Gymkata (1985)
December 3, 2025
We pommel horse our way through one of the most wonderfully absurd action films of the 1980s—Gymkata (1985), starring real-life Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas in his first – and last! – film role.
Nathan Blackwell is a Phoenix-based filmmaker who began his career like many of his counter-parts, as a weird eleven year-old kid running around with a camera. In 1998 he directed his first feature film, Forever Midnight, and in 2007 he created his production company Squishy Studios, with which he produced numerous short films and the award winning, two season web series Voyage Trekkers. He's won over 40 filmmaking awards, including six ADDYs for directing commercial and branded content, was named by the New Times as one of Phoenix's 100 Creatives, and recently won Filmmaker of the Year at the Phoenix Film Festival for his feature film "The Last Movie Ever Made."
We pommel horse our way through one of the most wonderfully absurd action films of the 1980s—Gymkata (1985), starring real-life Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas in his first – and last! – film role.
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Professor Dustin Morrow from The Long Rewind Podcast joins us to tackle one of the 80s’ most inexplicable obsessions—ninjas!—with an exploration of Revenge of the Ninja and Ninja 3: The Domination.
Jordan Collier joins us to revisit the 1985 spy comedy Spies Like Us. What happens when a beloved childhood favorite gets the modern rewatch treatment? Sometimes the results are as bumbling as the protagonists themselves.
We tackle the 1988 inspirational drama Stand and Deliver, diving into whether this classroom classic still holds up or if it’s just another case of sitting through endless math problems.
We’re joined by Jordan Collier and Derrick Tesson to tackle the 1987 sci-fi fantasy spectacle Masters of the Universe, a movie that should have been good but becomes a study in wasted potential.
Nate McWhortor joins us to discuss the 1988 baseball romance Bull Durham, a sultry, quotable journey through minor league baseball that explores love, mentorship, and the religion of America’s pastime.
We dive into Little Monsters (1989) with Jenna Jacobsen! From gross-out gags and monster mayhem to Fred Savage’s pranks and plot holes—trick or treat?
Two special guests join us at Phoenix Fan Fusion to explore Tim Burton’s Batman (1989)—from Keaton’s controversial casting to Nicholson’s iconic Joker, we dive into the film that changed superhero cinema forever.