I was a child of the 1980s. But I was a weird child of the 1980s (go fig). I didn't like a lot of the music that was popular at the time. I preferred the music of my parents'--and even my grandparents'--generation. Today, I love a lot of '80s music, but I only got into it through nostalgia--particularly soundtracks to movies that either used a lot of '80s songs like Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and Grosse Pointe Blank or were period pieces like The Wedding Singer. I would hear those songs and remember where I was when I first heard them and think, "Y'know, that's not as bad as I remember it."
Because I grew up in the middle of nowhere, if I went to a movie, it had to be a movie that my parents (particularly Dad) wanted to see. I did see such classics as Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, the Indiana Jones films, and Batman in theaters--and sometimes drive-ins--when they were originally released, but a lot of films that were specifically aimed at my demographic I didn't get to see until much later because my folks had no interest in seeing a comedic drama about high school life. I never saw Top Gun or Dirty Dancing until I was an adult. And with the exception of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, which Dad rented once (we always liked Steve Martin in my family) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which I saw at Jake Tincher's thirteenth birthday party after it had been released on videocassette, I missed the entire oeuvre of John Hughes movies.
At some point in my mid-30s, after his untimely passing, I bought a box set of Hughes films. I had seen and even enjoyed The Breakfast Club in college, and even though I had never seen Sixteen Candles or Weird Science, I took a chance on the set anyway. I found I really liked them. They were funny but at the same time touching and poignant. I don't know how I had never seen these movies before. They were well-written with great dialogue and wonderful soundtracks. I immediately made a point of getting Ferris Bueller, which I think carries a message that is as important today as it was 40 years ago.
Even though I'd never seen it, I also picked up Pretty in Pink. (I miss the days when Best Buy sold movies and music!) Somehow, I fell in love with this film and began watching it repeatedly. Like most film addictions, I can only guess as to why I was drawn to it over and over again. Perhaps I realized that I would have totally had a crush on Molly Ringwald in high school (I've always been a sucker for redheads--I swear to God they will be the death of me!). As a bit of an eccentric, perhaps I identified a little too hard with the character of Duckie who loved the music of Otis Redding and was in love with a redhead who only looked at him as a best friend. I was even drawn to Iona who managed a record store and had a smartass attitude that I try to emulate as much as possible.
Over the last ten years, the film was re-released in theaters to mark its 30th and 35th anniversaries. Unfortunately, I missed it both times. Tomorrow, I'm excited to say, I finally get to see one of my favourite "Saturday" movies on the big screen to commemorate its 40th anniversary. In fact, I've intentionally not watched it in a couple of months in anticipation of it. I'm hoping that like It's a Wonderful Life and Back to the Future, I'll notice some little detail that I never noticed before on my TV screen.
Originally released in 1986, the film stars Molly Ringwald as Andie, a high school senior from the poor side of town, in love with a rich kid Blaine (Andrew McCarthy), whose friends don't approve of him dating someone that they deem to be trash. The movie co-stars Jon Cryer as Andie's friend Duckie, Annie Potts as her record store boss and confidante Iona, Harry Dean Stanton as her father Jack, and James Spader as Blaine's friend Steph, arguably one of the greatest assholes of 1980s cinema. Written by Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch, please enjoy Pretty in Pink.
Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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