Episode 89 ~ Magic Crystal (1986)

Time for another curveball! This week we covered our first pure Hong Kong production with 1986's grossly underrated classic Magic Crystal. This flick has everything you love about 80s movies: action, comedy, adventure, weirdness, and fun characters, all from the era when Hong Kong was still one of the best producers of movies (up there with the US and Italy).

Unfortunately not well known, we'll talk about it and why you should run, not walk, to see this one as soon as possible. Magic Crystal is a real gem! (Sorry.)

Randy's Score: 5/5

JD's Score: 5/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Christmas!

Episode 88 ~ Jimmy & Stiggs (2024)

This week week we bring you another curveball! It's a modern horror film unlike any you've probably seen before. Started during pandemic lockdowns and over the course of years, 2024's Jimmy & Stiggs is not quite what you might expect.

A sort of descent into madness/hell with practical effects and actual film, this flick isn't really a throwback but it does feel ambitious. Check out today's episode to learn just why that might be, and why we liked it more than we thought we would.

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD's Score: 4/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Magic Crystal!

Episode 87 ~ Surf II (1983)

What in the world is this? I don't even know how to explain it without devolving into rambling, but 1983's Surf II is a movie not like much else. It's weird, it's wacky, it's wild, and it's completely nonsensical. But it's also really funny.

The film known as "The end of the trilogy" Surf II might be the dumbest movie ever made. And we also like it a good deal. Check out how much in today's episode!

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 4/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Jimmy & Stiggs!

Episode 86 ~ Demolition High (1996)

You aren't seeing double! We watched a movie with a very similar title to the previous one we covered last week. However, these two are very different movies.

1996's Demolition High is a bit of a b-movie gem, a Die Hard-like with style of its own and an unabashed sense of fun and insanity. This setup has been done before, but the cast and the director have so much uniqueness to add that it stands out above the crowd.

Check out today's episode to learn why and how!

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD's Score: 4/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Surf II!

Episode 85 ~ Demolition Highway (1996)

This time we decided to go back to basics: real low budget action. We're talking almost no budget and almost no idea what to do with what you have. Time to head back to 1996 where action movies were on the way out. There is some nostalgia here.

Despite all that this is still one weird misfire of a movie that gets by entirely on its charm and nothing else. If that's not enough for you, maybe reconsider. Check in on this episode to see just what madness the infamous Donald Farmer was planning.

Randy's Score: 1/5

JD's Score: 2/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Demolition High!

Episode 84 ~ Nightmare at Noon (1988)

This week we come back with a curveball! In this weird western, horror, and action, hybrid, we get cult favorite Nico Mastorakis' most infamous movie, Nightmare at Noon from 1988! Starring three b-movie titans in Wings Hauser, George Kennedy, and Bo Hopkins, there isn't quite another movie like this out there.

Of course it does have its warts, so be sure to check out today's episode to see what they are! I promise you, there is nothing quite like this movie.

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Demolition Highway!

Episode 83 ~ D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)

Another curveball! This week we took a turn into the high concept family films from the 1980s with the oft-forgotten D.A.R.Y.L. from 1985. And make no mistake, it's not quite what you expect from this sort of movie!

That said, there are still some well-worn tropes and ideas you might or might not enjoy. Check out today's episode to see what works!

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD's Score: 4/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Nightmare at Noon!