Extreme Makeovers: 80s Style
by Julie Anderson Who doesn’t love a dramatic, life-altering makeover? From these awesome 80s makeovers, we learned that we didn’t have to, like, learn stuff and change on the INSIDE. Changing our APPEARANCE was the only requirement for a huge burst of personal improvement. Turns out that a crimping iron, lots of Maybelline makeup, and the removal of a layer of clothing or two were really all it took to go from drab to...
The Wizard (1989)
By James Porter For kids who grew up in the 80s, one incredibly popular pastime was playing Nintendo. Having revitalized the US gaming market in 1985 with the NES, Nintendo had cemented itself as the new face of gaming with titles like Super Mario Bros., Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, and The Legend of Zelda. Such enormous popularity of course resulted in LOADS of merchandise – action figures, masks, bed sheets, even breakfast cereal....
Dirty Dancing, 1987
Want to make a grown woman melt? Mention this movie. It works on so many levels: as an allegory about growing up, as a song and dance movie, as a love story. And Patrick Swayze as Johnny? All muscle and sparkling eyes and tough-but-tender sneer? Say it with me: “Nobody puts Baby in a corner!” This 1987 film follows Frances “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey) during a pivotal summer in the 1960s. Baby and her family go to the Catskills for...
Top Gun (1986)
Tom Cruise in top form. There’s really no other way to say it. This 1986 movie is a bright, beautifully shot story about Maverick (Cruise), a pilot whose father’s legacy weighs heavily on him. Maverick’s father, also a pilot, was killed in combat along with other men. Many of his fellow pilots still think it was his fault. Once Maverick is recruited to join the Top Gun Naval Flying School, his fellow pilots won’t let his father’s past...
What do Quarterbacks & Molly Ringwald Have to do with Your Love Life?
By Bill Torgerson Twitter, Facebook, WordPress Author of the novel, Love on the Big Screen Assistant Professor Institute For Writing Studies St. John’s University New York There’s an old question that goes something like this: does art imitate life or does life imitate art? In other words, did John Hughes notice that women often sat in the bleachers pining for the high school quarterback, and so he wrote his film Sixteen Candles, or...
Thirtysomething
Before there was How I Met Your Mother, before there was Friends, there was Thirtysomething. The hour-long show ran on ABC from 1987 until 1991. It centered around Hope and Michael Steadman (Mel Harris and Ken Olin, respectively) and their circle of friends. If you’re a TV buff, all you really need to know about the quality of this show is that its creators, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, went on to executive-produce My...
Terms of Endearment, 1983
This film just may be the ultimate tear-jerker, even nearly thirty years after it was released. There have been other films with sad endings—plenty of them—but the secret to this film’s power just might be its perfect portrayal of messy reality. The film follows Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine, who won an Oscar for the role) and her daughter, Emma (Debra Winger) throughout a three-decade span. That’s pretty much Emma’s whole...
Fave Fun Movies of the 1980s
Ah, movie going in the 80s. We had VHS tapes (or maybe your family, like mine, had a Betamax player for a while) and we had HBO, but there was nothing like going to see first run movies at the theater. My friend Gail and I would each get a huge icy cup of Sprite and a serving of nachos (with a cup of heated “cheese” sauce and extra jalapenos) and then kick back and watch the big stars on the big screen. The ideal watch-with-friends...
Oscar Time!
By Julie Anderson Yeah, baby! I love the Oscars. Love the winners’ speeches, both the emotional, bumbling, awkward ones and the knew-it-was-coming smooth and vain ones. Love to see all the Hollywood glitterati all seated together like they’re visiting royalty from the Land of Sequins and Cosmetic Surgery. And LOVE to see those gorgeous, artsy dresses float by on the red carpet. The 83rd annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday,...
When Harry Met Sally, 1989
What a moment in time this film marks. Meg Ryan’s first “Meg Ryan” role (as in the cute-as-a-button, cheery, romantic sweetheart role she played again and again in the 90s, not that there’s anything wrong with that), and arguably Billy Crystal’s only successful “leading man” role. Billy Crystal as a cinematic romantic lead? It’s impossible to understand, even while watching this 1989 film, and yet, he pulls it off. Admirably. The...
The Wonder Years’ Winnie Cooper Grows Up
If you thought Winnie Cooper was cool in The Wonder Years (1988-1993), just look at her now. Danica McKellar is a bona fide math whiz, and she’s written best-selling math books for girls. After her run as Kevin Arnold’s love-interest/buddy on the classic 80s sitcom The Wonder Years, McKellar went to UCLA. She explains on her website (www.danicamckellar.com) that she was afraid of math, but took some classes to challenge herself. It’s...
Miami Vice (1984 – 1990)
Have you seen an episode of Miami Vice lately? Watch out—it will probably make you groan and, if you grew up in the 80s, definitely make you squirm a little. Why? Because it is sooo 80s. There’s no other way to say it. And by sooo 80s I mean, of course, the light-weight sport coat with a T underneath; the pastel colors; the Patrick-Nagel-inspired lettering of the title (he’s the artist who did Duran Duran’s Rio cover); the early...
Q, The Winged Serpent, 1982
By James Porter For some reason or another, whenever a giant monster appears in America, it’s always got to attack New York City. Think about it, King Kong went on a rampage through it in 1933, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms attacked it in 1953, Roland mmerich’s Godzilla ravaged it in 1998, and Cloverfield finally brought it down in 2008. One thing’s for certain, there have been a lot of monster movies set in New...
MTV’s Origins in the 80s
On August 1, 1981, something happened to cable television – something that would define pop culture, change generations, and shape an industry. That something had a name. The name was MTV. It launched at 12:01 in the morning, ushered in by John Lack (then the Executive Vice President of Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment) saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.” And so it began. Prior to 1981, MTV didn’t...
Top 5 Cartoon Characters You Shouldn’t Loan Money To
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan, back again. . . . Today’s Top 5 are cartoon characters you don’t want to lend money to. I know they aren’t all strictly 80s, but hey, I remember them being on in the 80s, so that counts! 5. He-Man I have the POWER! While the guy may be cool, have a sword and ride a huge cat around, there are still a few things that worry me. For one, the guy has to talk himself into being strong. He can’t just be “Adam,” he has...
