Now We Know

The boys are back with the fifth installment of their populist darling series, Commercials of the 80s and 90s. From rappin' Flintstones, to the sttely commands of the Bop-It!, to the unholy union of Michael Jordan and McDonald's, Kevin and Chris pour over 18 more memorable commercials from the annals of their youths. (Programming note: If you're confused — "Volume 5!? Where's Volume 4?" you ask, hands shaking, sweat pouring down your face, feet rapidly turning cold as ice — that episode, released earlier this year, is on our subscriber feed! Check it out today, as well as all our other bonus content, at patreon.com/nowweknow)

There can be only two! Two hosts, that is! Also, two Highlander movies as of the year 1991. Departing boldly from the plot and canon of the original film, yet nonetheless featuring returning co-stars Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, Highlander 2 sends our beloved sword-wielding boys from Earth, to the Planet Zeist, and back again! Remember your home... another galaxy!

As fast as a streaking comet—its majestic tail slowly fading into a dark, night sky—baseball season is already very nearly over. As such, Chris decided to trot out the last remaining baseball movie of his youth for Kevin to behold: 1994's Little Big League, starring Luke Edwards, a.k.a the wizard from The Wizard. Also featuring Timothy Busfield, Jason Robards, Dennis Farina, Chris "deux deux deuxs" Berman, and a particularly odious turn by Jonathan Silverman. PROGRAMMING NOTE: This is NOT the movie where a kid pitches in the major leagues! That's 1993's Rookie Of The Year. In this one, the kid's the manager.

In remembrance of its recently deceased director, Wolfgang Petersen, Kevin and Chris revisit a towering classic of 80’s childrens’ cinema: The NeverEnding Story. The boys are joined by professor, podcaster, and bon vivant Dr. Ian Werkheiser to talk Bux, Atreyu, Artax, Bux’s dad (and whether he should have been played by John Cleese), and a cast of thousands!

Callooh, callay, it's Felix The Cat day! Deep from the recesses of Chris' memory comes this late 80's theatrical revival of the beloved children's cartoon classic. Our favorite magic bag-wielding cat had been on hiatus for a while prior to this release—29 years, to be exact—so you can rest assured they put every ounce of their blood, sweat, and talent into this thing. Feat. Princess Oriana, The Duke of Zill, and Wack Lizardi.

Get ready, webslingers! It's time for a 1977 Spider-Man film—which also served as a feature-length pilot for the shortlived CBS live-action series—which Kevin has graciously brought before the Now We Know magisterium. How does it hold up? We couldn't possibly spoil the surprise.

Somehow, Gene Kelly returned. That's right, America's preeminent song and dance man finally got his big screen swansong in Xanadu, the 1980 Olivia Newton-John-as-a-muse musical that was a hell of a lot more successful as an album than a movie. Kevin and Chris are joined by first-time guest Hilary for a songful saunter to Kubla Khan's stately pleasure dome.

In the early 90's, with the golden era of The Simpsons in full swing, Fox's rival networks were desperate to devise counterprogramming to bridge a seemingly insurmountable ratings and cultural impact gap. They failed miserably with a pair of evening cartoons made for basically nobody, Fish Police and Capitol Critters. Plus: a side of Scorch, starring the titular dragon puppet Scorch, also featuring Seinfeld's J. Peterman himself, John O'Hurley.

Kevin and Chris go long on 1989's The Wizard, starring the likes of Fred Savage, Christian Slater, Luke Edwards, Beau Bridges, and the inimitable Jenny Lewis. Join for a magical road trip through the deserts, casinos, and Universal backlot tours of America, culminating in a video game showdown to shake the heavens—complete with the reveal of the new hotness, Super Mario Bros. 3.

Join Kevin and Chris on a trip into the annals of Canadian animation with Rock and Rule, a 1983 sci-fi dystopian flick featuring the vocal talents of Debbie Harry, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and Don Francks as deranged super rocker/demonic summoner Mok. This was Canada's first-ever English language animated feature, produced by Nelvana—you know, they of the stately polar bear—and it hauled in a whopping... $30,000 at the box office. Did it deserve better? Time to find out!

No matter the season—whether it's hot szechuan soup weather, or time for a smooth, chilled pineapple pudding—it's always a good time for Kevin and Chris to dip back into the original Iron Chef series, which aired in Japan from 1993 through 1999, and was brought stateside via an iconic dub. Join the guys as they look back at a trio of epic clashes featuring mighty chefs iron Chen Kenichi, Hiroyuki Sakai, and Roksaburo Michiba.

Granny, at long last, 's gonna grab ya.

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Shabooey! If you know, you know. Kevin and Chris looks back at the ill-fated DuckTales movie, featuring Scrooge, Webby and the boys, Launchpad (barely), and Rip Taylor as, surely, Disney's number one animated genie.

ch ch ch chris and kev, podcast rangers

Baseball is back, oh joyous day, callooh callay! To celebrate the return of America' preeminent stick-based sporting event, Kevin and Chris look back at Angels in the Outfield, the 1994 Disney movie that boldly asks: what if God would help you win baseball games, but not if it's a division clincher? Starring Christopher Lloyd, Danny Glover, Tony Danza, and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The Batman is here — Batman (1989) that is! Kevin and Chris revisit the Tim Burton classic, which more or less launched "moody Batman" in the hearts and minds of the American mainstream. Chris had never before seen this renowned classic, much to Kevin's finger-steepling delight. Starring Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, and of Arli$$ fame, the inimitable Robert Wuhl.

For a momentous, celebratory 101st episode, Kevin and Chris revisit Blackbeard's Ghost, a 1968 live-action Disney comedy starring the inimitable Peter Ustinov as the selfsame salty pirate! Join the boys as they watch this master of his craft sashay, strut, and wail as only he knows how. Also, special guest appearances by a host of past guests, subscribers, and friends of the show! Thanks for a great run everyone... so far!

The Winter Olympics are upon us, and Kevin is getting us into the spirit with 1992 figure skating romantic comedy The Cutting Edge. Prepare to be whisked away by D.B. Sweeney, Moira Kelly, Terry O'Quinn, and as previously mentioned in our very first episode, Michael Hogan! And remember: Now We Know does two things well, and podcasting's the other one.

Closing out his time visiting for the holidays, bro of the show Evan Tognotti joins Kevin and Chris for a look back at largely memory-holed Steve Martin/Queen Latifah vehicle Bringing Down The House. Wholly unfunny and wildly racist, this 2003 "comedy" is perhaps valuable solely as a historical document of early-aughts Hollywood racism. Join the gang for all the grisly play-by-play, and make sure to check out our new Patreon: patreon.com/nowweknow