#79 - "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982) with Nicholas Pepin from "Pop Culture Roulette" Podcast
The 80s is often seen as the defining era of “the teen movie”. While “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” might have garnered all of the attention, it was this 80s flick that took the “teen movie” from raunchy sex-comedy to more serious themes of losing innocence, living with regret, and navigating independence at such a young age. Released to little fanfare, with many expecting it to fail, the film became a surprise hit, showing the value of the teenage market. So grab your r…
#76 - Special: "Lethal Weapon" (1987) Totally Rad Christmas with Gerry D Replay
For the month of March, I am taking a break from recording new episodes so that I can highlight some of the other fantastic podcasts that I have had the privilege of being a guest co-host on.
For this one, I will be replaying part of an episode of Totally Rad Christmas with host Gerry D. This was actually the first first time I was asked to guest co-host on another '80s-themed podcast, and Gerry and I became fast friends. Totally Rad Christmas doesn’t just cover '80s Christ…
#73 - "Howard the Duck" (1986) with Laramy Wells from "Moving Panels" Podcast
Countless world upon worlds. Worlds without end. In these galaxies every possible reality exits. And what is reality in any new world is mere fantasy in all others. Here, all is real and all is illusion. What is, what was and what will be start with this once maligned 80’s flick. So travel with us to Cleve-land as we jam out to Cherry Bomb’s greatest hits. But be on the look out for the DARK OVERLORD as Tim Williams and guest co-host Laramy Wells from "Moving Panels" Podcast discus…
#72 - "Santa Claus: The Movie" (1985) with Laramy Wells from "Moving Panels" Podcast
It seems strange at first that the producers of the Superman movies would move on to an epic about Santa Claus. But in a way it makes sense. Both Superman and Santa are legendary superheroes, able to cure our pains through magical intervention. Both of them can fly through the air. Both have large supporting casts: Superman has Lois Lane, Jimmy Olson and Perry White, while Santa has Mrs. Claus, the elves and, of course, Dasher, Donner and Blitzen. This 80’s Flick brought us the origin story …
#71 - "Scrooged" (1988) with Gerry D. ("Totally Rad Christmas" Podcast) & Nicholas Pepin ("Pop Culture Roulette" Podcast)
Since the publication of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol nearly 200 years ago, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge has become familiar fodder for adaptations of all sorts—from ballets to operas to a mime performance by Marcel Marceau. But this 80’s flick adaptation has one thing that sets it apart from the rest: Comedy. So prepare to be transported by a time-traveling taxi-cab, a violent but joyful angel ballerina, and a mute harborer of souls as Tim Williams and guest co-hosts, Gerry D. from …
#70 - "Annie" (1982) with Hanna Williams
Little Orphan Annie has been a part of American pop culture for nearly a century now—first as a comic strip which made its debut in the summer of 1924, then as a popular radio show in the 1930s, which spun off into a couple of film productions later in that decade and a hit Broadway musical in 1977. Though the musical version has been adapted to the big-screen a few times over the years, most recently in 2014, this 80’s flick version is by far the best known big-screen version. So leave the …
The "Weird" Bonus Episode - "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" (2022) with Nicholas Pepin from "Pop Culture Roulette" Podcast
We don't normally sway away from our regular 80's Flicks only podcast formula, but when "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" premiered on the Roku Channel this past weekend, we had to cover this 80's icon and the hilarious film that parodies biopic movies from the king of pop music parodies. Tim Williams and guest co-host Nicholas Pepin, from "Pop Culture Roulette" Podcast (who is a long-time "Weird Al" fan) give their SPOILER-FILLED reactions to the mo…
BONUS - "House" (1986) with Laramy Wells from the "Moving Panels Podcast"
After working together on the first three "Friday the 13th" movies, Steve Miner and producer Sean S. Cunningham re-teamed for something a little more kooky. From a story by Fred Dekker and a screenplay by Ethan Wiley, this forgotten 80’s flick is a full-tilt comedic-horror movie that throws in more demons, ghosts and ghouls than you can handle. So take down the "For Sale" sign, stay out of the pool, and whatever you do, don’t open the closet at midnight as Tim Williams an…
#67 - "An American Werewolf in London" (1981) with Gerry D. from "Totally Rad Christmas" Podcast
In terms of werewolf horror, 1981 is still the year to beat. Theatrically, the year saw the release of Wolfen, The Howling, and this 80’s flick which set the bar high for lycanthropic transformation sequences. The last to arrive on the big screen, it demonstrated how to approach a horror-comedy, emphasizing both the laughs and the scares in equal measure. More importantly, the stunning special makeup effects design and creation earned Rick Baker the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup. …
BONUS - "The Best of Times" (1986) with J.B. Huffman from "Manly Movies" Podcast
Do you ever find yourself reminiscing about the past and remembering something you would love to go back and change, a mistake that haunts you on a regular basis. Well that is what this 80’s flick is all about, a man who for 13 years has regretted dropping the ball in a High School Football game and holds himself responsible for the town he lives in being in the doldrums ever since. So fire up the green rocket, put on your white cleats, and get ready to bring the town of Taft out of the bowe…
#66 - "Wildcats" (1986) with Ron West
Molly McGrath is the adult daughter of a famed football coach who is desperate to be the head coach of her own team. When her wish is finally granted, Molly leaves her job coaching girls' track at an affluent high school to take over a football team at an inner-city Chicago high school —the kind of place where guard dogs are needed to patrol the campus. At first the new coach's idealism and optimism are suffocated with racial and gender prejudice, but eventually her overriding spir…
BONUS - "Back to the Beach" (1987) with Chad Sheppard
For those who were not born before 1962, the beach party movies were a series of chaste comedies in which clean-cut teen idols hung out on the beach, rode the big waves, necked a little and tried to defend their lifestyle against the old fogies who were always trying to ban rock 'n' roll. The financially successful teen movies were a tie between harmless and brainless. This 80’s Flick was a musical satire poking fun at those idols and the whole genre, but did it with a lot of good …
#62 - "Big" (1988) with Chris McMichen
Undeniably, the best of the mini-cycle of body-swap comedies from the late eighties, this is the flick that revealed that Tom Hanks was capable of much more than just one-dimensional idiotic comedic roles. His transformation into the floppy walk and wide-eyed enthusiasm of a 13-year-old boy is a masterclass in physical acting. It also proved that Penny Marshall was a bona fide blockbuster movie director and not just the tough-talking and boy-crazy Laverne De Fazio on TV's “Laverne &…
#61 - "The Lost Boys" (1987) with Tyra Williams
What's more traumatizing for a teenage boy than having to pack up his life and move to a new town with his brother and newly divorced mom? Nothing, other than the local gang initiation. Which, in Santa Carla, may just involve dropping from a train overpass, racing motorcycles near the cliff, and drinking blood instead of wine. Though we’ve been engulfed in some, dare I say, toothless vampire entertainment in the last few decades, this '80s flick was one of the earliest movies to up…
#60 - "One Crazy Summer" (1986) with Nicholas Pepin from the "Pop Culture Roulette" Podcast
This 80’s flick is sometimes described as “Better Off Dead Goes To The Beach” because it reunites young leading man John Cusack with writer-director Savage Steve Holland for a tale of teenage angst and the quest to find love. This time the quest takes us to Nantucket where our lead gets involved with cute and fuzzy bunnies, snobby preppies, insane mechanics, a killer dolphin with rabies, and a hippie-ish singer about to lose her house to a very rich lobster restaurant magnate. So don’t miss …
#59 - "Back to the Future" Trilogy Panel Part Two
Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads. Its time to pick up where things left off as Tim Williams is joined by the "Hill Valley Save the Clock Tower Committee" (aka the Co-Host Panel) as they continue their discussion on the "Back to the Future" Trilogy for this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback! Panel Includes Charlie Cotter, Chad Sheppard, and Laramy & Bethany Wells ("Moving Panels" Podcast) Pre-Recorded Segments from previous co-hosts include Ron…
#58 - "Back to the Future" Trilogy Panel Part One
In the Summer of 1985, one of the most influential sci-fi comedies ever made landed in theaters nationwide and took moviegoers on a time-traveling thrill ride while shattering box office expectations. This 80’s flick sparked a trilogy that, like most, has its hits and misses, but is still one of the most beloved trilogies in cinematic history! So climb into the DeLorean, check the flux capacitor, and get this sucker up to 88 miles per hour as Tim Williams is joined by a panel of dapper and d…
#57 - "Bull Durham" (1988) with Ron West
Like “Major League”, “The Natural” or even “Field of Dreams”, this 80’s flick is one of those sports movies that always seems to be on one of the many basic cable TV channels every Spring and Summer. It doesn’t matter whether it’s two in the afternoon or two in the morning, somewhere in the outer reaches of cable TV, the main characters can be found bickering about baseball and who’s taking who to bed. So if you believe in the church of baseball and long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that la…
#55 - "School Daze" (1988) with Tyra Williams
Before "A Different World" came into its own. Before "Higher Learning" and "Dear White People" critiqued the fraught relationship between Black students and white students at predominantly white institutions. And before "grown-ish", there was this '80s flick. Multi-talented Spike Lee’s sophomore feature took a critical look at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (aka HBCUs), revealing their beauty and complexity in a decade where Black …
#54 - "Fletch" (1985) with Gerry D. of "Totally Rad Christmas Podcast"
In the mid-80s, Hollywood funnyman Chevy Chase was at the height of his fame. After a successful stint on TV’s Saturday Night Live, he’d proven himself a big box office draw in such movies as "Caddyshack" and "National Lampoon's Vacation". In 1985, Chase tried his hand at something a tiny bit more serious with this 80’s Flick - a comedy thriller which cast him in the title role as an investigative journalist with a knack for sniffing out a big story and the quick wit…
#50 - "Three Amigos" (1986) with Danny Johnson
In the midst of a Western revival — which included big hits like "Silverado" and "Pale Rider" — came this 80’s flick, a loving parody of the genre and a send-up of Hollywood. It has become a landmark in comedy collaboration, starring three comedy legends under the direction of a bonafide hit movie director with a script co-written by the mastermind of Saturday Night Live. So grab your sombrero and saddle up your horses for a trip to Santa Poco as Tim Williams and special …
#49 - "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989) with Bethany Wells
“Baby Fishmouth.” “I’ll have what she’s having”. The Wagon Wheel Coffee Table. And the elaborate apple pie order that has inspired thousands of elaborate apple pie orders in diners and restaurants everywhere. In the 30 plus years since this 80’s flick was released, nearly every scene has become iconic and the stuff of rom-com legend. So in honor of Valentine’s Day, cuddle up with the one you love and join Tim Williams and guest co-host, Bethany Wells, as they discuss “When Harry Met Sally” f…
#48 - "Better Off Dead" (1985) with Nicholas Pepin of "Pop Culture Roulette Podcast"
While some critics failed it from the outset, this 80’s flick is actually a notch more upscale than most of its fellow D-grade locker-room comedies of the era. It's gained a "cult" reputation for its overall cynical tone, its clever gags, and its zany blend of animation and live-action. A teen comedy that refused to take itself too seriously, even if the subject matter should have been. So unwrap those frozen dinners you got for Christmas, load up your snow skis in the station…
#46 - "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989) with Bethany Wells
This 80’s flick was meant to be just another chapter in the misadventures of Clark W. Griswold and his family. It has become one of the most surprisingly popular and oft-quoted holiday movies of all time. So dig up your oversized Christmas tree, fill up your Wally World glass mugs with eggnog, and make sure your RV’s "you know what"-er isn’t full as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Bethany Wells, discuss “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flash…