Live the Pooh way

80s Movie Night In!

I don't know if you agree with me here, but in my very humble opinion, the movies of the 80s were, and still are THE BEST! Perhaps this has a lot to do with the fact that my friends and I could really identify with the amazing coming of age themes. I mean, who didn't want to be Molly Ringwald's character, Andie in Pretty in Pink? Who didn't want to work in a hip record store and be wooed by the adorable Andrew McCarthy's Blane?

I cannot count the amount of times I watched this with friends, mainly on sleepovers and we would just drool (such an 80s word) over Blane, whilst eating popcorn and sipping on Tizer, Dandelion and Burdock and other 80s pop. I loved going to one friend's house who had a Soda Stream and we'd excitedly go through all the new flavours to try!
Pretty in Pink has to be one of my all time fave films of the 80s, actually from 1986. I love watching it now, remembering how I felt as a teenager watching it. I loved everything about  Andie: her red hair, her love of pink, her chintzy bedroom, her wacky best friends and the way that Andrew McCarthy looked at her!

Which leads me nicely onto the next reason why these movies were so good, and the next film, Mannequin. They were so blooming good at making film soundtracks. I remember having 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' on replay on my cassette, taped from the Charts Top 40! I loved this film and think Kim Cattral hasn't age from this to when she plays    Samantha in Sex and the City! I love their zany window dressing friend too!

As you can see, Andrew McCarthy was one of my fave actors! I saw this book to read recently and it looks fab!

Speaking of amazing soundtracks to films, one of my fave ever movie songs is 'Electric Dreams'.

We'll always be together, however far it seems.
We'll always be together, forever in Electric Dreams!

I just love all the synthesizers from the 80s. I watched This film for the soundtrack a few months ago and must admit, it seemed a bit slow for the 2000s but, back in the 80s we were blown away by talking computers. Just look at Kit out of Knight Rider! The best part of the film was the song at the end but half way through, the voice over started speaking about what was on next!

I absolutely loved watching St Elmo's Fire, especially singing along to another fab tune! Everyone was amazing in it but onviously Andrew McCarthy was great, although I do think Demi Moore and Rob Lowe stole the show!

Another classic 80s movie was The Breakfast Club. This was so cool and featured in the more modern Pitch Perfect film, the first one. I loved it at the end when they sang,

Don't you forget out me.
Don't, don't don't, don't you!

The 80s actors were amazing, men and women. I love this quote with the Brat Pack. So much talent! Especially Tom, Patrick and Rob! They played some great roles in great movies.

The Outsiders was a fab film, featuring these very talented actors. I am having to google one of them though. All the rest I can remember!

The other male actor I loved that is not here is the fab Brad Pitt. I loved him in everything but I think the first film I noticed him in was Thelma and Louise, the film that is quoted by so many besties who say they will do a Thelma and Louise together. It is said that this pair started off the selfie in this film!

I know Brad Pitt stole from them but my goodness was he gorgeous in denim!

The 80s female actresses too were brilliant. I couldn't find a group photo with all my faves on but I found this film with many talented ones. I loved this film, such a feel good, female bonding film!

One of my fave actresses of the 80s is the lovely Demi Moore. I loved her gritty voice and she tended to play vulnerable characters, mixed with a strength and toughness. She appeared so sassy to the teenage me!

Just as Demi and Rob Lowe were amazing together in St Elmo's Fire, they too were brilliant in this film I'd forgotten about! I need to watch this one again!

Back to the Brat pack and my fave for 80s films was Tom. I couldn't I had a friend tell me the other day that they had never watched Top Gun! Hey? Or Weird Science and Karate Kid! I was like, how are we still friends? Top Gun was fantastic. I loved everything about it and had the soundtrack on casstte! My friends and I would do our aerobics to 'Danger Zone' and 'Playing with the boys'! And I loved Berlin's 'Take my breath away'. But the best was
'You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips .....'
I had the biggest Top Gun poster on my bedroom wall, along with a Top Gun baseball hat too. My friend and I had a Tom Cruise eve a few months ago and just sat reminiscing, reeling off lines in the film we'd learnt off by heart as teenagers. I read an article though the other day that upset me a little. With the upcoming Top Gun 2, which I am very excited about, came this negative article showing a photo of an older, chubbier Kelly McGillis who was amazing in the film. It made fun of her, something along the lines of she was not sexy enough now and would only get the part of his grandma now if she auditioned. I hate this body shaming and ageist attitude. When I thinl back to the size 10 teenager in her denim shorts and crop top watching the film when it first came out, to how I am now, well, I wouldn't feature in the film either!

On this Tom Cruise night, we also watched the marvellous Cocktail. I absolutely love this film and always wanted to be like Elizabeth Shue. As we were watching it, my friend and I kept saying we were going to have our hair permed like hers! It is a sad movie too, just like Top Gun when Tom grieves his best friend in both.

This got me thinking about another great 80s film with Richatd Gere, An officer and a Gentleman. Such a feel good film, especially at the end when he picks Debra Winger up in his arms and carries her out of the factory. I just love it! Although, I think I'd decline the lift and walk out hand in hand. Wouldn't want him dropping me!

The 80s was a time for movies about dancing. The soundtracks come straight to mind when you say a film. Footloose with Kevin Bacon makes me think straight away of 'Let's Hear it for the Boy' and 'Footloose' obviously!

One of my fave ever 80s dancing films has to be the iconic Flashdance. I have watched this brilliant film so many times and I even had the album on cassette that I played over and over. I loved 'Maniac' and the final, uplifting song, 'What a feeling!' My best song though, was when she was dancing on stage and she flushed the water over her!

Dirty Dancing was one of the best movies of the 80s. How many times have my frirnds and I watched it? Again, reeling lyrics off.
"I carried a watermelon!'
'Nobody puts baby in a corner.'

There were so many great television dance programmes too. Fame was brilliant, with Leeroy Johnson. I loved the idea of going to an Arts zchool with music and dancing.
'Fame! I'm going to live forever,
Baby remember my name ... Remember, remember!'

This next film was not famous enough for my liking as it had Matt Dillon looking fantastic, had a fab title and featuted great 50s music and dancing, as in the dance, the shag!

Matt Dillon was also great in The Flamingo Kid. Love this photo from Pinterest.

We can't celebrate 80s films without mentionning Pretty Woman. Again, how many times as this been watched and the fab soundtrack played? My fave songs are 'King of wishful thinking' by Go West and 'It must ha e been love' by Roxette. Loved Roxette! I'm sure a lot of women have had a 'Pretty Woman' moment. Mine was being told this shop didn't cater for the bigger bride! I should have gone back with my order form at my bride's shop and said,
"Bigger the bride, bigger the bidget. Your loss!"
Then walked off, Julia Roberts style! Some people have said this film just romanticises the harsh reality of life but it does show a realer side at the start.
As an aside, I finally got to do something I've romanticised while we are away. I've finally had a Flake bath bath, like the one in the advert. If you know me, you know I love old fashioned things and would love to live in a windmill like Jonathan Creek and have a Flake bath. I mean, I nearly bought a house because of the bath. Hubby was like, we can buy an old fashioned bath! So, I excitedly ran the bath of the century, using the best bubble bath. However, on getting in, I realised I hadn't thought it quite through! Who puts taps in the middle of the bath? So, as I tried to place my rather shapely posterior in the correct position, I knocked the cold tap off, burnt my buttocks and got stuck! Not quite the picture of the 80s advert with the sexy lady submerged in bubbles, flirtatiously eating a crumbly flake! I got unstuck, had a quick shower and went to bed, commenting to hubby about the futilty of romanticising in life!

I cannot end either wothout mentionning another iconic 80s film, When Harry Met Sally. I loved the cast and Meg Ryan was gorgepus in every film she was in! I'm sure many a tipsy woman has recteated Meg's iconic scene whilst sitting in a cafe. Go on, admit it!

One of the biggest 80s films was E.T and I remember having a E.T cuddly toy. It was so sad and realistic. Drew Barrymore, here in this photo, grew up to be one of my favourite actresses.

The 80s was a fantastic time to be growing up, especially with the music and films. These were mixed together to make the best soundtracks that people still remember now and sing along to. A lot of the brilliant films were produced by John Hughes, such as The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day off. Just like the Andrew McCarthy book, there is one searching for John Hughes!

The last movies to end on need to be the Herbie goes bananas films with brilliant Burt Reynolds and the Romancing the Stone films with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. The Indiana Jones films with the amazing Harrison Ford were watched every Christmas, as were the old James Bond films!

There isn't enough space for all the otger amazing films of the 80s, such as the John Travolta hip shaking 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Staying Alive' films and songs sung by the Bee Gees.

Also, The Princess Bride and Highlander film where Queen sang the brilliant soundtrack. The song, 'Who wants to live forever?'was so poignant, being the last song he wrote. I foubnd this picture of Freddie with Christopher Lambert om stage singing the famous song.

The marvellous Back to the Future films and Karate Kid films were fab too.
'Wipe on, wipe off.'
There aren't many remakes of films that are very good but the remake of Karate Kid was really good.

All this reminiscing has made me want a 80s movie night day now. Or even a weekend fest of 80s films with popcorn, ice cream and  Hooch!