, the Christmas season officially begins when it's time to rewatch The Muppet Christmas Carol. In today's episode we discuss the passing of Jim Henson and the impact that had on production, all the Muppet roles that could have been, and why this is inarguably the best retelling of A Christmas Carol, ever - at least for those of us that grew up watching it.

We could never forget Kevin McCallister or this Christmas blockbuster from our childhood. We might not be heading to Paris, but we are discussing Home Alone, including the writing machine that was John Hughes, Chris Columbus's Christmas dreams coming true, and of course, all those booby traps.

We're kicking off our very first Christmas season with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! We discuss some of our own Christmas traditions while diving into the history of National Lampoon movies, marveling at John Hughes's rise in Hollywood, and discussing the cast's reaction to making a genuine Christmas classic.

Join us in remembering Diane Keaton, specifically her work in the First Wives Club. We discuss the powerhouse cast of Diane Keaton teaming up with Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn, the 3-hour Jon Stewart cut, our childhood interpretations of this title, and how much better these lines land now that we're adults.

We wrap up our spooky season with the slasher film that started it all, John Carpenter's Halloween (1978). We detail how very low budget this production was, mispronounce "Samhain" a few times, and discuss the many, many sequels. 

What's your favorite scary movie? If it happens to be the original Scream from 1996, you're in luck! Today's episode dives into how this classic 90s slasher film got made, our personal memories of watching it for the first time, and the franchise it kicked off.

Today we're discussing 1982's Poltergeist - a movie that scared Joe as a kid and that Rachel had actually never seen before. We dive into the "Poltergeist curse," that PG rating, and the controversy over who was really directing this now-classic ghost story. They're here, indeed.

We call the four corners in today's episode so we can discuss the alternative girl power 90s classic, The Craft.

The Sanderson sisters are back! Kick off season 3 with us as we discuss the genuine horror credits behind the people involved with this family friendly Halloween film, it's long journey to becoming a holiday classic, and ponder the word "yabos."

It's an asteroid double feature! The year 1998 brought us two very similar movies released very close together. We take a look back at them both, discussing the scientific validity of their plots, which scenes made us cringe the hardest, and of course, Aerosmith.

An episode where we feel all the feelings about coming of age films, bonding experiences, and the types of friends we had when we were 12. What else could you expect from a look back at Stand By Me now that we're all grown up?

With a new installment of Naked Gun on the horizon, we look back at all three original outings of Lt Frank Drebin and his bumbling crew. We break down our favorite jokes, get into the OJ Simpson of it all, and try to figure out why the third installment was such a staple of our childhood viewing.

Today we're bringing an "economically diverse" crowd to the golf course with Happy Gilmore. We discuss how little we actually know about golf, Adam Sandler being one of Hollywood's actual nice guys, and the enduring appeal of Shooter McGavin.

Summer takes a darker turn as we discuss the teen horror resurgence of the 90s, that one infamous scene of Jennifer Love Hewitt twirling in the street, and the movie we thought we remembered compared to the movie we actually got.

Our summer movie series continues with a small nod to the 4th of July and one of the biggest movies ever released - Jaws. We discuss how a lot of this movie seemed to be accidental, yet it went on to create the concept of the summer blockbuster.

It's summer vacation in Acme Acres! We get into a brief history of the show and dive into internet rumors about its ending. We also reminisce about childhood cartoons and point out the many, many pop culture references in this movie.Tiny Toons Stalker Youtube video: https://youtu.be/crgHPztPVzc?si=Pfr5sR1V-mB1TJYW

There's no crying in baseball, and technically there isn't any crying in this episode either. We give you a little history lesson, discuss the antics the actors got up to in order to entertain the extras, and of course analyze the eternal question of whether Dottie really dropped that ball on purpose.

Welcome to Jurassic Park...the podcast episode. We talk about the allure of big summer blockbusters, all the versions of Jurassic Park that could have been, and the experience of watching this movie as a parent with too much prior dino knowledge.

We're kicking off season 2 and our summer movie series! Today we're talking about the movie that launched Alicia Silverstone into superstardom, Clueless! We discuss this movie's endless pop culture appeal, what Josh's real age might be, and what happened to Brittany Murphy.

Val Kilmer passed away at the beginning of April. We thought it would be fun to look back at his career and particularly the movie that introduced us 90s kids to him - Batman Forever.

In today’s episode, we talk about similar themes and other connections we’ve encountered in season one. Will we also reveal our favorite episode, which picks stood out to us, and some of our funny moments that didn’t make the cut. So let us pull back the curtain as we talk about the good, the bad, and the things that didn’t go quite the way we had expected.

Most of us seem to like movies. Some of us really like movies. But there are some of us that REALLY like movies. Like, a lot. We're talking about those of us who watch films repeatedly for entertainment, for education, for inspiration, for an escape. We all start out as casual viewers, but what film pushed us into obsession? What was the film that made us want to know more, to learn, to study, and to possibly create? These are the movies that stretched the limits of what we thought films could do, left us in awe, and set us down a path of needing to watch more.

It's Women's History Month (again, despite what your Google calendar says), so we discuss two films directed by women - Wayne's World (1992) and Past Lives (2023)

We discuss two Irish, or maybe just Irish-themed, films in honor of St. Patrick's Day - The Quiet Man (1952) and Kill The Irishman (2011).

Lights. Camera. Action. It’s award season and, for us, the Academy Awards is our big dance number. From “who are you wearing?” on the red carpet, to the speeches, to the music playing the winners off stage. The Oscars can help propel a movie into popularity as well as into legendary status. For some of us, it’s fun to see who wins and debate if the Academy got it right. In our episode today, we discuss a couple of best picture winners.

We took a look at two films directed by African American directors in honor of Black History Month.

Last week love was in the air, but this week some of us aren’t so lucky. What helps mend your broken heart? Is it a good workout session? Maybe some loud, angry music? Or perhaps a certain movie that has gotten you through heartbreak before. We are going to be talking about films that have gotten us through our own romantic splits. This is our Break Up episode.

It’s early February and the only thing keeping us warm this time of year is the love that’s in the air. As we get ready for Hallmark’s most notorious holiday, we plan and prep our ways to show each other how much we care and there’s no better way than a date night watching a good old fashion romantic comedy.It doesn’t matter if we’re sharing a tub of popcorn on a date watching this year’s release or cuddling on the couch watching an old favorite.While we are hoping for an early spring to warm the ground, Valentine’s Day is here to warm our hearts.This is our Rom Com episode.

The period of Disney films commonly referred to as Disney Renaissance includes releases from 1989 to 1999. Being children of the mid-80s, the movies they released during these years were the movies we grew up watching. Whatever you think about Disney, they were an inescapable part of the culture - and for us personally an inescapable part of childhood. This is our Disney Renaissance episode.

What comes to mind when you think of a comfort watch? Is it something you watched over and over again; a film where you know every line? Could it be a feel-good movie with a happy ending or perhaps a fantasy adventure In a far off land? Whatever your comfort is, the purpose is the same: escaping the real world for a while with a movie that fills you with the warm and fuzzies. This is our Comfort Watch episode. 

We all have those movies we couldn’t get enough of as a kid. Maybe we were obsessed with a certain character or maybe it was simply a movie our siblings always put on. Sometimes you might not even know why a particular movie caught your interest so hard in your younger years. We delve into the inner workings of our young minds on today’s episode topic - movies we watched repeatedly as kids.