Cameron, Sarah, and John discuss one of the most forgotten films of all time -- a clown slasher starring none other than Captain von Trapp himself, Christopher Plummer, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Tatyana Ali.
Sources for this episode
Budrewicz, Matty. “The Clown at Midnight (1998): No Laughing Matter.” Theschlockpit.com, 26 Apr. 2022, theschlockpit.com/2022/04/26/the-clown-at-midnight-1998/
Helgren, Jacob. “The Clown at Midnight (1998, Can.).” Hysteria-Lives.co.uk, 1998, www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysterialives/Hysteria/the_clown_at_midnight.html
Putnam, Dustin. “The Clown at Midnight (1998).” Thefilmfile.com, 9 June 1999, www.thefilmfile.com/reviews/c/98_clownatmidnight.htm
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Cameron, John, and Sarah discuss 1989's Tango & Cash, starring Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell.
Sources for this episode
“AFI|Catalog.” Afi.com, 2021, catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58307. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.
Folch, Enric. “Barry Sonnenfeld: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker.” The Script Blog, 17 May 2023, web.archive.org/web/20231214142515/thescriptblog.com/barry-sonnenfeld-memoirs-of-a-neurotic-filmmaker/. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.
Van Gelder, Lawrence. “At the Movies.” The New York Times, 24 Mar. 1989, web.archive.org/web/20230210213205/www.nytimes.com/1989/03/24/movies/at-the-movies.html. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.
Van Gelder, Lawrence. “At the Movies.” The New York Times, 24 Mar. 1989, youtu.be/V6zahQSekNc?si=SKZgzs6Q0bV2H1DQ. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.
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John and Sarah are joined by John's childhood pal, Cameron, to discuss 2000's Happy Accidents, starring Vincent D'Onofrio, Marisa Tomei, and Holland Taylor.
Sources for this episode:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208196/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Accidents_(film)
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John, Sarah, and special guest, Pam, discuss what makes a perfect film and share some of their favorites.
Sarah and John are joined by special guest Pam (Sarah's mom!) to discuss one of the biggest box office bombs of all time, 1995's Cutthroat Island, starring Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella.
Sources for this episode:
Broeske, Pat. Geena Davis quits ''Mistress of the Seas'.' Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 1993. https://ew.com/article/1993/08/06/geena-davis-quits-mistress-seas/
Jeffreys, Daniel. “The Vanity That Led to a $100m Bonfire | the Independent.” The Independent, 9 Apr. 1996, www.independent.co.uk/news/the-vanity-that-led-to-a-100m-bonfire-1304053.html
Parish, James (2007). Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops. United States: Trade Paper Press. p. 217.
Ritman, Alex. “How “Cutthroat Island” Lost a Fortune Revealed in “Box Office Poison.”” Variety, 30 Oct. 2024, variety.com/2024/film/global/cutthroat-island-lost-fortune-renny-harlin-geena-davis-box-office-poison-book-excerpt-1236193554/
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John and Sarah are joined by John's husband, Jerry, to discuss 1982's Making Love, starring Harry Hamlin, Kate Jackson, and Michael Ontkean.
Sources for this episode:
The Celluloid Closet. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, Sony Pictures Classics, 15 Feb. 1996.
American Film Institute. “AFI Catalogue of Feature Films - the First 100 Years - 1893-1993 - Making Love (1982).” Afi.com, 2021, catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/56843
Wygant, Bobbie. “Harry Hamlin for “Making Love” - 1982 - Bobbie Wygant Archive.” Youtube.com, 1982, youtu.be/V6zahQSekNc?si=SKZgzs6Q0bV2H1DQ
Wygant, Bobbie. “Kate Jackson for "Making Love 1982- Bobbie Wygant Archive.” Youtube.com, 1982, youtu.be/V6zahQSekNc?si=SKZgzs6Q0bV2H1DQ
Bobbie, Wygant. "Arthur Hiller for “Making Love” 1982- Bobbie Wygant Archive." 1982, youtu.be/BJW3a1PGMIU?si=Phx8VXuY9EHi_2FY
Editors. “Harry Hamlin on How His Gay Role in 1982 Still Impacts Audiences despite Being “Sanitized” by the Studio - Queerty.” Queerty, 23 Oct. 2024, www.queerty.com/harry-hamlin-on-how-his-gay-role-in-1982-still-impacts-audiences-despite-being-sanitized-by-the-studio-20241022/
Abramovitch, Seth, and Seth Pope. It Happened in Hollywood - Harry Hamlin: “Clash of the Titans” and “Making Love.” The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2020, open.spotify.com/episode/0jOhR7VUVhlC5iV0HaeZD4?si=zKNDI0ySTyuLzOZbJ_SHyg, disc 13. Podcast.
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John and Sarah are joined by our pal Ali to discuss the apocalyptic rom-com Seek a Friend for the End of the World, starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley.
Sources for this episode:
“Seeking a Cast for the END of the WORLD.” Focusfeatures.com, 2024, www.focusfeatures.com/article/seeking_a_cast_for_the_end_of_the_world. Accessed 27 May 2025.
Lisa Schwarzbaum. “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.” EW.com, 22 June 2012, ew.com/article/2012/06/22/seeking-friend-end-world/
Fine, Marshall. “Interview: Director Lorene Scafaria Is Seeking a Friend.” HuffPost, 21 June 2012, www.huffpost.com/entry/interview-director-lorene_b_1615224
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Sarah takes a field trip to the new Night Owl Video. A self-described, "place for film fanatics, celluloid crackpots, gore hounds, cinephiles, Letterboxd patrons, and everyone in between to gather and worship at the altar of the mighty motion picture."
In the second installment of Childhood Film Showdown (okay, okay, only one of these films was released during our childhoods) John and Sarah welcome John's friend of 20 years, Cameron!
John and Sarah are joined by friend of the pod, Taryn (who you may remember from our phenomenal Swan's Crossing bonus episode) to discuss 1993's Indian Summer, starring Alan Arkin, Bill Paxton, Diane Lane, Elizabeth Perkins, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
Sources for this episode:
Pollak, Kevin . “KPCS: Mike Binder #25.” Youtube, 2013, youtu.be/E_qtDP9pFso?si=rMinz8KyXAtZQcg1. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
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Sarah and John are joined today by Host of Enough Wicker, a Golden Girls podcast, and pop culture enthusiast Lauren Kelly to discuss 1997's Mouse Hunt, starring Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, and Christopher Walken.
Sources for this episode:
Wygant, Bobbie. “Mouse Hunt - Nathan Lane.” Bobbie Wygant Archives, 15 Nov. 1997. Multiple parts viewable at: youtu.be/V6zahQSekNc?si=SKZgzs6Q0bV2H1DQ
youtu.be/V6zahQSekNc?si=SKZgzs6Q0bV2H1DQ
youtu.be/JqBAIsODPPo?si=t9_lvZh81iCk_iH4
“Mouse Hunt - Gore Verbinski.” Bobbie Wygant Archives, 15 Nov. 1997, youtu.be/V6zahQSekNc?si=SKZgzs6Q0bV2H1DQ
“Mouse Hunt - Gore Verbinski.” Bobbie Wygant Archives, 15 Nov. 1997, youtu.be/GTQhh4yb520?si=Yha6CkV5SxPI-uKx
The Moviehouse. “The Films of Gore Verbinski Part I: Mouse Hunt (1997).” The Moviehouse, 23 May 2021, www.themoviehouse.net/post/manage-your-blog-from-your-live-site. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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John and Sarah welcome pop culture historian and author of AKA Lucy, Sarah Royal, back to the pod to discuss 1977's Looking for Mr. Goodbar, starring Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, LeVar Burton, William Atherton, and Tom Berenger.
Sources for this episode:
www.nytimes.com/1977/04/17/archives/diane-keaton-from-mr-allen-to-mr-goodbar-diane-keaton-turns.html
web.archive.org/web/20180119235146/www.nysun.com/obituaries/judith-rossner-70-novelist-of-mr-goodbar/18467/
https://lecinemadreams.blogspot.com/2014/07/looking-for-mr-goodbar-1977.htmlhttps://popcult.blog/2022/07/11/movie-review-looking-for-mr-goodbar/https://medium.com/you-need-to-see-this/looking-for-mr-goodbar-1977-dir-richard-brooks-de30253beed9
https://shawnconnerblog.com/2016/11/looking-back-at-judith-rossners-looking-for-mr-goodbar/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/o3c6pz/looking_for_mr_goodbar_1977_a_movie_even_more/?rdt=64141
https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/looking-for-mr-goodbar?variant=42162479595562
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/looking-for-mr-goodbar-1977
https://www.newsweek.com/2015/07/17/you-cant-kill-mr-goodbar-351119.html
https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/tag/looking-for-mr-goodbar/
https://nakedcitystories.com/goodbarmurder.php
https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/22/archives/best-seller-list-fiction-general.html
Mr. Goodbar/LeVar Burton song lyrics by Sarah, music by Suno.
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Feeling stressed today? Visualize yourself in a 1990s Blockbuster store and de-stress with us!
Sarah and John are joined by special guest, John's husband Jerry! They discuss the 1996 superhero movie, The Phantom, starring Billy Zane, Treat Williams, James Remar, Kristy Swanson, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the first installment of a franchise (that got cancelled because no one went to see this movie).
Sources for this episode
Brew, Simon. “The Den of Geek Interview: Joe Dante.” Den of Geek, 21 Feb. 2008, www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-den-of-geek-interview-joe-dante/
“THE PHANTOM.” Archive.org, 2019, web.archive.org/web/20110713122157/jpdefillippo.com/demos/phantom/zane.htm. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
“THE PHANTOM.” Web.archive.org, 13 July 2011, web.archive.org/web/20110713122131/jpdefillippo.com/demos/phantom/prodnote.htm
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John, Sarah, and Hallie discuss their favorite films from the podcast in 2024 and a few films released in 2024 that they think will become forgotten films of the future!
Sarah, Hallie, and John discuss this forgotten family fantasy (and maybe body horror) holiday film, Jack Frost, starring Michael Keaton. Other topic include the perfect cup of hot cocoa and John's penchant for watching The Grinch with cookies and whisky on Christmas Eve.
Sources for this episode:
Ebert, Roger. "Jack Frost." Chicago Sun-Times. 11 Dec. 1998. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.
King, Susan. “He’s Winter’s Warmest Snowman.” Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 1998, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-10-ca-52336-story.html. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.
Rea, Andrew. Binging with Babish: Judy the Elf's Hot Cocoa from The Santa Clause. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.
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John, Hallie, and Sarah discuss the multicultural holiday film, What's Cooking?, starring Mercedes Ruehl, Joan Chen, Alfre Woodward, Julianna Marguiles, and Kyra Sedgwick. They also give a little preview of what's on their Thanksgiving menus this year!
Sources for this episode:
Roe, Mike. “Before “Bend It like Beckham,” Its Director Made This LA Thanksgiving Movie.” LAist, 27 Nov. 2019, laist.com/news/entertainment/whats-cooking-movies-film-gurinder-chadha-fairfax-district. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Rotten Tomatoes. "What's Cooking?" Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.
Wikipedia "What's Cooking?" Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.
John settles Hallie and Sarah's long standing debate about which Frances Hodgson Burnett film adaptation is more traumatic: The Secret Garden (1993) or A Little Princess (1995).
Sources for this Episode:
The Secret Garden (1993) via AFI Catalog
A Little Princess (1995) via AFI Catalog
A Little Princess (1905) by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden (1911) by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden Trivia via Internet Movie Database
The Secret Garden Review by Roger Ebert, August 13, 1993.
John, Sarah, and Hallie discuss The Skeleton Key.
Sources for this episode:
Key, Skeleton. “Skeleton Key 2005 Making of & behind the Scenes.” YouTube, 19 Feb. 2023, youtu.be/6YS7mDIByhk?si=hPEk0OuHyRnq-RKK. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.
Weiss, Josh. “This Underrated, 2005 Kate Hudson Horror Film Channeled Get out 12 Years before Get Out.” SYFY Official Site, SYFY, 29 Sept. 2022, www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/skeleton-key-director-iain-softley-interview-streaming. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.
Rutgers University (2012, December 31). Rutgers-Camden Scholar Clears up Misconceptions about Hoodoo. [Press release]. https://www.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-camden-scholar-clears-misconceptions-about-hoodoo
Our theme music is by Suno. Research by John. Hot takes by Hallie. Please visit our website to download a transcript of this episode.