The Test of Time Posts

 

Falling Down is the story of a seemingly normal man’s descent into violence and madness over the course of a single day. 

This movie’s “hero” looks like Frank Grimes, has terrible trigger control, and doesn’t want to believe he’s a bad guy… despite the fact that he’s a racist who shoots up a fast food restaurant. If you wrote a think piece about the “forgotten white voter” after the 2016 election, do yourself a favor and listen to see if 1993’s Falling Down stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Life with kids is like being on a roller coaster. Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Rick Moranis, and others are along for the ride in the 1989 film, Parenthood.

This week, we talk about the cheesiest line of dialogue ever uttered by Keanu Reeves, the mistake made by this movie and Saved by the Bell, and the tragic—but ultimately hopeful—story of a kid named Cool. This flick’s got a song about diarrhea, a car accident caused by oral sex, and an obligatory cameo from Clint Howard, but does Parenthood stand the Test of Time?

Leave a Comment

Tom Hanks plays a heartbroken widower, and Meg Ryan plays an unhappily engaged reporter. They’re both searching for true love, and they may find it thanks to a radio call-in show. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’re talking about the 1993 movie, Sleepless in Seattle.

Special guest Courtney Noah joins us for a conversation about what qualifies as a rom-com, how this movie has absolutely nothing to do with grunge despite being set in early 90’s Seattle, and the pros and cons of using LinkedIn to stalk an ex. We also chat with a couple of little Noahs (#nepotism) before finding out if Sleepless in Seattle stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

If podcasting about old movies is cool, consider us Miles Davis. This week, we’re talking about Adam Sandler’s classic comedy, Billy Madison.

This movie dared to ask whether shampoo or conditioner is better, and special guests Joanna and Amanda Brief join us to ask even more burning questions. Who’s the hidden cameo on a nudie magazine cover? What’s the nature of the relationship between Veronica Vaughn and the penguin? Does O’Doyle actually rule? How did Bruce Jenner inspire the movie’s finale? And of course, does Billy Madison stand the Test of Time?

Leave a Comment

Solar flares and a ham radio connect a father and son across time in the 2000 movie, Frequency. 

Join us for a conversation about the most amazin’ baseball team ever (the ’69 Mets, duh), how terrifying hospitals used to be, and the correct pronunciation of Yahoo. We also discuss using time travel to improve your life *and* your living room before deciding if Frequency stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Eddie Murphy plays an African prince (and a singer, a barber, and an old Jewish man) in the box office smash, Coming to America.

This week, Amita Patel from the Inside Pop podcast joins us to talk about the movie with a pampered prince you pity, the most misogynistic song ever, and a mic drop before mic drops were even a thing. Plus it’s got a young Cuba Gooding Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, and Louie Anderson! Grab a Big Mick from McDowell’s as we find out if 1988’s Coming to America stands the Test of Time.

Listen to the Inside Pop podcast at http://www.insidepoppodcast.com

Leave a Comment

Six strangers find themselves in a geometric, booby-trapped maze in the 1997 thriller, Cube.

This week, we’re talking about prime numbers (like a couple of nerds), why the whole “five o’clock shadow” thing isn’t true for everyone, and how this franchise missed a huge opportunity with its third movie. Plus we give our thoughts on Star Wars: The Last Jedi—and make a few Episode IX predictions—before asking if Cube stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

The Last Dragon wasn’t a hit when it was released in 1985, but it has since become a beloved cult classic.

Special guest Jason Torres joins us to discuss why The Last Dragon’s villain may be its true hero, the movie’s shocking similarities with Kung Fu Panda, and why you should never try to catch a bullet with your teeth once, let alone twice. We also make our 2018 box office predictions before deciding if The Last Dragon stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Matt Damon plays a reformed gambler drawn back into the world of underground poker in the 1998 movie, Rounders. 

Recorded live at Nick’s Marathon, listen as we ponder the shelf life of a toothpick, why a good fake accent can still be distracting, and how this movie didn’t really try too hard when it came to giving characters nicknames. (Worm? Joey Knish?? Teddy KGB???)

We hope you don’t call our bluff as we go all in and… third poker thing… to find out if Rounders stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

As a no-nonsense “cooler” (basically just a glorified bouncer), Patrick Swayze is bustin’ heads and breakin’ hearts in 1989’s Road House. 

Listen as we talk about Swayze’s fatality move, when you should carry around your medical records, and what this movie’s villain has in common with Mr. Burns. Not racy enough for you? Well hang on, because we also discuss the sounds that breasts make, the invention of foreplay, and how vertical sex is more difficult in real life than it looks in the movies.

Recorded live at Nick’s Marathon, special guest Adam Pincas helps us decide if Road House stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Robin Williams brings the jungle to life—literally—in 1995’s Jumanji.

This week, we discuss the worst way to tell someone that their parents are dead, the difference between alligators and crocodiles, and how parts of Jumanji are reminiscent of Back to the Future Part II, Big, and Pinocchio. We also come up with clever nicknames for both David Alan Grier and computer generated images, and we make a few predictions about Star Wars: The Last Jedi before finding out if Jumanji stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

What happens when you make a movie with Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg, and an adorable infant? You get the #1 movie of 1987: Three Men and a Baby.

Join us as we ask why three successful men in their 30’s would want to be roommates, how drug dealers could confuse a baby with a brick of heroin, and why anyone would ever attempt to use a puppet to impress a woman.

Come for the conversation about our favorite movie remakes, then stay for the story of our most humiliating experience as fraternity pledges. In the end, we decide if Three Men and a Baby stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck hit the A-list and took home Oscars for their 1997 movie, Good Will Hunting. 

This week, we talk about what the MIT campus really looks like, the deep love Bostonians have for Dunkin’ Donuts, and how you can quickly spot the difference between Funny Robin Williams and Serious Robin Williams. We also give our thoughts on the Super Mario movie that’s reportedly in development before we ask if Good Will Hunting stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Steve Martin plays a man on a desperate quest to get home to his family, and John Candy plays the travel companion from hell in the quintessential Thanksgiving movie, Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Join us as we discuss the movie’s missing scene that probably would have been hilarious, how the “two pillows” joke could have easily been improved, and whether this flick or The Sixth Sense does the better twist ending. Plus we give our hot take on Justice League before finding out if Planes, Trains and Automobiles stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Aliens make first contact in Steven Spielberg’s second blockbuster, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Give a listen as we discuss what this movie may have in common with Guardians of the Galaxy, the iconic scene that has been referenced by both Weird Al and The Simpsons, and what the different “kinds” of close encounters actually are. (Put it this way: Close Encounters of the Seventh Kind would have been a verrrrrrrrrry different kind of movie.)

As the film celebrates it’s 40th anniversary, we determine if Close Encounters of the Third Kind stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

It’s Spaceballs: the podcast episode! 

In 1987, Mel Brooks set his satirical sights on Star Wars (and a lot of other movies) with a farce that features sight gags, puns, and frequent use of the word “schwartz.”

Live from Nick’s Marathon, special guest Dominic Monfre joins us to talk about jokes that are funnier in Spanish, we offer terrible tax advice that you definitely shouldn’t take, and we ponder why NASA will never send a probe to Uranus (it’s exactly what you think). Ultimately, we find out if Spaceballs stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Cowabunga! It’s the big screen debut of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael in the 1990 movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Jon Willis of The Wayward Willis podcast joins us to talk about Shredder’s poorly thought out plan for world domination, kids who love both the Ninja Turtles and Humphrey Bogart, and this movie’s character who’s sexist, homophobic, a murderer… and one of the good guys. We also definitively declare the greatest movie and video game to ever feature the heroes in a half shell as we decide if 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Director Wes Craven brought fresh blood to the teen slasher genre in his 1996 movie, Scream.

In our annual Halloween episode, we discuss modern meta moments, the old-fashioned name for cell phones, and how this film has twists in the opening *and* closing scenes. (Take that, M. Night Shyamalan!) You may know how to survive a horror movie, but do you know if Scream stands the Test of Time?

Leave a Comment

Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks play mismatched detectives tracking down a cult/crime syndicate in the 1987 flick, Dragnet.

This movie has a nefarious plot that hinges on a personal check, a bad guy with a great name, and a scene of Ramsay Bolton-esque torture that’s played for laughs. But does this 1980’s movie based on a 1950’s TV show stand the Test of Time?

Leave a Comment

Teens ‘n parties. Music ‘n dancing. Kid ‘n Play. They all come together in the 1990 movie, House Party.

We are once again joined by Brat Pack America author Kevin Smokler as we talk about old school Kool Aid, the only man who can crack up Ice Cube, and what House Party has in common with Bridesmaids, Dirty Work, and Frankie and Annette beach movies. Plus we share our thoughts on Ready Player One and the 80’s nostalgia craze (something we happen to know a little bit about) before we see if House Party stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Thirty five years after Blade Runner first hit theaters, its long-awaited sequel has finally arrived.

In our conversation about the original film, we question why robot slaves need fake memories of fake families, how the movie correctly predicted drones but mistakenly thought Pan Am would still be a thing, and why there’s no simple way to identify a replicant through, like, a blood test or something. When all is said and done, we find out if 1982’s Blade Runner stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

Centuries-old immortals battle and behead each other to win the ultimate prize in 1986’s Highlander.

Join us as we discuss the MacLeod clan’s poor military strategy, the women who would have made kickass immortals (#feminism), and the worst Queen karaoke song ever. And, of course, we wonder why the Scottish actor with a Scottish accent in a movie set in Scotland plays a character who’s… Spanish/Egyptian?

There can be only one, but does Highlander stand the Test of Time?

Leave a Comment

A young woman dreams of escaping her wicked stepmother and finding her prince in the animated Disney classic, Cinderella.

Listen to find out what the movie’s singing mice have in common with Ozzy Osbourne, what glass slippers have in common with a dress made of asbestos, and what James has in common with Prince Charming. We also talk about Star Wars Episode IX’s director drama before finding out if 1950’s Cinderella stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment

An innocent daddy’s girl grows into a young woman who can really shake ’em down in 1987’s Dirty Dancing.

This week, Brat Pack America author Kevin Smokler joins us to chat about platonic friends who like to grind on each other, the award that Patrick Swayze definitely should *not* have won, and what “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” really means. 

You’ll have the time of your life (sorry… we couldn’t resist) as we find out if Dirty Dancing stands the Test of Time.

Leave a Comment