The Brat Pack

This is all about movies. We had lunch today at Bubba Gump, the restaurant Forrest Gump inspired. As expected, the movie Forrest Gump is being played on a loop. Hubby was telling the gist of the story to my daughter. I said it's a long movie, about 3 hours. I don't watch a movie for the second time unless I like the actors and the story. Those are my criteria.

Segue to what is my most watched movie. It's one from the 80s. And then my mind started reminiscing the movies which made it big during the 80s and the 90s.


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Pretty in Pink. This is my most watched movie from the 80s. I love the soundtrack - OMD, Howard Jones, Suzanne Vega, Psychedellic Furs, INXS, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Smiths. I have memorized them all.

I love the story. I was in my teens then, can't help but fall for rich-boy-poor-girl-with-a-weird-bestfriend kind of movie. Andi, Duckie and Blaine. Only Duckie (Jon Cryer) is visible nowadays. He has a sitcom with Charlie Sheen called Two and A Half Men.

The Karate Kid. Who didn't fall for the lanky Danile Larusso played by Ralph Macchio and the lovable Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). What kid in the 80s does not know "wax on, wax off". But whatever happened to Ralph Macchio?

Sixteen Candles. Another John Hughes and Molly Ringwald movie. I am not a fan of Molly but it happened that her movies were the movies of my generation. Sixteen Candles tells of what preoccupies a typical teenager, at least back in the 80s - unrequited crush and her 16th birthday which her family almost forgot. Great plot, huh.

St. Elmos' Fire. I am wondering now why I liked the theme song. If you don't know the theme song, better that way. :) Coming of age movie, a welcome-to-the-real-world-after-college-graduation kind of movie. Think F.R.I.E.N.D.S., only this batch take themselves so seriously.

This stars the 80s Brat Pack - Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Alley
Sheedy, Rob Lowe, the pretty face Andrew McCarthy. Demi Moore seems to be the last woman standing in this pack.

The Breakfast Club. Another brat pack movie and the story happened in one day in a detention center.

The Outsiders. The movie which started it all - the young guns of the 80s - Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez. And yes, someone from the 70s, Leif Garrett. The Outsiders is reminescent of West Side Story, a gang war from different socio-economic class.

Risky Business. This is the first movie of Tom Cruise which I have watched. I liked him instantly. Major reason for watching this I guess was Tom Cruise singing in his underwear. Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger? That's what I remember.

That particular scene was spoofed several times, even ALF (remember the Alien Life Form sitcom?) spoofed him.

Top Gun. What can I say? This movie catapulted Tom Cruise's career to superstardom. Killer grin, that's the main reason.

Singles. Early 90s, just when grunge is starting. I love the soundtrack too - Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. One of my favorite books, The Fountainhead, was part of the movie's poster. Stars Matt Dillon, Kyra Sedgwick and Eric Stoltz.

Reality Bites. Best movie about Generation X I have ever watched. A Ben Stiller movie which stars Ben Stiller, Ethan Hawke, Winona Ryder, Janeane Garofalo. From the plot summary of IMDB, this best summarizes the movie, "materialism or philosophical musings"? Gen X angst, you know.

I love the soundtrack of this movie - Stay by Lisa Loeb, U2's All I want is You, School's Out by Alice Cooper, a few songs from Crowded House, Salt-N-Peppa. My Sharona by The Knack was used in this movie.

There are a lot of movies then and now that I love. These ten are not the best and they aren't exactly my favorites. But they were top of mind when I was thinking of retro movies. They were some of the movies which dominated the era, some will just make you cringe. :)