Dick Ebert

For our Ninth Anniversary Episode, the Shat Crew draws the sword from the stone and rides into John Boorman’s epic Excalibur (1981). Commissioned by Chris, Mike, and Ollie to celebrate their father Robert’s 60th birthday, this Arthurian fever dream delivers knights, magic, and more shiny armor than a Manowar album cover....

This week on Shat the Movies, we’re taking hostages with Toy Soldiers (1991), where teen rebels face off against terrorists in a prep school under siege. Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, and Louis Gossett Jr. bring the heat in this action-packed mix of Die Hard, The Goonies, and teenage rebellion. Gene...

The Shat Crew trades leather jackets for Stetsons and arena rock for steel guitars with George Strait’s acting debut, Pure Country. Commissioned by listener Frank Fall, this 1992 romantic drama follows country superstar “Dusty” Chandler, who’s grown tired of the smoke, lasers, and screaming crowds. Disappearing from the spotlight, Dusty...

Teenage Tom McHugh (Ethan Hawke) is madly in love with his ravishing next-door neighbor, Geena Matthews (Teri Polo), but becomes hopelessly tongue-tied whenever she’s around. When his parents go away on an impromptu road trip, his suave law student brother shows up and begins coaching Tom on how to pick up women. Things are going great until Tom discovers a body in the trunk of his brother’s car, and his perfect date with Geena takes multiple turns for the worse.

In 1968, Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage), lifelong friends from a working-class Pennsylvania steel town, prepare to ship out overseas following Steven’s elaborate wedding and one final group hunting trip. In Vietnam, their dreams of military honor are quickly shattered by the inhumanities of war; even those who survive are haunted by the experience, as is Nick’s hometown sweetheart, Linda (Meryl Streep).

Every year, three friends take a vacation away from their wives. This year, henpecked Phil (Daniel Stern), newly married Ed (Bruno Kirby), and Mitch (Billy Crystal) — terrified of his midlife crisis — decide to reignite their masculinity by taking a supervised cattle drive across the Southwest. Under the supervision of gruff cowboy Curly (Jack Palance), the men set out on a journey that turns unexpectedly dangerous. The three men bond along the way to conquering their fear of aging.

A rockabilly musical comedy set in 1950s Baltimore, starring Johnny Depp as Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, the leader of a group of rebellious “Drapes.” When he falls for straight-laced “Square” Allison (Amy Locane), their romance sparks a clash between their two social worlds. Packed with campy humor, catchy tunes, and Waters’ signature subversive style, the film parodies teen musicals while celebrating the outsiders who refuse to conform.