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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.
The Next Reel Film Podcast

Splash

In the late 70s and early 80s, Disney Pictures had been getting grief for releasing films that were too adult. When “Splash” came along, they decided to create a new label for releasing more adult fare. And thus, Touchstone Pictures was born! On top of that, the film was such a success that it pushed its star, Tom Hanks, and director, Ron Howard, up toward the upper echelons of the Hollywood elite. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we begin our Tom Hanks series near the beginning of his career with “Splash.”

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February 28, 2014
The Next Reel Film Podcast

The Abyss

When the extended trailer for James Cameron’s 1989 undersea scifi spectacular, “The Abyss,” was released, it set the stage for an epic film that promised to deliver “Aliens” underwater. When the film was released, it received good reviews and earned its money back, but wasn’t what people expected. But 3 years later, Cameron was able to return to it and release an extended version with nearly 30 minutes of new material, including an extended ending. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our Original SciFi series with “The Abyss.”

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February 14, 2014
The Next Reel Film Podcast

Pale Rider

“Pale Rider” marks Clint Eastwood’s 10th time directing himself in a film, something he went on doing until 2008’s “Gran Torino” and something he clearly knows how to do well. This seems to hold true especially in westerns, even though he only directed himself in four of them. Perhaps that’s because he had so much experience in them and learned from other directors like Sergio Leone how to stand, how to ride, how to stare, how to shoot on film. And while “Pale Rider” is an obvious retelling of the classic 1953 film “Shane,” it can stand on its own merits and doesn’t feel like a ripoff. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we come to the last film in our Richard Dysart series, 1985’s “Pale Rider.”

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January 24, 2014
The Next Reel Film Podcast

Say Anything…

In 1989, Cameron Crowe made his directorial debut with what many consider to be one of his best films, “Say Anything…” It wasn’t one of the top films at the box office that year, but it certainly found its audience since then and is still hailed by many to be one of the great romantic films out there. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we talk about Crowe’s first film.

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November 1, 2013
The Next Reel Film Podcast

Blood Simple

“Blood Simple,” released in film festivals in 1984 and theatrically in 1985, found as many detractors as it did fans initially, but no one can argue that it was all that the filmmaking duo of Joel and Ethan Coen needed to break onto the scene as fresh, quirky and sometimes violent voices in the cinema world. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — on this week’s episode of The Next Reel as we start our Drama by the Brothers Coen series.

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August 16, 2013
The Next Reel Film Podcast

Midnight Run

Infrequent filmmaker Martin Brest may have directed the box office bombs Gigli and Meet Joe Black, but he also directed the huge critical and commercial successes Beverly Hills Cop and Scent of a Woman. Somewhere in the middle of these films, he made a fantastic action-comedy about a bounty hunter taking a criminal across country to collect his reward. That’s right, we’re talking about Midnight Run, a part of our Couples on the Run series.

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July 12, 2013
The Next Reel Film Podcast

Prizzi’s Honor

It’s Valentine’s Day, and what better way to end our current John Huston series than with his 1985 romantic mafia comedy, Prizzi’s Honor? Huston was struggling with his health in the 80s but still a vibrant and essential director when he made this film that garnered 8 Oscar nominations. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we celebrate love and death in this quirky film.

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February 15, 2013
The Next Reel Film Podcast

The Thing

In 1982, John Carpenter’s “The Thing” was released but had a tough time competing against other big sci-fi films released at the same time—E.T. the Extra Terrestrial and Blade Runner. It also was viewed by critics as being overly gory and wretched. With time, however, the film has gained a big cult following, big enough to warrant a prequel, a comic book series, a video game and a potential sequel. Now, it’s considered by many to be one of the great horror films of all time.

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October 5, 2012
The Next Reel Film Podcast

Driving Miss Daisy

Driving Miss Daisy was a perfect story choice for Richard D. Zanuck to produce. Sure, it was difficult to get made but for a film that only cost $7.5 million dollars to produce, it raked in over $100 million at the domestic box office, putting it in the top 10 of the year with the likes of Batman and Lethal Weapon 2. Topping that off, it led Zanuck, along with his wife, Lili Fini Zanuck, to win the Best Picture award at the Oscars. But this 1989 film, which deals with prejudice and friendship in the relationship between an old Jewish woman in the south and her African American driver, stands out for many people as a perfect example of what’s wrong with the Oscars because it came out the same year as Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, a film that deals with race relations in a much more intense and direct way, and what many feel should have won the Best Picture award.

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September 7, 2012
The Next Reel Film Podcast

Aliens

There are few sequels that can stand up to the originals as well as Aliens can to its predecessor, and it’s clear that we—Pete Wright and Andy Nelson—really like this film.

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May 26, 2012
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