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93: “Now That’s What I Call A Close Encounter” – Independence Day & Mars Attacks!

In the mid-90s, multiplexes were invaded by an influx of movies centered on mankind’s first contact with extraterrestrials. And unlike the cute and friendly aliens we got to know in the 80s, like E.T. and ALF, the space invaders of the 90s mostly just wanted to annihilate us, starting with our favorite tourist destinations.

Part One of the When We Were Young Early Late Mid-To-Late 90s Summer Alien Invasion Spectacular looks at two of the deadliest interstellar assaults to ever breach the silver screen, both celebrating their 25th anniversaries this year.

First up, we celebrate the 4th of July in the most American way possible — with mass casualties, tons of military hardware, a bombastic presidential speech, and a stripper! Roland Emmerich’s record-smashing INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996) raised the bar for special effects-loaded summer entertainment, redefining the blockbuster with its cataclysmic destruction of U.S. landmarks (a popcorn movie hallmark ever since).

Next, we attempt to shield ourselves from Tim Burton’s outrageous sci-fi send-up MARS ATTACKS! (1996), with a cast so star-studded that it stars Jack Nicholson twice! The wacky comedy had just as much death and destruction as Independence Day, but came in for a crash landing when it opened in theaters, and has been largely forgotten since.

Which of these uncomfortably close encounters holds up better now that we’re viewing them from a distance? Do we prefer President Pullman to President Nicholson? A dog that outruns an explosion, or a chihuahua with Sarah Jessica Parker’s body? Will Smith’s fresh quips, or ack-ack-ack-ack? Get answers to these and other probing questions in a podcast that’s truly out of this world!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and email episode suggestions to wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts so more folks check out the show!

Help us defray the costs of creating this show, which include recording remotely, purchasing movies/shows/music to review, delivery food to eat our feelings, and producing & editing in-house at the MFP Studio in Los Angeles, California, by donating to our Patreon account at patreon.com/WhenWeWereYoung

91: “My Only Love Sprung From My Only Hate” – Romeo + Juliet

Baz, Baz, wherefore art thou Baz Luhrmann? On the latest episode of When We Were Young, we travel back to the mid-90s (and then even further back to the 16th century) to rewatch the Australian director’s frenetic modern-day adaptation of WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO + JULIET (1996). The film was a hit at the box-office and cemented Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes’ status as the heartthrobs of their generation.

Plus, the film’s soundtrack was considered one of the all-time greats, filled with original Bard-inspired tunes by the likes of Garbage and Radiohead. Shakespeare’s tragic tale of star-crossed lovers is still considered a classic, but does Baz’s exhilarating adaptation stand the test of time, too?

Pray, join us in merriment for Part I of our Spectacular Spectacular review of the films of Baz Luhrmann – or do you dare bite your thumb at us, sir?

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and email episode suggestions to wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts so more folks check out the show!

Help us defray the costs of creating this show, which include recording remotely, purchasing movies/shows/music to review, delivery food to eat our feelings, and producing & editing in-house at the MFP Studio in Los Angeles, California, by donating to our Patreon account at patreon.com/WhenWeWereYoung

89: “You Watch Your Mouth, Buddy” – Thelma & Louise

When it comes to leading ladies, you’d have a hard time finding a more powerhouse lineup than 1991’s THELMA & LOUISE, which saw both of its stars nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars that year. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon play BFFs whose road trip goes seriously south when they shoot a rapist and end up as unlikely outlaws bound for Mexico — via the Grand Canyon, of course.

Callie Khouri’s original screenplay was so groundbreaking and audacious, it attracted the attention of nearly every actress in Hollywood — and was passed on by nearly every studio executive at the time, who pushed Khouri to make her characters more “ladylike” and change the controversial (and now totally legendary) ending.

In this episode, our hosts discuss a film that had the odds stacked against it ever getting a greenlight, which has since become one of the most iconic and beloved films of the 90s. We also dust off the two other runners-up from the 1991 Best Actress race, seeing how For The Boys’ Bette Midler and Rambling Rose’s Laura Dern stack up against Sarandon and Davis.

Does Thelma & Louise still feel as fresh as it did 30 years ago? Would the film still ruffle as many patriarchal feathers if it were made today? And what ever became of that handsome newcomer who plays the drifter? Climb in your Thunderbird, lock a cop up in the trunk, and leave your sex hair as is, because we’re in hot pursuit of the ultimate female buddy movie — and we think we have it in our sights!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and email episode suggestions to wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts so more folks check out the show!

Help us defray the costs of creating this show, which includes purchasing movies/shows/music to review, delivery food to eat our feelings, and producing & editing in-house at the MFP Studio in Los Angeles, California, by donating to our Patreon account at patreon.com/WhenWeWereYoung

77: “I Learned That From A Rat” – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

If you thought this podcast was done discussing everyone’s favorite gang of pubescent crime fighting reptiles, we’ve got news for you! Less than a year after the first TMNT movie did some major league butt-kicking at the box office, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE offered a second helping of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo — plus their furry but wise sensei Splinter, their cutlery-inspired arch-nemesis Shredder, and a whole lot of shameless pizza promotion.

There’s no question that this sequel is more kid-friendly than the original, replacing Judith Hoag’s feisty April O’Neil with the more amiable Paige Turco, ditching the hockey-stick wielding bad boy Casey Jones, and giving our heroes a teenage pizza delivery boy sidekick. It also shows off more of Jim Henson’s creature effects with its super-sized baby villains Tokka and Rahzar. But TMNT II is perhaps best known as the film debut of Vanilla Ice, whose “Ninja Rap” inspires the hip-hop dance number that no early 90s family flick should be without.

And before we’re completely done dining on turtle soup, our hosts reminisce about the video games, action figures, concert tours, and other wild TMNT merch we begged our parents to buy us — and recap their recent viewing of 1996’s SPACE JAM, too. Go ninja, go ninja, go listen to part two of our podcast — back by bodacious demand!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and email your episode suggestions to wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts so more folks check out the show!

Help us defray the costs of creating this show, which includes purchasing movies/shows/music to review, delivery food to eat our feelings, and producing & editing in-house at the MFP Studio in Los Angeles, California, by donating to our Patreon account at patreon.com/WhenWeWereYoung

76: “They’re Heroes In A Half-Shell, And They’re Green” – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The world’s most fearsome podcast team unleashes its most tubular episodes yet, diving deep into the mythos of those lean, green phenoms of yore, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

First, we check out the comic book where it all began, discussing how a black-and-white spoof aimed at adults became one of the most popular children’s franchises of all time. Radical! Next, we revisit the kitschy cartoon series — and the catchy theme song we’ll never be able to get out of our heads, even if our brains are removed from our bodies and placed in awkward bald-guy-in-red-underwear human suits. Righteous! And finally, we return to 1990’s live action TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES movie and debate who, exactly, this mashup of samurai lore, stoner slang, dated movie references, and goofy kiddie humor is supposed to be for. Cowabunga!

Do we still feel the Turtle Power after all these years? Or has this whole franchise aged about as well as April O’Neil’s bright yellow jumpsuit and white go-go boots? Don a trench coat, grab your nunchucks, and head on down to the sewers for another cool (but rude) episode of When We Were Young!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and email your episode suggestions to wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts so more folks check out the show!

Help us defray the costs of creating this show, which includes purchasing movies/shows/music to review, delivery food to eat our feelings, and producing & editing in-house at the MFP Studio in Los Angeles, California, by donating to our Patreon account at patreon.com/WhenWeWereYoung

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