What the Kids Were Watching Sarah A. Ruiz and Rafael A. Ruiz

To paraphrase Nelson Wright's first line in the movie, today is a good day to talk about "Flatliners." This beautiful and bizarre 1990 film directed by Joel Schumacher captivated Sarah and Raf as young adults, and they have a lot to say about it. But does it hold up like the museum's giant sculptures...or more like the leaking ceiling?Stylish and moody, "Flatliners" is the story of five ridiculously good-looking medical students who take turns stopping their hearts to experience the afterlife...

Just in time for the 35th anniversary of "Beetlejuice," the second episode of Season 3 is here!Released on March 30, 1988 (yes, it's technically a spring movie), "Beetlejuice" introduced the world to "the ghost with the most." Raf remembers this film really fondly, while Sarah was a little more apprehensive about it in her early years. But these days, both love revisiting it regularly, especially since it gives them the chance to talk about Tim Burton's overall career trajectory and goth repr...

Welcome back to the couch! Season 3 of "What the Kids Were Watching" is here, and Sarah and Raf are getting into the holiday spirit with the 1988 film "Scrooged."As with some of the previous films discussed on this podcast, "Scrooged" -- an 80s retelling of "A Christmas Carol" starring Bill Murray -- has proven a bit divisive for our hosts. Raf has wanted to talk about this movie since the podcast launched, while Sarah was resistant. "I didn't want to have to face how I just didn't love...

In the final part of a two-part podcast episode, film historian and author Eric Lichtenfeld ("Action Speaks Louder") joins Sarah and Raf for the second half of their conversation about the 1988 action film and Christmas classic "Die Hard."This time, the group dives even deeper into the important tropes and meaning found in the beloved film: what the music is really saying; how John McClane is pride and Hans Gruber is vanity; and the sheer delight of stealing a candy bar from the Nakatomi Corp...

For years, people have argued about whether or not the 1988 action masterpiece "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie. Sarah and Raf are not here to argue about that. They're here to close out Season 2 with an incredible guest star who provides in-depth insight into the film's production and ongoing influence -- someone who literally wrote the book on "Die Hard." (Well, he wrote the Library of Congress essay that accompanied the movie's induction into the National Film Registry.)Film historian and a...

The Addams Family: They're creepy, they're kooky, and now they're an essential part of Thanksgiving thanks to the 1991 film "The Addams Family" and especially the 1993 sequel "Addams Family Values." These goth-tastic films, both of which were released during the holiday season, were a much-needed seasonal respite from the season's treacly offerings when our hosts were growing up. "It was teenage catnip," says Raf. "Hot Topic: The Movie," adds Sarah.Decades after their releases, the Addams Fam...