The Eighties Online

I was quite happy after first reading about the plan to remake the classic 80s movie “Valley Girl,” a project that is being led by film makers Matt Smith and Sean Bailey.

It did not hit me at the time that they were looking to make it a musical.

A musical featuring the great new wave tunes of the time might sound intriguing, but most of those types of movies (like plays) feature the actors attempting to sing the tunes instead of the original artists.

The music is the reason that the movie was so great in the first place; otherwise it would have been a run-of-the-mill “chick flick” in 1983 with the same old “boy from poor background falls in love with rich girl” story.

While it is true that Nicholas Cage was brilliant in that role, the soundtrack is arguably remembered more as classic than the movie.

“Valley Girl” — The Musical?

80s Hits

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Thank You to Hulu.Com for releasing this classic 80s movie in it’s full, unedited form. If you haven’t seen this movie, then you should watch this just to see Bill Paxton play Chet.

There are some excellent 80s fashion ideas in this movie. I watched this again (I’ve seen it just a few times), but this time in High Resolution. It looks great.

Weird Science
Feature Film |1:33:34 |PG-13 |
Two tormented teen rejects create a perfect woman with their computer (and a little bit of magic).

Two unpopular teenagers, Gary and Wyatt, fail at all attempts to be accepted by their peers. Thier desperation to be liked leads them to “create” a woman via their computer.

Their living and breathing creation is a gorgeous woman, Lisa, who’s purpose is to boost their confidence level by putting them into situations which require Gary and Wyatt to act like men.

On their road to become accepted they encounter many hilarious obstacles which gives the movie an overall sense of silliness.

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She’s the pop singer seen jogging in Central Park. Madonna captured the style and fashion sense of generation. Especially teenage girls in the 1980s. Madonna is among the most influential people of the 1980s.

Madonna has always had a special relationship with the media. While many stars try desperately to avoid the paparazzi, Madonna has the power to manipulate the media to her advantage.

In 1985 Madonna ruled the airwaves and MTV too. Madonna at her peak was making music, videos and even movies at a fevered pace. Madonna had the media all sewn up by the mid 1980s. Madonna never had too much trouble from the paparazzi. She, in fact, seemed to embrace the photographers throughout her early career.

From her wildly teased and colored hair to the return of lace and fishnet stockings, her accessories were outrageous, and girls around the world wanted to be like Madonna even going so far as to add her trademark mole to their cheeks.

And her impact on fashion makes her a fashion icon of the 80s. “I’ve made no secret of my love for fashion and trends,” Madonna said.

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Bright lipstick, bright eyeshadow, big jewelry and big hair were all the rage in the mid 80’s.

Short hair behind the ears with height on top (poofy) were definitely the thing. Big gaudy earrings and as many bracelets as you could fit on your wrist.

The early 80’s involved bright neon colors such as pink and green on your clothing color, your hair pieces, shoes and jewelry. The brighter the better.

The invention of hair gel brought a shift away from the hairspray 60s hairstyles the parent’s of the 80s kids wore. While in the 70s it seem the straighter and less styled look prevailed. No hairspray, no gel, and no big hair.

But, in the 80s for men it was cool to wear gel to spike up the hair or to get that 50s look that was popular in movies like “Back to the Future” and “Peggy Sue Got Married”. More movies made the 50s hairstyles popular in the 80s such as “La Bamba” and “The Buddy Holly Story”.

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1. Burt Reynolds

“Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”

“Best Friends”

2. Clint Eastwood

“Firefox”

“Honky Tonk Man”

3. Sylvester Stallone

“Rocky III”

“First Blood”

4. Dudley Moore

5. Richard Pryor

“The Toy”

“Live on the Sunset Strip”

6. Dolly Parton

7. Jane Fonda

8. Richard Gere

“An Officer and a Gentleman”

9. Paul Newman

“The Verdict”

10. Harrison Ford

“Blade Runner”

11. Goldie Hawn

“Best Friends”

12. Katherine Hepburn

13. Alan Alda

14. Sally Field

“Kiss Me Goodbye”

15. Cheech and Chong

“Things are Tough All Over”

16. Meryl Streep

“Sophie’s Choice”

“Still of the Night” with the late Roy Scheider

17. Robert Redford

18. Christopher Reeve

19. Dustin Hoffman

“Tootsie”

20. Timothy Hutton

21. Roger Moore

22. Chuck Norris

“Silent Rage”

23. Bo Derek

24. Brooke Shields

25. Al Pacino

“Author! Author!”

This list was tabulated by Quigley Publications in 1983. It is by no means the order I would place these actors in. These fine actors and many others not listed here helped to make 1982 a very good year for 1980s movies.

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The movies of the 1980s decade were very often a way to “lighten up” at the movies. An 80s movie will have great 80s music and a happy ending. John Hughes movies, for example always leave you feeling good at the end.

Many of the most loved movies of the 80s such as Ground Hog Day or National Lampoon’s Vacation are just awesome movies to watch if you’re having an off day.

There were many classic dramas in the 80s like Scarface or The Godfather Part, no doubt. But many of the most memorable are eighties films like Back to the Future and Peggy Sue Got Married were light and happy affairs.

The 1980s decade was a colorful time and it showed in the movies, with sometimes outlandish outfits and 80s character costumes stealing the scene. The movies and television shows of the 1980s are loaded with examples of eighties fashions.

Recommended Eighties Movies and Films

1. Sixteen Candles

2. The Breakfast Club

3. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) Total gross in the United States was approximately $70 million. It subsequently became the 10th highest grossing film of 1986. Compared to the lean budget of $6 million, it was viewed as a big success.

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The eighties fashion trend-setters tried so many different looks in the 80s. There were as many different trends and fashion styles, as there were individuals with active imaginations. 80s fashion was no longer a combination of clothes and accessories, but the mirror of a rapidly and continuously changing society.

There were, of course, many who looked terrible, running around in outfits that appeared to have been retrieved from a dumpster. But anything goes was the motto of the 1980s where clothes were concerned. In the 1980’s decade it seemed that everyone wanted to set themselves apart from the rest, whether old or young. It was more about making your mark and being flashy, than looking good.

The Eighties brought a whole new genre of clothing, music, movies, and other things that are now still around. While I applaud the fact that eighties fashion has had staying power and is making a big splash in the 21st century, I do not wish to see 90’s “grunge” ever come back in style.

Eighties fashion is almost as big as it was in the 1980s, but the question remains what exactly is 80s fashion.

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It was the decade of decadence. It was about glitz and glamour as well as baubles, bangles, and beads.

Elizabeth Taylor dropped in for Luke and Lauras wedding. Lady Diana Spencer joined the Royal Family. Nighttime soaps like Dallas and Dynasty ruled the airwaves. Margaret Thatcher ruled the United Kingdom. Tom Cruise felt the need for speed. Gordon Gekko taught Wall Street whiz kids that greed was good. Material Girl Madonna made her musical debut. When did all this take place?

We can only be talking about that terrific time period - the excellent eighties.

Here are twenty-one ways for you to verify that you belong to (or belong in) the 1980s.

1. You tried breakdancing. Now youre trying to figure out how you didnt break any bones doing it.

2. You know that Molly Ringwald was an original cast member on Facts of Life. (Now youre singing both of the shows theme songs.)

3. You remember paying by the minute for long distance telephone service and you can still hear the tune from the phone company commercial when they encouraged you to “reach out - reach out and touch someone.”

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