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Release Decade Archive

1980s

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.

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National Lampoon’s Vacation

Harold Ramis’ second foray into feature film directing introduced the world to the Griswolds – Clark, Ellen, Rusty and Audrey – as they drive from Chicago to LA on a 2-week vacation with the aim of visiting an obvious Disneyland replacement for legal reasons, Walley World. It’s a wonderful film and proved to be another box office success for Ramis, who wouldn’t direct another hit like this for 10 years with ‘Groundhog Day.’ Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our very short Harold Ramis series with the classic 1983 road trip comedy “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”

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Stripes

Harold Ramis made his big screen debut acting in Ivan Reitman’s 1981 military comedy “Stripes,” which he also co-wrote for Reitman, having worked on “Animal House” and “Meatballs” with him a few years before. He’d go on to appear in a number of films throughout his career, and generally played the straight man to people like Bill Murray. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Harold Ramis series with 1981’s “Stripes.”

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Caddyshack

With a background at Second City and National Lampoon, comedy was right up Harold Ramis’ alley, and while he had early opportunities to write and perform comedy, it wasn’t until the third feature film on which he was involved that gave him the opportunity to direct. Luckily for him, that movie was “Caddyshack” and the rest, as they say, is history. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we begin our Harold Ramis series with his directorial debut from 1980 – “Caddyshack.”

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My Neighbor Totoro

With “My Neighbor Totoro,” Miyazaki’s third feature film and second he directed under the Ghibli banner, it was crystal clear what Miyazaki wanted to bring forth from his films — the relationship between man and nature, the purity and innocence of youth and the imaginative look at characters who didn’t quite fit the world as we know it. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our brief Miyazaki series with his 1988 film, “My Neighbor Totoro.”

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Children of the Corn

Stephen King may not like the film version of ’Children of the Corn,’ but considering it spawned 7 sequels and a remake, we’d like to think that he’s at least making a decent profit on his short story from 1977. This movie started careers for Linda Hamilton, Courtney Gains, John Franklin and Peter Horton and has created quite the cult following, no matter what King — or we — think of it. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we wrap up our Naughty Children series with this movie.

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Sophie’s Choice

When a choice is referred to as a “Sophie’s Choice” most people understand that the choice must be an impossibly difficult one between two unbearable options. But if it wasn’t for Meryl Streep’s performance in the 1982 film directed by Alan J. Pakula, that phrase wouldn’t resonate the way it does. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we conclude our Meryl Streep series with the film for which she received her fourth Oscar nomination and first win as Best Actress, “Sophie’s Choice.”

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The French Lieutenant’s Woman

Meryl Streep received her first nomination for Best Actress in a film that one would think had been lost in time if not for the recent Criterion Collection release — Karel Reisz’s 1981 film “The French Lieutenant’s Woman.” She lost to Katherine Hepburn in “On Golden Pond,” which makes sense, but Streep’s performance is still a fascinating one. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our Meryl Streep series with Reisz’s film.

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Under the Cherry Moon

Prince has always been a flamboyant and eclectic musician, and with the album and film “Purple Rain,” he found a new art form he enjoyed. And one he won an Oscar for — Best Original Song Score. With his next film, he had conflicts with the director so took over and directed it himself. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we wrap up this year’s short guilty pleasure with Pete’s pick — Prince’s 1986 film “Under the Cherry Moon.”

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Volunteers

It’s time for some guilty pleasures! Yes, the two of us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — dig up some films that we love but are generally not considered the greatest of movies. This week, it’s Andy’s turn with his guilty pleasure — Nicholas Meyer’s 1985 Peace Corps comedy “Volunteers.”

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Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

While the first two Mad Max films had so much going for them, it sure seemed like a stumble with the third of the trilogy. But that’s looking at it through today’s eyes because some critics like Roger Ebert sure loved it — he put it on his ’10 Best’ list of 1985! Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we go beyond Thunderdome with Mel Gibson and Tina Turner, continuing our Mad Max series with Miller’s 1985 film.

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