i heart jake ryan or mindi makes a big old list of her favorite 80's flicks




80's movies are a passion of mine--

i wanted to make a list of my favorites and spent entirely too many hours compiling this.  like a ridiculous amount and i spent way too long on this list.  but sometimes it's important to get things right.  so i'm sure the world will appreciate that i've put this out into the universe. 

i actually made a list of 15 essential 80's flicks--the following were honorable mentions and OMG i put a lot of time and effort and research into this.  wtf but i'm hoping i will be glad one day?


dirty dancing-patrick swayze takes baby out of the corner all the while wearing tight levis and better hair than i ever had or hoped to have

outsiders--loved loved LOVED tommy howell and since he was mormon, too, we were going to be married in the st. george temple as soon as i turned 16

can't buy me love--hope for the ronald millers everywhere that the dork CAN get the girl with the convertible cabriolet and the spiral perm (hello amy!)

girls just wanna have fun--love sara jessica parker and shannon doherty before she turned to the dark side--who is ever gonna forget "slow slow quick quick slow"?


less than zero--kinda naughty and mature theme, but robert downey jr, andrew mccarthy and jami gertz all living rich-kid, decadent lives in california? like a drug in itself.
movie message-- drugs:BAD 
platoon--charlie sheen's finest moment and the first serious, scary movie that spoke to me.  i bought a ticket to a pg movie and snuck into this with my friend tammy.  

lost boys--what's not to love about vampires and the two coreys? paving the way for future edwards and bellas but more importantly it had some killer pre-emo songs on the soundtrack.

she's having a baby--great soundtrack and kevin bacon's in laws with the mining helmets with the lights? priceless. this movie introduced russ and i to the song "this woman's work" by kate bush.  it was a touching movie scene and a tender song to both of us in our relationship.

working girl--harrison ford and melanie griffith and love that the good girl gets the highrise office in the end. i must have watched this movie 10 different times and i loved melanie griffith in it.

top gun--tom cruise +kelly mcgillis+blue light+berlin=box office gold



so with no further ado let's get right down to brass tacks:

15. when harry met sally--meg ryan was adorable in this and i wanted her wardrobe, with all those cute, high-waisted, belted jeans-- BAD. never really liked billy crystal all that much until i saw this movie, then thought he ruled

14. cocktail--total beefcake fest, shameless cheesy 80's flick, but i am here to tell you that tom cruise never looked this good on screen again, EVER.  plus that romance down in jamaica is the main reason russ and i went there on our honeymoon.  i fantasized about dancing sexy with russ in a nightclub like tom and elizabeth but it's hard to do when you are 21 year old mormons and scared of being shanked.  or being offered cocaine in downtown montego bay.  DAMMIT RUSS WHY DIDN'T WE AT LEAST SEE WHAT HE HAD TO OFFER

13. summer school--mark harmon and all of his high school misfits was a classic and i liked kirstie alley before she got all fat and jenny craigish.  also i thought mark harmon never looked better than in this movie.

12. footloose--i remember seeing this up at the old movies on the hill and coming out with such a huge crush on kevin bacon-- was there any teenager in america who didn't have that movie soundtrack? plus who doesn't wanna see kevin bacon doing gymnastics in an abandoned warehouse? shirtless?
11. dangerous liaisons--okay, L-O-V-E-D this one--any movie that can make john malkovich seem like the sexiest man alive deserves mad props and russ and i had a particular fondness for this one.  i remember renting it with him from main street video.

10. weird science--i seriously dig anthony michael hall and he killed it in this flick--bill paxton was brilliant as chet--way ahead of his time. and who doesn't wanna hear kelly lebrock say a line like, "its a party--you know, sex, drugs, rock and roll....chips, dips, chains, whips....."

9. flamingo kid--we watched this over and over the summer of 1984 when my friend chris was house-sitting for an old couple in her ward. great time-period film and i want janet jones's body when i die and go to heaven--seriously


8. better off dead-- "four weeks. 28 papers. TWO DOLLARS." i wanna keep john cusack in a box under my bed.


7. some kind of wonderful--listened to this soundtrack all summer long at the leishman's pool. loved that the friend that was the girl that got the guy--of course, that's never gonna happen in real life, but one can dream....

6. ferris bueller's day off--matthew broderick is a ROCK STAR in this film and it was john hughes at his best-- loved the name sloane and wanted to wear walking shorts and boots and look as contempo casual cool as she did. principal edward rooney was my absolute fav (when ferris is posing as sloane's dad and kisses her passionately) "so THAT's how it is in their family......"

5. say anything--okay, what girl does not remember the scene where lloyd dobler is holding up the boom box and peter gabriel's "in your eyes" is blasting away....it's like porn for teenage girls. "i don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. i don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. you know, as a career, i don't want to do that." "kickboxing: the sport of the future."


4. valley girl--oh, be still my heart. "man, he's just like tripendicular, ya know?!" my friends rachel and sara and i must have watched this about 50 times--which is alot when you rent it from rent-a-video at $1.99 a pop--its like romeo and juliet with "like, gag me with a spoon" thrown in, plus it has nicolas cage before he got all weird and freaky and this movie itroduced me to modern english's i melt with you.  sigh.

3. sixteen candles-- "dong......dong? where is my automobile?" there is not enough room on this already way-too long entry to do this film justice. jake ryan is totally dreamy and molly ringwald was the girl we all wanted to be--plus that scene at the end with the birthday cake and them sitting on the table and the thompson twins "if you were here" playing in the background? again, i give you porn for teenage girls.

2. pretty in pink--kick ass soundtrack, molly ringwald, andrew mcarthy, and a dude named duckie. "blaine? BLAINE? that's not a name, its a major appliance!" james spader was all that as the bad dude--he had playing total d-bags down to a fine artform, didn't he? which made me dig him even more. plus john cryer singing and dancing to "try a little tenderness" was an iconic scene.


1. was it even a question? breakfast club--this movie was monumental for me in many ways--first "r" rated film i ever saw (sorry lana) and this movie for me is the one that i could still watch repeatedly and never get sick of the dialogue. "does barry manilow know you raid his wardrobe?" out of all the characters i loved bender best--could judd nelson be any cooler? and that part where they crank up the stereo and dance is timeless--many a time have i had to pull out my "molly ringwald dance" to show my sweet moves. there has never, ever been a better movie made about teen angst. period. the end.

   

29 comments:

R-Eight said...

You got all my favorites. I am ashamed at how many I'll never show my kids. Robin and I are watching Pretty in Pink today.

Tori :) said...

I love your list. I think I've seen "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" about 4 million times. And "Some Kind of Wonderful..." Why did he even like Amanda Jones? I don't get it?!??! "Pretend I'm Amanda. I know it's a far stretch, by try it!"

Tori :) said...

PS. I didn't know C. Thomas Howell was Mormon?? He was in E.T. too! "Stay gold Pony boy..."

Anonymous said...

Love your list, you didn't miss a one of 'em! I heart the 80's-good times!

Petunia said...

OMG! I haven't seen half of those! I need to make a list and start watching! Funny, I just bought PIP a month ago at Target and we watched it and STILL really enjoyed it! The Breakfast Club was the BEST. I have been looking for that one. Has anybody seen it for sale recently??

LN said...

It's not a teen-angst/coming of age film, but any 80's film list of mine would have to have "The Princess Bride" in it. I'd never heard of it, but caught it as the 2nd film in a double-feature with Dirty Dancing. (Great combo!!) Turned out to be one of my all-time favorite flicks!

Devri said...

I heart them all.

Misty said...

This was taking me down memory lane - I was totally laughing and singing some of the music from each. However, you are missing a few, so hopefully you have seen them before. If not, you are going to have to check them out:
She's Out of Control
American Anthem
Stand By Me
Rad
The Princess Bride
Grease
Labyrinth
Great list!

Steph said...

Oh! Mindi, Mindi, Mindi! We are long lost sisters we are! I have been wanting to make a list like this too. Now that I am scrolling down this list of awesomeness, there is really no need anymore. I can just refer everyone to your list. I MIGHT have to change a couple (never saw Less Than Zero or Dangerous Liaisons-but could replace that bad boy with another Michelle Pfeiffer winner, GREASE 2). Also, I was always (and still am) way too chicken to plunk myself in front of The Lost Boys, even though most of my friends talked about it religiously). However, with just those few exceptions, and maybe some replacements (Midnight Madness and probably Grease) I am in agreement. In fact, just this past Saturday I found myself with a rare opportunity to fold unlimited laundry in front of the T.V. since Steve and boys were gone. Guess which movie I picked? None other than one of my TOP 5 favorite 80's flicks, She's Having a Baby! I was wandering around Target, aimlessly looking for something to blow some dough on and there it was, for $7.50 and even includes a 4 track "I Love the 80's CD" inside! I was in 80's heaven! I bought it because Laura has never seen it. Anyway, they don't make movies like that anymore. BTW, I know you're DYING to know which of these other movies made it to my TOP 5: Ferris Beuller's Day off (I have it memorized), The Outsiders (Steve's number one), Better Off Dead, and NUMBER ONE for me: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (shown at every sleepover of my youth-LOVE IT)!

Ida said...

ahh you got the best of the best there. Although I must admit some of them I didn't see. I did see most though. I want my 2.00 classic line, we still use it here.

Michael said...

Neat

Kristen said...

Wow! That takes me back. I'm not sure that I saw all of them, but I totally agree about Tom Cruise in Cocktail. I had such a crush! Of course, I also was hot for Ralph Macchio in Karate Kid!

samiam said...

Love the list. I have to say that Can't Buy me Love is a little higher on the list for me along with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. At work every year we celebrate Cindy Lauper's B-day by blasting her music in our office!!!

Physcokity said...

About half of these are on my netflix to be watched, and the other half I already own!

I totally agree with Misty on some others:
She's Out of Control
Labyrinth
The Princess Bride

I'm sure there are a couple others, but I'd have to go check my DVD collection haha

I have to admit I clearly remember seeing all the previews for She's Having a Baby, I'm even singing it again...thanks.

Physcokity said...

Soundtracks for Cocktail, Dirty Dancing, and MJ Thriller are the three albums I grew up on!

Rusti said...

Time well spent, Mindi! I applaud your dedication. I don't think I could've done the job. Far too many fabulous 80's flicks. 'Big' is one of my favorites still.

Kristina P. said...

I heart John Cusack.

carly k said...

Well, this girl needs to get her little (but really, it's big) behind to the video store. I've only seen like 4 of those movies and heard of like 9 of them.

Should I feel embarrassed?

Super Happy Girl said...

I love this post so much I want to buy it a BFF necklace.

#1 The Breakfast Club. That's my kids' Favoritest teenage movie ever (we have it edited).

Don't mess with the bull, young man. You'll get the horns.
So true.

rachel said...

Does Barry Manilow know that you raided his closet? I remember you posting this and how it made me love you so....

tiburon said...

Oh.my.gosh.

Is it possible I fell in love wit you even more?

I didn't think it could happen.

It is like we share the same brain.

tiburon said...

Looking back there is one that is on my list that you didn't have on yours.

Real Genius.

Classic.

Tiffany said...

I admit I haven't seen all of these. And I agree with some of the commenters that Princess Bride and She's Out of Control and Labrynth should make the list. But I have to disagree with one minor thing you said- Tom Cruise looked DARN good in Cocktail (have that one memorized), but he did look better on screen ONCE after that, and that was in A Few Good Men! After all, the guy was in uniform!!!!!!!

Physcokity said...

I remembered some others...
Troop Beverley Hills
License to Drive
Goonies
Real Genius
Adventures in Babysitting

Trina said...

Your top 10 and my top 10 are almost identical...I agree with Tiburon about Real Genius.
Makes me want to have an 80's movie weekend.

Kristi said...

"I want my two dollars!!!" I love your choices, Mindi...so many great classics.

Omgirl said...

You are kidding me, right??? She's Having a Baby and Top Gun and Dirty Dancing are ALTERNATES??? But Summer School, Dangerous Liasons and Valley Girl (which I've never even seen, though most of my vocabulary between 1986 and 1991 probably came from that movie) are in the top 15? Girl, we gotta talk. And this talk is going to involve us watching Top Gun again so I can point out all the reasons (most of them shirtless and playing beach volleyball) why you need to reconsider.

yawningdog said...

Risky Business


I saw Risky Business for the first time as a freshman in college at the University of Illinois.

In the scene where he blows his college interview and announces that "it looks like the University of Illinois!", the crowd cheered.

Even more irony...I was sitting with my friends that had applied and been rejected by Notre Dame, Princeton and MIT.

Bonnie said...

Love this! I can't think of a lot you may have missed, but "St. Elmo's Fire" is one of those that sticks with me. Not that it was that great, but I remember watching it many, many times one summer with girlfriends.

Now I'm going to be thinking of others all day!