Hey, Do You Remember...?

Well this one isn't exactly the way Chris, Donna, and Carlos remembered it. It's a problematic premise to begin with, but we were positive that a film written and directed by the legendary John Hughes would confidently tackle those complications head-on. Sadly, this is not one of his finer efforts. Chris thinks the lack of any real conflict between the main characters makes the film a little borin...

After a run of some less than stellar films, the HDYR gang decided to try and lift their spirits by revisiting A League of Their Own - a movie they all loved as kids and have continued to adore as adults. For Donna, it was the spark that ignited a feminist flame. For Carlos, it was a sports movie with the perfect blend of heart and laughs. And for Chris, it was the inspiration to try and start his...

Donna had never seen Last Action Hero. Chris & Carlos convinced her to watch it by describing it as one of the first mainstream movies to flirt with this sort of cheeky self-awareness. They remembered it as a misunderstood gem that was too ahead of its time in the pre-"meta" cinematic landscape of 1993. Then they all watched it and realized that was a bunch of hot air. Chris comes to terms with th...

None of us had seen the 1987 comedy Mannequin in a really long time and we were all pretty stunned to discover that this movie doesn't offer any explanations for what's happening. That pre-credits scene in Egypt? Irrelevant. The circumstances that led to Emmy becoming a mannequin? Never touched on. The reason that Jonathan's the only one that can see her? Doesn't matter. Chris has fond memories of...

We thought it might be fun to revisit a movie that came out when we were in high school so Carlos suggested Varsity Blues . This coming-of-age story was his first introduction to these up-and-coming stars and to the legendary Jon Voight. Donna wasn't interested in it when it was originally released, but eventually discovered it on cable and has grown to love it over the years (though mostly ironic...

Donna sure does love The Muppets and she decided to take us through her favorite Muppet movie of all-time: The Muppets Take Manhattan . Chris and Carlos have similarly fond memories of Jim Henson's beloved band of misfits and none of them can remember a time when they weren't a part of their lives. They discuss the differences between the films & TV shows produced when Henson was still alive and t...

We decided to take a break from our regularly scheduled programming and try something a little different for this episode. Rather than picking a movie or TV show, we thought it might be interesting to re-read Lois Lowry's young-adult novel The Giver . Carlos and Donna remembered most of the story, but both agree that its final moments come across very differently now. Chris had almost no memory of...

By the power of Grayskull... it's the ultra-bizarre Masters of the Universe movie! Chris, Carlos, and Donna all watched the He-Man cartoon and played with the toys when they were kids, but these characters and their lore didn't stick with them the way other properties from this era have. Chris and Carlos remember being fairly bummed out by this 1987 live-action adaptation and its glaring disregard...

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand has seen its share of peaks and valleys over the years, but when the first live-action film was released in the spring of 1990, the heroes in a half-shell were at the apex of their popularity.  This was one of the first "event" movies for Chris, Donna, and Carlos - and all three of them were at exactly the right age to be completely captivated by it. In this...

Once Bitten is either the best or worst movie we've watched for the show. Actually, it's probably both. We all had a great time with it despite the fact that it's objectively awful. After giving some context for what else was going on in the world when the film was released in 1985, the gang buckles up for a completely bonkers breakdown of this misguided horror/comedy. Donna gushes about her favor...

There were so many great Christmas movies to choose from for our first Holiday Special, but we finally settled on one that was a childhood favorite for all of us - Home Alone .  Topics include: what it was like growing up in the Chicagoland area when the film was released, the surprisingly sound internal logic of the story, the one actor who really didn't want to be there, the supposedly dead pop...

Empire Records may not be a great film, but it is a beloved cult favorite. The initial reviews were pretty terrible and it sort of came and went from theaters in the blink of an eye. So how has it amassed such a devoted following in the years since its release? Why does it continue to resonate with audiences when so many of its contemporaries have long since been forgotten? Chris, Donna, and Krist...

When The Professional first came up as a possibility for our next episode, it was immediately apparent that everyone had fond memories of this film. EVERYONE!!! Chris and Carlos watched the uncut international version (known as Leon: The Professional ) and Donna watched the original theatrical version. They highlight the differences in each cut, discuss the strengths and drawbacks of these choices...

Don't be an L7 weenie! Head back to the summer of '62 with us so that we can play some ball, talk about The Great Bambino, perv some dishes, roast some s'mores, and face off against The Beast. The Sandlot 's idealistic and sentimental tone made all of us nostalgic for an era we didn't even grow up in (and that we all agree probably didn't actually exist). But that's sort of it's charm - it does a...

We close out this year's run of Halloween episodes with a retrospective of the Child's Play franchise. Chris was really into these movies as a kid. Kristen had never seen any of them. Together, they sat down and watched all six - Child's Play , Child's Play 2 , Child's Play 3 , Bride of Chucky , Seed of Chucky , and the newly released Curse of Chucky . iTunes  /  Stitcher  /  RSS  /  Facebook  / ...

In our second Halloween-themed episode, Donna walks us through one of her childhood favorites - Hocus Pocus  . Chris and Carlos weren't as into this one as kids, but for different reasons. Donna still adores it, Chris still can't really get into it, and Carlos was surprised to find that it was more entertaining than he'd remembered.   iTunes  /  Stitcher  /  RSS  /  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Instag...

We begin our run of Halloween-themed episodes with a look back at Are You Afraid of the Dark ?- a show that absolutely terrified our hosts as children. Chris, Donna, and Carlos each chose one of their favorite episodes to rewatch and discuss. After revisiting The Tale of the Dark Music , The Tale of the Super Specs , and The Tale of the Quiet Librarian , they close things out with a conversation a...

Megabytes of input! Get ready for a very spirited discussion about this surprisingly ambitious 1988 comedy.  It probably seems strange to revisit the sequel without looking at the original Short Circuit , but we all realized that we have much clearer and fonder memories of this one. Short Circuit 2 has so much more going for it than any of us could possibly have anticipated. For a kids movie about...

There's no denying that Dick Tracy is a visually impressive film. The production design, the cinematography, and the effects are all truly incredible. Chris doesn't think it's a bad movie by any means, but he's always been a little baffled by all the love for it. Even as a kid he felt like the story wasn't anywhere near as interesting as the world it took place in. Carlos is a little bit more forg...

With a scant 78 min. running time, Problem Child certainly doesn't have to worry about overstaying its welcome. It got in, got out, and happily surprised the HDYR gang. Initially, our memories of this film and its sequel were all jumbled up. As a result, it was easy to forget that the first Problem Child actually has some witty satirical elements, a strong point-of-view, and an endearing overall m...

Have to fight. Have to fly. Have to crow. Steven Spielberg's Hook was maligned by critics upon its release in 1991, but many who grew up with it still remember it fondly. Is the film a misunderstood masterpiece or were its detractors right on the money? For the HDYR gang, the truth is somewhere in the middle. It was the first movie that truly disappointed Chris as a child, Carlos found the whole t...

There's no beating around the bush with this one... Super Mario Bros. is a pretty epic misfire. None of us liked it that much as kids, but Chris thought the bizarre choices the filmmakers made were so fascinating that it was worth a discussion. In this episode, we look back at the property's odd journey from video game to silver screen and wonder if there was ever going to be a good version of thi...

We're right on top of that, Rose!  In this episode we dig up the corpse of one of Donna's childhood favorites and try to convince her it's a rotting mess. She still loves it, Carlos doesn't, and Chris is somewhere in the middle. Join us as we discuss irresponsible mothers, moon goddesses, bizarre pick-up lines, Chris' problem with the lack of "fun & games" in the screenplay, the irresistible charm...

Chris & Donna both loved Harry and the Hendersons as kids. As adults, well... it's sort of a mixed bag. In this episode, they discuss the top-notch creature fx, the annoying older sister, the film's abundance of either set-up or payoff (but not both),  their own personal camping horror stories, Bigfoot's *ahem* appendages, and much more. iTunes  /  Stitcher  /  RSS  /  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Ins...

Chris & Donna revisit Adventures in Babysitting and discuss the importance of expositional vanity plates, G-rated Playboy spreads, the single most bonkers gang fight in all of cinema, and much, much more! Quick disclaimer - this is basically our pilot episode. It was the very first attempt we made at recording something, so the format isn't totally in place yet and it runs a little long. There wer...