Movies

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S3E2-Waves: Waterbed History / The Water Babies (1978)

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This month we each picked a topic based on the theme of *Water*. Melinda takes us through the sexy (?) history of waterbeds, and Conrad takes us back to the late 70s acid trip children's movie: The Water Babies. Bring your arm floaties!

References

Evans, J. R. (2019, October 21). Whatever happened to water beds? Their mysterious disappearance—and surprising return. Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®. https://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/whatever-happened-to-waterbeds/

Garmon, J. (2006, August 1). Geek Trivia: Strange (water)bedfellows. TechRepublic. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20200803182109/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/geek-trivia-strange-waterbedfellows/

Green, P. (2018, December 6). The squishiest, sweetest sleep. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/style/water-bed-founder.html

History of waterbeds - Where did waterbeds come from. (n.d.). https://www.boydwaterbeds.com/waterbed-history

Kibbe, K. (2020, October 13). How the Waterbed Became a Sex Thing. InsideHook. https://www.insidehook.com/design/how-waterbed-became-sex-thing

Kimnewman. (2016, September 14). Film notes – The Water Babies (1978). The Kim Newman Web Site. https://johnnyalucard.com/2016/09/14/film-notes-the-water-babies-1978/

Lionel Jeffries’ “The Water Babies” (1978) on Records |. (n.d.). https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/lionel-jeffries-the-water-babies-1978-on-records/

Mitchell, N. (2018, February 11). The weird true story of the rise and fall of the waterbed. Apartment Therapy. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/waterbed-history-rise-fall-255635

Pagano, A. (2021, January 16). Waterbeds used to be a $2 billion industry, but memory-foam mattresses helped cause their downfall. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/waterbed-inventor-60s-summer-of-love-comeback-2019-3

Starkey, A. (2024, February 19). The Cover Uncovered: The  apocalyptic image of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Houses of the Holy’ Far Out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-cover-uncovered-the-apocalyptic-image-of-led-zeppelins-houses-of-the-holy/

Stuever, H. (2024, January 11). A ghostly retreat. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/09/21/a-ghostly-retreat/5c0a173a-7b80-4385-aeab-834e39eda1e1/

Geological Katabasis: Geology and the Christian Underworld in Kingsley's The Water-Babies, Rachel Fountain Eames, Victoriographies, 2017-11, Vol.7 (3), p.195-209

 Tom's Afterlife as Geological Agent: Under the Surface of English Watercourses in Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies, Darin Graber, Victorian Studies (Vol. 64, Issue 4)

 Reverent Induction: Epistemology and the Romantic Education of the Child Reader in Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies (1863), Clarke, Laura H.  Cahiers Victoriens & Édouardiens (Online); Montpellier Iss. 92,  (Autumn 2020)

 VALENTINE CUNNINGHAM, Soiled Fairy: The Water-Babies in its Time, Essays in Criticism, Volume XXXV, Issue 2, April 1985, Pages 121–148

S2E10-Hughes Meets Candy - Favourite Late-80s John Hughes Films

No, we're not talking about the Breakfast Club. Conrad and Melinda screen each other's favorite John Hughes movie, both of which starred John Candy! Will Conrad relate to Uncle Buck? Will Melinda get misty at Planes, Trains and Automobiles? What will we learn about this era of the Hughes oeuvre? Tune in to find out.

IMAGE CLUE

References

Botes, Z. (2023). 15 Trivia Tidbits About ‘Uncle Buck.’ Cracked.com. https://www.cracked.com/article_37886_15-trivia-tidbits-about-uncle-buck.html

Guerrasio, J. (2020, November 17). John Candy was reportedly paid only $414 for his cameo in “Home Alone,” and the film’s director said he always felt bitter about it. Insider. https://www.insider.com/home-alone-john-candy-angry-cameo-2020-11

Hutchinson, S. (2023, March 13). 15 Fun Facts about “Uncle Buck.” Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/59491/15-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-uncle-buck

Konow, D. (2022). The Untold Truth Of John Candy. Looper. https://www.looper.com/981094/the-untold-truth-of-john-candy/

Leppert, A. (2021). 10 Fatherhood and the failures of paternal Authority in the films of John Hughes. In Edinburgh University Press eBooks (pp. 179–196). https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474449045-017

Ringwald, M. (2018, April 6). Molly Ringwald revisits “The Breakfast Club” in the age of #MeToo. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink

Timmel, N. (2021, September 7). Did John Hughes teach us nothing? - NathanTimmel.com. NathanTimmel.com. https://nathantimmel.com/2011/did-john-hughes-teach-us-nothing/#:~:text=One%20constant%20in%20many%20John,Bueller's%20cheerful%20yet%20dim%20parents.

Ultimate Movie Rankings. (2022, November 24). John Candy Movies | Ultimate Movie Rankings. Ultimate Movie Rankings | Ranking Movies Since 2011. https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/john-candy-movies/

56 - Howard the Duck

We travel from the comic books of the 70s to George Lucas and Willard Huyck’s vision to Marvel’s current cinematic universe to discover Howard the Duck - trapped in a world he never made.

Be sure to check out R.S. Martin’s amazing blog about the compelling history of Howard: All Quacked Up: Steve Gerber, Marvel Comics, and Howard the Duck.

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55 - Garbage Pail Kids

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Melinda and Aaron go dumpster diving into the Garbage Pail Kids phenomenon, and even suffered through watching both the movie and the cartoon series! Watch our podcast recording (complete with visual aids) or listen at the link below.

Audio Block
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References

http://geepeekay.com/ - Garbage Pail Kids Reference site

30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story. Directed by Jeff Zapata and Joe Simko, 2017.

Owen, Luke. “The True Story behind The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Flickering Myth, 21 July 2019, www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/08/the-true-story-behind-the-garbage-pail-kids-movie/

Boone, Brian. “The Untold Truth of the Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Looper, 06 July 2020, https://www.looper.com/223675/the-untold-truth-of-the-garbage-pail-kids-movie/

 Olson, Jon. “An Interview with Rod Amateau, director of The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Normal People Like You, https://web.archive.org/web/20170402183759/http://www.normalpeoplelikeyou.com/article_assets/garbagepailkidsinterview.htm

 The Garbage Pail Kids Movie Magazine, Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/TheGarbagePailKidsMovieMagazine

53 - The Craft (1996)

Melinda makes Aaron watch the 1996 movie The Craft, and delves into the good and bad points of the movie… was Nancy really a “bad witch,” or was she the secret hero of the film?

51 - Xanadu (1980)

Join Melinda and Aaron as they descend into the somewhat cringey fever dream that is 1980’s Xanadu. Where roller skating, disco, and big Hollywood musicals crash head-on into Greek mythology and romance, you’ll find… Xanadu.

50 - The 'Burbs (1989)

We delve into the seedy underbelly of American suburbia, look at our neighbors’ house and ask, “What’s he building in there?” And we talk about the cult classic 80s film starring Tom Hanks.

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49 - 50/50: Covers and Space

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Melinda and Aaron have fought through the COVID-19 malaise and are each back with a surprise topic. Melinda delves into what makes a great cover song, with a handful of interesting examples, while Aaron recalls our hopeful visions of space travel from the 80s.

Covers

Space Travel

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48 - Dot and the Kangaroo (1977 film)

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The Bunyip

In another fun foray into Australian pop culture, Melinda gets Aaron to watch one of her all-time favorites, Dot and the Kangaroo. Is it really as sad as she remembers? Does the Bunyip actually exist and is it coming for us? Will there be a special mention of Dead Can Dance? Listen and find out.

References:

Wikipedia

Dot and the Kangaroo rewatched – tear-jerking Australian animation trailblazer

Pedley, Ethel Charlotte (1859–1898) - from Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, (MUP), 1988

45 - TerrorVision

We’re still in 1986, this time with TerrorVision directed by Ted Nicolaou. This B-movie is filled with slimy space monsters, swinger parents, and machine guns. Melinda and Aaron ask the question, is there more to this 80s cult classic, or is everything exactly as it seems?

References

TerrorVision (1986, Ted Nicolaou) - http://cinemachine.blogspot.com/2013/02/terrorvision-1986-ted-nicolaou.html

Ted Nicolaou on the Austin diaspora, Romanian vampires and TV terror visions - https://videofugue.com/2017/09/01/ted-nicolaou-on-the-austin-diaspora-romanian-vampires-and-tv-terror-visions/

TerrorVision Interview ft. Ted Nicolaou - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bASTvWrxpYs

Within the Context of No Context https://rolux.org/tmp/no_context.pdf

The Fibonnacis - Purple Haze - https://youtu.be/cFL1LGMUqu0

Monster / Otyugh - https://www.bogleech.com/dnd/otyugh.html

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33 - Trick or Treat, 1986 Film

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Yes, that’s Skippy from Family Ties. And yes, he rocks.

Yes, that’s Skippy from Family Ties. And yes, he rocks.

This week we are joined by Thrash It Out podcast host, Brian LeTendre, to discuss the 1986 film, Trick or Treat. If you were a metalhead in the 80s then this movie will more than likely bring back great memories for you, as it does for Melinda and Brian! We give our thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the movie and learn some details about the production and the killer soundtrack by Fastway.

32 - Lord of the Rings- Books, Animation, and Films

This lovely artwork was done by Jimmy Cauty from the KLF. No, I’m not kidding. You’re welcome.

This lovely artwork was done by Jimmy Cauty from the KLF. No, I’m not kidding. You’re welcome.

Melinda and Aaron return after their break for DragonCon to discuss one of their mutually favorite properties: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. We’re talking Rankin-Bass, Ralph Bakshi, Peter Jackson, and video games - so settle in with some lembas bread and a nice bottle of the Old Winyard with us!

P.S. We missed you all and we’re super happy to be back! Please look out for new episodes every other Tuesday on our new bi-weekly schedule.