It had to be pointed out to me...

[slowfox]

...that we haven't got any heating in the office. Again.

See, since I walk in, the building feels warmer than the outside world, and therefore it doesn't immediately register that it's cold. The drivers who've come aways, though (thus discounting the short-hop folk where the cars don't really warm up) definitely do notice.

The same thing happened yesterday; it's just that yesterday, we didn't have snow settled on the ground.

In other news, the tangential discussion on this week's Football Weekly was collective astonishment on the panel's part that Jimbo (the host) hadn't seen Pretty in Pink nor The Breakfast Club nor The Goonies (yeah, 'football' weekly :-) Also good for learning how to poach eggs). He had, somewhat redeemingly, seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Lost Boys. For my part, I've not seen Pretty in Pink, nor the Breakfast Club and I'll also volunteer the cultural disadvantage that is not having seen St Elmo's Fire, nor even Heathers.

Any other 80s classics that I should've seen?

Comments

[cynthia_black]

I must admit, I've not seen Pretty in Pink or The Breakfast Club either. Or St Elmo's Fire.

Have you seen the following?:

* The Blues Brothers
* Back to the Future
* Dune
* Lethal Weapon
* Local Hero
* Roxanne
* When Harry Met Sally (I know you've seen this one and can quote the script, but I didn't realise it was a 1989 film)

That's the 80s films in my collection that I'm not sure if you'll have seen. The Princess Bride is also 1980s, of course :-)

[slowfox]

Haven't seen The Blues Brothers or Dune. I cannot stand Roxanne, but the rest are definitely good films. Missing from your list might also be Beverley Hills Cop (the first one) and, of course, Tim Burton's Batman, which just creeps into the decade at 1989.

[cynthia_black]

I knew you'd have seen Batman, so it was hardly worth mentioning :-)

You really, really must see The Blues Brothers somewhen. If you borrow our 2-disk version, there are some good interviews with the likes of Dan Aykroyd on the second disk - and you find out just how much of a blues buff he is!

Dune is a weird film, but then, David Lynch is directing. But as you've read the book(s), you'd probably pull quite a few holes in how the film was done. Maybe worth a watch someday though.

[schnurble]

I must admit that I've seen Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club and St Elmo's Fire and have forgotten all about it...
I'd recommend The Outsiders. It's full of brilliant actors who started their careers with this film.

Oh, and Heathers is really fun to watch, so wonderfully macabre, if you have the chance then watch it!

[slowfox]

Heathers does sound as though it might be my type of film! Will look out for it :-)

[stripped]

Have you seen Better Off Dead?

[slowfox]

No, I've not even heard of that one...

[stripped]

Oh wow. It stars John Cusack, and is perhaps one of the most quoted films of the 80s (at least on this side of the pond). My friend saw it my senior year of high school, made me go see it, and it became one of those cult classic things. Basically, very funny (if occasionally darkly humorous, but not nearly so dark as Heathers) film about a guy whose girlfriend breaks up with him to go out with the most popular ski dude in high school, and he decides he simply CAN'T go on without her. Except in the process of trying to NOT go on, he finds an entire new life he didn't expect. It's... very tongue in cheek, very much over the top, and just wonderful. I highly recommend it.

[slowfox]

My favourite John Cusack film of that era has to be The Sure Thing, which has some brilliant moments.

I also rather liked Say Anything, and am something, then, of a Cusack fan (High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank). So I'll definitely look out for Better Off Dead :-)

[stripped]

I'm pretty sure I've seen The Sure Thing but oh man, it was long ago. I actually didn't see Say Anything until very recently. I remember when Grosse Pointe Blank came out, and several of us rather felt like it was a sequel (it isn't, not really) to Better Off Dead just because of certain similarities between the two.

Now I want to go on a Cusack movie binge.

[stripped]

And while I'm here, must recommend one of my other fave films from the same time period: Real Genius which is Val Kilmer and high quotable and a humorous look at a high school sophomore or so being bright enough to get into a school which is obviously meant to be CalTech (or MIT, point being the type of college).

[slowfox]

I don't recall ever hearing about this one either; mebbe it never got a UK distribution?

[stripped]

Maybe? It is also from 1985, like Better Off Dead. It does have a UK rating on IMDB, but that could have been applied much later, in the video era. I don't think as many films crossed the pond in the 80s, did they, as do now?

[aome]

I've seen The Goonies (once, a million years ago) and Ferris Bueller, but that's all.

How about Say Anything? Back to the Future? Dead Poet's Society?

Why does your office heating go out so often?

[slowfox]

Say Anything, Back to the Future and Dead Poet's Society are all good films (although I was a little underwhelmed, perhaps, by Say Anything, and would suggest that The Sure Thing was a better John Cusack film of the era).

Our office heating is ... well, just a sort of kludge, it seems, and we're quite low down on the priority list, as far as we can tell, in terms of building maintenance.

[linaelyn]

I'd like to say that Breakfast Club possibly most-resembles my own youthful experience of that era, though I'm a bit too old for it to fit. (It came out when I was well into college.) Fast Times at Ridgemont High is both grittier (deals with date rape) and funnier (Sean Penn's finest role? Perhaps not. But he makes a hilarious surfer/stoner).

I'm not particularly a fan of it, but Sixteen Candles belongs on that sort of list as well.

[slowfox]

Haven't heard of either Fast Times at Ridgemont High nor Sixteen Candles - I will probably check out The Breakfast Club somewhen, though, as a starter...

[uninvitedcat]

I was going to suggest Pump up the Volume, but it transpires that that's a 1990 film!

[slowfox]

I remember seeing a trailer for Pump up the Volume and feeling appalled with myself for considering it with something akin to interest...

[uninvitedcat]

The ending's pretty awful, but last time I watched it (some years ago now, alas) bits of it made me smile!

[slowfox]

Well, with a recommendation like that...

Incidentally, have you tried Geo Defense Swarm? It is awesome :-)

[uninvitedcat]

I know, I know; you'll be rushing out to buy the director's cut extra-special extended edition box set just as soon as you can...!

And yes, I have tried GDS - it's kicking my arse at the moment. Specifically, DNA. But I'll get those suckers yet!