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

Most sequels give us more of the same. "Back to The Future Part II" changed the game by giving us a world we'd never seen: hoverboards, Pac-Fax, VistaGlide, and filming two sequels back-to-back with cross-promotion embedded in the movie. But bigger isn't always better. Losing "Back to the Future" stars Crispin Glover and Claudia Wells made some scenes awkward and (with the help of prosthetics) bor...

How much Corey is too much Corey? Between Corey Haim's mouth breathing and Corey Feldman's avalanche of bombing jokes, we'd say "License to Drive" answers that question emphatically.  The Shat Crew expected corny '80s jokes, cheese car stunts, and loads of questionable fashion. But we had no idea "License to Drive" would lead us to tales of severed feet, an Nabokovian hot Heather Graham, and an al...

When "Shat The Movies" listener Lucas discovered we wouldn't be doing a Best of Jewish Mob Movies category, he took matters into his own hands. Equipped with $300 and a brilliantly composed email, Lucas convinced Big D we needed to cover the 1998 sleeper "Safe Men." We were amazed to discover one of the strangest films we've witnessed. The cast is good: Sam Rockwell, Steve Zahn, Paul Giamatti, Mar...

It's our 100th movie review! And we've been saving one very special movie for this massive milestone. Tear off your shirt, flex your freedom, and GET TO THE CHOPPAH! It's "Predator" time. Let's go back to 1987, when Schwarzenegger was Apex Arnold, military tactics meant nothing in movies, on-set cocaine binges were an daily occurrence, and Jesse Ventura yelled things no governor would dream of say...

Listener Christian commissioned this '80s classic as a tribute to Shat The Movies host Roger Roeper, and Rog defends it against criticism from Big D and Kerri Gross. Find out what a 2003 Pizza Hut promotion had to do with this 1989 comedy and how much mustaches confuse Kerri. We also cover Big D's Caribbean party life, how hot New York actually gets, and what actually happens to a body after death...

Big D thought we should do a Best of Rick Ducommun, and you're probably wondering who that is. You're not alone. Ducommun was in "Spaceballs," "The Last Boy Scout," "Die Hard," "Groundhog Day," and dozens of other '80s and '90s classics. You might say he's Mr. Shat The Movies, and Big D is a big fan.  So it's only fitting that Dick Ebert pop his Shat The Movies hosting cherry by guiding us through...

"The Crow" isn't the greatest movie of the '90s. It's not even the best movie of 1994. But for a lot of thirty-somethings, this movie was a huge part of adolescence. But Shat The Movies has passed it over again and again. Well, listener Joshua decided that's some bullshit and decided to FIRE IT UP. Shat The Movies resident goths Gene Lyons and Kerri Gross join misanthrope King Bee to examine Brand...

"WarGames" changed the way '80s kids looked at video games, computers, and the threat of nuclear annihilation. But in the age of smartphones and wireless Internet, does this 1983 geek-gasm still hold up? The original Shat The Movies threesome teams up on this episode to discuss Matthew Broderick's charm, a hotter Ally Sheedy, the difference between code names and acronyms, and drug use among Missi...

"Jingle All The Way" marked the end of two distinct cinematic eras: Arnold Schwarzenegger's string of comedies and Sinbad's film career. But was it really hot garbage, or does this quirky Christmas satire have some lasting laughs to offer? Big D needed two viewings to decide. This movie led to a lot of surprisingly spirited Shat The Movies debates, including: Should parents attend their children's...

Many people forget "Edward Scissorhands" is a Christmas movie. Well, at least it's a movie with Christmas in it. Or is it simply snow? Actually, it's just shave ice. But whatever, it's Christmastime in Shatland, and we're doing the damn thing. Tim Burton's career has been long and flirted with Christmas several times, but few of his movies came close to achieving the magic he bottled up with "Edwa...

"Good Will Hunting" won the Best of Matt Damon category among Shat The Movies, and we can see why. Damon didn't just star in the movie, he co-wrote it with Ben Affleck when the two were just a couple of fresh-faced actors. This ode to Boston showed us Robin Williams' dramatic side, which we later realized was tragic foreshadowing, and it introduced us to a young Casey Affleck before his sexual har...

"Groundhog Day" is the rare movie that became more important than the holiday that inspired it. Many believe it's Bill Murray's greatest work, and Shat The Movies listener Greg has watched it again, and again, and again, and again. There's always something new to discover in this '90s classic movie, even if you've seen it hundreds of times -- like the fact Phil Connors could be a sexual predator....

"The Last Boy Scout" is a movie by dirt bags for dirt bags. Producer Joel Silver is a dirt bag who cast his girlfriend as a topless chick in "Die Hard" and never gave her film credits. Bruce Willis plays a disgraced Secret Service agent who appear to be a dirt bag private investigator. And Big D is a dirt bag who loves this movie and cheated on every girlfriend he ever had. But not his wife.  Shat...

Thanksgiving is a holiday like no other: We don't buy presents. We don't wear costumes. We don't party all night. We just bring our family and friends together to share a meal and reflect on our blessings.  "Planes Trains & Automobiles" is a rare movie in many ways: It's a comedy that makes you cry. It's a John Hughes movie without teen stars. And it's one of the few movies we can think of that ce...

Disney's "Tron" digitally dazzled the world as revolutionary work of art: the identity discs, the concept of a computerized world, and visuals that to this day haven't been replicated in their inventiveness and effort. But one thing sets movies apart from other optical art forms: The Story. And when you read Tron's narrative files, some border on corrupt. On this podcast, three grown men who worsh...

Everyone has that phase they'd rather not talk about. For some, it's when they wore JNCO jeans. For others, it's when they thought that two-tone ska tattoo was a good idea; or when dating skaters seemed cool. If the 1990s were a woman, Steven Seagal would be the phase she wishes she could forget. But we're braver than that, so we're diving into his best work, "Under Siege," to see if there's anyth...

There isn't a soul in this world or the next who doesn't love "Beetlejuice." It's Michael Keaton at his best. It's Tim Burton at his best. It's Geena Davis at her best. It's Alec Baldwin at his handsomest. And it's the role that made Winona Ryder's career (sorry, Stranger Things). Beetlejuice is everywhere each Halloween season, which makes it easy to watch the movie without really WATCHING it. We...

"Pet Sematary" might be Stephen King's biggest '80s movie hit, but is it any good after 30 years? That depends on whether you value good moviemaking over good writing. Find out what The Ramones had to do with getting this movie made, why you shouldn't let your cat outside, when it's safe to picnic in Maine, why Fred Gwynne sounds like a '40s detective, and why Cemetery is spelled Sematary. Kerri G...

"Friday the 13th" changed the world of horror movies when in debuted in 1980, picking up the slasher flick genre where "Halloween" left off. The cast's biggest star was an unknown Kevin Bacon, and the budget was a measly $550,000. With that, "Friday The 13th" made Camp Crystal Lake, Jason Voorhees, and "Ki ki ki, ma ma ma" household names. King Bee guest hosts this episode of Shat The Movies as we...

Halloween is in the air, and the Shat crew is ready to get spoopy! Forty years after "Halloween" introduced America to Michael Myers and one week before Jamie Lee Curtis returns in the 11th installment of the series, we examine the original to see if it holds up. Big D explains the "Star Trek" origins of the Michael Myers mask and questions the reality of babysitter sex. Gene dives deep into the h...

"Gleaming The Cube" brought skateboard culture to the big screen with one of the weirdest plots we've seen to date: A skater Christian Slater investigates the accidental murder of his adopted Vietnamese brother while Tony Hawk delivers pizza. The villains are stereotypical. The action scenes defy the laws of physics. The blood looks more like Kool-Aid, and the romance is just plain creepy. But the...

If you've never fallen in love with a friend, consider yourself lucky. If you've ever fallen in love with a friend, consider this romcom a treasure. "When Harry Met Sally" used to just be "That Meg Ryan orgasm scene movie" when we were kids. But like the title characters, we've grown up and better understand the intricacies of romance. The question of "Can men and women be just friends?" and conce...

When you think "My Cousin Vinny," you might think "Joe Pesci comedy classic," but there's a lot more to this 1992 North-meets-South courtroom farce. For Gene, there's Marisa Tomei at her finest: A charming Mona Lisa Vito with a heart of gold and a wardrobe to match. She's the ultimate '90s Italian heartthrob who delivers the best lines of the movie. For Roger, there's beloved Fred Gwynne in his fi...

Arnold Schwarzenegger considered "Last Action Hero" the beginning of the end of his film career. After a string of blockbusters, Arnold had a flop on his hands. "Last Action Hero" — a self-referential parody of every action movie that made Arnold's career — didn't sit well with fans who didn't know what to make of it. Oh, and it was competing with a little movie called "Jurassic Park." But there's...

When "Arachnophobia" was released in in 1990, advertisers were uncertain as to whether they should market the film as a thriller or a comedy. Therefore, television spots promoting the film billed it as a "thrill-omedy". Apparently, nobody saw Ghostbusters or Ghostbusters II.  With Gene out traveling, Big D & Roger welcome back Kerri Gross to the podcast as they relive some of their most harrowing...