Old Skool Movements the 80s Pop Culture Podcast · Old Skool Movements

Our Saddest Movie Deaths - Old Skool Movements - the 80s Podcast

June 18, 2023·56 min·3 clips

In Carlito’s Way, Carlito is killed just as he reaches the train and freedom.

1. Old Skool Movements the 80s Pop Culture Podcast episode 101 ranks “our saddest old school deaths in TV and films,” with a main focus on films. 2. The hosts are Leroy, Chris, and Stacks, and they spend much of the episode comparing how different movie deaths hit them at different ages. 3. The episode asks which film deaths still land hardest, especially when a character has already been built up as a hero, a protector, or a future escapee. 4. The first major example is Terminator 2 from 1991, where the T-800 sacrifices itself so humanity can avoid the discovery of robot violence. 5. The hosts point to John Connor crying “Don’t go” and the final thumbs-up as the exact beat that changes the scene from sadness to memory. 6. They also note that the T-800 begins as a villain in T1 and becomes a hero in T2, which makes the ending feel more personal. 7. The next big discussion is The Lion King from 1994, which they say hits within the first 10 to 15 minutes. 8. They describe Scar, the wildebeest stampede, and Mufasa’s fall, then joke that the film softens the shock with sing-alongs afterward. 9. The panel also compares the Lion King scene with Aslan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but excludes Aslan because he comes back. 10. Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury appears as an older example, with the Chinese-versus-Japanese conflict and the school rivalry driving the drama. 11. The hosts describe police waiting outside for Bruce Lee’s character and the final charge through the gates as a grim ending for a martial-arts hero. 12. A side conversation about kung-fu dubbing voices turns into a digression about how British voice actors and single translators shaped old dubbed action films. 13. Top Gun comes up next, and Chris says Goose’s death was a surprise because he is the wingman of Maverick and disappears halfway through the film. 14. The hosts say the soundtrack fixed Top Gun in their memory, with “Take My Breath Away” connected to the film even though other songs mattered more. 15. Boys in the Hood is represented by Ricky, whose death is described as avoidable because he splits up during a chase and then stops to check a lottery ticket. 16. The panel contrasts Ricky’s death with the way his college football future had already opened up, which makes the scene feel especially wasteful. 17. The tone is conversational, jokey, and fast-moving, with the hosts interrupting each other and rating the deaths on a one-to-five scale. 18. The format is a long list episode with movie-by-movie reactions, brief plot reminders, and side jokes about soundtracks, dubs, and cartoon trauma. 19. People who like 80s and 90s film nostalgia will get the most out of this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a tightly structured serious film analysis may skip it.

As heard by us

A lively ranking show that keeps its focus on the emotional hit while leaning into loose, bantering energy.

Episode 101 moves briskly through the saddest movie deaths, leaning on the show’s usual mix of inside jokes, listener nods, and a quiz callback from the previous episode.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a rowdy top-five of saddest movie deaths, with Ricky from South Central leading the pain.

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