Everything 80s Patreon Feed

Welcome to the Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast! This is just for members of the Boba Fett level and above, and today, I'm looking back at a movie I was fascinated by, but also had no chance of seeing when it first came out: Cocktail. Starring Tom Cruise and Elisabeth (Don't call me Jennifer Parker #2) Shue, Cocktail came out in 1988 (a HUGE year for movies) and is the story of a guy trying to...

Not many eras and decades have a distinctive look that instantly identifies that period of time. The 1920s do with its fashion, the 1960s definitely have a specific, flower-power look, and the dreary 70s kind of do. But there may not be any other era that is as visually distinctive as the 1980s. This all came from the 'Memphis Design' which was a unique style created by an Italian art collective k...

This episode is a combination of how Max Headroom was the spokesperson of the 1980s, but also how the legacy and prophecy of the character seem to be coming true. Back in the 80s, Max Headroom warned us about the dangers of media and television, but even his creators couldn't envision the media world we now find ourselves in. This is a look back on the origins of Max Headroom and how he became one...

Before I put this episode together, I was thinking that 1987 was an average year for pop culture in the 80s. How wrong I was...I completely forgot how many timeless movies came out this year along with a ton of era-defining TV shows--including two that are some of the all-time biggest for people of my age...And then there is the music, as the top ten albums of this year are absolutely monumental....

What happens when you take a fierce sporting rivalry and set it right during the height of the Cold War? You get one of the most vicious hockey games ever played. In the New Year of 1987, Canada was set to face the Soviets on the last day of the World Junior Hockey Championship in what used to be Czechoslovakia. With 6:07 left in the second period--all hell broke loose on the ice. But was this an...

The inventions of the 80s go way beyond leg warmers, New Coke, and acid washed jeans..This really was a time of groundbreaking innovations. And even though it's easy to look back and laugh at some 1980s inventions that seem quaint now, we were making more progress than at any other point in human history. This list takes a look at not just the astounding technological advancements, but stunning me...

Welcome to the sneak peek of my annual Christmas special where we journey back to Christmas in the 80s. In this episode, I look at a modern movie that captures the essence of Christmas in the 80s before looking at a certain house from a beloved Christmas classic. We then shift gears into the Christmas music of the 80s to look at the best-selling Christmas albums for each year in the decade, and so...

Welcome to the Patreon-only, Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast! This is just for members of the Boba Fett level and above, and today we look back on what many consider the greatest Christmas movie ever made: A Christmas Story. Whether you love it or hate it, A Christmas Story is actually a very important movie as it came out during a time when Hollywood had kind of given up on Holiday movies. Bu...

Every decade has some great Christmas offerings (except the 70s) but the 80s may take the cake when it comes to beloved, modern classics. Today, I look back at what I feel are the ten best released during the decade. They include a reuinion of the Dukes of Hazzard, a beloved 1970s family all grown up, a good old fashioned family Christmas, and two films that--on the surface--don't necessarily appe...

Here is a brand new version of one of my favorite topics ever: the format war between VHS and Betamax. This is not only a look at how the two formats fought it out, but the origins of the machine that changed pop culture as we knew it. Before the VCR, everything we watched was a onetime shot. But now, we could pour over the movies we loved and get a deeper appreciation of them. You could say that...

If you're listening to this episode the day I put it up here on Patreon, it marks 50 years to the day when the world first met Atari. This is a look back on the company that changed video games forever and showed people that what was considered a niche activity—video games—could actually be a billion-dollar industry. We look back on the origins of the company, how the industry exploded, and a deep...

I'm a bit late getting this episode up due to some technical difficulties, but this is a brand new version of one of my favorite 1980s topics: The New Coke disaster. This is a look back at one of the biggest companies in history and how, in the mid-80s, they almost threw away 100 years of progress in one decision. It's not that people hated New Coke, it's that Coca-Cola took away the original form...

Today, it's obviously common to take our music, podcasts, and entertainment everywhere. Our personal soundtracks accompany us wherever we are, and it greatly impacts how we interact with the world. But before your cell phone, iPod, or Mp3 player, there was the Walkman. For the first time, our music went wherever we did. Our personal tastes could be enjoyed in private without anyone knowing. With t...

It's hard to imagine, but there was a time when video games were almost dead. The Great Video Game Crash of 1983 occurred because the public had lost faith in the quality of the games. What was once a multi-billion dollar industry for Atari had plummeted to just a few hundred million. Companies, like Mattel—who had sunk a lot of money into their electronics division—were now losing hundreds of mil...

Welcome to the Patreon-only, Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast! This is just for members of the Boba Fett level and above, and today, we're looking at another one of those ahead-of-its-time, groundbreaking films: Legend. It's easy to forget that this was a Ridley Scott movie, and he brought his unique vision to a very underrated movie. Legend wasn't a commercial success—or even a critical one—bu...

One of my earliest episodes was about the Transformers. This is a completely redone version with new production, audio, and sound effects. We go back to the early days in Japan where they started out as the Diaclone toy line before coming to North America and dominating after-school cartoons and toy shelves. We look at the brilliant marketing that Hasbro did, and in conjunction with Marvel, how th...

Welcome to the Everything 80s Halloween Spooktacular! In this episode, we travel back to the 80s to discover the origins of Trick-or-treating, then take a look at what were the most popular—and best-selling—costumes for each year during the entire decade. Then, we look at the number one candy choice for each year during the 80s and the overall candy champion for the decade. Hint: it's nothing choc...

If you were a kid in the 80s, you probably had no idea what was going on with the economy. I sure didn't, but it's one of the most tumultuous times in modern financial history. This is the era of Reaganomics that inadvertently created the 80s as we know it. Domestic market regulations were dropped, and it ushered in a whole new era of pop culture. This surely wasn't Reagan's intent, but for kids i...

How the hell have I gone this long without doing an episode entirely devoted to G.I. Joe? Well, that all ends today as this episode is the definitive look back on what is possibly the most successful toy franchise of all time. I cover the full history, which technically goes all the way back to 1955, and I bring us up to the end of the first cartoon series in 1986. And I cover everything in betwee...

I try to avoid the whole "true crime" thing, but this is such a notable story that it's worth looking at. It's also 40 years to the day that it happened. This is a look back to late 1982 and a legitimate panic that gripped much of North America: The Tylenol Murders. Unless you lived through this, seven people in Chicago were now dead after consuming cyanide-laced Tylenol. And it happened in some o...

Welcome to the Patreon-only Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast! This is just for members of the Boba Fett level and above, and today, we look back at one of the top comedies of not just 1984—but the entire decade: Beverly Hills Cop. We'll do a full plot breakdown, then look at the very interesting development of this film. Basically, what you are seeing is not even close to what was initially int...

1982 is one of the most astounding years for music. The range of musical styles and artists that released albums this year was staggering.1982 not only had some of the best albums of the decade—but a few of the best in music history. And I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that these albums all turn 40 this year. 1982 is also significant, as it's the only year when all four modern...

The TGIF lineup on ABC feels like a 90s-only institution, but it really started in the late 80s—and its roots actually go all the way back to 1985.At its core, TGIF is pure 80s. If you consider two of the key shows: Perfect Strangers and Full-House, they both go back to 1986 and 1987, respectively. This is a look back at the beloved Friday night institution, but also looks at how ABC branded progr...

No matter what your feelings are about the Royal Family, the death of the longest reigning monarch in history is a signifant event. And it got me thinking about this family and how the 1980s was actually one of the most signicant periods in their history. The 80s gave us two royal weddings, four royal births, several assasination attempts on the queen, multiple marrige breakdowns, and a very funny...

How do we sum up this amazing year? This is a look back on all the movies, music, TV shows, sports, technology, and significant events that made up one of the defining years of the decade. But, unfortunately, it was also a year of significant setbacks. Two of the worst disasters of the decade would take place when the year was only a few months old. But a visitor from above would also be a definin...