Amadeus (1984)

Guest photographer/filmmaker Aaron Kes joins Krissy and Nathan for "Amadeus," the Oscar-sweeping tale of Mozart's genius told through Salieri's jealousy.Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell dig into why "Amadeus" tells Mozart's story through the eyes of the man who wanted to destroy him. They talk through the film's refusal to play by music-biopic rules, its all-American-accent Vienna, and whether an Oscar movie really needs three hours to earn its stripes. Guest Aaron Kes, a photographer and filmmaker who volunteers with the Phoenix Film Festival, brings a fresh eye to a movie he'd avoided for years.The Most Excellent 80s Movies is Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell's episode-by-episode look back at the movies of the 1980s.Full show notes and resources: https://trustory.fm/80smovies/amadeus-1984/Become a member: https://trustory.fm/join/---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

A Very Texas Kind of Trouble: The Gang Sits Down with Blood SimpleWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Shannon Mauck of the Neighborhood Comedy Theatre to dig into Blood Simple (1984), the lean, sweaty debut that first put the Coen brothers on the map.The trio wrestles with a familiar question: does a stripped-down, low-budget noir like this still land the same way decades later, or is its reputation doing some of the work now? Krissy and Nathan compare expectations to the actual experience of sitting with the film’s slow-burn dread, while Shannon brings a comedian’s eye to just how deadpan and bleak it all plays.From there the talk turns to texture over plot: performances, the way silence carries so much weight, quotable lines, and the unmistakably “very 80s” grain of a shoestring production that still feels like a blueprint.It’s a warm hangout even while the movie stays cold-blooded, with Shannon supplying plenty of surprise laughs along the way. Consider this one spoiler-light and premise-level only.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you’d seen this movie cold, with no context at all, what genre would you have guessed you were watching? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Baby Pictures, Bad Qi, and Above the Law: Steven Seagal’s Debut Under the MicroscopeWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Dorian Lenz of the Neighborhood Comedy Theatre to dig into Above the Law (1988), the film that introduced the world to Steven Seagal’s particular blend of aikido, righteous fury, and remarkable hair choices. Expect origin-story skepticism, mullet taxonomy, and a genuinely heated debate about who runs worse on camera.The trio wrestles with what it takes to launch a brand-new action hero from scratch, sizing Seagal’s debut up against the star-making runs of Van Damme, Schwarzenegger, and Chuck Norris, and questioning whether a movie this tangled holds any weight beyond nostalgia. They also can’t quite agree on whether the hero is really upholding the law, or just the character most openly ignoring it.Conversation fuel includes a full ranking of the film’s mullet hierarchy, a surprisingly serious debate about aikido’s limitations against firearms, growing admiration for a scene-stealing supporting performance, and very specific opinions about Seagal’s uniquely awkward running form.It’s a chat that stays at the premise level, sidestepping the film’s late reveals in favor of curiosity about how this particular action star got built, one bone-crushing choice at a time.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosWhich 80s action star do you think nailed their very first movie the hardest? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

He’s Not Canon, But He’s Bond: Revisiting Never Say Never AgainWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Pete Wright of Trustory.fm to dig into Never Say Never Again (1983), the unofficial Bond outing that dragged Sean Connery back into the tux via one very petty lawsuit.The trio wrestles with this film’s odd status: no John Barry theme, no Aston Martin, yet a leading man everyone insists is somehow the definitive 007 anyway. That push-pull between “unofficial” and “essential” drives the talk, especially once conversation turns to how this Connery stacks up against every other Bond.From there it’s conversation fuel: a laser watch treated like scripture, a shark chase that may have inspired an Austin Powers bit, and a supporting cast the hosts can’t stop gushing over, including a memorable early film role. Very-1983 touches keep things loose.It lands somewhere warm and a little chaotic, fitting for a movie that sits in a contested corner of a franchise everyone loves arguing about. Nothing here spoils the plot, so newcomers and completists can listen freely.LinksTruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you could keep just one gadget from this movie for yourself, which would it be? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

The Living Daylights: Cello Cases, Cargo Nets, and Timothy Dalton’s Big DebutWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Nate McWhortor to dig into The Living Daylights (1987), the movie that hands the tuxedo to a brand-new 007 and asks the trio whether “Bond summer” gets even better on the second stop.The conversation keeps circling one big question: is this a reinvention of Bond, or just a reset with the same gadgets, puns, and glamour dialed to a slightly darker frequency? The hosts and their guest trace how Timothy Dalton’s colder, more calculating take lines up with Ian Fleming’s original novels, and debate whether that grounded edge helps or just makes the romance feel more like manipulation than seduction.From there it’s pure conversation fuel: gadget nostalgia, a running bit about how many ways a car can be split in half, strong opinions about a villain lineup that never quite finds its footing, and a genuine soft spot for all the wonderfully “very 1987” touches sprinkled throughout. Supporting characters get their own spotlight too, with a few earning surprise fan-favorite status.It all wraps with real affection for Dalton’s swing at the role, some good-natured ranking chatter, and a shared curiosity about where his era goes next. This one stays premise-level and spoiler-light throughout, more about vibes and debate than beat-by-beat plot details.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you had to design Bond’s next sexy assassin from scratch, what’s their one signature weapon? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Welcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Jeff Frank of the Knights of the Rolled Table Podcast to dig into A View to a Kill (1985), Roger Moore's final outing as 007. Expect microchips, motorized blimps, and real disagreement over just how silly a Bond movie can get.The debate circles one question: does this film's camp hold up, or has it curdled with age? Jeff argues the pieces fit the era but the whole never quite gels, while Krissy and Nathan find plenty to love in just how bonkers individual scenes get. Christopher Walken's underused villain, Grace Jones commanding every frame, and a running gag about Bond tormenting his undercover partner Sir Godfrey Tibbett all get their due, alongside snowboard chases and gloriously 1985 details.What keeps things warm rather than cynical is the affection beneath the ribbing, for Walken, for Moore's tired-but-game performance, and for a franchise more fun to discuss than defend. It stays at the premise level throughout, so newcomers and Bond completists alike can listen worry-free.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you got to design one gloriously over-the-top scheme for a modern Bond villain, what would it be? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Nerds, Fringe, and the $1,000 Question: Can't Buy Me Love Gets Its Day in CourtWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell are joined by special guest Grace Campbell of Adventures in Collide Podcast to dig into Can't Buy Me Love (1987)—a Patrick Dempsey gem perpetually swallowed up by the John Hughes canon that deserves its moment.Krissy comes in as the episode's Sherpa, having loved the film for years, while both Grace and Nathan are first-timers. That dynamic creates a wonderful push and pull: does the premise hold its sweetness, or does the "boy rents girl" setup curdle under grown-up eyes? The hosts wrestle with how quickly Ronald transforms from pure-hearted dork to full douche canoe—and whether the film earns its warm, everyone-finds-their-humanity ending or just magically wills it into existence.Along the way: the iconic severe suede outfit (yes, that's a real quote), tiny baby Seth Green as fart-adjacent chaos agent, Paula Abdul's surprise choreography credit, the Columbus Day dance and its layers of "very 1987," and why outfits—not Ronald, not Cindy—are the true villain of this film.The conversation lands somewhere warm and a little surprised by its own sincerity, which feels right for a movie that sneaks up on you the same way. Spoiler-light, premise-level—no twists, no endings, just the good stuff that makes you want to press play.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you could pay someone a thousand dollars to change your social life for one month, what would you actually spend that money on instead? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Can Two People Just Be Friends? When Harry Met Sally… Says: Complicated.Welcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell are joined by special guest Mandy Kaplan of Make Me a Nerd to revisit When Harry Met Sally… (1989), and the stakes are personal, because one of them is seeing it for the very first time, one has it as a gold standard, and one literally danced to its music at her wedding.The central question this crew wrestles with isn't just Harry's infamous thesis about men, women, and friendship. It's what happens when a movie is so embedded in the culture that you've absorbed its most famous moments without ever actually watching it. What does it feel like to finally sit down with something you've only known in clips? And does it land differently when you come in a skeptic? Spoiler-light from start to finish, the conversation stays at the level of feelings, not plot reveals.What fuels the discussion is the writing—Nora Ephron's screenplay, the improv that made it into the final cut, the genius of character names, the Pictionary scene, the baseball wave, the dual-landline mystery, and the surprisingly nuanced debate over whether Harry's answering machine serenade is romantic or just deeply tone-deaf. Rob Reiner gets his flowers too.The episode wraps with warmth, strong Say Anything feelings, and a bonus rec for a road trip you should probably take.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosDo you genuinely believe two people can be close friends without romantic feelings ever getting in the way—and has a movie ever changed your mind about it? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Nobody Gets Off This Staircase: Krissy, Nathan, and Pete Take On The UntouchablesWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell are joined by special guest Pete Wright—podcast impresario and pod boss at TruStory FM—to dig into Brian De Palma's The Untouchables (1987), where the real question isn't whether Al Capone goes down, but how far a straight-arrow fed is willing to bend to make it happen.The central tension here is a juicy one: Kevin Costner's deliberately bland Elliot Ness surrounded by Sean Connery's full-voltage Obi-Wan energy and Andy Garcia's silk-jacketed handsomeness. Is Costner's wooden earnestness a character choice or just… Costner being Costner? The gang has feelings. Meanwhile, Pete makes a compelling case that David Mamet is at his very best when someone else is in the director's chair—and that De Palma's camera (hello, split diopter) transforms stilted period dialogue into something genuinely cinematic.What keeps the conversation sparking is the sheer audacity of the filmmaking: an improvised staircase sequence that became the movie's most iconic scene, Armani-clad gangsters that make everyone want to buy overcoats for a city they don't live in, and a baby carriage that shows up twice in two consecutive episodes of the pod. The episode stays premise-level throughout, so you can jump in clean and still feel every gut punch.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you could only pick one scene from this movie to show someone who'd never seen it, which one would you choose—and why? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Breaking Barriers: Krissy and Nathan Strap In for The Right StuffWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell strap in for Philip Kaufman's sweeping 1983 epic The Right Stuff — a film so genuinely, stubbornly good that it nearly breaks their ability to snark about it.The central tension here isn't between astronauts and gravity — it's between Krissy and Nathan and a movie that refuses to be easily summed up. With an extraordinary ensemble (Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Fred Ward, Jeff Goldblum, and at least ten more "wait, is that—?" faces), The Right Stuff sprawls across three hours and twelve minutes like a prestige mini-series that never quite got the memo it was a movie. The hosts dig into what makes it so entertaining moment to moment — the absurdist testing sequences, Goldblum perpetually racing in with news everyone already has, and the quiet, earned power of Ed Harris telling the Vice President to back off his wife.What you get here is two people genuinely wrestling with a film they admire deeply, laughing at the bits that deserve laughs and getting a little misty at the bits that earn it. The conversation is premise-level — no endings spoiled, no surprises given away — just an honest, warmhearted debate about what holds this sprawling, magnificent beast together.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you could only keep one scene from The Right Stuff, what would it be — and why? ---Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.