Let's Ruin Our Childhood

 It's a bonus holiday episode!  Toll and Alex were live and raising money for a dog in need. They cover the 1964 Christmas classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The guys wanted to go in depth about the insane lessons taught, the cool claymation, and the great music, but about 20 minutes in they were hit with an avalanche of shots from the audience, and well...just listen for yoursleves. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

A big budget movie from 1985 all about Santa Claus!  Alex loved this movie as a kid, Toll really doesn't remember it. 50 year old Dudley Moore plays an elf. The Big Lebowski is Santa, and John Lithgow is the villain. Makes sense, right? Animatronic reindeer, annoying child actors, and A LOT of ex-jockeys all help tell the origin story of Santa Claus (he's basically a slave to the elves. It's fine). Is this a Christmas classic, or is our childhood ruined? 

The holiday classic!  This movie is constantly on television this time of year, but are you really watching it? Does it hold up? Remember when the world coudn't get enough of Macaulay Culkin? He was Michael Jacksons BFF!  Weird! Toll and Alex sing SEVERAL Christmas carols and crack the case of what's really going on with this movie (Kevin McAlister is a sociopath who is pleased that he murdered his entire family with his mind).  There's a lot more going on here than you realize. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!

Hey, remember that sword and magic movie by George Lucas and Ron Howard? Most people do not!  Before there were Hobbits and Game of Thrones, there was Willow.  This movie has scary monsters, Val Kilmer, magic, and a boatload of little people.  Does it hold up?

Happy Halloween! We watched a werewolf movie! Or was it a basketball movie? An 80's party movie? This movie is a lot of things, but is it good? We loved it as kids, but does a movie full of middle-aged high-schoolers hold up? Why doesn't anyone seem to care that a kid has become a dog boy with super powers? Why were brunettes so universally despised in the 80's? How many tomahawk dunks are too many? WHO IS JAY TARSES? so many questions! Geez Louise!!

Two of Alex and Toll's best friends - Patrick Hastie and Brandon Ream - have an amazing podcast called The Nostalgic Front. All of four of us recorded a live mashup podcast where we cover numerous topics from our childhood including growing up in Iowa, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, She-Ra, Mr. T, Des Moines, Top Gun, Gremlins, The Monster Squad, The Brass Armadillo, Merle Hay Mall, TV Commercials and Local Jingles! We had a ton of fun! Recorded live at the Beast Village Comedy Festival! This episode is an INSTANT CLASSIC! Listen now and then go subscribe to The Nostalgic Front NOW!

Another Dracula movie!  Is this the best one? I guess that depends on how you feel about Oldman Dracula, Super Pimp Dracula, Bat Dracula, Dog Dracula, Fog Dracula...he takes a lot of forms in this movie. All of which are very horny.  We loved it as kids, but does it hold up? Is Francis Ford Copolla one of the greatest directors of all time? Is this a horror movie? A love story? A movie with WAY too many miniature models?  Can Keanu Reeves act his way out of a wet paper bag? So many spooky questions! Listen now!  Toll and Alex have your answers....

We LOVED The Monster Squad as kids!  The Universal monsters are back!  This is way before Stranger Things, but definitely after Goonies.  Stan Winston created great monsters, but do they hold up? How do you feel about kids that are REALLY acting hard?  Does Wolfman (played by Uncle Rico) have nards? Why does Dracula obsessed with using dynamite?  Why did they only spend $1.30 on the flying bat special effects?  There's a lot to get into, but is our childhood ruined??

We've all seen Road House because it is perpetually on tv, but have you really watched it?? There's a big difference between a bouncer and a cooler, and Patrick Swayze has risen up the ranks(?) to become the BEST cooler out there. Do you like bar fights? Monster trucks? Sam Elliot's pubes? Let's take a deep dive because pain don't hurt!

Jeff Goldblum is a national treasure, but how is he in The Fly? Does he contractually have to have his shirt off for the majority of his films?  He doesn't wear one much in this movie, but he does have a couple of baboons, a super computer, and an unstoppable arm wrestling game.  We watched 1986's The Fly, but does it hold up? Can Toll and Alex escape the Jeff Goldblum Vortex that they accidentally created during the podcast? Listen and find out!

Toll and Alex didn't make it very far into the actual movie at the live podcast, so they are back to finish what they started!  Is Sandra Bullock John Spartan's daughter?  What's up with those seashells? Rat burgers, Jesse the Body Ventura, Sting's terrible theme song, Taco Bell....there was plenty of stuff in the movie to discuss, but that didn't stop Toll and Alex from veering off into LOTS of other topics. But is their childhood ruined??

Toll and Alex hit the stage in front of a live audience to discuss the 1993 classic Demolition Man. Stallone! Snipes! Sandra Bullock! Uhhh...Rob Schnieder? Dennis Leary? Jesse Ventura? Otho from Beetlejuice? It's a stacked cast! This movie has it all: time travel, explosions, magic sea shells...what else do you want? Oh, and Toll and Alex attempt to discuss it all in front of a live audience who continually bought them shots.  Are their livers ruined? Maybe. Are their childhoods ruined? You'll have to listen to find out...

Steven Seagal was, for reasons we still don't totally understand, an action movie star.  And Under Siege was his biggest hit. Does it hold up? It has Tommy Lee Jones AND a pre-brain injury Gary Busey!  It has BOOBS! Alex is certain he could fight and defeat Steven Seagal right now.  Toll isn't so sure.  Does action star/blues guitarist/martial arts "master"/Louisiana sheriff's deputy Steven Seagal have a southern accent, or not? Do Toll and Alex work on new impressions? Oh yes...

Remember when everything Robin Williams did was hilarious? Do his hijinx hold up? Are you sure about that? Toll and Alex watch one of their old favorites: Mrs. Doubtfire!  So many funny situations!  Divorce! Legal battles! Homophobia! Transphobia! Joey Lawrence's little brother! WARNING: This episode ncludes many terrible impressions! Get into it, dears!

Horror movies were big when we were kids, and A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the biggest of all time, but does it hold up? Is Freddy Kruger still terrifying? How old are these "teenagers"? Are the parents the real monsters here? How much blood is in teenage Johnny Depp's body? We answer these questions and so much more! Listen, if you're not afraid...

Does one of the biggest blockbusters of all time still hold up? Buckle up, gang. The boys are taking you for a ride on the highway to the danger zone!  Alex makes inflammatory statements about Scientology, Toll sings several songs from the soundtrack.  Volleyball! Dogfighting! Big teeth! SO MUCH sweating! Get excited for Top Gun!!

Honey, this is Toll's favorite movie from his childhood. Does an effects-laden movie hold up after almost three decades? Did Alex get drunk again for this one? What was the deal with Max Headroom? Where did Rick Moranis go? There's a lot to sift through, but do we ruin our childhood??

Do you think a wise-cracking baby voiced by Bruce Willis is funny?  Are you sure??  This week we look at one of the biggest films of 1989: Look Who's Talking!  Alex showed up to the podcast drunk, and Toll gives up reading his notes half way through.  Oh boy.  Was Look Who's Talking a cherished childhood memory, or has our childhood been ruined?

In 1986, George Lucas followed up the original Star Wars triliogy with a little movie called Howard the Duck. It was the very first major movie  from Marvel Comics. George Lucas and Marvel Comics? How could this go wrong??  Ha ha. Oh boy.  How did he think this was a good idea?  If you love duck jokes and puns, this movie was made for you.  If you are intriguied by the idea of a human lady having sex with an alien duck, this movie was made for you, I guess? We aren't really sure at all who this movie was made for.  Toll is very upset. Alex tries out his new impression.  Are their childhoods ruined?? Listen now!

If you were a kid in the 80's, you likely went through a "karate phase", and this movie is the reason why.  Is this movie the best around, or is it a movie that Toll and Alex no can defend??  The Karate Kid (1984, Alex REFUSES to acknowledge the Jaden Smith remake) is a classic from our childhood, but does it hold up? Does Daniel's mom care about anything he does? Is Sensei John Krease the greatest movie villian of all time?  Is Johnny just a victim of the REAL bully, Daniel-son?  Is our childhood ruined?? Listen now! No mercy!!