Nostalgia Be Damned

Zach & Brandon take a look back at 2002's sci-fi thriller Signs. They unpack Shyamalan twists and their thoughts on his filmography. Brandon was diagnosed with Shyamalan fever back in the day while Zach was a little cold on the filmmaker, even before his later career missteps. So grab a half full glass of 'contaminated' water, wrap your tin foil hat, and tell Merrill to 'swing away,' because we're seeing Signs. 

Zach and Brandon are joined by recurring guest Jamie Gagnon to talk about the best late 90's horror stoner comedy about appendage possession there is. When Devon Sawa's right hand gets an evil mind of its own, it's up to his two cannabis crazed undead zombie buds to help him out and win the girl of his dreams. Idle Hands became a cult classic on DVD, but does this comedy that purports to "give horror films the backhand" hold up or does it belong staked to a corpse with a high priestess dagger? Grab your Druid watches and Mighty Joe Bong, because the boys are about to tackle the touching story of a boy and his right hand.

Zach & Brandon dive into the Academy Award nominated Shark Tale to see if this early 2000's Dreamworks' family comedy holds up 15 years later. They discuss the vegetarian shark subtext, the ill advised animation of Will Smeeth (yes, that's spelled correctly) as a fish, literal loan sharks, and 'OJ Shrimpson.' 

We've all known cats and dogs are mortal enemies, but in 2001 we found out why. Cats & Dogs answers the age old question, positing a world in which these two household creatures are waging a war right under our noses. Zach & Brandon revisit a childhood favorite to see if this family comedy lands in the doghouse or the litter box... either way it won't be good. They discuss the complexities of the dog/spy world, puppet animal violence, a spirited voice performance by Sean Hayes, as well as some troubling Nazi subtext.  

For two 90's boys with sisters, Mulan was a beloved classic for Zach & Brandon growing up. One of the last of the Disney renaissance era, this empowering action adventure brought humor and heart into the well-worn animated princess genre. The boys revisit the flick to discover what made it so enjoyable back then - and to see if it still holds up today. They, of course, get into the nitty gritty details such as Mulan's wacky soldier sidekicks, Li Shang's personal struggle with falling in love with a woman he believes to be a man, and the sore spine of Eddie Murphy who at times picks the entire movie up and carries it on his little dragon back. That, and much more, on this week's episode!

Zach & Brandon watch The Fifth Element, ya know- that movie where a blonde Bruce Willis has to save the world by rescuing a sexy element to evade an evil space fireball. They get into every strange detail about Luc Besson's space opera, including Gary Oldman's Texan/Gary Busey accent, how terrible it would be to drive a floating taxi cab in future New York, and spy cameras attached to cockroaches. Oh yeah, Chris Tucker's in this movie too! 

Zach & Brandon tackle a film that spawned a trilogy, an animated cartoon series, and its own official NHL team. It's The Mighty Ducks of course! Alcoholic lawyer Gordon Bombay, played by Emilio Estevez, is forced to teach a ragtag team of misfits how to play hockey but he just might learn something about himself along the way. Zach loved it as a kid. Brandon's watching it for the first time. They try to wrap their heads around the Aryan Hawks, the conventions of 90's sports comedies, and why Pee Wee hockey is so damn important to everyone in Minnesota. 

Sam Raimi's Spider-Man set the stage for the modern superhero origin story. Following successful adaptations of Superman, Batman, and the X-Men, 2002 brought the release of Tobey Maguire's 35-year-old high schooler Peter Parker, and his wild ride through puberty and one helluva spider bite transformation. Join Zach & Brandon as they revisit one of their favorite flicks from their preteen years to hear all their thoughts on how the movie shaped the genre today, that sexy upside down kiss, and the brilliance of J.K. Simmons & Willem Dafoe. Plus they get into Mopey Maguire, Uncle Ben's tearful goodbye and Macho Man Randy Savage!

There isn't a 90's kid alive who isn't aware of the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Whether a fan or not, it was impossible to not get swept up in the cultural phenomenon of the series - and it all starts with the 2001 family fantasy adventure Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The boys debate whether or not the first entry in the wildly successful franchise holds up 18 years after its release. They also discuss early 2000's CGI, the nightmare of actually attending this school, the rationale behind leaving a wizard celebrity in the hands of some extremely abusive relatives, and much more!

Zach & Brandon take a look back at the racing flick that started it all! They discuss The Fast and the Furious franchise roots as well as how the series evolved since its simple inception. What began as some street racers stealing VHS/ DVD combo players would eventually spiral out of control and into superhero/ super-spy territory. But they're taking it back to the sweaty, Limp Bizkit filled year of 2001 to get into the Diesel/ Walker bromance, Vince's toxic masculinity and of course that sweet NOS CGI!