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

Before Rambo was an action figure, cartoon character, and lunchbox cover, Sylvester Stallone starred in "First Blood," an action-drama that spotlights the displaced and disillusioned veterans of the Vietnam War. Big D and Gene recorded this episode live on Twitch. Of course, the Shat Crew debated the movie's biggest controversy: Did John Rambo kill Art Galt? But the conversation also took us to so...

Sam Mendes earned an Oscar for his debut film, "American Beauty." But more importantly, he gave the Shat Crew fuel for discussing couch sex, Chekov's dick, the ignorance of youth and world peace through blowjobs.  Longtime Shat listener Lucas passed on a chance to commission "Beastmaster," and instead requested a true masterpiece that explores how parents mess up their kids, what can happen when y...

Brothers and prolific Shat The Movies commissioners Josh, Adam and Jon R. have always been there for us. When a shooter attacked their beloved Highland Park on July 4, it was our duty and honor to be there for them. Thanks to some very generous Shat listeners, this recording raised $1000 for the shooting response fund. In this special live episode, the Shat Crew celebrates the 1989 love letter to...

We made it to Episode 300! This "Ghostbusters II" review has it all: Ash learns about New Coke; Gene learns he might not like young Bill Murray; Big D teaches us all about "Tears in Heaven;" and a plot summary is so ridiculous we can't stop laughing. In our second discussion of the Ghostbusters franchise, the Shat Crew examines birthday packages, debates the quality of Vigo's painting, contrasts m...

Shat The Movies has covered "The Silence of The Lambs," but that wasn't enough for film elitists who scoff at the mainstream appeal of Sir Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecktor and Jodi Foster's Clarice Starling. They insisted we review the movie that started it all: "Manhunter." It was hard to validate this movie without comparing it to everything that came after: Buffalo Bill dancing to "Goodbye Hor...

Big D returns from a booze cruise just in time to tackle a 1998 sci-fi sleeper that explores the nature of individuality, the impact of memories and the allure of Jennifer Connelly's mustache. Pack your bags for "Dark City!" In this episode, Gene laments the movie's opening spoiler, and Ash ties together the look and feel of pretty much every '90s goth-industrial-hacker-vampire film while drooling...

"Reservoir Dogs" isn't the kind of movie a rookie podcaster should touch. It's an icon of the '90s, the debut of a game-changing director, perhaps even the birth of a new genre. So we waited, and we learned, and we put nearly 300 movies in the toilet before accepting the challenge laid out by listener Jody G: Question whether the 1992 heist flick holds up after 30 years. Anyone who's seen "Reservo...

When a listener dedicates a podcast commission to his late wife, you treat it with respect. When the movie is about death and the afterlife, you add a degree of reverence. When one of your podcast hosts is dealing with a recent loss, you take the whole thing personally. And when Albert Brooks is the romantic lead, you have to throw all of that out the window. "Defending You Life" is a 1991 romanti...

Shat The Movies has brought us so many dynamic pairings: Riggs and Murtaugh, Goose and Maverick, Dick Ebert and Gene Lyons. It's only fair that we reach back to 1977 for the quickest duo to deliver Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta: Snowman and The Bandit. "Smokey and The Bandit" triggered an explosion in trucker romanticism, CB radio fetishism and Pontiac Firebird Trans Am sales. Stuntman Hal...

Each Shat The Movies host brought unique insights to shed light on 1997's "The Devil's Advocate." Dick gifted us with his knowledge of Gainesville, Fla. Gene examined the justice system. And Ash explained scripture and social pressure.  And then the conversation quickly devolved into rants about Keanu Reeves' excessive kissing, body hair, Al Pacino's sex appeal, how the Antichrist works, incest, w...

We've seen what happens when Stephen King's novels are turned into TV miniseries. We've seen what happens when they're directed by nobodies. Now "Christine" is gonna show the Shat Crew how John Carpenter gets down. Listener Matt the Shat (UK) commissioned this 1983 horror adaptation that had Big D and Gene drooling over car porn and Ash confessing she drives Honda Pilot. The hosts were split on wh...

All-star commissioner Bralen D. adds to Shat The Movies' Jim Carrey catalog with the 1998 film that spanned a half dozen genres and lent its name to a psychiatric disease: "The Truman Show." Reality TV expert Dick Ebert leads the Shat Crew through a tangle of topics, including: Jedi healing abilities, being watched 24/7, James and the Giant Cock, Night Owl security systems, M. Night Shyamalan's "T...

With Gene on vacation, Big D and Ash tagged-in Shat favorite, guest host, Kevin Brackett from "Reel Spoilers" to help them tackle the 1999 classic "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut." This comedy, musical masterpiece led to many topics for our hosts to dissect. Ash argues that Terrance and Phillip give us the best movie song of all time. The trio debunk the dangers of profanity. Kevin and Ash d...

Big D and Gene called up the rootinest, tootinest feller they know to help review 1992's "Unforgiven," and the King Bee delivered with sage cowboy wisdom about big-booty threesomes, the pony economy and frontier law.  This Academy Award-winning masterpiece led to a stampede of topics including: What constitutes a movie room? Is there honor among killers? Can the right woman save you? Would William...

Gene Lyons probably will never enjoy the flattery of a biopic retelling his life, but "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" comes pretty damn close to depicting his life as a eccentric polymath. This 1984 box-office flop was either way ahead of its time or way too much of a mess for any sane person to comprehend. In this edition of "Shat The Movies," Ash praises the spaceshi...

Gene gets a crash-course in parenting in this week's group-commissioned Jim Carrey hit from 1997, "Liar Liar." Ash cautions against Disneyworld Dads and helicopter parents, while Big D makes the case that falsehoods make the world go 'round. This uber-informative episode of Shat The Movies also explores the world of lawyering, age-of-consent laws, gas safety, anesthesia protocol and when it's OK t...

Ash and Gene ditch the third wheel this week for a romantic stroll along the River Thames and up to "Notting Hill," where they sing along to '90s English ballads, discuss meeting celebrities, and rediscover the magic of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.  Shat The Movies commissioner Will commissioned this episode for his British wife, and we sincerely apologize for ruining it by nitpicking why a books...

Shat The Movies loves a good horror movie, and all three hosts were thrilled when listener Robert in Germany commissioned "Event Horizon." This 1997 space freak-out film combined sci-fi and infernal themes with performances from Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne, leaving the entire Shat Crew changed. In this episode, Big D points out filmmakers were entirely too optimistic on Earthlings' space-fari...

After "Wayne's World" scored a near perfect 0.25 Wipe Score, the Shat Crew was drooling over the prospect of covering Mike Myers' follow-up flop with a knockout supporting cast: "So I Married An Axe Murderer." Ash loved it as a kid, and it inspired Gene to perform beat poetry. But Big D has always kept the movie at arm's length. In this episode, we examine the 1993 romantic black comedy and remini...

Two old friends of the podcast return this week for Shat The Movies' take on "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka": Black Girl Couch commissioned the 1988 blaxploitation parody, and The King Bee is our guest host. Keenan Ivory Wayans' directorial debut led us to question the reality of the blaxploitation metaverse, declare every person's right to lampoon their own race, celebrate a knockout cast and determine...

Shat The Movies is no stranger to film adaptations of Stephen King books, but this is the first one Big D has actually read. "Needful Things" combines the unexpected star power of Ed Harris and Max von Sydow with the unexpected bosom of Bonnie Bedelia to bring us a movie with a devilishly good premise and abysmal special effects. Gene felt "Needful Things" was more Muppet movie than a genuine horr...

We're celebrating Hot Sauce Steve's birthday with the 1998 hit that marked Adam Sandler's transition to romantic comedies: "The Wedding Singer." In many ways, "The Wedding Singer" was a sign of things to come for Sandler: co-starring with a possibly concussed Drew Barrymore, more subdued roles, nostalgia and mom-safe jokes. But there were still flashes of the Saturday Night Live legend we saw in "...

Can you really call yourself a retro movies podcast without reviewing the epic '80s film flop that refuses to die? At long last, Shat The Movies is digging its glaive into "Krull." On paper, this movie should have been the next "Star Wars." It has a massive budget, plush set design, a rousing James Horner musical score, freakin' lasers, a handsome lead, a strong princess, a wise mentor, mystical p...

"Blood In Blood Out" didn't just open our eyes to an undiscovered crime epic, this 1993 drama changed the way Gene talks, the way Big D watches film, and the way Ash plots her stabbings. Whether you first saw this love letter to East Los Angeles on DVD or through a mayonnaise-smeared YouTube screen, "Blood In Blood Out" hit you hard with its graphic violence, unexpected laughs, promising cast, and...

When listener Kev commissioned 1990's "Nuns on the Run," we were ready for a Shat The Movies sleeper hit. Monty Python's Eric Idle and Harry Potter's Hagrid together in a comedy about the English mob and religious orders sounds like a recipe for success. But sometimes too many cooks spoil the broth. Gene expected another "Withnail and I." Ash wanted something different from "Sister Act," and Big D...