Too Old or Pure Gold Movie Podcast

This week we're thinking small with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). With incredible practical effects, a surprisingly emotional ant, and enough parental negligence to keep social services busy for years, this Disney adventure was a childhood favourite for an entire generation. But does Honey, I Shrunk the Kids still deliver big entertainment, or has its charm shrunk with age?

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we're heading to Santa Carla, the murder capital of the world, to revisit The Lost Boys (1987). With a killer soundtrack, plenty of leather jackets, and one very enthusiastic saxophone player, and you've got one of the most iconic vampire movies of the decade. But does The Lost Boys still have its bite, or has this 80s cult classic finally lost its fangs?

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we're heading to Haddonfield for Halloween (1978), the horror classic that taught an entire generation to fear babysitting, dark hallways, and anyone wearing a William Shatner mask. Nearly 50 years later, does Halloween still deserve its reputation as one of the greatest horror films ever made, or has Michael Myers finally lost his edge?

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we’re taking it all off with The Full Monty (1997). Robert Carlyle leads a group of unemployed Sheffield steelworkers who decide the obvious solution to their financial problems is to become strippers. Beneath the laughs, the film tackles unemployment, masculinity, friendship, body image, and self-worth with a surprising amount of heart. Nearly 30 years later, does The Full Monty still have what it takes to go all the way, or should these guys have kept their trousers on?

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we see the future with The Dead Zone (1983). Christopher Walken wakes from a five-year coma with the ability to see what’s coming and quickly discovers that knowing the future isn’t exactly the superpower it sounds like. Does The Dead Zone remain one of the best Stephen King adaptations, or should this vision of the future have stayed in the past?

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we slow things down and spend the summer with On Golden Pond (1981). Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn bring us aging, family tensions, old wounds, and one extremely cantankerous Norman Thayer, while Jane Fonda tries to repair a complicated relationship with her father. It’s quieter than our usual explosions, sword fights, and killer snowmen, but does this Oscar-winning drama still pack an emotional punch, or has On Golden Pond gotten a little too old?

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we’re joined by Vinnie Tortorich to hit the mat with Vision Quest (1985). Matthew Modine plays a high-school wrestler who decides to drop weight and take on the toughest opponent around—all while navigating first love, brutal training, and peak 80s determination. With Linda Fiorentino, an unforgettable soundtrack, and Madonna stopping by to sing “Crazy for You,” does Vision Quest still make weight, or has this coming-of-age sports classic finally been pinned by time?

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, there can be only one! We’re joined once again by special guest Mark Wolters to revisit Highlander (1986), the movie that gave us immortal sword fights, Sean Connery playing an Egyptian Spaniard with a Scottish accent, and a Queen soundtrack that had absolutely no reason to go this hard. Does this gloriously strange 80s fantasy still deserve immortality, or is it finally time to take its head?

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we revisit The Toy (1982), the Richard Pryor comedy that asks one of the strangest questions in movie history: what if a billionaire bought a person as a plaything for his spoiled son? With Pryor's legendary charisma, Jackie Gleason chewing the scenery, and a premise that raises more than a few eyebrows today, we break down the laughs, the heart, and the uncomfortable moments. Does this forgotten comedy still have something to say, or should it stay in the toy box?
Hosts: Olen Vanderleeden & Mathew Stockton
Cast: Will Corry & Josh Fleming

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we head back to school with The Substitute (1996), where Tom Berenger proves that the best way to deal with a difficult classroom is apparently to send in a mercenary. With gangs, corruption, covert operations, and a teaching style definitely not approved by the school board, this is peak 90s action-movie logic. But is The Substitute an underrated action gem, or should this class have been dismissed decades ago? Time to find out.
Hosts: Olen Vanderleeden & Mathew Stockton
Cast: Emily & Clef Seeley

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we turn down the lights and revisit 9½ Weeks (1986). Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger star in the erotic drama that became a pop-culture phenomenon thanks to blindfolds, refrigerators, and a whole lot of questionable relationship decisions. We revisit the chemistry, the controversy, and that unforgettable soundtrack to ask: is this still a seductive 80s classic, or has 9½ Weeks aged into 117 minutes of red flags?

Hosts: Mathew Stockton & Olen Vanderleeden
Cast: Nicky Morda & Will Corry

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we crawl through a tiny office door and straight into John Malkovich’s head with Being John Malkovich (1999). Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze give us puppets, identity crises, questionable relationships, and one of the strangest premises ever committed to film. More than 25 years later, is this surreal comedy still as clever and original as we remember, or is it weird simply for the sake of being weird?
Hosts: Olen Vanderleeden & MathewStockton
Cast: Sean & Josh

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we plug into David Cronenberg's Scanners (1981), the sci-fi horror classic that gave us one of the most unforgettable scenes in movie history. Beyond the exploding heads, we explore psychic warfare, corporate conspiracies, and Cronenberg's uniquely unsettling vision of the human mind. Is Scanners a true body horror masterpiece, or is it remembered for one spectacular moment? Join us as we find out if it's too old... or pure gold.
Host: Olen Vanderleeden & Chris
Cast: Josh Fleming & Anthony

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we journey to the mystical world of The Dark Crystal (1982) with special guest Brad Elliott. Jim Henson and Frank Oz created one of the most ambitious fantasy films ever made, bringing an entire world to life without a single human actor. From the unforgettable Skeksis to the breathtaking puppetry and world-building, we explore whether this fantasy classic still captivates audiences—or if it's simply too strange for modern viewers. Join us as we discover if The Dark Crystal is too old... or pure gold.

Hosts: Olen van der Leeden & Mathew Stockton
Special Guest: Brad Elliott
Cast: Will Corry & Anthony

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we crack open one of horror’s strangest cult classics: Phantasm (1979). With the mysterious Tall Man, deadly silver spheres, killer dwarfs, and a plot that feels like it was dreamed up at 3 a.m., this low-budget horror icon has been unsettling audiences for decades. But does Phantasm still deliver the chills, or is it just a bizarre relic from horror's golden age?

Host: Olen Vanderleeden & Mathew Stockton
Cast: Anthony & Evan Mallick

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we dive into James Cameron’s underwater sci-fi epic The Abyss (1989) with special guest Kirk Krack, one of the world's leading freediving and underwater experts. Together, we explore the film’s groundbreaking visual effects, the realities of deep-sea diving, and the incredible performances from Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Does The Abyss still stand as one of Cameron’s greatest achievements, or has it sunk beneath the waves of time?

Special Guest: Kirk Krack
Hosts: Olen Vanderleeden & Mathew Stockton
Cast: Sean & Nicole

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we set sail with Jason and the Argonauts (1963), the mythological adventure that inspired generations of filmmakers. From clashing skeletons and towering bronze giants to gods meddling in mortal affairs, Ray Harryhausen’s groundbreaking stop-motion effects remain legendary. But over 60 years later, does this fantasy epic still feel magical, or has it become more of a museum piece?
Host: Olen Vanderleeden
Cast: Anthony & Sean

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we revisit The Princess Bride (1987), the fairy tale that somehow has everything: sword fights, true love, revenge, pirates, giants, rodents of unusual size, and one of the most quotable scripts ever written. It's a movie beloved by multiple generations, but does it still enchant first-time viewers, or is its reputation bigger than its legend?
Cast: Olen Vanderleeden & Mathew Stockton
Host: Nicole & Evan Mallick

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we dive into Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling epic Magnolia (1999). With an all-star cast including Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, and Jason Robards, this ambitious drama weaves together stories of love, regret, forgiveness, and... frogs. Does this critically acclaimed masterpiece still captivate audiences, or is it simply too long and too strange for modern viewers? Join us as we unpack one of the most talked-about films of the 90s.
Hosts: Olen Vanderleeden & Mathew Stockton
Co-Hosts: Clef Seeley & Will Corry

This week on Too Old or Pure Gold, we revisit Straight Talk (1992), the comedy where Dolly Parton accidentally becomes a radio advice host despite having absolutely no qualifications other than being Dolly Parton. Does this overlooked rom-com still deserve a listen, or should it stay off the air?
Hosts: Olen Vanderleeden & Kim
Cast: Jess, Nicole, & Will Corry