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InSession Film Podcast Revisits 1985s Most Influential Movies in Episode 699
On the week of his 41st birthday, host JD Edwards turned back the clock in episode 699 of the InSession Film Podcast, turning 1985 into a cinematic time capsule. Released in early September 2026 and available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the InSession website, the episode pairs a head‑to‑head comparison of two curated top‑five lists with a sweeping look at the year’s broader output.
JD began the discussion by announcing his birthday that week and explaining that the episode would serve as a retrospective of his birth year. Together with co‑host Megan Young, he revealed his personal ranking of the five best movies released in 1985.
In JD’s list, the American coming‑of‑age comedy‑drama The Breakfast Club takes the crown, followed by the Soviet anti‑war epic Come and See, the neo‑noir thriller To Live and Die in L.A., the science‑fiction adventure Back to the Future, and the New York‑set comedy After Hours. The Breakfast Club, directed by John Hughes, debuted through Universal Pictures on February 15, 1985, and has since become a cultural touchstone for teen cinema.
Megan’s selection opens with Hayao Miyazaki’s animated masterpiece Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, a film that premiered in Japan in 1985 and later received a wide international release. She follows with Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, Blood Simple—the Coen brothers’ first feature—and The Hills Have Eyes Part II, a horror sequel that premiered in October 1985.
After the two top‑five debates, the hosts broadened the conversation to include a combined list of honorable mentions. The 30‑title roster spans French drama Vagabond, Brazilian social satire Brazil, Japanese period drama Ran, and American crime thriller Witness. Other entries feature the comedy Lost in America, the adventure film Peewee’s Big Adventure, the Western Pale Rider, the action‑thriller Police Story, the drama The Color Purple, the action comedy Beverly Hills Cop, the adventure film The Goonies, the science‑fiction comedy Weird Science, the comedy Better Off Dead, the horror Re‑Animator, the fantasy Return to Oz, the fantasy The Black Cauldron, the action film The Legend of Billie Jean, the drama The Bountiful, the animal drama The Plague Dogs, the comedy Desperately Seeking Susan, the Western Silverado, the comedy Day of the Dad, the mystery Clue, and the adventure The Journey of Natty Gann.
The episode’s structure—alternating between the two top‑five lists and a discussion of the broader cinematic landscape—highlights 1985 as a year of both mainstream hits and underappreciated gems. While Back to the Future and The Breakfast Club dominated box‑office charts and cultural memory, films such as Come and See and Nausicaa are often cited by scholars for their artistic ambition and lasting influence.
Listeners were invited to weigh in on the rankings. The hosts encouraged comments on the episode’s page and on the podcast’s social‑media channels, noting that the year’s output was “a mixed bag of styles and genres” and that individual tastes would inevitably shape opinions.
The episode fits into InSession Film’s broader year‑by‑year retrospective series, which has covered recent releases such as the 2025 film Spider‑Man: Brand New Day and the 2025 X‑Men casting announcements. The 699th installment was recorded in the studio in late August 2026 and released the following week.
In sum, Episode 699 offers a concise yet comprehensive look at 1985’s filmography, juxtaposing the most celebrated titles with a wide array of lesser‑known works. The discussion underscores how the year’s output continues to resonate with contemporary audiences and film scholars alike.
JD began the discussion by announcing his birthday that week and explaining that the episode would serve as a retrospective of his birth year. Together with co‑host Megan Young, he revealed his personal ranking of the five best movies released in 1985.
In JD’s list, the American coming‑of‑age comedy‑drama The Breakfast Club takes the crown, followed by the Soviet anti‑war epic Come and See, the neo‑noir thriller To Live and Die in L.A., the science‑fiction adventure Back to the Future, and the New York‑set comedy After Hours. The Breakfast Club, directed by John Hughes, debuted through Universal Pictures on February 15, 1985, and has since become a cultural touchstone for teen cinema.
Megan’s selection opens with Hayao Miyazaki’s animated masterpiece Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, a film that premiered in Japan in 1985 and later received a wide international release. She follows with Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, Blood Simple—the Coen brothers’ first feature—and The Hills Have Eyes Part II, a horror sequel that premiered in October 1985.
After the two top‑five debates, the hosts broadened the conversation to include a combined list of honorable mentions. The 30‑title roster spans French drama Vagabond, Brazilian social satire Brazil, Japanese period drama Ran, and American crime thriller Witness. Other entries feature the comedy Lost in America, the adventure film Peewee’s Big Adventure, the Western Pale Rider, the action‑thriller Police Story, the drama The Color Purple, the action comedy Beverly Hills Cop, the adventure film The Goonies, the science‑fiction comedy Weird Science, the comedy Better Off Dead, the horror Re‑Animator, the fantasy Return to Oz, the fantasy The Black Cauldron, the action film The Legend of Billie Jean, the drama The Bountiful, the animal drama The Plague Dogs, the comedy Desperately Seeking Susan, the Western Silverado, the comedy Day of the Dad, the mystery Clue, and the adventure The Journey of Natty Gann.
The episode’s structure—alternating between the two top‑five lists and a discussion of the broader cinematic landscape—highlights 1985 as a year of both mainstream hits and underappreciated gems. While Back to the Future and The Breakfast Club dominated box‑office charts and cultural memory, films such as Come and See and Nausicaa are often cited by scholars for their artistic ambition and lasting influence.
Listeners were invited to weigh in on the rankings. The hosts encouraged comments on the episode’s page and on the podcast’s social‑media channels, noting that the year’s output was “a mixed bag of styles and genres” and that individual tastes would inevitably shape opinions.
The episode fits into InSession Film’s broader year‑by‑year retrospective series, which has covered recent releases such as the 2025 film Spider‑Man: Brand New Day and the 2025 X‑Men casting announcements. The 699th installment was recorded in the studio in late August 2026 and released the following week.
In sum, Episode 699 offers a concise yet comprehensive look at 1985’s filmography, juxtaposing the most celebrated titles with a wide array of lesser‑known works. The discussion underscores how the year’s output continues to resonate with contemporary audiences and film scholars alike.
