#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 …
#69 - "The Untouchables" (1987) with Nicholas Pepin from "Pop Culture Roulette" Podcast
1930. Prohibition has transformed Chicago into a City at War. Rival gangs compete for control of the city’s billion dollar empire of illegal alcohol, enforcing their will with the hand grenade and the tommy gun. It is the time of the Ganglords. It is the time of Al Capone. And now its time for Tim Williams and guest co-host Nicholas Pepin, from "Pop Culture Roulette" Podcast to discuss “The Untouchables” from 1987 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback Podcast!
Here ar…
#68 - "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" (1988) with Charlie Cotter
As of October 2022, there have been 11 films that continue or reimagine the story of the character known as “The Shape” that was first laid out in John Carpenter’s "Halloween", released in 1978. At this point in its history, the Halloween franchise has been rebooted once (by Rob Zombie in 2007) and retconned twice (by Halloween H20 in 1998 and then by Halloween in 2018), creating no less than four different continuities. After the release of “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” in …
#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. …
#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…
#65 - "Above the Law" (1988) with Comedian Danny Johnson from the "Behind the Bar" Podcast
In the late 80’s the American action movie was reaching its zenith. The genre had produced several bona fide superstars and was bringing big money to the box office. Action movies were the perfect vehicle for unknown talent to prove themselves. An actor that audiences had never seen before could be the lead if he had the right moves, hair, and one-liners. This 80’s flick, that introduced us to the pre-ponytailed Steven Seagal, surely fit the bill. So prepare for all of the 80’s action movie …
#64 - "First Blood" (1982) with Laramy Wells from the "Moving Panels" Podcast
Based loosely on David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same name, this 80’s flick was the first of a decades long franchise. Unlike the following sequels which were war adventure films set in foreign countries, this was a post-Vietnam War psychological thriller set in the United States that lacks the gore and violence that would later become a trademark of the series. So journey back with us to the small town of Hope, Washington as Tim Williams and guest co-host Laramy Wells from "Movi…
#63 - "Rain Man" (1988) with JB Huffman from "Manly Movies" Podcast
No one was overly surprised when this 80’s flick dominated the 1989 Academy Award ceremony. It featured one of America's biggest movie stars showing a little gravitas as a self-absorbed hustler who learns the importance of family. It had an Oscar mainstay going deep into affliction, playing a character with a disorder that not many everyday moviegoers knew much about at the time. And at the helm, a respected director whose films had been gaining in prestige and popularity throughout the…
#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 …