Now We Know

Roger roger it's Trollfighter 1 knowwhatImeanvern*???   *Vern does not appear in this film

This time, Chris offers up a twofer of animated Halloween specials, the latter a towering classic of the genre, the former an oft-forgotten footnote to its Christmas counterpart: Halloween is Grinch Night, and It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Suffice to say the broad approach to the Halloween cartoon doesn't get much further apart than these two, but who cares when the weather's so cozy*? *I...

It's Beetlejuice cartoon time, 'know what I mean babe? Huh huh huh I'm the ghost with the most [repeat sequence until funny]

This time Chris takes the wheel for Commercials of the 80's and 90's Lucky Number Volume 7! Dive in with us as we sift through wine ads that stigmatize male pattern baldness, pre-internet "party lines," and the cosmic horror of the Wendy's buffet bar.

With a legacy sequel on streaming now, Kevin and Chris look back at the 1980's comedy/action classic—emphasis on the comedy and de-emphasis on the action—Beverly Hills Cop. Starring Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, and the pitching coach from Little Big League, among others. Join us for a deep dive into all the pranks, tricks, endless Axel F needle drops, and the effortless charisma of young Eddie.

Kevin and Chris are joined by first-time guest (and alleged former caller to the Now We Know hotline) Andrea Bloom, here to dish on all things Captain Planet. Join the Planeteers in their pitched battle for the survival of earth against Hoggish Greedly, Verminous Skumm, the sultry Dr. Blight, and more!

Kevin and Chris are joined by friend of the show Rachel Fisher (Hollywood Crime Scene) to revisit, in honor of the passing of the late, great Shelley Duvall, her classic 80's children's passion project: Faerie Tale Theatre. Specifically, the merry trio look back at Hansel and Gretel, starring Paul Dooley, Joan Collins, and young Ricky Schroder and Bridgette Andersen as the titular children.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Want to choose what we cover for our next Patreon episode? Check out our listener poll on Twitter or Instagram , @nowweknowpod. Although Chris is technically the host of this episode, both he and Kevin are about as diehard fans of this flick as one can be — it's Disney's Robin Hood, released in 1973 to muted/mostly negative reaction, now an oft-cited source of sexual awakening fo...

From the annals of long-forgotten animation, Kevin presents, for your consideration: Bionic Six, a  1987 cartoon starring a family of cyborg heros taking on the nefarious Dr. Scarab. Directed by Osaka Dezaki—the man behind such animes as Space Adventure Cobra, Takarajima (Treasure Island), and the Golgo 13 movies—this show looms large in Kevin's memories, despite being largely forgotten.

Evan Tognotti joins the show to dig into 2002's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, an infamous big budget flop (or "disappointment," if you prefer Chris' classification) which had huge ramifications not just for the superhero genre and Hollywood icon Sean Connery's career, but for the Tognotti family's own personal fortunes.

Here he comes to save the day! Kevin, that is, bringing with him six entries (three episodes' worth combined) of Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, the 1987 Mighty Mouse reboot (not to be confused with 1980's The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle). Listen as Kevin gingerly guides Chris through a slate of first season episodes, produced by Bakshi studios under the eye of (now expose...

Nowadays, America's Culkinheads are all Kieran this, Kieran that. But back in 1994, we were still living in the Macaulay Epoch—though not for much longer, with that year's film adaptation of Richie Rich serving as the final childhood role for the darling young movie star. Nowadays you've probably only heard of this for the scene where Richie has a private McDonalds in his mansion, but fear not, as...

Once agIan, we're called to the mat by that most predictable and ignoble of occasions—the modern remake. The new 2024 version of this movie dropped back in April, so Kevin decided the time was ripe to revisit the 1991 original:  Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead.

They're finally gettin' married! Following the conclusion of the Aladdin animated series—which itself was kicked off by an earlier straight-to-video sequel—Disney rolled out a final VHS installment headlined by the return of Robin Williams as the Genie. Also featuring Jonathan Rhys-Davies and Jerry Orbach, this movie bravely asks: am I really better than The Return of Jafar?

Throwing back to the classic (if slightly underheralded) animation of our youths, Kevin brings forth Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, yet another Hasbro-backed vehicle reverse-engineered to sell toys. And, like the far more popular G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, this show was made by Sunbow Productions. Has lightning struck twice?

The gauntlet has been laid down: Patreon.com/nowweknow

On the occasion of the sad, premature passing of famed and influential manga author Akira Toriyama, Chris and Kevin look back at a trio of Dragon Ball Z movies that aired on American television in the late 90's—Dead Zone, The World's Strongest, and The Tree of Might.

With a reboot on the horizon, Kevin and Chris look back at 1992's X-Men cartoon series, a childhood staple clearly loved and well-remembered by many. Please, join us for a little mutant madness, and see how this once and future hit holds up in our brave new world.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Fleischer Studios' Superman animated shorts of the 1940's! Well, more accurately, we'll be talking about two of the classic Superman cartoons produced under the watchful eye of Max and Dave Fleischer, and one of the late-run entries produced by Famous Studios, Paramount's Fleischer successor studio. Join us for a look back at a trio of The Last Son of Krypton's adve...

Who you gonna call? Fortunately, not the police, but rather The Real Ghostbusters! That's right, with the unfathomably bizarre decision to release another self-serious Ghostbusters movie in theaters soon (wasn't what you loved about the original how maudlin it was?), Kevin revisits the classic 80's DIC cartoon series.

Step aside, Dumbo. Shove off, Horton. Get outta here, elephant... from... Operation Dumbo Drop... it's little Babar's time to shine! This episode we look back at Babar The Movie, a 1989 barely feature length flick which did screen in some theaters, raking in about $1.3 million at the box office, entertaining among others a three-year-old Chris Tognotti in his very first theatrical experience.

It's that time again, friends! For his first episode of 2024, Kevin revisits a noble Now We Know tradition, taking us on a trip through Christmas cheer, grim reflections on secondhand smoke, and even a visit to the sacred Halls of Medicine—it's Commercials of the 80's and 90's Vol. 6!

Happy New Year to all our friends, lovers, and of course, listeners! To ring in a new year, Chris finally uncorks an episode he's had in his back pocket since, well, roundabouts Christmas of 1997 — Titanic: A New Musical (now called Titanic: The Musical, as it is no longer in any way new). Debuting on Broadway the very same year as James Cameron's epic movie, although actually releasing several mo...

Babes! Toys! Lands! Not really the first things you'd think of if you actually watched this made-for-TV movie, but here it is just the same. Noteworthy for performances by young Drew Barrymore, young Keanu Reeves, regular-aged Pat Morita, and for muddling Kevin's memories of 80s Christmastime with the things he watched yet again. Thrill to hear that one guy from Empty Nest say "Cinciwhatski" 100 t...

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