Episode 122 - Angus (1995)

The 1990s were known for the plethora of family films and dramas, but one that has fallen almost entirely under the radar is 1995's Angus. It's primarily known these days for having a soundtrack of alternative rock from the time, including some rare tracks from certain famous bands from the era. But how does it hold up as a movie?

Fairly well, though it is definitely not without its blemishes, which we dig into in this episode. Because, while it is a good movie overall, it could have been a great one. Learn why Angus could have been better remembered with a few tweaks.

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

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Up Next: Class of 1984!

Episode 121 ~ Over the Edge (1979)

At the end of the day there are quite a lot of movies we've just plain missed out on. There were so many movies released over the course of the 20th century that we will never see, never mind get to on Cannon Cruisers.

Thankfully 1979's Over the Edge is not one of those movies. It's also not the kind we cover here a whole lot, though it does very much fit in with what we do.

This is a drama that is played seriously enough to be effective but not overly exploitative or grim to turn off those who want entertainment with surprising substance. It's thoughtful without being preachy, and is definitely not the sort of thing that could be made today.

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD's Score: 5/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Angus!

Episode 120 ~ Brink (1998)

Another curveball! This week we decide to cover a Disney Channel Original Movie that, surprisingly, holds up quite well. From the era of alternative and eXtreme culture comes 1998's Brink, which perfectly nails its time and place.

You might be wondering how something like that can work in a Disney Channel movie of all things. There is a reason for that! Check out today's episode to figure out why.

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD's Score: 4/5

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Up Next: Over the Edge!

Episode 119 ~ Stay Tuned (1992)

Every now and and then on Cannon Cruisers we come across a hidden gem that should be far more well known than it actually is. Today's episode features one of those movies. 1992's Stay Tuned is one of the best movies you've never heard of.

Perhaps it was a bit too ahead of its time, and just outside the decade full of movies it is most similar to, but this film is one unlike any you've seen. Think if Joe Dante had decided to direct a Ray Bradbury style story about a salesman selling a satellite dish made by demons and you might get close to this one. There isn't much else like it.

So check out today's episode to learn more about this cult classic. It deserves more than it has gotten so far.

Randy's Score: 5/5

JD's Score: 5/5

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Up Next: Brink!

Episode 118 ~ Mom and Dad Save the World [1992]

This is a movie none of us remember. From the writers of the Bill & Ted series comes another zany adventure into the unknown. A parody of Flash Gordon starring a middle-aged married couple? Definitely a bizarre concept.

Despite some great practical effects, it's not as good as it could be. Check out today's episode to see why that is!

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

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Up Next: Stay Tuned!

Episode 117 ~ Rent-A-Kid (1995)

This was a bit of a detour for us, but not a completely unwelcome one. This pleasant family comedy from the early days of the Disney Channel before the Mouse started making their own, is very much of its time. You know what you're getting on the tin.

That said, despite the above description, it's not all that interesting a watch. Find out how it works in today's episode

Randy's Score: 2/5

JD's Score: 3/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Mom and Dad Save the World!

Episode 116 ~ Problem Child (1990)

Get ready for another discord episode! We've been dealing with some things in real life recently, which lead to today's episode being done online. Did it work out well? Here's hoping, because it ended up with a longer episode than usual.

Today we take a look at a surprise hit movie and the start of a short-lived franchise in Problem Child from 1990! Does it hold up or is it as bad as the critics said it was? Find out in today's crazy length of an episode!

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Rent-A-Kid!

Episode 113 ~ Masterminds (1997)

The idea of "Die Hard In A School" is not a new one for Cannon Cruisers. In fact, every one of them we've covered has been very telling of the era it was made in. 1887's Masterminds is very much a product of the sanitized PG-13 era, and as a consequence holds back in a way Toy Soldiers and Demolition High never did. It is far more corporate.

That said, it is not an unpleasant watch. There is still quite a lot of the '90s charm certain family movies had that this movie still contains. Just do not expect anything too intense or anywhere near as over the top as those earlier films' highs..

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

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Up Next: UHF!

Episode 105 ~ Prehysteria! (1993)

Time for another odd detour on our ongoing trip! This time it's 1993's Prehysteria!, a film that managed to catch onto the dino craze of the early '90s just in time.

You may or may not remember these family friendly films, but they were quite impressive even for their release period. Does the first and most well known hold up today? You'll just have to check out today's episode to see!

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

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Up Next: Undefeatable!

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 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!

Episode 76 ~ Remote (1993)

For something a bit out of left field, we decided to take a look at a straight to video family flick from the early '90s. It's as wacky and loony as you might think it is. Does it hold up as good as the other ones we covered?

Unfortunately, no, not really. Find out just why in today's episode!

Randy's Score: 2/5

JD's Score: 2/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: V/H/S!

Episode 53 ~ Short Circuit (1986)

We finally did it. After years of digging through the more obscure pictures to float about the entertainment landscape, we finally hit on one we somehow avoided. We didn't avoid it for any real reason, it just slid through the cracks.

Today we cover 1986's Short Circuit and discover just how alive Johnny 5 really is. (And we learn the famous quote is not even from this movie!)

Have yourself a Happy Easter and we will see you next week!

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD's Score: 4/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Amanda & the Alien!

Episode 52 ~ The Skateboard Kid 2 (1994)

Yes, there's a sequel. Yes, we covered it. Yes, it's worse.

Find out just what we were thinking in today's episode to our least listened to episode by far! No joke, I did not know these movies were this disliked when I chose to watch them. Oh well, enjoy this discussion of a movie everyone else has forgotten.

Randy's Score: 1/5

JD's Score: 2/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Short Circuit!

Episode 49 ~ The Skateboard Kid (1993)

We're taking a break from our more recent serious fare this week to deliver an episode on one of the least talked about cult movies there is. It's time for The Skateboard Kid, the talking skateboard movie with more twists than you can shake a stick at.

But does it hold up? The scores might leave you scratching your head, at least, until you check out today's episode. The truth lies somewhere in the between on this one. And can you believe there's another one of these? Randy can't, and you'll hear all about it, believe you me!

Randy's Score: 1/5

JD's Score: 3/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: The French Connection!

Episode 44 ~ Mac & Me (1988)

What can we say about Mac & Me? Seriously, it's a bizarre movie in more ways than one. In fact, it's one we go over for quite a while trying to wrap our heads around it.

More than just a rip-off of another family friendly alien movie, this might be the craziest film we've covered in some time. Find out why that is in today's episode!

Randy's Score: 1/5

JD's Score: 2/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Ninja Terminator!

Episode 42 ~ The Great Land of Small (1987)

We're finally back!

Starting from this week, the first day of February, we're returning to our normal weekly schedule again. And we've decided to start it with another "Tale's For All" movie. This time it's The Great Land of Small! How does what is described as "the Canadian Neverending Story" hold up today? Lets just say that you might be surprised.

Or not. This is "Tales For All" after all.

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

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Up Next: Tango & Cash!

Episode 40 ~ The Dog Who Stopped the War (1984)

For our last episode of the year, let us continue with a follow-up to our Christmas episode. This is the first "official" entry in the "Tales For All" series of family films. That would be the surprise international hit of The Dog Who Stopped the War from 1984! That's right, it released over a decade after the unofficial "0" entry.

With a title like that you might figure it would either be a sappy preach fest or an overly saccharine safe family movie, but it's not really either. The Tales For All series were known for weird premises imparting lessons on kids that were a bit off the beaten path but never being actually preachy while entertaining, and it all started with this one.

Check out this final episode of 2024, 40 years after the movie's original release, to see why that might be!

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD's Score: 4/5

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Up Next: Drive!

Christmas Special (Episode 39 ~ The Christmas Martian)

Merry Christmas! We're here with a special episode for this special time of year, and with quite the movie for you. We continue with the Canadian Tales For All movie series with the proto-version made a decade earlier in 1971. That would make this one of the earliest movies we've covered on the show proper, though there's a good reason for that. It's finally time for The Christmas Martian, which would be Tales For All #0.

Check out today's episode and learn just how strange it can get!

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: The Dog Who Stopped the War!

Episode 29 ~ The Sandlot (1993)

Well here it is, the end of our long-running sports special. And what better film than the last one to really stand out from the pack? It's 1993's The Sandlot, a well-regarded classic of the genre. But does it still hold up?

Obviously, yes, it does. We spanned nearly two decades in this run and it was interesting seeing the beginnings and where this genre eventually ended up. After this it would mainly be repetitive takes on the Mighty Ducks, and sometimes with adults, but this is the last one that really emphasized the importance of the sport in conjunction with the lives of the characters. And in many ways it was one of the best at doing so.

If you haven't seen it, you're missing out. Few films nail childhood in the 20th century nearly as well as this does. Give it a look.

Randy's Score: 5/5

JD's Score: 5/5

Spotify link here!

Up Next: Halloween Special VII!