Kiwi Film Review: Top 10 80's Teen/Brat Pack Movies

Like I said, I've decided I want to try and do a new post every Sunday. I've decided that what I'm actually going to do is to have a Top 10 list every Sunday. The last few I've done have been a lot of fun so I figure, why not make it a new thing. Hopefully some people out there will enjoy them! So here they are: my list of Top 10 80's Teen/Brat Pack movies.

10.) Dirty Dancing

I put this last, only because I was iffy on even putting it on the list because its not really a "Brat Pack" film, or the kind of "high school" movie I had intended, but she is a teen so I think it counts. Great coming of age/ discovering love movie.

 9.) Footloose

Really great "fight the man"story. I enjoy any movie that proves that adults aren't always right, and kids/teens aren't always wrong. Great soundtrack and a great movie about fitting in as an outsider.

8.) The Outsiders

Who doesn't love a good gang movie. Greasers vs preps? Talk about excitement! Almost everyone in this movie became huge stars so it makes it pretty interesting to watch. Tom Cruise looks super different, but he's still crazy, so its all good. Great book and story, something everyone should check out at least once in their lives.

7.) Pretty In Pink

A sweet movie about not being afraid to be yourself in a world that doesn't appreciate people who are unique. Andie has to choose between giving her best friend Duckie a chance, or stepping out of her comfort zone and giving Blane, a rich popular boy at her school, a chance. Great movie that tackles class segregation as well.

6.) Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Have you ever wanted to see Sean Penn play a stoner, "Surfer-dude" character? Well this is your chance. This movie is seriously hilarious and a great movie about life as a teen, discovering love and lust, and the hardships that come with high school, and heartbreak. Really great movie.

5.) St. Elmo's Fire

Who doesn't love Rob Lowe as a badboy who plays the saxophone? Great film for the next chapter of life. A group of friends have just graduated college and are learning about how life really works. Love, moving in together, marriage, cheating, alcohol, drugs,  being a stalker; just a few of the many themes covered in this movie. Half the characters are just awful, and the other half are too sweet to even be friends with the bad ones.

4.) Sixteen Candles

This movie starts off with every teen's worst nightmare; your entire family forgetting your sixteenth birthday. This is a classic "regular girl has huge crush on most popular boy in school who happens to be dating the bitchy most popular girl in school" scenario, but it really stands on its own. You can't help but adore all of the characters, and it really makes you feel like your life is not so bad. Will Samantha's nightmare turn into a dream come true? Check it out!

 

3.) Say Anything

A genuinely nice guy finally gets the guts to ask out the beautiful and smart valedictorian of his class the day of graduation. So begins the ups and downs of a summer romance before she goes to college. I had no idea where the classic "boombox overhead outside of your window" scene came from until I watched this movie. Such a classic romantic scene that every girl dreams of. Or at least every girl who's a fan of these 80's teen movies.

2.) Ferris Bueller's Day Off

It doesn't get more classic then this. John Hughes is a genius. I love the style of filming in this movie where the main character talks directly into the film and at the audience. It really adds to the charm of the film. Plus, who doesn't love a random musical number in a random parade in the middle of a movie? Its really how any teen wants a day to go when they skip off school to go to the city with their friends.  The whole movie you're just hoping and wondering if Ferris will pull it off. 

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

1.) The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club is undoubtably the greatest teen film of all time. It pretty much hits almost every teen issue besides pregnancy. Drugs, sex, love, suicide, pressure in school, pressure in sports, pressure to be popular, pressure to fit in, loneliness, divorce, trouble at home, bullying. People who are normally the bad guys in movies, you can't help but feel bad for (ie the Jock or popular girl). You can't help but  connect, at least on some level, with every character, and thats the pure genius that was John Hughes. I don't know anyone who has ever seen this movie who hasn't enjoyed it. I mean, it was made over 25 years ago and it still speaks to so many kids today. 

"Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. But we think you're crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain ...and an athlete ...and a basket case... a princess... and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club."

Kiwi Film Review: My Top 10 Films of All Time

First off, I've decided that I'm going to try and make an honest effort at posting a review or list every Sunday starting this week. This doesn't mean that I won't be posting more then that every week, but I just wanted to have a day where I definitely posted something. Thanks and enjoy the rest of the post. --Gill.

Some of these movies will probably be confusing (ie Perks of Being a Wallflower as there were a number of other films before it on my Top Films of 2012 list) but I think that theres a difference between an excellently made film, and a film that you feel a connection to, or one that really stands out to you. I chose most of the pictures because I felt they really represented what each film was about. So here they are, my top 10 films of all time.

10.) The Godfather

A lot of people are definitely thinking that this should be higher on the list, but there are just more movies that I had a stronger reaction to.

This is my first introduction to Marlon Brando, who was such an epic character as Don Vito Corleone. Everything about this movie is perfect. It is clearly the greatest gangster movie of all time, and many people believe it is the greatest film of all time, and clearly I definitely think it's up there.

Check out my review HERE

9.) Mystic River

The first time I saw this movie I had  no idea what it was about, and I like it that way. I think this was probably the movie that made me really love Sean Penn. It was so intense and if you were able to call the ending you deserve a high-five. 5-star acting all around, made me want to watch the rest of Clint Eastwood's movies.

You can find my review HERE

8.) The Silence Of The Lambs

The first time I watched this film I had no idea what I was getting into, I knew it was a murder mystery but that was about it. I can't even put into words the calibre of Anthony Hopkins in this film. So much excitement, so many memorable, and quotable moments. No one does a Silence of the Lambs parody like Kevin Smith in Clerks II.

7.) Midnight In Paris

I seriously adored every moment of this film. I loved how its definitely a fantasy film, but has so much history and romance that its almost not fantasy at all. The entire premise is clearly fantasy-based but everything around it is mostly historical using real people. Woody Allen is so good at capturing the "what if's" we have in our minds and creating a story around it.

You can find my review HERE

6.) The Dark Knight Rises
Christopher Nolan knows how to make an awesome movie. With Batman Begins he re-created how to make an action-hero movie. The thing that made this film for me was how amazingly he tied his trilogy together. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. His characters were so strong, and deep that you couldn't help but feel everything for them.

You can find my review HERE

5.) Perks of Being A Wallflower

I'm a sucker for movies like this, with such loveable characters who go through such horrible events. The book is even better, but since the author of the novel was also the writer and director of this film, there has never been a better book to film transfer. I dare you not to love this film.

You can find my review HERE

4.) Dirty Dancing

I know after the list of fantastic films I just presented many people will look at this film and dismiss the entire list, but let me explain. There is no doubt that this film doesn't have anywhere near the best writing, acting, or directing, but there is something so charming about it that there is no way I can allow it to not be on this list. 

Nothing hooks you quite like a coming of age/discovery of love and lust story. Patrick Swayze is a total hunk in this film, and I will never renounce my love for him.  Jennifer Grey is a charming, beautiful young girl that allow all of us ladies to live through her discovery what life is really about and the hardships that people face. The soundtrack is also one of my favorites for any film, so many great songs, including some originals just for the film.

3.) A Beautiful Mind

Before I saw this film I honestly only thought of Russell Crowe as "the guys from Gladiator" which is obviously fine as its also a great movie, but I had no idea what kind of pure, raw, talent this man had inside of him. Absolutely amazing film. Based on a true story too!

2.)  American Beauty

If you've never seen this film you are seriously missing out on the awesomeness that is Kevin Spacey. This film turned it all around for me, I don't know how I didn't see his amazing abilities before this, but I did. This film absolutely blew my mind. I don't even know how to explain what kind of movie this is other then to explain that you HAVE to see it ASAP. Kevin Spacey 4 Life.

1.) The Breakfast Club

It all comes down to this. I love this film for a similar reason as why I love Perks of Being a Wallflower. You cannot help but fall in love with the characters. There is not a more powerful scene in film then the one on top of the the library when they all share their deepest thoughts and secrets. No one makes a better heartbreaking/heartwarming film about teenagers then John Hughes, what a genius. 

In a world full of movies/TV shows of dumb teenagers who only care about sex and underage drinking, this movie comes out as a champion showing that they can understand life, and how hard it can be sometimes. It shows that they can be real people, and not just kids who don't deserve an opinion.





Honourable Mentions: Shawshank Redemption, Fight Club, An Education, Never Let Me Go, American Psycho, The Sound of Music, Sleepers, Cloud Atlas, and The Phantom of the Opera.

*Please note that I have not included any documentaries, and have tried to limit the number of movies in trilogies as I am going to make a top 10 list of both.