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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Up Next: Halloween Special VII!

Episode 17 ~ BMX Bandits (1983)

We finally take a trip down under with this infamous BMX favorite! It's BMX Bandits a family comedy where the tricks are as wild as the races and chases--and boy are there a lot of those. Oh, also Nicole Kidman, I guess.

How does it hold up? You'll just have to check out today's episode and see for yourself. Suffice to say, you get exactly what's on the box!

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

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Up Next: The Natural!

Episode 16 ~ Six Pack (1982)

After getting into some cult favorite sports movies, we decided to take a small detour in something a bit more obscure, though it's mostly obscure due to availability. This is one that aside from airing on cable a lot back on the day, and actually did well at the box office, has been almost entirely forgotten due to not seeing much in the way of re-releases.

That said, there is a lot of charm here for a movie ripe for rediscovery. This is another one they don't really make them like anymore. See why that might be in today's episode!

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

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Up Next: BMX Bandits!

Episode 11 ~ Bad News Bears (1976)

We're back with a brand new sports movie favorite. This week we enter 1976 and talk about the very influential kid baseball movie Bad News Bears. Though if you have yet to see it you might be surprised at just how much is here and how much of it is much more involved and of a higher quality than you might expect. Even if it has been riffed on much in the decades since its release, the film holds up surprisingly well.

Not only that but there was a surprising amount to discuss. Be sure to tune in today to understand just what we mean!

Randy's Score: 5/5

JD's Score: 5/5

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Up Next: Slap Shot!

Episode 7 ~ Flight of the Navigator (1986)

Just in time for the long weekend, we have decided to cover the favorite of everyone who lived in the latter half of the 20th century, Flight of the Navigator from 1986! It's a movie you would have figured would have been remade to death by now but never was. No, this one is still very much an original and worth covering today.

We had seen it many times before in our youth but now was a good time to revisit it and see just how well it holds up despite it being such a staple of a specific time and place. Is the pacing still as off? Was it as low stakes as we remembered? Has it improved with age? Is it as strongly 1980s as we remembered it being?

All of those questions are asked, and answered, in today's episode!

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD's Score: 4/5

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Up Next: The Longest Yard!

Episode 5 - Small Soldiers (1998)

It's time! Cannon Cruisers finally covers the one Joe Dante movie we never got around to before, due to the time span we limited ourselves to, but we finally tackle it today.

What makes Small Soldiers interesting is that it's a movie very much of its time in every way that means. It is a victim of '90s PG ratings, it is very much the end of the analog era, and it feels a bit like a struggle between studio interference and the director's original vision. Those aren't the only reasons to see it today, but they do help make it a time capsule of its time.

That said, as a movie, it does hold up better than you would think and is worth watching if you're a fan of the director and yet haven't seen it in ages. It was one of the last VHS releases everyone seemed to own back in the day, and now it's obscure. Though that was perhaps unavoidable. Check out today's episode to learn why that might be!

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD' Score: 4/5

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Up Next: Phantasm!

Episode 156 - Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

It's been awhile, but we finally made it here! This one has been a long time coming, but today we took a look at the infamous fourth Superman movie. Is it really as bad as they say, or is it a hidden gem? Well, there is more to it than all that. Check out the episode to see how it shakes out.

On the other hand, perhaps it does deserve its infamy. You'll see what I mean. there is a reason it has that reputation it has.

Randy's Score: 2/5

JD's Score: 2/5

Up Next: Robotech: The Movie!

Non-Cannon ~ Episode 114 - Troll (1986)

No, this isn't that movie. It is, instead, the original film in the "series" that isn't really a series. This one isn't so much horror as more of a family friendly joint. As a result it doesn't quite hit the mark in either camp, falling short in both categories.

There are some interesting effects and ideas here, but it altogether doesn't quite add up to a great watch. Unfortunately, it's missing both the chills of horror and the thrills of an adventure. Check out the full episode to see why that might be.

Randy's Score: 2/5

JD's Score: 3/5

Up Next: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace!

Episode 153 - The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (1983)

Though we have covered the three typical Lou Ferrigno movies he did with Cannon, what is less spoken about is the movie later edited clumsily into the inferior sequel to Hercules. There is probably a reason for that, including the fact that The Seven Magnificent Gladiators was simply not released on a wide scale back in the day.

That said, this is the only movie Bruno Mattei did with Cannon, and in that aspect it is a bit of a disappoint. A movie made by those two should have been a lot wilder. That said, the final result is a simply a fun peplum flick--a sword and sandal version of The Seven Samurai / The Magnificent Samurai. It could have been more impressive, but as it is The Seven Magnificent Gladiators is a pleasant watch.

It could have been more than that, but the flick still works. It isn't a patch on Ferrigno's Sinbad movie, though.

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

Up Next: The Hanoi Hilton!