Explorers (1985)

It was director Joe Dante’s follow up to his blockbuster hit, GREMLINS, and the screen debuts of Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix, two young actors who would each leave his mark on cinema despite the quite different (and, in Phoenix’s case, tragic) trajectories their careers would take. So why exactly wasn’t this movie a huge hit 35 years ago? Dan and Jon dig in and explore its troubled path to the big screen, and what might’ve been if Dante’s complete vision had made it to the final cut. Also, in part one of their month long focus on child stars, they address the tragic ends of Phoenix and co-star Amanda Peterson, Hawke’s ability to survive child stardom and achieve a vast and varied career, and the mystery of what happened to Jason Presson, who rounds out the trio of titular tweens.

Next episode: HEAVYWEIGHTS (1995) with special guest Brian “Box” Brown