You know that feeling when you're sitting in the cinema, the movie is awful, and you're appalled? You look over to your friends for comfort and laughs, but alas, they love it! You are alone and scorned. What can you do? Why are you broken? Is there no hope? Join Melinda and Conrad as they discuss beloved movies we hate, and what it means for our immortal souls.
S3E2-Waves: Waterbed History / The Water Babies (1978)
This month we each picked a topic based on the theme of *Water*. Melinda takes us through the sexy (?) history of waterbeds, and Conrad takes us back to the late 70s acid trip children's movie: The Water Babies. Bring your arm floaties!
References
Evans, J. R. (2019, October 21). Whatever happened to water beds? Their mysterious disappearance—and surprising return. Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®. https://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/whatever-happened-to-waterbeds/
Garmon, J. (2006, August 1). Geek Trivia: Strange (water)bedfellows. TechRepublic. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20200803182109/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/geek-trivia-strange-waterbedfellows/
Green, P. (2018, December 6). The squishiest, sweetest sleep. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/style/water-bed-founder.html
History of waterbeds - Where did waterbeds come from. (n.d.). https://www.boydwaterbeds.com/waterbed-history
Kibbe, K. (2020, October 13). How the Waterbed Became a Sex Thing. InsideHook. https://www.insidehook.com/design/how-waterbed-became-sex-thing
Kimnewman. (2016, September 14). Film notes – The Water Babies (1978). The Kim Newman Web Site. https://johnnyalucard.com/2016/09/14/film-notes-the-water-babies-1978/
Lionel Jeffries’ “The Water Babies” (1978) on Records |. (n.d.). https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/lionel-jeffries-the-water-babies-1978-on-records/
Mitchell, N. (2018, February 11). The weird true story of the rise and fall of the waterbed. Apartment Therapy. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/waterbed-history-rise-fall-255635
Pagano, A. (2021, January 16). Waterbeds used to be a $2 billion industry, but memory-foam mattresses helped cause their downfall. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/waterbed-inventor-60s-summer-of-love-comeback-2019-3
Starkey, A. (2024, February 19). The Cover Uncovered: The apocalyptic image of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Houses of the Holy’ Far Out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-cover-uncovered-the-apocalyptic-image-of-led-zeppelins-houses-of-the-holy/
Stuever, H. (2024, January 11). A ghostly retreat. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/09/21/a-ghostly-retreat/5c0a173a-7b80-4385-aeab-834e39eda1e1/
Geological Katabasis: Geology and the Christian Underworld in Kingsley's The Water-Babies, Rachel Fountain Eames, Victoriographies, 2017-11, Vol.7 (3), p.195-209
Tom's Afterlife as Geological Agent: Under the Surface of English Watercourses in Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies, Darin Graber, Victorian Studies (Vol. 64, Issue 4)
Reverent Induction: Epistemology and the Romantic Education of the Child Reader in Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies (1863), Clarke, Laura H. Cahiers Victoriens & Édouardiens (Online); Montpellier Iss. 92, (Autumn 2020)
VALENTINE CUNNINGHAM, Soiled Fairy: The Water-Babies in its Time, Essays in Criticism, Volume XXXV, Issue 2, April 1985, Pages 121–148
S2E12-Choice Cuts: Movie Moments that Made Us
Melinda and Conrad are joined by Michael to discuss some of their favorite moments in film and why they still resonate with us all today.
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S2E10-Hughes Meets Candy - Favourite Late-80s John Hughes Films
No, we're not talking about the Breakfast Club. Conrad and Melinda screen each other's favorite John Hughes movie, both of which starred John Candy! Will Conrad relate to Uncle Buck? Will Melinda get misty at Planes, Trains and Automobiles? What will we learn about this era of the Hughes oeuvre? Tune in to find out.
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References
Botes, Z. (2023). 15 Trivia Tidbits About ‘Uncle Buck.’ Cracked.com. https://www.cracked.com/article_37886_15-trivia-tidbits-about-uncle-buck.html
Guerrasio, J. (2020, November 17). John Candy was reportedly paid only $414 for his cameo in “Home Alone,” and the film’s director said he always felt bitter about it. Insider. https://www.insider.com/home-alone-john-candy-angry-cameo-2020-11
Hutchinson, S. (2023, March 13). 15 Fun Facts about “Uncle Buck.” Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/59491/15-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-uncle-buck
Konow, D. (2022). The Untold Truth Of John Candy. Looper. https://www.looper.com/981094/the-untold-truth-of-john-candy/
Leppert, A. (2021). 10 Fatherhood and the failures of paternal Authority in the films of John Hughes. In Edinburgh University Press eBooks (pp. 179–196). https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474449045-017
Ringwald, M. (2018, April 6). Molly Ringwald revisits “The Breakfast Club” in the age of #MeToo. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink
Timmel, N. (2021, September 7). Did John Hughes teach us nothing? - NathanTimmel.com. NathanTimmel.com. https://nathantimmel.com/2011/did-john-hughes-teach-us-nothing/#:~:text=One%20constant%20in%20many%20John,Bueller's%20cheerful%20yet%20dim%20parents.
Ultimate Movie Rankings. (2022, November 24). John Candy Movies | Ultimate Movie Rankings. Ultimate Movie Rankings | Ranking Movies Since 2011. https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/john-candy-movies/
S2E8 - 80s Movie Visions of AI - Melinda Reacts
Conrad gets Melinda to watch THREE 80s movies she's never seen before to get her reaction to the 80s vision of our artificial intelligence future. Will she guess their plots correctly? Will she like any of them? Can Conrad predict her reactions?
Movies watched: 2010: The Year We Make Contact, D.A.R.Y.L., and Electric Dreams
S2E5: Classic Stallone Films- A Brit Reacts
When Melinda discovered Conrad hadn’t seen any of Sylvester Stallone’s classic filmography, she had to take action. What will Conrad think of Rocky, Rambo, and Over The Top? Find out in our latest show!
59 - The Abyss (1989), with Movie Oubliette
Melinda and Aaron take a journey back to 1989 and take a deep dive into the Abyss (pun very much intended) with special guests Conrad and Dan from Movie Oubliette. They may or may not be saved by benevolent aliens, but they’re guaranteed to spend longer underwater than they intended.
If Georgia O’Keeffe were a set designer….
56 - Howard the Duck
We travel from the comic books of the 70s to George Lucas and Willard Huyck’s vision to Marvel’s current cinematic universe to discover Howard the Duck - trapped in a world he never made.
Be sure to check out R.S. Martin’s amazing blog about the compelling history of Howard: All Quacked Up: Steve Gerber, Marvel Comics, and Howard the Duck.
55 - Garbage Pail Kids
Melinda and Aaron go dumpster diving into the Garbage Pail Kids phenomenon, and even suffered through watching both the movie and the cartoon series! Watch our podcast recording (complete with visual aids) or listen at the link below.
References
http://geepeekay.com/ - Garbage Pail Kids Reference site
30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story. Directed by Jeff Zapata and Joe Simko, 2017.
Owen, Luke. “The True Story behind The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Flickering Myth, 21 July 2019, www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/08/the-true-story-behind-the-garbage-pail-kids-movie/
Boone, Brian. “The Untold Truth of the Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Looper, 06 July 2020, https://www.looper.com/223675/the-untold-truth-of-the-garbage-pail-kids-movie/
Olson, Jon. “An Interview with Rod Amateau, director of The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Normal People Like You, https://web.archive.org/web/20170402183759/http://www.normalpeoplelikeyou.com/article_assets/garbagepailkidsinterview.htm
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie Magazine, Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/TheGarbagePailKidsMovieMagazine
53 - The Craft (1996)
Melinda makes Aaron watch the 1996 movie The Craft, and delves into the good and bad points of the movie… was Nancy really a “bad witch,” or was she the secret hero of the film?
References:
We regret to inform you that Fairuza Balk is not, and never was, a practicing witch (AV Club)
An Interview With Pat Devin, Consultant for "The Craft" (Wychwood Site, Library tab)
Boring Sarah Is the True Villain of 'The Craft' (Vice)
LOVING AND CRUEL, ALL AT THE SAME TIME’: GIRLHOOD IDENTITY IN THE CRAFT (Girlhood Studies Journal)
51 - Xanadu (1980)
Join Melinda and Aaron as they descend into the somewhat cringey fever dream that is 1980’s Xanadu. Where roller skating, disco, and big Hollywood musicals crash head-on into Greek mythology and romance, you’ll find… Xanadu.
50 - The 'Burbs (1989)
We delve into the seedy underbelly of American suburbia, look at our neighbors’ house and ask, “What’s he building in there?” And we talk about the cult classic 80s film starring Tom Hanks.
References
The 'Burbs at 30: how the cult comedy horror skewered suburbia
The 'Burbs (Roger Ebert Review, 1989)
We’re Still the Lunatics: A Special Edition of The ‘Burbs
`THE `BURBS` AN INVENTIVE AND INSIGHTFUL COMEDY
THE ‘BURBS & The Difficulty Of The Anti-Paranoia Film - A must-read!
How “The ‘Burbs” Predicted the Death of the Suburban Fantasy
Movie Retro Review: A Feminist Looks Back at “The Mirror Has Two Faces” (1996)
That Time Carrie Fisher Helped Corey Feldman With His Drug Problem When They Were Filming Together
49 - 50/50: Covers and Space
Melinda and Aaron have fought through the COVID-19 malaise and are each back with a surprise topic. Melinda delves into what makes a great cover song, with a handful of interesting examples, while Aaron recalls our hopeful visions of space travel from the 80s.
Covers
Space Travel
48 - Dot and the Kangaroo (1977 film)
The Bunyip
In another fun foray into Australian pop culture, Melinda gets Aaron to watch one of her all-time favorites, Dot and the Kangaroo. Is it really as sad as she remembers? Does the Bunyip actually exist and is it coming for us? Will there be a special mention of Dead Can Dance? Listen and find out.
References:
Wikipedia
Dot and the Kangaroo rewatched – tear-jerking Australian animation trailblazer
Pedley, Ethel Charlotte (1859–1898) - from Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, (MUP), 1988
45 - TerrorVision
We’re still in 1986, this time with TerrorVision directed by Ted Nicolaou. This B-movie is filled with slimy space monsters, swinger parents, and machine guns. Melinda and Aaron ask the question, is there more to this 80s cult classic, or is everything exactly as it seems?
References
TerrorVision (1986, Ted Nicolaou) - http://cinemachine.blogspot.com/2013/02/terrorvision-1986-ted-nicolaou.html
Ted Nicolaou on the Austin diaspora, Romanian vampires and TV terror visions - https://videofugue.com/2017/09/01/ted-nicolaou-on-the-austin-diaspora-romanian-vampires-and-tv-terror-visions/
TerrorVision Interview ft. Ted Nicolaou - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bASTvWrxpYs
Within the Context of No Context https://rolux.org/tmp/no_context.pdf
The Fibonnacis - Purple Haze - https://youtu.be/cFL1LGMUqu0
Monster / Otyugh - https://www.bogleech.com/dnd/otyugh.html
44 - Crocodile Dundee
Melinda and Aaron revisit 1986, but a very different film this time! They discuss Crocodile Dundee - the good, bad, ugly, and possibly true story.
Put on your teeth hat and grab your knife, we’re going back to the Bush.
43 - Cobra
Melinda and Aaron delve into the world of crazed cults, serial killers, and arguably the most underrated Cannon film ever made- Cobra, starring Sylvester Stallone from 1986.
Also - Brian Thompson is in it!
38 - Office Space
We’re finally back with Season 3! What better way to kick it off than by asking you to come in on Saturday and talk about the uncomfortably accurate and hilarious cult classic, Office Space by Mike Judge.
37 - Heathers
Melinda and Aaron delve deep into Melinda’s favorite teen movie, Heathers (1988) and describe why it’s not a “chick flick.”
33 - Trick or Treat, 1986 Film
Yes, that’s Skippy from Family Ties. And yes, he rocks.
This week we are joined by Thrash It Out podcast host, Brian LeTendre, to discuss the 1986 film, Trick or Treat. If you were a metalhead in the 80s then this movie will more than likely bring back great memories for you, as it does for Melinda and Brian! We give our thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the movie and learn some details about the production and the killer soundtrack by Fastway.