On this episode, film historian and host Edward A. Havens III briefly talks about one of the quintessential 80s movies, that didn't actually come out until May 1990. Mel Damski's Happy Together. ----more---- We talk about the creation of the movie, its two lead stars (Patrick Dempsey and Helen Slater),…
On this episode, we take a look back at the history of the First Blood movies. ----more---- From its beginnings as an idea by Penn State English student David Morrell in 1968 to its publication as a novel in 1972, First Blood would spend nearly a decade in development in…
On this episode of The 80s Movie Podcast, we work our way through the history of American movie censorship, the creation of the MPAA rating system, what lead to the creation of the PG-13 rating in 1984, and examine how little has changed in the battle for morality in entertainment…
This episode, we take a look back at the short-lived production and distribution company American Cinema Releasing, pioneers of two ways of finding financing for independent films and releasing them into theatres, and the company responsible for making Chuck Norris a star. ----more---- Movies discussed on this episode include: Beatlemania…
On this episode, we discuss the history of 3-D movies, and take a look at the ones that were made and released during the 1980s. ----more---- The titles discussed during this episode include: Amityville 3 (1983, Richard Fleischer) Bwana Devil (1952, Arch Oboler) Chain Gang (1984, Worth Keeter) Comin' At…
In time for the start of the baseball season, we talk about the numerous baseball movies that were made for movie and television screens during the 1980s. ----more---- Movies discussed during this episode include: Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987, Mike Newell) Blue Skies Again (1983, Richard Michaels) Brewster's Millions (1985,…
Bill reviews Dave Meltzer's ratings and answers listener questions Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/14654609?utm_source=youtube
On this episode, we take a look back at the life and career of director Peter Bogdanovich, with a focus on his forgotten 1981 comedy They All Laughed, and the love affair with one of the film’s leading ladies, Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, which would lead to her murder at…
On this episode, your host, film critic and historian Edward A. Havens III, talks about the late, great Dennis Hopper, his mostly forgotten 1980 film Out of the Blue, and how it is getting a new lease on life in 2022. ----more---- The original 1983 theatrical one-sheet for Out of…
On this episode, film critic and historian Edward A. Havens III concludes his two-part look back at the 1980s films of one of cinema's truly gifted storytellers, John Sayles. ----more---- We talk about his three movies from the second half of the decade, as well as many of the films…
On this episode, film critic and historian Edward A. Havens III begins a two-part look back at the 1980s films of one of cinema's truly gifted storytellers, John Sayles. ----more---- We talk about his beginnings in upstate New York, his college years, where he would meet several of his regular…
This episode continues an irregular series that takes a look back at a minor cinematic phenomenon that happened more often in the 1980s than in any other decade: the one-time-only distribution company. Today, we’ll be talking about the 1980 movie Union City, which featured the film debut of Blondie lead…
On this episode, film critic and historian Edward A. Havens III takes his Wayback Machine back forty years, to look back at the movies you could have seen after Christmas dinner in 1981. ----more---- The movies covered during this episode include (released in 1981, unless otherwise noted): Absence of Malice…
This episode continues an irregular series that takes a look back at a minor cinematic phenomenon that happened more often in the 1980s than in any other decade: the one-time-only distribution company. ----more---- We talk about the 1985 cocaine crime drama The Texas Godfather, featuring Vince Edwards and Paul L.…
This episode begins an irregular series that will take a look back at a minor cinematic phenomenon that happened more often in the 1980s than in any other decade: a one-time-only distribution company. ----more---- We talk about the 1980 Tinto Brass erotic historical drama Caligula, starring Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren,…
On this very special episode of the podcast, we discuss the life, career, and death of Alan Smithee, one of the most prolific filmmakers of the 1980s... who never actually directed a film, or, really, ever even existed. It's a twisted tale of incompetence, greed, and saving face. ----more---- The…
In this very special episode, we do something that only 13,948 other podcasts have already done or are in the process of doing this week: taking a look back at the Halloween movies. ----more---- The movies covered in this episode: Halloween (1978, John Carpenter) Halloween II (1981, Rick Rosenthal) Halloween…
In this episode, we discuss the career of one of the best filmmakers to come out of 80s cinema: Scottish filmmaker Bill Forsyth. Oh, you've never heard of him? Or you're only familiar with one of his films? Join us on a cinematic journey through the career of a filmmaker…
On this very special episode of The FilmJerk Podcast, we talk not about a specific movie or filmmaker or actor or distribution company, but of a moviegoing concept that was huge in the 1980s but has all but disappeared from the movie-going landscape: the dollar house. AKA the discount house,…
As we conclude our multi-part miniseries, The United Film Distribution Company, one of the first distributors to be operated by a motion picture exhibition company, has become Taurus Entertainment, and will go on one of the worst runs of film releases any distribution company has ever had. ----more---- Before you…
We continue our multi-part miniseries on The United Film Distribution Company and Taurus Entertainment, one of the first distributors to be operated by a motion picture exhibition company. This week, we talk about several of their biggest successes, including Mark L. Lester's Class of 1984, Richard Hiltzik's Sleepaway Camp, and…
We begin a multi-part miniseries on The United Film Distribution Company and Taurus Entertainment, one of the first distributors to be operated by a motion picture exhibition company, who teamed with filmmaker George A. Romero to produce and/or distribute several of his most popular and enduring movies, including Dawn of…
This episode completes a two-part miniseries on an interesting concept in examining genre movies in the 80s, Grounded Genre. Joining us for this miniseries is our very special guest Sarah Bullion, an award-winning director, producer and screenwriter who also spent ten years on sets as a prop master and second…
This episode starts a two-part miniseries on an interesting concept in examining genre movies in the 80s, Grounded Genre. Joining us for this miniseries is our very special guest Sarah Bullion, an award-winning director, producer and screenwriter who also spent ten years on sets as a prop master and second…
