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

Ahead of Gene Lyons' big day, Dick and Ash share their married-life wisdom as Shat The Movies travels once again to Australia for the 1994 comedy "Muriel's Wedding."

As expected, this movie led to some fierce debate between Big D, who detests Muriel's selfishness, and Ash, who simply adores pre-glow-up Toni Collette. But both Shat hosts agreed on the greatness of Abba, unexpected darkness of the film and the ridiculousness of weddi...

Until we watched "Near Dark," the Shat Crew was blissfully unaware that vampires' true supernatural power wasn't immortality: It was prudent decision-making and wise investments. 

In her 1987 solo directorial debut, Kathryn Bigelow changed the way we viewed bloodsuckers by giving us a dusty, trashy and (much to Big D's horror) irresponsible brood of vamps. 

Gene uses this episode to complain about Easter eggs for the stupid. Ash ar...

"Shat The Movies" has seen its share of literary adaptations but never one that inspired Big D to draw, Gene to regain his teen mojo and Ash to besmirch the good name of coastal Florida. It's Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations!"

This 1998 drama looks great on paper, boasting a star-studded cast including Robert De Niro, Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Cooper, Hank Azaria and Anne Bancroft. The killer soundtrack features two o...

If you love Rhode Island accents, relish period pieces that forget the period and hate Gene Lyons, our "Outside Providence" podcast is the episode for you!

As Ash and Big Dildo dig into this 1999 Farrelly Brothers comedy (written, not directed), they discover the limits of Alec Baldwin's acting, question the movie's pointless inclusion of dark scenes and seriously doubt Shawn Hatosy's sexual prowess. 

Ash points out that "Outside P...

BMX bikes! "Send Me An Angel!" Lori Loughlin in a Mongoose bicycle suit! It's the Shat The Movies episode we've been waiting six months to debut: "Rad!"

Listener Frank Falls commissioned this 1986 bicycle-racing stuntfest, promoted it and put thunder in all our hearts. But in today's Xtreme Games environment, can Cru Jones' speed and tricks still wow a crowd? Does the bicycle boogie still inspire romance? Will Gene Lyons ever learn...

If you've ever wondered how Jean-Claude Van Damme became an international action star, there's one '80s movie you need to see: "Bloodsport."

This episode, commissioned by listener Adam from Texas, calls on Gene Lyons' deep martial arts expertise, Ash's opinions on muscle men and Big D's childhood dream of climbing with ninja claws.

Along the way, the Shat Crew also discusses the efficacy of fighting monkey style, the utility of eig...

When Hot Sauce Steve won the Shat Fantasy Basketball title, he decided to give back to the Shat community by commissioning the long-overdue '80s werewolf basketball comedy "Teen Wolf."

Riding hot on the coattails of "Back to The Future," this low-budget comedy timed its release just right, seizing on Michael J. Fox's superstar status (and the fact Scott Howard is basically Marty McFly).

Join Dick Ebert and Gene Lyons as they discus...

When listener Ryley moved out of her parents' house for the first time and needed a comfort movie, "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" was there. We humbly offer this Shat The Movies review to the elder gods in hopes we all someday discover our inner animalities.

From terrible CGI to imbalanced audio, this sequel to 1995's "Mortal Kombat" proved you can't just swap out the cast, throw in a whole bunch of new characters, rip off Sub-Zero'...

We have only ourselves to blame for this one. Well, actually, it's pretty much all Big D's fault: Shat The Movies finally found the courage (and the commissioner) to tackle the 1980 space opera "Flash Gordon."

Whether you thought this horny Dino De Laurentiis fantasy was a terrific comic book adaptation or just a crappy "Star Wars" ripoff, it's certainly a film that's instantly recognizable through sight or sound. That Queen anthem...

Dick and Gene agree "Back to School" is Rodney Dangerfield's best movie, but does it deserve mention among the greatest '80s comedies? Not if you ask Ash.

This 1986 college classic, commissioned by a listener who himself is going back to school, reminded the Shat Crew that Dangerfield has crazy eyes, Robert Downey Jr. was an adorable little scamp, and Big D is oblivious to racism in film.

In this episode, we pay homage to Burt Youn...

Was "Judgment Night" just "The Hangover" for the '90s? Was it just "Adventures in Babysitting" but for bros? Or was this 1993 urban thriller a truly experimental film with a pioneering rap-rock soundtrack to match?

Loading up a cast with Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Dennis Leary, Jeremy Piven, Stephen Dorff and Everlast (yes, that guy from House of Pain) seems like a safe way to score a box-office hit, but believe us when we s...

How do you ruin a 1981 comedy featuring the talents of Dennis Quaid, Jack Gilford and Shelley Long? Make it about cavemen, and give Ringo the Starr role. Gene Lyons downed an entire six pack while recording this one, so buckle up.

"Caveman" was somehow too childish to be a movie for adults and too adult to be a movie for kids. It had claymation dinosaurs but also a rape scene. It was timid in its surprise lack of surprise boobs yet...

When Big D and Roger came up with the idea for "Shat The Movies," they knew they wanted to start with all the films that defined the '80s and '90s. Movies like "Big," "Pretty Woman" and, of course, "The Ice Pirates." It took six years, but finally Pirates' ship has come in.

In this episode, Gene notes how "The Ice Pirates" really forgot it was set in space. Dick applauds the movie for being consistent in its crappiness, and Ash cri...

The Christopher Guest mockumentary that started it all, "This Is Spinal Tap," blended brilliant musical parodies and absurd non-sequiturs well ahead of its time in 1984. It was so convincing that a  young Gene Lyons and a drunken Ozzy Osbourne thought Spinal Tap was a real band.

In this episode, Shat The Movies commissioner Scott H. in Friendswood, Texas, treats Ash to one of her favorite comedies. Consider it a Christmas gift full...

At Shat The Movies, we believe representation matters. And it's never been more apparent than when we sat down to review "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." Was Mustafa offensive? Ask Gene. Was Fat Bastard gross? Ask Big D.

And though the Shat Crew all agreed Heather Graham achieved peak hotness in this 1999 sequel, we were divided on other issues. Ash argued workplace hookups are inevitable. Gene argued Dr. Evil's "Just The T...

Guy Ritchie enters the Halls of Shat with the 1998 feature film debut that revealed an unsanitized London to hip American teens and twentysomethings: "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."

We all expected the comparisons of Ritchie to Quentin Tarantino, but none of us anticipated where the conversation would go after that: Ash's personality trait test, Big D's tips on knocking people out, and rumors of anal beads helping a chess ma...

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of "A Few Good Men," the Shat Crew dissect the military mentality, relish Aaron Sorkin's flair for dialog and hate themselves for loving Tom Cruise. Big D argues it isn't a court drama while Ash and Gene debate whether the lawyering feels real.

Along the way, your hosts cover "code reds," Demi Moore's outfits, whether Lt. Daniel Kaffee is at all redeemable, whether Jack Nicholson overacted and, of ...

Is "Dead Man" the most interesting Western of the '90s, or did Jim Jarmusch just succeed at shooting a really pretty Johnny Depp in black-and-white for two hours? That depends on what you understood of the movie, and Gene didn't understand much.

While Ash struggled to stay awake, an increasingly healthy Big D got really into this 1995 box office flop that sparked conversations on cannibalism, Savage X Fenty, how trains work, Chatro...

Before there was "Airwolf," before there was "Fire Birds," one movie stood alone as the epitome of helicopter action: "Blue Thunder." It's the movie that inspired Big D to be a pilot, showed us how to "dust" a perp, and made JAFO a household name.

It also taught a 10-year-old in the UK how to cuss. And that 10-year-old grew up to be Shat The Movies commissioner Omar, who somehow understood "Blue Thunder" was about the surveillance ...