The 80s Movie Podcast

The Jazz Singer (1980): Neil Diamond, Laurence Olivier and a Controversial Musical Drama - The 80s Movie Podcast

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens revisits The Jazz Singer (1980), the musical drama starring Neil Diamond in his only leading film role alongside Laurence Olivier and Lucie Arnaz. A remake of the groundbreaking 1927 film, the story follows a young singer struggling to balance family expectations and religious tradition with his ambitions for a career in popular music. Backed by a massively successful soundtrack featuring songs like “Love on the Rocks,” “Hello Again,” and “America,” the film became a commercial success even as critical reactions were sharply divided.

In this episode, Edward explores the challenges of adapting The Jazz Singer for a new era, including the decision to reshape the story around Neil Diamond’s musical persona and contemporary pop culture. He also examines Richard Fleischer’s direction, Laurence Olivier’s performance as a demanding father, and the ways the film approaches questions of faith, family obligation, identity, and celebrity.

More than forty years later, The Jazz Singer still raises interesting questions about remakes, movie stardom, and how audiences respond when musicians move into leading film roles. Whether you know the movie through Neil Diamond’s music or are discovering it for the first time, this episode of The 80s Movie Podcast revisits a film that remains a notable part of both Diamond’s career and 1980s Hollywood.

 

 

The War of the Roses (1989): Danny DeVito’s Dark Divorce Comedy with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner - The 80s Movie Podcast

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens revisits The War of the Roses (1989), Danny DeVito’s sharply observed black comedy about a marriage unraveling in spectacular fashion. Reuniting Romancing the Stone stars Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, the film follows Oliver and Barbara Rose, a wealthy couple whose seemingly perfect life collapses into an increasingly vicious battle over their home, possessions, and pride. Based on Warren Adler’s novel and co-starring DeVito as the couple’s divorce lawyer, the film turned domestic conflict into one of the darkest studio comedies of the late 1980s.

In this episode, Edward explores why The War of the Roses worked so well as both comedy and satire, examining the chemistry between Douglas and Turner, Danny DeVito’s direction, and the film’s willingness to push conflict into uncomfortable territory. He also looks at how the movie uses material success, resentment, and miscommunication to expose the fragility of relationships, while asking audiences to sit with the uncomfortable reality that neither side comes away looking sympathetic.

More than three decades later, The War of the Roses still sparks conversation for its unusually bitter tone, memorable performances, and refusal to offer easy answers about marriage or divorce. Whether you remember it as a dark comedy, a cautionary tale, or simply the final pairing of Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner’s 1980s collaborations, this episode of The 80s Movie Podcast revisits a film that remains surprisingly sharp and unsettling.

 

 

Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982): The Music Video That Changed Everything

Michael Jackson’s Thriller isn’t just a music video—it’s a landmark moment in pop culture and film history. In this episode of The 80s Movie Podcast, we dive into the making of the legendary Thriller short film, directed by John Landis, and explore how it transformed the music video into a cinematic experience. Released in 1983, it blended horror, storytelling, choreography, and music in a way that had never been done before.

We break down the iconic elements that made Thriller unforgettable, from its werewolf-inspired opening sequence to the zombie dance in the streets, complete with groundbreaking makeup effects by Rick Baker. We also explore how the video’s narrative structure, production value, and ambitious scope helped redefine what a music video could be, pushing MTV into a new era of storytelling and spectacle. The result was a cultural phenomenon that blurred the line between short film and music video.

Whether you first saw Thriller on MTV, VHS, or late-night television, this episode revisits the short film that changed the industry forever. We explore its influence on music videos, horror imagery in pop culture, and the lasting legacy of one of the most famous sequences ever put on screen.

Less Than Zero

This episode looks at the 1984 debut novel by Bret Easton Ellis, and its 1987 film adaptation.

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Bright Lights, Big City (1988): Michael J. Fox, Jay McInerney and 1980s New York Excess - The 80s Movie Podcast

This week on The 80s Movie Podcast, host Edward Havens revisits Bright Lights, Big City (1988), director James Bridges’ adaptation of Jay McInerney’s bestselling novel about grief, addiction, and ambition in late 1980s Manhattan. While audiences largely knew Michael J. Fox for the optimism and charm of Back to the Future and Family Ties, this film gave him the opportunity to take on far darker material as Jamie Conway, a young magazine fact-checker struggling to navigate personal loss, professional pressure, and the temptations of New York nightlife. Along the way, the film also features performances from Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates, Dianne Wiest, and Jason Robards, all helping to bring McInerney’s portrait of excess and isolation to the screen.

In this episode, Edward explores not only how Bright Lights, Big City adapted McInerney’s influential novel, but also why translating its distinctive second-person narration proved so difficult for filmmakers. At the same time, he examines Michael J. Fox’s decision to move against audience expectations, James Bridges’ approach to capturing Manhattan’s late-night culture, and the film’s exploration of grief, loneliness, and self-destruction beneath the surface of professional success.

Although Bright Lights, Big City received mixed reactions upon release, conversations around the film have shifted over time, particularly as viewers reassess Michael J. Fox’s dramatic performance and the movie’s depiction of 1980s excess. Whether you remember it from its original theatrical run or are discovering it for the first time, this episode of The 80s Movie Podcast takes a closer look at a film that reflects both the ambition and emotional dislocation of its era.

 

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Round Midnight

Today's show takes a look at the classic 1986 French drama about jazz, Bertrand Tavernier's Round Midnight.

Positive I.D.

This episode, we cover a movie from 1987 which was distributed by a major studio in 1987 but is all but unknown today, Andy Anderson's Positive I.D.

Generation Gap: The A Nightmare on Elm Street series

Your humble host and podcasting guru Jeff Townsend talk about the Nightmare on Elm Street series from their different generational points of view.

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A Brief History of the Nightmare on Elm Street series

As required by Section 107-14-8 of the Podcast Code, every movie podcast must do a horror-themed show during the month of October. We thus fulfill our requirement by offering this first part of a two-part series on the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.

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Amos Poe Is Our Friend and Needs Our Help

On this episode, we talk about one of the most influential yet lesser known figures of the 1970s and 1980s independent cinema movement, and how he needs our help today. Please allow me to introduce you to Amos Poe, and explain to you why he needs our help today.

If you feel like helping Amos Poe after you listen to the episode, you can make a donation through the GoFundMe page set up by his friends.