Shat the Movies

The Best 80s & 90s Movie Podcast

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Dick Ebert

1980s Best Movies / View All

Let It Ride (1989)

Down-on-his-luck cab driver Jay Trotter (Richard Dreyfuss) stumbles upon a hot tip at the racetrack and decides to bet big, kicking off an extraordinary winning streak. As Jay rides the highs of his newfound luck, he encounters eccentric gamblers and an ever-growing fortune, but must decide how far to push his luck before it all comes crashing down. With humor, heart, and a thrilling rollercoaster of emotions, Let It Ride captures the wild unpredictability of gambling and the pursuit of a dream come true.

1980s Best Movies / View All

Do The Right Thing (1989)

Salvatore “Sal” Fragione (Danny Aiello) is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito), becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria’s Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin’ Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin’ Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.

1990s Best Movies / View All

Matilda (1996)

This film adaptation of a Roald Dahl work tells the story of Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson), a gifted girl forced to put up with a crude, distant father (Danny DeVito) and mother (Rhea Perlman). Worse, Agatha Trunchbull (Pam Ferris), the evil principal at Matilda’s school, is a terrifyingly strict bully. However, when Matilda realizes she has the power of telekinesis, she begins to defend her friends from Trunchbull’s wrath and fight back against her unkind parents.

1980s Best Movies / View All

Perfect (1985)

When investigative journalist Adam Lawrence (John Travolta) is assigned to write an exposé on Los Angeles’ fitness scene, he meets aerobics instructor Jessie Wilson (Jamie Lee Curtis), whose charisma and intensity complicate his story. As Adam navigates the glitzy world of health clubs, romance sparks between him and Jessie, but their personal and professional lives soon clash in a struggle for truth and trust. Perfect offers a blend of drama, romance, and 1980s fitness culture, wrapped in a story about ambition, love, and journalistic integrity.

1980s Best Movies / View All

The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)

Restless teenager Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater) and her brother, Binx (Christian Slater), dream of leaving oppressive Corpus Christi, Texas, for Vermont. When Binx’s scooter is trashed by bully Hubie Pyatt (Barry Tubb), Billie Jean goes to ask Hubie’s father (Richard Bradford) for $608 for repairs, only to have Mr. Pyatt try to rape her. As she flees, Binx finds Mr. Pyatt’s gun and unintentionally shoots him. Billie Jean and her brother go on the run, becoming folk heroes in the process.

1990s Best Movies / View All

Gattaca (1997)

Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) has always fantasized about traveling into outer space, but is grounded by his status as a genetically inferior “in-valid.” He decides to fight his fate by purchasing the genes of Jerome Morrow (Jude Law), a laboratory-engineered “valid.” He assumes Jerome’s DNA identity and joins the Gattaca space program, where he falls in love with Irene (Uma Thurman). An investigation into the death of a Gattaca officer (Gore Vidal) complicates Vincent’s plans.

1990s Best Movies / View All

Pump Up The Volume (1990)

In Arizona, an introverted and insightful teenager, Mark Hunter (Christian Slater), finds an outlet for his viewpoints through a shortwave radio. Broadcasting as “Hard Harry,” Hunter uses his pirate radio show to rant against the injustices and hypocrisies taking place in the area, and in society in general. Hunter conceals his off-air identity, but a determined student (Samantha Mathis) discovers the truth, while Principal Creswood (Annie Ross) seeks to shut down Hunter once and for all.

1980s Best Movies / View All

Short Circuit (1986)

When a military robot named Number 5 (voiced by Tim Blaney) is struck by lightning, it gains human-like consciousness and escapes from its creators, believing itself to be alive. On the run, Number 5 befriends kind-hearted animal lover Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy), while its inventor, Newton Crosby (Steve Guttenberg), races to find the robot before the military does. Short Circuit is a heartwarming and humorous adventure that explores the nature of life and humanity, with a lovable robot at its core.