The Tape Store

Star Wars month continues as we discuss Timothy Zahn's 1991 novel "Heir to the Empire", the first of a three-part epic story known famously as "The Thrawn Trilogy".  That's right Star Wars fans, Grand Admiral Thrawn, arguably one of the greatest Star Wars villains, was born in the 90s.  We dive into the story that takes place 5 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, where we join Luke Skywalker, who struggles with the personal burden of being the last Jedi.  We also join Han and Leia, who are dealing with marriage and being pregnant, awaiting the arrival of twins.  Also looming in the midst of our heroes is the massive undertaking of building a new government while dealing with the remnants of the Galactic Empire, which, though weakened, is still a threat.  Then there's Grand Admiral Thrawn himself, who needs no introduction and truly makes this story one worth reading.

Shadows of the Empire (1996) concludes this week at The Tape Store as we continue to celebrate Star Wars month with the Expanded Universe.  We discuss an array of topics, including the peeling away of more complex layers of Darth Vader, Prince Xizor's attempted romance with Princess Leia, how our heroes fare without the magic of Han Solo, the dreaded and hilarious sewer scene, Luke and Lando's disastrous escape plan from Xizor's palace, and how Star Wars, beloved as it as, is inconsistent when it comes to dealing with death and destruction.

It's May, and that means we return to the world of Star Wars here at The Tape Store.  For Star Wars month this year, we decided to explore the Expanded Universe, beginning with the prolific 1996 novel Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry, which spawned a line of toys, a comic book series, and a Nintendo 64 video game.  In Part 1 of a two-part series with guest co-host Jeff Darden, we cover the story's prologue, which gives us a very interesting perspective on a classic scene from Empire Strikes Back.  We then pick up with Luke Skywalker and friends (Leia, Chewy, and Lando), right after the events of Empire, as they pursue Boba Fett in hopes of saving Han.  In the midst of this, Luke continues his Jedi training and also continually evades the clutches of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.  We also introduce new characters, the "Han-alternate" Dash Rendar, as well as the complex and interesting new antagonist, Prince Xizor. 

Thank you to all of our listeners who helped choose this week's episode!  This week we cover 1985's The Goonies.  In one of our favorite all-time adventure films, we follow Mikey Walsh and The Goonies as they search for the treasure of One-Eyed Willy, avoid the sinister Fratellis, and hope to save their homes in The Goon Docks of Astoria, Oregon.  We talk about Mikey Walsh (Sean Astin) as the seemingly unlikely but idealistic and effective leader of The Goonies, Brandon Walsh (Josh Brolin) as a solid big brother, and the incredible ensemble that makes this film so special.  We also hit on the powerful message of the story, that everyone has a part to play, and no one should be underestimated.

This week we go back to Bayside with "All in the Mall", the 16th episode from the 3rd season of Saved By The Bell (air date - November 9th, 1991).  In this episode we follow Zack and the gang (sans Jessie) in what starts as a trip to the mall to get concert tickets but soon devolves into a crazy caper involving a bag of money, two shady characters, a smooth shoe salesman, and a camping tent.  We also compare and contrast a tornado watch and a tornado warning, as well as mezzanine and orchestra seating.

This week we conclude our three-part podcast series on Steven Spielberg's 1993 film, Jurassic Park.  We discuss the final act of the film, including the iconic kitchen-raptor scene, the enduring legacy of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the significance of the Hammond-Sattler discussion, and the meaning we took from the film's brief but impactful final moments on the helicopter as the survivors leave Isla Nublar.

In Part 2 of what we've decided will be a 3-part series, we pick up where we left off last week with Jurassic Park (1993).  We discuss the park's sudden downward spiral from majestic and enchanting to chaotic and deadly, Dennis Nedry's change from foil to villain and his unfortunate encounter with the dilophosaurus, and of course, meeting the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

We're excited to finally get around to one of our favorite movies, Jurassic Park (1993).  We love this movie so much, and have been so impacted by it, we realized into recording this episode that we're going to have to make this a three-part series.  We talk about how the movie impacted us as kids and where we were in our respective lives when we first saw it.  We then get into the first part of the film's plot, where we meet the main players, Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Sam Neill and Laura Dern), the child-like John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), Tim and Lex (Joseph Mazello and Ariana Richards), the nefarious Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight), and of course, the unforgettable Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum).  Also discussed is the beautiful film score (John Williams) and the film's major themes, which can be summed up by simply saying that life...uh...finds a way.

This week at The Tape Store we talk about 1999's Never Been Kissed, a classic 90s rom-com starring Drew Barrymore that is especially near and dear to Brooke's heart.  We discuss the great things about this film, like the all-star cast, not to mention the hilarious bit characters of Merkin (Sean Whalen) and Brett (Alex Solowitz).  Also covered are the duel story arcs presented, the powerful messages that the film tackles, and where we felt the film unravelled a bit.

This week at The Tape Store we celebrate the 30th anniversary of 1991's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, the direct sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) and the film that birthed "Ninja Rap".  We talk at length about this film's sudden divergence from its predecessor, the problems this presented, the merits the film manages to have despite its significant shortcomings, and the iconic moments in it that scream "1990s!".