Release Date Rewind

Keep the Christmas festivities going by playing this episode! If horror fandom is like a sorority, Mark and his returning guest Jeff Bugajski would be the presidents, or treasurers, or housemothers, like boozy Mrs. Mac! It's the 50th anniversary of the super creepy and super influential 1974 slasher Black Christmas, directed by Bob Clark before he directed A Christmas Story (he really knew how to make iconic holiday movies!). Although this movie might be less talked about than other horror films, Mark and Jeff agree that it's their life mission to spread the good word. Plus, they share stories about meeting Margot Kidder and Andrea Martin! 

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Show us your Pitts - again! Put your fists in the air because this is Part 2 of "Pitt Fest" celebrating two Brad Pitt movies based on books that hit milestone anniversaries this year. Mark welcomes Brad stan OT Garcia back on the show to break the number 1 rule of Fight Club and discuss the “defining cult movie of our time” for its 25th anniversary. From David Fincher's memorable aesthetic and Tyler Durden's gigolo fashion, to Helena Bonham Carter's scene-stealing smoking and all the sweaty muscles on display, this movie left a mark on many of us (including Mark's high school art teacher). Plus, OT compares the existentialism in the dialogue to another 1999 hit: The Matrix!

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Show us your Pitts! Brad Pitt starred in two films based on books that are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year, so "Pitt Fest" starts with a movie you can really sink your teeth into! Mark welcomes mistress of the dark Sabrina Santoro back on the show to discuss the November chiller Interview with the Vampire from Anne Rice and Neil Jordan for its 30th anniversary. This successful moody drama has Brad with long hair, Tom Cruise with blonde hair, and little Kirsten Dunst in tight curls making her breakthrough performance. And Cher was almost going to be in it?! We support gay vampires! 

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Come to Freddy! The November chills continue as Mark welcomes two fellow Freddy Krueger fans back to the show to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking 1984 scary movie A Nightmare on Elm Street: critic & podcaster David Gonzalez from The Cinematic Reel (@thecinematicreel) and Reel Chronicles (@reelchronicles), and horror artist Clark Felix (@clarkmakesart87). The guys share memories of when they first watched this iconic scarefest (see Instagram for Mark's Freddy costume as a kid), praise Wes Craven for his clever and creative work (the Nightmare-Scream connection is strong), and they rank the Elm Street franchise (it gets controversial). Plus, Mark's dad chimes in with his memory of seeing this film in the theater 40 years ago. Screw sleep!

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Halloween may be over now already, but the Headless Horseman rides whenever he wants! Mark welcomes horror filmmaker and podcaster Christopher Wesley Moore to the podcast to gallop out of the city and into Sleepy Hollow. They celebrate not one but two beloved adaptations of the Washington Irving story: the 1949 Disney anthology film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad for its 75th anniversary and the 1999 Tim Burton version for its 25th anniversary. They share memories of discovering the short animated Bing Crosby musical on the Disney Channel, and rave about the production design, twist reveal, and death scenes in the live action Johnny Depp thriller. Plus, Mark has a Sleepy Hollow-inspired tattoo! 

Check out Chris' latest horror feature When The Trash Man Knocks on Tubi and his podcast Homos on Haunted Hill! Follow him on social @somepeopleaintme

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How you doin'? It's "must see TV" time as Mark welcomes longtime friend and Friends expert Melissa Ward back to the podcast to discuss the classic sitcom for its 30th anniversary. The Fall of '94 gave us premieres of memorable TV series and Friends became the biggest of them all. Mark and Mel discuss the most talked about episodes through the ten seasons, from the one where it all began to the last one, blushing over the sexual innuendos and wondering who would be considered to be the lead. Plus, The WB's Popular gets a shout-out for its 25th anniversary! 

Pivot yourselves over to YouTube for the second part of this discussion where Mark asks Mel rapid-fire trivia questions to test her impressive knowledge: https://www.youtube.com/@releasedaterewind/videos

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Students, take note: This episode is going to teach you some things about working behind the scenes in Hollywood! But don't worry, our teacher isn't nearly as harsh as Mrs. Tingle. He's the amazing Albert Bianchini, producer of films, TV, podcasts, and more! Mark and Albert go way back when they worked on the talk show Live with Regis and Kelly, but Albert is primarily here to tell us stories from even further back, when he flew from NY to LA in the late '90s and found himself working for the great Kevin Williamson and his company Outerbanks Entertainment on the 25-year-old movie Teaching Mrs. Tingle and on the hit series Dawson's Creek. Plus, Albert talks about working in development with director Todd Phillips and about slate of projects with partners Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos at Milojo Productions. You do not want to miss this ride through an exciting career in entertainment! 

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I see... alive podcasters! Spooky season is here so it's time to get creepy with the horror-loving hosts of the How I Met Your Monster podcast, Danny, Zach, and Casey! Mark is surrounded by not one, not two, but three ghostly guests in this episode ("they're everywhere!") to celebrate the twisty 1999 thriller The Sixth Sense for its 25th anniversary. From the movie's memorable reveals to the stellar acting from the whole cast (Donnie Wahlberg still haunts us) to the ending that launched M. Night Shyamalan's career, there's a lot to love and analyze. Speaking of Shyamalan's career, the group gives their thumbs up or down for each of his following films, ending with Mark's take on this summer's Trap, in a fun short bonus episode on YouTube! 

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Let's take a ride on Falcor and fly back to 1984! Mark welcomes fellow podcasters and movie lovers Josh and Joe from Video Dropbox to reopen The Neverending Story and celebrate the memorable Wolfgang Petersen movie's 40th anniversary. They follow little bullied Bastian and model tween Atreyu into the world of Fantasia, where there are Swamps of Sadness, sexy Sphinxes, and lots of amazing '80s practical effects. They discuss the trilogy of films, rave about the Limahl theme song, and wonder what even is Moon Child? 

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"Pop quiz, hot shot!" Get ready for trivia and bring on the explosions ("You're fired!") because it's another action double feature episode! Mark welcomes movie lover and James Cameron expert Katie Bruno back for a wild bus ride and an even wilder exploration of a marriage as they celebrate the 30th anniversaries of 1994 blockbusters Speed and True Lies. Save us, Keanu and Arnold! From Dennis Hopper's maniacal performance to Jamie Lee's breathtaking striptease, there's a lot to celebrate, so check out Part 2 of this discussion on YouTube. Plus, the 1994 legal thriller The Client gets a shout-out!

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