The Tape Store

It's been a while since we've talked about The Muppets (Season 1 Episode 6 to be exact), so this week at The Tape Store we cover the second of what we call the "90s Muppet Trilogy" with Muppet Treasure Island (1996).  We praise Tim Curry's iconic and layered performance of Long John Silver and his deep bond with the young Jim Hawkins (Kevin Bishop), the brief but memorable performances of Bil...

This week at The Tape Store we discuss a pressing engagement, as in "A Pressing Engagement", the fourth Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episode.  We cover Jason's importance as leader of the group, the questionable bench press record he's trying to break, more Rita Repulsa savagery, the formidable monster "King Sphinx", and we also tackle about one of the mysteries presented by this episode: &nb...

We go back to The X-Files at The Tape Store this week and cover "The Jersey Devil" (S1 E5; air date 10/08/1993).  In another "Monster-of-the-Week" episode, Mulder and Scully travel in an unofficial capacity to Atlantic City, New Jersey to investigate the death of Roger Crockett.  We talk about the extensive lengths Mulder will go to discover the truth in a case.  More importantly, i...

This week at The Tape Store we talk about Roland Emmerich's "Godzilla" (1998).  Brooke celebrates this film, and Toby does his best, since this film really throws out the rich and beloved mythology of one of film history's most celebrated monsters.  This begs the question of whether or not this film is an actual Godzilla film (Toby says no).  We open with a discussion about why myth...

This week on The Tape Store, we go back to Bayside with an episode dedicated to the late Dustin Diamond.  We cover Season 4 Episode 3, "Screech's Spaghetti Sauce" (air date September 19th, 1992), where the gang attempts to hit it big in the food industry with a spaghetti sauce recipe from Screech's grandmother, with disastrous results.  We talk about their new student-produced news show...

It's showtime again at The Tape Store as we return to the Neitherworld to talk about Beetlejuice (1988).  If you haven't listened to our first foray into one of our favorite 80s films, go check out Episode #11 of The Tape Store.  This week we analyze the characters of the Maitlands (Alec Baldwin and Gina Davis), the Deetzes (Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O'Hara), Lydia (Winona Ryder), Otho...

The Tape Store Podcast concludes what has been one of our favorite things to talk about thus far, the epic adventure film Hook (1991).  We pick up where we left off last week and continue the tale.  We talk Peter Banning's (Robin Williams) journey to Neverland, the menacing Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) in all his glory, Peter's "happy thought" and subsequent "re-transformation", the ULT...

This week at The Tape Store we welcome back guest host Jeff Darden for a long-anticipated episode as we talk about one of our shared all-time favorite films, Hook (1991), in the first of a two-part series.  Jeff gives a great story about how the movie came to be from page to film.  We explore the story up to the point right before Peter Banning (Robin Williams) begins his journey to Neve...

This week at The Tape Store we discuss VILLAINS from the 1980s.  We submit to you our favorites, who, in our minds, defined what it meant to be BAD in their own interesting, complex, disturbing, and entertaining way.  Tune in as we break down and analyze Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson, The Shining - 1980), Skeletor (Frank Langella, Masters of the Universe - 1987), John Creese and Johnny L...

In our first episode of 2021, The Tape Store returns to The X-Files with Season 1 Episode 4:  "Conduit" (air date 10/1/93) as Mulder and Scully head westward again, to Sioux City, Iowa, as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of Ruby Morris.  We talk about Mulder's continued obsession and helplessness over his missing sister, Scully's effortless confidence in the face of challen...

The Tape Store ends the year 2020 in Angel Grove with the Teens with Attitude as they battle pollution and a new monster from Rita Repulsa--The Minotaur in "Teamwork" - Season 1 Episode 3 (09/08/1993).  In this episode we talk about Zordon's lack of leadership during this particular crisis, the questionable situation where Rita has somehow purchased a dump site in Angel Grove, and the interes...

Merry Christmas Eve!  We continue the Home Alone saga here at The Tape Store where we talk about how the McAllister family failed to learn their lessons from the first film.  We also cover Kevin's wit, intelligence, and ability to think on his feet, and sadly realize that we can't really find any room to pity Peter and Kate, the McAllister parents, as they are forced to confront the fact that they...

KEVIN!  This week we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Home Alone (1990), one of the best and most iconic Christmas movies ever.  As kids, we loved Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) and his reign of terror against the Wet Bandits, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern).  However, as we watched the film as adults, and parents, we found that we couldn't help but see real issues an...

After a bombshell reveal in the cliffhanger of Part 1, we conclude the Saved By The Bell Christmas "Carol".  We learn more about the charming and endearing homeless man, Frank Benton (Steve Mendel) and his daughter Laura.  We also talk about the dynamic of Zack's family as a whole, their virtues and their flaws (including the absent Derek Morris - Zack's father), the big heart of Kelly K...

On December 7th, 1991, we were blessed with a two-part Saved By The Bell Christmas story.  This week we talk about Home for Christmas, Part 1.  We cover gingerbread "ladies", Zack's uncharacteristic twinge of generosity and his mysterious new love interest Laura, Lisa as a genuine and caring candy striper, Jessie's ineptitude when dealing with kids, and most importantly, the curious home...

This week on The Tape Store we talk about a rather difficult subject:  Edward Scissorhands.  We explore the story of this peculiar, brilliant, gentle, and rather tragic hero that we both feel deserved a better ending in Tim Burton's 1990 film.   Special thanks to our listeners who sent in questions and comments that helped guide our discussion in this episode.  We talk abo...

We wrap up our "Scary Stories" series this week with 1991's Scary Stories 3:  More Tales to Chill Your Bones.  We meet "Harold", "the Pale Face Lady", and several other sinister players in this unique and magical 80s/90s universe created by author Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell.  Join us we read several of our favorite chilling tales and see where the stories and...

This week in The Tape Store we continue our journey through the Scary Stories Treasury, with selections from MORE Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, the sequel to the classic children's horror story collection.  We choose some of our favorite tales from the compendium, read them, then talk about them.  Tune in.  Not quite finished with Spooky Season / Halloween?  Neither are we...

As it turns out, though High Spooky Month (October) is over, we're not done being spooky here in The Tape Store.  We open our 2nd season and November 2020 with Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981), the collection of short stories that haunted many who grew up in the 80s and 90s.  In this episode, we read a selection of our favorite tales from first of the "Scary Tale...

We crown High Spooky Month with 1993's Hocus Pocus.  Where to start with this iconic 90s Halloween masterpiece?  Join us as we talk about The Sanderson Sisters and all their glory and the chaos that ensues when this 17th Century trio of outrageous witches collide with the 1990s.

This week at The Tape Store, Jeff Darden guest hosts as we take a darker turn with Tim Burton's 1999 film Sleepy Hollow, a re-imagining of the classic 1820 short story by Washington Irving.  Not only do we talk shop about this Halloween 90s classic, but we also make comparisons and contrasts to Irving's story.  In this beautifully crafted film, we talk about Burton's horrifying take on the story t...

Inspired by the Cinar / Nickelodeon TV show "Are You Afraid of the Dark?", The Tape Store Podcast presents "The Storyteller's Chair".  In a re-imagined audio drama format, we present the stories from The Midnight Society how they might have sounded as they were told around the campfire.  In this episode, we tell Betty Ann's "The Tale of Laughing in the Dark" (Season 1 Episode 2), a story about a c...

The second week of High Spooky Month at The Tape Store is all about the 1998 Disney Original Movie "Halloweentown".  With an excellent cast led by Debbie Reynolds and Judith Hoag, this one was an instant classic.  We talk about the film's focus on the family element, and the importance of not running from who you're meant to be.  There's also the funny stuff, like the melodramatic C...

We usher in "High Spooky Month" (October) here at The Tape Store with Ernest Scared Stupid.  As we go through this 90s Halloween classic, we talk about the unique appeal of our favorite lovable simpleton--Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney), the crazy Lady Hackmore (Eartha Kitt), the hilarious Bobby Tulip (Bill Byrge), and the freaky and incredibly gross villain of the film--Trantor, the evil magi...

This week we go to the wonderful world of Disney to talk about an unsung masterpiece from 1985, The Black Cauldron.  In taking a closer look at this truly underappreciated fantasy classic, we talk about its ensemble of unique characters, the story's dark themes, the terrifying Horned King (John Hurt), and the story's message about courage and true heroism.  We also talk about Taran's her...