Drive-In Double Feature Podcast

Twice Upon a Time (1983) - Drive-In Double Feature Episode 447

Nathan and Ryan step into the wonderfully weird world of Twice Upon a Time (1983), a cult animated fantasy that feels like a Saturday-morning cartoon filtered through counterculture surrealism. Using the experimental “Lumage” animation process, the film tells the story of a timid dream-maker and a cynical hero teaming up to stop nightmares from overtaking reality. The hosts break down the movie’s offbeat humor, psychedelic visuals, and why it stands as one of the strangest non-Disney animated features of the era. It’s charming, unsettling, and completely unlike anything else released in the early ’80s.

Protocol (1984) - Drive-In Double Feature Episode 447

Nathan and Ryan dive into Protocol (1984), the Goldie Hawn–led political comedy where a well-meaning Washington D.C. tour guide accidentally becomes an international diplomatic incident. The hosts unpack the film’s fish-out-of-water humor, Cold War–era politics played for laughs, and how Hawn’s charm carries a movie that lives somewhere between satire and mainstream ’80s studio comedy. From embassy etiquette to media spin, this episode looks at Protocol as both a lighthearted star vehicle and a strange time capsule of Reagan-era optimism and political simplicity.

Munchie (1992) - Drive-In Double Feature Episode 446

Nathan and Ryan unleash Munchie (1992), one of the most notorious Gremlins knockoffs of the direct-to-video era. Starring Dom DeLuise as the voice of an obnoxious, fourth-wall-breaking creature of chaos, the film follows a kid whose new “friend” helps him deal with bullies, adults, and basic logic through nonstop noise and bad jokes. The hosts break down the movie’s endless mugging, cartoon physics, and why Munchie feels less like a family film and more like an endurance test. Love it, hate it, or fear it—this is peak early-’90s VHS insanity.

Sidekicks (1992) - Drive-In Double Feature Episode 445

Nathan and Ryan roundhouse-kick their way into Sidekicks (1992), the wish-fulfillment martial arts fantasy that turned every bullied kid’s daydream into a movie. Starring Jonathan Brandis as a lonely teen whose imagination places him alongside the unbeatable Chuck Norris, the film blends coming-of-age drama with kid-friendly karate action. The hosts talk about the movie’s earnest tone, early-’90s vibes, and how it plays like a feature-length version of childhood power fantasies—complete with mullets, bullies, and tournament glory. Is it cheesy? Absolutely. Is it also weirdly heartfelt? Also yes.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) - Drive-In Double Feature Episode 444

Nathan and Ryan step into the Technicolor fantasy worlds of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), the Danny Kaye–starring comedy that turns escapist daydreaming into full-blown cinematic spectacle. Loosely inspired by the James Thurber story, the film follows a meek photo editor whose vivid imagination repeatedly whisks him away from mundane reality into swashbuckling adventures, musical numbers, and heroic alter egos. The hosts discuss Kaye’s rapid-fire performance style, the film’s playful visual inventiveness, and how Hollywood transformed a short, subtle story into a maximalist studio showcase. Is it a classic of Golden Age comedy or a fascinating case of adaptation excess? Tune in to find out.