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Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

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

Release Date: 05/06/2025

Field of Dreams (1989) show art Field of Dreams (1989)

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

This week, Shat The Movies heads to rural Iowa for Field of Dreams, the baseball fantasy that turns whispered voices, cornfields and unresolved daddy issues into cinematic magic. This episode is especially meaningful as it marks the first episode edited by our first-ever intern, Elias, officially ushering in a new era for the show. If you build it… apparently Elias will cut it. Gene and Big D revisit Kevin Costner’s earnest everyman performance, debate whether this movie is genuinely profound or expertly engineered emotional manipulation, and confront the fact that Field of Dreams...

info_outline The Hunted (1995) show art The Hunted (1995)

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

Shat The Movies unsheathes the katana and heads to modern-day Japan for The Hunted, a mid-’90s action oddity that asks a very important question: What if Christopher Lambert was a reluctant samurai caught in a centuries-old ninja blood feud? Released in 1995 and promptly forgotten, this movie blends corporate intrigue, mystical warrior clans, and neon-lit Tokyo alley fights into one very strange package. Gene and Big D break down Lambert’s perpetual confusion, Joan Chen’s elegant menace, and the film’s commitment to taking ancient honor codes extremely seriously—despite feeling...

info_outline The Untouchables (1987) show art The Untouchables (1987)

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

This week, Shat The Movies heads to Prohibition-era Chicago with Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables, a glossy crime epic that somehow combines operatic violence, moral absolutism, and one of the most iconic staircases in movie history. Featuring Kevin Costner at his most upright, Sean Connery at his most Oscar-winning, and Robert De Niro going full scarface-with-a-bat, this film has long been considered a prestige gangster classic—but does it still earn its reputation? Gene and Big D break down Ennio Morricone’s unforgettable score, De Palma’s shameless love of excess, and whether...

info_outline Contact (1997) show art Contact (1997)

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

This week, Shat The Movies looks to the stars with Contact, Robert Zemeckis’s thoughtful, talky, and occasionally frustrating sci-fi drama about faith, science, and whether humanity is ready for the truth. Based on Carl Sagan’s novel and anchored by a career-best performance from Jodie Foster, Contact dares to ask big questions—then spends two and a half hours arguing about who gets to answer them. Gene and Big D debate whether this is smart, adult science fiction or a preachy lecture disguised as a blockbuster. They dig into Matthew McConaughey’s spiritual hot takes, the movie’s...

info_outline Glory (1989) show art Glory (1989)

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

This week on Shat the Movies, we march into Glory (1989), the powerful Civil War epic telling the true story of the 54th Massachusetts, the first African American volunteer infantry regiment. With unforgettable performances by Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Broderick, the film tackles courage, sacrifice, and the fight for dignity. Gene and Big D dig into the emotional weight, historical accuracy, and lasting impact of this Oscar-winning drama. Does Glory still resonate today? Tune in and find out. Subscribe Now Android: Apple/iTunes: Help Support the Podcast Contact...

info_outline Mixed Nuts (1994) show art Mixed Nuts (1994)

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

This Christmas, Shat The Movies takes a detour into one of the strangest holiday comedies ever made with Mixed Nuts, Nora Ephron’s chaotic 1994 remake of the French farce Le Père Noël est une ordure. We’re revisiting this deeply uncomfortable Christmas movie in honor of the late Rob Reiner, who helped define smart, character-driven comedies—even when they didn’t always work. Gene and Big D unpack how a film with an absurdly stacked cast—Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Rita Wilson, Adam Sandler, Juliette Lewis, and Liev Schreiber—somehow became a cult curiosity instead of a holiday...

info_outline Donnie Darko (2001) show art Donnie Darko (2001)

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

This week, Shat The Movies dives headfirst into early-2000s suburban dread with Donnie Darko, the cult classic that launched a thousand dorm-room debates and taught a generation to fear jet engines and men in bunny suits. Commissioned by listeners Wes and Fernando, this episode tackles Richard Kelly’s time-bending, angst-soaked sci-fi drama that somehow feels even more relevant today. Gene and Big D unpack Jake Gyllenhaal’s star-making performance, the film’s iconic ’80s soundtrack, and whether Donnie Darko is a brilliant meditation on fate and free will—or just an elaborate emo...

info_outline Sideways (2004) show art Sideways (2004)

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

Struggling writer and wine enthusiast Miles (Paul Giamatti) takes his engaged friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), on a trip to wine country for a last single-guy bonding experience. While Miles wants to relax and enjoy the wine, Jack is in search of a fling before his wedding. Soon, Jack is sleeping with Stephanie (Sandra Oh), while her friend Maya (Virginia Madsen) connects with Miles. When Miles lets slip that Jack is getting married, both women are furious, sending the trip into disarray. Commissioned by Christopher D. Subscribe Now Android: Apple/iTunes: Help Support the Podcast ...

info_outline Day of the Dead (1985) show art Day of the Dead (1985)

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

This week on Shat the Movies, we’re heading underground with Day of the Dead (1985), the grim and gory finale to George A. Romero’s original zombie trilogy. As scientists and soldiers clash in a bunker full of tension (and entrails), we break down the film’s bleak tone, standout effects, and the unforgettable performance of Bub the zombie. Gene and Big D ask: Is this a zombie masterpiece, or just a depressing mess with great gore?. Subscribe Now Android: Apple/iTunes: Help Support the Podcast Contact Us: Commission Movie: Support with Paypal: Support With Venmo: Shop...

info_outline Time Bandits (1981) show art Time Bandits (1981)

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

This week, Shat The Movies tumbles through the space-time continuum with Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits, a chaotic fantasy adventure filled with Monty Python humor, mischievous dwarves, and a cosmic battle between Good, Evil, and negligent parenting. Commissioned by listener Mark, this 1981 classic follows young Kevin as he’s swept away by a crew of dimension-hopping bandits who’ve stolen a map of the universe and are using it to rob history blind—Napoleon, Robin Hood, and ancient kings all included. Gene and Big D debate whether the film is a brilliant kids’ movie for adults or an...

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Prepare for warp speed as Gene Lyons and Big D travel back to the 24th century—and then to 2063—to review Star Trek: First Contact, the Next Generation crew’s darkest and most action-packed cinematic outing. Commissioned by listener Jeremiah as part of a sci-fi classics series, this episode dives deep into the ethics of Picard’s command decisions, the practical (and impractical) nature of Borg assimilation, and the horny weirdness of Star Trek fandom.

Along the way, Gene and Big D debate Star Trek vs. Star Wars and ponder whether the Borg Queen really does have big “ASMR energy.” They also address critical questions like: What’s the best Star Trek tech? And how many wipes does it take to remove Data’s synthetic skin?

Whether you're Team Trek or Team Wars, this episode is a hilarious, no-holds-barred deep dive into one of the franchise's most beloved films—and possibly its most awkward.

Plot Summary

In Star Trek: First Contact, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-E defy Starfleet orders to confront the Borg, a cybernetic collective intent on assimilating Earth. After destroying a Borg cube near Earth, a Borg sphere escapes through a temporal vortex, altering the past to prevent humanity’s first contact with alien life. The Enterprise follows the Borg to April 4, 2063—just before Zefram Cochran’s historic warp flight that would attract the Vulcans.

As the crew works to ensure history stays intact, Picard battles his trauma from past assimilation, while Lieutenant Commander Data is seduced—emotionally and physically—by the sinister Borg Queen. With humanity’s future hanging in the balance, Picard must choose between revenge and reason, culminating in a high-stakes confrontation aboard a compromised Enterprise.

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