The Pagemaster | Welcome To The Basement

The second half of Cartoon June brings Craig Benzine (WheezyWaiter) to the old leather couch for the Macaulay Culkin live-action/cartoon extravaganza that we definitely all remember known as The Pagemaster!
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SEASON 11
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200 Episode Supercut Retrospective:
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All film footage is used in accordance with fair use and US copyright law. All music in the show is used with full permission of the composer.
Welcome To The Basement" is a show about watching, discussing and having fun with movies. None of the discussion or riffing is planned ahead of time.
The movie announced on Facebook before every new episode. We do discuss the entire movie, including the ending, so if you want to avoid spoilers, watch the movie first.

[@blamesocietyfilms]

Watch our next episode "The Meg" here! welcometothebasementshow.com/the-meg/

[@pcwkid76]

Well, it's nice to see that Matt got to reuse all those "Craig doesn't know..." graphics he's been holding on to.

[@nickmccabe2327]

“Hey Craig…no, sorry…wait…yes… Craig? Yes, Craig!”

[@ghastlytales]

That's exactly what I thought, lol.

[@dylangladysz]

I can tell that Matt is still having a blast making this show, no matter how stressful change might be. And guess what, I'm having a blast watching it!

[@stefanodipace6025]

"you can get the hell out of my book hole" is my new favourite sentence

[@curseyoujordanshow]

This is such a comfort movie for me. A lot of movies, including many of my absolute favourites, feel like I have to be in a particular sort of mood to sit down and watch them; but I could put on The Pagemaster any time and be happy.

[@daltoninnes7401]

Scene it? Dog Soldiers? This may be the best werewolf movie out there. The practical effects, tension, and scattered comedic moments really drive the film forward and make it a must watch.

[@TheDeppertLasseVogt]

"Captain Book." I'm dead. That was bloody brilliant.

[@Brownbear502]

Wheezy waiter!!!! His appearance made this 1000 x better 🎉🎉🎉

[@better.better]

honestly I'm surprised he wasn't subbed in long before this, his first name being Craig after all

[@schplengie1]

Loved Pagemaster as a kid. Was one of those movies I watched over and over. Wore out the VHS. Cant wait to see you guys roast it.

[@colter65]

This was one of my favorite movies as a kid!!! Good pick Matt

[@MrNicholas7]

Consider just the live action/reality portions of the movie for a moment. Richard is knocked out wearing his raincoat. When he comes to, his coat is nowhere to be found, and the creepy, handsy librarian is now hovering over top of him.

[@moon_shoes]

I really loved this movie as a kid and even as an adult it still has something special to it, I also blame Horror(the book)for my love of pitiful characters in fiction that just need someone to hold their hand.

[@alexanderforbes1452]

I loved this movie as a kid, enough that it's one of the ones I've chosen to share with my nephew some time ago. I was taken back by a few things, first, how short it was, never felt over long as a kid but it didn't feel short. Next thing was how deliberate the particular things he overcomes at the end felt. Both of these tie into the main point that stuck out to me, which was how abrupt the ending felt. It was like they realized they were running out of film or something so they had to wrap up everything, all at once, and right now. I still liked it, it wasn't a James and the Giant Peach situation where I loved it as a kid and found it completely unwatchable as an adult. Oddly, that is another example of a movie that starts out live action, becomes animated (in this case stop motion), and is then live action again at the end.

[@scottieman2]

Pagemaster is like the cartoon version of Never Ending Story/Last Action Hero.

[@ApeWithPants]

Loved this movie as a kid. Its one of those movies i havent watched a lot but remember foundly.

[@mordaciousfilms]

This film captivated me as a child and it was awe-inspiring watching y'all here and having all these memories come back. Thanks for the joy and reprieve from life woes!

[@archwayfilms4362]

The amount of times it sounds like Matt had to do some ADR to support Craig lol

[@imaginaryobserver]

Cool; I've been looking for a good 1st WttB video to show my husband; we just saw this few weeks ago. Thx, guys!❤

[@Otsgekee]

I had this on a VHS and watched this so many times.

[@Jamick98Geass]

So this was the movie that they would put on in the cafeteria every single time it rained at my elementary school. We only had a 45 minute lunch break, so we’d always get about halfway through it. The next day, the person putting the movie on the projector would ask “Should I fast forward to where we stopped yesterday??” And nearly every time one kid would say: “I wasn’t here yesterday! Can we start it over!?” or something to that effect. This is why I’ve seen the first half of The Pagemaster about 20ish times, but have never finished the movie. Glad that I can finally have a proper bookend to this unfinished chapter of my life. While I’m here Seen It?: Morbius. I saw this movie with a friend to try understand the Jared Leto memes and it was so boring and nonsensical that I nearly fell asleep. The film is an awkward collection of dull special effects and phoned in performances. I think for many people this was the burnout point of modern comic book films.

[@tazmon122]

as a kid i LOVED this movie! the first time i saw it, my dad told me all the adventures are real books, so i made him summarize all the referenced books for my bedtime stories so i could watch this movie again with better context. i also remember not liking libraries because they weren't as cool as the one in the movie...i wanted an endless maze of pillars and walls of bookshelves with this massive fresco'd rotunda that i could go in any direction and find a new story to get lost in....instead i got these clean orderly clear aisles of shelves. it felt like such a letdown. out of all of Macaulay Culkin's child star films, this is the only one i really enjoyed.

[@ericbilly]

I only remember this movie cause my dad rented it when I was a kid and watched it when I was really sick with the flu. I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it

[@Ugleseth]

Hey! I was watching the beer and boardgame stream Craig and Deon was in when this was posted! Craig is wearing the same shirt!

[@Ugleseth]

Both episodes were really great by the way!

[@fugithegreat]

The intermission was my favorite part

[@mikebowman4692]

I had to be escorted out of the theater at when I saw ET emerge from the bushes at 5. I had a fit.

[@michaellafferty6364]

Ooh, seeing some love for Princess and the Frog is a nice surprise!

[@Blucham]

9:30 Really good point! If it’s called “Treasure Island,” all the treasures probably been found. People know there’s treasure here… Shoulda called it “No-Treasure-Here Island”

[@TrRt-od1uj]

There's a lot to rib Warrren Beatty about. He's an eccentric nut, but the La La Land thing was not his fault. He was handed the wrong envelope, and was clearly confused about what he was given. Faye Dunaway was the one who read it aloud and then hightailed it out of there. Warren only gets blamed because he was there for the aftermath

[@ace5762]

Damn, this is a childhood blast

[@GreatWightSpark]

Doc Fester was a great choice for this role; the same vibes as Carrey and Cranston for nibbling the scenery while still capturing the right expressions. As a kid who seemed interested more by fact than fiction, he seemed to have developed more intrigue in the endless possibilities rather than probabilities of life, and his dad appreciated that he was brave enough to use the treehouse despite the prior assessments. It could also be an advert for young children to be more interested in literature, though didn't really come across as appealing.

[@JadeCryptOfWonders]

I have the poster for this movie looming over my bed, I have the VHS, Blu-Ray and SNES game cartridge of Pagemaster. I guess you could say I'm a casual fan.

[@Wizard-in-a-Purple-Wizard-Hat]

I remember renting this movie as a kid and getting terrified by Dr. Jekyll transforming into Mr. Hyde!

[@jackjaws004]

I saw this movie in theaters as a kid, but the only thing I remember about it was the standing poster on display at a local Pizza Hut restaurant that would, only a few years later, burn to the ground.

[@MLangenbroome]

OMG WHEEZY WAITER! I couldn't think of his name for the whole episode 😅

[@klipkultur3680]

Most moving near death scene ever, for children: E.T. No children cannot be moved by that amazing Spielberg scene and it's important.

[@mordaciousfilms]

I can never rag on Macaulay knowing what that poor kid went through and he seems like a good dude - sorta bizarre to hate on a literal small child with a Razzie. I remember being a kid in the 90s and watching these on VHS and identifying with him, although I would have wanted to leap into the worlds of FILM instead of BOOKS, but still... a fun and bizarre movie from when traditional animation was still commonplace.

[@purpletomatocinema]

I remember playing the Pagemaster video game and thought it was way better than the movie

[@AdudenamedKemp]

Have you used the same Top Secret manila envelope for the entire run of this show?

[@PoseidonXIII]

Wouldn't be a 90's movie without a random R&B song during the credits.

[@BritterSnitter]

I LOVED this movie when I was a kid, but a movie I never hear anyone talk about that I think would be perfect for Cartoon June is “The Princess and the Goblin”. I still love that movie so much and it makes me so sad that I know hardly anyone that’s seen it

[@TheChandraraj12]

That movie had drifted from my memory until you brought it up!!

[@NoahAbrahamson]

Matt needs an embroidered, "A One that is not cold, is hardly a One at all" picture in the background.

[@Hero1922]

i enjoyed page master as a kid, idk what it was I was a bookish type of kid myself, i do agree though it doesn't have stakes also seen it ET, god i'm not sure what it is but that movie hits home very hard everytime i watch it (maybe something with my deceased father, idk) but the entire time i'm in tears because of everything that happens to ET

[@nevet1212]

I'll never forget that my aunt and uncle had the movie poster for the pagemaster in his basement, spent many family parties hiding down there

[@yoogrldude]

I couldn’t tell on the site, but have you guys covered the new d&d movie for scene it/opening chat? I saw it recently and as a dnd player enjoyed it a lot

[@Fr.O.G.]

it's the guy from platoon of power squadron again

[@Alexandretta]

"You will have beanstalks growing out of your mouth!" sounded like it awoke some long-buried beanstalk related trauma.

[@karasuthedreamer6353]

This movie absolutely terrified me as a kid.

[@jesterlol69]

WHEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZZYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[@eddiet1237]

Have you seen Shin Godzilla directed by legendary anime director Hideaki Anno(Evangelion, Gunbuster), I think it’s a good look into if Godzilla showed up in reality and a good departure from the usual insane stories (even though it has it’s insane moments)

[@themoviedealers]

That adventure book is clearly a pirated copy.

[@ryanstallings7920]

This is my favorite movie

[@scotianbank]

I just stopped by the comments to say that I read "Pegmaster" at first, and was quite confused 😂

[@sharkh20]

Most golden age Disney movies treat death with the correct finality.

[@tarransanders21]

Man, Christopher Lloyd looks a lot like Lenin in this.

[@theactualbajmahal833]

You know guys, there's a theory that in Taxi Driver we're just watching Travis Bickle fantasizing different ways of impressing Cybill Shepherd.

[@EmmaRedvers81]

Thanks Craig 2.0

[@TomWDW1]

My big problem with this movie (and ones like it) are that they seem to be framed in such a way as "Books are cool! You should read these amazing adventures!" -- but by making them movies, it just reminds me that ... the same stories can be told as movies - and I'd rather watch that. lol. I dunno.

[@tecumsehcristero]

His last name is “Benzine”? Like the toxic chemical? Well, then I’m Joe strychnine LOL

[@thejackal007]

17:03 Matt, if you like an animated movie that might have death that matters... Watership Down?

[@CaptChrispy]

2:00 Matt Sloan, Master of Improv!

[@AlexandreWarners]

WHEEEEEZY!!!

[@BasicDrumming]

Great video.

[@robthequietoriginal]

Honest question Matt: would you and your co-host (whom ever that may be) be willing to do a cross-over with the folks over at Red Letter Media?

[@TheOnlyValken]

My brother watches RLM and suggested it to me when I suggested WTTB to him. Are there any benchmark episodes you recommend?

[@robertkarnick1286]

I want a crossover between WttB and On Cinema

[@calvinjluther]

It'd be fun to have Jay on the couch to talk about a giallo.

[@Goldenspiderducck]

I remember Matt addressing this a while back. Basically, from what I recall, way back in the day, RLM did a Grabowskis where they mock Chad Vader pretty hard. Matt essentially said that, while there is not “bad blood” per se, he took this as RLM not having respect for Blame Society stuff. So, I don’t think we can expect a WttB/HitB crossover anytime soon. EDIT: It’s possible things have changed over the years, but, personally, I’d be surprised. I suppose you never know, though. I will say that I think any crossover probably wouldn’t have Matt and Mike together. I feel like Jay and Matt would be a good match for WttB/Re:View and Aaron would be a good fit for BotW. Jay might also be fun on B&BGs.

[@robthequietoriginal]

@@TheOnlyValken I don't really know what videos I would consider benchmarks for RLM. I know that I enjoy re:View since that is the show that discusses modern classics and some episodes of Half in the Bag are ok if you want to know more about what is in theaters or streaming now. My second RLM video was Half in the Bag Episode 92: Pixels. Maybe you could start there?

[@hadassah179]

I always remembered the dad from "Shaggy Dog" movie. He was great in that one also. The *trailer* and beginning library scene was the best part beyond that i just remember the boy always being an annoying square and the plot being LONG as a kid. Just give me a 30min. loop of the ceiling fresco and i'm good. Those RnB songs were All Over the 90s kids movies. pagemaster, little foot, all dogs go to heaven etc. Why was that?

[@bigmookie27]

Have you seen "The Shadow" with Alec Baldwin? It's one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies.

[@Zylork0122]

Now I see a theme here. My bets for the next co-host will be either Brandon or Elayne.

[@simmonslucas]

What a nice surprise!

[@scottieman2]

Haven't seen it in years.

[@Ninzumecha]

It’s a movie for kids, was fine when I watched it back then

[@hadassah179]

You already did Seen It: E.T. and Scream twice.

[@athrack]

I think I could get used to this new concept.

[@locnar1]

I thought about Matt's criticism and to me Culkin seems like one of those weird 90's kid who'd have early internet access and spend it looking up statistics on some database instead of looking them up in books. (wow that coulda been a good character motivation! his internet or computer gets broken so he HAS to go to the library instead of a scary storm forcing him to it).)

[@tecumsehcristero]

Benzine ain’t never seen the show before

[@thelovelybones0521]

Very funny episode!

[@thescaredshadow]

Why didn't they name the books after famous authors, instead of giving them stripper names? "Hey little Timmy, what were your favorite characters?" "My favorite characters, were Adventure and Fantasy."

[@nickmccabe2327]

How convenient for Matt that the guest co-host’s name is Craig

[@CaptChrispy]

17:30 Um, her favourite part was when the Father dies? That didn't concern you?

[@Ravengore]

Loved this movie as kid. Great review too 😅

[@dirk6001]

I did not see ET and not planing to see it ever

[@SirGeeeO]

I think Craig's daughter is going to kill him...

[@Gillsing]

That Craig sounds familiar. Didn't he do a bunch of Crash Course videos about political science?

[@TheJoeDean]

Would love to hear your thoughts on RRR. I'm willing to bet good money you've seen it.

[@rbourgoine1]

i refuse to listen to any Pagemaster slander! lol

[@nikkinelsonhicksify]

I like this guy. He's sweet.

[@dayleyadventures]

I saw no clones. I am sad.

[@stargazermg]

INTERMISSION

[@ScottKorin]

Ccccrrrrraaaiiiig!!!!!?

[@adrianschroeder2798]

Huh Craig looks different these days

[@better.better]

to be fair, what HASN'T happened to Keith Richards?

[@zeitgeistyreport]

Reallllllly not a fan of this guy. But thanks Matt for keeping it going…. Looking forward to seeing other hosts. Tony was fabulous.

[@gbeaudette]

Speaking of National Lampoon and its many flaws, Seen it- A Futile and Stupid Gesture?

[@TroubleToby3040]

Hey! That was me about Animal House! I'm so excited my nipples are erect! 😁😁😁 Sadly, my handle is SUPPOSED to be TroubleToby. I just realized a couple of months ago that I had typed it in wrong WAYYYYYYYY back! 🤦‍♂ So, uhm, since I'm a huge fan going back MANY years, uhm... You guys think you could throw me a correction in a future episode? Just, you know, say it was Trouble Toby who made that astute observation on AH? Well, you know, what evs. 👍👍👍

[@therojowo]

I would love if Craig became a permanent co-host, though I will miss... Craig

[@BishopWalters12]

I was 11 when the movie was released, and I thought it sucked even as a kid.

[@Himself666]

Love Craig. Just not this Craig, in this role. I'm still sad for our loss.

[@infinitykc]

yawn