Episode 321 - Over the Top
Welcome back to Not A Bomb, the podcast where we resurrect cinema’s most infamous box office disasters and ask the burning question: is it a bomb? This week, Troy and Brad put on their finest sleeveless denim, grease up their elbows, and enter the wonderful world of competitive arm wrestling with Sylvester Stallone's 1987 classic, Over the Top. And for this very special episode, the guys are joined by first-time guest, Katie from the Retromade Podcast!
Over the Top is the story of Lincoln Hawk, a down-on-his-luck truck driver and professional arm wrestler who is trying to reconnect with his estranged son while traveling across the country toward the World Armwrestling Championship. It's a movie about fathers and sons, second chances, truck driving, arm wrestling, and the important lesson that apparently all you need to turn your life around is a strategically placed hat and approximately eight ounces of baby oil.
Troy, Brad, and Katie dig into the gloriously ridiculous premise, the surprisingly heartfelt father-son story, and Stallone's unique ability to make absolutely everything look like a life-or-death struggle. In Over the Top, a truck isn't just a truck. It's freedom. An arm wrestle isn't just an arm wrestle. It's destiny. And flipping your baseball cap backward isn't just a fashion choice. It's apparently a legally binding declaration that you are about to become the greatest arm wrestler who has ever lived.
Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs!
Check out the trailer for The 80s: A Motion Picture Special
Cinova - The future of Movie and TV
We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at NotABombPod@gmail.com or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Guest: Kaite
Welcome back to Not A Bomb, the podcast where we resurrect cinema’s most infamous box office disasters and ask the burning question: is it a bomb? This week, Troy and Brad put on their finest sleeveless denim, grease up their elbows, and enter the wonderful world of competitive arm wrestling with Sylvester Stallone's 1987 classic, Over the Top. And for this very special episode, the guys are joined by first-time guest, Katie from the Retromade Podcast!
Over the Top is the story of Lincoln Hawk, a down-on-his-luck truck driver and professional arm wrestler who is trying to reconnect with his estranged son while traveling across the country toward the World Armwrestling Championship. It's a movie about fathers and sons, second chances, truck driving, arm wrestling, and the important lesson that apparently all you need to turn your life around is a strategically placed hat and approximately eight ounces of baby oil.
Troy, Brad, and Katie dig into the gloriously ridiculous premise, the surprisingly heartfelt father-son story, and Stallone's unique ability to make absolutely everything look like a life-or-death struggle. In Over the Top, a truck isn't just a truck. It's freedom. An arm wrestle isn't just an arm wrestle. It's destiny. And flipping your baseball cap backward isn't just a fashion choice. It's apparently a legally binding declaration that you are about to become the greatest arm wrestler who has ever lived.
Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs!
Check out the trailer for The 80s: A Motion Picture Special
Cinova - The future of Movie and TV
We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at NotABombPod@gmail.com or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Guest: Kaite
Episode 301 - Gladiator (1992) vs Diggstown (Movie Matchup March)
There’s something special about early ‘90s boxing movies. They live in that sweet spot between grit and charm—before everything became overly polished, but after the genre had already gone a few rounds with audiences. For Episode 301 of Not A Bomb, we step into the ring with two films that don’t always get a title shot: Gladiator (1992) and Diggstown (1992).
Here is the tale of the tape:
Gladiator (1992)
Gladiator comes out swinging with raw, underground energy. It’s a coming-of-age story that doesn’t pull its punches, following a young fighter caught in a world where every decision feels like going toe-to-toe with disaster.
This movie fights in close quarters, dirty, aggressive, and personal. There’s no dancing around the ring here. Every hit lands, and you feel it. It’s the kind of film that wins on sheer grit… even if it occasionally looks like it forgot the game plan between rounds.
Gladiator Rowdy Herrington and stars Cuba Gooding Jr., James Marshall, Robert Loggia, Ossie Davis, and Brain Dennehy.
Diggstown (1992)
Diggstown, meanwhile, is light on its feet and heavy on charm. It’s less about haymakers and more about the long con—built around a bet that feels like the cinematic equivalent of calling your shot before the fight even starts.
This film shadowboxes with expectations. It jabs, it dodges, and every now and then it lands a clever uppercut of a twist. It may not hit as hard as Gladiator, but it definitely knows how to score points with the judges (and the audience).
Diggstown is directed by Michael Ritchie and stars James Woods, Louis Gossett Jr., Oliver Platt, Heather Graham, Bruce Dern
We Want to Hear From You
Got a cinematic flop you want us to tackle? Drop us a line at NotABombPod@gmail.com or reach out through our contact page. Reviews on Apple Podcasts or Spotify help us grow and keep the chaos coming.
Cast: Brad, Troy
There’s something special about early ‘90s boxing movies. They live in that sweet spot between grit and charm—before everything became overly polished, but after the genre had already gone a few rounds with audiences. For Episode 301 of Not A Bomb, we step into the ring with two films that don’t always get a title shot: Gladiator (1992) and Diggstown (1992).
Here is the tale of the tape:
Gladiator (1992)
Gladiator comes out swinging with raw, underground energy. It’s a coming-of-age story that doesn’t pull its punches, following a young fighter caught in a world where every decision feels like going toe-to-toe with disaster.
This movie fights in close quarters, dirty, aggressive, and personal. There’s no dancing around the ring here. Every hit lands, and you feel it. It’s the kind of film that wins on sheer grit… even if it occasionally looks like it forgot the game plan between rounds.
Gladiator Rowdy Herrington and stars Cuba Gooding Jr., James Marshall, Robert Loggia, Ossie Davis, and Brain Dennehy.
Diggstown (1992)
Diggstown, meanwhile, is light on its feet and heavy on charm. It’s less about haymakers and more about the long con—built around a bet that feels like the cinematic equivalent of calling your shot before the fight even starts.
This film shadowboxes with expectations. It jabs, it dodges, and every now and then it lands a clever uppercut of a twist. It may not hit as hard as Gladiator, but it definitely knows how to score points with the judges (and the audience).
Diggstown is directed by Michael Ritchie and stars James Woods, Louis Gossett Jr., Oliver Platt, Heather Graham, Bruce Dern
We Want to Hear From You
Got a cinematic flop you want us to tackle? Drop us a line at NotABombPod@gmail.com or reach out through our contact page. Reviews on Apple Podcasts or Spotify help us grow and keep the chaos coming.
Cast: Brad, Troy