The VHS Strikes Back

This week we’re diving into a cult classic —  Escape from the Planet of the Apes  — and it’s all thanks to our great Patreon supporter, Leigh! Leigh’s not just a top supporter; he also runs a fantastic YouTube channel called  Movie Vent  where he shares his love for all things cinema with Ventriloquist dummy, Ned. Check it out at  youtube.com/@ventmovies . Escape from the Planet of the Apes  (1971...

Kicking things off with a blast of ‘80s nostalgia, we’re taking on the 1986 BMX cult classic  RAD , chosen by our newest Patreon supporter, Nick Bray! Packed with insane bike tricks and a Daniel LaRusso from Wish! Huge thanks to Nick for picking this one, time to dust off the old bike and practice some bunny hops. RAD  was born out of the mid-1980s BMX biking craze, with Hollywood eager to capture...

New Patreon supporter Greig has reached back into the 1970's for his first pick and it from the year of the gang movie, 1979's The Wanderers! The production of  The Wanderers  (1979), directed by Philip Kaufman and co-written with his wife Rose Kaufman, was an adaptation of Richard Price’s debut novel. Set in the Bronx of 1963, the film aimed to authentically portray the era's street gang culture....

There can be only one! Well, unless there's a bunch of money up for grabs in making a sequel! Or that was the plan at last. Dave's next entry for the year of the stitch-up is the 1991 sequel to the cult classic, Highlander II: The Quickening. The production of Highlander II: The Quickening is often cited as a masterclass in cinematic chaos. Shot primarily in Argentina, the film was plagued by fina...

It's taken a bit of time for Chris to get on board with the year of the Stitch-up, but this week he's fully on board with the pick, Smokey and the Bandit 3. The production of  Smokey and the Bandit Part 3  (1983) was plagued by confusion, last-minute changes, and a noticeable lack of direction—both literally and creatively. Initially conceived as  Smokey IS the Bandit , the film was supposed to ce...

Blake has done it again! After bringing us cinematic gems like Surf Nazis Must Die ,  Bad Taste , and the legendary disasterpiece  The Room , our resident connoisseur of chaos has picked another fever dream for us to unravel—Peter Jackson’s  Meet the Feebles . If  Bad Taste  showed Jackson’s love for over-the-top gore,  Meet the Feebles  proves he was just as committed to pushing the boundaries of...

Sometimes, you can see a stickup coming a mile off. Other times, they come in the dressing of a movie with lots of awards and credibility. But Maff might've just played a blinder here in The Year of the Stichup. Naked Lunch  (1991) was a challenging and experimental adaptation of William S. Burroughs' novel, helmed by Canadian director David Cronenberg. The film’s production was marked by its comp...

When it comes to supporters of the show, Tony Farina is the OG. And when it comes to stitch ups, the same could be said! Back when Chris and Dave were still finding their way with Comics In Motion, Tony found the podcast and suggested both Speed Racer and Tank Girl. And at the time, Chris believed these were the worst movies he'd ever seen. Fast forward to 2025, Tony has chosen a favourite of his....

Though it's the Year of the Stitch-up, John Hammond has been building up a repertoire of picks for some time that would fit the bill! Previous picks include Samurai Cop, For Your Height Only, Hard Ticket to Hawaii, New York Ninja and Devil Fetus. So this week is totally on brand with the 1995 Japanese horror, Bloody Muscle Body Builder In Hell. Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell is a fascinating o...

The year of the stitch up has had a couple of misfires for Dave's picks, with Chris unfortunately declaring Cloud City's for both sword and sorcery adventures - Gor and The Barbarians. So this is the time to roll out the cult classic sci-fi movie from 1984, Trancers. Trancers was a low-budget sci-fi film produced by Charles Band’s Empire Pictures, a company known for its B-movie output during the...

Chris does love a good car movie, though whether this one hits that description is up for debate. This week's movie is Gone in Sixty Seconds from the year 2000. Gone in Sixty Seconds was a high-octane production that aimed to modernize the 1974 cult classic while capitalizing on Hollywood’s growing appetite for stylish car heist films. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film assembled a star-studd...

This week's pick was made supporter Dylan, who's previous picks have ranged from the gritty realism of Training Day to the surreal comedy The Big Lebowski. And this pick is going back to 1978 on on the serious side of the scale with, The Deer Hunter. The Deer Hunter was an ambitious and challenging endeavor, driven by director Michael Cimino’s meticulous vision. Initially conceived as a smaller wa...

Timothy's picked some belters in the past with the likes of the Hitcher, Scarface, Nighthawks and others. And this time, he's gone for the iconic 1992 action crime thriller, Hard Boiled. Hard Boiled (1992), directed by action maestro John Woo, is a landmark in the Hong Kong action genre, known for its hyper-stylized violence and stunning gunplay choreography. The film was a departure from Woo’s ty...

Patreon Justin has picked some gems and corkers before, like Blood Simple and Hard Eight, and this time he's chosen the little known 1992 comedy, Brain Donors. "Brain Donors" was produced during a time when Hollywood was revisiting and paying homage to classic comedy styles, and its production was heavily influenced by the desire to recreate the Marx Brothers' iconic brand of humor. The film was w...

After being exposed to the so-called bad boys of bodybuilding with Double Trouble last year, Dave decided to pick the breakthrough movie for Peter and David Paul. The Canon Films sword-and-sorcery adventure, The Barbarians. The Barbarians (1987) was a quintessential example of 1980s sword-and-sorcery filmmaking, helmed by cult director Ruggero Deodato, best known for his controversial work on Cann...

Tough Guys was a Phelps family household favourite in the late 1980's and this week we take a look back at a movie long since forgotten. Tough Guys brought together two Hollywood legends, Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster, marking their seventh on-screen collaboration and injecting star power into this comedy crime caper. Directed by Jeff Kanew, who had worked with Douglas on Eddie Macon’s Run, the...

Never one to take the easy choices, supporter and friend of the show Spider-Dan has chosen a sequel by German Director Jörg Buttgereit, in Nekromantic 2. Buttgereit, building on the underground success of the first Nekromantik film, aimed to create a sequel that delved deeper into themes of love, death, and societal taboos. Shot on a modest budget with a crew of close collaborators, the film maint...

Helen's pick this week is the 2000 movie which really put Christian Bale on the map, is American Psycho! American Psycho was a journey marked by controversy, creative vision, and a touch of chaos. Initially, the project faced significant challenges, with multiple directors and actors attached to the adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's infamous novel. Mary Harron eventually took the helm, bringing a...

This week's pick is the turn of one of our longest supporters, Kent! And he's chosen THE road trip movie that spawned a franchise and influenced all that came after. It's the 1983 black comedy, National Lampoon's Vacation! The movie began as an adaptation of John Hughes's short story, “Vacation '58,” published in  National Lampoon  magazine. The screenplay was penned by Hughes himself, marking one...

Gor is a planet, a counter Earth, that sits in orbit at the opposite side of the Sun to the Earth we inhabit. And on the Vernal Equinox, this marks the New Year for most Gorean cities. This is the kind of sci-fi, fantasy sword and sorcery that Chris despises, and Dave loves. So it's only right that Dave's pick to see us into the new year would be Gor! But there might be a wildcard in this 1987 loo...

Recently described as the worst ever Christmas movie, Chris has chosen movie starring Thunder Lips himself, Terry Gene Bollea, or better known as Hulk Hogan. It's the Christmas movie oddity you've never heard of. And probably for good reason, until now. Directed by John Murlowski, the film was produced on a relatively modest budget, which was probably spent entirely on Hogan’s appearance fee and t...

Matt, aka the Black Country Vlogger, has chosen the iconic Run Lola Run from 1998 this week. Checkout Matt's vlog here: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BlackCountryVlogger⁠ The production of Run Lola Run was a testament to director Tom Tykwer's innovative vision and determination to push the boundaries of German cinema. Filmed predominantly in Berlin, the movie leveraged the city’s vibrant and modern ae...

In supporter Mike's last pick and appearance he went with a classic 90's British flick, Trainspotting. And this time he's swung the dial to little renowned sword and sorcery adventure, Dragonslayer! Dragonslayer (1981) was an ambitious collaboration between Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions, marking a rare foray into darker, more mature fantasy for Disney. Directed by Matthew Robbins,...

Cry-Baby is the pick of this week's supporter, Lucky LouLouGreen! Cry-Baby (1990), directed by John Waters, was a deliberate foray into mainstream filmmaking while retaining Waters' signature offbeat style. Set in 1950s Baltimore, the movie serves as a satirical homage to teen musicals like Grease and rebellious youth culture. Waters assembled a unique cast, headlined by Johnny Depp in his first m...

It's time to go back to the summer of 1997 with the British comedy and Dave's pick for the week, The Full Monty. Directed by Peter Cattaneo and written by Simon Beaufoy, the film was shot on a tight budget of £3.5 million in Sheffield, England, the industrial city where the story is set. The choice of location was pivotal, as it allowed the filmmakers to authentically depict the struggles of a wor...