The Most Excellent 80s Movies
Invasion U.S.A. (1985)
Francis Zagarigo and Jenna Jacobsen of the Very Fine Friends podcast join us to take on Invasion U.S.A., the Chuck Norris one-man-army spectacular.
May 6, 2026
For all you proper film enthusiasts who would like to peruse the films of TruStory FM’s entertainment podcasts by release decade. Get ready for a firehose of film history in these here stacks.
Francis Zagarigo and Jenna Jacobsen of the Very Fine Friends podcast join us to take on Invasion U.S.A., the Chuck Norris one-man-army spectacular.
Mamet’s directorial debut, House of Games, follows a psychiatrist who wrote the book on obsession—literally—into a world of professional con men. Pete and Andy discuss.
Two returning special guests—Kyle Olson and Pete Wright—join us to dig into one of the most electric, beguiling, and undeniably Prince films ever committed to celluloid: Purple Rain (1984).
Practical effects, paranoid ensemble, Morricone’s score: producer/writer Josh Hyams on John Carpenter’s The Thing and what makes it still unmatched.
Eric Weir joins us to tackle The Dark Crystal (1982), the film that proved Muppets could die on screen and parents could regret their viewing choices. Turns out, it’s warm, weird, and genuinely curious!
We dig into John Badham’s WarGames for our March member bonus episode—the AI that learns, the script that sidesteps, and the film that actually changed federal law. Thinking Machines series.
REBROADCAST: Sean Oliver and Drew Leatham join us to navigate the wonderfully bonkers 1984 sci-fi comedy Ice Pirates. This movie has everything—and we mean everything.
In the Magicians series, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel’s feature directorial debut “The Escape Artist” pits two sons against their fathers, with real magic in between.
REBROADCAST: Adam Rini joins us to dissect John Carpenter’s 1988 cult classic They Live. Is this film a masterpiece of political satire or just “Noam Chomsky for 14-year-olds”?
Adam Marshall Rini joins us to close out Season 8 with Mel Brooks’ 1987 sci-fi parody Spaceballs. Does this childhood favorite still holds up with “grown-up eyes”?