In 1988 the Muscles from Brussels, Jean-Claude Van Damme, appeared in his first leading role as Frank Dux, the first American fighter to win the Kumite. And as the end credits indicate this movie was based on the true events of Frank Dux life, who fought and won 329 matches between 1975 and 1980, was an undercover CIA operative who entered the Kumite to take down the Japanese mob, the Yakuza, and who with one arm tied behind his back beat up Chuck Norris. And while none of that may be true, it c...
Feb 21, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 117
A wise woman once told her love-stricken friend, “don't go mistaking paradise for a pair of long legs”. The legs she was referring to belonged to Amanda Jones (played by Lea Thompson). The advice was given by Watts (played by Mary Stuart Masterson), and the reluctant recipient of the sage warning was Keith (played by Eric Stoltz). Some Kind Of Wonderful was more than a movie, it was a love sonnet penned by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch. It checked all the boxes... Teen angst Love Jea...
Feb 14, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 116
BY 2017 THE WORLD ECONOMY HAS COLLAPSED. FOOD, NATURAL RESOURCES AND OIL ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY. A POLICE STATE, DIVIDED INTO PARAMILITARY ZONES, RULES WITH AN IRON HAND. TELEVISION IS CONTROLLED BY THE STATE AND A SADISTIC GAME SHOW CALLED "THE RUNNING MAN" HAS BECOME THE MOST POPULAR PROGRAM IN HISTORY. ALL ART, MUSIC, AND COMMUNICATIONS ARE CENSORED. NO DISSENT IS TOLERATED AND YET A SMALL RESISTANCE MOVEMENT HAS MANAGED TO SURVIVE UNDERGROUND. WHEN HIGH-TECH GLADIATORS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO SUPPRES...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 115
Before playing Simon in The Saint, Chris in Heat, Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever, Doc Holliday in Tombstone, Jim Morrison in The Doors, Madmartigan in Willow, and Iceman in Top Gun, Val Kilmer graced the big screen as Chris Knight in Real Genius! This movie had it all, science, adventure, romance, popcorn. If you've never seen it shame on you, if you have get read because we're about to blind you with science. Today on Buzzn The Tower we'll build lasers and talk about Max's favorite movie from th...
Jan 31, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 114
Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama Key Largo, Montego Baby, why don't we go? Jamaica Off to the 1980s There's a movie called Cocktail It's Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue, and Bryan Brown from F/X too Some people think it stinks But we don't care what they think We'll be talking about Cocktail today, on Buzzn The Tower With Mooooooo and Max I'm Mo Shapiro and joining me as always the Brian Flanagan to my Doug Coughlin, Max THE BARTENDER Sanders!!! And with tha...
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 113
John Hughes, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall. Let me say that again, John Hughes, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall. The 1980s were dominated with coming of age movies, but Sixteen Candles was different. It borrowed some of the raunch of Porky's, the angst of Fast Times At Ridgemont High, and the comedy of National Lampoon's Vacation. Even surrounded by a decade of teen comedic romps, Sixteen Candles managed to stand out. It did something unique. It's story wasn't just about the jock or ...
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 112
At the age of 9, life could not be any better. I had a Nintendo, WWF wrestling, and had just watched Back To The Future a couple years earlier. My days were spend eating Teddy Grahams and drinking Snapple and the weekends were reserved for my fill of Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse. I was happy, I was content. Little did I know that true joy, true happiness, was right around the corner. June of 1988 the groundbreaking film Who Framed Roger Rabbit changed the game forever. Ever juvenile emotion I had...
Jan 10, 2023•59 min•Ep. 111
What better way to kickoff 2023 than to revisit Richard Donner's second best film ever, The Goonies of course being the first. Riggs, Murtaugh, and of course Mr. Joshua. I like my Busey burning his arm with a lighter or telling Utah to "give me two." Today on Buzzn The Tower we'll deep dive in the buddy cop film that set the bar for all buddy cop films, 1987's Lethal Weapon. I'm Mo Shapiro and joining me as always the Riggs to my Murtaugh, Max Sanders. And with that, I'm getting to old for this ...
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 110
About a year ago, Buzzn The Tower had the absolute honor of having Rebecca Tickell on the show. If you don't know who Rebecca is, let me refresh your memory. In 1989 there was a movie called Prancer. It's about a farm girl nurses a wounded reindeer she believes is one of Santa's, hoping to bring it back to health in time for Christmas. Her holiday spirit inspires those around her, something her disheartened father is having trouble understanding. You might remember her father, Sam Elliot, from s...
Dec 27, 2022•59 min•Ep. 109
'Tis the season to be jolly, holly, and spread 80s movie cheer. Whether you spin the dreidel or put lights in your tree, December is a month filled with reasons to give and receive. And it's also a great time to celebrate the two year anniversary of Buzzn The Tower. So today what better way to celebrate holiday emotions than to have a good old fashioned gift exchange. We'll pick items from each others favorite 80s movies, wrap them up nice and pretty, and present them as we discuss our 80s colle...
Dec 20, 2022•53 min•Ep. 108
Today we're kicking off our fun old-fashion podcast by heading out into the country in the old front-wheel-drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape and recast one of the most important 80s holiday movies ever, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. As always we'll proceed with caution as we select alternative actors and actresses from the 80s to replace iconic performances given by Chevy, Beverly, Randy, and crew. We're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest podcast Max. I'm...
Dec 13, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 107
It is a time of dread… Seers have foretold the birth of a child who will bring about the downfall of the powerful queen Bavmorda. Seizing all pregnant women in the realm, the evil queen vows to destroy the child when it is born... If that doesn't scream family movie to you, I don't know what does. George Lucas, Ron Howard, Val Kilmer, R2-D2, and half the Ewoks that lived on Endor's moon gave us two full hours of magic, mystery, and of course romance. Today on Buzzn The Tower, we'll inhale Dust o...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 106
Tis the season for Dudley Moore dressed as an elf, Cousin Eddie kidnapping Clark's boss, a holiday party at Nakatomi Plaza, and Bill Murray being visited by three ghosts. And while Santa Claus The Movie, Christmas Vacation, Die Hard, and Scrooged are classics, we cannot forget the gold standard for holiday movies. Of course I'm talking about 1983's A Christmas Story. In fact it's so treasured it runs on a 24 hour loop every Christmas Eve through Christmas Day. But today we're not talking about A...
Nov 29, 2022•56 min•Ep. 105
Neal Page was thankful to finally make it home to his family, and Del Griffith was thankful to have a new friend and not be alone on Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that every Thanksgiving I get to watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles despite ugly face crying during the last five minutes. The movies of the 1980s have brought so much joy to so many people. Here we are, four decades later, ranking debating and laughing about the greatest films ever made. What better way to kick off the holiday season t...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 104
The poet laureate Connor MacLeod of the clan MacLeod once said "there can be only one", and those words ring as true today as they did when he uttered them thousands of years ago. Winning isn't everything it's the only thing and the 80s were filled with winners! Actors, actresses, directors, writers, producers, and even composers who dominated the cinema during the best decade of film deserve their recognition. Today on Buzzn The Tower, we'll provide the definitive list of movie magic makers who...
Nov 15, 2022•58 min•Ep. 103
When Thanos collected all six of the Infinity Stones, the Mad Titan snapped his fingers erasing half of all living things in the universe. Don't get me wrong that sounds terrible, but at least the remaining half had access to the Three Amigos and Coming To America. And that leads us to today's episode. Imagine if you dare, a Thanos snap that would murder half of the 1980s John Landis collection. I know it's too hard to even consider but today on Buzzn The Tower that's exactly what we'll do, as w...
Nov 08, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 102
When your spirit animal is a trash panda it's hard to imagine not liking any type of rotting food you find. In fact I've been quoted as saying the following... "Caddyshack 2 isn't that bad of a movie" "I love all the Police Academy films" "Guildor aside, Dolph Lundgren does a decent job as He-Man in Masters Of The Universe" And Max, well we all know he has no taste at all. But deep within the hallowed halls of our 80s film library, there exists some movies we simply can't stand. A movie or two t...
Nov 01, 2022•58 min•Ep. 101
Right now, Max is looking at me a little strange because he doesn't know that I completely hijacked the show and we're not going to be talking about Hellraiser. But there's a reason for that. I'll be going through two important things that are key to the success of Buzzn The Tower. Number one, Max's engagement and all things related to it that are 80s. And number two, a speed review of the 99 episodes that came prior to this 100th episode. Strap in, get ready, because today on Buzzn The Tower we...
Oct 25, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 100
Clive Barker is the most terrifying human being on earth. It wasn't enough that he wrote the novel The Hellbound Heart, he then needed to write a screenplay based on the novel and direct it. And as a result, we have Hellraiser. This film would make Cronenberg puke, Wes Craven scream, and Max Sanders...well we'll have to see what it did to him. Today on Buzzn The Tower, we'll become the explorers of the further regions of experience as we deep dive into Hellraiser. I'm Mo Shapiro and joining me a...
Oct 18, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 99
Welcome to October, a month dedicated to the horror films of the 80s! Freddy, Jason, Michael (Myers not Jackson) and of course Pinhead to name but a few. What better way to kick off the month then to revisit a true classic…and then recast it. Written and Directed by Wes Craven, A Nightmare on Elm Street started a franchise that has collectively grossed over 472 million dollars. But more importantly, has made generations of children (and some adults) afraid to fall asleep. Today on Buzzn The Towe...
Oct 11, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 98
If I had to pick one 80s movie character to kill Max, it would be Howard The Duck. I'd sit quietly as he unleashed a barrage of round house kicks to Max’s face, compliments of Duck Fu. Watching him die by the hands of the very thing he loves would bring me such pleasure. But to keep things fair, I'd have to allow Max to choose an 80s movie character to defend himself. And that my friends is what we're going to be talking about. On today’s episode, we'll be choosing our killer and protector, as I...
Oct 04, 2022•46 min•Ep. 97
It was the summer of 1990, I was 11 years old and about to start middle school. Everything around me was changing, my body, my feelings, especially my feelings. I became keenly aware that not only girls existed, but they were magical. On an otherwise normal Saturday night, my mom rented a movie for us to watch called Adventures In Babysitting. It was this evening that all the changes I'd been going through all seemed to make sense. On that night, I fell in love with Elisabeth Shue. And while thi...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 96
Would you rather kiss your mother in an attempt to get your father to break it up and have them fall in love so you'll be born in the future...or...have your dad tell you that you're the best at kissing and share that with your cousin while on a teeter totter in the desert? Burning 80s questions like this one and many more, many many more, in fact a plethora await you on this episode. Today we'll play a little "would you rather" 80s edition, and see if we can make even more weird than my first q...
Sep 20, 2022•49 min•Ep. 95
With great power comes great responsibility. Hosting a podcast dedicated to the best decade of film ever is not something we take lightly. The Goonies, Empire Strikes Back, Breakfast Club, the list of classics goes on forever. Carpenter, Spielberg, Hughes, Lucas, the 80s had it all! So for this reason it is our duty, nay our privilege to talk about one of the greatest films ever made, any decade. Today on Buzzn The Tower, we'll deep dive into Weekend At Bernie's. I'm Mo Shapiro and joining me as...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 94
An 80s movie without a choice vehicle is like a groom without a best man. Don't believe me, here are just a few to make my point... Cobretti’s 1950 Mercury Monterey Coupe Stiles "Wolfmobile" Uncle Buck's 1977 brown Mercury Marquee Brougham Joel's dad's 1979 Porsche 928 Cousin Eddie's RV Wagon Queen Family Truckster Em-50 Urban Assault Vehicle from Stripes Today on Buzzn The Tower, we'll list our Favorite 80s Movie Vehicles. I'm Mo Shapiro, and joining me as always the guy I frequently diss in th...
Sep 06, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 93
There is nothing more difficult than making a great comedy. And within comedic cinema, there are scenes so funny, so perfect, that they live rent free in our minds for decades. In the 90s, we had Lloyd and Harry arriving at the party in their tuxedos, and Happy Gilmore boxing with Bob Barker. In the early 2000s, we watched McLovin get knocked at trying to buy beer, Prestige Worldwide perform at the Catalina Wine Mixer, and Frank The Tank go streaking. But the 80s…well that's a different story al...
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 92
The 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds is a roadmap to success for anyone not born with a jawline like Stan Gable. Have a good attitude, go to college, start your own fraternity, have a robot clean your house. Simple as that. So why mess with perfection? Because at Buzzn The Tower that's just the kind of nerds we are. Today on Buzzn The tower we'll recast Revenge Of The Nerds using actors and actresses from the 80s. I'm Mo Shapiro and joining me as always the Gilbert to my Lewis, Max Sanders. And wi...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 91
Todays episode, favorite fictional movie bands. Who can forget Marty McFly’s audition, with his band the Pinheads. Great riffs, solid drums, strong stage presence. To think that one judge had the audacity to say they were just too darn loud. And how about that country club 20 piece band that played at Bushwood. All it took was Al Chervick asking Ringo to play something hot, flash some singles, and boom rock and roll. Our favorite 80s movies are filled with fictional bands that made our toe tap, ...
Aug 16, 2022•49 min•Ep. 90
What do Lindon B. Johnson, Camilla Parker Bowles, and George Lazenby have in common? They had the distinct honor of filling John F. Kennedy, Princess Diana, and Sean Connery’s James bond shoes. Greatness is rare. The replacement of greatness being great is even more rare. Scholars agree that the 1987 John McTiernan film Predator, is the greatest film ever made. And while Predator 2 was a valiant effort to recapture lightening in a bottle, for the most part all those who have followed have been a...
Aug 09, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 89
Rotten Tomatoes has become the preeminent film reviewer. Algorithmic vegetable mathematics provide the average Joe a look at what the pros think, and a look at what the fans think. And while you may not always agree with the rating you can't argue the gospel that is, RottenTomatoes.com As luck would have it, Max stumbled into a Tik Tok were participants were challenged to use Tomatometer ratings as point values, and create watch lists not exceeding certain established limits. Sound confusing? Do...
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 88
