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

If you thought "woman football coach in 1986" was the daring part of "Wildcats," think again. This Goldie Hawn classic was raunchy, sneaky and full of representation. 

"Wildcats" got Big D to open up about being a soft child. It gave Gene a chance to talk about his illustrious football career. And it provided a cautionary tale about grownups partying with teens.

In this episode, Dick writes a fanfic mashup of "Wildcats" and "Advent...

After his family is killed in Japan by ninjas, Cho and his son Kane come to America to start a new life. He opens a doll shop but is unwittingly importing heroin into the dolls. When he finds out that his friend has betrayed him, Cho must prepare for the ultimate battle he has ever been involved in.

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Dick Ebert and Gene Lyons break down the 2009 Oscar hopeful starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. After his 27-year imprisonment and subsequent election as President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela faced the task of unifying a country divided by race. Only months after the end of Apartheid, divisions still exist between the country's whites and blacks, something Mandela notices during an international rugby m...

In today's zombie-saturated entertainment landscape, it's hard to believe there was a time when movie zombies actually ate brains, couldn't be killed and liked to show their boobs. We're taking you back to 1985 for Dan O'Bannon's "The Return of The Living Dead."

Listener Kevin commissioned this wacky approach to the undead, inspiring the Shat Crew to examine whether "The Return of The Living Dead" had a hidden message on immigratio...

A comedic send-up of the grim circumstances of the Middle Ages as told through the story of King Arthur framed by a modern-day murder investigation. When the mythical king of the Britons leads his knights on a quest for the Holy Grail, they face a wide array of horrors, including a persistent Black Knight, a three-headed giant, a cadre of shrubbery-challenged knights, the perilous Castle Anthrax, a killer rabbit, a house of virgins...

Gene Lyons and The King Bee became friends in 1995. Two years later, "The Long Kiss Goodnight" was released on VHS, capturing the heart of a young King Bee who spent the next three decades trying to convince Gene to watch it.

For his 44th birthday, Gene was treated to a pizza and a spot on The King Bee's sofa to experience "The Long Kiss Goodnight" for the first time. And it was eye-opening, to say the least.

Thanks to listener Jer...

Honestly, when listener Eric commissioned "Ordinary People," we were worried the episode would be dry, academic and morose. Instead, this 1980 Oscar winner led to uncontrollable laughs.

The quality certainly is there: A Robert Redford-directed drama starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Timothy Hutton. But you know how it goes when the Shat Boys get rolling.

In this episode, the Shat Crew explores Japanese b...

One Shat host is a social justice warrior. The other hates Mel Brooks movies. So "Blazing Saddles" seemed doomed from the start. But there's magic in Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little and the old frontier.

Listener Ed took Shat The Movies way back to 1974 for this satirical Western that Gene Lyons argues isn't racist, sexist or even remotely offensive (other than one particular performance).

Dick Ebert was impressed with the "real Hollyw...

Is "PCU" hard to find because it crossed a line or because it's just not a very good movie? Listener Jeff from Nebraska commissioned the Shat Crew to uncover the truth for his 40th birthday.

In a lot of ways, PCU is your typical '90s college movie. The university president is trying to shut down a student house. There's seventh-year senior showing the new guy the ropes. A kegger is the solution to life's problems, and the good guys...

A lot's changed since 1987: Biopics are much more common (and darker). Chicano artists are more mainstream, and Lou Diamond Phillips is a household name.  So we acknowledge "La Bamba' was groundbreaking ... and not very good.

Listener Mark C. commissioned this episode and the upcoming "American Me" to celebrate his heritage as a first-generation Hispanic-American. He noted the blockbuster soundtrack, janky lip-syncing and performan...

Robert Rodriguez blew minds when he created "El Mariachi" for $7,000. The sequel added a brooding Antonio Banderas and sizzling Salma Hayek to rack up $58 million worldwide. But was "Desperado" actually good? 

If you're looking for cool cameos, hot sex scenes, bloody bar fights and a strong female lead, then yes. If you're looking for believable gunplay, a plot that makes sense, badass sidekicks or artistic composition, then you're...

"Krush Groove" is the sort of '80s oddity that can't quite be categorized. Is it a musical? A comedy? A collection of music videos with dialogue sprinkled in between? This time capsule captured rap's infancy and changed the way Big D speaks.

This week's episode, commissioned by listener David B., gave us a newfound respect for Run-DMC, The Fat Boys and, oddly enough, "Purple Rain." Dick Ebert learned why Kurtis Blow is called Kurti...

John Candy is the kind of guy you want as your uncle, your travel buddy or your best friend. But does he work as a private investigator cracking a complicated kidnapping? "Who's Harry Crumb?" rolled the dice to find out.

Falling somewhere between "Fletch" and "Ace Ventura," this 1989 comedy was largely predictable, mostly uninteresting and painfully miscast, but it had its moments.

Absurd disguises, a loveable sidekick, non sequitu...

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...