Hold Up

Speed

In 1996, writer Graham Yost and Director Jan de Bont gave the world Speed.  Rumor has it, they watched Top Gun and took the line, “I feel the need.  The need for speed!” to heart.  Possibly they played the video game Need for Speed as well.  Whatever the inspiration, Speed took the movie world by storm, building on Keanu Reeves reputation as a top action star, and introducing us to a future Oscar winner in Sandra Bullock.  But does it hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Josh dissect this nonstop action thrill ride and see if they can disarm this potential bomb of a movie and save the day, or if they fail the pop quiz, miss the hostage, and trigger the failsafe, resulting in a huge explosion of clichés, bad one liners, and an unsatisfying finish.

Starship Troopers

In 1997, Paul Verhoeven gave the world the gift of Starship Troopers, a sci-fi action flick that shows us what happens when man meets bug.  The result is a bloody satire that may be more relevant now than it was when it was released 20 years ago.  Critics and moviegoers were left with polarizing opinions, with some praising the movie’s unflinching take on what a futuristic fascist society could look like, and others damning Verhoeven’s vision as pro-war, pro-fascism, and ultimately a dangerous movie.  But does it hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and our guest Brent revisit this often-overlooked flick and see if they eagerly sign up for the mobilize infantry, looking for their chance to scrape bug guts off their boots, or if the film crash lands on Klendathu, stranding our heroes on the ugly bug planet while they are impaled and await having their brains sucked out.  Would you like to know more?

Top Gun

In 1986, Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson teamed up with Tony Scott and Tom Cruise to make one of the most iconic 80's movies in Top Gun.  Hot Shot, reckless, cocky, dangerous, and aggressive are all ways to describe Val Kilmer's hair, but they also describe Maverick's flying style and attitude as he battles his teachers, classmates, and himself at Top Gun, the training school for pilots.  Made for $15 Mil, this movie grossed more than $350 Mil and was responsible for countless young men and women to sign up to be Navy pilots.  But does it hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin, and guest host Josh discuss the exciting action and not so exciting dialogue and see if Top Gun crashes and burns, or if it gets a radar lock on our hearts and fires a missile of memories up our tail pipes for some great balls of fire and good times.

Gladiator

With the new millennium, we received the gift of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator.  Are you not entertained?  The story of a Spaniard and his journey of revenge to settle the score with the petulant, sister banging Caesar.  The Colosseum in Rome never looked so good, and mankind’s interest in this era of bloody battle was at a height thanks to Russell Crowe’s badass portrayal of Maximus. But does it hold up?  Listen as Jon Colin and Paul revisit Gladiator era Rome and see if revenge is as sweet as good grapes and wine, or if the fate of Rome is lost in the wake of politics, war, and incest.

Braveheart

In 1996, Mel Gibson’s Braveheart showed us what it was to be a symbol of hope nearly 10 years before batman did it in Batman Begins.  And he did it the Scottish way, with more organs and guts (get it? haggis!). The deeds of William Wallace are very loosely based on the real-life events, but this is fine, as the movie may have suffered if they included Mel Gibson having a captured English treasurer flayed and then using the skin to make a belt.  Seriously, that happened.  But even after the embellishment for big screen entertainment, does the movie hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul revisit the 1200’s in Scotland and see if Wallace can keep the clans united behind a solid flick, or if he spills his guts and is drawn and quartered after being betrayed by a leper.

Terminator 2

In 1991, Arnold was back in James Cameron’s Terminator 2, but not as the remorseless killing machine we all remembered from the 80’s.  No, this time he was the protector, butler, and chauffeur for John Connor who was being hunted by the high-tech T-1000.  With a budget of $94 million dollars, T2 cost 15 times more than its predecessor, but the risk was worth it as the movie earned over half a billion worldwide and won several awards.  But nearly 30 years later, does it hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul discuss this time travelling sequel to see if this flick is still bad to the bone, or if they say “hasta la vista baby” and book themselves in to the room next to Sarah Connor in Pescadero…It’s a mental institute, ok?

The Terminator

In 1984, James Cameron answered the question of “do robots dream of electric sheep?”, and the answer of course was given by The Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the famous line “I’ll be back”. Hailed for its creative story and hard-hitting action, The Terminator was the first step in a long-lasting franchise that went from humble beginnings to 4 sequels and a 5^th movie in the works.  But does the first film hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul recap the pros and cons of the flick that launched the Governator into superstardom and see if all out nuclear disaster is averted, or if the guys feel no remorse, pity or fear and sign up to travel back in time to help old Arnie out, dooming the human race to annihilation.

Back to the Future

In 1985, Robert Zemeckis co-wrote and directed Back to the Future, a movie that showed us that an old man hanging out with a high school boy doesn’t have to be creepy, especially when that boy’s mother tries to have sex with him.  Made for around $19 Mil, Back to the Future grossed nearly $400 Mil worldwide, and two sequels later, this franchise grossed around $1 Bil in adjusted dollars.  Not bad for a movie that saw over 30 script rewrites.  But does it hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul go back in time and see if this movie is still able to harness 1.21 Jigawatts of electricity and power the flux capacitors of our brains, or if it runs out of juice and leaves us covered in manure like a couple of buttheads.

Forrest Gump

In 1994, Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks brought Forrest Gump to life and were rewarded with several Academy Awards.  Looking back, it's hard to believe that Forrest won more acclaim than Pulp Fiction and Shawshank Redemption, but hindsight is 20/20 and critics and fans alike praised good Sir Gump for its blending of humor and drama.  But nearly 25 years later, does it still hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul weigh the pros and cons of this fan favorite and see if this movie is as unpredictable as a box of unlabeled chocolates, or if Forrest's simple approach to life sees our cares floating away like a feather in the wind.

Jurassic Park

In 1993, Steven Spielberg brought Michael Crichton’s book Jurassic Park to life for a budget of only $63 million, captivating audiences with amazing special effects and bringing everyone's opinions of dinosaurs from “cool” to “freaking amazing”.  With the franchise recently releasing a 5^th film, there is no question that these films pack blockbuster power, but does the film that started it all still hold up?  Listen as Jon, Colin and Paul spare no expense to climb over the paddock walls and see if the roaring T-Rex and problem-solving Raptors are still all clever girls, or if time has been unkind to these extinct reptiles, resulting in the need to wipe this movie off the face of the earth forever.