The 80s Movie Podcast

Miramax Films Part Five (1989): How sex, lies, and videotape Made Miramax a Powerhouse

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens concludes his deep dive into the theatrical releases of Miramax during the 1980s by exploring the company’s defining breakthrough year: 1989. What began as a scrappy independent distributor suddenly transformed into an awards contender and indie powerhouse thanks to a remarkable lineup of films that included sex, lies, and videotape, My Left Foot, Scandal, and Cinema Paradiso. It was the year Miramax stopped being just another indie distributor, and became a major force in modern cinema.

Edward traces how Steven Soderbergh’s microbudget Sundance sensation became a box-office phenomenon, how Daniel Day-Lewis delivered an Oscar-winning breakthrough performance, and why prestige imports like Scandal and The Little Thief helped establish Miramax’s reputation for championing daring international and independent filmmaking. Along the way: forgotten genre releases, the origins of what would become Dimension Films, and the business decisions that helped shape the future of 1990s independent cinema.

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Miramax Films, Part Four: 1988, Miramax Is Here. Get Used To It.

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens continues his deep dive into the theatrical releases of Miramax with a look at the company’s pivotal year of 1988, a moment when the scrappy independent distributor began transforming into a serious force in prestige cinema. While still releasing forgotten curiosities and underseen imports, Miramax also landed two films that would fundamentally change the company’s reputation: The Thin Blue Line and Pelle the Conqueror.

Edward explores how Errol Morris’ groundbreaking documentary revolutionized nonfiction filmmaking through reenactments, true-crime storytelling, and investigative reporting that helped overturn the wrongful conviction of Randall Dale Adams. Plus: how Pelle the Conqueror, directed by Bille August and starring Max von Sydow, became an international sensation, winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes and eventually earning Miramax its first Academy Award win, for Best Foreign Language Film.

Along the way, Edward revisits forgotten Miramax releases from 1988 including The Land of Faraway, Going Undercover, Murder One, Dakota, and Aria, revealing how a company built on eclectic imports and risky acquisitions finally began to establish itself as a major player in independent cinema.

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William Friedkin’s Forgotten Serial Killer Thriller: Rampage (1987/1992)

Rampage is one of the most fascinating and overlooked films of the 1980s. In this episode of The 80s Movie Podcast, we dive into the troubled production, disturbing subject matter, and complicated legacy of William Friedkin’s 1987 crime thriller. Written, directed, and produced by Friedkin, the film tells the story of a chilling serial killer case that pushes the justice system, morality, and the death penalty debate to their limits.

We explore how Rampage was originally intended as a hard-edged courtroom and psychological drama inspired by real-life crimes, and how its production became entangled with the collapse of De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. The film’s fate was sealed when the studio went bankrupt, delaying its release for years and leaving it largely unseen by audiences at the time. Despite being completed in the late 1980s, the film did not receive proper distribution until the early 1990s, contributing to its reputation as one of Friedkin’s most misunderstood works.

Whether you’re a fan of William Friedkin’s filmmaking or discovering Rampage for the first time, this episode revisits a dark, challenging, and often forgotten corner of 1980s cinema. We break down why the film still feels unsettling today, how it fits into Friedkin’s career, and why some of the most interesting films of the decade are the ones that nearly disappeared entirely.

Miramax Films Part Three - 1987: Working Girls, Indie Cinema & Miramax’s Rise

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, we continue our deep dive into the history of Miramax by exploring the movies the distributor released in 1987, the year the company began its climb toward becoming an independent film powerhouse.

From Lizzie Borden's fiery masterwork Working Girls to overlooked releases like I've Heard the Mermaids Singing and Crazy Moon, host Edward Havens looks at the films, filmmakers, and business decisions that helped shape Miramax’s early reputation in the world of independent cinema.

Plus the strange release history of The Magic Snowman, Oscar-qualifying theatrical runs, forgotten 1980s releases, and how 1987 became a turning point for Miramax before its breakout years in 1988 and 1989.

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The Lost 1980s Movie Nobody Could Find For Years: Oklahoma Smugglers (1987)

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens falls down a research rabbit hole and uncovers one of the strangest forgotten films of the 1980s: Oklahoma Smugglers, a little-seen 1987 action-comedy that seemingly vanished from existence after a limited Southern theatrical release and a lone VHS release in 1988. What happened to this lost movie — and why couldn’t anyone see it for decades?

Along the way, we explore the growing problem of disappearing films, from silent-era lost cinema to modern streaming removals, and how obscure independent movies can slip through the cracks of film history. Featuring discussion of film preservation, regional theatrical distribution, forgotten VHS releases, and the bizarre history behind one of the rarest 80s movies ever discussed on the podcast.

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Miramax Films Part Two: The Early Rise of an Indie Film Empire (1984–1986)

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens continues his deep dive into the history of Miramax by exploring the films the company released between 1984 and 1986—a crucial stretch that helped shape the future of American independent cinema. Before becoming an awards-season powerhouse, Miramax was still fighting for recognition, distributing eclectic, underseen, and often unconventional films while trying to survive in a Hollywood landscape dominated by the major studios.

From forgotten mid-80s releases to the business realities of independent film distribution, this episode looks at how Miramax slowly built its reputation during its formative years. Along the way, Edward explores the filmmakers, industry challenges, and key movies that helped set the stage for Miramax’s eventual breakout in the late 1980s.

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Miramax Films Part One: How It All Began (1980–1983)

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens begins a multi-part deep dive into the origins of Miramax and its unlikely rise from scrappy independent distributor to one of the most influential forces in modern cinema. Focusing on the company’s earliest years (1980–1983), this episode explores how brothers Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein built Miramax through concert films, imports, and unconventional acquisitions, long before awards campaigns and Hollywood dominance.

Along the way, Edward revisits early Miramax releases including Rockshow, The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and The Burning, while exploring the strange, often messy business of early independent film distribution in the 1980s. Plus: Edward shares personal stories from his own encounters with Miramax during his movie theater days and reflects on the complicated legacy of the Weinstein era.

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Martha Coolidge’s Forgotten Undercover High School Comedy: Plain Clothes (1988)

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens wraps up his miniseries on director Martha Coolidge with a look back at her overlooked 1988 comedy Plain Clothes. Starring Arliss Howard as an undercover police officer posing as a high school student to investigate the suspicious death of his younger brother, Plain Clothes blends teen comedy, murder mystery, and fish-out-of-water humor into one of the stranger studio comedies of the late 1980s.

Along the way, Edward explores how the film followed Coolidge’s cult favorite Real Genius, why Plain Clothes struggled to find an audience despite a cast that included Suzy Amis, George Wendt, and Max Perlich, and how the movie became one of those forgotten 80s cable and video-store discoveries that audiences still occasionally rediscover today.

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Val Kilmer, Martha Coolidge & an Underrated 80s Sci-Fi Comedy: Real Genius (1985)

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens continues his informal miniseries on director Martha Coolidge with a look back at her 1985 cult favorite Real Genius. Starring Val Kilmer in one of his earliest iconic roles, this smart sci-fi comedy follows a teenage prodigy and his brilliant classmates as they unknowingly develop laser technology for a dangerous military project at a Caltech-inspired university.

Edward explores the making of Real Genius, from Coolidge’s extensive research with real science students and laser experts to the film’s unusual blend of college comedy, Cold War anxiety, and razor-sharp humor. Plus: why the movie struggled at the box office in 1985 despite its originality, how it became a beloved cable and VHS favorite, and why many fans now consider it one of the smartest and most underrated movies of the decade.

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Martha Coolidge’s Forgotten (and Infamous) 80s Sex Comedy: Joy of Sex (1984)

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens continues his unofficial Martha Coolidge miniseries with a look back at her 1984 comedy Joy of Sex, arguably the strangest and most troubled film of her career. Released by Paramount Pictures and loosely inspired by the bestselling sex manual by Alex Comfort, the movie attempted to turn a controversial cultural phenomenon into a mainstream teen comedy… with mixed results.

Edward dives into the bizarre production history behind Joy of Sex, including abandoned versions involving Dudley Moore, Monty Python, John Hughes, John Belushi, and director Penny Marshall, before Martha Coolidge finally stepped in under intense studio pressure. Plus: why the film struggled to connect with audiences, its ties to National Lampoon-style comedies, and how a cast featuring Michelle Meyrink, Christopher Lloyd, and Ernie Hudson became trapped in one of the oddest forgotten movies of the 1980s.

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