Obscure Obsessions: A Pop Culture Podcast

…or “National Lampoon’s Aquatic Animal House” In which our heroes obsess over the original concept for Jaws 3. Conceived as a parody of the first two Jaws films, this abandoned project was to be produced by National Lampoon with a screenplay co-written by John Hughes. Taylor & Nick read to you the wild synopsis of the Jaws flick that never was. ALSO FEATURING: A lint factory in Idaho! Directed...

…or “Whoopi in the Park with Dinosaurs” In which our heroes obsess over Theodore Rex (1996), a critically reviled buddy comedy about a police detective (Whoopi Goldberg) and her new partner… a talking dinosaur! ALSO FEATURING: Special effects by Party City! The Anti-Robert Rodriguez! $20 dollar lawsuits! In (sorta) praise of Baby Huey’s Easter Adventure! The Grid Police! Megan takes over Time Squa...

…or “Boy Meets (Under)World” In which our heroes obsess over H-E Double Hockey Sticks (1999). This made-for-TV Disney movie stars Will Friedle as a demon sent to Earth to buy the soul of a hockey player (Matthew Lawrence). ALSO FEATURING: Eric Matthews has a cough! Flip phones! Mark and Skid! Rhea Perlman! The Heinrich Maneuver! Marie Antoinette: Executive Assistant! The Delaware Demons! Guy Fieri...

…or “Go Home, Toto!” In which our heroes obsess over Return to Oz (1985). This dark fantasy finds Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) returning to a post-apocalyptic Oz, ruled over by the tyrannical Nome King (Nicol Williamson). Disney produced this faithful adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s second and third Oz books. FEATURING: Dorothy Gale! Bellina! Tik-Tok! Jack Pumpkinhead! The Gump! The Wheelers! Princess Mom...

Nick starts this week off by recommending a horror comedy about a mysterious wax museum: Waxwork, starring Zach Galligan of Gremlins fame. Then, Taylor recommends a quirky character study that stars Gene Wilder called Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx. __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer Nick Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Editor

This week Taylor & Nick recommend two movies that riff on classic tales. Up first, Taylor recommends Young Sherlock Holmes. Despite having Steven Spielberg as a producer, this Indiana Jones-inspired take on the Holmes stories remains little known. Next, Nick recommends the Jeremy Renner-fronted Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. A guilty-pleasure flick, the movie transforms the titular duo in...

We’re switching things up this week with two movies that your hosts DO NOT RECOMMEND. First, Nick negatively reviews Grease 2, starring Michelle Pfeiffer. After that, Taylor talks about his immense distaste for the disastrous Hudson Hawk, starring Bruce Willis. __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer Nick Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Editor

You might know Bud Abbott & Lou Costello from their classic comedy routine “Who’s On First?”. Taylor recommends one of their most underrated movies: Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man. After, Nick recommends a dark comedy written and directed by Alex Winter (“Bill” of Bill & Ted fame) called Freaked. The cast includes Randy Quaid as a freak show owner and Bobcat Goldthwaite as an anthropom...

Taylor kicks things off with Regarding Henry. After a near death experience, an arrogant lawyer (Harrison Ford) gets the chance to be a better man. Nick then recommends Mystery Men, a comedy about a team of superheroes with unimpressive, useless powers. __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer Nick Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Editor

Nick recommends Wild America , the comedic tale of three brothers as they travel America filming a wildlife documentary. Then, Taylor recommends The Journey of Natty Gann , a Disney movie about a girl in 1933, who hitchhikes across the country with a wolf. __________ Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer Nick Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Editor

... or “Obscure Obsessions II Ends” In which our heroes obsess over the movies & TV they watched in 2022 and reminisce about Season 2.  FEATURING: Beast (2022), Lightyear (2022), Studio 666 (2022), Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022), Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022), and many more!!!  ALSO FEATURING: CGI lions! Mike’s Super Short Show! Remembering Tommy Oliver (and trying to r...

In Which Our Heroes Play a CHRISTMAS MOVIE ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT  The grand conclusion to our Holiday Trilogy! 16 Christmas movies, some nostalgic favorites and others lesser-known oddballs, go head-to-head in our final elimination tournament. Find out who becomes the Obscure Christmas Movie for 2022.  FEATURING: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), An All Dogs Christmas Carol...

In Which Our Heroes Play a THANKSGIVING MOVIE ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT Our 2nd Annual Holiday Trilogy continues! With such a dearth of true Thanksgiving movies, Taylor & Nick expand the definition to include any film that contains a memorable food scene or has the words “Thanks” and/or “Giving” in the title. Who won the Obscure Thanksgiving-ish Movie for 2022? Listen! Find out! FEATURING: King K...

In Which Our Heroes Play a HALLOWEEN MOVIE ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT Our 2nd Annual Holiday Trilogy begins now! We’ve chosen 16 different Halloween movies (some lesser-known, others nostalgic favorites), entered the titles into an elimination bracket, and narrowed them down to one winner. Who won the Obscure Halloween Movie for 2022? Listen and find out! FEATURING: “Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Reveng...

Taylor & Nick attended an early screening of “Clerks III” at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The night included a Q&A with Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Brian O’Halloran, Marilyn Ghigliotti, and Scott Schiaffo. In this special episode, hear what your hosts thought of the film and “the Convenience Tour”. FEATURING: Randal! Dante! Jay! Silent Bob! Veronica! Elias! Becky! Willam from Clerks!...

In Which Our Heroes “Celebrate” The Return of the Head of the Research Department and Obsess Over SEQUELS THAT ARE BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL FEATURING: “Wayne’s World 2” (1992), “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” (1991), “Psycho II” (1983), “Toy Story 3” (2010), “Mad Max 2” (1981), and many more!!!  ALSO FEATURING: Megan ranks the Austin Powers movies! Megan tolerates Henry Cavill! Megan...

In Which Our Heroes PLAY A GAME USING THEIR FAVORITE LINES FROM OBSCURE MOVIES   ALSO FEATURING: The return of the Movie Quote Game! Desmond Doomsday! Rambo makes marmalade! Angela Lansbury quarrels with the Nazis! Taylor and Nick meet the Deedles! Question Mark Man! Freddy Krueger in Yellowstone! Ruffles potato chips! AND Eglantine, oh how you shine!!!  __________  Taylor Zaccario…...

In Which Our Heroes Obsess Over DIRECT-TO-VIDEO DISNEY SEQUELS   FEATURING: “The Return of Jafar” (1994), “Tarzan & Jane” (2002), “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” (2001), “The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea” (2000), and many more!!!  ALSO FEATURING: “The Lion King 2” does Romeo and Juliet! Goofy plagiarizes Rodney Dangerfield! Shish kabob! Taylor trips out on “Pocahon...

In Which Our Heroes Obsess Over HONEY,  I BLEW UP THE KID (1992)   ALSO FEATURING: Sweatin’ to the Oldies! The vivacious Marcia Strassman! Uncle Yanosh! Nick exclaims for Bill Moseley! Mecha-Baby! Amy goes to college! Lloyd Bridges runs the biz! Flight of the Navigator’s Randal Kleiser! AND heavy clumsy folds!!!  __________  Taylor Zaccario….Host, Director, Producer, Writer&nbs...

In Which Our Heroes Obsess Over WHAT DVDS THEY WOULD TAKE WITH THEM TO A DESERT ISLAND  ALSO FEATURING: The return of Christina “Ricky”! The Shark Is Still Working! Arby’s on Sunset Blvd! English English! Remembering Infinifilm! We do our John Glover impressions! Tom Cruise wields the Infinity Stones! Edgar Wright! AND Feed me, Tenafly Pizzeria!!! __________  Taylor Zaccario….Host, Direc...

In Which Our Heroes Obsess Over MAGIC IN THE WATER (1995)   ALSO FEATURING: Nondescript Oreos! The “Tenet” of lake monster movies! Not THAT Jack Black! Young Sherlock Holmes! The less northern parts of Canada! D2: The Mighty Duck’s Joshua Jackson! The Lovin’ Spoonful! AND there is no Dana, only Orky!  __________  Taylor Zaccario….Host, Director, Producer, Writer  Nick Zaccario…...

In Which Our Heroes Obsess Over MOVIE REMAKES WRITTEN BY JOHN HUGHES  FEATURING: “101 Dalmatians” (1996), “Flubber” (1997), “Dennis the Menace” (1993), “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994), and many more!  ALSO FEATURING: Natasha Lyonne gets smoochie smoochie! Roger Ebert loves Home Alone 3! Dr. House meets Arthur Weasley! In praise of John Candy! Paint and wood! Some Kind of Wonderful! Dame...

In Which Our Heroes Obsess Over VEGAS VACATION (1997)  ALSO FEATURING: Wayne Newton’s hittin’ on mom! Those aren’t your elevators! The legs of a thoroughbred! 50-pound tomatoes! Mr. Pappagiorgio! I’m making pasta! The damn dam tour! Unnatural thoughts about your cousin! AND I’m starting my vacationnnnnn!!!  __________  Taylor Zaccario….Host, Director, Producer, Writer  Nick Zac...

In Which Our Heroes Obsess Over ANIMAL/KID MOVIES  FEATURING: “Free Willy” (1993), “Andre” (1994), “Dunston Checks In” (1996), and “Monkey Trouble” (1994)  ALSO FEATURING: Dr. Claw wants that monkey! The thematic unity of Free Willy! Get that alpaca outta here! Thora Birch and her backwards hat! MVP: Most Valuable Primate! Dunston sleeps with George Costanza! Chasing Dogma! We remember t...

In Which Our Heroes Obsess Over ROCK-A-DOODLE (1991) AND THE FILMS OF DON BLUTH   FEATURING: Edmund! Patou! Chanticleer! Goldie! The Grand Duke of Owls! Peepers! Hunch! Snipes! Stuey! AND lasagna a la pasta!!!   ALSO FEATURING: “The Land Before Time” (1988), “The Secret of NIHM” (1982), “An American Tail: Mystery of the Night Monster” (1999) and many others!  __________&nb...