National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

"Yule Crack Up"

I thought National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was an appropriate film from the 1980's, it being so near to, well, Christmas vacation and everything. Written by John Hughes, directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki as Clark, Ellen, Audrey, and Rusty Griswold, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is another of the hilarious National Lampoon adventures, just this time of the Christmas variation.

This unconventional Christmas story begins with Clark Griswold taking his family on an expedition into the wilderness to find the perfect Christmas tree that included pissing off some passing motorcyclists, driving between the axles of a semi-truck, and walking for what seems to be miles in woods, his daughter even exclaiming that she can't feel her hips. Once they find what Clark deems to be the perfect tree, although it may look good, it is far from causing him problems. After Clark realizes that they have no saw with which to cut down the tree, you see them comically driving home with the tree on the roof of their car, roots still in tact. Then once they actually get the tree into their house it is way too big and breaks one of the windows.

Later, while Christmas shopping at a department store, Clark meets an attractive salesperson and while talking to her accidentally slips up and says some inappropriate things to her such as, "It's a bit nipply outside." He then goes on to fantasize about her in the pool he is planning on building with his Christmas bonus.

As it gets closer to Christmas, more and more of the Griswold's extended family begins arriving to stay with them, including Clark and Ellen's parents, and Ellen's cousin and his family who park their RV in the front lawn and explain that they are staying for a month.

Throughout the rest of the time leading up until Christmas, Clark does a series of things, such as putting up 25,000 Christmas lights, so that his family will have a traditional American family Christmas, but also in order to one-up his snooty neighbors who aren't really into the Christmas spirit. Clark not only has trouble getting the Christmas lights to work, but also the turkey is cooked too long, a cat is electrocuted, the Christmas tree burns down, one of the relative's cigar ignites the sewage from Ellen's cousin's RV on fire, and a squirrel jumps out of the replacement tree and begins running rampant through the house. Also, to add insult to injury, Clark never receives his much-need Christmas bonus.

In the end, because of its quirkiness, Clark's family's Christmas does end up being the perfect Christmas. Because of this, I wholeheartedly reccomend this to anyone who wants to really get into the Christmas spirit.

To watch the trailer go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T3sai5Okys

“I wanna be big.”

A young boy, Josh (David Moscow) is tired of being babied by his mother and father. He is constantly being told how to act and what to do. He is embarrassed by the fact that his parents will not leave him alone and he feels they treat him like a baby. At a carnival he finds a Zoltair machine and wishes to be “big.” His wish is granted and he wakes up the next morning as a 30 year old man (Tom Hanks). He runs around desperately trying avoid his mom while trying to figure out has happened to him. He eventually gets a job working at a toy company and his playful, child-in-a-grown-man persona earns him the respect of his boss. He works his way up the company and becomes very influential. However, Josh’s desire to be a little kid again outweighs the successful, independent lifestyle he developed as an adult. He finds another Zoltair and wish to be a kid again, and he goes back to his old lifestyle.

This movie is a great family film that touches those that watch it with both its plot and its almost corny humor. The jokes appeal to both kids senses of humor and the kids inside of adults. I would suggest this movie to those looking for light, humor. Someone looking for a movie that is amusing but not stupidly funny will enjoy this. This movie teaches the lesson of enjoying one’s youth with a cute, comical undertone.

Heathers

The mean girls of the 80's. Heathers is about a trendy clique which all high schools seem to have. They are stylish, intimidating, and use sex appeal to get what they want. Veronica Sawyer is the main character. She is part of the most popular group in her high school, the other in the group(all named Heather) are very pretty and wealthy. These girls are all very mean-spirited, typical of the popular group in high school. Its hard to notice that Veronica isn't exactly like these girls. She admits these girls aren't really her friends. But her so-called "job" is to be popular. Therefore, she must pretend to be a replica of the "Heathers". It is only obvious that she would go on to kills these girls right? Maybe, we should have seen this coming after she begins to date J.D. After all, he did pull a gun on school bullies. But Veronica isn't all that bad. She meant to give her just a glass of Milk and orange juice planning on making Heather Chandler vomit. But J.D came along, and distracted her, and look what happened, the glass was filled with drain cleaner instead. And poor Heather Chandler dies right then and there. What else was Veronica to do besides forge a suicide note. After all, only she and her boyfriend knew of the murder. That only gave oppertunity for another Heather, this time Heather Duke, to be the ring leader of their clique. J.D is not good for Veronica, but it is hard when Christian Slater tried to lure you into playing these types of pranks on people. Who could say no to him? Next they move onto the bullies of the school. J.D. had to take care of them after they spread a rumor about his girlfriend. Clearly, it is a boyfriends duty to go on and kill whoever spread the rumor, right? Too bad Veronica doesn't realize that Ich Luge means I'm lying!!! Soon Veronica comes to her senses realizing the harm she is doing to her school. The new trends seems to be suicide all sue to her actions. But how can she confront the mastermind behind these killings, especially when it's her boyfriend? And when she does, obviously he will want to kill her, first and foremost. At least she can fake her own death to break his heart. Now the whole school is in jeopardy of being killed, the dummies signed a petition, which we find out is actually a school-wide suicide note. What is with these teens and suicide in the 80s? She learned from the best and attempts to kill her love, J.D. But he is already strapped with a bomb. And we are told there is a "New sheriff in town". And at last she wears the red hair bow.

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the fairytale of the Little Mermaid came alive through the imagination of Hans Christian Andersen and the movie was written by John Musker in 1989. This animated Disney film is about a teen mermaid named Ariel who wants to get out of the ocean and see the rest of the world. He father however, King Triton, would not have her talk of anything that related to humans. She had a treasure cove of human gadgets where she sings a song “Part of your World” which embodies her feelings as a mermaid who wants more than the cards she is dealt. Ariel would do anything to walk on land so she makes the deal with the devil of the ocean. Ursula, an ugly, plump, female octopus, takes Ariel’s voice as collateral in exchange for Ariel to have new legs. She only has a few days however to get a human to fall in love with her so she could have her first kiss. If she does not get kissed by her true love however, then she becomes a pitiful sea creature that is a slave to Ursula and Ursula will become Queen of the ocean with her new voice and power. Despite Ursula’s attempts to prevent Ariel from marrying her love Prince Eric, with the help of her friends Flounder, Sabastian, and Scuttle Ariel was able to conquer Ursula and stay human with her love.

This movie was symbolic in the sense that many teens want to get out and explore more than their natural surroundings. In our society it is natural to want to move away from out families and reach for the stars. Ariel wanted to achieve the impossible--- to walk on land. Just like many of us want to achieve so called impossible things, we reach our goals by taking risks. Ariel took a risk for her life and for love and it proved to be beneficial. Good lesson learned. Here is my favorite song from the Little Mermaid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXmLRHnoSAs

And a remix of this song by Ashley Tisdale which I actually like better!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StoQRYT0QU4&feature=related

Sixteen Candles (1984)

Directed and written by John Hughes, Sixteen Candles was a staple movie for the 80s. The brat pack is back with Molly Ringwald being the leader of the lot as Samantha Baker. This movie depicts a newly turned sixteen year old girl named Samantha whose parents forgot her birthday. Samantha is a gangly redhead, awkward and mortally embarrassed by anything that can be considered uncool. Her family, although very loving, don’t seem to notice her for she is easily outshined, in her case by her older sister who is about to get married. At school Samantha’s popularity is no different. Samantha is “nothing special” as one jock declared to her heart throb crush Jake Ryan. While Samantha is having a horrible birthday, she meets a geek who is nicknamed Farmer Ted and at the school dance she bonds with him. Ted then becomes friendly with Jake Ryan who has a girlfriend but is interested in Samantha. Because Samantha helped Ted out with his “cool status” Ted put in a good word for Samantha. After a long drunken night, Ted ends up having sex with Jake’s girlfriend, but that doesn’t matter because Samantha is what Jake wants. Jake picks up Samantha from her sisters wedding. He asked her if she had to go to the reception, and she said defiantly that she did not have to go to the reception, symbolically standing up for herself and going after what she wanted most. The end scene is her and Jake standing over a birthday cake and her telling Jake that her birthday wish already came true. They then lean in and kiss.

Directed and written by John Hughes, Sixteen Candles was a staple movie for the 80s. The brat pack is back with Molly Ringwald being the leader of the lot as Samantha Baker. This movie depicts a newly turned sixteen year old girl named Samantha whose parents forgot her birthday. Samantha is a gangly redhead, awkward and mortally embarrassed by anything that can be considered uncool. Her family, although very loving, don’t seem to notice her for she is easily outshined, in her case by her older sister who is about to get married. At school Samantha’s popularity is no different. Samantha is “nothing special” as one jock declared to her heart throb crush Jake Ryan. While Samantha is having a horrible birthday, she meets a geek who is nicknamed Farmer Ted and at the school dance she bonds with him. Ted then becomes friendly with Jake Ryan who has a girlfriend but is interested in Samantha. Because Samantha helped Ted out with his “cool status” Ted put in a good word for Samantha. After a long drunken night, Ted ends up having sex with Jake’s girlfriend, but that doesn’t matter because Samantha is what Jake wants. Jake picks up Samantha from her sisters wedding. He asked her if she had to go to the reception, and she said defiantly that she did not have to go to the reception, symbolically standing up for herself and going after what she wanted most. The end scene is her and Jake standing over a birthday cake and her telling Jake that her birthday wish already came true. They then lean in and kiss.

I liked this movie because it was about the imperfect teen that is not gorgeous, doesn’t have an amazing personality---nothing special. It gave hope to us mere mortals who don’t stand out in a crowd. Everyone has a Jake Ryan in their lives at one point or another, and this movie, although unrealistic, makes a fantasy real for all of us Joe Schmos out there. Never saw the movie? Here is my favorite clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJMIDuD9RGw

Heathers

"Dear Diary, my teen-angst bullshit now has a body count"

This movie is a long way off from the 80s high school movies I've seen from the earlier part of the decade. Made in '89, this isn't your typical teen angst movie, because for once drastic action is taken against the cruel rulers of the school. With a talented young cast including Winonna Ryder, Christian Slater, and Shannon Doherty this is an extremely dark comedy, which is disturbingly good.

Ryder is Veronica, a newer member of the in crowd known as "The Heathers", because the other three members happen to share that name. Already the dark horse because of her different name, she doesn't completely fit into the group. She doesn't want to be a cruel bitch to the rest of the school, but goes along to remain in the popular group. Her life is shook up when she meets new bad-boy J.D., played by Slater. At first she takes him to be a harmless rebel with whom she is able to stop pretending to like her so called "friends". Harmless she learns is not the word to describe J.D. She unknowingly helps him to poison the head Heather, and then assists him in writing a note to make it look like a suicide. While she on one level wanted Heather dead, this action shows the contrast between wanting something to happen and actually having it happen. While Veronica is upset by the event, she is able to forgive J.D. and continues to date him. J.D. proves to be out for vengeance, though and next plots a plan to take out two asshole jocks. At this point Veronica says no, but gives in when J.D. feeds her a bullshit story about how they will use "special bullets" which will only tranquilize the jocks. Veronica falls for it and the school has two more "suicides" to deal with. She now realizes that J.D. can't be stopped and breaks up with him. A break-up can't stop him either and he threatens to kill her when she reuses his advances, knowing this she fakes her own suicide and when he finds her he reveals his plan to blow up the school to her seemingly dead body. The next day, to his surprise, she is there to stop him. While the school doesn't blow up the ending is certainly explosive.

This movie was extremely well made, and even though the material was dark and twisted there were some cleverly funny moments. One of my favorite scenes is the football players funeral. Through the suicide note they were made out to have been gay and killed themselves because they couldn't reveal their true feelings There is a very funny moment where one of their dad's is coming to terms with this and says, "I love my dead gay son", to which J.D. responds to Veronica, "Wonder how he'd react if his son had a limp wrist with a pulse?" While awful, it's funny.

I definitely recommend this movie to everyone. It's a different kind of comedy that looks at the social hierarchy of high schools in a dangerous way.

click here for a link to a video which pretty much sums up the entire movie

The Color Purple

"All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers. A girl child ain't safe in a family of men, but I ain't never thought I'd have to fight in my own house! " ~ Oprah as Sophia

This ultimately heartwarming film follows the troubled life of Celie, an African American woman, as she struggles to stand up for herself and regain the family she has lost. This film has an incredibly talented cast including Oprah as the strong willed Sophia, Danny Glover as the cruel Albert, and Whoopi Goldberg in her breakout performance as Celie Dana Ivey, who will be starring on our own Annie Russel Theater in The Importance of Being Ernest, also has a role in the film as the clueless Miss Millie. Although it didn't win, it was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Leading Actress - Goldberg, and Best Supporting Actress - Oprah. This movie is still great today, as long as you have the patience to sit through it's over two hour running time. I highly recommend it as it is just as powerful a story now as it was upon its release in 1985.

This film, based on the book by Alice Walker, tells the story of a young black woman and the troubles she endures and the incredible women she meets who help her to discover her own strength. Taking place in the south in the early 1900's the film opens with a young teenage Celie giving birth. Her child is taken from her directly after and we later learn that it was her second child and that both had been adopted by a couple in town. These children had been fathered by her own father. Even at a young age she had been abused and pushed around by men. When an older man requests Celie's younger sister Nettie's hand in marriage their father refuses, instead giving the man Celie. Celie knows this man only as Mister, although she later learns that his name is Albert. Albert already has children whom Celie must now care for, she is unhappy there and is beaten and abused by Mister. She finds temporary happiness when Nettie comes to stay with them, having escaped from their father's abuse, but this is short-lived because when Nettie refuses Misters advances she is forced to leave.

With no family of her own, her sister unheard from and not knowing where her children are, Celie is fortunate to find new family in two special women who come into her life. One is Sophia. Sophia is a woman who will fight and won't be pushed around by anyone. This attitude; however, makes her enemies and leads to her downfall in the film. The second woman is Shug Avery, a jazz and blues singer, who was Mister's lover, and is the only woman he has loved. Shug developes a strong friendship with Celie, and is the one who is finally able to help her leave Mister. After she leaves him she is able to set up her own store, and at the death of her father she inherits her old house and the knowledge that he was her step-father and not her real one. The movie ends with a return of Nettie, who we learned earlier had been continually writing letters to Celie which had been intercepted and hid away by Mister. Nettie had been living with a minister and his wife and caring for their children, who were Celie's own kids. Nettie returns to Celie with the children and they are all joined together as a family in the conclusion of this brilliant tale.

Cocktail (1988)

Coughlin’s Diet: Cocktails & Dreams

When you think of the 80s, you think of Tom Cruise. There are films that won awards and brought him fame and fortune. However, Cocktail wasn’t one of those. Tom Cruise even won a Razzie Award for worst actor thanks to his part in this film. If you are a true Cruise fan, though, Cocktail is a lot of fun!
The young Brian Flanagan (Cruise) leaves the army in search of fortune in the big apple. He enrolls in business school and finds a job bartending for the very wise and witty Doug Coughlin (Brian Brown). Everything changes for Brian as Doug teaches him the ropes about women, drinking, and bartending. There are some really cool scenes with Doug and Brian performing “flair bartending.” Doug has an opinion on everything—Coughlin’s Law. Brian ends up ditching school to take on bartending full-time in hopes of opening his own bar in the near future. (Doug shares this goal as well.) Both Doug and Brian are money-driven. Brian’s dream bar is Cocktails and Dreams. An upscale club owner sees the show and hires the guys away to work for him. Brian falls for a sexy photographer (Gina Gershon), who ends up breaking up the team. Afterwards, Brian moves to Jamaica in order to earn enough money to open his bar.
Brian meets and falls in love with a beautiful tourist Jordan (Elisabeth Shue)—great chemistry between Cruise and Shue. Shaking things up, the newly married Doug shows up and bets Flanagan that he can’t get a rich tourist, who visits the bar, to sleep with him. The competition begins again. Brian sleeps with her, and of course, Jordan sees him leave the bar. The rest of the film is focused on Brian’s attempts to win back Jordan.
There are parts of the film which are dark and depressing, especially in the final scenes with Doug. There is an unexpected, creepy death scene. Brian Brown does an excellent job in this film. Brian and Doug have great chemistry and their troubled relationship is as important as Brian’s romance with Jordan. Cool soundtrack and great cast.

Less Than Zero (1987)

It only looks like the good life.

Less Than Zero is my favorite 80s film. Four of the best actors of that time come together in this dark and raw film based on the book by the great Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho and Rules of Attraction).
College freshman Clay (Andrew McCarthy, Pretty in Pink and Weekend at Bernie’s) comes home to LA during the Christmas holidays, because his ex-girlfriend, Blair (the beautiful Jamie Gertz, Lost Boys) calls him. Clay assumes that Blair wants to rekindle their love affair but instead finds their best friend Julian (Robert Downey, Jr., Back to School and Weird Science) spiraling out of control with drug addiction. Julian needs money to pay off his sleazy drug dealer/pimp (yes, I said pimp) Rip (played by a ruthless James Spader). This film explores the dark side of the wealthy LA youth culture that Ellis knew so well.

Robert Downey, Jr. was made to play the role of the lost cause—Julian. Blair and Clay do everything they can to save him, but in the end it’s a losing battle. Love for their childhood friend brings Blair and Clay back together. Even though Blair initially decided to stay in LA modeling and snorting coke, she changes her mind after witnessing the effects of drug abuse.
The soundtrack is wonderful—The Bangles A Hazy Shade of Winter is the theme song. Today you can’t hear that song on the radio and not think of Less Than Zero. Even though the clothes and some of the themes are completely 80s, the film stands the test of time. It's still an important film that can apply to the youth of today.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

It won four Oscars and was nominated for four more, one of Steven Spielberg’s most memorable movies, it is Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. In this movie audiences are first introduced to the character of Indiana Jones, an archeology professor who happens to have a more interesting night life than most. He typically spends his free time chasing down ancient artifacts from heavily guarded ancient structures, and usually barely making it out with his life. Everyone knows who Indiana Jones is, he is one of the most memorable fictional characters in film and he also has his own show at Disney. In this film Indiana Jones heads off to Egypt to find the lost ark (which supposedly contains the power of God) and also to prevent the Nazis from finding this treasure. Along the way he meets up with an ex-girlfriend, the daughter of his mentor – Marion, and an old friend from Egypt, Sallah; while Marion was mostly there to provide a clue and to be saved, Sallah was Indy’s guide around Egypt. The plot was outlined in the beginning of the movie when Indiana is talking to army officials about what the Nazi’s could want with the archeological site in Egypt, he explains that they want to find the headpiece of staff of Ra because they want to use it to open the Well of Souls, located in the lost city of Tanis, which supposedly contains the Lost Ark of the Covenant. Of course in order to get into the Well of Souls one would have to figure out exactly how high the staff would need to be, attach the headpiece to it, figure out exactly what time of day the light would shine on the headpiece so that it would show one where the well of souls would be (it shines conveniently on a map that is on the ground in the “Map Room”).

All together Raiders of the Lost Ark has all the trappings of a great American film, it has a larger than life main character who is as strong as he is intelligent, a complex plot that leaves plenty of room for outrageous stunts, and a bit of humor thrown in for good measure. Although it should be said that Indiana Jones is humanized a bit when it is revealed that he is afraid of snakes (so of course the Well of Souls is covered with them) and the movie isn’t pure mindless action, there are some snide comments made about the current culture. Most notably bureaucracy – when the Lost Ark is placed in a wooden crate, marked top secret, and placed in a giant warehouse full of identical crates. Raiders is a fun watch and perfect for a rainy Friday night in.