What is Krull? Who is Krull? Where is Krull? Why is Krull? These are all time-honored questions asked by no one - except those of us who have experienced the fantasy sci-fi would-be saga that is Krull. Join Paul, Javi, and the stalwart Producer Brad as they journey through space (they think) and time (maybe?) to experience the (it thinks) epic battle between a princess, her prince, and their rag-tag misfit army of actors who would go on to do far better work (Liam Neeson? What are you doing here?) against an intergalactic dictator (we guess) and his army of poorly-armed, partially-ambulatory stormtroopers (kinda). Thrill to the modest swordplay, marvel at the adequate production design, and let your spirit rise to the strains of one of James Horner’s minor soundtracks! It’s a deep (ish) dive into one of the lost (not really) classics (now we’re being generous) of the summer of ’83, so buckle your swash and get ready, because once you go Krull, you come back… uh, null?

Show Notes:

1983 Box Office

July 29,1983 Weekend Box Office

Krull Box Office Results

Follow us!

Instagram

Bluesky

email: Multiplexoverthruster@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does it get any more ’80s than Flashdance? Luminous Jennifer Beals is a welder by day who dances at a bar by night, but must conquer imposter syndrome to achieve her ballerina dreams. It’s sort of a music video-esque Disney musical crossed with an inspirational sports drama (a la Rocky or Rudy), yet somehow Javi and Paul had never seen it, much to Producer Brad’s amusement. Join them in a world made of steel, made of stone (aka Pittsburgh) as they bask in the glory of Giorgio Morodor’s memorable music, wrestle with the film’s male-gaze-fantasy-meets-aspirational-female-empowerment dichotomy, and get pleasantly sucker-punched by this surprisingly sweet fairy tale about having faith in oneself (and dancing like you’ve never danced before). And did we mention it’s from the future director of Fatal Attraction, future screenwriter of Basic Instinct (and Showgirls), and action impresario Jerry Bruckheimer? (And is that Cynthia Rhodes playing her same character from Staying Alive?) Break out your leg warmers, Diet Pepsi and torn sweatshirt — it’s time to take your passion and make it happen!

Show Notes:

1983 Box Office

April 15, 1983 Weekend Box Office

July 22, 1983 Weekend Box Office

Flashdance Box Office Results

As mentioned by Paul, Angela Trimbur Dance classes!

AFI Catalog on Flashdance

USA Today Article Commemorating the 35th Anniversary of Flashdance

NYT Article on the dismissal of class action lawsuit over Polish jokes in Flashdance.

Follow us!

Instagram

Bluesky

email: Multiplexoverthruster@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Travolta returns as sweaty strutting disco stud Tony Manero in this misguided sequel to Saturday Night Fever co-written and directed by… Sylvester Stallone? Tony makes a brazen leap from Brooklyn to Bizarro World Broadway (and from the ’70s to the ’80s) but soon finds himself not in a love triangle, but a love pentagon as he vies for the lead role in a dizzyingly demented Dante-meets-disco dance revue provocatively titled Satan’s Alley (not to be confused with Tropic Thunder’s monks-in-forbidden-love fake film). Javi, Paul and - divinely - Producer Brad embark on their most chaotic episode yet as they are relentlessly pummeled with headbands, leotards, lens flares, slow-mo, possible vampires, and the very apotheosis of The Frank Factor as director Stallone tries to turn this film into a career catapult for his brother to outshine the Bee Gees (who apparently didn’t appreciate this). In the immortal words of the film, “It’s a journey through hell that ends in an ascent to heaven. You might think it’s simple, but if it’s gonna work you gotta bust your asses!” And we did, so you don’t have to. Let’s strut!

Show Notes:

As Paul mentioned, Dennon and Sayhber, the choreographers for Staying Alive, offer classes. Here's the link to their site where you can sign up for dance classes.

We can't believe we forgot to discuss the trailer for Satan's Alley, the fake movie from the movie Tropic Thunder! You can watch the trailer here.

1983 Box Office

July 15, 1983 Weekend Box Office

Staying Alive Box Office Results

Follow us!

Instagram

Bluesky

email: Multiplexoverthruster@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You’ll believe a man can sigh as Supergeeks Javi, Paul and - indestructibly - Producer Brad discover the third time’s not the charm with Superman III, though it does offer one unforgettable high-concept scene (and a truly funny setup and payoff). Our hosts boldly bend format this episode by picking three scenes each to examine (one of which may or may not involve bowling vandalism via Super-sneeze) as they struggle to maintain their sanity against the artificial Kryptonite of this threequel’s seemingly never-ending inanities. In stark contrast to the wonders that Rocky III rewarded us with by adding iconic adversary Mr. T (as recounted in our very first episode!), here we get Superman vs. Supercomputer (that’s an Atari) as programming prodigy Richard Pryor is extorted into villainy by evil tycoon Robert Vaughn. Despite their combined talents (and a psychic nutritionist stand-in for Miss Teschmacher), they are no Lex Luthor, just as director Richard Lester is no Richard Donner (and composer Ken Thorne is no John Williams). Still, while Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane is conspicuously sidelined for most of the film, we’re treated to Annette O’Toole’s lovely Lana Lang, and Christopher Reeve gets to play a creepy, scuzzy new character (Man of Heel?). You will not believe a man can ski off a skyscraper and survive, but you will enjoy this episode full of love for Superman and our hosts’ entertaining exasperation at this misguided misfire.

1983 Box Office

July 8, 1983 Weekend Box Office

Superman III Box Office Results

Richard Pryor's 1981 appearance on The Tonight Show displaying his Superman fandom.

Follow us!

Instagram

Bluesky

email: Multiplexoverthruster@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Paul, Javi, and the audacious Producer Brad see a great movie, the result is a podcast full of mirthful entertainment… but when it’s a movie that crashes and burns, the result is UNMITIGATED SNARK GREATNESS. What happens when Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham, the star and director of the hit films “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Cannonball Run”, reunite for a putative romantic comedy about a deviant NASCAR driver and a church lady turned fried chicken chain ad exec? Our horrified hosts weave a wonderment of wordplay, yet still somehow manage to run out words for “atrocity.” Loni Anderson, Jim Nabors, Ned Beatty, Parker Stevenson and Bubba Smith were all somehow forced to do time in this carceral excruciation of a film - and the Multiplex Overthruster crew has nothing but elucidating empathy as they perform a much-needed autopsy of one of the low points of the Summer of ’83: “Stroker Ace”! Trust us, this episode is worth it for its odes to Cassandra Peterson’s captivating cameo and how an AVOD ad break can offer an unexpected oasis of comfort — plus don’t miss a startling post-credit bonus revelation!

1983 Box Office

July 1, 1983 Weekend Box Office

Superman III Box Office Results

Follow us!

Instagram

Bluesky

email: Multiplexoverthruster@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when screen legends Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche play obscenely wealthy commodities brokers who wager on an insidious, impromptu nature-vs.-nurture experiment that subjects an unwitting Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd to radical reversals of fortune? You get an ’80s screwball comedy update of The Prince and the Pauper that also showcases the great Jamie Lee Curtis and Denholm Elliott, along with a host of amusing cameos by the likes of Al Franken, Bo Diddley, and Giancarlo Esposito, all set to an Elmer Bernstein score built on the shoulders of Mozart. And it’s a Christmas movie! (Kind of.) Join Javi, Paul and - inscrutably - Producer Brad as they learn more than they ever wanted to about pork belly and concentrated frozen orange juice futures trading, navigate the film’s alarmingly casual racism and homophobia (not to mention a painful bit involving a gorilla), and behold the biggest smoked salmon ever to grace the silver screen.

For a better understanding of commodities, short selling, and The Eddie Murphy Rule, check out this great episode of Planet Money.

1983 Box Office

June 24, 1983 Weekend Box Office

Trading Places Box Office Results

Follow us!

Instagram

Bluesky

email: Multiplexoverthruster@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you put the director of Saturday Night Fever together with the star of All That Jazz? Sadly, it’s Blue Thunder. No it’s not Tropic Thunder, and it’s not Thunder From Down Under. It’s Blue Thunder. What is Blue Thunder? A depressed meteorological phenomenon? Nope, it’s a weaponized high tech surveillance helicopter that could be out there right now, surveilling you with weaponized high tech or something. It could have been a paranoid thriller from the 70s - a timely warning about the danger of blurring the line between the police and the military… but mostly it’s about the heights of exasperation that ensue when one of our hosts can’t tell the difference between a Trans Am and a Camaro, and another reveals himself to be “Team Airwolf” at an inopportune time. Join Paul, Javi, and the increasingly high tech and weaponized Producer Brad as their attempts to make sense of Blue Thunder become a far more entertaining experience than actually watching Blue Thunder! So strap in, throttle up, and prepare for some high tech snarkilicious goodness from your weaponized, high tech pals at Multiplex Overthruster!

1983 Box Office

June 17, 1983 Weekend Box Office

Blue Thunder Box Office Results

Follow us!

Instagram

Bluesky

email: Multiplexoverthruster@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For decades, Javi has maintained that Octopussy is a vastly underrated and quite entertaining entry into the James Bond oeuvre… now listen as this belief crashes in a malestrom of flaming regret as Paul and the ever patient and understanding Producer Brad bear witness to the end of one of Javi’s most cherished delusions! Octopussy may have been billed as “James Bond’s all time action high” but in this clear-eyed rewatch, the Multiplex Overthruster crew finds that surviving the experience of watching Octopussy may be as lethal, if not much more lethal, than James Bond’s travails as he tries to stop some rich bad guy from doing some awful things with a strange macguffin for no discernible reason… also there’s a woman with a really awkward nickname. On the plus column, there is a buzzsaw-yoyo wielding assassin, and a cool mini jet… which we wish we could have used to escape from this film! It’s Multiplex Overthruster’s all-time snark high as they enter the world of high stakes international espionage and emerge changed, but not entertained!

1983 Box Office

June 10, 1983 Weekend Box Office

Octopussy Box Office Results

Follow us!

Instagram

Bluesky

email: Multiplexoverthruster@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.