S4E15: Fast Times Region 3v14(E.T./Xanadu)

S4E15: Fast Times Region 3v14(E.T./Xanadu)

The Fast Times Region has something special for us this week! To kick off our third year of The 80s-est, we welcome Alejandro Saya back to the show! We would also like to promote Alejandro & Marco’s show, “Lo más ochenta,” in which Keith appears this week: Anyway, back to the matchup! In one corner: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg’s 1982 mega-hit that became the highest-grossing film of all time, won four Oscars, and, according to Ebert is, “a reminder of what movies are for.” It’s a phenomenon. In the other corner: Xanadu, the 1980 Olivia Newton-John roller-disco fantasy that was so spectacularly terrible it directly inspired the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards. John Wilson saw Xanadu, was furious, and invented the Razzies. One of these is a masterpiece. One of these changed awards history in a very different direction. Which one is MORE 80s? Vote below! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the80sest.substack.com [https://the80sest.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

S4E14: Fast Times Region 6v11(Purple/Thing)

The Fast Times Region serves up one of its most fascinating/lopsided matchups yet. In one corner: Purple Rain, the 1984 Prince film that won the last Academy Award for Best Original Song Score ever given — then the category was retired. The soundtrack was OTHERWORLDLY. But there’s really not much of a movie there. In the other corner: The Thing, John Carpenter’s 1982 paranoid sci-fi horror masterpiece that audiences and critics rejected completely on release…more details on that in the show. It has no real soundtrack, and not much of a look to it, but is a great film. One is a masterpiece soundtrack that was recognized immediately, and has a look like no other. The other is a great film that took decades to be understood. Which one is MORE 80s? Vote below! Purple Rain (1984) — Trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuXK8ZbTmLk] The Thing (1982) — Trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNM_NRCCY1E] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the80sest.substack.com [https://the80sest.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

S4E13: Fast Times Region 4v13(Risky /Werewolf)

The Fast Times Region delivers a matchup that covers a lot of 80s ground. In one corner: Risky Business, Paul Brickman’s 1983 coming-of-age classic where Tom Cruise slides across a living room in his socks, accidentally turns his parents’ house into a brothel, and somehow comes out ahead. It made Tom Cruise a superstar and gave the decade one of its defining images. In the other: An American Werewolf in London, John Landis’ 1981 horror-“comedy” that won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup — because Rick Baker’s werewolf transformation scene was so unprecedented the Academy created the category just to honor it. One made a star. One made movie history. Which one is MORE 80s? Vote! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the80sest.substack.com [https://the80sest.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

S4E12: Fast Times Region 5v12(Beverly Hills/Tron)

Guys, we were recording, and I didn’t have a clock, time got away from us on this one! You do have a week to listen, so…enjoy? This may be the Fast Times Region’s biggest matchup yet. In one corner: Beverly Hills Cop, the 1984 Eddie Murphy machine that became the #1 film of the year. Axel Foley drove into Beverly Hills in a beat-up car, and the whole decade basically stopped to watch. In the other corner: Tron, Disney’s 1982 visual quantum leap, was a film so unprecedented that the Academy disqualified it from Oscar consideration for Best Visual Effects because they decided that using computers to make images was “cheating.” One is the biggest crowd-pleaser in the bracket. One is the most technically audacious. Both are difficult to imagine in any decade but the 80s. Which one is MORE 80s? Vote below! Beverly Hills Cop (1984) — Trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc3sPICXZLs] Tron (1982) — Trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKdgZV-BaPE] Please check out friend of the podcast, Alejandro Saya, and his show here: Lo mas ochenta Linktree [https://linktr.ee/lomasochenta80] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the80sest.substack.com [https://the80sest.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

S4E11: Fast Times Region 8v9(Class/Academy)

The Fast Times Region doesn’t slow down! This week it’s a matchup of two very different flavors of 80s comedy, and maybe the most lopsided box office stories in the bracket. In one corner: Class, the 1983 prep-school drama-comedy where Andrew McCarthy accidentally sleeps with his roommate’s mother, a film that quietly launched a generation of Brat Pack careers. In the other corner: Police Academy, the 1984 comedy that earned Ebert’s notorious zero-star review and then proceeded to gross $81 million and spawn six sequels anyway. One is a sleeper. One is a phenomenon. Both are deeply, unmistakably 80s. So which one is MORE 80s? You decide! Vote below! Class (1983) — Trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5jZnTC3Tew] Police Academy (1984) — Trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NT4C1F_HZE] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the80sest.substack.com [https://the80sest.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]