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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

86: “Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.” – The Fly

We’ve been afraid… been VERY afraid… for most of 2020. Now we’ve made it to the New Year – a time of change, of hope, of possibility. But if you’re considering mutating into a human-insect hybrid as your New Year’s resolution, may we suggest… not?

After chilling with John Carpenter’s barf bag classic The Thing in our previous episode, we’re buzzing about another horror maestro’s take on 50s sci-fi – David Cronenberg’s THE FLY remake (1986), starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis as a couple that meets cute, falls in love, and soon has a baby on the way – while daddy is sprouting coarse insect hairs, vomiting milky white acid, and losing his teeth and fingernails in the most graphic way possible. It’s not a good look!

We talk about how The Fly embraces its B-movie roots, while also elevating body horror to new heights of critical and commercial success (plus an Oscar for its all-too-convincing makeup effects). And we admit that, at the tail end of a most unusual year, we can relate to this mad scientist’s unease about becoming a slimy, shriveled hermit. So join us in kissing off 2020 the way it deserves – with exploding baboons, larvae babies, and displaced appendages. You’ll be disgusted… you’ll be VERY disgusted!

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

42: “Life, Uh, Finds A Way” – Jurassic Park

JURASSIC PARK (1993), THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK II (1997), and JURASSIC PARK III (2001)

Dodgson! Dodgson! We’ve got Dodgson here! Does the fact that JURASSIC PARK is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month make you feel like a dinosaur? Or does the impending release of JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM have you ready to RRRUUUUNNN toward the nearest cineplex all over again?

You don’t have to be a clever girl to know that the original holds up — Steven Spielberg’s monstrous masterpiece is arguably the definitive blockbuster of the 90s. The When We Were Young podcast spares no expense in recounting the film’s lengthy development and risky production, also touching on Jeff Goldblum’s rock star nerd allure, the iconic score by John Williams, and how those once-groundbreaking CGI effects hold up 65 million years later.

But chaos theory kicks in once we extract 1997’s THE LOST WORLD from amber and dig up the fossilized remains of 2001’s JURASSIC PARK III. Are these sequels one big pile of dino droppings, or do they, uh, find a way? Turn the light off, hold onto your butt, and say the magic word, because we have a T-Rex, we bred raptors, and they do NOT happen to be vegetarians. Who’s hungry?

When We Were Young is a podcast devoted to the most beloved pop culture of our formative years (roughly 1980-2000). Join us for a look back to the past with a critical eye on how these movies, songs, TV shows and more hold up now. You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and you can email us your episodes suggestions at wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on iTunes!

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.