Nerd Pride Radio

The Russia House

(I doubt if it was shot in NC, but the rest of the description fits... With the possible exception of the year...)

"John was a brilliant up and coming stand-up comic and actor," said co-director Jankel. "We went to see him at Second City, and we were 100% sold. He had a wonderful combination of empathy and irreverence but was entirely without guile. It was not specifically scripted to be cast with a Hispanic or Latino actor, but it made perfect sense that they themselves should be this contemporary unconventional family, so the small unit of just two, couldn't be pegged as one thing or another."

Blues Brothers

Wagging the Dog

Lead creatures designer and supervisor Patrick Tatopoulos was aware of the concurrent Jurassic Park production, so consciously designed the dinosaurs for this movie more cute and cartoony with inspiration from Beetlejuice.

John who's a latino comedian is probably John Leguizamo. Is the movie Ice Age?

You're on the right track.

About 65 million years ago, a meteorite crashes into the Earth, killing the dinosaurs and splitting the universe into two parallel dimensions. The surviving dinosaurs cross into this new dimension and evolve into a humanoid race.

Something's clicking...

Super Mario Brothers

Pretty sure this is the solo Yoshi movie

Ice Age 2

For his directorial debut, Columbus said he reviewed a hundred scripts. He chose ________ because he felt comfortable with its scale. Paramount Pictures had a right of first refusal but demanded Molly Ringwald be cast in the lead. Over 150 actresses auditioned for the lead role, including Valerie Bertinelli. Shooting took place in Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles in early 1987.

Chris Columbus? Hmmm. Home Alone? That makes no sense. But it's my guess.

Pretty sure this is wrong, but also to get this off the table: The Breakfast Club

The film was adapted into an unsold TV pilot of the same name for CBS in 1989. It starred Jennifer Guthrie (who would later co-star on Parker Lewis Can't Lose with Maia Brewton) as Chris, Joey Lawrence as Brad, Courtney Peldon as Sara, Brian Austin Green as Daryl, and Ariana Mohit as Brenda. It was not picked up as a series.

Based on the kids' names, and Elizabeth Shue having been a big crush of mine back in the day: Adventures in Babysitting?

Of course it is!

Thwarted, the five alien women merge to become a giantess who swallows Tommy alive. The giantess then crawls out of the amusement center and chases Jesse and Chester. The cultists tell them to activate the Photon Accelerator Annihilation Beam on the Transfunctioner. However, the button that activates it is too far in to reach. At the last second, Chester remembers the nature show with the tool-using chimps and uses a straw to push the recessed button, thus destroying the alien (Tommy survives, but Christie breaks up with him in favor of Nelson). The protectors thank Jesse, Chester and the twins for saving the world, and erase their minds concerning the events.