Podcast Like It's ...

Oh, how wonderful! 1999 has brought us yet another treat in the form of a movie from the Disney Renaissance, the delightful era that birthed such classics as "The Little Mermaid, "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King." How sweet they are, with their singing animals, dancing inanimate objects and overall sense of wonder! I can't wait to see which one we get to-- Oh, it's "Tarzan." We got "Tarzan?" You know, Me, Tarzan, You Jane "Tarzan?" The one where the characters don't sing. Or dance. Where it all takes place on basically one beach. The one with the Phil Collins' song that beat Aimee Mann for Best Original Song!? That's the one we get?! Well, we'll be damned if Emily Morris (21 Laps) didn't come on and defend the shit out of her beloved Ape-man and his rock-hard abs. And we'll be further damned if she didn't get Phil and Kenny to see beyond the lack of theme park-ready set pieces and find a warm, tender, beautiful and sad movie at its core. Sometimes you open a present and it's not what you want, but it's what you need. And, maybe in 1999, the world needed "Tarzan." Or maybe it needed "Toy Story 2," but we'll get there eventually.

Are you ready for a podcast about football!!!???!!! Get your helmets on, your spikes tied and your jocks strapped as Phil, Kenny and Zander Lehmann (creator of Casual) bring you some hard-hitting, brain-bashing, eyeball-popping football movie talk!!!!!?????!!! Is Any Given Sunday a celebration of modern day gladiators, a critique of its bloodthirsty culture or both????!!!!??? Can a moviewatcher separate his revolted visceral feelings about a movie if he agrees with its message?????!!!!!???!? Has there ever been a sports movie that hates the sports it’s about more than Any Given Sunday?!????????! And how tired was Al Pacino when he made this???!!!!??? He looks basically DEAD!!!!!!!! Slam it here for the answers to these and many more bone-crunching questions on Podcast Like it’s 1999!!!!!

Phil and Kenny welcome Alison Eakle (Shondaland) to the pod to discuss a film that puts its all right out there in the title.    But between the unsuccessful suicide attempt that opens the film and the more successful ones that close it, is a beautiful, haunting film about the joys and horrors of growing up female in suburban America.   The joys include camaraderie among your peers, dew-lit school dances, sexual awakening and the discovery of yourself.   The horrors include that James Woods could be your father.    Please join us as we dive deeper into Sofia Coppola's debut film, "The Virgin Suicides."

And then they were down to three contestants in the Mr. Podcast Like its 1999 pageant: Phil Iscove, Kenny Neibart and Jarett Wieselman (Netflix Social). With all three men tied, it would come down to their answers in the interview portion.    Phil went first and his question was: "If you were stuck on a desert island, what one movie from 1999 would you take with you and why is it Drop Dead Gorgeous?" But Phil protested that it would actually be either Magnolia, The Straight Story or Toy Story 2 - depending upon who was asking the question - and was eliminated from competition.    Kenny was up next and was asked: "Which character from Drop Dead Gorgeous do you most relate to?" But when Kenny responded it was Denise Richard's character Becky Ann Leeman, the booing and hissing was so loud it drowned out the remainder of his answer and he was awarded zero points.    Finally, Jarett was asked: "Why isn't Drop Dead Gorgeous available on any streaming service in the world?" Jarett went into a violent rage and murdered everyone as a homage to Drop Dead Gorgeous, leaving the judges no choice but to award Mr. Podcast Like It's 1999 to... Kirsten Dunst!

In this episode of Podcast Like It’s 1999 Keely Flaherty (Netflix) joins Phil and Kenny to the Egyptology travelogue, “The Mummy.” While some see “The Mummy” as a morality tale set against the sandy deserts of Cairo, we here at Podcast Like It’s 1999 prefer to view the work as an ode to the weary archaeologist, she who spans the globe in search of the riches and secrets of a epoch lost to history. A living tribute to the brave men and women willing spelunk the darkest crypts, excavate the most haunted tombs and stare down the most terrifying ghouls, “The Mummy” exalts the modern archeologist, the true action hero.

In every high school, there are many cliques. There are the jocks. There are the nerds. There are the goths. There are the... murderers. And then, there are Phil, Kenny and Heather Regnier (Sleepy Hollow, SMILF): the clique who podcasts about the murderers. Join us for our podcast about high school politics, 90s teen tropes, the power of satire and the correct pronunciation of the word “clique.”

We did a podcast. It was a podcast about "Bringing Out the Dead," That movie about ambulance drivers in Hell's Kitchen? We talked with Stephen Vitale, a filmmaker, for while about the intersection of life and death and whatnot. We thought it was a lovely, constructive and enlightening conversation. So why do we still feel like there's nothing to live for?   This podcast. It's important. Maybe not for society, but for us. We touched on so many things, like the use of the color red and religious imagery and which of Nicholas Cage's three partners - John Goodman, Ving Rhames or Tom Sizemore - were the most entertaining and/or terrifying. We really felt like we were creating something great. And we did. I think. Maybe not. Who knows.    You'll just have to listen for yourself and decide, did Podcast Like It's 1999 do "Bringing out the Dead" justice? Or should we just drive quietly into that terrible night?

Stacy McKee (creator, Station 19) joins Phil and Kenny for a lively discussion about Never Been Kissed. Never Been Kissed is, of course, a work of narrative fiction. But if YOU’VE never been kissed, it can serve as a how-to guide as well! Step One: Look like, and be as, charming as Drew Barrymore Step Two: Get a job at a newspaper run by a crazy old man (like a Garry Marshall-type) who is willing to send you on an investigative report into your old high school on a whim. Step Three: Get your 20-something brother, who hopefully can also pass for high school-age like, say, David Arquette, to also enroll in high school and make you cool. Step Four: Entrap your handsome Michael Vartan-esque teacher into falling for you. Step Five: Ignore any awkwardness (or legal issue) that might arise due to potential underage concerns. Step Six: KISS!

Phil and Kenny are joined by the Director of “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” Susanna Fogel. Or are they? Because in this podcast, nothing is as it seems. What sounds like a friendly discussion about domestic terrorism might actually be code for something for more sinister. What could be heard as a simple recasting of a modern version of “Arlington Road” might really be seeing the seeds for something far more dangerous. And what is usually a calm, thoughtful podcast about the movies of 1999 might just turn into a powderkeg of repressed emotions  waiting to explode like some kind of nondescript, midwestern federal building! Tune into this week’s podcast to find out the truth!

In our second episode of our Bonus series, "The Class of 1999," Phil and Kenny are delighted to welcome writer and director of one of 1999's most loved films, "Cruel Intentions." in addition to "Cruel Intentions," Roger has directed "The Sweetest Thing," "Just Friends" and countless episodes of television. They discuss Cruel Intentions' origins and production, that kiss, that scene and so much more.