The 1980s was not only a time of genre excellence, but also one of romantic comedies about surly tone-deaf white men and their indefatigable struggle to remain that way. To this semi golden age of toxic masculinity, we consign Paul Mazursky’s Tempest, in which an otherwise sensitive and big-hearted filmmaker somehow marshals the talents of John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Raul Julia, and (in her big screen debut) Molly Ringwald, to deliver some of the least likable characters in screen history. And it’s (vaguely) based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which only leaves Paul, Javi, and - indubitably - Producer Brad filling the much needed void with some of the finest comedy commentary of their careers!

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In the world of international espionage and Cold War intrigue there is no agent more secret than… The Soldier. This may perhaps be explained by the utter failure of this forgotten film. In this scintillating episode, a confounded Paul, Javi, and - serenely - Producer Brad investigate the first and only adventure of a would-be American James Bond in a desperate mission to uncover an international nuclear plot of international peculiar people hellbent on doing international terrible things. Sigh. It’s not a good movie, or even a coherent travelogue, but it’s possibly our funniest episode, and also among our shortest! (Though not quite as short as crazed Klaus Kinski’s confounding cameo as a sinister snow bunny assassin.)

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Behold! Paul, Javi, and - majestically - Producer Brad brave yet another sword-and-sorcery spectacular-ish in this story of a warrior on a quest to find… honestly, it’s hard to remember, but it definitely had something to do with a weird angry guy (Rip Torn) in a strange place with a thing. And some sort of large roasted animal leg. Oh yes, and the warrior not only has a big sword, tiny loincloth, and major sixpack, he can somehow also talk to animals. Mostly ferrets. He also talks to Tanya Roberts, in an apotheotic bid for 1980s genre queen status. And as if that weren’t enough, don’t miss the shocking revelation of how Paul was once traumatized by ferrets belonging to an unnamed Oscar-winning director. It’s epic-ish battles, dazzling-ish magic, and yes, ferrets… it’s The Beastmaster!

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For the balance of the summer Paul, Javi, and - fearlessly - Producer Brad have braved one unbelievable movie premise after another: humanoid androids, murderous artificial intelligences, vengeful genetically engineered intergalactic dictators, the wastelands of the post-apocalypse, barbarian mercenaries with jet-powered swords… even singing sex workers have shown themselves to be no match for their laser-like analytical focus. But on the sixteenth weekend of the summer, our podcasters may have met their match with Amy Heckerling’s film of Cameron Crowe’s chronicle of 1980’s high school shenanigans “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. What happens when three dyed-in-the-wool geeks face the unthinkable: sexually active high schoolers with no interest in genre films, TV, or comic books? Marvel as the intrepid Multipex Overthruster crew struggles to make sense of something so far out of their reality that they are frequently rendered speechless and without the capacity for rational thought! It’s the ultimately challenge - will the crew survive? There’s only one way to find out!

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After two perilous weeks of comedies about sex workers, Paul, Javi, and - inescapably - Producer Brad find themselves in more familiar territory with The Sword and the Sorcerer. It’s peak ’80s as the stars of both Matt Houston and Manimal cross swords and… uh, sorcery?… in this incredibly diverting low budget bacchanal of wizardry and bloodshed. Forget Conan The Barbarian, Prince Talon is here to slay some beasts, take down some tyrants, chomp on a roasted leg of cow, and buckle his swash with his three-bladed, rocket-powered sword. 

Get ready to rock the multiplex with the most action a very limited budget can buy. Marvel at the cavalcade of television stalwarts cashing a paycheck in the magical kingdom of Griffith Park during their hiatus. Learn Javi’s valuable lesson in cave rentals, discover the (possible) secret origin of Game of Thrones’ Red Wedding, and quiver in wonder as we reveal the greatest line reading in cinema history! How are you not already listening to this episode???

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The summer of ’82 continues to astound and confound Paul, Javi, and - inevitably - Producer Brad by serving up a SECOND romantic comedy about sex workers in as many weeks! After the soul-destroying pyrrhic victory that was “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”, the Multiplex Overthruster crew trades in small town Texas for sleazy New York City for “Night Shift”! Though directed by Ron Howard and starring Henry Winkler and Shelley Long, this one is most memorable for giving future Beetlejuice and Batman Michael Keaton his first starring role: and what better way to start a movie career than in a comedy chock full of prostitutes, pimps, murderous stand up comedians, oversized top hats, frozen corpses, bloodthirsty rottweilers, Shannen Doherty’s first screen appearance, and bad take out! So dim the lights and chill the Sunny-D because we’re firing up the hearse and heading off to the Night Shift!

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There comes a time when we are all tested to our very core. Paul, Javi and — unflappably — Producer Brad all thought that time had come six weeks ago with Grease 2. They were wrong; that time is now. Our faithful co-hosts face their darkest hour as they descend into the dungeon of despair that is The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, a film that makes Grease 2 look (and sound) like Singin’ in the Rain. Not even the divine gift of Dolly Parton can save this torturous endeavor, which somehow renders Burt Reynolds abrasively charmless. 

Join us as we brave our most treacherous moviegoing challenge yet, and are surreally surprised to discover one startling scene of sci-fi (seriously!), and one spellbinding song of sublimity. Along the way, Paul (our resident Texan) will pierce his PTSD with some injections of insight contextualizing the film’s real world roots. Trust us, you never want to see this movie, but you definitely want to listen to this episode. 

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Before Fury Road, before Furiosa, there was Max. Mad Max. The Road Warrior. Join Paul and Javi, and - without a doubt - Producer Brad as they board the last of the V8 interceptors and brave the dangerous domain of the Lord Humongous of the wastelands. That’s right, this week it’s George Miller’s seminal masterpiece “The Road Warrior” (or “Mad Max 2” for those of you not in the United States in 1982) - the film that damn near invented the post-apocalyptic car wars genre. It’s leather, shoulder pads, and gasoline galore at the multiplex this week… and you better watch out for that razor-sharp boomerang!

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Two years before William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer coined the term “cyberspace” the Disney corporation unleashed a bold and daring vision of anthropomorphic distributed computing gone wild. Featuring a young and wildly talented Jeff Bridges, and more dance belts and BMX armor than you can shake a data disc at, Steven Lisberger’s ground-breaking proto-CGI extravaganza, Tron, is a bizarre and beautiful vision of a future that never came to pass! Join Javi, Paul, and - needless to say - Producer Dumont as they get digitized into the gaming grid to marvel at Syd Mead’s generation-defining production design, do battle with the nefarious Master Control Program, and struggle to make sense of the movie’s plot!

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This week Paul, Javi, and - indubitably - Producer Brad contemplate Conan the Barbarian, John Milius’ sweeping, serpent-filled, and surprisingly soup-laden adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s legendary pulp hero, brought to laconic life by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role that made him an icon. Crom commands you to heed this episode as we chronicle Arnold’s epic quest to deliver a monologue that measures up to those of his magnificently mellifluous co-stars James Earl Jones, Max Von Sydow and Mako! And did we mention the soup? 

(And yes, astute listeners, we realize we’re breaking continuity by reaching back to a movie that opened on May 14, 1982, but you can trust us as much as steel that this journey into high adventure is infinitely preferable to the wheel of pain that was The Secret of NIMH!)

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