The cinema of the 1980s brought us many great showdowns: Kirk vs. Khan, Rocky Balboa vs. Clubber Lang, Tom Cody vs. Raven Shattick… and now PAUL VS. JAVI! And what brought these two to go toe to toe? None other than Joe Dante’s beloved Amblin classic Gremlins! Join us as Paul and Javi - refereed by the ever equitable Producer Brad - clash over this timeless phantasmagoria of small town Americana, par-for-the-course ’80s orientalism, and unhinged looney tunes puppet mayhem and ultra-violence. Find out what happens when Javi buys unreservedly into the insanity while Paul insists on even the slightest semblance of verisimilitude. It’s Phoebe Cates at her most lovable… right up until she spoils it for the world that THERE’S NO SANTA CLAUS! It’s Zach Gallligan and Corey Feldman as breathtakingly age-inappropriate best friends! It’s Dick Miller as the living manifestation of Reagan era malaise and xenophobia! It’s peak puppetry as a bunch of adorable fuzzy little critters turn into reptilian incarnations of rapacious late capitalism with a love of classic Disney cartoons! It’s wild, it’s crazy, it’s a grand guignol of puppet violence disguised as a Christmas movie… it’s GREMLINS!
Show Notes:
US Theatrical Release Date: June 8, 1984
Weekend Domestic Box Office Chart for June 8, 1984
Weekend Domestic Box Office Chart for July 6, 1984
1984 Top-Grossing Movies - The Numbers
Gremlins (1984) - AFI Catalog Entry
Gremlins movie review & film summary - Roger Ebert
‘Gremlins’ (1984) Review - The New York Times
Joe Dante Reflects on 35 Years of GREMLINS - Nerdist
How ‘The Temple of Doom’ Changed the MPAA Ratings System
'Gremlins 3' Delayed to 2028 by Warner Bros.
","author_name":"Javier Grillo-Marxuach |Paul Alvarado-Dykstra | Bradley Dumont"}