Shat the Movies: 80's & 90's Best Film Review

I give this podcast “zero wipes”. It is consistently entertaining and reignites nostalgia fueled rewatches of beloved movie after beloved movie. Thanks, guys!

I am not joking when I say I’ve been searching for years for a podcast I can listen on the reg..I have finally found the one:) as a 40 yr old horribly nostalgic woman-I feel like I’m hanging out with people who talk about movies from my youth the way I do! Love it..love Big D, Gene and Ash❤️

First off, the hosts are perfect. Their chemistry is the best in podcasting and it’s not even close. My only complaint is that I only get to spend about an hour a week listening to them. I don’t always agree with Ash, D, or Gene. So what? I’m not listening to have every one of my opinions validated. I love how unpredictable their takes are. Even more, I love how they have no problems dumping on a consensus acclaimed film. Their perspectives are so refreshing. Anyone complaining about any of the hosts should just move on. I used to think I had a favorite (which was Ash) but it changes week to week because all three of them are fantastic at what they’re doing. So relatable, informative, and thoughtful. The care and love and effort that goes into this podcast is top level. In a perfect world, all three of them would be making very comfortable livings doing this full time. I’ve been a regular podcast listener for over a decade. Long live the greatest podcast I’ve found so far! Thank you Ash, Big D, and Gene.

The hosts are genuine. I really look forward to hearing their opinions each week, and it’s always great to hear their personal connections to the films. Definite sweet spot with Gene, Ash, and Big D as hosts. Y’all are great!

I found this podcast about 3 years ago, binged the old episodes, loved the chemistry of the hosts, and especially loved it when Kerri would guest on an episode. As much as I enjoyed Roger, it did become clear that there was overwhelming tension between him and Gene, and it was also clear that Roger wasn’t preparing for episodes. Movies that he wasn’t interested in were either barely registered a comment or he got major plot points wrong. So, I get why they had to let him go, and I was OK with that. I have tried so hard to like Ash, I really have. As a woman, I wanted to like her and was predisposed to do so. I thought a regular female perspective was an excellent vibe to bring to the mix. And when she stood up for Grease 2, I said to myself “Ok, she may be an insufferable “play the woman card” snob, but she gets why Grease 2 is a great movie, so you HAVE to like her.” But…I just can’t. Try as I may. And after listening to the recent “Great Expectations” and “The Craft” episodes, she’s officially lost me. Big D can’t have an opinion on what a self-entitled dilettante we all know Gwyneth Paltrow to be because he doesn’t have a vagina? Ash, come on! And like Ash and Gene, The Craft is a massive favorite of mine; I was as goth in my heart as these two were back in the 90’s. But it’s a highly flawed film and Big D was CRUSHING Ash’s assertions and she started to have a fit “I’m getting sooooo mad!” Why? Because his points about how The Craft shows teen girls at their worst and how it isn’t a female friendship film were ABSOLUTELY RIGHT from a rational, realistic standpoint? I also don’t love what she brings out in Gene, which often feels like they’re ganging up on Big D as a pair of “too cool” snobs, and I don’t like how politics leak in now from time to time. It’s still a good listen overall, but now that the only shows are ones people have paid for, it’s lost something, and I will go for weeks not listening because the film choices are so obscure, because they’re ones that they’re only doing because they’re obligated financially to do so. Furthermore, since the schedule is booked out nearly 2 years because of the pay for play set-up, one has to ask if they’re boxing themselves into a corner on content. Why would I pay $150 to have them review my favorite movie if they aren’t going to get to it until Fall of 2025? What if they aren’t even on the air then or there’s another host shake-up and the host you wanted to hear talk about your film isn’t there anymore? At the least, they need to implement some type of lottery or pick from a hat type of system. It just doesn’t have the fun, humor, and fresh feel it did before.

In all fairness, my one star rating is a reflection of the one episode I listened to, so I recognize it is rather unfair to judge the entire series. With that said… Throughout the episode on The Untouchables, the hosts incorrectly (and continually) refer to the film as a “biopic”. It was never that. The ‘80’s were a time when it was quite in vogue to make movies out of old television shows. DePalma was tasked with reviving the spirit of “The Untouchables” (1959-63) starring Robert Stack and that show was far from factual while still using an historical backdrop and also claiming to be inspired by Elliot Ness’ memoir. The hosts never even mention this and instead rail about the film failing to portray realistic circumstances. It was POPCORN, for goodness sakes. They also failed to mention that the screenplay was written by David freaking Mamet. For all their expertise, and I’m sure they have it, both hosts should attempt a bit of research and frame their analysis around all the facts of a particular film.