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Michael and Melinda had a plan for our promised STAR WARS episode, but special guest Drew Hamilton has a different adventure in mind. Things get technical, explicit, and really fun in the final episode of the 1986cast. Follow us @michaelnixon, @profoundlygross, and @tolstoysbees Music: “Star Wars Theme,” by John Williams, arranged by Meco (1977)

Finally, the clock strikes WATCHMEN. Melinda and Michael delve into Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal superhero teardown story with a bit less reverence than you might be expecting. Music: “All Along the Watchtower,” by Bear McCreary (2007) Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

It’s time for a John Hughes double-feature with FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF and PRETTY IN PINK - and some harsh words about Hughes’ oeuvre, manic pixie dream people (girls AND boys), and the “um actually” of it all. Music: “Oh Yeah,” by Yello (1985) Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

James Cameron’s 1986 classic ALIENS may be their main topic, but the recent release of ALIEN: COVENANT spurs a conversation of the full Alien franchise, the comparative careers of Cameron and Ridley Scott, and how hosts Michael and Melinda really feel about PROMETHEUS (the answer might surprise you) Music: “Combat Drop,” by James Horner & London Symphony Orchestra (1986) Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

With the return of TWIN PEAKS looming large, Michael & Melinda put on their finest BLUE VELVET to talk David Lynch’s 1986 masterpiece, starring Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern. Oh, and David Lynch is 71 at the time of our recording. It comes up, that’s not just a random factoid. Music: “Blue Velvet,” arranged by Angelo Badalamenti, sung by Isabella Rossellini (1986) Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Michael & Melinda chase down HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE - both the 1986 novel by Diana Wynne Jones AND the Studio Ghibli adaptation directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Music: “Opening Song - Merry-Go-Round of Life,” by Joe Hisaishi (2004) Editing by Jacob Kile. Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

A 1986 novel, a 1994 movie / glorified clip show, and now an episode of the 1986cast: FORREST GUMP. Music: “Age of Aquarius,” by The 5th Dimension (1969) Editing by Jacob Kile. Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Michael and Melinda watched 1986’s truly terrible HOWARD THE DUCK so you don’t have to. And now they’re recording a podcast about it. Enjoy! Music: “Howard the Duck Theme,” by Dolby's Cube feat. Cherry Bomb (1986) Editing by Jacob Kile. Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Melinda and Michael talk Art Spiegelman’s comic classic MAUS - along with the worlds of indie comics distribution, Shakespeare fandom, the worst of comics reporting, and the necessity of challenging yourself with difficult reading. Music: Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.3 "Polish,” performed by Jansons’ BBC National Orchestra of Wales (1986) Editing by Jacob Kile. Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

With LOGAN clawing into theaters, and new Thor and Daredevil adaptations on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to talk 1986’s “MUTANT MASSACRE!” Join Michael and Melinda as they discuss Marvel’s first major X-Event, the criss-crossing continuity of the X-Men, and dig into a little IP geekery along the way! Music: “Magneto,” by Henry Jackman (2011) Editing by Jacob Kile. Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Melinda and Michael end Fantasy February with LEGEND - Tom Cruise’s other 1986 movie. Bask in Tim Curry’s Darkness, wallow in a Ridley Scott discussion, and listen to two people who really love this movie. (Seriously, it’s great.) Music: “The Unicorn Theme,” by Tangerine Dream (1986) Editing by Jacob Kile. Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Melinda and Michael dance-magic-dance into Fantasy February with LABYRINTH - starring David Bowie and directed by Jim Henson - but is this 1986 fantasy classic as classic as some claim? (No. We vote no.) Music: “Dance Magic Dance,” David Bowie & Trevor Jones (1986) Edited by Jacob Kile. Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Michael and Melinda travel back to 1986 to talk about Doctor Who’s “The Trial of a Time Lord,” and talk the villainous Valeyard, legendary Who writer Robert Holmes, the series’ complex continuity, and how a group of fans took over the canon of the franchise. Music: Doctor Who Unbound theme, by Lee Mansfield (2008) Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Michael and Melinda take on John Carpenter’s BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA and talk Writers Guild arbitration, differing opinions on the 1986 film classic (or is it?), and the shadow of Hollywood racism. Music: “The Great Arcade / Final Escape Pt. 1,” by John Carpenter (1986) Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Melinda and Michael delve into RAN (“Chaos”), Akira Kurosawa’s epic 1985 masterpiece, its effect on 1986’s awards season, and delve into some fun tangents - including Japanese film history, the auteur theory, and Kenneth Branagh’s quest for Oscar gold. Music: “Hell’s Picture Scroll,” from the RAN soundtrack by Toru Takemitsu (1985) - http://apple.co/2eK4F7L Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Melinda and Michael delve into Stephen King’s IT - the 1986 classic novel, the 1990 miniseries adaptation, the upcoming film - and properties it inspired, including Netflix’s recent hit Stranger Things. Music: “Opening,” from Carnival (1961 Original Broadway Cast Recording), composed by Bob Merrill Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Melinda and Michael crack open a nice Chianti and hunt the Tooth Fairy in 1986’s MANHUNTER - the first adaptation of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter series - and cover Hannibal, Fannibals, Michael Mann, and MANHUNTER. Music: “Goodbye Horses,” Q Lazzarus (1988) Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

With Luke Cage on the Marvel Netflix horizon, we talk DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's 1986 comics masterpiece, which redefined Marvel's Daredevil and inspired Netflix's take on the Man Without Fear. Music: “Daredevil Theme," remixed by MIDNITEMEN, from "Main Title" by John Paesano & Braden Kimball (2015) Thanks for listening! Find more from us @the1986cast!

Today: TOP GUN, the 1986 box office blockbuster that awakened pop culture's love for Tom Cruise, the military, and sweaty beach action. Find more from us @the1986cast! Excerpt of Quentin Tarantino from the 1994 film "Sleep with Me." Music: “Top Gun Anthem," Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens (1986) Thanks for listening!

Today: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, the tabletop role-playing game that caused a Satanic Panic. WARNING: Discussion of suicide, self-harm, and mental issues occurs in this episode. (We give a verbal warning in-episode when this begins.) Find more from us @the1986cast! Music: “Glory of Love," Peter Cetera (1986) Thanks!