A Married Couple Showing Each Other the 80's Movies Of Their Childhoods
Yes, this is a cartoon testicle. No, I will not elaborate.
Jon takes Ali on a trip to gangland in Amy Heckerling’s send up of 30s Gangster movies, Johnny Dangerously! Ali declares fargin’ war for this. Both agree that Michael Keaton looks fetching in his eyeliner. Also: this cast is STACKED.
Oh lord. We’re back. We miss anything in the last two years? That’s rhetorical. These are show notes.
Anyway, Ali shows Jon Rob Reiner’s follow up to This Is Spinal Tap and dry run for When Harry Met Sally, 1985’s The Sure Thing. Ali doesn’t believe Tim Robbins’ character is queer coded. Jon doesn’t believe the range of mid-80’s Anthony Edwards. Neither of them believe they still have a podcasting website after all this time!
Looks like another hiatus is over for at least a week, because the Bickersons are back again and if not better than ever, at least not appreciably worse! This one focuses on a movie from 1987 starring Michael Keaton and Rae Dawn Chong! And also Joey Pants and Meat Loaf! And probably more but I spent so long on the sound after procrastinating that I just want to put this up! Ali is skip tracing Jon. Jon wonders if his eye was twitching. Both are hoping their number comes up, but not in the bad way! OH I JUST REMEMBERED JOHN DAVIDSON IS IN THIS IN A SMALL ROLE WHY IS THAT IN CAPS WHO CARES JUST LISTEN
Just in time for Halloween (because we procrastinated like a week) it’s 1987’s Evil Dead 2, directed by Sam Raimi! Will Jon need a hand convincing Ali that this is groovy? Or will it swallow their souls? No, I will not apologize for writing that and yes, this was the first draft. THIS INTERVIEW IS OVER!
(Hey, at least this one is short)
They’re baaack! And by “they",’ we mean Ali and Jon, watching 1986’s Poltergeist II: The Other Side! Ali just wants The Angel. Jon cahoots with no one. Can both become warriors in time? Who knows? Who cares? Hopefully you, or we’re wasting your time!
P2: Judgement Day was directed by Brian Gibson and stars almost everyone from Poltergeist: Just the One Side.
Apparently it’s International Podcasting Day, which is what Jon is going to pretend is the reason we’re launching a few days late this week and not general bad scheduling. Anyway, we’re celebrating it with a dive into the cool waters of 1982’s The Dark Crystal, co-directed by Frank Oz and Jim Henson. Ali has wings. Jon doesn’t. It all makes sense in the end, sort of.
This week, Ali shows Jon the greatest 80s French farce. And after they get done watching Noises Off, they watch 1988’s Big Business, directed by Jim Abrahams and starring Lily Tomlin, Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin, and Bette Midler! Ali’s a city mouse! Jon’s a country mouse! Both are trapped in a world they never made! Like Howard the Duck, who is not mentioned in the episode even once! Not sure why I’m bringing him up! I should go to bed!
Big Business also stars Fred Ward, Michael and Mary Gross, Edward Hermann, Michele Placido, and SO MANY MORE PEOPLE I DON’T FEEL LIKE GOOGLING! GOOD NIGHT!
PS: At one point I (Jon) call the creator of Garfield “Jim Abrams.” This was actually the name of my best friend in 3rd Grade. I have no excuse. I wasn’t tired then.
OH MY GOD Y’ALL. I DON’T THINK I CAN EVEN WRITE UP ANYTHING.
Just listen.
Jon introduces Ali to a world of epic whimsy with 1988’s Willow, a movie that could best be described as “Asylum Pictures Presents: Lord of the Rings.” Ali just wants to get out of her crow cage. Jon stole the baby. Both are a raging Eborsisk of nostalgia.
Willow was directed by Ron Howard and stars Wicket, Iceman, and a cast of dozens (including a surprisingly non-dirtbag Gavan O’Herlihy!
Ok, look: it turns out it’s very hard to get your stuff together during a pandemic, even if you’re both in the same house. Anyway, we finally recorded an episode! And it’s Working Girl, from 1988, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and a bunch of other great people! Seriously, a stacked cast. But was it worth it? Jon is terrified to find out. Ali is terrified this one will once again be longer than the movie. Both are making no promises when #54 finally comes out!
Can you, fly Ali?
This episode, Jon shows Ali the classic 1987 action movie/social satire Robocop, directed by Paul Verhoeven. Ali enjoys a rousing game of NUKEM! Jon buys that for a dollar. But will they be able to overcome Directive Four? Either way, dead or alive, you’re coming with them.
Robocop stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Red from that 70s Show, Sol Gann, Albert from Twin Peaks, Leeza Gibbons, Ronny Cox, and so many more character actors!
In a fitting tribute to the largely plotless ambling of 1985’s St. Elmo’s Fire, Ali and Jon spend a tremendous amount of time not really talking about anything at all, but they look good doing it. Ali walks right into a terrible joke at the beginning, Jon walks a fine line by making it. Both play some sweaty saxophone solo because it’s a Schumacher movie.
St. Elmo’s Fire was indeed directed and co-written by Joel Schumacher, and stars most of the core of the Brat Pack, plus poor Mare Winningham. OH, AND MARTIN BALSAM AND DICK VAN PATTEN’S SISTER!
Surely this can’t be our 50th Episode? Insert Dadjoke here, while we take the liberty of monkeying with our format mildly to talk about the relationship between the 1957 Canada-centric thriller Zero Hour! and 1980’s disaster spoof Airplane! Will Ali make it 10 minutes without starting to quote the movie? Can Jon set their past aside and talk her down? Can either find someone who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner? Yes, but that’s not important right now. They have a pod to cast.
BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’ BUSTIN’
So…this happened.
Ali and Jon do an impromptu episode about nothing at all, including some Q’s that they A’d from Twitter. It’s…well, it is what it is. And yes, they drank a lot that night. Everyone’s ok now, though.
We’re finally ringing in the New Year on the verge of February! We recorded this almost a month ago, but Jon took a million years to mix it for no reason! Anyway, we’re back to the pivotal year of 1985 for an almost ur-MMIS experience, The Legend Of Billie Jean! Jon wants a Furiosa Glow-Up. Ali wants Jon to remember Yeardley Smith’s character’s name. Both will be invincible…OR WILL THEY?
Happy SCARE-IDAYS from the SICKERSONS!
Ugh, sorry. We had a bad case of Cryptkeeperitis and are just getting over the puns. Anyway, this week Jon exposes Ali to the Trioxin that is Return of the Living Dead from 1985. Jon needs brains. Ali needs more motivation if she’s going to dance naked on a grave. Both might need to be nuked before the night is over.
Return of the Living Dead was directed by Dan O’Bannon, and stars Clu Gulager, the sadly missed James Karen, Don Calfa, and Linnea Quigley (whom we are legally obligated to refer to as a “Scream Queen”, and whom Jon still after decades refers to as “Leanna”).
Note: news that James Karen passed away happened just today, after we had already recorded the episode. This one’s for you, Frank.
It’s some sort of SPOOKTOBERFEST OF SCARES as Ali shows Jon April Fool’s Day, the first official “horror” movie in MMIS history (assuming we aren’t counting Return To Oz or Girls Just Want To Have Fun). But is it horror? Is it comedy? Is it a soft reboot of Just One Of the Guys? Jon wants to know. Ali wants to get out of that dang well. Both are confused by the surprising lack of nudity.
April Fool’s Day stars Biff Tannen, the actual guy from Just One of the Guys, one of the girls from Just One Of the Guys, Ryan O’Neal’s son, and at least one Jason victim.
The Bickersons found out long ago it’s a long way down nostalgia podcast road. Jon is nimble. Ali is quick. Both take a ride down the West Coast Kick.
Okay, that got old fast. Anyway, we didn’t focus on how much of a colossal asshole Chevy Chase is in every waking moment of his life, but assume that’s the subtext. Y’all know who’s in this movie, right?
It's Perceptor's Bot Mitzvah!
Who had "Animated Cash-In Licensed Toy Movie" in the "When Is Jon Going To Get Embarrassingly Emotional" pool? You won an extra long episode about 1986's The Transformers: The Movie! Jon has the touch. Ali has the power. When all hell's breaking loose? Where do you think they'll be?
TTF:TM stars Peter Cullen, the late Chris Latta, and some other people. But mostly Peter Cullen and Chris Latta. Oh, and the Micro Machines Man, who (despite what is said in the episode), was almost certainly not sped up artificially.