80s Flick Flashback

80s Flick Flashback

By Timothy WilliamsTV & FilmSociety & CultureFilm Reviews
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80s Flick Flashback episodes

  • #40 - "The Monster Squad" (1987) with Gerry D. from the "Totally Rad Christmas" Podcast

    “The Goonies”. “Stand By Me”. “Ghostbusters”. “The Little Rascals”. And “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”. They all share some shred of creative DNA with this bonafide 80’s cult classic. So as we kick-start this year’s spooky Halloween season, sharpen those wooden stakes you made in shop class, hide the silver bullets in your half-empty pack of cigarettes, and prepare to “Bop Til You Drop” as Tim Williams and guest co-host Gerry D discuss “The Monster Squad” from 1987 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback podcast!

    Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

    • Jason Hervey wears a Walter Payton shirt in this movie while his onscreen brother from The Wonder Years, Fred Savage, wears a Walter Payton jersey in Princess Bride.
    • Due to licensing issues, the crew had to create characters that were suggestive -- but not exact copies -- of Universal's iconic monsters. "The challenge was to suggest those classic creatures, without really copying them," explained Shane Mahan, "because we didn't have permission or the license to use those specific images. So we could do a 'Gillman', for example, but it couldn't look too much like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. It was frustrating for us at first, because, of course, we wanted to do the original designs! But we couldn't. We could only suggest those designs. So the Frankenstein monster looks a bit like the Karloff creature; but instead of bolts in the neck, he has bolts in the forehead. There was a certain percentage of changes we had to make to get away from any legal copyright infringement.”

      • Sources:

      Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo

      https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/looking-back-at-the-monster-squad/

      https://diaboliquemagazine.com/the-20-year-three-pointer-fred-dekker-talks-the-monster-squad/

      https://screenrant.com/monster-squad-behind-scenes-making-facts/


      Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver

      Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should discuss next!

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      • Website: www.80sflickflashback.com
        • 1 hr 17 min
      • #39 - "All The Right Moves" (1983) with Ron West

        Before “Friday Night Lights” there was this often forgotten 80’s flick. It’s not so much a film about the sport of high school football, but the effect of football on its characters. It features solid performances from its young actors, and became an important film in the career of its lead by showcasing the tremendous star power and acting skills of a man who would become a mega-movie-star. So grab your football pads, your cleats, and expect heavy rain to hit football field as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Ron “Rifleman” West, discuss “All the Right Moves” from 1983 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback Podcast!

        Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

        • Jan De Bont was the film’s cinematographer; Jan later went onto direct the movie “Speed" in 1994.
        • In the scene in which Ampipe's team bus is pulling into Walnut Heights for the big game, Johnstown's Vo-Tech School in Richland Township, was used as the Walnut Heights School, which is actually about five miles away from where the game was played (the Point Stadium in downtown Johnstown).

          • Sources:

          Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo,

          https://www.ninersnation.com/2019/3/20/18270015/game-film-no-9-all-the-right-moves

          https://www.fast-rewind.com/making_alltherightmoves.htm

          https://deadspin.com/all-the-right-moves-with-pat-jordan-1463840023

          https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/all-the-right-moves-when-tom-cruise-graduated-from-brat-pack-to-star-turn-1.4520139

          http://www.dailyfilmdose.com/2008/08/all-right-moves.html


          Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver

          Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should discuss next!

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          Website: www.80sflickflashback.com

          1 hr 10 min
        • #38 - "Beaches" (1988) with Bethany Wells

          No bikinis. No blankets. No bingo. This awkwardly titled 80’s flick is a bosom-buddy movie about a friendship that was destined to be -- like surf and turf, M&Ms, Laverne and Shirley, Lucy and Ethel, maybe even Cagney and Lacey. As most buddy movie rules require, it is a tale of enduring friendship between disparate souls, formed against the odds. There are ups and downs. Jealously and redemption. And, thanks to Bette Midler, some show-stopping musical numbers. So grab a box of tissues, because I’m sure tears will be shed, as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Bethany Wells, discuss “Beaches” from 1988 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback Podcast. 


          Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode: 

          • The song about Otto Titsling, the inventor of the brassiere, was first introduced by Bette Midler on a 1986 album called "Mud Will Be Flung Tonight." The story of Otto Titsling (i.e. "a two-tit sling") and Phillip de Brassiere (i.e. "fill up the brassiere") is an urban legend, created by British humorist Wallace Reyburn in his 1971 book, 'Bust Up: The Uplifting Tale of Otto Titzling'. In fact, the brassiere was developed by various French fashion designers from ladies' corsets of the 19th century. The term "brassiere" is derived from the French "braciere," a name for an armored military breastplate. 
          • The beach house is cottage number 13 at Crystal Cove in Newport Beach, CA. It has been made it into a Beaches museum, with a tour guide available for visitors to ask questions on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The film's poster art is of this cottage facing the beach. 
          • The 1988 movie trailer included in the DVD incorrectly states that Barbara Hershey was an Academy Award nominee when the movie came out; Hershey was not an Oscar nominee until 1997 for The Portrait of a Lady (1996). 

            • Sources: Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, 

            https://nypost.com/2018/12/20/30-years-later-beaches-stars-reflect-on-tears-terror-triumph/ 

            https://www.today.com/popculture/mayim-bialik-celebrates-30th-anniversary-beaches-photo-tribute-t145834 

            https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/beaches-film-true-story-1988/ 

            https://d23.com/about-legends/bette-midler-looks-back-at-her-disney-movies-and-mostly-hocus-pocus/ 

            https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/beachespg13kempley_a09f9f.htm 


            Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver 


            Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should discuss next! 

            • Facebook - Moviviews Presents 80's Flick Flashback Podcast (Fan Page) & Moviviews News & Reviews (Group Page) 
            • InstaGram - 80's Flick Flashback 
            • Twitter - @80_podcast 
            • Website: www.80sflickflashback.com
              • 1 hr 29 min
            • #37 - "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986) with Gerry D. from the "Totally Rad Christmas" Podcast

              John Carpenter described this 80’s flick, which he co-wrote and directed, as an "action adventure comedy kung fu ghost story monster movie." And I can’t really add much more of an intro than that. So come aboard “The Pork Chop Express” as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Gerry D discuss “Big Trouble in Little China” from 1986 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback Podcast!

              Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

              • For the film's many fight scenes John Carpenter worked with martial arts choreographer James Lew, who planned every scene in detail. Carpenter stated, "I used every cheap gag - trampolines, wires, reverse movements, and upside down sets. It was much like photographing a dance.”
              • John Carpenter was not entirely satisfied with Boss Film Studios, the company in charge of the film's visual effects. According to him, they took on more projects than they could handle, and some effects for the film had to be cut down. Richard Edlund, head of Boss Film Studios, said that there were no difficulties with the company's workload, and that Big Trouble was probably its favorite film at the time, with the exception of Ghostbusters (1984). The effects budget for the film was just under two million dollars, which Edlund said was barely adequate.


                • Sources:

                Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes,

                https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/82435/10-huge-facts-about-big-trouble-little-china

                Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver

                Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next!

                Facebook - Moviviews Presents 80's Flick Flashback Podcast (Fan Page) & Moviviews News & Reviews (Group Page)

                InstaGram - 80's Flick Flashback

                Twitter - @80_podcast

                1 hr 29 min
              • #36 - "Young Guns" (1988) with Laramy Wells from the "Moving Panels" Podcast

                The western, which used to be as common in Hollywood as superhero movies are now, enjoyed a surprising revival in popularity in the late 1980s into the 90s. The genre, of course, fizzled out again and faded from memory. Film financiers didn’t see a profit in it and audiences lost their appetite for it. However, for a good 6 years westerns were cool again. They won Oscars, starred some of the biggest names in Hollywood, and inspired Bon Jovi to sing about riding on steel horses and being shot down in a blaze of glory.

                It all started with this 80’s flick, which was once known as the Brat Pack western. The passion project of a 27-year-old screenwriting wunderkind and largely financed through money from Subaru dealerships, this Billy the Kid movie may have failed to garner much critical respect, yet it remains one of the most beloved modern westerns. So grab your cowboy hat, your six-shooter, and join Tim Williams and guest co-host Laramy Wells as they mount up with the Regulators to discuss “Young Guns” from 1988 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback!


                Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

                • When the men are going through the Indian village, "Doc" is in the front of the group, with a cover on his face. It's a stand-in for Kiefer Sutherland, who had left the set that morning due to the birth of his child.
                • A few members of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club were used as extras in the bar scene when the group goes to arrest Henry Hill. They were also used as extra security during the shooting of the final battle; that crowds of onlookers were getting too big.
                • When Colonel Nathan Dudley arrives at the siege of the McSween house with a detachment of cavalry, the troopers are correctly portrayed by African-Americans. The U.S. Army was segregated at the time. New Mexico was policed by the 9th U.S. Cavalry, a unit composed of black soldiers under the command of white commissioned officers and black non-commissioned officers.


                  • Sources:

                  Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo

                  https://weminoredinfilm.com/2018/08/14/young-guns-at-30-reflecting-on-the-film-that-revived-the-western-still-gets-no-respect/

                  https://80smovieguide.com/young-guns/


                  Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver

                  Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next!

                  Facebook - Moviviews Presents 80's Flick Flashback Podcast (Fan Page) & Moviviews News & Reviews (Group Page)

                  InstaGram - 80's Flick Flashback

                  Twitter - @80_podcast



                  1 hr 3 min
                • #35 - "Top Gun" (1986) with Ron West

                  When hit movie producer, Jerry Bruckheimer was casually flipping through California magazine in 1983, he was suddenly struck by an image. It was a picture of fighter pilot’s helmet with a plane reflected in the visor. Staring at the page, Bruckheimer couldn’t escape one thought: “It looked like Star Wars on Earth.” That magazine picture - and its accompanying article - set into motion the creation of this iconic 80’s Flick. A script would be crafted around the story of fighter pilots - their internal rivalry with one another, heroism when called on by their country and a deeply ingrained “need for speed.” So grab your aviator sunglasses, pull out your brown leather bomber jacket, and meet us in the “Danger Zone” where Tim Williams and returning guest co-host, Ron West, discuss “Top Gun” from 1986. We might just take your breath away.


                  Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

                  • Future NASA astronaut Scott Altman piloted F-14 aircraft for many of the film's stunt sequences, having been recently stationed at NAS Miramar at time of filming. Altman was the pilot seen "flipping the bird" in the film's well-known opening sequence, as well as piloting the aircraft shown "buzzing the tower" throughout the film.
                  • The tension between Maverick and Iceman isn't just down to good acting, Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer kept their distance from each other and never socialized.
                  • After the "car chase" when Charlie tells Maverick that she didn't want anyone to find out she was falling for him, Maverick originally had a line to say. Tom Cruise forgot the line and "ad libbed" by kissing Kelly McGillis instead. Tony Scott liked it so much, he left the scene like that.

                    • Sources:

                    • Wikipedia
                    • IMDB
                    • Rotten Tomatoes
                    • https://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-gun-movie/
                    • “Danger Zone: The Making of Top Gun” 4K UltraHD Extra Feature


                      • Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver

                      Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next!

                      • Facebook - Moviviews Presents 80's Flick Flashback Podcast (Fan Page) & Moviviews News & Reviews (Group Page)
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                      • Twitter - @80_podcast


                        • 1 hr 22 min
                      • #34 - "Superman II" (1981) Crossover Episode with Laramy Wells ("Moving Panels" Podcast)

                        Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…a highly anticipated superhero sequel flick has a profound falling out due to creative differences between the movie studio producers and the original film’s director, resulting in that director being fired and a new director being brought in to reshoot scenes, re-edit the new and old footage, and generally lighten the tone with more humor. No, I’m not talking about the “The Justice League” fiasco from a few years ago. We are going all the way back to the early 1980s for this one! So hold on tight as Laramy Wells and I dig deep, or should I say go “up, up and away”, to discuss “Superman II” from 1981 for this special crossover episode with Moving Panels Podcast and the 80’s Flick Flashback! 


                        Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode: 

                        • The 1984, ABC Television broadcast of the film used over thirty minutes of footage deleted from the theatrical release, almost all directed by Donner. The ABC scenes include: Superman flying past the Concorde (intended for the first film), extra dialogue between Luthor and Otis in jail, extra dialogue between Luthor and Eve flying to and within the Fortress of Solitude, the death of the young boy trying to escape East Houston, Idaho, the soufflé, and scenes between Superman and Lois. Nearly fifteen minutes of extra footage with Gene Hackman included a pivotal scene in the Fortress, where Luthor begs forgiveness from Superman. While these scenes were included in the Australian theatrical release, subsequent television screenings there had them deleted. 


                          • Sources: Wikipedia IMDB Rotten Tomatoes 

                          https://www.thecraggus.com/2021/04/09/superman-ii-1981-40th-anniversary-review/ 


                          Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver 

                          Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next! 

                          • Facebook - Moviviews Presents 80's Flick Flashback Podcast (Fan Page) & Moviviews News & Reviews (Group Page) 
                          • InstaGram - 80's Flick Flashback Podcast 
                          • Twitter - @80_podcast
                            • 58 min
                          • #33 - "Gremlins" (1984) with Gerry D. of "Totally Rad Christmas" Podcast

                            Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous. What more is there to say about this 1984 sleeper hit that somehow morphed the well-worn snowy small town Christmas tales with little monsters your older siblings whispered about around Summer campfires or bonfires at Halloween. So turn off your Zenith television, put away your left over fried chicken, and head to Kingston Falls as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Jerry D. (from "Totally Rad Christmas" Podcast), discuss “Gremlins” from 1984 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback!


                            Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

                            • There are references to the crew's previous projects, including some Spielberg shout-outs on the Kingston Falls theater marquee (where early working titles for both "Close Encounters" and "E.T." are listed), a poster for Twilight Zone: The Movie (Spielberg and Dante's first collaboration), and a mention of Dr. Fantasy (the nickname of producer Frank Marshall). The scenes set at the trade show attended by Rand Petlzer (Hoyt Axton) feature brief appearances by Spielberg, composer Jerry Goldsmith, and Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet. Legendary animation director Chuck Jones even pops up as Billy's artist friend in an early bar scene.
                            • Although it is not clearly visible, "Four Magic Moves to Winning Golf", by Joe Dante, Sr. is on Billy's nightstand. Director Joe Dante, Jr. said his father criticized him for not making the title more visible.
                            • At the end of the movie, Gizmo pops the window blind to expose Stripe to the sunlight. The original edit featured Gizmo lifting the shade, then Billy. Again, Spielberg suggested to Dante that the film show Gizmo to be more of the hero of the story than Billy. Dante agreed and the scene was edited to clearly show it was Gizmo that stopped Stripe.


                              • Sources: Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes 

                              https://screenrant.com/gremlins-behind-scenes-details-making-trivia/ 

                              https://www.looper.com/133866/the-untold-truth-of-gremlins/


                              Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver

                              Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next!

                              • Facebook - Moviviews Presents 80's Flick Flashback Podcast (Fan Page) & Moviviews News & Reviews (Group Page)
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                                • 1 hr 16 min
                              • #32 - The Ultimate 80's Summer Movies

                                If you were a child of the 1980’s then there are just some things you’ll never forget about those lazy days of Summer. Short shorts. Tube socks. Neon colored friendship bracelets. Oakley sunglasses that you either had or wished you had. Walking around with your Sony walkman or boom box with your best cassette mixed tape with all the new pop hits you recorded off of the radio. Songs from artists like Prince, Michael Jackson, Hall & Oats, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, Chicago, Pat Benetar, Def Leppard and Madonna, just to name a few. But nothing says Summer in the 80’s to me like Summer Movies. You’ve got blockbusters and cult classics like Back to the Future, Big Trouble in Little China, Top Gun, Major League, The Empire Strikes Back, Predator, and Summer School. But what 80’s movie is the epitome of Summer to you? That’s the question I posed to some of my previous co-hosts recently, so put on a gnarly pair of shades, break out your Magnum PI-style Hawaiian shirt, and crank up the AC, as Tim Williams and his panel of guest co-hosts, Ron West, Jeff Atkins, Charlie Cotter, and Laramy Wells share their ultimate 80’s Summer Movies on this very special episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback!


                                Sources:

                                IMDB and Google Movies

                                Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver

                                Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next!

                                Facebook - Moviviews Presents 80's Flick Flashback Podcast (Fan Page) & Moviviews News & Reviews (Group Page)

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                                45 min
                              • #31 - "Field of Dreams" (1989) with Laramy Wells from the "Moving Panels" Podcast
                                If you have seen this heart-warming 80’s baseball fantasy flick, you likely have a strong opinion on it. While some are moved by its fantastical and heartfelt story of personal redemption, others dismiss it as over sentimental and even silly. Or as Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine once infamously put it, a "male weepie at its wussiest,". Either way you look at it, the Oscar-nominated movie still tugs at the heartstrings and makes us rekindle our love for America’s Pastime. So grab your bat, ball, and glove and then head to a perfectly good Iowa cornfield as Tim Williams and guest co-host Laramy Wells discuss “Field of Dreams” from 1989 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback.
                                Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:
                                The scene in which Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) first appears in Field of Dreams is one of the most beautifully shot in the entire movie, and after the film was released, producer Charles Gordon received all sorts of calls asking who created the foggy effect that added a dreamlike quality to the scene. In the From Father to Son documentary, Gordon revealed that this wasn’t something created on set or added in post-production, instead it was one of those “magic moments” where the fog just happened to appear as they were filming and they decided to go with it, saying it was “meant to be.” This stroke of luck helped make the "Is this heaven" scene one of the most memorable of the movie and iconic shots of all time.
                                Before composer James Horner, the musical maestro behind Titanic and Braveheart, agreed to score Field of Dreams, Robinson gave him a private test-screening. “He came to look at it at an early stage,” Robinson said on a DVD bonus feature. “We showed him the film and when the lights came up, he got up and left the room.” At first, Robinson was crestfallen, thinking Horner must’ve hated the film. But a few moments later, the Oscar-winning composer—who passed away in 2015—came back “very teary-eyed” and agreed to take the job.
                                Sources:
                                Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo
                                https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2566115/field-of-dreams-behind-the-scenes-facts
                                https://worldation.com/stories/behind-scenes-field-dreams/
                                https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63209/25-fast-facts-about-field-dreams
                                https://variety.com/2019/film/news/field-of-dreams-30th-anniversary-kevin-costner-1203192967/
                                Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver
                                Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next!
                                Facebook - Moviviews Presents 80's Flick Flashback Podcast (Fan Page) & Moviviews News & Reviews (Group Page)
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                                1 hr 3 min

                              About 80s Flick Flashback

                              From the publisher's feed

                              The 80s Flick Flashback Podcast is a nostalgic journey for anyone who grew up watching movies in the 80s or discovered the joy of these cinematic gems. Each episode features creator and host Tim…