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

Shatpod
Shatpod
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What are the The Best 1980s & 1990s Movies? Do you find yourself asking if the movies we loved while growing up were really that good? Have you caught yourself thinking, "why don't make movies like they use to?" Can you still remember spending your Friday Nights searching for the perfect movie rental at Blockbuster Video? Do you know what Blockbuster Video is? If you answered yes, then this is the podcast for you! Website: https://shatpod.com/movies/ Email: hosts@shatpod.com

  1. 2d ago

    Basic Instinct (1992)

    Sharon Stone steals the interrogation room—but does "Basic Instinct" still hold up as a thriller? Gene Lyons and Big D revisit Paul Verhoeven's provocative murder mystery, starring Stone as crime novelist Catherine Tramell and Michael Douglas as the detective who ignores every reason to stay away. Commissioned by listener Uncle Mikey, this Shat the Movies review dives into Stone's commanding performance, Douglas' questionable sex-symbol appeal, and a murder plot that requires everyone to make the worst possible decision. Big D remembers an awkward family trip to the theater and his quest to own the VHS. Gene offers a theory that might explain the entire movie: What if Basic Instinct is really a vampire story? Along the way, the guys debate Hollywood's lost appetite for adult thrillers, the film's controversial depictions of sex and consent, Wayne Knight's scene-stealing skills, and why every conversation sounds like a life-or-death showdown—even when you're just ordering In-N-Out. In this episode: Sharon Stone's star-making performance and the infamous interrogation scene Michael Douglas, alternate casting choices, and an unexpected Geena Davis debate Catherine's elaborate scheme and Nick's spectacularly bad detective work Early-'90s San Francisco as a movie backdrop Final Shat Scores and a listener's request for a potential five-wipe disaster Subscribe Now Android: https://www.shatpod.com/android Apple/iTunes: https://www.shatpod.com/apple Help Support the Podcast Contact Us: https://www.shatpod.com/contact Commission Movie: https://www.shatpod.com/support Support with Paypal: https://www.shatpod.com/paypal Support With Venmo: https://www.shatpod.com/venmo Shop Merchandise: https://www.shatpod.com/shop Theme Song - Die Hard by Guyz Nite: https://www.facebook.com/guyznite

  2. Nov 6

    Dirty Dancing (1987)

    This week on Shat the Movies, we're spending the summer at Kellerman's with Dirty Dancing (1987), the romantic drama that turned Patrick Swayze into a sex symbol and made everyone think they could pull off that famous lift. Gene and Big D revisit the chemistry between Swayze and Jennifer Grey, the Catskills resort culture, the unforgettable soundtrack, and a love story built around dancing, class differences, and teenage rebellion. Does this beloved 80s classic still have the time of its life, or is nostalgia doing most of the heavy lifting? Tune in and find out. Full movie info below: Dirty Dancing (1987) is a romantic drama directed by Emile Ardolino and stars Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, and Cynthia Rhodes. Set during the summer of 1963 at a Catskills resort, the film follows Frances "Baby" Houseman, a sheltered teenager who falls for dance instructor Johnny Castle while becoming involved in the lives of the resort's working class staff. Made on a modest budget, the film became a surprise box office hit and a cultural phenomenon. Its soundtrack produced several hits, including the Academy Award winning song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," and helped cement the movie as one of the most recognizable romances of the 1980s. Subscribe Now Android: https://www.shatpod.com/android Apple/iTunes: https://www.shatpod.com/apple Help Support the Podcast Contact Us: https://www.shatpod.com/contact Commission Movie: https://www.shatpod.com/support Support with Paypal: https://www.shatpod.com/paypal Support With Venmo: https://www.shatpod.com/venmo Shop Merchandise: https://www.shatpod.com/shop Theme Song - Die Hard by Guyz Nite: https://www.facebook.com/guyznite

    Dirty Dancing (1987)

  3. Oct 31

    The People Under The Stairs (1991)

    It's the Spooktacular 2026 finale! Gene and Big D close out horror season with Wes Craven's 1991 social horror comedy The People Under the Stairs, commissioned by listener Chris H (aka Trucker Seaman). A young boy breaks into his landlords' house and discovers a dark secret in the walls — but is this movie a horror film, a kids adventure, a social satire, or an unholy mix of all three? Big D had never seen it. Gene hadn't watched it since childhood, when it scared the hell out of him on VHS. Together they unpack whether Craven's ambitious mashup of gentrification commentary, Goonies-style treasure hunting, and R-rated gore holds up — or collapses under its own weight. In this episode: Did Tarantino steal the gimp suit scene for Pulp Fiction? Gene makes the case that Ving Rhames' casting traces directly back to this film Big D argues the entire movie was written backwards — the ending came first, and everything else was engineered to service it Gene reveals The People Under the Stairs is basically The Goonies: "You don't need the Fratellis, you don't need the body in the freezer, you don't need Sloth" The R-rating debate: should a movie starring a kid looking for gold coins really feature skinned bodies and severed hands? "F**k Prince" — the first movie where Gene actively rooted for the dog to die A wild tangent on War Hound, Palmer Luckey's genetically engineered military dogs The Do the Right Thing song hidden in the credits — and what it means Listener email from George, a 17-year-old social justice warrior who's been listening since age 14, with a thoughtful take on our Sleepaway Camp episode and whether it's a pro-trans film Subscribe Now Android: https://www.shatpod.com/android Apple/iTunes: https://www.shatpod.com/apple Help Support the Podcast Contact Us: https://www.shatpod.com/contact Commission Movie: https://www.shatpod.com/support Support with Paypal: https://www.shatpod.com/paypal Support With Venmo: https://www.shatpod.com/venmo Shop Merchandise: https://www.shatpod.com/shop Theme Song - Die Hard by Guyz Nite: https://www.facebook.com/guyznite

    The People Under The Stairs (1991)

  4. Oct 29

    The Sixth Sense (1999)

    This week on Shat the Movies, we're seeing dead people with The Sixth Sense (1999), the supernatural thriller that made M. Night Shyamalan a household name and had audiences questioning everything they just watched. Gene and Big D revisit Bruce Willis playing against type, Haley Joel Osment's unforgettable performance, the creepy encounters, and one of the most famous twists in movie history. Does the movie still deliver when you already know the secret, or was the surprise doing most of the heavy lifting? Tune in and find out. Full movie info below: The Sixth Sense (1999) is a supernatural psychological thriller written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, and Olivia Williams. The film follows child psychologist Malcolm Crowe as he tries to help Cole Sear, a troubled young boy who claims he can see and communicate with the dead. Blending ghost story scares with emotional drama, the film became a massive box office success and earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Osment. Its famous ending helped establish Shyamalan as one of Hollywood's most talked about filmmakers. Subscribe Now Android: https://www.shatpod.com/android Apple/iTunes: https://www.shatpod.com/apple Help Support the Podcast Contact Us: https://www.shatpod.com/contact Commission Movie: https://www.shatpod.com/support Support with Paypal: https://www.shatpod.com/paypal Support With Venmo: https://www.shatpod.com/venmo Shop Merchandise: https://www.shatpod.com/shop Theme Song - Die Hard by Guyz Nite: https://www.facebook.com/guyznite

    The Sixth Sense (1999)

  5. Oct 21

    Sleepaway Camp (1983)

    When listener John S. commissioned the 1983 cult slasher Sleepaway Camp, Big D had zero expectations. Gene was cautiously optimistic after two disappointing summer camp films. Neither was prepared for what they got. What starts as Meatballs with murder — beehives, boilings, and drownings — escalates into something far darker, culminating in one of cinema's most shocking twist endings. Gene calls it his favorite slasher finale of all time. Big D says it's up there with The Terminator, Empire Strikes Back, and Back to the Future Part II. In this episode: How Sleepaway Camp earned its 82% Rotten Tomatoes score despite being dismissed as a Friday the 13th knockoff The legendary practical effects of Ed French (Terminator 2, Star Trek, Buffy) — going way harder than the budget demanded Robert Earl Jones (James Earl Jones' father!) as the camp cook who looks the other way The most authentic New York swearing since your last family gathering A thoughtful debate on whether the film's famous ending is transphobic or a tragic story of a child failed by the adults around him Why both hosts agree: watch this movie before you listen to this episode. The twist is that good. Sleepaway Camp is available free on multiple streaming platforms including Plex. Go watch it first — seriously — then come back and join the conversation. Subscribe Now Android: https://www.shatpod.com/android Apple/iTunes: https://www.shatpod.com/apple Help Support the Podcast Contact Us: https://www.shatpod.com/contact Commission Movie: https://www.shatpod.com/support Support with Paypal: https://www.shatpod.com/paypal Support With Venmo: https://www.shatpod.com/venmo Shop Merchandise: https://www.shatpod.com/shop Theme Song - Die Hard by Guyz Nite: https://www.facebook.com/guyznite

    Sleepaway Camp (1983)

  6. Oct 14

    The Evil Dead II (1987)

    When a filmmaker gets a second chance at the same idea and decides to just f*****g lose his mind, you get Evil Dead 2. Gene and Big D continue their Shat Spooktacular Halloween celebration with Sam Raimi's 1987 horror-comedy sequel — the film that turned Ash Williams into a legend and gave us the one word that defines an entire franchise: "Groovy." Commissioned by Spooktacular junkie John, this episode digs into the remake-vs-sequel debate, Bruce Campbell's transformation from likable lead to chainsaw-handed icon, a shell-company distribution workaround to dodge an X rating, and the stop-motion skeletons that still divide the hosts. Gene compares the movie to mopeds — not the best-made, not the scariest, not the funniest, but more fun than better movies. Dick's turning point? When Henrietta's eyeball shoots across the room and lands in her daughter's mouth. Perfect. No notes. Subscribe Now Android: https://www.shatpod.com/android Apple/iTunes: https://www.shatpod.com/apple Help Support the Podcast Contact Us: https://www.shatpod.com/contact Commission Movie: https://www.shatpod.com/support Support with Paypal: https://www.shatpod.com/paypal Support With Venmo: https://www.shatpod.com/venmo Shop Merchandise: https://www.shatpod.com/shop Theme Song - Die Hard by Guyz Nite: https://www.facebook.com/guyznite

    The Evil Dead II (1987)

  7. Oct 7

    The Evil Dead (1981)

    This week on Shat the Movies, we're heading into the woods with The Evil Dead (1981), where five friends discover that renting an isolated cabin is apparently the fastest route to demonic possession. Gene and Big D break down Bruce Campbell's early Ash, Sam Raimi's inventive camera work, buckets of blood, questionable decision-making, and special effects held together with imagination and whatever they could afford. Is this low-budget horror landmark still genuinely scary, or has forty years of imitation turned it into something closer to a comedy? Tune in and find out. Full movie info below: The Evil Dead (1981) is a supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly. The film follows five college students whose trip to a remote Tennessee cabin goes horribly wrong after they discover a mysterious book and a recording that unleashes demonic forces. Made on a tiny independent budget, The Evil Dead became a cult horror hit and launched the careers of Raimi and Campbell, eventually spawning sequels, a remake, television series, video games, and one of horror's most recognizable franchises. Subscribe Now Android: https://www.shatpod.com/android Apple/iTunes: https://www.shatpod.com/apple Help Support the Podcast Contact Us: https://www.shatpod.com/contact Commission Movie: https://www.shatpod.com/support Support with Paypal: https://www.shatpod.com/paypal Support With Venmo: https://www.shatpod.com/venmo Shop Merchandise: https://www.shatpod.com/shop Theme Song - Die Hard by Guyz Nite: https://www.facebook.com/guyznite

    The Evil Dead (1981)

  8. Oct 2

    Street Trash (1987)

    The 10th Annual Shat Spooktacular kicks off with a bang. People are melting. A penis is flying through the air. And somebody brought a woodwind. Commissioner John kicks off our first-ever full month of horror by taking us back to 1987 for Street Trash, the cult splatter comedy where a Brooklyn liquor store sells poisoned Tenafly Viper to the local homeless population and things go exactly as wrong as you'd expect. With a budget of roughly $100,000, this movie had no stars, no money, and no business being as memorable as it is — and yet here we are, still talking about it 39 years later. Big D and Gene break down the melt-movie subgenre, the infamous junkyard dong toss set to Looney Tunes clown music, a homeless man shoving raw chicken down his pants, and the discovery that Martin Scorsese found Tony Darrow in this very film. Plus: Big D identifies a BB gun from his childhood, makes a case that B-movie filmmakers were in it for the fetishes, and asks the question nobody wanted answered — is an oboe enough to make a sexual assault scene feel "playful"? We also hear from the Shat Gang: Fernando calls in with the alternative ending to Born in East LA, and Chris from Chicago corrects Big D on the Buddy Revell vs. Matt Dillon debate. Dick folds immediately. Subscribe Now Android: https://www.shatpod.com/android Apple/iTunes: https://www.shatpod.com/apple Help Support the Podcast Contact Us: https://www.shatpod.com/contact Commission Movie: https://www.shatpod.com/support Support with Paypal: https://www.shatpod.com/paypal Support With Venmo: https://www.shatpod.com/venmo Shop Merchandise: https://www.shatpod.com/shop Theme Song - Die Hard by Guyz Nite: https://www.facebook.com/guyznite

    Street Trash (1987)
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What are the The Best 1980s & 1990s Movies? Do you find yourself asking if the movies we loved while growing up were really that good? Have you caught yourself thinking, "why don't make movies like they use to?" Can you still remember spending your Friday Nights searching for the perfect movie rental at Blockbuster Video? Do you know what Blockbuster Video is? If you answered yes, then this is the podcast for you! Website: https://shatpod.com/movies/ Email: hosts@shatpod.com

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