Out of Touchstone

Addiction and education are the topics of the day as we wrap up Spring 1994 on Out of Touchstone by looking at two of the studio's offerings.  First up is WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN, which features strong dramatic performances from Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia in a hard-hitting look at the effects of alcholism on the family unit.  We both enjoyed the film, even though the supporting cast was underutilized.  Then we shift our focus to the charming RENAISSANCE MAN, the Danny Devito-led comedy about an unemployed businessman teaching Shakespeare to Army recruits.  Mike loved the film as it reminded him why he started this podcast in the first place: to provide a chance to uncover some hidden gems that we missed during their initial theatrical release.  Our long hiatus is over and we are happy to be back!

Mike provides a brief update on the show: please bear with us through this delay, as we are excited to re-start the show and post new episodes soon. Thank you for listening!

April 1994 has arrived on Out of Touchstone, as we look at three Disney films that feature younger characters growing up somewhat quickly.  First up from Touchstone Pictures is THE INKWELL, a unique look at affluent African Americans in the 1970s and the psychological progression of an impressionable young man.  Mike and Chad both agreed that the film was not what they expected and had a great cast, but was doomed by its mismatched tone.  The co-hosts then look at the maturation of young men in two unique settings: HOLY MATRIMONY, the Hollywood Pictures story involving bizarre marriage laws; and WHITE FANG 2: MYTH OF THE WHITE WOLF from Walt Disney Pictures, the mediocre sequel to their 1991 Jack London adaptation.

It's March 1994 and Disney has decided to release three movies set during the holidays or around winter - time for the guys from Out of Touchstone to put on their warm weather clothes!  First up, Mike and Chad do a deep dive into Touchstone's THE REF, a wonderfully underrated dark comedy with a stellar cast that deserves to be a Christmas staple.  From there, the co-hosts look at ANGIE (from Hollywood Pictures) and D2: THE MIGHTY DUCKS (from Walt Disney Pictures) to see how they fared in the crowded box office landscape of family comedies and Oscar contenders.

We continue into February 1994 on Out of Touchstone, which features two films that include questionable romantic entanglements.  We start with the unsettling Touchstone comedy MY FATHER THE HERO, which creeped out both of the hosts and made them question the laws in the Bahamas.  Maybe something was lost in translation from the original French version of the film?  Thankfully, Mike and Chad both found comfort in Disney's BLANK CHECK, a much more harmless look at a kid spinning an elaborate lie.  They may have come out in the same month, but the films are miles apart in terms of entertainment value.

We've come to 1994 on Out of Touchstone, which brings us a series of adventures for the new year.  We kick things off with the low-budget (and low-brow) comedy CABIN BOY, a star vehicle that Mike had a real hard time watching, though Chad did find it slightly enjoyable.  Thankfully there were two other films released by Disney in the same month - THE AIR UP THERE (from Hollywood Pictures) and IRON WILL (from Walt Disney Films) - for the co-hosts to compare to Touchstone's flop.  It's Chris Elliott on the high seas!  It's Kevin Bacon in Africa!  It's Mackenzie Astin in the Great White North!  Adventure awaits!!

1993 brought us several notable films and performances from the Touchstone library, so Mike and Chad take this opportunity to shine a light on their favorites.  While one film dominates the Ronnie Awards due to its technical achievement and another draws praise for its superb acting, there were also a few hidden gems that the co-hosts found pleasantly surprising.  On top of that, both Walt Disney Pictures and Hollywood Pictures managed to release some easily overlooked films during the year that definitely merit reconsideration in the streaming age.  All in all, it was an unspectacular-but-solid year for Disney and we had a blast reminiscing about how these movies left their mark both during their initial release and now three decades later.

We’re looking at the role of saviors as we come to the end of 1993 on Out of Touchstone: we start with Whoopi Goldberg’s return to the fold in SISTER ACT 2, another mostly unnecessary sequel from Touchstone that doesn’t quite capture the charm of the original film.  Mike and Chad then turn their gaze to period pieces involving soldiers (Disney’s THE THREE MUSKETEERS) and lawmen (Hollywood’s TOMBSTONE), in order to compare their heroic exploits to Touchstone’s singing nuns.  Listen as we answer several burning questions, including “Which group needed saving the most?” and “Who had the best mustache in TOMBSTONE?”

Two of Disney's most peculiar films of 1993 are the focus of this episode of Out of Touchstone: first we look at Touchstone's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, a landmark of stop-motion animation with a fantastic soundtrack, which has since been re-branded as a full-fledged Walt Disney film.  The film has a solid legacy, as compared to the other film that Mike and Chad discuss: SUPER MARIO BROS. from Hollywood Pictures, which does have some amazing world-building, but also retains a certain level of notoriety from its doomed production.  Both films are bizarre and strange - but is that necessarily a bad thing?

The fall of 1993 brings us a few sports movies to discuss on Out of Touchstone, starting with THE PROGRAM: a melodramatic look at a struggling football team.  Mike and Chad both felt the Touchstone drama was just a little too corny to be taken seriously, even though it did shed some light on important issues facing student-athletes.  The co-hosts then look at two other sporting efforts from the studio - Hollywood Pictures' ASPEN EXTREME and Walt Disney's COOL RUNNINGS - comparing the athletic endeavors (and personal drama) from the winter sports of skiing and bobsledding to the high stakes world of college football.