Release Date Rewind

Mark welcomes friend, movie lover, and indie film collaborator Tom Ciuba back to the podcast to fly back to 2002 for the 20th anniversary this month of The Mothman Prophecies. The Richard Gere chiller is creepy and spine-tingling (who knew the word "chapstick" could give us nightmares?), and a little slow at times but the guys applaud the scary voices, the score from tomandandy, and Debra Messing'...

Mark welcomes friend, former coworker, and movie lover Tarik Flannagan to the show to discuss one of the most fun and twisted January thrillers, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. The film came out 30 years ago this month, but the shocks still feel fresh, as does the "me too" storyline that starts the film. They wonder if this movie is anti-feminist and how it would be made today, plus they applaud J...

Horror hound Jeff Frumess is back to get nerdy with Mark as they take a stab at Scream, a movie they have studied for decades, for its 25th anniversary this month. In this episode, they journey through all the Scream films (head's up: spoilers!), discussing how sex is a main topic in most of the franchise, and share thoughts about the upcoming Scream 5. From Kevin Williamson's refreshing Scary Mov...

Filmmaker, podcaster, and entertainment scholar Jeff Frumess returns to the show to fly with Mark to Neverland and discuss the movie Hook for its 30th anniversary this month. From their love of the Lost Boys and their colorful frosting feast, to how Dustin Hoffman chews the scenery as the perfectly villainous Captain Hook, to Julia Roberts' Tinkerbell awkwardly falling in love with Peter Pan, they...

The holidays mean it's time for family dramedies and My Girl from 1991 is one of the most memorable. Mark welcomes old friend Melissa Ward back on the show to discuss this other Macaulay Culkin classic for its 30th anniversary this month, and talk about crushing on teachers, bee stings, how gross it was for Vada and Thomas J. to become "blood brothers," and more. And we ponder what would this movi...

Mark welcomes Sabrina Santoro back to the show so they can rewind and revisit the wild, gritty, colorful world of Baz Luhrmann's 1996 adaptation of Romeo + Juliet for its 25th anniversary this month. It was Shakespeare for the MTV crowd, as boring old people said at the time, and us kids who wanted to be so cool and moody ate it up! From Leo's iconic hair in his eyes and Hawaiian shirts to Claire'...

Wake up, Donnie. Sparkle Motion superfans Mark and O'tilia Garcia time travel to 2001 (or really to 1988) to discuss the awesome head scratcher Donnie Darko for its 20th anniversary this month. We probably don't make any sense and are getting things wrong, but we both love this trippy ride into another dimension. It's kinda like Sliding Doors, only much more fun (sorry Gwyneth). Long live, Roberta...

Mark is joined by the groovy California queen O'tilia Garcia, a.k.a. OT, to discuss the 25th anniversary of Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do! If this movie doesn't put a smile on your face, see a doctor. We chat about the cute cast, the award-worthy song, and why do girls love a boy with an instrument so much? Rest in Peace, Peter Scolari, who had a fun cameo in this film because of his Bosom Buddies...

Mark is joined by his New York pal Kiran Hefa, whom he met on the red carpet over 14 years ago - which is fitting, since these two movies have all the glitz and glamour! They discuss the memorable September comedies The First Wives Club and Zoolander, which were released 25 and 20 years ago, respectively. From Goldie, Bette, and Diane to Ben, Owen, and Will, and every cameo in between (the cameos!...

Spooky season is upon us and Mark brings longtime friend, longtime actress, and longtime movie lover Kit Sheehan on the show to dive into the supernatural and celebrate two classic horror films: An American Werewolf in London for its 40th anniversary and The Others for its 20th anniversary! It's basically just like high school when they'd have old movie marathons like all the cool kids do. Beware...

Robots and aliens are taking over! Mark reunites with old friend and fellow movie nerd Katie Bruno, who is the Terminator to his John Connor, to discuss the big budget July blockbusters Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Independence Day. The action-packed discussion includes everything from jaw-dropping special effects, jaw-dropping muscles, favorite lines we wish we came up with, James Cameron's lo...

School's out for summer and Mark brings back his film scholar friends Jason Kashiwagi and C.C. Webster to talk about two June movies: 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for its 50th anniversary and 1991's Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead for its 30th anniversary. These films have more in common than just 6 word titles! We bow down to Joanna Cassidy and Gene Wilder, and learn that we...

Mark is joined by the mystical and magical Sabrina Santoro to discuss major movies in their lives: The Craft and Twister! The 90s thrillers about the dark side of Mother Nature turn 25 years old this month, and you may not immediately think they have much in common, but they do: terrifying CGI, great soundtracks, grieving heroines, connections to the Wizard of Oz, and more. Plus, Mark loved these...

Mark brings fellow movie addict, podcaster, and almost-lawyer Funmi Sunmonu on a rollercoaster ride back to 1996 to celebrate the 25th anniversaries of twisty thrillers Primal Fear and Fear. It's a fearful episode! They discuss the arrival of Edward Norton and Mark Wahlberg as movie stars, and how they competed against each other for the coveted MTV Best Villain award that year, plus how gross smo...

Mark goes on an imaginary trip to South Beach, Miami and Brainerd, Minnesota with entertainment lover and podcaster Tom Ciuba to celebrate the 25th anniversaries of beloved 1996 comedies The Birdcage and Fargo. They applaud performances by Nathan Lane (how was he not nominated for an Oscar?) and Oscar winner Frances McDormand, Agador Spartacus, Mike Yanagita, the Accordion King, and more. But what...

Mark has friend and scream queen Solana Sorrento on the show to have a dinner party Hannibal Lecter-style! For the 30th anniversary of Silence of the Lambs and 20th anniversary of Hannibal, these horror hounds discuss one of the most haunting movie (and tv) villains, FBI final girl Clarice Starling, and their adventures into darkness. From Jodie Foster to Julianne Moore to Rebecca Breeds in the ne...

Mark is joined by friend Lauren Evangelista to chat about big screen romance from January 2001: Save the Last Dance & The Wedding Planner. Who would have thunk that years after watching films together in class at Fordham University they'd be chatting about these films on a podcast? Also, who approved Julia Stiles' fashion and hairstyles back then? And who told J.Lo she would be playing Italian and...

Mark brings friend and fellow indie filmmaker Jeff Frumess on the show to discuss two well-known fantasy films that focus on odd things happening in the neighborhood: Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Jumanji (1995). Jeff shares his detailed list of notes and comparisons on the Tim Burton classic, and he miraculously remembers many details from the Joe Johnston adventure without even rewatching it. S...

Mark is joined by his friend since elementary school Melissa Ward, who loves Christmas and the Olsen twins. They discuss classic 90s family comedies starring some of the most famous kids on the planet - Home Alone (1990) and It Takes Two (1995) - and they realize that both stories are actually quite freaky when you think about them. Melissa wonders who got it worse, Harry or Marv? And a common que...

Mark has 2 friends on the show for Episode 2! His movie-obsessed pals C.C. Webster and Jason Kashiwagi join him on a trip back to the grungy and angsty 90s to discuss October 1995 releases To Die For and Empire Records. Jason loves female characters on the verge, while C.C. is on the verge of remaking Empire Records as a TV show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark has friend and fellow scary movie lover Jeff Bugajski join him in a lively discussion about the classic thrillers Psycho (1960) and Seven (1995). Jeff talks about how he sometimes pretends to be Janet Leigh's character while taking showers and packing, and shows Mark his ticket stub collection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dive into different movies (and sometimes TV shows and music) of the past in new podcast Release Date Rewind, starting late September 2020. As memorable movies celebrate milestone anniversaries of release each month, host Mark J. Parker and his friends will discuss them and why they're worth a rewind all these years later. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices