Shat the Movies: 80's & 90's Best Film Review

Few sci-fi movies are so shat-tacular that people accuse them of sinking the studios that made them, but "Robot Jox" isn't your average movie. Described by it's co-writer as, "a child who started out well and then sustained brain damage," this 1990 cult classic nevertheless won the hearts of a few rabid fans, including Shat The Movies mega-donor Jon M. If you like towering mechs doing battle, "Rob...

I've you've ever wondered why Richard Grieco never made it on the big screen, this 1991 box office flop might be to blame. But was "If Looks Could Kill" really all that bad? The supporting cast is fantastic, the parody of James Bond films is a lot of fun, the sex appeal is there, and the memorable one-liners keep you smiling.  But this movie is far from perfect. Grieco's face looks rubbery, he's i...

Shat The Movies super-supporter Emmett is back with a rare genre of film: apocalyptic religious horror pregnancy porn. "The Seventh Sign" features a young Demi Moore playing the most active mom-to-be in cinematic history, Jurgen Prochnow from "Das Boot" playing (spoiler alert) Jesus, and Michael Biehn from "The Terminator,"  "Aliens," and "Tombstone" once again refused the hero's role. Big D takes...

Oliver Stone gave the '80s and '90s some of their greatest films, so it's about time Shat The Movie dove into his catalog. And what better introductory film than "Platoon," a movie that combined Stone's artistry and military experience in a brilliant reflection on the Vietnam War. In this episode, Big D and Ash review the movie and the war through personal tales and family history. Gene digs into...

Summer vacations, cabin trips, lakeside living, nature walks, and spending time with family are enough to make the most cynical Shat The Movies listener nostalgic. On this Fathers Day recording, we visit John Candy's "The Great Outdoors," a classic '80s comedy that holds a dear place in many a heart. Brothers Adam, Josh, and John R. commissioned "The Great Outdoors" in honor of their late father a...

"Back to the Future Part III" is a master class in how to make a time-travel comedy. It's a love letter to Old Hollywood Westerns. And it's the final note in a legendary trilogy. Guest host Kevin Brackett (Reel Spoilers podcast) joins Ash and Gene this week to discuss the countless callbacks, outstanding action, and brilliant performances that elevated what some consider the weakest of the Back to...

Before Tom Sizemore and Mickey Rourke made flops of their careers, they starred in one of the most epic box office failures of the '90s: "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man." Was the world just not ready for an action comedy that played out like a comic book, or is this movie truly rushed and sloppy?  The Shat Crew was fully divided on this forgotten film, but not in the ways you might expect. A...

Think you can identify '80s and '90s movies based on descriptions from Big D's elderly Swedish mom? Put your skills to the test with this special episode of Shat The Movies for your chance to win a free commissioned movie review. How It Works:  Simply listen to Big D's mother describe 5 actors and 5 movies and decode the correct answers. When you think you know the actors and movies enter them in...

Before there was "Scream" or "Scary Movie, a little movie called "Student Bodies" pioneered the slasher-film spoof. But was it too far ahead of its time, with too few movies to parody? In Dick Ebert's estimation, "two out of eight jokes" are funny in this 1981 trailblazer that made him laugh as a boy. Gene and Ash think that's generous as the Shat Crew discusses The Breather, jokes about the diffe...

Most '80s and '90s cop movies are cheesy, unfunny, offensive, unintelligent, or a combination of the four. But 1990's "Internal Affairs" joins "L.A. Confidential" as a rare police drama that delivers on quality and thrills. Sporting the worst haircuts of their careers, Andy Garcia and Richard Gere spent two hours trading lethal glares, filthy innuendo, mind games, and silky fabrics. Of course, "In...

An '80s movie doesn't have to be the funniest, the most dramatic, or the most action-packed film we've ever seen to be important. It doesn't even need to be popular.  Sometimes, a movie just needs to bring families together, give us a few chuckles, and bridge the gap between the young mind of a child and the memories of a parent. "Johnny Dangerously" isn't Michael Keaton's best-known film. And it...

Some say Paul Newman is the greatest actor of all time. Some say Martin Scorsese is the greatest director of all time. And some say "The Color of Money" is his greatest film.  We are not those people. But the Shat Crew is mature enough to appreciate a film with sets you can smell, jaw-dropping performances, and the magic of a young Tom Cruise.  In this edition, we discuss how "The Color of Money"...

Bust out your surfboards and Stunned Mullets, we're going "Back to The Beach" with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello! This 1987 parody of '60s movies packed in appearances from OJ Simpson, PeeWee Herman, the casts of "Leave It to Beaver" and "Gilligan's Island," Dick Dale, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the "two dollars" kid from "Better Off Dead."  This edition of Shat The Movies explores the importa...

We owe you an apology. In more than 200 movies, Shat The Movies somehow neglected to select a film starring Adam Sandler. Listener Steve W. decided to make things right by commissioning the 1996 golf comedy classic "Happy Gilmore." Hot on the heels of "Billy Madison," this cameo-filled gut-buster hit the ground running without wasting a minute, made us question what it means to be a winner, champi...

The '80s gave us two major movies about shrinkage: "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" and "Innerspace." The former was a wholesome, heartwarming, at times tragic tale of a family sticking together to survive. The latter—a sci-fi jumble of sexy Dennis Quaid, overly complicated tech, annoying Martin Short, and for some reason, a rabbit— is what we're reviewing today. "Innerspace" mixed impressive visual eff...

We dedicate this episode to The Purple One on the fifth anniversary of his death. And we celebrate "Purple Rain," a film he made early in his career that encapsulated his essence like a sexy horcrux. This podcast has it all: snakes with hands, David Lee Roth, Morris Day, on-screen fingering, and a very confused Dick Ebert. The Shat Crew navigates some thorny issues on this one, including domestic...

Long ago, Roger and Gene begged Shat Nation to commission one of their all-time favorite '90s comedies: "Dirty Work." Heeding the call, listener Jack stepped up and demanded Norm Macdonald have his day in the sun. Today is that day.   But things have turned dark for ol' Norm since his one big shot back in 1998. The world has changed. Humor has changed. Artie Lange's nose has changed. Can a movie f...

Alright, alright, alright — it's time for the movie that put Matthew McConaughey on the map, turned Ben Affleck into a bully, and taught us all to sizzle like bacon. "Dazed and Confused" gave us a '90s indie movie look at 1976 with a drop-dead-gorgeous cast, hot muscle cars, and one-liners that made their way into all of our lives.   This episode taught the Shat Crew a lot about ass-paddlings, hig...

Before you watch the 2021 remake of "Mortal Kombat," test your might (and intestinal fortitude) with the 1995 original. The Shat Crew settles all the big Mortal Kombat questions: Is Scorpion better than Sub Zero? What exactly are the tournament rules? Where did they find these costumes? And is there tea bagging in Outworld? While Ash praises the thumping soundtrack, Gene gripes about the laughable...

Enough with the comedies! Let's get back to naval warfare, the threat of nuclear annihilation, and a time when Jack Ryan was played by a young Alec Baldwin. It's time to dive deep into the Shatty Sea for the Sean Connery masterpiece "The Hunt for Red October." Dramas tend to age horribly, but there's something special about this Cold War mix of politics, personal vendettas, epic music, minimalist...

Man, "feel good" movies sure have changed since 1997. Back then, all you needed was an economically depressed English town, a nasty divorce, body dysmorphia, erectile dysfunction, and attempted to suicide to create a happy-time blockbuster film like "The Full Monty." Listener Mike H. commissioned this one from across the pond, giving the Shat Crew the chance to discuss Pulp, male strippers, Arsena...

When listener James commissioned "The Cannonball Run," we had no idea it would be the podcast episode that launched a dozen new Shat The Movies catchphrases: Boobtastic, Optibra, Gene Lyons Nest Thermostat. This ensemble road-race movie had one goal in mind: laughs. And it delivered like a 100 mph Hollywood Squares orgy. In the end, Ash drooled for Burt Reynolds, Gene was reminded of his uncle's r...

When it comes to your 200th movie, you can't just go with any old motion picture. You need something mid-80s with a time-traveling teen, a cool car, a wacky scientist, dangerous enemies, and an awkward romance. That's why Shat The Movies is proud to celebrate its bicentennial with everyone's favorite 1985 time machine movie: "My Science Project." The shat flies fast and furious as we talk about ov...

What happens when the dad of the podcast is confronted with the rebellious teen of '90s coming-of-age movies? Will Big D spank "Empire Records," or will this record-store comedy remind him of what it was to be a shoplifting adolescent? Listener Jen D. added to her list of sterling commissions with the movie that gave us Rex Manning Day, scandalous miniskirts, horrible dancing, and a soundtrack tha...

This episode is cursed. You've been warned.  It killed Ash's Internet access, froze all of Texas, put Big D in the hospital, and aged Gene another 40 years.  Do you really want to risk it all to hear The Shat Crew talk about Kirk Douglas' cool, Martin Sheen's hair, bootstrap paradox, the lethality of flare guns, Japanese fighter planes, and Navy dress standards? Understand that pressing play is a...