Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy

Once Upon A VHS
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On a queer and neverending quest through the fantasy films of the 80s & 90s, and all the memories and feelings they conjure up. From animated adventures and sword and sorcery epics to magical romcoms and fairytale horror, we will journey through the big blockbusters and cult classics. https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly: Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings) https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 3D AGO

    The BFG (1989) with Dr Liam Casey

    "Whizzpop, whizzbang, feel the bubbles go down!" Our friend, clinical psychologist and mental health researcher Dr Liam Casey joins us to discuss this animated Roald Dahl adaptation, originally made for UK TV by Cosgrove Hall productions. A song about farting, The Delicious Miss (Sophie) Dahl, World Book Day, the 2016 Spielberg film being dragged through the mud, Mrs. Slocombe's you-know-what, grandpa feelings, making Frobscottle with a Berocca, Liam's library of dreams, the Kate Bush Fruitopia commercials, retro British children's TV including Rainbow and The Dreamstone, a terrifying monstrous giant rising from the sea, I Don't Know How To Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar, and the concept of replacing Queen Elizabeth II with Kylie Minogue await. We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. What do human beans from Sweden taste like? Sweden sour!  Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio. https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly: Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings) https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 13m

  2. APR 30

    Harry and the Hendersons (1987) with Antonio Palacios

    "No, no, no Bigfoot here, Sergeant. I was just joking." Joining us on the trail of a very special sasquatch is a connoisseur of cult movies, Antonio Palacios from The Cultworthy Cinema Podcast and Back 2 The Balcony. It's time for a family comedy that became a real VHS staple - initially known in the UK as "Bigfoot and the Hendersons"! Rick Baker providing stunning makeup effects and having beef with Spielberg, a surprising connection to The Monkees, cryptid chat including Sam the Sandown Clown, and a wood-panelled station wagon await. We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Is this our most "dad stuff" episode so far? Listen and find out! Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio. https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly: Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings) https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 9m

  3. APR 23

    Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987)

    "Only you can choose your fate." In the second part of our double bill of peculiar Pinocchio movies, we revisit one of Callum's childhood favourites - Filmation's ill-fated cartoon pseudo-sequel which provoked the wrath of Disney - fitting for a film that flits between saccharine sweetness and a dark carnival of deeply disturbing imagery. Surreal animation, an absolutely wild voice cast including James Earl Jones, Rickie Lee Jones, Ed Asner, Tom Bosley, Don Knotts and Scott Grimes, the respective puppet provenance of Twinkle and Puppetino, glittering green grog at the Neon Cabaret, the Blue Fairy aka Fairy Godmother giving us a zooted musical number then skedaddling, the cosmic horror of a great big eldritch villain, L'Oreal putting the kibosh on the spinoff TV series nobody wanted, a raccoon with a breastplate and a problematic monkey await. We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. What do we make of Gee Whillickers and Grumblebee? Listen and find out! Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio. https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly: Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings) https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    55 min

  4. APR 16

    The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996)

    "Miracles are made in the heart, papa." It's time for our double bill of peculiar Pinocchio movies - first up is this lavish live action international co-production with memorably uncanny puppet practical effects provided by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. We also dive deep into our relationship with Carlo Collodi's story and its legacy including the Disney adaptation(s), Guillermo del Toro's stunning stopmotion passion project, the Spielberg-Kubrick collaboration AI: Artificial Intelligence and the excellent, book-faithful 2019 film from Matteo Garrone. Jonathan Taylor Thomas, a nightmarish donkey transformation on a rollercoaster, opera pastiche, the fairytale charm of Prague, Bebe Neuwirth serving puss, a sea monster with human eyes and teeth, Sacro Bosco, a truly hideous CGI cricket and Dawn French's cream cakes await. We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Which rock star provides Pinocchio's singing voice? Listen and find out! Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio. https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly: Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings) https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 7m

  5. APR 9

    Thumbelina (1994)

    "After the rain goes, there are rainbows - I'll find my rainbow soon." We return to the Don Bluth oeuvre with a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale adaptation starring Jodi Benson, hot on the heels of The Little Mermaid and the Disney renaissance at large. An amphibious Charo's cuchi-cuchi, Bluth's preoccupation with both death and sparkles, Barry Manilow, fairy headgear, Thumbling stories, Carol Channing chatting to Betty White on the phone, the Danny Kaye movie musical, dark undercurrents and some distinctive vocal stylings await. We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. What does Andersen's penpal have to do with any of this? Listen and find out! Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio. https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly: Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings) https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 13m

  6. APR 1 ·  BONUS

    Labyrinth (1986) call for submissions - contribute to this Special Edition episode!

    We want to hear from YOU about Labyrinth (1986)! To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this classic, we want to do something special this summer. We already covered Labyrinth in our first season, but to be honest we don’t think we did the film justice by squashing it into a double bill with The Princess and the Goblin. The pacing and sound quality of that old episode is a little crunchy too! After seeing the gorgeous 4k remaster in the cinema this year, we knew we needed to give it another go, reworking elements from our previous conversation into a new standalone episode - Labyrinth: Special Edition. Two of our best and most popular episodes - The Dark Crystal and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - are built around clips from listeners and friends of the pod sharing their thoughts. We love being able to react to these and incorporate them into our discussion. So we’re looking to do the same with mini-contributions to this new special episode about Labyrinth - submissions deadline is 31st May. If you’d like to take part, please make an audio recording (with the best quality audio you are able to) briefly introducing yourself and answering at least one of the following questions: 1. Nostalgia Nook: what are the memories or feelings Labyrinth conjures up for you? 2. Nightmare Nail: what are the frightening moments that most affected you? 3. Treasures: what are the best bits? 4. Just tell us what Labyrinth means to you! You can send your audio recording to onceuponavhs AT gmail DOT com, or just leave us a voice note on Instagram! Please note that we may make some edits to audio submissions for the sake of time or clarity. We look forward to hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    2 min

  7. MAR 27

    Gremlins (1984) with Movie Oubliette

    "To understand, one has only to listen." We've called upon Conrad and Dan of the brilliant Movie Oubliette podcast to help us tackle this Christmassy classic, throwing outlandish comedy, B-movie horror and Spielbergian schmaltz into a blender and making a real mess of the kitchen. The origins of Amblin, Joe Dante's Looney Tunes leanings, the commodification of nostalgia, Zach Galligan getting his thunder stolen by a puppet, Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, cookies representing the nuclear family, Phoebe Cates' delivery of THAT monologue, a reported Furby lawsuit, shocking scenes in the YMCA pool, the movie magic behind Gizmo's expressive face, Mrs Deagle being catapulted, an unhinged deleted sequence from Chris Columbus' darker original spec script and Jerry Goldsmith's pitch-perfect score await. We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Which character's name does Michael keep getting wrong? Listen and find out! Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio. https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly: Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings) https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 22m

  8. MAR 20

    Pokémon: The First Movie (1998) with Duncan Lindsay

    "You mean, we don't have to fight with each other?" Our friend and resident Pokémon professor Duncan Lindsay pops by to chat all things Pocket Monsters with us - the franchise in general, the video games, the trading card game, the anime TV series and the many, many movies - focusing in on this hugely commercially successful theatrical release in which Mewtwo Strikes Back. Pondering why gays love Pokémon, existential crises, an iconic pop soundtrack album, Pikachu's expressive voice, Team Rocket's dubious disguises, Mewtwo giving us Frankenstein's Monster and Cher, Dragonite flopping and Chansey being a f** p*** wh** await. We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Were 4Kids cooking with their adaptational choices for the dub? Listen and find out! Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio. https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly: Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings) https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 51m
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About

On a queer and neverending quest through the fantasy films of the 80s & 90s, and all the memories and feelings they conjure up. From animated adventures and sword and sorcery epics to magical romcoms and fairytale horror, we will journey through the big blockbusters and cult classics. https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly: Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings) https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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