the Mildly Frumpy Protagonist

There’s something about Michael — Michael Douglas, that is. The actor has starred in the top 3 highest-grossing erotic thrillers of all time: FATAL ATTRACTION (1987), BASIC INSTINCT (1992) and DISCLOSURE (1994), where he was the object of obsession for a lonely psychopath, a conniving man (and woman) eater, and a lecherous ladder-climber. What is it about him that drives the ladies wil...

the When We Were Young podcast The late, great Robin Williams played many iconic characters in the 90s, including Aladdin’s Genie and a grownup Peter Pan. But nothing showed off his talent for manic physical comedy and rapid-fire zingers quite like the 1993 family comedy MRS. DOUBTFIRE. It may just be his signature role — at least, for kids who grew up in the 90s. In the latest podcast, we look ba...

Oh baby, baby, how was the world supposed to know that BRITNEY SPEARS’ 1999 breakout debut ‘Baby… One More Time’ would become one of the best-selling albums of all time, turn the performer into the biggest star on the planet for decades (for better or worse), and usher in new wave of blonde teen pop singers hoping to capture the same success? In When We Were Young’s l...

Never get them wet. Avoid bright lights. Don’t feed them after midnight. And whatever you do, don’t miss When We Were Young’s holiday episode! The yuletide takes a dark turn this year as we take a look back at the Chrismas-set horror-comedy GREMLINS (1984) and its less successful but much more bonkers sequel GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (1990). “Gremlins” is notable for...

The 1980s may not have been quite as bleak as 1984 predicted, but the Reagan era did see plenty of doom and gloom in entertainment, from Mad Max and Blade Runner to The Terminator and RoboCop. In When We Were Young’s latest episodes, Reel Gents podcast host Travis Dukelow joins us to dissect a cornucopia of dystopias unleashed in the 80s. In Part One, we cover Terry Gilliam’s legendary BRAZIL (198...

The 1980s may not have been quite as bleak as 1984 predicted, but the Reagan era did see plenty of doom and gloom in entertainment, from Mad Max and Blade Runner to The Terminator and RoboCop. In When We Were Young’s latest episodes, Reel Gents podcast host Travis Dukelow joins us to dissect a cornucopia of dystopias unleashed in the 80s. In Part One, we cover Terry Gilliam’s legendary BRAZIL (198...

We need your clothes, your boots, your motorcycle and your full attention for our new episode! James Cameron’s THE TERMINATOR (1984) put the filmmaker on the map, becoming a classic almost instantly upon its release. By the time T2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991) came out seven years later, Cameron had become one of the most successful filmmakers of all time and Arnold Schwarzenegger was a bonafide mov...

Masks on, listeners! This October, we’re celebrating Halloween by celebrating HALLOWEEN — the iconic horror film that unintentionally concocted the formula for an entire genre. John Carpenter’s 1978 chiller was made on a shoestring budget and went on to become the most profitable independent film ever made. It also launched horror’s most enduring villain, the tight-lipped but heavy-breathing Micha...

Calling all creeps! If you were a literate kid in the 90s, you almost certainly cracked open a GOOSEBUMPS book at some point. With 62 titles in its original run, R.L. Stine’s legendary YA horror anthology is one of the best-selling book series of all time. It also spawned games, toys, lunchboxes, apparel, two major motion pictures, and one very Canadian TV series — and the spin-offs just keep on c...

How does 1988’s Best Picture Oscar winner hold up? We’re too busy answering a question from a half hour ago to weigh in right now, so you’ll have to listen to When We Were Young’s latest episode, just in time for the 30th anniversary of Barry Levinson’s RAIN MAN. Dustin Hoffman’s Academy Award winning role set the stage for many actors playing mentally or physically disabled characters to go...

Our Summer Bruce Willis trilogy – Bruce Willogy, if you will – comes to a close as we return to the womb and the year 1989 to reexamine Amy Heckerling’s hit comedy LOOK WHO’S TALKING. Willis voices Mikey, the titular talking baby… who isn’t really talking, per se, since we are just hearing his thoughts… though sometimes the actor playing Mikey on screen is...

Do you believe in magic? In this episode, your three favorite podcast hosts call all four corners with the help of returning guest Krissy, our go-to guru for movies involving spells and sorcery. First, we chat about the stigma of being goth in the 90s, and casting fake spells on our enemies. Then, When We Were Young explores the dark arts via 1996’s THE CRAFT, starring Neve Campbell, Robin Tunney,...

The Phantom of the Opera is here… and so are Eva Peron, Mr. Mistoffelees and Jesus Christ! Our latest episode explores the magical musical world of ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, the man who pretty much composed the soundtrack to Broadway, the West End, and our childhoods in the 1980s and 90s. Andrew Lloyd Webber – we’re sorry, SIR BARON Andrew Lloyd Webber – is arguably the most suc...

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998) Bad taste. Bad behavior. Bad hair. There’s a lot to be offended by in the Farrelly Brothers’ 1998 hit comedy, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this month. But does all that bad make for a good movie? Or have movie audiences matured beyond jokes targeting the mentally challenged, the physically disabled a...

DIE HARD (1988) Welcome to the party, pal! In this episode, we’re celebrating Christmas in July with the 30th anniversary of DIE HARD, a (debatable) holiday favorite. John McTiernan’s 1988 hostage thriller posed Bruce Willis as a kinder, gentler action hero alternative to the likes of Schwarzenegger and Stallone — but don’t worry, he still murders lots of greedy terrorists. Ho, ho, ho! This genre...

Grab some tissues, because in our latest episode, we’re sharing the movies that made us cry when we were young! In the summer of 1998, two blockbusters hurtled into theaters with virtually the same premise: astronauts blasting up into space to blow up deadly space rocks with nuclear weapons. In many ways, these twin disaster flicks couldn’t be more different. DEEP IMPACT has Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood...

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...

90s PROM-COMS We bet you can’t make that girl with glasses listen to this podcast. In our latest episode, we look back to the teen movie explosion of the late 90s via SHE’S ALL THAT, NEVER BEEN KISSED, and 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, all released in the first few months of 1999, and all culminating at — where else? — the prom! (Gasp!) If you don’t think Drew Barrymore, Rachael Le...

THE GOLDEN GIRLS (1985-1992) Hungry for a midnight snack? Cozy up in the kitchen with your three best audio-friends and help yourself to a slice of rich, satisfying comedy cheesecake, because it’s time to visit THE GOLDEN GIRLS! From 1985 to 1992, this show about four women of a certain age was a ratings smash and an awards darling, winning each one of its pitch perfect stars an Emmy. As it...

SHOWGIRLS (1995) You can’t touch us, but we can touch you. In When We Were Young’s raw, uncensored NC-17 episode, we reveal our most inappropriate pop culture encounters from childhood, then set our sights on the Las Vegas underbelly (and undercarriage) of 1995’s SHOWGIRLS, widely considered to be the best bad movie of all time. Meet the consistently hot-and-bothered Nomi Malone,...

THE SPICE GIRLS  So here’s the story from A to Z: you wanna get with us, ya gotta listen carefully! In this episode, we’re headed back to the years of 1996-1998 when the world collectively spiced up its life big time with the introduction and pop domination of THE SPICE GIRLS. This was a special time in our youth when adult women were referred to by the infantile pseudonyms of Ginger,...

NINTENDO Video Games & THE WIZARD (1989) Sliding down drainpipes… chucking smiley-faced vegetables at ghost-faced villains… transforming into a raccoon and flying through the air… either we just took a large dose of LSD, or we’re entering the weird, wonderful world of Super Mario. (Possibly both!) In the pursuit of channeling the competitive spirit of our youths when ou...

THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998) A rug that really tied the room together until it got peed on. A hippie burnout who kept burning. A Vietnam vet who drags everyone else into his world of pain. Add to this a case of mistaken identity, the kidnapping of a trophy wife (in the parlance of our times), and an erotic artist seeking a good and thorough man and you have just *a few* of the characters and plot eleme...

MADONNA Before there was Britney. Before there was Beyonce. Before there was Gaga. There was one woman who reigned the radio waves in the 80s and 90s — Her Madgesty, now and forever the Queen of Pop. Ms. Ciccone is known for her iconic, chameleonic looks, and it just so happens that our hosts each gravitated toward a different era in her storied career. First, Becky goes bananas for I’m Breathless...

90s TEEN IDOLS JONATHAN TAYLOR THOMAS, DEVON SAWA, JONATHAN BRANDIS, BRAD RENFRO, ANDREW KEEGAN, and RIDER STRONG For our very special Valentine’s Day episode, we’re taking a look back at the fanatic love we had back in the day for the 1990s’ biggest teenage heartthrobs. If you didn’t have a poster of Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Devon Sawa, Jonathan Brandis, Brad Renfro, Andrew...