Tapeheads

Lyndsey selects the podcast's first animated film with 1989's Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, a troubled Japan/USA co-production that initially flopped at the box office only to later gain a cult following thanks largely to the involvement of Yutaka Fujioka, Mickey Rooney, Chris Columbus, Brad Bird, and Ray Bradbury. Talking points: A long production history. A lot of people involved. Nemo has the personality of an eggplant. The Alice in Wonderland dream problem. Heavily cut for American audiences. A Nightmare on Elm Street. Tropicana. A strange culture mesh. The Gate. The heir to Slumberland. The cut scenes. A film that terrified Lyndsey. Imaginationland. Cruel characters. The Wizard of Oz. Sleeping with squirrels. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Chucky.

UPROXX writer and freelance journalist Chloe Schildhause selects the Olsen Twins classic It Takes Two, starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Kirstie Alley, and Steve Guttenberg. Be sure to check out Chloe's writing at www.schildhause.com, including a very special Vanity Fair article about a certain set of identical strangers. Talking points: A special guest. The epic tale of the Mary-Kate and Ashley Cruise. Meeting the Olsen Twins. Trailer talk. How the West Was Fun. Long Dualstar sales pitch. The Amazing Panda Adventure. The book series. Doris Day. A supernatural Parent Trap. Identical strangers. Orphan tomboy Amanda and rich girl Alyssa. Steve Guttenberg as cell phone wizard Roger Calloway. The horseback meet cute. Buff Guttenberg in a wet shirt. Escaping an evil adopted family and an evil stepmother. Vincenzo, the Jersey mobster butler. Conspiracy theories. The current whereabouts of the Alyssa Calloway painting. Food fight. The lake scene. The Butkis family. Ranking the Mary Kate and Ashley films. The we

Christmas is here, so we're breaking out the egg nog and putting Santa hats on dead European terrorists as we watch Sean's holiday favorite, Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Alexander Gudonov, Reginald VelJohnson, Robert Davi, and William Atherton. Talking points: Violence brings the family together. Die Hard as the perfect Christmas movie. The Fly II is gross. A Fish Called Wanda. The perfect action movie? John McClane as the mortal hero. The Die Hard legacy. Simple but effective. Alternate casting. The shirt color change. Limo vs. ambulance. The rose bushes. The balance of grimness and humor. Running on glass. Economic storytelling. Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. Memorable henchmen. Sgt. Al Powell. The sequels. Argyle. Late 80's tech. The media as a villain. Holly McClane as a believable hero. Ellis. Blowing up the roof. The music. Christmas trappings. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Die Hard drinking game. Chloe Schildhause.

In this special Christmas episode, Lyndsey selects Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1996 family romp Jingle All The Way, which pits him against a crazed Sinbad and a lecherous but festive Phil Hartman as he tries to fulfill the demands of his shouty son, Jake Lloyd.

Filmmaker, actor, attorney-at-law, and noted dinophile Philip Laird guests on the show with his beloved VHS copy of Adventures in Dinosaur City starring Omri Katz and a cast of talking, walking, kung-fu-flippin' dinosaurs. Talking points: Introducing Philip. A young dinophile’s favorite. Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles. Star Wars. Trailer talk. Timmy, Jamie, and Mick. The cartoon. Scientist parents. Alternate dimensions. The star of the show is Forry. Nuclear reactor. Volcanic slang. Dinosaur graveyard. The cantina scene. Rex and Tops. A classic three-act structure. Treehouse downtime. Tinkerbell song. Jamie’s retainer. Mr. Big the evil Allosaurus. The clothing of dinosaurs and Rockies. Remote control. Dinosaur dystopia. Prison tower. Papa Rex. Forry flies. Going back home. Where young Phil stopped the tape. Cliffhanger ending. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In celebration of the release of the new James Bond film Spectre, Sean selects his favorite 007 tape: Licence to Kill, starring Timothy Dalton as Bond, Robert Davi as Sanchez, Carey Lowell as Pam Bouvier, Talisa Soto as Lupe, and Benicio Del Toro as Dario. Talking points: Happy 007 November. Lyndsey’s experience with Ian Fleming's Bond, James Bond. Sean Connery. George Lazenby. Roger Moore. Our man Timothy Dalton. John Cleese Schweppes commercial. A dark and unusual Bond movie. The Bond girls. The cold open. The villains. A messy revenge plot. Does it feel like a Bond film? The violence. The Gladys Knight song. The water skiing sequence. Tanker truck chase. A few flaws. Evaluating Dalton. Pierce Brosnan and the Daniel Craig era. You don’t have to be English to play Bond. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Dinosaurs.

In another very special Halloween episode, Lyndsey selects the wild and witchy Disney tape Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the dreaded Sanderson sisters, with supporting turns from Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Charles Rocket. Boo! Talking points: Fuller House taping at AT&T Park. The Mystery of the Mary-Kate and Ashley Cruise Ship Cake Smash. Trailer talk. Children's sports movies. Hocus Pocus as a cult movie. Why was this released in July? Quick recap. Virgin. Salem. Fish out of water. California dude. Binx the cat. Child actors that aren't annoying. Ice and Jay. Billy Butcherson. Another racist children's horror movie. Gary Marshall as Satan. Hocus Pocus as a made-for-TV movie. Casting choices. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. James Bond.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen use witchcraft to fight evil Cloris Leachman as Sean makes an out-of-character selection in a very special Halloween episode of Tapeheads. Talking points: The kids of today aren't getting spooked. An in-depth history of the Olsen Twins and Dualstar. Stilted performances. Trailer talk. A Little Princess. The Secret Garden. Black Beauty. Babies at Play. The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley. Our First Video. Sleepover Party. The fan club. To Grandmother's House We Go. Quick recap. Children's Halloween party. Phil Fondacaro as Oskar the Clown. Asian jack-o-lantern. The hidden connection between Aunt Agatha and Lynn. The troubling Mr. N. Is this movie racist? Jurgen Wolff. Stranger danger. Witches gathering. Setting the clock forward. Lack of witch costumes. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. More witches.

It’s Meryl vs. Goldie as Lyndsey picks the “immortal” 1992 classic Death Becomes Her. Talking points: A mean and catty movie. No trailers for Lyndsey. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn as rivals. Fighting over milquetoast Bruce Willis. Morbidly obese cat lady. No positive qualities in these characters. The Robert Zemeckis eye for detail. Cosmetologist for the dead. Isabella Rossellini. Eternal life. Iconic imagery. A timeless world. Wardrobe. Lessons learned. Sean’s favorite line. Kevin Kline. The floating nun anomaly. Dead celebrity party. The funeral. Don’t drink the potion. Alternate Swiss Alps ending. Brave roles for women. The duality of Goldie Hawn. Alan Silvestri’s score. Lyndsey’s VHS memories. Critical reception. The cult legacy of the film. Bruce’s Babylonian pontoons. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Cynical Zemeckis. Gearing up for Halloween.

Sean selects the 1990 western monster comedy Tremors, starring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward as two country handymen who lead their town of eclectic characters to fight against graboids, giant underground worms that hunt by sound. Talking points: A shared favorite. Visalia’s Video Zone, home of the animatronic corpse and Indiana Jones snakes. Mom and Pop video rental stores. The Blockbuster in Lodi. San Francisco’s Le Video. 3-2-1 Video in Florence, Oregon. Sam Raimi directs Liam Neeson in Darkman. Not your typical monster movie. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward as Val and Earl. Finn Carter as Rhonda. Michael Gross and Reba McEntire as the Gummers. Victor Wong as Walter Chang. Melvin. The Bacon/Ward chemistry. A good spirited monster mash. The perfect horror/comedy. RIP Wes Craven. The rules. Pulled punches. An amazing ensemble. The slow reveal. Philip and Sean’s Attack of the Flesh Eating Beatles. Sequels and spin-offs. Tremors 5: Bloodlines with Jamie Kennedy. Alternate ending. Buy it/Rent it/Tape over it. Meryl Stre

Lyndsey picks Disney's 1993 adaptation of the immortal Alexandre Dumas classic The Three Musketeers with an all-star 90's cast including Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Chris O'Donnell, and Tim Curry! Talking points: Adaptations. Trailer talk. D2: The Mighty Ducks. Cool Runnings. Iron Will. Trailer scorecard. Adventures of Huck Finn. The Nightmare Before Christmas. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Most popular versions. Star-studded cast. Lyndsey's history with the tape. Pirates of the Carribean. D'Artagnan. Athos, Porthos, Aramis, Cardinal Richelieu. Michael Wincott. Rebecca De Mornay. Hardcore Disney violence. Gabrielle Anwar. Julie Delpy. Paul McGann. Creepy Cardinal. Carey Elwes. Quick synopsis. No CGI. Curry vs. Charlie. Loose adaptation. Cardinal's wine-filled carriage. Critical response. "All for Love" by Sting, Rod Stewart, and Bryan Adams. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Kevin Bacon.

Winemaker Chad Hinds of Methode Sauvage supplies Tapeheads with his treasured VHS copy of 1997's The Saint, starring Val Kilmer as Simon Templar, an international thief and master of disguise who must woo beautiful genius/virgin Elizabeth Shue in order to steal her sexy cold-fusion secrets!
 To learn more about Chad and his delicious wines, visit him online at www.methodesauvage.com. Methode Sauvage wines can currently be shipped to California residents or purchased in several Bay Area stores, including Local Cellar and both Bi-Rite locations in San Francisco and Ordinaire in Oakland.

Horror fanatic Sean selects his VHS copy of 1997's I Know What You Did Last Summer, the Kevin Williamson slasher adaptation of Lois Duncan's bloodless 1973 suspense novel, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze Jr. Talking points: Kevin Williamson. Scream. The soundtrack. Kula Shaker. Rental copy. Lois Duncan. Modernized text. Book vs. movie. Tame slasher. A cast of pretty people. Freddie Prinze Jr. is terrible. Low bodycount. Sweater sets. The 90's cast photo. The not-so-violent kills. The unmasking of the killer. Trying to explain the plot of this movie. Supernatural slasher, revenge tale, or something in the middle? The vapid survivors. Jump scare finale. Creepy backwoods Anne Heche. Lapses in logic and horror movie tropes. The filmmakers hate Lois Duncan too. The inevitable remake. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. If you were to remake this movie, who would you cast? Next time, our first guest episode.

Lyndsey selects the 1995 Disney hit Man of the House, in which Chevy Chase tries to win the heart of Jonathan Taylor Thomas by appropriating Native American culture. Farah Fawcett co-stars. Talking points: JTT. Stepdads. Disney knows their pre-feature trailers. Aladdin and the King of Thieves. The Aristocats. Gordy. Heavyweights. Tall Tale. YMCA Indian Guides Club. JTT's fashion. Expectations vs. reality. The bad guys. Weird third act genre shift. Appropriation of Native American culture. Raindance montage. The disappearance of Farah Fawcett. Sex and race in the world of Man of the House. Is JTT a latent homicidal genius? Chevy Chase's character. Indian names. Lyndsey's history with the film. Production value. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Late 90's Kevin Williamson horror.

As our special two-week premiere continues, Sean dips into his VHS collection and selects the "classic" 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Commando starring Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Vernon Wells, and Dan Hedaya. Talking points: 20th Century Fox Selections. VHS vs. DVD. Evil garbage trucks. John Matrix is a young retiree. Plane plan. Creepy Sulley. Digital watch. Inscrutable evidence. Useful Cindy. Sean's history with Commando. The beauty of 80's action cinema. Climactic island assault. Chainmail sweater. Arnold catch phrases. Commando 2: Die Hard. Is Arnold attractive? Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

In our series premiere, we dive into one of Lyndsey's childhood favorites, 1993's Surf Ninjas starring Ernie Reyes Jr., Rob Schneider, Tone Loc, Kelly Hu, and Leslie Nielsen. Talking points: John Cusack. Childhood martial arts. Why VHS? Pre-feature trailers. Mr. Nanny. Mortal Kombat. 90's slang. Rob Schneider's purpose. Leslie Nielsen's answering machine. Detective Tone Loc. Magical Sega Game Gear. Multicultural casting. Moto-surf. Climactic island assault. Arranged marriage. RIP Leslie Nielsen. Baba Ram. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. Arnold Schwarzenegger.