Toy Soldiers (1991)

Dust off that clear plastic case to find a BASF video on the inside with the handwritten title "Toy Soldiers" on the spine. It is hard to trace the cult status of the 1991 teenage action flick Toy Soldiers, but it might have something to do with young women bootlegging the movie during free HBO weekends. Or perhaps, it is so hokey and anchored to the awkward cultural transition from the 1980s to 90s that it acts as a living time capsule to our misremembered youth. Tiger Beat meets Commando sounds great on paper: young studs for the ladies and gory violence for the maladapted boys. But it plays out more like a deranged afterschool tv special where the hero gets mp5'd and the lesson is that breaking rules is the only way to battle international terrorism. A direct line to Guantomo Bay no doubt.  Joining us this week is first-time watcher and great friend Brigitte from the awesome Screen Time: A Quarantine Podcast. Without nostalgia clouding her judgement, what is the verdict: gonzo cult classic or vapid 90s trash?