Tapeheads

Dee-doo-doo-dee-doo-doo-dee-doo-dee-doo! This time we're doing not one, not two, but THREE spooky VHS selections with Sean's own specially curated "chillogy" (or "thrillogy") of select films in the Halloween series, specifically John Carpenter's classic 1978 original, Rick Rosenthal's direct sequel Halloween II, and Steve Miner's polished Halloween: H20, all starring Jamie Lee Curtis in her breakout role of Laurie Strode. Topics include Dean Cundey's beautiful cinematography, Donald Pleasance as Michael Myers' deranged hype man Dr. Loomis, the music, the masks, those other sequels, and so much more!

Happy Halloween! For the spookiest month of the year, Lyndsey selects her VHS copy of 1990's The Witches, based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name and starring Angelica Huston as the grand high witch.

Get off my plane! Sean picks the 1997 hostage thriller Air Force One, a Die Hard clone with political ambitions starring Harrison Ford as President James Marshall and Gary Oldman as his nemesis Ivan. Bit parts played by Glenn Close, Xander Berkeley, and William H. Macy.

Lyndsey selects her VHS copy of the 1988 fantasy adventure Willow, from the minds of George Lucas and Ron Howard, starring Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whaley, and Phil Fondacaro.

It's time to go to camp! Camp Crystal Lake, that is! Sean selects the 1980 horror classic Friday the 13th, starring Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, and Kevin Bacon.

Methode Sauvage winemaker Chad Hinds returns to Tapeheads with his VHS copy of 1999's found footage phenomenon The Blair Witch Project, starring Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams. To learn more about Chad's wines, visit www.methodesauvage.com!

Hey kids, wanna save the rainforest? Lyndsey selects her VHS copy of the 1992 animated film Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, starring Samantha Mathis, Christian Slater, Robin Williams, Tim Curry, Jonathan Ward, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, and Tone Loc.

John Cusack re-teams with writer-director Savage Steve Holland in 1986's One Crazy Summer, the companion film to the cult classic Better Off Dead. Demi Moore, Bobcat Goldthwaite, Joel Murray, Curtis Armstrong, and Jeremy Piven co-star.

For the Fourth of July, Lyndsey selects her copy of the 1996 alien invasion blockbuster Independence Day, starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum.

Comedian Chloe Kiester offers up a VHS copy of Don Bluth's unhinged canine musical All Dogs Go to Heaven, starring Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, and the late Judith Barsi.

Sean unwraps a "new" VHS copy of 1981's An American Werewolf in London and tries to explain to Lyndsey why John Landis' gory travelogue is a perfect werewolf film.

Lyndsey selects her VHS copy of Nora Ephron's 1998 romantic comedy You've Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Talking points: You've Got Mail is better than Sleepless in Seattle. A dated AOL reference. The soundtrack. Shop Around the Corner. Book stores. The golden age of romantic comedies. What was the last good rom-com? The cafe scene. Gendered interests. The finale. Dial-up internet. Quirky co-workers. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Werewolves again.

Terry O'Quinn seeks the perfect family in 1987's psychological thriller The Stepfather, co-starring Jill Schoelen and Shelley Hack. Talking points: A companion film to Man of the House. A kid in a wheelchair does not fall into a meat grinder in Stepfather 3. A Man in Love. Reel Deals. Defense of the Realm. A masterful performance by Terry O'Quinn. Brother-in-law subplot. Therapist. Family values. Gratuitous nudity. The finale. Sequels and a remake. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Cinematographer Gavin Murray stops by with his VHS copy of Sam Raimi's immortal horror comedy classic Evil Dead II, starring Bruce Campbell in his signature role of Ash Williams. Talking points: The death of a 25¢ videotape. A psychedelic religious experience. Box art. Army of Darkness. Bruce Campbell gives an incredible physical performance. Ted Raimi as the horror hag. Spider-Man 2. Headless muppet. Lights and colors. The sun and the looking glass. A nonstop powerhouse. Continuity. A manual horror film. Crabs! Ranking the Evil Dead trilogy. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Brunch. Batman and Robin. Man of the House as a horror film.

Cowabunga! It's a turtle triple feature as Lyndsey gets radical with her VHS selections, picking the 1990 smash hit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequels, 1991's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and 1992's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. Talking points: A triple feature. The comics, cartoon, and movies. The original film. Pizza party at Pizza Hut. Cartoons on VHS. The Foot as an allegory. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Corey Feldman as Donatello, and Josh Pais as Raphael. Rapid turnover in cast. A gritty first installment that feels like a reboot. Casey Jones. A violent and fully realized world. Secret of the Ooze. The BK Kids Club. Suburban Commando. Stepkids. Ernie Reyes Jr. These turtles look different. Paige Turco replaces Judith Hoag as April O’Neil. Out of the shell and on Oprah Winfrey. What does Splinter eat? Tokka and Rahzar fill in for Bebop and Rocksteady. Everything is toned down. Go Ninja by Vanilla Ice. Missed opportunity with the anti-mutagen. The third film. Army of

As a new baseball season begins, Sean picks the 1989 underdog sports romp Major League, starring Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, Rene Russo, Corbin Bernsen, and Dennis Haysbert. Talking points: The Hunter Pence episode of Fuller House. Building a bad team. A stalker romance. Moneyball. Baseball as a form of community. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. The fall of kids sports movies. Turtles.

Lyndsey selects her VHS copy of the 1989 John Hughes film Uncle Buck, starring John Candy, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby Hoffman, Amy Madigan, and lil' Macauly Culkin.

In honor of Leap Day, we're leaping back in time to the fifties with Sean's pick, the 1957 sci-fi B-movie bonanza Invasion of the Saucer Men, about a group of dumb teenagers, dumb con men, and dumb army dudes running afoul of some equally dumb bulb-headed aliens. Talking points: Happy Leap Day! The cover. American International Pictures. Lover’s Point. Bug-eyed aliens. Artie as an unreliable narrator. Alcoholic subtext. Uncomfortable rape humor. Why drive with your headlights off? A sleepy protagonist. Alien vs. bull. Incompetent cops. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. John Hughes.

Lyndsey selects the classic 1988 film Big, about a boy who wishes to be Tom Hanks. The film co-stars Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, and John Heard. Talking points: A film made for adults. Josh makes a pretty great adult. Zoltar. The keyboard dance. A 20th Century Fox Selection. Is Splash a good movie? Tom Hanks talk. Penny Marshall directs. A taboo relationship. Eating baby corn. Kidnapping yourself. Wishing away your childhood. Rip-offs and body-swaps. You've Got Mail vs. Sleepless in Seattle. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Leaping back for leap day.

Horror enthusiast Sean picks his well-worn VHS copy of Child’s Play, starring Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, and Brad Dourif as the infamous killer doll Chucky. Talking points: Renting Child’s Play 2 as a child. Confusing franchise titles. Rambo. The slasher boom of the 80’s. A solid slasher series. Visit MGM on the web! Good Guy dolls and Turbo Man. Brad Dourif as Charles Lee Ray. Nobody believes the kid. Chris Sarandon’s frustrating car ride. Batteries included. Alex Vincent is a solid child actor. Voodoo. Messy breakfast. A slasher movie weirdly aimed at kids. Child’s Play. Child’s Play 3. Bride of Chucky. Seed of Chucky. Curse of Chucky. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Tom Hanks.