Best Once Upon A Vhs Podcasts (2025)

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The Company of Wolves (1984) with Rachel Lydia Barker (Girl on Film) 1:43:31

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30m ago1:43:31

1:43:31

As you're pretty, so be wise - wolves may lurk in every guise... Rachel Lydia Barker, film critic, video essayist and creator of the Girl on Film YouTube channel joins us in straying from the path to discuss a truly wild film. It's not just a dark and edgy reworking of Little Red Riding Hood, but a surreal and sensual gothic fairytale overflowing w…

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303. Halloween H20 with special guest Michael Morgan 2:07:46

14h ago2:07:46

2:07:46

"Can I please get another glass of Chardonnay please?" We’re back on our horror icon Michael Myers this week as we look back at Halloween: H20. Released for the 20th anniversary of John Carpenter’s original summer of 1998, it was an early capitalizer of nostalgia culture, this time scrapping 4, 5, and 6 (The Thorn Trilogy) in favor of a more stream…

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302. Friday the 13th with special guest Gabe Munoz 2:14:03

6d ago2:14:03

2:14:03

“You see, Jason was my son, and today is his birthday.” We’re back talking about an iconic 80s slasher for October, or shall we say our favorite slasher mother! We broke out our Friday the 13th box set and watched the original 1980 movie. Released on the coat tails of John Carpenter’s Halloween to capitalize on the masked psycho killer craze. Made …

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Cannon Movie Tales: Hansel and Gretel (1987) with Movies That Made Us Gay 1:41:49

6d ago1:41:49

1:41:49

With Michael lost in the woods, Callum calls upon returning guest co-hosts Pete and Scott from the fabulous Movies That Made Us Gay podcast to dive into discussion, dissection and dissemination of the Cannon Films "package" of fairy tale films, focusing in on Hansel and Gretel - it is the season of the witch, after all! We also discuss a few other …

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301. Gods and Monsters directed by Bill Condon 1:51:04

13d ago1:51:04

1:51:04

“Don’t you love being famous?” Halloween on the podcast has arrived, and we’re starting things off with a tribute to the LGBT horror icon James Whale. As the subject of the 1998 Bill Condon film Gods and Monsters, a partially fictional take on the last days of his life. The small moving film won Condon an Oscar for adapted screenplay and nominated …

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The Witches (1990) with Robert Berg 1:41:52

13d ago1:41:52

1:41:52

Witches of England... you are a disgrace! Robert Berg, writer and copy editorial director of Bona Books, a queer press specialising in fantasy, science fiction and horror, joins us to peel back the layers of weirdness with this unsettling adaptation. The complicated legacy of Roald Dahl, loving a sad wash, the performance of gender, gay gasps at th…

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300. Grease with special guest Jackson Cooper 1:54:32

21d ago1:54:32

1:54:32

“Tell me about it, stud.” How have we made it to 300 episodes of the podcast without talking about Grease is beyond us, but here we are! We are joined by our fellow MTMUG superstar guest, Jackson Cooper, to talk about one of the most beloved movie musicals of all time. Truly, the dent that Randal Kleiser’s musical put in the cultural landscape (a b…

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The Craft (1996) with Juno Dawson 1:15:32

20d ago1:15:32

1:15:32

We are the weirdos, mister. Light as a feather, stiff as a board. I bind you, Nancy, from doing harm... It's October, it's an iconic performance from Fairuza Balk, it's time to celebrate Fairuzaween with THE millennial mall-goth high school witch horror, 1996's The Craft. Our special guest Juno Dawson, bestselling author of the bewitching Her Majes…

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299. 300 directed by Zack Snyder 1:30:31

29d ago1:30:31

1:30:31

“I’m here, just taking a stroll, stretching my legs. These, uh, 300 men are my personal bodyguard.” We watched “300,” directed by Zack Snyder, and we need to hit the gym. A lot has been said of Snyder’s hyperfixation on the male form, and we’re here to add to that conversation. While this movie may be 117 minutes of fit men strutting around in leat…

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Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996) with Alice Boyd-Leslie 1:13:32

27d ago1:13:32

1:13:32

Before the hugely popular 90s sitcom, Sabrina the Teenage Witch had something of a trial run with this tonally very different TV movie. The delightful Alice Boyd-Leslie of Drunken Horror and Not Another Teen Podcast joins us for a trip down Memory Lane in enchanted super-fast sneakers. We also discuss other incarnations from her 60s Archie Comics o…

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298. A Midsummer Night's Dream with special guests Michael and Callum from Once Upon a VHS 1:59:52

1M ago1:59:52

1:59:52

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” We watched “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with our friends Michael and Callum from “Once Upon a VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy,” and we need a dictionary. This star-studded adaptation was riding high on the wave of late 90’s Shakespeare craze, and we’re digging the queerness this cast is bringing. Rupert Ever…

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The Little Mermaid (1989) 1:40:11

1M ago1:40:11

1:40:11

Come on, you poor unfortunate souls! We've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty, and our first Disney animated classic deep dive brings us a real Renaissance woman for the season of the witch - Divine meets Joan Collins, the diva doll herself, Ursula. We have a sincere love for this one - just don't ask us to give up our voices for it. Hans Christian And…

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297. Coyote Ugly with special guest Blake Knight 2:00:38

1M ago2:00:38

2:00:38

“Jim, Jack, Johnny Red, Johnny Black, and Jose; all my favorite men. You can have it any way you like it, as long as it's in a shot glass.” We watched “Coyote Ugly” with our friend Blake Knight, and we’ve got some choreography to learn. It was a lot of fun revisiting these gals jumping and jiving all over that bar, but we have to wonder about this …

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Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) 1:35:00

1M ago1:35:00

1:35:00

A Kiki is a party for calming all your nerves, and we have a special delivery coming! The Pippi Longstocking connection, Hayao Miyazaki's perfectionism, coming of age, British publishing jargon, the origins of Ursula's painting, San Francisco apparently being a European city, Totoro on stage, variations between dubs, His Dark Materials, grief, gees…

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296. Everybody Wants Some!! directed Richard Linklater 2:01:10

2M ago2:01:10

2:01:10

“You get a bunch of competitors together, and you’re addicted to winning.” We watched “Everybody Wants Some!!” Directed by Richard Linklater, and we were definitely born in the wrong era. This movie is a vibe, and that vibe is athletic college dudes in short shorts, sleeveless muscle shirts, and mustaches— so many mustaches. To be real, the look is…

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The Halloween Tree (1993) - Double Feature Part 2/2 47:37

2M ago47:37

47:37

Pick your soul pumpkin and grab a corner of a cape as we hurtle into the second part of our Ray Bradbury double bill with this Hanna-Barbera animated treat. Lollygagging, the Roseanne Halloween special, TV quality animation, "that mortician woman on YouTube" (Caitlin Doughty), edutainment, a slingshot on a sarcophagus, purple prose readings, Carmen…

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295. The Legend of Billie Jean with special guest Jesse Krempel from Cult Cinema Circle 2:08:10

2M ago2:08:10

2:08:10

“Fair is fair! We didn't start this, we didn't mean it to happen, but we're not giving up until you pay. FAIR IS FAIR!” We watched “The Legend of Billie Jean” with Jesse Krempel, the wonderful host of “Cult Cinema Circle,” and we need to make an appointment with our hairstylist. This often overlooked gem from the 1980s chronicles outlaw teens on th…

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Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) - Double Feature Part 1/2 1:20:40

2M ago1:20:40

1:20:40

Roll up, roll up! In this first part of our Ray Bradbury double bill, we take a ride on the creepy carousel of the October People in a dark and moody film that Disney would probably rather keep secret. Our thoughts on Ray Bradbury's writing, the politics in the Dark Pandemonium Carnival, extreme Pam Grier appreciation mania, Grandpa Simpson's onion…

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294. Kissing Jessica Stein with special guest Samantha Mann 1:47:45

2M ago1:47:45

1:47:45

“I was surprised to learn lesbians accessorized. I didn’t know that.” We watched “Kissing Jessica Stein” with the insightful Samantha Mann, author of “Dyke Delusions: Essays & Observations.” Sitting with Sam talking about this touchstone of queer/lesbian cinema really hammers home that the two of us are just a couple of dumb boys. This movie harken…

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Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997) with Tom Bloom 1:46:45

2M ago1:46:45

1:46:45

The Brothers Grimm get even grimmer with this gothic horror dark fairytale with possibly the most metal trailer in existence, Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1998). Writer, artist, coin-operated fortune teller and marketing and design superstar at indie perfumery Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Tom Bloom, joins us for a deep dive into the old ways. Sigour…

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293. Breaking Away with special guest Joshua Clement 1:59:38

2M ago1:59:38

1:59:38

“They're gonna keep calling us 'cutters.' To them, it's just a dirty word. To me, it's just something else I never got a chance to be.” How has it taken this long to get to a good old-fashioned sports movie on the podcast? We watched the Peter Yates film "Breaking Away" with our good friend Joshua Clement. Dennis Christopher plays Dave Stohler, a w…

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The Witches of Eastwick (1987) with Morgan M Page 1:41:18

2M ago1:41:18

1:41:18

Is it feminist? Is it queer? It's Cher, bitch! Seduced by this wayward success story of the witch film canon, we join forces with our longtime friend, writer, historian, artist and activist Morgan M Page, to mull over this oddball outlier. Barbra Streisand's fateful wig that led to giant mechanical spiders, everyone wanting a boyfriend who looks li…

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292. The Parent Trap 1998 with special guest Donovan Marcotte 1:57:22

3M ago1:57:22

1:57:22

“Here's what's going on, buddy: the day we get married is the day I ship those brats off to Switzerland, get the picture? It's me, or them. Take your pick.” We watched “The Parent Trap” (1998) with our friend Donovan Marcotte, and we’re seeing double! This movie really is a touchstone for an entire generation out there, and we totally get it. Linds…

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A Simple Wish (1997) with Tara Tagliaferro (Down the Yellow Brick Pod) 1:41:55

3M ago1:41:55

1:41:55

Get your jelly sandals on and your magic wands at the ready - we're not in Manhattan any more! The wickedly talented Tara Tagliaferro of Down the Yellow Brick Pod returns to chat with us about this quirky little number that captivated a micro-generation with its peculiar charms, and highlights some favourite fantasy books from her childhood. Truth-…

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291. Psycho II directed by Richard Franklin 1:49:26

3M ago1:49:26

1:49:26

“Look, I don't know what happened, but I own a motel not too far from here, and you'd be welcome to spend the night in one of the empty rooms if you'd like.” We watched Psycho II, directed by Richard Franklin, and suddenly we’re hungry for toasted cheese sandwiches. It’s been 23 years since Norman Bates was put away, and he’s been declared sane! No…

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Hocus Pocus (1993) 1:26:17

3M ago1:26:17

1:26:17

We're back - and it's the season of the witch! Join us as we fly over Salem with the Sanderson sisters for this Hallowe'en classic that is creepy, comedic, camp and a few other words beginning with "c". Pop culture witchcraft (and drag) reemerging in turbulent times, inflating a squashed cat puppet, "kiss me I'm Alison!", Bette Midler going on Zoom…

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I Still Know What You Did Last Summer & I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) with special guest Ashley Casseday 2:12:58

3M ago2:12:58

2:12:58

“Benson… Ben’s Son!” We’re wrapping up our Double Feature Summer and closing it out with some bangers! We watched “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” and the brand-spanking new “Legacy-quel” (also titled) “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (2025) with dear friend of the podcast, the always spooky, Ashley Casseday from “Keep it Weird”. We’ve deci…

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289. Superman with special guest Billy Roach 2:14:40

3M ago2:14:40

2:14:40

“I’m not messing around. I’m doing important stuff.” We watched “Superman” (2025) with our friend and resident Supes expert, Billy Roach, and we welcome our newest Kryptonian overlord. In a growing list of Supermen, David Corenswet has proven himself to be quite possibly the dorkiest entry, and gosh darn it, it’s so endearing! We’re not going to wa…

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BONUS Patreon Preview: Jim Henson's The Storyteller - Hans My Hedgehog (1987) 53:32

3M ago53:32

53:32

A preview of our brand new Patreon exclusive coverage of Jim Henson's The Storyteller featuring the pilot episode, Hans My Hedgehog. To hear the whole thing, our Star Wars and Lord of the Rings episodes and much more to come, check out our Patreon: https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs Join our Clamshell Club for $5 or £4 per month to gain access to thr…

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288. Jurassic Park & Jurassic World: Rebirth with special guest Hiko Mitsuzuka 1:51:03

4M ago1:51:03

1:51:03

"Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the Earth." It's a double feature summer at Movies That Made Us Gay, and we watched the original "Jurassic Park" and the latest entry "Jurassic World: Rebirth" with our friend and the newest member of the MTMUG Five Timers Club, Hiko Mitsuzuka. His monogrammed smoking jacket is on back order. Listen, what else can…

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287. Wet Hot American Summer directed by David Wain 1:49:01

4M ago1:49:01

1:49:01

“Well guys, we've made it to the end of the summer in one piece, except for a few campers who are lepers.” We’re taking a trip to Camp Firewood, and watched David Wain’s Wet Hot American Summer for our July 4th episode. Opening in dozens of theaters in the summer of 2001, Wet Hot American Summer gathered a loyal fan base from home video rentals and…

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286. Bad Influence with special guest Quatoyiah Murray 1:38:20

4M ago1:38:20

1:38:20

"I didn't make you do anything that wasn't in you already. People are such hypocrites. They walk through their whole lives playing innocent to the day they die, but they're not innocent. I showed you that." We watched "Bad Influence" (1990) with our friend, film writer, and author, Quatoyiah Murray, and we are all vying for President of the James S…

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285. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar directed by Beeban Kidron 1:44:05

4M ago1:44:05

1:44:05

“Well, pumpkins, looks like it's the age-old dilemma. Style...or substance.” It’s Pride season, and we watched the larger-than-life drag classic “To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything. Julie Newmar,” and we need a recount of our Princess Points. Over the past 30 years, this movie has secured itself as one of the most quotable comedies of the 90s. This…

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284. Into the Woods with special guest Andrew Rimby 1:32:43

4M ago1:32:43

1:32:43

“It’s the witch from next door!” We take a trip to the theater to discuss the iconic filmed production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, which was recorded for PBS American Playhouse in 1989. In one of our first opportunities to discuss Sondheim and Broadway on the podcast, we are joined by Andrew Rimby from the Ivory Tower Boiler Room. Many pe…

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283. Sex and the City with special guest Erica from The Surreality Podcast 2:16:47

5M ago2:16:47

2:16:47

“I put a bird on my head.” We watched “Sex and the City” and we may have Poughkeepsied our pants laughing. Oh look, we made a little joke. The original “Sex and the City” TV show is iconic, and the jump to the big screen was everything we wanted. The wardrobe - elevated, the sex scenes - steamier, and the drama… well, the drama is top tier. We all …

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The Hero's Knapsack - Season Finale and Mailbag 1:39:01

5M ago1:39:01

1:39:01

Hello Podlings, it's time for a chat! Join us as we talk a load of rubbish and have a rummage in the hero's knapsack. We answer listener questions, look back on our journey so far, share some exciting news about our Clamshell Club and crown this season's Miss Fan Favourite. The Once Upon A Time magazine and audio cassette carrycase, Gobbolino the W…

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282. Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 with special guest Drew Stanley 1:56:38

5M ago1:56:38

1:56:38

"More human than human" is our motto. We watched "Blade Runner" (1982) and "Blade Runner 2049" (2017) with our friend Drew Stanley, and we're in the market for one of those replicant owls. The original "Blade Runner" is a sci-fi classic, and while Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard couldn't be any more straight, the replicant Roy Batty as portrayed by D…

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281. All About Eve with special guest Jack Fields 1:40:34

5M ago1:40:34

1:40:34

“Bill's thirty-two. He looks thirty-two. He looked it five years ago; he'll look it twenty years from now. I hate men.” We watched “All About Eve” with our friend Jack Fields, and it was indeed a bumpy night. We really don’t have an answer as to how it took us this long to cover this titan of a movie, but here we are, and we had a blast. It doesn’t…

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Special Patreon Bonus Preview: "We're Going To Disneyworld!" 2:04:47

5M ago2:04:47

2:04:47

We're taking a week off of a regular MTMUG episode this week, but have a special bonus episode that gives you a taste of what you're missing on our Patreon. We're going to Disneyworld on the Patreon this week, and are taking about five ABC sticoms that brought (most) of its cast to the Happiest Place on Earth. First, we talk about Step By Step, our…

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The Dark Crystal (1982) 2:01:00

5M ago2:01:00

2:01:00

In the Age of Wonder, everybody loves puppets! We're journeying through Thra, somewhere between the Land of Gorch and Fraggle Rock, on a quest to restore balance to a broken world. Or at least make an entertaining podcast. To celebrate this iconic movie in the spirit of collaboration, community and The Great Conjunction, we invited our listeners an…

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280. Wicked with special guest Mitchell Anderson 2:10:11

6M ago2:10:11

2:10:11

"I'm not afraid. It's the Wizard who should be afraid of me." We watched "Wicked" with our good Judy, Mitchell Anderson, and it was just as good as the first time we watched it! We knew we wanted to review this episode here on our show, and we thought there's no time like the present. Here we are, about halfway between the release of "Wicked" and h…

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Drop Dead Fred (1991) with Rose Ruane 1:36:19

6M ago1:36:19

1:36:19

We're joined by fabulous artist and writer Rose Ruane to unpick this oft-reviled movie about an unruly, uncouth and uncanny imaginary friend in the form of a surprisingly sexy Rik Mayall. Heads up: while packaged as a comedy caper, this film deals with some heavy topics of otherness, mental health and overcoming abuse, and we discuss its suprising …

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279. Casper with special guest Michael Valvo 1:57:07

6M ago1:57:07

1:57:07

"Unfinished business? I have no unfinished business. I have my treasure, my mansion, I have everything. I'm just perfect!” We watched “Casper” with the hilarious Michael Valvo and we’ve got a lot of unfinished business! Let’s face it, this movie was an awakening for a lot of people. We all either wanted to be best friends with or just wanted to be …

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Princess Mononoke (1997) 1:15:20

6M ago1:15:20

1:15:20

Kodama-rama! We finally cover a Studio Ghibli anime classic with this brutal and brilliant film from Hayao Miyazaki. Gorgeous foliage, graphic violence, a wolf goddess with the voice of a drag queen, the curse of generative AI, Uncle Boonmee-coded apes, the "No Cuts" story, Final Fantasy VII, Lady Eboshi serving Creation Destruction Charisma Unique…

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278. Troy with special guest Chris Cirigliano 1:45:57

6M ago1:45:57

1:45:57

“I’ll tell you a secret. Something they don't teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last.” We watched Wolfgang Peterson’s sword and sandal epic ‘Troy’ with our friend Chris Cirigliano. Based on Homer’s the Iliad , this summer blockbuster had many turning their nose up at its h…

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Ladyhawke (1985) 58:06

6M ago58:06

58:06

We're feeling the romantasy with this swoonworthy effort from Richard Donner. We also insist that Michelle Pfeiffer needs to get her flowers. Great casting, gorgeous cinematography, grappling with the commodification of nostalgia, a horse in a wig, a detour to the origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the curse of desire, deleted monsters, reve…

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277. Leave Her to Heaven with special guest Emily Ollero Jones from the Female Driven Podcast 1:38:44

6M ago1:38:44

1:38:44

“There's nothing wrong with Ellen. It's just that she loves too much.” We watched “Leave Her to Heaven” with our friend Emily Ollero Jones from the podcast “Female Driven,” and we’re still trying to figure out a way to get Gene Tierney that Oscar. This Technicolor psychological thriller really has everything: melodrama, film noir, allusions to Gree…

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Freddie as F.R.O.7. aka Freddie the Frog (1992) with Ryan Hunter (Radical Retro Rewind?!) 1:19:27

6M ago1:19:27

1:19:27

Radical Ryan Hunter, hilarious host of Radical Retro Rewind?! podcast, joins us to dissect one helluva frog prince-turned-secret-agent in a deeply peculiar British animated adventure. Chekhov's Nessie, shrinking monuments, Blockbuster nostalgia, a revealing behind-the-scenes documentary, Boy George's disdain for the Ninja Turtles, bemusing musical …

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276. Josie and the Pussycats with special guest Jessica Granger 1:41:07

7M ago1:41:07

1:41:07

"Du Jour means seat belts. Du Jour means crash positions!" We get to an early 00s cult classic in kitten ears, "Josie and the Pussycats", this week with our friend Jessica Granger. Critics didn't really know what to do with this razor-sharp satire of the music industry and consumerism when it came out back in 2001, but we're here to say this movie …

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) with Joshua Tonks 1:25:13

7M ago1:25:13

1:25:13

We're joined by actor, writer and 90s afficionado Josh Tonks to revisit the oft-shaded original movie incarnation of an iconic heroine. Gay vampire Pee Wee Herman's improvised death scene, the cultural significance of Tokyo Pop, Hilary Swank's stank face, Luke Perry's soul patch, Spike on a rollercoaster with Lisa Loeb, yellow jackets (but not thos…