the Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast

A Very Texas Kind of Trouble: The Gang Sits Down with Blood SimpleWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Shannon Mauck of the Neighborhood Comedy Theatre to dig into Blood Simple (1984), the lean, sweaty debut that first put the Coen brothers on the map.The trio wrestles with a familiar question: does a stripped-down, low-budget noir like this still land the same way decades later, or is its reputation doing some of the work now? Krissy and Nathan compare expectations to the actual experience of sitting with the film’s slow-burn dread, while Shannon brings a comedian’s eye to just how deadpan and bleak it all plays.From there the talk turns to texture over plot: performances, the way silence carries so much weight, quotable lines, and the unmistakably “very 80s” grain of a shoestring production that still feels like a blueprint.It’s a warm hangout even while the movie stays cold-blooded, with Shannon supplying plenty of surprise laughs along the way. Consider this one spoiler-light and premise-level only.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you’d seen this movie cold, with no context at all, what genre would you have guessed you were watching? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Baby Pictures, Bad Qi, and Above the Law: Steven Seagal’s Debut Under the MicroscopeWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Dorian Lenz of the Neighborhood Comedy Theatre to dig into Above the Law (1988), the film that introduced the world to Steven Seagal’s particular blend of aikido, righteous fury, and remarkable hair choices. Expect origin-story skepticism, mullet taxonomy, and a genuinely heated debate about who runs worse on camera.The trio wrestles with what it takes to launch a brand-new action hero from scratch, sizing Seagal’s debut up against the star-making runs of Van Damme, Schwarzenegger, and Chuck Norris, and questioning whether a movie this tangled holds any weight beyond nostalgia. They also can’t quite agree on whether the hero is really upholding the law, or just the character most openly ignoring it.Conversation fuel includes a full ranking of the film’s mullet hierarchy, a surprisingly serious debate about aikido’s limitations against firearms, growing admiration for a scene-stealing supporting performance, and very specific opinions about Seagal’s uniquely awkward running form.It’s a chat that stays at the premise level, sidestepping the film’s late reveals in favor of curiosity about how this particular action star got built, one bone-crushing choice at a time.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosWhich 80s action star do you think nailed their very first movie the hardest? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

He’s Not Canon, But He’s Bond: Revisiting Never Say Never AgainWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Pete Wright of Trustory.fm to dig into Never Say Never Again (1983), the unofficial Bond outing that dragged Sean Connery back into the tux via one very petty lawsuit.The trio wrestles with this film’s odd status: no John Barry theme, no Aston Martin, yet a leading man everyone insists is somehow the definitive 007 anyway. That push-pull between “unofficial” and “essential” drives the talk, especially once conversation turns to how this Connery stacks up against every other Bond.From there it’s conversation fuel: a laser watch treated like scripture, a shark chase that may have inspired an Austin Powers bit, and a supporting cast the hosts can’t stop gushing over, including a memorable early film role. Very-1983 touches keep things loose.It lands somewhere warm and a little chaotic, fitting for a movie that sits in a contested corner of a franchise everyone loves arguing about. Nothing here spoils the plot, so newcomers and completists can listen freely.LinksTruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you could keep just one gadget from this movie for yourself, which would it be? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

The Living Daylights: Cello Cases, Cargo Nets, and Timothy Dalton’s Big DebutWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Nate McWhortor to dig into The Living Daylights (1987), the movie that hands the tuxedo to a brand-new 007 and asks the trio whether “Bond summer” gets even better on the second stop.The conversation keeps circling one big question: is this a reinvention of Bond, or just a reset with the same gadgets, puns, and glamour dialed to a slightly darker frequency? The hosts and their guest trace how Timothy Dalton’s colder, more calculating take lines up with Ian Fleming’s original novels, and debate whether that grounded edge helps or just makes the romance feel more like manipulation than seduction.From there it’s pure conversation fuel: gadget nostalgia, a running bit about how many ways a car can be split in half, strong opinions about a villain lineup that never quite finds its footing, and a genuine soft spot for all the wonderfully “very 1987” touches sprinkled throughout. Supporting characters get their own spotlight too, with a few earning surprise fan-favorite status.It all wraps with real affection for Dalton’s swing at the role, some good-natured ranking chatter, and a shared curiosity about where his era goes next. This one stays premise-level and spoiler-light throughout, more about vibes and debate than beat-by-beat plot details.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you had to design Bond’s next sexy assassin from scratch, what’s their one signature weapon? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Welcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Jeff Frank of the Knights of the Rolled Table Podcast to dig into A View to a Kill (1985), Roger Moore's final outing as 007. Expect microchips, motorized blimps, and real disagreement over just how silly a Bond movie can get.The debate circles one question: does this film's camp hold up, or has it curdled with age? Jeff argues the pieces fit the era but the whole never quite gels, while Krissy and Nathan find plenty to love in just how bonkers individual scenes get. Christopher Walken's underused villain, Grace Jones commanding every frame, and a running gag about Bond tormenting his undercover partner Sir Godfrey Tibbett all get their due, alongside snowboard chases and gloriously 1985 details.What keeps things warm rather than cynical is the affection beneath the ribbing, for Walken, for Moore's tired-but-game performance, and for a franchise more fun to discuss than defend. It stays at the premise level throughout, so newcomers and Bond completists alike can listen worry-free.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you got to design one gloriously over-the-top scheme for a modern Bond villain, what would it be? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.