Podcasts about hdyr

After eight years, it's time for Chris, Donna, and Carlos to say farewell. So on this episode, they're taking off the rose-tinted glasses for their own show and reminiscing about all of the ups and downs HDYR has experienced over the course of its run. They each highlight different episodes that stand out to them, share behind the scenes stories, and talk about how their own lives were changing as the show evolved. This chapter may be coming to an end, but if you'd like to stay connected with us or keep up to date on our future projects, here's where to find us: 27th Letter Productions: YouTube / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter Follow Chris: Instagram and Twitter Follow Carlos: Twitter Chris's podcast Rogues Gallery and his web series The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler   Theme Song: Missing You by Trash80 / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0   Closing Song: Hey, Do You Remember...? by Frankie + Rufus

The next episode of HDYR is going to be our last (for now), so we thought it would be fitting to take a look back at some of our favorite series finales and discuss what made them so satisfying. Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

After complaints that Batman Returns had been too traumatizing for younger viewers, Warner Bros. set a clear mandate for the next film in their flagship franchise: lighter, brighter, and more fun. Desperate to move away from the gloomier aesthetic of Tim Burton’s first two entries, the studio turned to Joel Schumacher - a director whose pop sensibilities were more in line with pushing happy meals and action figures. Batman Forever was an absolutely massive hit at the box office in the summer of 1995, but it remains a divisive installment amongst fans. Join us as unpack its complicated legacy and also clear up some misconceptions about its development and production. Topics include: whether or not there was ever actually any version of “Tim Burton’s Batman 3", how late into pre-production Michael Keaton dropped out and what that meant for the film, the much different story Schumacher initially pitched, some insane stories of the tension behind the scenes, the mishandling of Harvey Dent/Two-Face, the challenge of bringing Robin into live-action, alternate casting choices, how we felt about this new approach to the series as kids, where it ranks for us now, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

An important announcement from the HDYR gang.

Carpe Diem, friends! The three of us all remembered the iconic lines and moments peppered throughout Dead Poets Society, but not much else. It turns out there's a pretty good explanation for that. Peter Weir's film is a stacked deck in terms of its cast (especially the Oscar-nominated performance of Robin Williams), but does it actually engage with any of the ideas it espouses in its numerous sentimental platitudes? And does that ultimately even matter if there are so many other aspects of this that work?   Topics include: the truly bizarre notes the studio had on how to improve the script, the type of career Robert Sean Leonard seemed destined for in the late 80s, the importance of establishing a clear audience identification character in a story like this, the response to Williams' performance at the time, actors who find out they've been cut from a film at the very last minute, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

We're having the time of our lives with one of the most requested titles in the history of this podcast. Yes, we swear - it's the truth! And we owe it all to you. Topics include: how the director wound up using the real life tension between stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey to the film's advantage, the adverse conditions the production faced and where that's reflected in the movie, how many elements of this the screenwriter pulled from her own life, some mixed feelings about the inclusion of 80s pop music in an otherwise period appropriate, the maligned prequel, how shocked we were to discover just how much further this franchise has expanded beyond that, and more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

It’s a holiday classic that’s become quintessential viewing every holiday season, but at the time Warner Bros. wasn’t even sure they wanted another Vacation movie. After the lukewarm response to European Vacation, the studio spent several years dragging their feet on the prospect of a second sequel. After they realized that 1989 had a surprising lack of holiday-themed movies from their competitors, they finally came around on the idea of getting the Griswold clan back together for Christmas Vacation. And what a lucrative decision that turned out to be! Not only did the film easily outgross its predecessor, it’s also now firmly entrenched in the pantheon of must-watch Christmas movies. Topics include: the friction with Chevy Chase that caused the original director to quit right before filming began, how we reckon with hearing stories like that about actors or celebrities we were fans of, the bittersweet quality certain aspects of this took on watching it under our current circumstances, a couple of otherwise great scenes that feel like they happen in the wrong order, the original ending to the first film that was repurposed for this entry and whether or not it works better here, where this lands in our ranking of the Vacation movies, and more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

It's time to dig into this year's cinematic turkey and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more deserving title than Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. It wasn't just a commercial disappointment upon its initial release, it's also still widely regarded as one of the worst films ever made. So what exactly went wrong here? The film was certainly never going to be amazing, but it had all the ingredients to at least be fun and enjoyable. It has all the posturing of a broad studio comedy and plenty of solid set ups for jokes, but it's as if somewhere along the way they just forgot to include punchlines. Topics include: why Sylvester Stallone might be the film's harshest critic, the insane story of how Arnold Schwarzenneger tricked him into taking this role, why Estelle Getty was really the only one effected by the movie's poor reception, the irony that one of the writers went on to pen a very popular book on screenwriting, whether or not this is actually one of the worst movies ever made (is it even Stallone's worst movie?), and more! As mentioned on the show, the first episode of Chris and Kristen's web series The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler is out now! Watch it here: https://www.27thLetterProductions.com/lucychandler   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

It should have been the next E.T. Instead, Explorers is a film that many of you have probably never even heard of. How is it that a sci-fi/adventure movie from the director of Gremlins and featuring the big screen debuts of Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix hasn't garnered more notoriety?   The answer unfortunately arrives once the film enters its final act. Explorers was taken away from Dante during post-production and as a result, nearly an hour's worth of material wasn't just excised... it was never even finished. You'll spend the first 2/3 wondering why this isn't a bonafide classic and the final 1/3 bemoaning all of that wasted potential. The studio's mismanagement of Explorers is heartbreaking, but despite all of the missed opportunities, this was a beloved staple of Chris's childhood and he thinks there's still enough about it that works to recommend more people check it out. Topics include: why it was actually the studio's faith in the film that caused all of its problems, the subplot we're most upset they were forced to ditch, how all of the loose threads were tied up in the original ending, Jerry Goldsmith's incredible score, recent plans for some type of remake, and more! As mentioned on the show, the first episode of Chris and Kristen's web series The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler is out now! Watch it here: https://www.27thLetterProductions.com/lucychandler   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Happy Halloween, friends! This year we're headed to the coastal town of Southport for a look back at I Know What You Did Last Summer. Loosely based on Lois Duncan's novel of the same name, it was the second smash hit for Scream creator Kevin Williamson. The impressive box office numbers were offset by less-than-favorable reviews, especially in comparison to Williamson's more sophisticated debut. And although IKWYDLS was just the first of many teen-centric horror films that tried to capitalize on Scream's success in the late 90s, this one might have more going for it than you remember. Topics include: Duncan's reaction to her young adult thriller being transformed into a slasher film, a young cast that was right on the cusp of super-stardom, whether or not The Fisherman is a credible slasher icon, why this has more in common with a high-concept thriller than it does a Friday the 13th movie, the lackluster sequels, the upcoming TV series, and much more! As mentioned on the show, the first episode of Chris and Kristen's web series The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler is out now! Watch it here: https://www.27thLetterProductions.com/lucychandler   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show Darkest Child by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3615-darkest-child License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Breakfast Club and Weird Science were both released in 1985 and it's sort of apparent which one writer/director John Hughes was more invested in. Although he was well known for having an insanely fast turnaround time on his screenplays, it sounds like he would have been the first to admit that this one could have used a little bit more work. The accelerated production schedule was part of an overall deal he made with Universal and the experience definitely took a toll on him. It may also have contributed to the falling out he had with Anthony Michael Hall during filming, which meant this was their final collaboration.   And in the end, Hughes didn't even get final cut on the film. So even though it's still revered by those who grew up with it, it's hard not to notice how different it is from the other teen-centric comedies he made around this time. Topics include: why Kelly LeBrock originally turned down the role of Lisa and how they spent several weeks shooting with a different actress in that role, the unusual reason the bar scene was added to the film, some mixed feelings about Lisa's powers, how this almost feels like two different premises awkwardly stitched together, the TV series that ran for several seasons, a remake that never came to fruition, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

The marketing for A Knight's Tale sold the film as a raucous, rock 'n roll jousting movie. Although its anachronistic soundtrack features some pretty catchy needle drops, all of us walked away from this one feeling like we didn't really get the movie we were promised. It sort of bails on that main conceit halfway through, but the good news is that there's still a lot about this that works as a more straightforward period piece. Topics include: the director's explanation for utilizing a more modern soundtrack and how he responded to criticisms of that decision, the incredible "before they were famous" cast and the teen idol phase of Heath Ledger's career, the surprisingly long running time and some indications that some of this may have been dramatically shuffled around in editing, a couple of deleted scenes we really wish they had made room for, and much more!   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

This one's probably a deep cut for some of our listeners, but there are probably just as many of you out there who remember when this was in constant rotation on The Disney Channel. The Boy Who Could Fly has some surprisingly heavy subject matter considering its target demographic, but even more surprising is how effectively the film manages to hold all of that together. Thanks to some incredibly deft direction, what could have easily spun out into melodrama instead feels genuine and pretty darn heartwarming. Topics include: the PSA that used to run before the movie and why that maybe wasn't the worst idea in the world, unintended consequences of action figure funerals, how seeing more of the kids at school could have streamlined and clarified certain plot points, what other powers Eric might secretly be harboring, and much more!   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Since we had to scrap the episode that we'd originally planned to release due to technical difficulties, we thought this was a fitting subject to explore. Hollywood history is loaded with so many interesting stories of roads not taken. There have been so many films that were announced, developed, and sometimes even started shooting that just never made it across the finish line for one reason or another. On this episode, we're highlighting some of the most tantalizing examples of this. And as mentioned, here’s the link to Innsmouth: Beneath the Surface by Megan K.S. Roberts. Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

The show will be back next week, but in the meantime we wanted to release something to help hold you over. This is one of our Off The Clock bonus episodes from Patreon where we each took turns suggesting movies that pair well with one another. And if you're already a patron, we've got something new for you as well. The latest episode of Off The Clock just went up last night so check your feeds! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Twins wasn't technically Arnold Schwarzenegger's first foray into comedy, but it was the first time he was deliberately playing against type after establishing himself as an icon in the action genre. He also knew this was all a little outside his wheelhouse, so he really stacked the deck when it came to the director, his co-stars, and an unlikely mentor that helped him hone his comedic chops. Topics include: an investigation into this film's unusual connection to Suburban Commando, how Twins wound up netting Arnold a bigger payday than any of his previous movies, some surprising evidence that Cormac McCarthy may have been a huge fan of this film, whether or not this much backstory was required to justify the pretty straightforward premise, the long in development sequel, and more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Home Alone's meteoric success in the winter of 1990 took John Hughes by surprise. It also (for better or worse) set the latter half of his career down a slightly different path. So in some ways, 1989's Uncle Buck represents the end of an era. On this episode, we examine how Hughes and his frequent collaborator John Candy straddle the line between the writer/director's golden age of output and the type of comedy that would define the next decade of his career. Topics include: Hughes' original (and somewhat surprising) choice for the title role, the studio's even more unusual pick, how an abandoned high school was transformed into a mini-movie studio, why Candy's performance doesn't totally match what's on the page and how that's ultimately a good thing, the ways in which a more formulaic structure might have actually helped this story, why there was never an Uncle Buck 2 despite Hughes' interest, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

When we revisited Judge Dredd for the podcast, we couldn't help but notice how much of it seemed like a less successful version of Demolition Man. Since then, we've been anxious to rewatch this one to see how accurate that assessment was. "Prescient" is not a word you'd expect to use when describing one of Stallone's overblown early 90s blockbusters, but it turns out Demolition Man is full of surprises.  Topics include: the film's origins as a fairly straightforward sci-fi movie and how it evolved into a more satirical (and action-heavy) look at the future, a key subplot that was removed from the final cut, the unintended confusion caused by its absence, why the final act doesn't quite live up to the promise of the first 2/3, some unusual alternate casting choices, Stallone's intentions to develop a sequel, and more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

M. Night Shymalan has become a somewhat controversial figure and he's certainly had his share of ups and downs as a filmmaker, but way back in 1999, no one was walking into The Sixth Sense with any preconceived notions or expectations. In fact, it was probably the last time that would be the case for any of his movies. The twist ending played like gangbusters and the resulting word of mouth transformed this modestly-budgeted thriller into the second highest grossing film of the year. Of course, this one has a lot more going for it than its big reversal, but somewhere along the way we reduced its pop culture cache to that final scene and the line "I see dead people". So let's go back and figure out how The Sixth Sense pulled off its magic trick, why repeat viewings are just as rewarding, and what makes Shymalan such a polarizing filmmaker. Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

It's taken almost 25 years to get a Space Jam sequel off the ground and if you're wondering why Warner Bros. just wouldn't let it go, consider this - when you factor in all of the merchandising and licensing deals, this movie has generated around SIX BILLION DOLLARS worth of revenue! If you were a kid in the fall of 1996, this was probably the biggest thing happening in your world. Doubly so if, like us, you grew up in the Chicagoland area and were already invested in the Bulls and Michael Jordan. Although the idea of combining one larger than life brand (Jordan) with another (the Looney Tunes) goes back to the popular Hare Jordan Superbowl commercial, there was actually more to the timing of this film than meets the eye. We take a look at what was going on in Jordan's career leading up to this and how those events might help explain some of the choices they made with this movie. Topics include: the film's inescapable marketing campaign, the soundtrack, new (and bizarre) revelations about the Looney Tunes gang, why so many people in the industry were skeptical of this, how Bill Murray's one-scene cameo expanded into a bona fide supporting role, why it took so long to get a direct sequel made, the anthology approach they almost took instead, and much more!   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

The mid-90s saw a wave of cyber thrillers that seemed fearful and paranoid about the decade's emerging new technology - The Net, Johnny Mnemonic, Disclosure, Virtuosity, etc. At first glance, Hackers probably seemed like it was just trying to cash-in on that trend. The reality is that had the studio not gotten cold feet, it would have been the first one out of the gate. There's no guarantee that would have helped it fare any better at the box office, but it might have prevented the film from getting lumped in with its more pessimistic contemporaries. Because that's the key distinction with Hackers - this isn't a warning, it's a celebration. It has a genuine affection for this subculture and wants the audience to be just as excited about it as these characters are. That's a big reason the movie still has a following 25-years-later. So what's the verdict? An ahead-of-its-time cult classic or a crash & burn? Let's find out. Topics include: the studio's unexpected support for casting unknown actors in the lead roles, the teen movie tropes that work against one of the larger themes they're exploring, why The Plague never really registers as a credible threat, the point where the film becomes concerned with plot over character, why this all still ultimately works in spite of that, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Back in 1998, hearing that the team responsible for Independence Day was now mounting a big budget American remake of Godzilla was actually pretty exciting. There was a great teaser trailer, a chart-topping soundtrack album, and a genuine curiosity about this top secret new creature design they were keeping under wraps. And then we saw it. To say Godzilla was a disappointment would be a massive understatement. Fans quickly dubbed this new iteration G.I.N.O. (Godzilla In Name Only) and poor word of mouth contributed to a much lower than expected box office take. All these years later, we had to find out if it was as bad as we remembered and whether or not its reputation was deserved. We also track the evolution of this project and how it transformed from a more faithful adaptation of the Japanese films into... this. Topics include: why it took so long for an American version to get the green light, the original creative team that was involved and how their version of the movie fell apart, the reason Godzilla's rights holders signed off on such a revisionist take on the material, how an accelerated production schedule left them no time to revise their script or hold test screenings, the traps most Godzilla movies tend to fall into, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Quite frankly, this franchise was a bit of a blur for all of us. Seven movies, a TV series, a Saturday morning cartoon... at a certain point it all starts to run together a little bit. And yet, this original film does have a few key differences from everything else that would follow - not the least of which is its R-rating. Police Academy was initially conceived as a way to capitalize on the success of raunchy comedies like Bachelor Party and Porky's, but the director wasn't a fan of that style of humor and tried to steer this in a less vulgar direction. As it turns out, you can definitely feel that struggle in the finished product.   Topics include: the real life event that inspired the premise of the film, how the director's unfamiliarity with the genre both helps and hurts the movie, the scenes he (unsuccessfully) lobbied the producers to remove, why just sticking to the formula may have been the best course of action in this case, how this was sustained for six sequels, what a reboot might look like, and much more!   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

We didn't intentionally pick two Amy Heckerling movies back-to-back, but it certainly made for an interesting comparison. On this episode, we're revisiting her imminently quotable debut feature - Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Although this frequently gets lumped together with certain John Hughes movies and other popular 80s teen comedies, Fast Times actually has a fairly different tone than a lot of those films. That's one of the reasons the three of us weren't exactly sure what to make of it on our initial viewings. Opinions have shifted over time, however, and there might even be more to appreciate about this one now than when we were the age of these characters. Topics include: Cameron Crowe's original novel and the unbelievable method he used to write it, how this is almost two different movies unfolding simultaneously and the way Crowe & Heckerling make that work, what this gets right about high school cliques, our own stories about teenage awkwardness, and much more!   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

The late 80s and early 90s saw a deluge of movies and TV shows focused on working, single moms. Few films were able to capitalize on that niche as successfully as Look Who's Talking. On the surface, it's a broad comedy about a talking baby - but because writer/director Amy Heckerling was drawing from her own experiences as a new parent, it managed to tap into something a lot more genuine and heartfelt as well. Topics include: why most of the major studios passed on the script, the risk involved with hiring John Travolta at this point in his career, whether or not this premise requires such a complicated set-up, the two sequels, the TV show Baby Talk, the possibility of a remake, and more!   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Considering that this original film wasn't a gigantic hit at the box office, you might be surprised to learn that the Tremors franchise is now six films deep (with a seventh on the way). Like the Graboids themselves, this shockingly long-running series has operated mostly underground - it was one of the first major properties to take full advantage of sequels designed specifically for the burgeoning direct-to-video market and as a result, it's been quietly serving a fairly fervent fan base ever since. So on this episode, we're going back to where it all started just in time for Tremors' 30th anniversary. The horror/comedy hybrid is a notoriously tough nut to crack and this one walks that line better than most. We knew there was a lot of love for this movie, but we were still pretty blown away by just how competently crafted it was. Topics include: how the premise is basically a series of inversions of traditional horror movie tropes, why Tremors 2 made us remember Burt being a bigger part of this one than he actually is, the unusual problem with the original Graboid design, the interesting way the next two films in the series expand on the life cycle of these creatures, our nostalgia for terrible straight-to-video sequels, and much more!   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

For those of us that were traumatized by this as kids, Return to Oz felt more like a shared psychosis than an actual movie. The whole thing just seemed too crazy to be real. But real it was. And unfortunately for the filmmakers, Disney decided to market this as a direct sequel to The Wizard of Oz despite the fact that it was never intended to be. So audiences went in expecting munchkins, lollipops, and rainbows and instead got electroshock therapy, wheelers, and disembodied heads. It had been ages since any of us had seen it and we were excited to find out how this plays when you divorce yourself from any expectations and take it on its own terms.   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

After the commercial disappointment of his second feature film Singles, director Cameron Crowe couldn't help but notice how many fair weather friends were disappearing now that he was no longer the hot new kid in town. That realization lit the spark for what would become his next project - Jerry Maguire. It took several years before the initial idea evolved into a finished script and there were a lot of interesting changes along the way. We explore how a filmmaker with no interest in professional sports turned that into the perfect backdrop for this story. Topics include: the other A-list movie star Crowe wrote the title role for, the decision to start this film where any other movie about this guy would have ended, how shocked they were that "show me the money" became a catchphrase, the line they thought was going to be the most quoted, the difference between this era of Cameron Crowe's work and his more recent output, how much plot gets crammed into the third act, why the iconic climactic scene might be the wrong ending for this movie, and much more!   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

We were all just a little bit too old for this one when it came out, but we always receive so many requests for it this time of year. As you'll soon discover, we didn't even really choose this one... it chose us. Topics include: the much darker version of this film peeking out around the edges, what our version of the Turbo Man toy was when we were kids, the direct-to-video sequel, why you should never drink eggnog lattes, whether this movie really deserves the reputation it has, and much more!   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

It's Thanksgiving here in the states and that means it's time for this year's cinematic turkey. And you'd be hard-pressed to find a film that's as overstuffed as 1995's Judge Dredd. If you were a fan of the character from his appearances in the comic book 2000 A.D., this was a pretty big betrayal of that source material. If you had no familiarity with it whatsoever, this was just an incoherent version of much better action/sci-fi movies. As a result, it was a critical and commercial disappointment. It's since transformed into a cult film and this entire run of bizarre 90s adaptations has almost become its own sub-genre. So what's the verdict on Judge Dredd all these years later? Topics include: how RoboCop derailed plans for this movie for many years, the big differences between the film and the comic, how so much more is being taken from those pages than you might realize, why some of the alterations probably felt like the right all at that time, whether or not the Karl Urban Dredd movie is ultimately any more faithful than this one, the other Stallone movie from this era that has more in common with 2000 A.D., and so much more!   Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

To coincide with the release of the latest Terminator movie, we decided to go back to where it all began - James Cameron's 1984 classic The Terminator. Given how elaborate and grandiose this franchise became, it's easy to forget just how lean and mean this original film is. It actually has more in common with Halloween than it does with the subsequent installments. Cameron was definitely borrowing some moves from John Carpenter's playbook, but also putting a brand new spin on a lot of familiar elements. The result is A+ execution of a B-movie premise. Topics include: Arnold Schwarzenegger originally being offered the role of Reese, the studio's first choice for the role of The Terminator, how incredibly this story unfolds and trying to imagine seeing it for the first time with no pre-existing knowledge of any Terminator movies, structural similarities to T2, what the more recent sequels have gotten wrong about Sarah Connor, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Happy Halloween! Although David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of The Fly is more interested in exploring existential horrors, its central theme of transformation still made it feel like an appropriate pick for the holiday. It's gory, it's gruesome, and Cronenberg's one-of-a-kind sensibilities are anchored by three incredible lead performances that approach this somewhat hokey premise with total sincerity. Topics include: the unlikely benefactor behind the film, the resistance to casting Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, how their real life relationship effected the production, some of the more infamous deleted scenes, alternate endings, unmade sequels, and more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

We're back from our hiatus and we can't wait to tell you all about our trip to Camp Chippewa! The first Addams Family movie was definitely a very successful update to this creepy & kooky clan, but we're of the opinion that this sequel is where director Barry Sonnenfeld and his amazing cast really hit their stride. Topics include: why you've never heard the episode we recorded for the first Addams Family, the reason we're okay with them recycling certain plot points for this follow up, Wednesday's expanded role, the unbridled genius of Joan Cusack, the strange story of why this ends with one of the worst and laziest tie-in songs ever written, the third Addams Family movie that went straight-to-video, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

In case you missed the announcement at the end of our last episode, HDYR is on hiatus this month. We'll be back in October, but in the meantime we thought we'd share one of our Patreon episodes with you as a bonus.   Our patrons get two of these every month plus a ton of other fun extras. To sign up, visit patreon.com/heydoyouremember. We'll talk you to soon, friends! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Although it sometimes gets relegated to being another run-of-the-mill 80s teen comedy, Risky Business actually has a lot more going for it. The visuals, the score, the writing... across the board, this is probably a lot more sophisticated than a lot of people remember. It certainly wasn't what any of us were expecting the first time we watched it, but it definitely made an impression. How does it fare almost 40 years later? Let's find out...   Topics include: our initial expectations that this was going to be closer in tone to a John Hughes movie, some interesting recollections from the cast about working with Tom Cruise, our own memories of being left home alone at this age, the alternate ending, the return of Role Reversal, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Reservoir Dogs was matched by the amount of controversy it generated. This mean-spirited little movie made a great big impact on audiences and critics and it completely changed the landscape of independent cinema. A few of the edges may have been dulled over the years, but the most interesting thing about the film now is just how many of the elements that would go on to define Tarantino's career were already here right from the jump. Topics include: the even scrappier version of this they almost made and how one phone call changed everything, why the non-linear approach to the storytelling heightens almost every aspect of this, our varying thresholds for just how cruel it gets, which part Tarantino originally wanted to play himself, deleted scenes, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

High Fidelity has been on our list since the very first year of this podcast, so we knew all three of us were fans. What was interesting to discover though was just how dramatically our feelings about John Cusack's character have shifted over the years. The film definitely still works, but in a completely different way than it did when we were in our 20s. Topics include: the novel this is based on by Nick Hornby, the filmmakers decision to move the setting from London to Chicago, what it was like spending some of our formative years in the neighborhood where this takes place, the surprising number of deleted scenes, how the final act sets this apart from other similar movies, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The

The HDYR gang's playing like there's nothing to lose with a look back at Steven Soderbergh's 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven. I know, I know... we can't believe this one's eligible either. Topics include: key differences between this version and the original, why this film's particular brand of escapism hit at exactly the right time, alternate casting choices for a lot of these roles, your Real Life Retweets, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The

We're feeling the need for speed on this week's episode. Three decades later, Maverick remains one of the roles that Tom Cruise is most recognized for and the style of filmmaking that movies like this helped usher in is still being imitated in modern blockbusters. It's a great big serving of 80s cheese, so let's see if Top Gun is still the best of the best or if we've lost that loving feeling. Topics include: the influx of commercial directors from the UK to Hollywood and how their sensibilities helped shape modern filmmaking, the Pentagon's final approval over the script and what elements they wanted changed, the insurmountable problem the love story subplot faces, whether or not Iceman might actually be the only one making sense here, why we're intrigued by the upcoming sequel, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

It's the movie traumatized a generation of children. Although it may not pack the same emotional punch now that we're all grown up, there's still a lot to love about My Girl. Topics include: how difficult it was to come up with a title for this movie and some of the more unusual options they considered, how reading the novelization first sort of ruined Chris' first viewing of this, a score so overbearing even Donna noticed it, the number of subplots that don't really go anywhere, why Richard Masur is the low key MVP of this film, how each of us reacted to the ending as kids, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Chris (from the Hey, Do You Remember…? podcast) and Joe get together during a January blizzard in Chicago to discuss the slew of unmade Batman films that existed between Batman & Robin and Batman Begins. A 3rd Joel Schumacher film? Check. Frank Miller’s own script for Batman: Year One? Check. Get ready for a wild ride, Bat-Fanatics! This episode was originally released as a HDYR: Off the Clock Patreon exclusive, so a special thank you to Chris and the HDYR crew for sharing the episode with us. If you haven’t given Hey, Do You Remember…? a listen, go do it! Now! Thanks Chris! iTunes / RSS / Facebook / Twitter About The Show

Nothing is over! Nothing! And as the recently released trailer for Rambo: Last Blood proves, that certainly applies to this franchise. But before the latest installment hits theaters this fall, we decided to go all the way back to where it all began. This original film is now strangely the outlier in this franchise - a relatively grounded and character-driven story that actually has something pretty compelling to say. If you've never seen it, you might be surprised how dramatically First Blood flies in the face of most people's preconceived notions about this series. Topics include: the major differences between the film and the novel that it's based on, the legendary actor who was cast as Trautman and why he walked off the set, the drastically different endings that were considered, the original three hour long cut, how the sequels shifted everyone's perceptions of this character, Rambo's Saturday morning cartoon, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

A legendary director adapting a bestselling novel with a cast of soon-to-be A-list movie stars? How could you not be on board with this? As it turns out, Chris & Donna's love for S.E. Hinton's book made it hard to get into this when they were kids. And Carlos was so unfamiliar with the whole thing that he thought this movie might be about vampires. So we really had no idea how this was going to play for us. Topics include: how a librarian from a small school in Fresno, California helped get this movie made, the new cut of this Coppola released in 2005 and how it fixes a lot of the film's major issues, why the theatrical version was trimmed so excessively, some theories about why the performances are a little hammy, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

We've been getting requests for this one ever since we covered Labyrinth five years ago. As you're about to discover, there's a pretty surprising reason it took this long. Nevertheless, the time has come to do a deep dive on one of Jim Henson's proudest (and most polarizing) achievements. Topics include: why it was so important to conceptualize this world before developing the story, how a metaphysical being named Seth influenced the film's themes, what makes the dark crystal "dark", the numerous changes they made for the theatrical cut after a disastrous test screening, all the ways in which the lore has been expanded upon in other media, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Hard to believe this one’s eligible isn’t it? We had the same reaction. Of course part of that is that until very recently, there was still some small chance we might eventually get del Toro’s Hellboy III. So even though it’s been over a decade since the last installment in this series, it didn’t feel quite like a bygone era yet. We get into all the factors that led to them rebooting the franchise instead of carrying on with this continuity, but more relevant to this conversation, we also explore why certain fans of Mike Mignola’s comic boom series always had mixed feeling over how del Toro adapted the material. We even brought our own preconceived notions into this. It had been a long time since we’d seen either of the original Hellboy movies and we felt pretty certain that the sequel was far superior to this initial outing. Is that still the case? And separate from its deviations from the source material, does this still work as a film on its own terms? Let’s find out! Other topics include: the way del Toro incorporates and remixes elements from the comic without borrowing anything verbatim, the changes that even Hellboy’s creator thought were an improvement, the pros and cons of shooting in Prague, some really intriguing set up for all of these characters that the film never really explores, creative concessions they made for the PG-13 rating, why del Toro isn’t 100% the victim in Hellboy III never getting made, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Like Mr. Shadow itself, The Fifth Element was something of an anomaly when it hit theaters in 1997 - a $90 million sci-fi spectacular that wasn't based on a pre-existing property. While that's technically true, there were some French comic book publishers who felt like Luc Besson's film crossed the line between homage and outright theft. We trace the project's origins to determine if there's any merit to those claims, see how well the movie holds up two decades later, and examine the myriad of reasons there was never a sequel. Topics include: how comics like Valerian and The Incal helped set the template for the look of this (and many other movies), why ditching the ex-military angle for Korben would really help clean up the first act, our initial reactions to Gary Oldman's performance and some confusion over what exactly his endgame here is, the realization that Leeloo really only has one big scene, the "born sexy yesterday trope", and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Ugly duckling or beautiful swan? We find out with this look back at She's All That - a late 90s teen romcom that paved the way for a slew of similar movies. Carlos has been waiting patiently for his chance to talk about Freddie Prinze Jr. on this podcast, so we went straight to the quintessential entry on his list of films from this era. Topics include: the stage play this is based on and other notable interpretations of that work, how this script changed once the lead actors were cast, why the first twenty minutes feel so different from the rest of the film, the story behind that random choreographed dance number, the arguably even more random final act, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

When we covered the first Mighty Ducks two years ago, we acknowledged that there was a pretty strong consensus that D2 was the superior film. It had also been at least twenty years since any of us had seen this movie. So it was time to find out how well this one held up to a more objective viewing and whether or not this is indeed the high water mark of the series. Topics include: why we liked this one better as kids, the missing Ducks that no one even mentions, why 60% of Team USA being made up of ONE team from Minnesota is a little bonkers, a really simple change that would have prevented the plot from essentially being a retread of the first one, Jan's dark backstory, why a third installment was always going to feel underwhelming, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

To celebrate our 150th episode, the HDYR gang decided it was time to go on a long overdue adventure with our old pal, Indy. Not unlike Star Wars, this property was such a constant in our lives that we've always regarded it as something so much larger than any one film. Which is why it's so fascinating to go back to where it all began and really examine Raiders of the Lost Ark on its own terms. For as much as the first three films in the series have in common, this one really does stand apart for several important reasons. It's a milestone movie for a milestone episode, so let's get the boulder rolling! Topics include: the original choice for the role of Indiana Jones, how the first fifteen minutes are a microcosm of the entire film, the really important bit of exposition about the ark that they cut out, the elaborate sequence that was almost entirely improvised, whether or not there's any weight to the argument that Indy has no effect on the plot, the big reason Kingdom of the Crystal Skull feels so different from the others, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

We've been getting requests for Stand By Me since this podcast launched and it's easy to see why. This is a film that seems tailor made for the premise of this show. One of the benefits to holding off on it for this long is that we've already covered so many of the other "kids on an adventure" movies from this era and now we can really highlight what sets this one apart. So grab your gear and follow us down the tracks. Don't worry, we brought the comb. Topics include: realizing that Stephen King didn't just write horror stories, differences between this and his original novella, the tragedy of River Phoenix, why Teddy was the most difficult character to cast, how this becomes a completely different film the older you get, the very different version of this that almost materialized before director Rob Reiner got involved, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

1994 was a very good year for Jim Carrey. Ace Ventura,The Mask, and Dumb & Dumber were all released within the span of eleven months and established him as a comedic force to be reckoned with. Although it might be argued that the other two films have had more resonance, The Mask was the most critically and commercially successful at the time. Which is why it's pretty crazy to consider that it was almost a completely different movie altogether. Based on a hyper-violent splatterpunk comic of the same name, New Line Cinema initially saw The Mask as a successor to their A Nightmare on Elm Street series. They even tapped Nightmare 3 director Chuck Russell to helm it. Like the title character, however, it eventually transformed into something else entirely. So join us as we investigate the property's comic book origins, its journey to the big screen, and why this is maybe one occasion where diverging this dramatically from the source material was a good decision. Topics include: some of the more unusual approaches to the film before they settled on an overtly comedic tone, why Carrey was still a risky proposition at this point, who else they considered for the role of Stanley, the one scene the studio really wanted them to cut, key differences between the film and the original comic mini-series, some of the surprising elements that carry over, the planned sequel that Carrey bailed on, and much more! Check it out! You can now get HDYR merch exclusively through TeePublic! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Happy Holidays, friends! This year the HDYR gang meets up with a few other misfits in Christmastown for a look back at the Rankin/Bass claymation classic, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. It’s aired on CBS every single year since 1964, but there have been quite a few nips, tucks, additions, and subtractions in that time. We go over all of the different versions, some of the more problematic elements that modern audiences might get hung up on, and debate how successfully they expanded on the premise of a pretty threadbare poem/song. Topics include: Burl Ives and his grudge against storks, the grumpiest little Santa Claus this side of the North Pole, the problem with having everyone behave like a monster towards Rudolph, the oddly cruel ending for the film’s actual monster, whether or not the island of misfit toys should have been saved for their own movie, the other Rankin/Bass holiday specials, and much more! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

The HDYR gang is off to the polls with a look back at Alexander Payne's subversive comedy Election. Nearly every step of the way, the film (and the novel it was based on) faced the same problem - the perception that it was a more run-of-the-mill teen comedy. The marketing department wasn't sure how to sell the movie and as a result, the film tanked at the box office. In the years since its release, Election's reputation has continued to grow. It's influenced other writers, directors, actors, and even some fairly notable politicians. How does it play twenty years later? How much has changed? And how much has remained eerily the same? Topics include: the real life events that inspired the novel, the surprising and charming story of how Chris Klein was cast in the film, the original choice for the role of Tammy, how this film masters the difference between showing vs telling, the total lack of any wasted screen time, and so much more! Patreon / iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

There really isn't another film quite like Heathers. Sure, it gets referenced a lot when describing other teen movies, but the comparisons are largely superficial. There's an unmatched darkness swirling beneath the confectionery exterior of this that makes it hilarious and horrifying in equal measure. As we learned during our discussion, the first viewing can be a pretty jarring experience that takes some time to process. It was controversial when it was released thirty years ago, it became even more controversial as time went on, and now it's time for the HDYR gang to unpack Heathers and see what all the fuss is about. Topics include: how any expectations are immediately dashed by the opening moments, why this is more Carrie than Clueless, the recent stage and TV adaptations, alternate casting choices for the roles of Veronica and J.D., whether or not one of the original endings has a little bit more bite, how real life events changed the way we feel about certain aspects of all of this, and much much more!  iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

The formula for Teen Wolf was simple: low cost + fast schedule = high profit. Even still, no one could have predicted just how successful it would wind up being. Michael J. Fox's star was already on the rise thanks to Back to the Future and when this arrived hot on that film's heels, it cemented his status as a super star. It spawned a sequel, an animated series, and a gritty reboot for MTV - but this week on HDYR, it's time to give this original dog his day. Topics include: the insanely fast development and production, the town's complete non-reaction to the existence of a werewolf, characters the film establishes and then does nothing with, the absolutely bonkers soundtrack, the pitch for an unmade Teen Wolf 3, your Real Life Retweets, and much much more!  iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

It just wouldn't be Christmas without a bonus Star Wars episode... and WOW - there is a lot to talk about here! The Last Jedi is shaping up to be the most polarizing entry in this series and the HDYR gang does their best to cut through the hyperbole on both sides to try and bring some balance to this whole thing. See what we did there? Topics include: our immediate reactions as we walked out of the theater, what changed after having some time to process all of this, mixed feelings about story threads from The Force Awakens that were abruptly dropped, the one plot hole we just can't look past, conflicting opinions over how this film handles Luke, whether or not this is really as risky or groundbreaking as it keeps getting credit for, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

The HDYR gang returns to a galaxy far, far away for a deep dive on the crown jewel of the Star Wars franchise. It's a follow-up that's so unbelievably strong that other filmmakers have turned it into some sort of Rosetta Stone for how to craft an effective sequel. The superficial elements they grasp onto though (the darker tone, the twist ending, etc.) actually have very little to do with why this all works so well. With The Last Jedi hitting theaters this weekend, it felt like the right time to take another look at the middle chapter of the original trilogy and highlight all the ways in which this expertly expands on Star Wars lore. From the early story conferences that shaped the film to its lasting impact on this series and the industry at large, join us we revisit The Empire Strikes Back... Topics include: why George Lucas decided not to direct this film and where his attention was focused instead, the original script and its completely different big revelation, how the scope of this begins on an epic scale and gradually gets more and more intimate, a deleted subplot that wound up getting recycled in an N64 game, the pros and cons of separating our core group of characters, the real reason Han got frozen in carbonite, changes made for the Special Edition, what sets this apart from the other entries in this series, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

You asked for it, so here it is - our thoughts on the brand new adaptation of Stephen King's It. Since this comes on the heels of our look back at the 1990 miniseries, certain comparisons were inevitable - but for the most part, we tried to tackle this one on its own terms. The film is obviously a massive success and a lot of its fans have already labeled it an instant classic, but does the HDYR gang agree? Topics include: our thoughts on this interpretation of Pennywise, the amazing cast of child actors and which ones really stole our hearts, how successfully this version handles the lore surrounding It, how we feel about some of the deviations from the source material, theories about what those changes might mean for the sequel, our favorite and least favorite sequences, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

We wrap up our conversation about the 1990 adaptation of It with an in-depth look at the miniseries' second half. Will some of our lingering questions about this creature's mythology finally get answered? Is Pennywise still a credible threat against grown men and women? Is his final form as ridiculous as some of us remember? It's time to reunite the HDYR gang for one last journey into the sewers of Derry where we can finish this nightmare off once and for all. Topics include: a corrections corner where we go over a few of the more (*ahem*) interesting additions Chris accidentally made to the source material in Part I, the small differences in the structure of the novel's second half that give these events so much more momentum and clarity, the possibility that we maybe see too much of Pennywise this time, why there needed to be a few more casualties to up the stakes, our final thoughts on the entire miniseries, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

When it comes to the 1990 miniseries based on Stephen King's IT, there are two types of people: those who maintain it's one of the scariest things they've ever seen... and those who insist a more objective viewing would reveal that it was never that great. With a new film adaptation on the horizon, the HDYR gang thought this was the perfect opportunity to find out where they stood on the matter. Topics include: ABC's original (and more ambitious) plans for the series, some of the key differences between this version and the source material, the unusual pattern with Mike's phone calls to his old friends, Chris' bad luck with love letters, one of the key reasons that the first half is more effective than the second, how completely Tim Curry disappears into this performance, why the limitations of network television instantly limited the impact these stories might have had, how a giant turtle is the key everything, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

It's certainly not the most noteworthy comedy from this era, but Weekend at Bernie's managed to stand strong against some pretty fierce competition in the summer of 1989 and its continued success on home video and cable helped cement its reputation as a cult classic. So while our generation tends to regard this film quite fondly, the HDYR gang wasn't super familiar with it. Chris watched it a couple of times as a kid, Carlos had only seen the sequel, and Donna had never seen either of them. Topics include: Elements introduced in the first ten minutes that the script doesn't follow through on, a first act that's remarkably similar to Ghost, the director's impressive (and diverse) filmography, a lot of love for Terry Kiser's performance (both before and after he kicks the bucket), how they manage to keep us laughing throughout the story's darkest moments, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up... it's podcast time! This week the HDYR gang is separating fact from fiction with their look back at Disney's kinda/sorta/not really "true story" of the first Jamaican bobsled team. Once you get past the fact that 95% of this was made up, however, there's still plenty to love about this movie. Topics include: the shift from straightforward sports drama to broad comedy, why the real story of this team doesn't make for a particularly compelling film, our pitch for a revised version of this sport, whether or not Derice is an effective protagonist, a shocking fact about one of the writers that might explain a few or our issues with the script, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

In space, no one can hear you scream - but on this episode of HDYR, you can hear all of us gushing over Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece. We were introduced to the film at different ages, but we all walked away with the same impression... this is one incredible and terrifying movie. We've seen a lot of talented filmmakers play in this sandbox over the years, but there's something so singular and iconic about what Scott managed to capture here.  Alien contains some of the most inventive and influential images ever put on film. You'd think that the level of over-saturation the brand has experienced would severely hinder the effectiveness of this original entry, but it remains as visceral and frightening as ever. Topics include: some key differences between Alien and its sequels, the genius of using separate artists to design different aspects of this world, the incredible first act and the intriguing questions we didn't need answered in future films, why one of the least impressive Xenomorph costumes still comes across as one of the best, Carlos' unlikely strategy for defeating an unstoppable killing machine, Chris' awkward first attempts at erotic horror, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

It's not about one particular title on this week's episode of HDYR, it's about an experience - Saturday Morning Cartoons. We're going back to the days of waking up early, pouring a bowl of your favorite cereal, and navigating between each network's line-up of shows. A lot of these have come up in passing before and many of them have been requested over the years as well, but we thought this would be a fun way to cast a wide net and cover as many of them as possible in one go. You'll hear about some of our favorites, we'll read through your responses, and then it all winds down with a Real Life Retweets segment about which universes you'd have crossover. Topics include: way too many to name! The Real Ghostbusters, Eek! The Cat, Garfield, He-Man, Jem, Transformers, Beetlejuice, Muppet Babies, Animaniacs, Batman, Sonic the Hedgehog, X-Men, Ninja Turtles, Bobby's World, DuckTales, ThunderCats, M.A.S.K., and so much more! Seriously. Soooo much. iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

You want to get nuts? Come on... let's get nuts. It's the 100th episode of HDYR and there really was never any question which film we were going to revisit for this milestone. If you're even a little bit familiar with this show, you probably could have guessed - it had to be Batman. This one made quite an impression on all three of us as kids and for Chris in particular, this was a formative movie-going experience. Which is not to say he can't be objective about some of its more controversial elements. This is a fairly divisive adaptation of the Caped Crusader's mythology and a lot of the criticisms are valid. But are those betrayals of the source material a deal breaker or are they outweighed by the elements this gets right? Topics include: the decade long journey to get Batman on the silver screen, previous incarnations of the film before Tim Burton got involved, some surprising alternate casting choices for both Batman and The Joker, how Vicki and Knox were better served by earlier versions of this script, why the movies can't ever quite nail that Harvey Dent/Two-Face transformation, the heavily rewritten third act (which at one point introduced Robin!), the plot of Sam Hamm's original Batman 2 script, our thoughts on this Joker in a post-Dark Knight world, who our favorite live-action Batman is, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

The next episode of HDYR is going to be our 100th and to celebrate that milestone we'll be revisiting the most influential movie of Chris' childhood - Batman. But before we head into Gotham City, he wanted to take a step back and take a broader look at the Caped Crusader as a character. So this time we're trying something a little different as Chris tracks his entire history with The Dark Knight - his earliest memories and introduction to the mythology, the numerous reasons he connected so strongly to that world, how his feelings about Batman have changed over the years, and why this all still means so much to him. And you'll hear from some other familiar voices along the way, because this isn't just about Batman - it's about the profound effect fictional characters can have on our lives. How they reflect us. How they shape us. And sometimes... how they save us. iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show   Music Included In This Episode: "Epic Dark Hollywood Trailer" (license) "Metropolis Epic Cinematic Trailer" (license) "Relentless" (license) by Jon Wright "Dark Times", "Inspired", "Resignation", "Killing Time", and "Reawakening" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License  

You might find this hard to believe, but Newsies wasn't a particularly impactful movie for Chris or Carlos as kids. But for Donna, it was EVERYTHING - and its rabid cult following suggests she wasn't alone. Whether you're a dyed-in-the-wool supporter or a layman curious to understand its appeal, we've got you covered. This week, the HDYR gang's bringing you the news for a penny a pape. Topics include: Christian Bale's performance and his attitude towards the film now, the numerous missed opportunities for interesting conflicts, how many facts the film gets right, the one glaring inaccuracy they knowingly embraced, differences between this and the stage version, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

We're kicking off a new tradition where every Thanksgiving we revisit a cinematic "turkey" - a movie that bombed at the box office and was reviled by critics and audiences alike. And this year, that turkey... is a duck. Yup. The HDYR gang is going all the way back to 1986 to take another look at the first major misfire from George Lucas - Howard the Duck. This isn't just a terrible adaptation that completely betrays the spirit of its source material, it's also widely regarded as one of the worst films ever made. In the immediate aftermath of its failure, Lucas boldly declared that history would regard Howard a lot more favorably than its detractors did at the time. Well... here we are three decades later. Let's see. Topics include: why the original plan to do this as a fully animated film was sidelined, the consequences of turning it into a live-action feature, all of the creepy elements that went completely over our heads as kids, the tonal whiplash that it's never able to reconcile or recover from, the silver lining of its disastrous performance, THAT scene, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

Is it a Halloween movie? Is it a Christmas movie? The easy answer is that The Nightmare Before Christmas is both. So this felt like a great way for HDYR to celebrate All Hallow's Eve and kickoff a run of holiday-themed episodes. Even though it was successful when it was released in the fall of 1993, I'm not sure any of us could have predicted the incredible legacy this film would have two decades later. Ironically, Tim Burton wasn't even at the helm for what feels like the purest translation of his imagination. A lot of our memories are tied into that initial misconception and that's where our conversation begins - with Disney's concerns over how this project was coming together and their 11th hour plans to rebrand it. We then come full circle with them ultimately embracing the property and their attempts to capitalize on its success. Other topics include: the degree to which Danny Elfman's music informed the overall story, how involved Burton actually was with the production of the film, the painstakingly precise process of stop-motion animation and how many seemingly simple shots were actually incredibly complex, some confusion over the rules of this universe and the doorways to all of these other holidays, a somewhat muddled message and one tiny tweak to the ending that might have made it more cohesive, Easter eggs for other Burton movies that appear throughout,  Chris' story about a haunted forest attraction, the triumphant return of Be & F and 2 Truth 1 Lie, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

We've all been on a pub crawl, right? Well get ready for a Podcrawl! Instead of hopping from one bar to the next, the idea is to move from podcast to podcast in order to cover all three Beverly Hills Cop movies. It kicks off right here with the HDYR gang tackling the original. From there, Does It Have Legs? picks up the baton to talk about Beverly Hills Cop II. And then Proudly Resents brings it home with a discussion about Beverly Hills Cop III.  Topics include: the long and complicated history of this project and the different iterations that almost wound up on screen, Eddie Murphy's surprisingly understated performance, the way the sequels betray certain characters in some ways, how pitch-perfect the Detroit scenes are and why everything gets a little murkier once it moves to Beverly Hills, action scenes that are slightly lackluster even for 1984 and the key ingredient we think might be missing, some thoughts on the potential future of this franchise, and much much more! Huge thanks to Adam from Proudly Resents for reaching out and putting this Podcrawl together! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

Even though it had been ages since any of us had seen Pee-wee's Big Adventure, our memories from numerous viewings of it as children meant there weren't too many surprises during this rewatch. We could still recall nearly every scene and punchline with pretty impressive clarity. Which is not to say we had the same experience with the film that we did as kids. A lot of this still works, but there were certain aspects of the vignette-heavy story structure and with Pee-wee as a character that left us a little bit conflicted. Topics include: the origins of the Pee-wee Herman persona and the alternate scripts that were developed for this movie, our initial confusion over all the differences between this and Pee-wee's Playhouse, the one important detail that makes the biker bar sequence more successful than just about any other scene in the movie, the enduring legacy of Large Marge, how a ridiculous scandal robbed us of ten good years worth of material from Paul Reubens, a debate about the right time to brush your teeth, the time Chris tried to learn how to read minds, which member of the HDYR gang still doesn't know how to ride a bike, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

Before the resurgence, we're going back to where it all began with the original Independence Day. Before Will Smith was a bona fide movie star... before we realied Roland Emmerich was essentially just going to keep remaking this same movie again and again... and before Randy Quaid became this character in real life. Kristen from The Sunnydale Stacks joins the HDYR gang for a conversation about how films like this influenced subsequent summer tentpoles, how much these types of blockbusters have changed in the last twenty years, and how much remains exactly the same. Other topics include: the aggressive marketing campaign and some slight confusion over the ID4 abbreviation, our initial impressions of the movie, the supporting characters we'd put on the chopping block and which ones feel like they're in a different film entirely, some mixed opinions on Bill Pullman's performance as President Whitmore, what the rest of the world was doing while America was figuring out how to stop the invasion, the staggering number of blink-and-you'll-miss-them familiar faces, the fact that Dr. Okun was absolutely 100% dead, how many problems could have been solved by changing one thing about that alien spacecraft in Area 51, a debate about one of cinema's most notorious plot holes, that Goldblum swagger, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

The critical and commercial failure of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III didn't just derail plans for subsequent films in this franchise - it also represented a pretty definitive end point for our generation's "Turtle-mania". No one's suggestion that the movie hasn't earned its bad reputation, but it's grown so aggressively hyperbolic over the years that the HDYR gang couldn't help but wonder if the slide in quality was really THAT severe. Well. We have our answer. When we revisited the first two films with a more objective point of view, we realized that each of them had their issues - but boy oh boy is this third one a different beast entirely. It's probably no great revelation that this isn't a very good movie, but what was surprising were the reasons it felt like such a spectacular failure to us now... because the terrible Turtle costumes are the least of its problems. Topics include: how the studio's recognition of the Turtles' dwindling popularity influenced their decision to cut corners, the story behind those hideous new suits, the baffling choice to bring back Casey Jones and do nothing with him, some absolutely insane time travel logic and how easy it would have been to simplify this whole scenario, a more satisfying backstory for these new villains, a discussion about the right time to age out of this stuff, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

Much was made of Jim Carrey's first high-profile dramatic turn in 1998's The Truman Show, but the truth is the original version of the film was much darker and a lot more cerebral. The HDYR gang traces the project's origins as an edgy sci-fi thriller and discuss how it evolved into this decidedly lighter take. They also reminisce about the novelty of seeing Carrey branch out into more serious fare and whether or not his previous work colored their expectations going in. Other topics include: the benefits of making the audience aware of exactly what's going on right from the start vs how great it might have been to make these discoveries with Truman, the other A-list directors that were considered before Peter Weir came aboard and what their versions might have looked like,  how prescient so much of this was, how mundane a lot of it might seem to a younger generation now, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

There was a perfect storm of factors that led to Clueless becoming a full-fledged phenomenon in the summer of 1995 - the buzz surrounding up-and-comer Alicia Silverstone, a series of ads that ran on MTV that made the film impossible for its target demographic to ignore, and a subversive style of comedy that perfectly tapped into our mid-90s zeitgeist.  It didn't just resuscitate the teen movie, it redefined it. So pop in your Rollin' with the Homies cassette and join the HDYR gang for a look back at this endlessly quotable gem. Topics include: the project's origins as a TV series, alternate casting choices for a few of the lead roles, the details we can't believe we missed on our first viewing, how much we care about a group of characters that would be the villains in any other teen movie, the film's ties to Jane Austen's Emma and the trend of taking classic works of literature and placing them in a modern high school setting, our versions of being "that girl who fell down the stairs", and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

The HDYR gang kicks off 2016 with a look back at John Carpenter's cult favorite Big Trouble in Little China. Carlos and Donna had never seen this one, so Chris was excited to hear how they'd react to the strange and wonderful world they were unknowingly stepping into. Although the film is largely beloved, one aspect that seems to remain pretty divisive is the decision to make the Jack Burton character completely unaware that he's not the central figure in this story. We have a fairly spirited discussion about the pros and cons of that choice and ultimately decide that the problem isn't really with Jack at all. Other topics include: the project's origins as a western set in the 1880s, the rushed production and excessive studio meddling that may have compromised a couple of key elements, the original choices for the roles of Jack and Wang, expendable supporting characters that could have been merged or cut completely, the amazing fight choreography and how beautifully Carpenter staged those sequences, the one detail of Lo Pan's plan that he overlooked, the upcoming remake, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show  

Carlos and Donna had never seen Poltergeist, but Chris suspected that it would be a perfect pick for this year's Halloween episode. The film's success paved the way for two sequels, a TV series, and a remake - but its real legacy seems to be a curse that supposedly haunted the cast & crew and some controversy surrounding who actually directed it. We get into all of that and more so turn off the lights, grab some candy, and follow the HDYR gang into the light. Topics include: One of Chris' worst Halloweens as a kid, the lighthearted first act and why the film works so much better because of it, the sequences that still creep us out, some stuff that hasn't aged as well, the origins of the Poltergeist curse, why the family stays in the house, what happens to the dog, how much weed Mom & Dad smoked, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Spawn's time in the limelight was pretty brief in the grand scheme of things, but for a moment there this character was EVERYWHERE - comic books, cartoons, video games, action figures, trading cards... you name it and there was probably a piece of merchandise with his face on it.  A live-action feature film adaptation was inevitable, but instead of being the culmination of Spawn's propulsive popularity, it instead indicated that perhaps this property's glory days were winding down. There's a lot to discuss here and the HDYR gang does their best to sort through the nonsensical script and scattershot direction in order to figure out how such a straightforward concept could get transformed into something so muddled. Topics include: Chris and Carlos' memories of the Spawn comic and their initial reactions to the movie, an easy fix that would have helped the filmmakers stretch their modest budget, the problem with giving Al Simmons a moral center before he goes to hell, makingthe costume work on film, the constant and unnecessary narration, Donna's confusion over everybody's motivation, an argument for putting a limit on Spawn's powers, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Kristen from The Sunnydale Stacks sits in with the HDYR gang this week to discuss one of her childhood favorites - Camp Nowhere. Chris, Donna, and Carlos were a little hazy on the details, but all of them remember enjoying it to varying degrees as kids. As adults? Well... they found that there wasn't a single moment that made a lick of sense, but some of it was so utterly bonkers that it was still pretty fun. Topics include: the difference between what the script is telling us about our main characters vs what we're actually seeing, the problem with having all of them get along for the entire movie, what these parents are really up to every summer, the career Christopher Lloyd should have had post-Back to the Future, the unnecessary romantic subplot with the doctor and her reaction to these events, the decision to have every Parents Day all at once, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

The HDYR gang packs up the station wagon and heads back to Wellsville to discuss three of their favorite episodes of The Adventures of Pete & Pete - "What We Did On Our Summer Vacation", "King of the Road", and "Hard Day's Pete". After sharing their memories of the series, they offer their own explanations for why it struck such a nerve back when it debuted and why it continues to resonate so strongly with them now. Chris realizes it probably informed his sense of humor to a greater degree than he was even aware of, Donna recalls being won over by the open-ended nature of the storytelling, and Carlos laments the current state of children's programming. Pete & Pete may have had an offbeat tone, but it was also filled with very genuine musings about growing up - so there's a lot of talk here about the fleeting nature of childhood, that awkward pre-teen phase where you're just imitating older people's behavior without understanding it, the way we suppress the things that we love in favor of fitting in, and the value of the sort of nostalgia we're celebrating here vs. being inspired to create something new. iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

After a run of some less than stellar films, the HDYR gang decided to try and lift their spirits by revisiting A League of Their Own - a movie they all loved as kids and have continued to adore as adults. For Donna, it was the spark that ignited a feminist flame. For Carlos, it was a sports movie with the perfect blend of heart and laughs. And for Chris, it was the inspiration to try and start his own baseball league (with predictably disastrous results). Topics include: Madonna's tie-in song that took over the world, the disappointing A League of Their Own TV show, some disagreements about the effectiveness of the film's final moments, Chris' problem with the fact that the focus is on Dottie when Kitt really should be the protagonist, deleted scenes that change some of the core character dynamics, and much much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

With a scant 78 min. running time, Problem Child certainly doesn't have to worry about overstaying its welcome. It got in, got out, and happily surprised the HDYR gang. Initially, our memories of this film and its sequel were all jumbled up. As a result, it was easy to forget that the first Problem Child actually has some witty satirical elements, a strong point-of-view, and an endearing overall message. Maybe we've just been watching too many convoluted movies lately, but there was something refreshing about the film's simplicity. In this episode we discuss how effectively each character is set-up, how much we miss John Ritter, some of the misguided criticisms leveled against the character of Junior, how re-arranging a few scenes in the second act would give the story some more momentum, and the glorious majesty of a certain farting pig. iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show

Have to fight. Have to fly. Have to crow. Steven Spielberg's Hook was maligned by critics upon its release in 1991, but many who grew up with it still remember it fondly. Is the film a misunderstood masterpiece or were its detractors right on the money? For the HDYR gang, the truth is somewhere in the middle. It was the first movie that truly disappointed Chris as a child, Carlos found the whole thing a bit aimless, and Donna adored it. Have their opinions changed in the last two decades? Topics include: Spielberg's late 80s/early 90s identity crisis, randy old Wendy, the unfathomable awesomeness of Dustin Hoffman, the strangely limited scope of the film, the half-baked "was it all a dream?" nonsense, Rufio the heartbreaker, why Tinkerbell is the real villain of Neverland, and much more! iTunes / Stitcher / RSS / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram About The Show