Now We Know

You've heard us talk about The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (if you're a member of the patreon), you've heard us talk about Rabbit Rampage for the Super Nintendo, but that's NOT all, folks! Here at last is our definitive review of the definitive Looney Tunes (or Merrie Melodies for the old heads). Is it any good? Well yes obviously. But is it REALLY good? Listen and see!

Kevin and Chris dive headlong into 1995's smash family hit Casper, which the latter enjoyed reasonably well, and the former seemed ready to claw out his eyes... or those of everyone around him. (Check out the video episode at @nowweknowpod on Youtube for even more fun (we're in the sight gag business now!)

In today's first in-person video episode NWK's own Punchinello, Natasha Vinik, brings us her favorite childhood "movie": Grandpa's Magical Toys (from the Wee Sing video collection). The plot and budget are pretty bare-bones but does it hold up for Wee Natasha? And what of Kevin and Chris?

(PROGRAMMING NOTE: This episode, as will be true of future episodes, is now optimized with full video! You'll still get your audio-only podcasts as usual, but for the full experience, visit Now We Know on YouTube!) With a new live-action remake hitting theaters (stop us if you've heard that one before), we dive into the 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Also, much as Snow White was a seismic shift in the history of the animation medium, so too is this episode for Now We Know: it's our first full video episode, right here on YouTube. Follow us for what figures to be a permanent explosion of video content!

In honor of the recently, shockingly departed Michelle Trachtenberg, returning guest Jessica brings the film adaptation of Harriet the Spy, a childhood obsession which led to her own illegal, unethical actions. Was it because of a lack of clear message that there was anything wrong with them as long as you don't get caught? Peep at Kevin & Chris from behind your own underpowered opera glasses as we unearth the clues!

Bring out your dead! African or European? Elderberries! A shrubbery!? All this and more can be yours as Chris and Kevin dive headlong into one of the most tragically run-into-the-ground comedies of all time: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which turns 50 this year. We are the knights who say ekki-ekki-ekki-pitang-zoo-boing!

SnOOooOOooOOpy / SnOOooOOooOOpy / come home Snoopy come home (come home come home)... Ring any bells? This time Kevin has brought Chris an all-time sad kids' movie to be reassessed. Not as well-known as the holiday fare and no Vince Guaraldi songs but this Peanuts movie has some toe-tapping, melancholy-inducing tunes of its own. Sometimes kids, adults, and even Snoopy himself can need a good cry! 

Imagine this: you buy a house, and it's a ridiculous steal, at just $200k for like a 15-bedroom mansion! The catch: it's really run down, and you'll have to tap your monied friends and professional contacts for loans to fix it up. And so you do, and you hire some contractors who get it all ship-shape, and now you have a million-dollar home. Sounds like a living nightmare, right? So, we are apparently meant to believe, is the case for Tom Hanks and Shelley Long in The Money Pit, foolishly brought forward by Chris as part of his "home sick from school Comedy Central daytime classics" collection.

Finally, they're doing the real one! Kevin and Chris are joined yet again by their pal Miranda, who was once a Titanic-obsessed tween, and in this case the wreckage didn't sink far from the iceberg. Chris considers it the Greatest American Romance, will you too fall in love?

With a new "photo-realistic" prequel to its 2019 "photo-realistic" remake in theaters at time of recording, Kevin and Chris round out the year with The Lion King, the 1994 Disney animated hit starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, and many more. Happy New Year everyone! (Also, if you'd like to hear our thoughts on that aforementioned prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, subscribe at Patreon.com/nowweknow — episode drops 1/1/25!)  

Hi-ho hi-ho (gremlin voice) it's off we go to Kingston Falls, where the titular gremlins can be found. Kevin has seen this one plenty but for Chris it's brand new! Will he find the little fellas adorable or does he agree with Stripe "Gizmo caca"? Listen and see!

Ho, ha, ho! To kick off the holiday season, we look back at a pair of those inimitable Rankin/Bass Christmas specials, rendered in beautiful stop-motion "animagic!" The specials in question: The Year Without a Santa Claus (of Heat Miser and Snow Miser fame), and The Life And Adventures of Santa Claus, frequently mentioned on these airwaves as "the weirdly pagan one," but maybe even weirder still.

Kevin and Chris are joined by Joe Wolohan (Kevin's cousin, for the unitiated) for a dive—a submerging, if you into—into The Hunt For Red October, the "thinking man's thriller" that bravely answers the question: who has more screen presence? Alec Baldwin or Sean Connery?

With the haunted confines of October in the rear view mirror, but the warm, glowing dinners of Thanksgiving still weeks away, we decided to split the difference with a children's animated classic that's equal parts warm and bleak, jokey and disconcerting—All Dogs Go To Heaven, the 1989 Don Bluth feature starring Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, and Judith Barsi (rest in peace, gone too soon).

Roger roger it's Trollfighter 1 knowwhatImeanvern*???   *Vern does not appear in this film

This time, Chris offers up a twofer of animated Halloween specials, the latter a towering classic of the genre, the former an oft-forgotten footnote to its Christmas counterpart: Halloween is Grinch Night, and It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Suffice to say the broad approach to the Halloween cartoon doesn't get much further apart than these two, but who cares when the weather's so cozy*? *It's actually miserably hot at Now We Know studios at time of recording, so we will enjoy our hot spiced cider vicariously through you tonight.

It's Beetlejuice cartoon time, 'know what I mean babe? Huh huh huh I'm the ghost with the most [repeat sequence until funny]

This time Chris takes the wheel for Commercials of the 80's and 90's Lucky Number Volume 7! Dive in with us as we sift through wine ads that stigmatize male pattern baldness, pre-internet "party lines," and the cosmic horror of the Wendy's buffet bar.

With a legacy sequel on streaming now, Kevin and Chris look back at the 1980's comedy/action classic—emphasis on the comedy and de-emphasis on the action—Beverly Hills Cop. Starring Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, and the pitching coach from Little Big League, among others. Join us for a deep dive into all the pranks, tricks, endless Axel F needle drops, and the effortless charisma of young Eddie.

Kevin and Chris are joined by first-time guest (and alleged former caller to the Now We Know hotline) Andrea Bloom, here to dish on all things Captain Planet. Join the Planeteers in their pitched battle for the survival of earth against Hoggish Greedly, Verminous Skumm, the sultry Dr. Blight, and more!

Kevin and Chris are joined by friend of the show Rachel Fisher (Hollywood Crime Scene) to revisit, in honor of the passing of the late, great Shelley Duvall, her classic 80's children's passion project: Faerie Tale Theatre. Specifically, the merry trio look back at Hansel and Gretel, starring Paul Dooley, Joan Collins, and young Ricky Schroder and Bridgette Andersen as the titular children.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Want to choose what we cover for our next Patreon episode? Check out our listener poll on Twitter or Instagram, @nowweknowpod. Although Chris is technically the host of this episode, both he and Kevin are about as diehard fans of this flick as one can be — it's Disney's Robin Hood, released in 1973 to muted/mostly negative reaction, now an oft-cited source of sexual awakening for fans of roguelike foxes. With excellent voice acting, charming set pieces, fantastic tunes, and yes, some admittedly corner-cutting animation, could this be the definitive Robin Hood adaptation?  

From the annals of long-forgotten animation, Kevin presents, for your consideration: Bionic Six, a  1987 cartoon starring a family of cyborg heros taking on the nefarious Dr. Scarab. Directed by Osaka Dezaki—the man behind such animes as Space Adventure Cobra, Takarajima (Treasure Island), and the Golgo 13 movies—this show looms large in Kevin's memories, despite being largely forgotten.

Evan Tognotti joins the show to dig into 2002's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, an infamous big budget flop (or "disappointment," if you prefer Chris' classification) which had huge ramifications not just for the superhero genre and Hollywood icon Sean Connery's career, but for the Tognotti family's own personal fortunes.

Here he comes to save the day! Kevin, that is, bringing with him six entries (three episodes' worth combined) of Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, the 1987 Mighty Mouse reboot (not to be confused with 1980's The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle). Listen as Kevin gingerly guides Chris through a slate of first season episodes, produced by Bakshi studios under the eye of (now exposed and reviled) Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi, whose off-kilter influence is abundantly evident.

Nowadays, America's Culkinheads are all Kieran this, Kieran that. But back in 1994, we were still living in the Macaulay Epoch—though not for much longer, with that year's film adaptation of Richie Rich serving as the final childhood role for the darling young movie star. Nowadays you've probably only heard of this for the scene where Richie has a private McDonalds in his mansion, but fear not, as we're here to go long and deep on this "what if a kid had money" genre picture.

Once agIan, we're called to the mat by that most predictable and ignoble of occasions—the modern remake. The new 2024 version of this movie dropped back in April, so Kevin decided the time was ripe to revisit the 1991 original: Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead.

They're finally gettin' married! Following the conclusion of the Aladdin animated series—which itself was kicked off by an earlier straight-to-video sequel—Disney rolled out a final VHS installment headlined by the return of Robin Williams as the Genie. Also featuring Jonathan Rhys-Davies and Jerry Orbach, this movie bravely asks: am I really better than The Return of Jafar?

Throwing back to the classic (if slightly underheralded) animation of our youths, Kevin brings forth Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, yet another Hasbro-backed vehicle reverse-engineered to sell toys. And, like the far more popular G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, this show was made by Sunbow Productions. Has lightning struck twice?

The gauntlet has been laid down: Patreon.com/nowweknow

On the occasion of the sad, premature passing of famed and influential manga author Akira Toriyama, Chris and Kevin look back at a trio of Dragon Ball Z movies that aired on American television in the late 90's—Dead Zone, The World's Strongest, and The Tree of Might.

With a reboot on the horizon, Kevin and Chris look back at 1992's X-Men cartoon series, a childhood staple clearly loved and well-remembered by many. Please, join us for a little mutant madness, and see how this once and future hit holds up in our brave new world.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Fleischer Studios' Superman animated shorts of the 1940's! Well, more accurately, we'll be talking about two of the classic Superman cartoons produced under the watchful eye of Max and Dave Fleischer, and one of the late-run entries produced by Famous Studios, Paramount's Fleischer successor studio. Join us for a look back at a trio of The Last Son of Krypton's adventures—The Mad Scientist, The Magnetic Telescope, and Jungle Drums.

Who you gonna call? Fortunately, not the police, but rather The Real Ghostbusters! That's right, with the unfathomably bizarre decision to release another self-serious Ghostbusters movie in theaters soon (wasn't what you loved about the original how maudlin it was?), Kevin revisits the classic 80's DIC cartoon series.

Step aside, Dumbo. Shove off, Horton. Get outta here, elephant... from... Operation Dumbo Drop... it's little Babar's time to shine! This episode we look back at Babar The Movie, a 1989 barely feature length flick which did screen in some theaters, raking in about $1.3 million at the box office, entertaining among others a three-year-old Chris Tognotti in his very first theatrical experience.

It's that time again, friends! For his first episode of 2024, Kevin revisits a noble Now We Know tradition, taking us on a trip through Christmas cheer, grim reflections on secondhand smoke, and even a visit to the sacred Halls of Medicine—it's Commercials of the 80's and 90's Vol. 6!

Happy New Year to all our friends, lovers, and of course, listeners! To ring in a new year, Chris finally uncorks an episode he's had in his back pocket since, well, roundabouts Christmas of 1997 — Titanic: A New Musical (now called Titanic: The Musical, as it is no longer in any way new). Debuting on Broadway the very same year as James Cameron's epic movie, although actually releasing several months earlier, it took a ton of rehearsals, a lot of money, some complicated hydraulics, and a public assist from Rosie O'Donnell to keep this show from sinking.  (Note: A new production of the show is now available to stream on BroadwayHD, which is how we watched it. And if you'd like to imagine we're right there watching it with you, your prayers are answered — you can nab a watchalong track at Patreon.com/NowWeKnow. Thanks for your support, and here's to another year!)

Babes! Toys! Lands! Not really the first things you'd think of if you actually watched this made-for-TV movie, but here it is just the same. Noteworthy for performances by young Drew Barrymore, young Keanu Reeves, regular-aged Pat Morita, and for muddling Kevin's memories of 80s Christmastime with the things he watched yet again. Thrill to hear that one guy from Empty Nest say "Cinciwhatski" 100 times!

Baaaa bah bah BAH! Ba ba ba baaaah baaaah bah bah bah. BAAAAAH bah bah BAH! Ba ba ba baaaah baaaah bah bah bah. BAAAAAAAAAAH bah bah BAH! Ba ba ba baaaah baaaah bah bah bah! BAAAAAAAAAAH bah bah BAH! Ba ba ba BA buh buh buh BA BA buh buh buh BA BA buh buh buh BA BAH!

Happy soon-to-be Thanksgiving, everyone! In celebration of the traditional themes, tropes, and gastronomies of the season, Chris and Kevin dive into a trio of classic TV episodes tackling the Thanksgiving spirit: Happy Days' "The First Thanksgiving," Small Wonder's "Thanksgiving Story," and Amazing Stories' "Thanksgiving." Enjoy, everyone! Also — we're thankful for you and we know you're thankful for us. To see all the bonus content we have on offer, including episodes on contemporary releases, and watch-along tracks so you can enjoy the stuff we watch with us, check out Patreon.com/nowweknow! Thanks, all!

With spooky season 2023 in the rear view mirror, Kevin and Chris turn their weary eyes to We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, the ignoble, ill-fated Spielberg produced—though not directed—dino toon flick. Starring John Goodman, Walter Kronkite, Julie Kavner, and Jay Leno among others, this movie lays bare the fact that, while a Picasso scribble on a cocktail napkin may be worth millions, a tossed off Spielberg idea without the man himself at the helm is not.

Wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooooooooooo dun de da dun de dah (this is supposed to be the X-files theme) Fan favorite Miranda returns to the pod to dish on the classic 1990's sci-fi paranoia series! We look back at a pair of episodes: "Squeeze," and "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose."

The month of October is upon us, and so too are all the attendant ghosts, goblins, ambulatory skeletons—you know the drill. But here at Now We Know studios, a different sort of ghoul shambles out to center stage: Torgo, along with the Master, Michael, Margaret, little Debbie, and Manos (not pictured in this film). That's right, it's "Manos" The Hands of Fate, the basement-budget reviled cult horror flick made famous by those jokers at Mystery Science Theater 3000. We aren't here for laughs, however—we're here to tell you, when you strip away the wisecracking robots, and watch as writer/director/star Hal Warren intended, just how bad is Manos really?

Like a brilliant smoggy sunset against the skyline of 1990's Los Angeles, your loyal hosts are joined by returning guest Dr. Ian Werkheiser (PhD) to awe and delight you. This time we look back at L.A. Story, starring Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, Richard E. Grant, and a cast of thousands! And don't worry—no showbiz phonies allowed.

Who's ready for a little outback adventure? Kevin and Chris revisit The Rescuers Down Under, the oft-forgotten Disney movie which sits snugly between The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, in the early days of Disney's animation renaissance. With Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor returning as those selfsame Rescuer mice Bernard and Bianca one last time (barring a new Bernard-only sequel—RIP Eva, but happy 94th Bob!), you hardly ever hear about this one, possibly because unlike its contemporaries, it's not a musical. Is its relative obscurity deserved? Or is this an under-heralded gem?

Kevin and Chris traipse back to the mid-90's, of PBS "Mystery!" vintage, to revisit one of Kevin's favorite childhood detective characters—Poirot, Agatha Christie's indefatigable, razor-sharp Belgian dandy investigator, complete with his trademark immovable mustache. Kevin presents two episodes of the classic series, featuring David Suchet as the titular detective.

Kevin and Chris are joined by treasured returning guest Miranda to discuss FernGully: The Last Rainforest, a film which Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg attempted to pressure Robin Williams out of doing, on the grounds that his turn as the genie in Aladdin (which came out after this movie) would be crowded if he also portrayed the inimitable Batty Koda. Williams refused, however, joining Samantha Mathis, Tim Curry, Jonathan Ward, Grace Zabriskie, Tone Loc, and those daring young troubadours Cheech and Chong to lead an all-star cast. But of course, the vital question: was it any good?

In honor of the upcoming release of Perpetual Teenager Seth Rogen's take on Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and the rest, Kevin brings Chris the former #1 turtle movie to reassess. Is it totally tubular or a major bummer? And which of our heroes has more Cowabunga Attitude? Peel the shell open and see!

Crash, boom, bang, it's time again! For summer fun, holed up in your shabbily carpeted living room, peering into the searing, unrelenting glare of a CRT television! For ten minutes apiece, Kevin straps in to experience eight classic [citation needed] games from Chris' youth: The Little Mermaid, Ducktales, Prince of Persia, the ignoble Mario is Missing, and more.

With the hitherto disastrous release of THE FLASH (2023) still ongoing, and the Batman '89 topical content well already run dry here at Now We Know, Kevin looks back at the feature-length TV pilot for the 1990 The Flash series, starring John Wesley Shipp as the titular speedster. So how will it stack up, not against not just its contemporary edition, but also the early-90's Captain America? All your answers lie within.

Now We Know's salute to Academy Award-winner Brendan Fraser (The Whale, 2022) continues with The Scout, the 1994 baseball comedy (alongside iconic funny man Albert Brooks) that lit up Comedy Central's daytime programming slots, but decidedly did not light up the box office or the heart or minds of film critics. Was the jaded public reception appropriate? Or is this a misunderstood gem? Only one way to find out—you know the drill.