Just figured out I should have taken this quick post approach to lockdown. At least it’s worth trying. I’m watching LOTS of movies (around 15 a week) but only a handful warrant a full post. But there’s still lots of thoughts I have on the others. So let’s give this a go?
St Elmo’s Fire – The least loved of all the 80s brat pack movies, and for good reason. It’s just not as interesting. I for one have a really hard time buying these characters. You’ve got 3 Breakfast Club actors in a film that was released the same year, but they’re meant to be about ten years older. Sure, they’re acting their real age, but their high school characters are so iconic, I can’t help but see them as babies. Babies doing adult things, because adulting as a twenty something was different then than it is now. Hell, I still haven’t done half of what they attempt (and fail at).
Pump Up the Volume – I saw someone tweet in defense of physical media the other day, saying that this movie wasn’t on streaming anywhere and the scarce DVD’s were pretty limited. This had been on my watch list for a while, so in a panic I quickly ordered it off Ebay. I didn’t notice that it was an import copy, so all the text on the box was in Korean. All good though, it still played. In English. I very much enjoyed it, but I get how it can get lost in the shuffle of all the great 80’s and early 90’s teen comedies. Still, I love me some Christian Slater. Between this and Heathers and Interview, I think I’m officially declaring him my favorite heartthrob of the era. Throw in today’s Mr Robot for good measure too
Real Genius – If MIT had a favorite movie, it would be Sneakers. But Real Genius is pretty high on the list too. A DVD permanently sat by the tv in my hall’s lounge, although I don’t know that I saw it used that often. The early scenes where the new kid is touring the dorm brought back so many feels. That craziness of smart kids running around building things and experimenting and having fun is exactly the vibe of my undergrad, at least at East Campus, my dorm which was known for its free spirited craziness. I was talking with another friend recently about dorm things, and his frat boy self was shaking his head at my stories. So maybe it wasn’t all of MIT, but it was my home.
Scarface – I only made it about forty minutes into this movie. Actually, I was ready to turn it off after less than ten, but this is one of those movies that I SHOULD know. I fell asleep at that 40 mark, snuggling with my cat, and was awakened by a phone call a little later. I opted not to continue the movie. Why was I so quick to turn it off? The whole thing was just glorifying toxic masculinity. It shouldn’t have come as quite a shock, but Tony Montana’s machismo was unbearable. And then I started thinking about how many IRL guys idolize him and aspire to be him, and I literally started to feel sick. It was so uncomfortable to watch thru that lens, I just couldn’t take it. I had to reinstate the positivity rule for the rest of the night