Shat the Movies: 80's & 90's Best Film Review

When people think DeNiro and Scorsese, it's generally mob hits or boxing rings. But 1983's "The King of Comedy" is an often-overlooked exploration of television fame that shows just how funny, dark and thought-provoking the actor-director pair can be in any genre.

Listener Charlie in L.A., who brought us "Boogie Nights," is back with another stellar commission that led to some interesting topics, including when it's OK to ask for a...

Once upon a time, there was a movie about an unlikeable fancy lad joining the unlikeable crew of a ship called The Filthy Whore after David Letterman tried to sell him a monkey, but at least it had Tim Burton as the director. Until it didn't.

This week, Shat The Movies brings you "Cabin Boy," the 1994 box-office bomb that nearly sank Chris Elliott's career and left the Shat Crew scratching their heads.

On one hand, this movie is te...

Shat The Movies was made for movies like "Hardbodies," a motion picture originally planned for the Playboy Channel but released in theaters because America needed boobs.

This 1985 skin flick has all the tropes you'd expect: women in bikinis, beach parties, waterbeds and cheesy lines. But "Hardbodies" surprised us with a few unexpected moments: a no-means-no stance on sexual harassment, a heartwarming makeover scene, an exploration ...

"Let It Ride" is a 1989 comedy starring Richard Dreyfuss as Jay Trotter, a perpetually unlucky gambler who, after overhearing a tip about a longshot horse, decides to bet all his savings on it. As Jay's luck suddenly turns around, he finds himself on an exhilarating winning streak at the racetrack, encountering various eccentric characters along the way. Despite facing doubts and temptations, Jay chooses to let his winnings ride, l...

Discussing race in America is never easy, and it was even harder in 1989 when Spike Lee released "Do The Right Thing," a film filled with ambiguity, tension and Rosie Perez dancing.

This supersized episode, commissioned by listener Grant Leisure, compelled the Shat Crew to take a hard look at police brutality, gentrification, reverse racism and freedom of expression.

But, being Shat, your hosts also took the time to debate proper t...

Before "Matilda the Musical," "Madeline" and "Coraline," there was Danny DeVito's 1996 adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Matilda," a film the entire Shat Crew enjoyed — for very different reasons.

Ash was the most familiar with "Matilda," having seen it in theaters. Gene had read other Dahl books and knew what to expect. Dick, once again, confused it with another movie.

And that devolved into the tangential conversations you'd expect fro...

We've all seen that scene from "Perfect" where John Travolta is humping his way through a Jamie Lee Curtis aerobics class, but there's another two hours to this 1985 box-office bomb. And we had to watch all of it.

Longtime Shat The Movies beer buddy Scott in Friendswood, Texas, was kind enough to commission a film about Gene Lyons' three favorite topics: journalism, fitness and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Not to be left out, Dick Ebert ha...

"The Legend of Billie Jean" had a little something for each Shat The Movies host. Gene got his Honda Elite scooter. Ash got her Christian Slater. And Big D got Helen Slater with no bra.

But that's not why listener BreAnn M. commissioned this 1985 coming-of-age film. For her, "The Legend of Billie Jean" was an inspiration, a gateway to feminism and a radical view of what kids could do.

In this episode, the Shat Crew debates whether ...

When listener Rob F. commissioned "Gattaca" in honor of his father, we all remembered it as beautiful, futuristic and distinct. Oddly enough, we couldn't remember much else. 

We remembered Ethan Hawke but not his lengthy voiceovers. We remembered Jude Law but not the incinerator scene. We remembered Uma Thurman but not her character's heart condition. 

This 1997 sci-fi debut for director Andrew Niccol made some interesting choices,...

Shat The Movies didn't invent sexual perversion, edgy attitudes and impeccable taste in music, we just perfected it. More than 25 years earlier, Christian Slater inspired teens to "talk hard" in the 1990 box office bomb "Pump Up The Volume."

Ash was delighted when listener Eric commissioned this coming-of-age movie to highlight his belief in the power of listening. Dick Ebert viewed it from a parent's perspective, and Gene was agha...

We noticed all the biggest podcasts seem to have celebrity hosts, murder or hot takes. Shat The Movies lacks star power. And it doesn't have thrilling true-crime tales. So this week we're banking on misguided opinions as we plug into "Short Circuit."

Big D doesn't think Johnny 5 is really alive. Ash believes this is Ally Sheedy's worst performance. And Gene is convinced Ben Jabituya isn't Indian. Two of them are wrong, and Gene wro...

Before Arizona was the playground of retired athletes and conservative Californians, it was a quiet, spooky place full of Old West ghosts, dusty roads and alien abductions. We're taking you back to the Travis Walton story with "Fire in the Sky."

Released in the same year "The X Files" debuted, "Fire in the Sky" terrified a young Gene Lyons, who went day camping in the same woods where aliens scooped up a logger in 1975, slapped jel...

Shat The Movies power couple Carlos and Natasha were kind enough to gift the Shat Crew three film commissions of our choice. So we  used the first to fill a glaring omission in the Pantheon of Shat: "Legend."

Nursing a "Hawk The Slayer" hangover, Ash was a bit worried venturing back into her beloved fantasy genre, but she quickly discovered Legend's production value was top-notch. Gene was impressed with dwarven heroics, and Big D ...

Shat The Movies takes its anglophilia to a new level with an English commissioner, an English guest host and a movie that epitomizes the English film renaissance: "Four Weddings and a Funeral."

Rob Will Taylor joins Ash and Gene to discuss the reality of British weddings, why they start so early and why they suck for guests. The Shat Crew also explores the tragic tale of Charlotte Coleman, the charm of Hugh Grant and Ash's favorite...

When listener Joe asked to commission a pair of films for his grandmother's 100th birthday, the Shat Crew never suspected his first choice would be "Hawk The Slayer."

And the surprises didn't end there. This low-budget 1980 sword-and-sorcery fantasy treated us to machine-gun crossbows, a magical fisting sword and Jack Palance in a cape. We also got a Lord Rockingham soundtrack, serious Medieval Times vibes, a draggy dark wizard and...

If you had to assemble a film canon, a collection of movies you'll never outgrow, what would be in it? For listener Shawn, the answer is simple: "Death Becomes Her."

We're kicking off 2024 with cutting-edge computer-generated effects (for 1992), life lessons about immortality and Goldie Hawn in a fat suit.

As Big D explores the appeal of "Death Becomes Her" to the gay community, Ash dives into her skin-care routine, and Gene drools...

Proving that we always save the Shat for last, Shat The Movies humbly presents its final film review for 2023: "Philadelphia Experiment 2." It's a movie full of time travel, family drama and big people giving small performances.

Closing out the Month of Mark from Minneapolis, this 1993 sci-fi sleeper has all the feels of a prescription-drug ad mixed with military mistakes, questionable casting and wacky cinematography. 

In this epi...

What more do you want from Christmas than some warm fuzzies, friends returning from afar and the miracle of Shat The Movies covering another film from the new millennium? Maybe some Will Farrell.

"Elf" is the rare movie that old people like Dick Ebert and young people like Ash's kids can equally enjoy. It's timeless, hilarious, a bit optimistic and a clever nod to the Christmas classics that came before.

In this episode, the Shat C...

The Month of Mark from Minneapolis enters its Christmas phase with the 1999 crime comedy "Go." Or, as we like to call it, "MTV Magnolia."

While Gene praises the film's optimistic attitude toward drug use, he struggles with painful memories of how trivia failed to make him popular. Ash compares director Doug Liman to Quentin Tarantino, and Dick tries to convince his co-hosts that being middle-aged is cooler than being young and dumb...