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

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

Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026

This week on Shat the Movies, we're going back to school with Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), the story of a musician who takes a teaching job while dreaming of something bigger. Gene and Big D break down Richard Dreyfuss' decades in the classroom, the students he inspires, the family he sometimes neglects, and whether Mr. Holland is actually the inspirational teacher we remember him being. Is this a moving tribute to teachers, or does nostalgia deserve most of the credit? Tune in and find out.

Full movie info below
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) is a drama directed by Stephen Herek and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, and Jay Thomas. The film follows composer Glenn Holland over three decades as a temporary teaching job gradually becomes his life's work. Richard Dreyfuss received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance, and the film became a popular 1990s story about teaching, family, sacrifice, and the different ways a person can leave a legacy.

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The Power Of One (1995)

Sun, 09 Aug 2026

This week, Gene and Big D review The Power of One (1992), the historical drama directed by John G. Avildsen (Rocky) and starring Stephen Dorff, Morgan Freeman, John Gielgud, and a very young, very hateable Daniel Craig — in his feature film debut.

Set in apartheid-era South Africa, the film follows Peter "PK" Keith, an Anglo boy navigating boarding school brutality, a German expat mentor, a prison boxing coach, and the weight of becoming a symbol for an oppressed people. It's ambitious, it's beautiful, and it completely bombed at the box office.

This episode, the guys debate:

  • Whether PK is the hero — or actually the most dangerous man in South Africa
  • Why the film's Black characters are almost impossibly patient with the white kid saving them
  • The most disturbing scene in any PG-13 movie (and it's not the violence)
  • Stephen Dorff: criminally underrated, or just lucky here?
  • What PK should have done instead of turning down Oxford?

Plus: Dick fosters five-week-old kittens named Band Camp and Space Camp. Gene drunkenly watched the FIFA World Cup final before recording. Rob's commissioner letter about his late mum brings the whole episode to a halt.

This commission comes courtesy of Rob H. (UK), part of his upcoming block of commissions. Rob's letter — including his childhood trip to Zimbabwe, his memories of Victoria Falls, and a Zulu phrase he made Gene Google live on mic — is one of the best we've received in 500 episodes.

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Cars (2006)

Fri, 31 Jul 2026

It's episode 503 and commissioner Shane — fantasy baseball champion, Jump Rope for Heart hero, and listener since episode four — finally gets his pick: Pixar's 2006 animated comedy Cars.

Dick watched it with his daughter, Emma. Gene watched it for the first time, still unclear why so many Walmart shoppers wear Lightning McQueen Crocs.

What follows is a full breakdown of the film — the stunning opening race sequence, the surprisingly rich world-building, the Route 66 economic collapse that hit harder than expected, and the central flaw neither host could ignore: Lightning McQueen is the least interesting car in his own movie.

Also on the docket:

  • Did Pixar accidentally make a pro-walkable-city film?
  • Can Cars die of natural causes? What happened to Stanley?
  • Mötley Crüe was offered a song in this movie. They said no. Disney went with Rascal Flatts. We're still angry.
  • The Escalade vs. Navigator distinction that you will not hear anywhere else.
  • Dick's Pixar top 10, Gene's complicated feelings about Up, and a debate on whether WALL-E is a zero-wipe perfect film.

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Meatballs (1979)

Fri, 24 Jul 2026

This week on Shat the Movies, we're heading to Camp North Star for Meatballs (1979), the summer camp comedy that helped launch Bill Murray into movie stardom. Gene and Big D revisit the pranks, camp rivalries, and Murray's unforgettable charm to see if this laid-back classic still delivers the laughs. Is it a timeless comedy or just a nostalgic trip back to summer vacation? Tune in and find out.

Full movie info below:
Meatballs (1979) is a comedy directed by Ivan Reitman and stars Bill Murray, Harvey Atkin, Kate Lynch, and Chris Makepeace. The film follows easygoing camp counselor Tripper Harrison as he tries to boost the spirits of campers at Camp North Star while competing against the wealthy Camp Mohawk in the annual Olympiad. A surprise box office hit, Meatballs launched Bill Murray's film career and helped establish the summer camp comedy as a popular genre throughout the 1980s.

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The Quest (1996)

Wed, 15 Jul 2026

Gene and Dick hit a milestone — episode 501 — and they're celebrating by going back to the '90s with Jean-Claude Van Damme's passion project, The Quest.

Commissioned by Steven M. as part of the Month of Steven, this 1996 martial arts adventure finds Van Damme not just starring but directing — and the results are... surprisingly ambitious.

In this episode:

  • Is The Quest Bloodsport in 1925, or Van Damme's Indiana Jones? Gene and Dick can't agree.
  • Roger Moore shows up and completely steals the movie. Dick makes a controversial case that he may have been a better Bond than Connery.
  • The tournament fighters are real martial artists — and it makes all the difference.
  • Van Damme is obsessed with his legs. His eyes. And apparently, silk underwear.
  • The orphans were definitely dead by the third act. We ran the timeline.
  • What did the note say? This is the question that may never be answered.

Also in this episode: a listener reports that someone trained AI on Big D's voice to sell knives on TikTok, the guys lock in two months of Spooktacular horror films, Beastmaster gets commissioned, and next week brings a summer camp classic from 1979.

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