Any hope for the future in film?

Creator of the Brat Pack phenom John Hughes died in August of this year. He was responsible for launching the careers of most of the Pack. So the question is, is there any hope for any movies of the era in the future? Most teen movies of this day, I have talked about in previous blogs seem to just be focused on sexual humor and drugs. Its just a waste of time to me. The 90's provided a few good teen movies but none of them seem to match what the 80's Pack films did for audiences. I guess I will just have to be happy with my purchased Pack films and watch them over and over again.

Teen sitcoms today

Now that I am in college I really don't get that much T.V. watching time. However, a lot of my friends do. It seems the most popular teens and 20's shows are Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill and the new Melrose Place. I have seen Gossip Girl one time but only left it on for about 10 minutes. I just find shows like these today don't have much substance. The actors and actresses for the most part do a good job but they aren't memorable to me. I also feel that the material is unsuitable for the young audiences its reaching. All these shows involve people cheating on each other and people doing drugs and just really bad situations. I know that the 80s Bratpack movies weren't the cleanest but those were movies and younger audiences could only view them if their parents rented them or chose to take them to see them. I really think that these news shows also have an effect on self-image. It seems its all about getting the prettiest and skinniest fresh faces. Its not reality. 9o210's actresses were even criticized for being so thin in magazines. I don't know what's really going on with media for teen's today but I think I will just stick to my reruns of Full House and Thursday night's The Office.

Awkward Awesomeness!

I was surfing Youtube the other night and a scene from Sixteen Candles that has to be one of my favorites. It's during a class and Sam is passing a note, an embarrassing note describing something about her crush Jake who is in that same class. So she nonchalantly drops the note behind herself so her friend picks it up, but instead catches the attention of Jake who then gets the note. This ends up being good for Sam because she catches his attention and eventually we all see how she gets him in the end. I like this scene because this kind of stuff seems to happen all the time in real world. It makes all the awkward moments that I have not seem so bad. Thanks Molly, you're so easy to relate to!

The Goonies!

I'm not sure if the movie I'm going to talk about is considered Brat Pack, but it is an epic 80s movie and I love it. This movie is called The Goonies. My brother first introduced this movie to me when I was in middle school and I was instantly a fan. My brother was happy to introduce the movie to me since he was introduced when he was a pre-teen as well. The movie was as in demand as the The Twilight saga is with today's teenagers. There are many things that I love about the movie.

1. The story: Teens and their families in a west coast housing development are being forced to leave their homes for a future country club. One of the characters, Mikey, comes up with the brilliant idea for him and his friends to go a treasure hunt with for pirate One-Eyed Willie's treasure. The movie follows the gang through the hunt while they are hunted by the Fratelli family, who is on the hunt for the treasure as well. The gang eventually finds the treasure with a few setbacks, but then are able to keep their homes. The movie has many exciting moments but teaches moral lessons as well. And it is to always be yourself and value friendships.

2. The cast: Each character has their own memorable personality. My favorite is Mouth, which is teen actor Corey Feldman. His catty remarks and slick personality are so memorable. You also can't help but enjoy Chunk which can be obnoxious but becomes the hero along with monster Sloth. Sean Astin who plays geeky but adventurous Mikey leaves a lasting impression.

3. The music: Cyndi Lauper! Absolutely love her!

If you haven't had the chance to see this movie please do. It really is a vital part of our American pop culture!

Last week I discussed Molly Ringwald and The Secret Life of the American Teenager and my disappointment. So after this discussion it made me wonder what most of the Brat Pack was up to today. Here's what I found.

Demi Moore(St. Elmo's Fire)- Married to actor Ashton Kutcher, recently shot a film called Passion of Mind. Other than this she doesn't really stay in the limelight and enjoys time with her three daugthers, Rumer, Tallulah, and Scout.

Anthony Michael Hall(The Breakfast Club)-The lovable geek went through a rocky time with alcohol, but has since cleaned up and starred in a TNT movie Pirates of Silicon Valley where he plays another geek, Bill Gates.

Ally Sheedy(The Breakfast Club)- Ally had a rough career after the craze of the Brat Pack was over and even struggled with bullimia, but now she is coming back. Ally recently starred in a contoversial film called High Art and more recently an ABC movie.

Judd Nelson(The Breakfast Club)-One of my favorites, got popularity from starring in Suddenly Susan with Brooke Shields. Nelson keeps low key, except for starring in next fall's Light It Up.

Emilio Estevez(The Breakfast Club)-The so-called "unofficial president of the Brat Pack) gained popularity for his part in The Mighty Ducks and The Outsiders. He dated Demi Moore and was married to Paula Abdul in the early 90's. He is now starring in a thriller and is a father of two girls.

The Secret Life

Over last summer I started watching The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I was excited about this show because the topic and the fact that one of the original brat pack members was in it. The show is about a high school freshman who becomes pregnant by a popular older boy. The series centers around this girls adjustment into high school and the problems she faces with being pregnant at the same time.

I enjoyed the first few episodes of this show but then the main character Amy and other characters start to make strange decisions. One of the episodes even involves Amy contemplating abortion. I know that this is a teen issue but I just didn't like the way the characters acted about the situation. Also the boyfriend to Amy, Ben, tries to marry Amy. I personally don't see how this happens in a real teen's life.

Another disappointment was Molly Ringwald, who plays Amy's mom Anne. I just found her to do a poor job at this role. She just seems like she's trying too hard. The character is also in support of her daughter having an abortion.

I didn't watch much of this show this past second season and I probably won't watch the next seasons to come. However I haven't lost faith in Molly so to revive herself, I will have to watch Pretty In Pink.

Teen Movies = Reel Life?

What is it that makes teen films so appealing. Are these appealing aspects good for teen girls and their view on reality. I have noticed that the content in teen films has fluctuated during the years. In the 80s films like The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink all have pretty explicit innuendos in the them, mainly sexual content. Some of the films that I watched when I was younger like She's All That had sexual content and language but not as much as some of my 80s favorites.
The American Pie trilogy brought sexual content to an extreme. Does this affect the teens that watch it. Well I believe that it does. I know that the American Pie movies were very popular at my school. I also think that the characters also brought appeal to the movie. In my first blog I mention the characters in Sixteen Candles and their appeal to me. I think this is true for all movies and teen ones especially. There is always stereotypical teens in movies like these. You have the jock, the loner, the geek, the rebel, the snobby girl, and then the girl/boy next door. All teens tend to relate to one of these stereotypes. American Pie, although I have not watched it through, has stereotypes in it. If teens can relate then I think that they are more drawn in and influenced by the content of the film.
So is this influence negative?
I don't necessarily support films like American Pie mainly because of the over-the-top sexual content, but other ones with mild content, I would say, are okay. The movies are close to real life minus some fairytale-like endings. But all in all, the teens in the movies are going through awkward stages. One scene in Sixteen Candles describes an awkward situation that is easy to relate with. It is where Sam is in her class and she is passing a note about her crush Jake to her friend. She drops it behind her and Jake accidentally gets the note. She has no clue about this. I love this scene because it a part of being a teen and having embarrassing situations happen to you.

What is the best 80's Brat Pack Film?

I don't know what it is but I am completely obsessed with the 80's Brat Pack films. I'm not really a child of the 80s, being born in 88' but it was my sister that really got me hooked. My sister is 13 years older than me and I would spend lots of weekends at her house when I was younger. Every time I would visit she would introduce me to the films that were popular in her teenage years. The very first movie I saw was Sixteen Candles. I absolutely am in love with this movie and there are many reasons why.
1. Molly Ringwald- She is who every teenage girl is. She has issues with her appearance, falls for the "popular" boy, and has so much to say to the world but just can never seem to say it.
2. Anthony Michael Hall- The dorky friend of Molly who secretly is in love with her but just can't get her attention.
3. Michael Schoeffliing (Jake Ryan)- The "popular" boy who you just can't help but fall in love with even when you know you shouldn't. There are so many things I love about this movie and other Brat Pack films.

I just can't decide...there's The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink... What's the best?