#20 - “A Christmas Story” (1983) with Ron West
There’s no denying that this film has become a holiday tradition for many families around the world. Since the film’s release, it’s become regarded as a Christmas classic, and the original house shown in the movie has even been transformed into a tourist-attracting museum. Many families watch it every year around the holiday season, while cable-TV staple, TBS, plays it continuously for 24 hours at least once a year. Between the captivating storytelling, quirky characters, and overall filming…
#19 - "Die Hard" (1988) with Laramy Wells from the "Moving Panels" Podcast
John McTiernan‘s 1988 action tour de force is often called one of the greatest action films ever made. It’s a masterclass on every level: building entertaining characters, crafting escalating action, establishing and navigating geography, and putting an empathetic hero through the ringer in the face of extraordinary odds. McTiernan and his collaborators made this all look easy, but as the rash of Hollywood imitators quickly proved, it was anything but. So come on out the coast, we’ll have a …
#18 - "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (1987) with Laramy Wells from the "Moving Panels" Podcast
A road trip movie, a buddy comedy and teen-angst director du jour, John Hughes’ first attempt at a holiday movie. It’s a classic double-act farce that might not fit that well in the decade it came out in. There are no guns or bad guys like 48 Hours or Lethal Weapon; no winks at Cold War anxiety a la Spies Like Us; and no time machine like Bill and Ted used in their excellent adventure. What it does share with a number of his best works is that mix of Norman Rockwell and Frank Capra in Reagan…
#17 "Friday the 13th" (1980) with Ron West
Legendary filmmaker Georges Méliès is often credited with making the first ever horror movie, which was called was The Haunted Castle. Horror movies have no doubt evolved since the early days with many filmmakers now relying on cheap scares and gore to horrify audiences. The ‘80s, however, were a great time for horror fans, with iconic franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and Friday the 13th all getting a number of sequels in the decade. It may be hard to remember, but there…
#16 - “Halloween II” (1981) with Ron West
Most long-running horror franchises have that one installment which was legitimately supposed to, but ultimately, did not end the franchise. Some have several of them. In Hollywood, producers (and sometimes audiences) will quickly voice their disgust if you ever dare leave money on the table. Not that anyone knew that in 1981. Instead, all Moustapha Akkad, Irwin Yablans, John Carpenter and Debra Hill wanted to do was to make a little more money off of the slasher gold rush they’d inadvertent…
#15 - “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986) with Laramy & Bethany Wells
In 1986, if you mixed Science Fiction, dark comedy, horror, doo-wop inspired musical numbers, and a director who was more famous for voicing Yoda and Miss Piggy, you probably wouldn't expect too much. But this remake of a remake became a bonafide cult classic that has been entertaining audiences for decades with its timeless soundtrack and stellar cast. So let's head downtown to Skid Row and Mr. Mushnik's Flower Shop because its Suppertime for Audrey II as Laramy and Bethany W…
#14 - “The Last Dragon” (1985) with Ron West
As the brainchild of an up-and-coming screenwriter, an established movie director, and the mastermind behind Motown Records, Barry Gordy, a low-budget niche film mixed martial arts, heavily synthesized pop songs, supernatural adventure, Bruce Lee, and over-the-top comedy that has surprised and entertained audiences for decades after its initial box office release. The chart-topping soundtrack was just as much a part of the film as the main characters, but far from being a flimsy visual vehic…
#13 - “RoboCop” (1987) with Ron West
In 1987, a new kind of gritty, ultra-violent sci-fi action movie was born, but it came with nods to comic book heroes, and classic spaghetti westerns. Helmed by a little known Dutch director with a penchant for violence and nudity and starring a method actor better known for his work in the theater than in film, on paper it must have seemed like a pretty risky prospect to the studio bosses over at Orion Pictures. It proved to be anything but, with Paul Verhoeven's provocative directoria…
#12 - "The Goonies" (1985) with Ron West
1985 was a big year for movies! It was a year dominated by flying DeLoreans, Breakfast Clubs, Beverly Hills Cops, as well as massive pop artists like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Cindy Lauper, and Prince. It was also the year of one of the greatest movie adventures of them all! The secret caves. The lost map. The hidden treasure. The Fratelli’s. What an exciting time to be alive as a kid, back when you knew it was time to get home when the streetlights came on and just riding bikes with your fr…
#11 - “Aliens” (1986) with Laramy Wells
In 1986, young up and coming writer-director, James Cameron, took the tall task of tackling a sequel to director Ridley Scott's space-thriller, "Alien". With returning cast member, Sigorney Weaver, he not only moved the story forward, he exceeded all expectations with a bonafide box office hit as well an award-winning and ground-breaking classic we know simply as "Aliens".
On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host Laramy Wells share their memories of th…
#10 - “Dirty Dancing” (1987) with Tyra Williams
In 1987, a small Connecticut-based direct-to-video company made its first feature film for a true theatrical release. With low expectations from investors due to a female-driven plot amid a testosterone-heavy Summer blockbuster season, this small movie became a word-of-mouth sleeper hit, made a dancing football player turned actor into a bona fide sex symbol movie star, and birthed the worldwide phenomenon called “Dirty Dancing”.
#9 - “Major League” (1989) with Charlie Cotter
When you think of great movies about major league baseball, there aren’t too many to choose from. “Bull Durham” was about the minor leagues. “Field of Dreams” was about ghosts of former players meeting on a cornfield in Iowa to play again. “The Sandlot” and “Bad News Bears” were about kids and their love for the national pastime. And “A League of Their Own” and “The Natural” captured baseball, but baseball of the past. In 1989, only one film was able to capture major league baseball in moder…
#8 - “Predator” (1987) with Laramy Wells
Released in on June 12, 1987, up and coming director John McTiernan’s second film introduced action and horror fans to a brand new kind of extra-terrestrial threat. It was a bonafide box office hit when released due to its star-studded macho cast, while solidifying Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rising star power status. Alongside Schwarzenegger, the film cast Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, and Shane Black as a group of commando mercenaries on a rescue missi…
#7 - “Summer School” (1987) with Laramy Wells
The 1980's in Hollywood was filled with more high school movies about slackers and smart-alecks than anyone actually needed, especially when it came to featuring students who looked like they were older than the teachers. Summer School was always perhaps the most underrated of the decade’s tributes to academic slackers because what it lacked in the typical star power of, say, a John Hughes film, it more than made up for in creating arguably one of the most creative collection of “teenag…
#6 - “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983) with Chris McMichen
In July of 1983, director Harold Ramis took us on a cross-country comedic adventure with one of the most well-known, and often most beloved families in pop culture today - The Griswolds. The Griswolds’ first cinematic adventure takes us from Chicago to California as the good-hearted, but dimwitted patriarch, Clark W. Griswold, attempts to drive his family to “Wally World” for a good, old-fashioned family Vacation.
#5 - “The Shining” (1980) with Laramy Wells
In 1980, director Stanley Kubrick, released a film that would haunt and terrify audiences for years to come. His own adaptation of a best-selling Steven King novel has split audiences and critics, some calling it an “overreaching, multi-leveled botch” while others hail it as a “masterpiece of modern horror.” No matter where you stand, there is no escaping the tension and madness that fills nearly every frame of…”The Shining”.
On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host Laramy Wel…
#4 - “War Games” (1983) with Chris McMichen
Released in June of 1983, “War Games” made young Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy movie stars while it irrevocably changed our views of how computers could work and what dangers “hacking” those computers could do to the national safety of our country. A razor-sharp script, standout performances, and what was considered cutting-edge technology at the time, “War Games” changed the way political thrillers have been made since. “Would you like to play a game?”
#3 - “Stand By Me” (1986) with Laramy Wells
A tender and poignant story of four friends who spend the last weekend of the Summer of 1959 looking for the body of a missing local boy, “Stand By Me” won the hearts of critics and audiences in the Fall of 1986. Starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and newcomer Jerry O’Connell, the movie still stands as one of the most influential and also most beloved coming-of-age films of the 1980’s.
On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host, Laramy Wells, share their memorie…
#2 - “Coming to America” (1988) with Ron West
In 1988, Eddie Murphy re-teamed with "Trading Places" director, John Landis, to make his tour-de-force, multi-character playing masterpiece known as "Coming To America". It officially made Eddie a bonafide movie star and gave us one of the most memorable and most quoted comedy movies of the decade.
On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host Ron West share their memories of this 80's classic and what they picked up on after re-watching it more recently.
Sho…
#1 - “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) with Jeff Tinkle
Released on June 12, 1981, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford introduced a new kind of hero in professor, archaeologist, and fedora-wearing adventurer, Indiana Jones. They also launched one of the greatest and most beloved franchises in movie history.
On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host Jeff Tinkle share their memories of this 80’s classic and what they picked up on after re-watching it more recently.
Show Notes:
Here are some additional behind the sc…