Dissecting The 80s

We're joined (briefly) by an incredibly special guest - The Devil, himself! - to discuss this Clint Howard-led mashup of Satanic Panic and Computers are Evil tropes: Evilspeak! Why are these bullies so homeoerotic!? What the hell is Clint doing playing an 18 year old? Why is he hellbent on playing soccer?! What on earth is going on in this movie? Plus, so much pig-based violence. All this and more...

An episode we started talking about an eternity ago: 1989's Cannon Films version of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None! Why doesn't Tripp know what a tiger is? Can we do our Donald Pleasance impression for a full episode or will our throats give out? What on earth is Frank Stallone doing here? Why does the Dandy die so fast?! All this and more! Looking for episode #203? It’s Footloose, and...

Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas! It's Ed Asner playing Santa, but this time he's a phony conman hiding in a basement. Why is this plan so elaborate? Who made this insane chair? Are we doing Scrooge or Whistle Down The Wind or BOTH? Looking for episode #203? It’s Footloose, and it’s at Patreon.com/DissectingThe80s , along with nearly 20 hours of bonus content at the $5 tier! All this and more! “NewsSti...

Sliding into the '90s again for a little holiday madness: Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toymaker! How great is Mickey Rooney in this?! Plus, the delightful creations of Screaming Mad George, perhaps the worst child actor we've ever seen, some truly bizarre acting choices, and Tripp completely missing perhaps the most obvious story parallel ever. Looking for episode #195? It’s Ghostbusters, and...

This version fixes an error in the final 15 minutes. It's our final T. Hanks-giving, and we're leaving on a pretty great note: the 1987 man-out-of-time comedy Dragnet! Key discussions: Treating old stuff with irreverence instead of reverence, Dan Aykroyd destroying this role, the sad missing zany Tom Hanks, not enough Dabney Coleman and a bizarrely long discussion of Tommy Lee and his giant hog. L...

It's our first foray into the newly annexed years (by a scant 86 days): Joe Vs. The Volcano! The dynamic duo of Hanks and Ryan make their first magic together; it's a dystopian nightmare, Tripp gushes over the weirdness, some great business from Dan Hedaya and Lloyd Bridges, and SO MUCH MORE! Plus...Does Nathan Lane have special powers to block this from appearing on his IMDB? Looking for episode...

It's our 200th episode, and there's only one movie BIG enough for this: Big! It's our Tom Hanks month, capping off with our final T. Hanks-giving! (Episode starts at 9:21 if you want to skip our announcements) Why on earth does he have sex in this movie?! Where's the magic ticket? Why are we lingering on the SEVERE trauma Josh's family is enduring? How much therapy is needed after this movie? Also...

*Werewolf howl* It's part two of our Spooktacular: Werewolves Edition! We’re kicking off our werewolf month with the absolute masterpiece, An American Werewolf in London. We're gushing over the greatest werewolf transition ever, the incredible chemistry between the leads, fabulous gore effects and truly funny moments! Plus, Tripp talks about watching the VHS as a kid. All this and more! Looking fo...

*Werewolf howl* Welcome to the annual Spooktacular: Werewolves Edition! We're kicking off our werewolf month with the Joe Dante classic, The Howling! Did this movie directly get Cujo for Queen Dee Wallace? Could we please get a LITTLE more explanation here? What's with the big ears?! Looking for episode #195? It’s Ghostbusters, and it’s at Patreon.com/DissectingThe80s, along with nearly 20 hours o...

Normally I write show notes. Imagine instead, a deep sigh. The pug is cool. Looking for episode #195? It’s Ghostbusters, and it’s at Patreon.com/DissectingThe80s, along with nearly 20 hours of bonus content at the $5 tier! Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code MACHO at  Manscaped.com. All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons:...

G'day! It's the inexplicably hugely popular Crocodile Dundee! What do people see in this dude? Seriously, THREE movies of THIS? Is this a knife? Why so much casual sexual assault? Looking for episode #195? It's Ghostbusters, and it's at Patreon.com/DissectingThe80s, along with nearly 20 hours of bonus content at the $5 tier! Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code MACHO at Manscaped.com. All th...

Prep the diving boards, we're doing Triple Lindys! How great is Burt Young in this? How many hours did RDJ spend in hair,  makeup and wardrobe?! How great is the Kurt Vonnegut cameo? All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Keywords: Back to School, Rodney Dangerfield...

We're revisiting a Tripp childhood favorite in Flight of the Navigator! How freaking cool is this spaceship? Is Joey Cramer on Henry Thomas' level? What's Sarah Jessica Parker got against this flick? Plus, Tripp makes the worst Cliff de Young joke in history! All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://crea...

It's time for a little summer spooky fun: Night of the Creeps! This love letter to B-movies has everything: Aliens, slug monsters, frat boys with ill intentions, a boy who looks suspiciously like Ric Flair, one of five Rusty Griswolds, crutches, flamethrowers and Tom Atkins as a cop desperately trying to find out if cigarettes or whiskey will kill him first! All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboro...

In honor of Disney Plus' new Turner and Hooch (and Tom Hanks' 65th birthday!) we did a Tom Hanks Movie outside T. Hanksgiving: Turner and Hooch! Can this-era Tom Hanks get it? What on EARTH is the tone of this movie?! WHO IS THIS MOVIE FOR? WHY is the crime so serious in a goofy dog movie?! DID YOU REALLY KILL THE DOG?! All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Li...

Another 35th anniversary and a PRIDE icon in Bette Middler: It's Ruthless People! What's Judge Reinhold doing these days, and why hasn't he gotten the Tarantino revitalization treatment yet? How great are these performances? Why was this movie not in heavy cable rotation in the late 90s?  All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: B...

It's the podcast with The Babe! (What babe?) The Babe with the power! We're celebrating Pride month by having ourselves a little wander through The Labyrinth with David Bowie and his enormous codpiece. Why is Hoggle SO unnerving? Why are Jennifer Connelly's parents such dips? How does Bowie radiate THIS much sexual energy? All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com )...

We wrap up Listener Request Month with the Patreon selection: The Quest a.k.a Frog Dreaming!   Is Henry Thomas the James Dean of Australia? What, exactly, is Frog Dreaming, and why does this movie make absolutely no attempt to explain it? How bad are our Australian accents?   (Note: Hoot stars Jimmy Buffet and not Dave Matthews. We sincerely regret the error, as it would have been a better impress...

We're wrapping up Listener Request Month 2021 with the goofy stylings of Bette Middler and Shelley Duvall in Outrageous Fortune! What's George Carlin doing here? Why is this dog so shaggy! Why can absolutely no one in our family keep from confusing Shelley Long and Shelley Duvall?  All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attri...

Listener Request Month rolls on with the Danny DeVito directorial vehicle, The War of the Roses! How much Matilda DNA is in here? How much fun are these two having hating each other? Why have they escalated to murder so calmly?  All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0...

Listener Request Month has arrived! Kicking us off this year is the 1982 spoof Pandemonium! Why is there a criminally low amount of Paul Reubens? Has Judge Reinhold ever said "no" on set? Why does Carol Kane have laser eyes?! All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ K...

APTSITMOA (Andrew Programs The Show In The Month of April) continues with the dreadfully boring Ridley Scott flick Legend! Where the HELL IS TIM CURRY? What is going on in this movie? Why does it take SO LONG to get going?! Why is there NO QUEST?! All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons....

It's Andrew Programs The Show In The Month Of April (APTSITMOA), so we're venturing to the land of Oz in the absolutely terrifying Return to Oz! What's going on with the wheelers? Why are all of these character designs SO scary? Why is TickTock fiction's greatest character? All this and more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3...

We wrap up Russell-Mania (Oops, All Carpenters) with a great episode on a masterpiece: The Thing! What is up with that hat? Is this peak Kurt hair/beard? How amazing are these effects? (Completely!) All this and more! Want to hear the rest of this episode? Visit Patreon.com/DissectingThe80s to find out more! “NewsSting, Ouroboros” Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons:...

We're continuing our new theme month in honor of Kurt Russell’s 70th Birthday: Russell-Mania! (Oops, all Carpenters). We’re celebrating one of our favorite Star/Director combos in cinema, Kurt Russell and John Carpenter. Up this week is Escape from New York - basically a video game! Why isn't there any They Live in this soup? What's Donald Pleasance doing in that sling? Who's the Duke of New York?...