The VHS Strikes Back

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...

Frank Drebin first graced our screens in 1982 with Police Squad, but 6 episodes is all we got. Fast forward 6 years and we get to this week's Chris pick with The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! The production of The Naked Gun was like a case file thick with mystery, mayhem, and, most likely, unpaid parking tickets. Directed by the Zucker brothers with a firm grip on comedy and a loose g...

New supporter Gareth has chosen a cult classic comedy horror movie this week with 1990's Tremors. Tremors was a collaborative effort between director Ron Underwood, producer Gail Katz, and writers S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock, who crafted a unique blend of science fiction, horror, and comedy. Filming took place primarily in the arid landscapes of the California desert, specifically in the small t...

Herb's picked a few Aussie classics and this week's pick is no exception with the war drama Gallipoli! Gallipoli, directed by Peter Weir, was a large-scale and highly ambitious undertaking that sought to depict the experiences of young Australian soldiers during the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign of World War I. Weir, who co-wrote the film with David Williamson, worked closely with producer Patricia...

Stephen has picked some crackers in the past, and this time, he's chosen the iconic 1991 biopic The Doors. The production of The Doors (1991), directed by Oliver Stone, was a passionate and meticulous effort to capture the wild spirit of Jim Morrison and the iconic 1960s rock band. Stone, known for his intense filmmaking style, had long been fascinated by Morrison and sought to tell a story that r...

Blake has been a great friend and supporter for a good while now. And hopefully after this review of 1993's Fatal Instinct he still is! Fatal Instinct was an ambitious attempt to spoof the popular erotic thrillers of the early 1990s, but it quickly became an exercise in comedic misfires. Directed by Carl Reiner, a seasoned comedy veteran, the film set out to parody films like Basic Instinct and Fa...

One of Dave's childhood favorites, despite a fair sledding from mates, is up for scrutiny this week! And with a 16 year old Jennifer Connely heading up against a middle aged pop star, what could possibly go wrong? directed by Jim Henson, was an ambitious blend of puppetry, live-action, and cutting-edge visual effects for its time. The film was a collaboration between Henson and executive producer...

Chris stumbled across the original Cage while looking for the worst martial arts movies ever made. So it was only a matter of time before he picked the sequel to cover. The production of Cage II (1994) is a bit like the cinematic equivalent of an underdog pub brawl—scrappy, gritty, and utterly unapologetic. Directed by Lang Elliott, it’s the kind of low-budget, direct-to-video action flick that ha...

Supporter Leigh's chosen a cult-classic horror movie this week with Demons from 1985. Directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by Dario Argento, is a classic Italian horror film known for its intense gore, vibrant visuals, and relentless pace. The production took place in Berlin, with much of the action set inside an old movie theater, where a group of strangers attends the screening of a myster...

Supporter Susan from Geek Girl Soup (https://geekgirlsoup.com) has picked some corkers in the past, and this choice is no exception. It's the 1987 body horror comedy, Street Trash. Street Trash, directed by Jim Muro, was a low-budget endeavor that became known for its outrageous blend of horror, comedy, and social commentary. The film was originally conceived as a short student project by writ...

Dylan's pick for this week is the Legend of Bagger Vance. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), directed by Robert Redford, aimed to capture a blend of magical realism and historical drama set against the backdrop of 1930s Savannah, Georgia. Adapted from the novel by Steven Pressfield, the screenplay by Jeremy Leven focused on themes of redemption and spirituality, embodied by the mysterious cadd...

Dave has gone for an iconic action thriller this week with The Fugitive! The production of The Fugitive (1993) was a complex and ambitious endeavor, led by director Andrew Davis. The film was adapted from the 1960s television series of the same name, and the script underwent several rewrites to craft a narrative that balanced action, drama, and character development. The filmmakers aimed for a rea...

This one is from Chris' sweet spot of the early 1990's action movie but very few people have heard of! "Double Trouble" (1992) is an action-comedy film starring the Barbarian Brothers, Peter and David Paul, as twin brothers with vastly different personalities. Peter Jade is a tough, no-nonsense cop, while David Jade is a carefree, muscle-bound nightclub bouncer. Despite their dif...

Returning supporter Glyn has chosen a sci-fi cult-class in the 1986 box-office bomb, Solarbabies. "Solarbabies" (1986) is a sci-fi adventure film set in a dystopian future where Earth has become a barren wasteland controlled by the oppressive Eco Protectorate, which hoards the planet's dwindling water supply. The story follows a group of orphaned teenagers, known as Solarbabies, who...

"Wild Things" (1998) is the pick from Patreon supporter Helen this week. It's definitely a memorable one for both hosts, though maybe not for the intricate twists and turns of the storyline. "Wild Things" was a sultry neo-noir thriller directed by John McNaughton, renowned for his work on "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer." The production of "Wild Things&qu...