The Rock (1996) Is This Classic 90s Action Style over Substance?

Do you remember Spaceballs? Of course you do. But how many times did you quote this movie with your friends? How many times did you try to re-enact the beginning of the Schwartz fight before someone inevitably got hurt or in trouble? Join us as we go back and re-watch one of the most beloved cult comedies of the 80s. We’re talking Lone Starr, Princess Vespa, Colonel Sandurz, President Skroob, Barf, Yogurt, the Dink Dinks, and of course the legend himself… Dark Helmet. Our expectations are set to Ludicrous Speed, and we’re hoping this is still the hilarious childhood classic we remember… and not our father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate… a dud. May the Schwartz be with us.

Remember The Goonies? Baby Ruths, “Hey You Guys!”, pirate treasure, and one of the most chaotic groups of kids ever put on screen. Of course you do… but when was the last time you actually watched it? It’s one of the most beloved childhood classics of the 80s. Practically sacred ground for anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s. But here’s the real question… is it actually still good? We’re heading back to 1985 with Mikey, Mouth, Chunk, Data, and the rest of the gang to see if this beloved childhood adventure still holds up, because this isn’t just any movie rewatch. This is The Goonies, a certified childhood classic for just about every 80s and 90s kid. So grab a Baby Ruth and head back with us to 1985 and find out if this legendary kids’ adventure is still a cinematic treasure… or if time has sprung the ultimate booby trap.

Do you remember The Grey from 2011? Of course you do. It’s basically the cinematic equivalent of clinical depression… but with wolves. Join us as we follow Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, and Frank Grillo after they literally fall out of the sky and begin one of the bleakest nature hikes ever filmed through the stunning Alaskan wilderness. Between the plane crash, the freezing cold, the elements, and some very angry local wildlife, the odds of a happy ending are… not great. But hey, we’re going to hope anyway.

In this episode of I Remember Liking That Movie, we head back to the Renaissance for a supposedly smarter, more grounded take on Cinderella with Ever After from 1998. Starring Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, and Dougray Scott, the film ditches fairy godmothers and magic in favor of historical realism… and somehow still finds room for Leonardo da Vinci. One of us remembers this one as the “classy” Cinderella, the version with brains, attitude, and a heroine who can quote philosophy while throwing apples at royalty. One of us has never seen it. We’ll let you guess who is who. So does this prestige fairy tale still charm, or does it feel more like a history lecture wrapped in corsets? Join us as we revisit mean stepmothers, awkward princes, suspiciously convenient Renaissance geniuses, and a fairy tale that may or may not be taking itself way too seriously. Does Ever After still hold up… or did one of us just remember liking it, and will the other even like it?

Remember Cliffhanger? The movie where the Hero fights gravity, bad guys, and basic OSHA regulations? Starring Sylvester Stallone as a man whose primary skill set is hanging from things dramatically… and John Lithgow as a villain who woke up and chose theatrical villainy. You probably remember mountains. Snow. A helicopter doing things helicopters absolutely should not be doing. And Lithgow is just chewing scenery like he hasn’t eaten in days. The plot? Oh, it’s simple. Suitcases full of money fall out of the sky, a bunch of criminals decide mountain climbing is now part of their career path, and Stallone spends two hours dangling from things that were never meant to hold a human being. So join us as we head back to the ’90s — when action heroes didn’t need CGI, villains had accents for no reason, and the solution to every problem was either punching it… shooting it… or letting it fall off a cliff.

Do you remember the teen romance movie A Walk to Remember? You know, the one where the “good girl” falls for the “bad boy,” changes his life forever… and then drops the heartbreaking bomb that she’s terminally ill. Ah, yes, peak early-2000s emotional damage. So grab your tissues and take a stroll back to 2002 as we revisit this classic Nicholas Sparks tearjerker, starring Mandy Moore and Shane West. We’re diving into the swoons, the speeches, the soundtrack, and all the feelings we may or may not be ready to relive.

Remember Better Off Dead? The 1985 fever dream starring John Cusack gave us ski-race rivalries, the guy who played Booger, Ricky’s mom casually blowing up during dinner, and a paperboy who’s built his entire personality around two dollars. We think we loved this movie. We’re pretty sure we quoted it. But does it actually hold up… or were we just 80s kids dazzled by stop-motion hamburgers and teenage melodrama? Join us as we head back to the slopes and find out if this cult classic is still comedy gold or if we’ve been owed a refund all along.

Remember Robin Hood: Men in Tights from 1993? We do… or at least we thought we did. It’s been a long time since we last watched this one, but c’mon, it’s Mel Brooks. Starring Cary Elwes, Dave Chappelle, Richard Lewis, and Amy Yasbeck, and directed by the iconic Brooks himself, this should be a slam dunk, right? As we revisit what would become Mel Brooks’ penultimate film, we find ourselves asking an important question: Does Men in Tights still fire off laughs like a well-aimed arrow, or does it trip, fall, and land in a deeply uncomfortable, “wow, that really looked like it hurt” faceplant?

Do you remember Hot Dog… The Movie from the ’80s? We do, and we don’t. We remember Shannon Tweed (for obvious reasons) and the Chinese Downhill. That’s about it. This movie was actually a hit in its day, which makes us wonder: was it because of the skiing… or because this ’80s film got really generous with the nudity? Either way, it should be wall-to-wall ’80s stereotypes, bad taste, and zero restraint. Which raises the big question: does it hold up… or completely wipe out?  

The 90s were full of high-octane, over-the-top action flicks, and one of the most memorable was THE ROCK. Starring Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris & Sean "Slap Her" Connery. We remember this one being a fast-paced, testosterone-fueled, take-no-prisoners flick from start to finish, and we can't wait to watch it again. You can't argue that the 90s weren't stylized, but did they lack substance? We couldn't care less if stuff blows up real good, and with Michael Bay behind the camera, we're almost positive stuff blows up just fine.