Is this you?! It is definitely me, especially now that the cold weather is setting in. I could also add 'and watch Victoria' to the end of the mug as I am really loving watching my DVD of the Victoria TV series. Two episodes to go!
I do not have much happening on the actual knitting front as I have been sorting out my stash and winding yarn while watching DVDs.
But the book I am reading is so hilarious, I had to share it. It is one of those books that you find yourself chuckling away to as you read, even having uncontrolled bursts of laughter.
The book with the long subtitle: Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned From Eighties Movies (& Why We Don't Learn Them From The Movies Any More) by Hadley Freeman.
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| The book title comes from this quote - pretty deep and meaningful for an eighties teen movie! |
Now, being born in 1970 means that these movies were the background to my teenage years: Sixteen Candles, Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Dirty Dancing, Ghostbusters (the real one!), Trading Places, Coming To America, Weird Science, Top Gun, Risky Business, The Karate Kid and the list goes on!
I wanted to be Molly Ringwald so bad!
I think I may have Pretty In Pink to thank for my love of vintage clothing and repurposing clothes (although I so would have loved the dress as it was - not sure on the end result!)
It was an interesting observation made in the book that in eighties movies makeovers, the characters retain their quirkiness and individuality, whereas by the nineties, makeovers seemed to be more about making the 'ugly' misfit just like everyone else so they would be popular and fit in.
Could this be why teenagers from the eighties are happier to go their own way and forge a different path? Who knows!
The author also makes the observation that eighties movies are so re-watchable (is that even a word?) I definitely find that - it doesn't matter how many times I have seen a movie like Dirty Dancing or The Breakfast Club, any time it appears as a re-run I will find myself sitting up late to watch it again.
I would love to hear what your favourite eighties movies would be, whether you grew up with them or have seen them afterwards. And which ones have you seen recently that just didn't live up to your memories of them? I'm afraid The Goonies springs to mind for me!
Here is a reminder - Top 100 Eighties Movies or 100 Eighties Movies You Must See. After reading this list, I need to get to the library and see which ones they have!
The lists do leave out some standout movies, like Stand By Me and The Outsiders.
And the first movie my hubby took me to? Our first date, actually. Platoon - what a romantic!
Oh, I also wanted to be Molly Ringwald - I still love her! Loved The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink ,Sixteen Candles and St Elmo's Fire. Anything with Andrew McCarthy (swoon!)... Im a tragic 80's gal!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely Easter,
Cheers - Joolz xx
I loved him too - he was so quiet and romantic! I love being an 80s tragic! I read somewhere that Molly Ringwald went to an 80s party recently - dressed as herself!
DeleteSo, I needed to look at a list of 80s movies to remember what was on around then - the decade I was a teenager.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the Indiana Jones and Back to the Future movies? I will happily watch IJ again. Back to the Future not quite so much. I adored The Never Ending Story, and Dirty Dancing remains a bit of a favourite. I remember being petrified when I watched Ghostbusters. When you watch movies like that in a 3rd world culture where the spirit world is widely acknowledged and very obvious you have good reason to be scared out of your wits! Also, not much experience watching movies probably didn't help! Not many people had video players; we certainly didn't have TV stations.
Yes, when I started looking at the lists, I noticed more and more that I had forgotten! My boys love the Indiana Jones movies now, and The Never Ending Story (now you have put the song in my head!)
DeleteTrue about Ghostbusters - where did you grow up?
I spent 6 years living in Papua New Guinea (8yo-14yo). Best ever years, hands down.
DeleteI loved the Labyrinth and the Never Ending Story, have enjoyed rewatching these with my older 2 children. We read The Outsiders and another of S E Hinton's books as part of our English class one year, can remember being very moved by the story and watched the film a few years later. Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club and The Lost Boys, now reminiscing with my husband about all the films we have enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI read The Outsiders for school as well. The Never Ending Story has definitely stood the test of time - my boys love it now too. So many great movies!
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