Matinee Manatees

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Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) Apr 17, 2018

Show notes

1990's Gremlins 2: The New Batch is directed by Joe Dante, stars Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, John Glover, and Haviland Morris, features Christopher Lee, Dick Miller, and Robert Picardo, and just might be among the best sequels ever made. On this there was no disagreement. Nervous about potentially boring the audience with a complete consensus, Ben attempts to manufacture conflict by announcing that he has beef with xenomorphs, New York style pizza, toll bridges, and cats; Tony gives babies a piece of his mind.

Mean Girls (2004) Mar 01, 2018

Show notes

This month was our very first patron request, and it's a good one! 2004's Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams was, for some of us, a very special movie... in that we'd heard most of its most memorable lines quoted at us long before actually seeing it. But how does this high school teenage comedy hold up to an adult audience? Actually, surprisingly well. Get in, losers, we're going floating! (Remember that? Do you remember that quote? Do you remember when they said that?)

Twilight (2008) Feb 01, 2018

Show notes

For February, home of the most weirdly forced romantic holiday of the year, we watch one of the most weirdly forced romantic movies in recent memory: 2008's Twilight! Starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Twilight was pretty obviously geared towards a different target audience, but we tried to give it a fair shake. Includes: practical advice for hiding immortality, the science behind Vampire (baseball) Bats, obligatory rants on abusive relationships, and why this movie makes one manatee feel old.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

Of all of the retellings of the Robin Hood legend, 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner stands apart, though not necessarily for the best reasons. The manatees dive in to unravel the movie's many mysteries: castle maintenance, Morgan Freeman's magical powers, vanishing dogs, and Alan Rickman's starring role in a completely separate movie. Y'all remember this one?

Road House (1989) Nov 12, 2017

Show notes

Tony forces Ben to watch one of his favorites: 1989's Road House, featuring Sam Elliott but technically starring Patrick Swayze and Kelly Lynch. Road House reveals many things about the secret world of celebrity bouncers, such as how to tell if somebody is evil by whether they wear underwear, the variable lethality of knives, how not to run a protection racket, and the complete believability that Sam Elliott could have been a sex symbol. Have you seen this one? Because it's, uh, it's definitely something.

Hellboy (2004) Oct 16, 2017

Show notes

For arguably the spookiest month of the year, the manatees watched the really-more-action-fantasy-than-horror movie Hellboy, directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, and Doug Jones. And, spoiler, they really liked it. Also in this episode: the manatees discuss casting picks for the Hellboy reboot (Aubrey Plaza for Liz!), Ben attempts to bully Sam for being a slightly different kind of nerd than he is about Star Wars, and even more fawning appreciation for practical effects.

Fantastic Four (2005) Sep 15, 2017

Show notes

The Fantastic Four have been the stars of three separate movie franchises, four cartoon series, and a serialized radio drama over the last fifty years. Directed by Tim Story and starring Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, and Ioan Gruffudd, 2005's Fantastic Four is certainly one of them.

Big Trouble In Little China (1986) Aug 04, 2017

Show notes

Ben finally convinces Sam to watch one of his favorite movies, John Carpenter's Big Trouble In Little China, starring Kurt Russell and Dennis Dun! But does it hold up? Also featuring the swan song of Ben's old microphone, which you can hear dying even as the episode progresses, and a half hour spiral on additional movie recommendations, the problems with CGI, and why 80s movies continue to hold a special place in one manatee's heart.

Mortal Kombat (1995) Jul 11, 2017

Show notes

Based on the still-famous fighting game, 1995's Mortal Kombat is remembered more for its theme song than its merit as a film. But is that because the movie was bad, or because that song is just so good? And just how much does it have in common with Super Mario Bros? We go back to 1995 and all the way to Outworld to find out.

Super Mario Bros (1993) Jun 02, 2017

Show notes

1993's Super Mario Bros. is widely regarded as one of the worst video game adaptations ever put to film. Is that true, or is it one of the THE BEST MOVIES EVER?

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