E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Ep. 06 - Fuzzbucket / ALF

Special Guest Max Evry returns to the show to tell us about his new book STRANDED ON EARTH: HOW NIGHT SKIES BECAME E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL. Then we dive into one of the most infamous E.T. clones, MAC AND ME (1988) which features brands such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola to an absurd degree.  Max's Website: https://www.maxevry.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxevry1/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/maxevry.bsky.social  

It's Turkish E.T.-knockoff double feature week! That's right, we have not one but two E.T.-inspired films from Turkey.  First is 1983's BADI featuring a gassy alien who befriends a young boy. Then we explore HOMOTI (1987) which sees an alien with an enormous booty develop a crush on an unethical journalist. 

This week we look at two attempts to bring that E.T. magic to the small screen.  The first was a pilot that didn't get picked up to series but aired as a Disney movie-of-the-week. FUZZBUCKET (1986) is the story of boy and his imaginary friend who is actually real... and is absolutely terrifying! The second, also from 1986 and certainly more well-known, took the E.T. concept and reimagined it as an '80s family sitcom. His real name is Gordon Shumway, but you probably remember him as ALF. 

This week we shift away from aliens to look at two E.T.-inspired films that explore the concept of artificial intelligence. First up is 1985’s D.A.R.Y.L. in which a replicant boy who is being pursed by the government finds himself cared for by an average American family. Then Number 5 is alive in SHORT CIRCUIT, a 1986 film starring Ally Sheedy and Steve Guttenberg that sees a military robot struck by lightning and gaining sentience.

Special Guest Carmelita Valdez McKoy returns to the show for a fun, free-ranging conversation about a movie that could be described as "E.T. for adults": John Carpenter's critically acclaimed STARMAN (1984) featuring Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen.  Find Carmelita: https://letterboxd.com/CarmelitaSays https://x.com/CarmelitaSays https://bsky.app/profile/carmelitasays.bsky.social  

On this week's episode we take a look at two E.T.-inspired films from outside the United States. First is the Spanish-French co-production EXTRA TERRESTRIAL VISITORS (1983), which was originally intended to be a horror film and features a large-nosed alien called "Trumpy." Then we endure the 1987 South African-German film NUKIE which might have the two most irritating aliens in the history of cinema. 

This week we look at two films where kids not only encounter aliens, they actually journey into outer space.  First we discuss Joe Dante's love letter to '50s sci-fi, EXPLORERS (1985) starring Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix and Jason Presson.  Then we'll take a ride on a spaceship with a very familiar voice in Walt Disney Picture's FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR (1986).  If you want to check out the podcast Justin mentions on the show, The Purple Stuff Podcast, they can be found here: https://purplestuff.podbean.com  

Turn on your heart light as we kick off our brand new series with two films from director Steven Spielberg exploring the concept of aliens visiting Earth. First, we discuss the 1977 blockbuster CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND which changed the way the public perceived UFOs. Then we take a deep dive into one of the most popular and beloved films of all time, 1982's E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL.

Get Me Another celebrates the 40th anniversary of one of our favorite movies, John Carpenter's martial arts-fantasy-comedy BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. We'll explore the history and making of this 1986 film starring Kurt Russell as a truck driver who finds himself way over his head in a world of magic, mythology and monsters as well as discuss the qualities that have made it such an enduring cult classic.  Just remember... it's all in the reflexes.

In this bonus episode we'll be exploring a sequel to film we discussed in our GET ME ANOTHER... JAWS series. Featuring future stars George Clooney, Laura Dern and Charlie Sheen (albeit briefly), GRIZZLY II: REVENGE began filming in 1983 but wasn't completed until 2020.  We'll dive into the strange saga of this bear-run-amok movie that was shot behind the Iron Curtain and took nearly 40 years to reach the screen.