Tag Archives: revisiting old things

Not long ago Jezebel had a thread and endless comments about Sixteen Candles v. Pretty in Pink.

As if.

I love my Pretty in Pink and my Duckie and my Iona and Andie with her drawer full of pink beads. But if I’m forced to choose, Sixteen Candles is going to win every time.

The movie was on cable last week and I taped it and watched it yesterday.

I love this movie.

Every time Bob came into the room I said, “Honey, come here. This is the best scene in 80’s cinema.” If you know his taste in films you’re laughing right now because he likes weird old foreign stuff with like, one guy in a room playing the accordion while a monkey tap dances. He would think that was the best scene in cinema. He also claims I’ve already made him watch 16 Candles with me at least 4 times which I find very hard to believe. Or not.

One thing that struck me about the film during this viewing was how much stuff you could NEVER put in a mainstream teen movie these days. Homosexual slurs. Terrible Italian stereotypes. Horrifically racist Asian stuff. Drunk teenagers driving, mixing drinks and doing it with no mention of protection whatsoever.

I have a million favorite moments in this movie but I will mention two. The first is when Farmer Ted is mixing martinis for himself and Jake Ryan and handing him peanuts and giving him girl advice. Classic.

The other is probably my favorite movie scene in history beating out when Luke destroys the death star, “nobody puts baby in a corner” and that moment in the Battle Of Helm’s Deep when Gandalf comes galloping down the hill.

It’s at the very end when Samantha is leaving the church and people are taking off and all the cars pull away and there’s Jake Ryan leaning on his red Porsche waiting for her! And even better, her Dad lets her drive off with him instead of going to her sister’s wedding reception. On what planet does that happen?

The best.

I loved CREEM and subscribed up until the bitter end which I think was late ’80. To give you an idea: I STILL have my back issues and I don’t save things. The end was long and drawn out and bitter. A late issue here. A skipped issue there. An extended hiatus only to reappear, swearing stability and coaxing another check out of me for another year, (sucka!) before finally disappearing seemingly for good. Later I remember it being remade into something resembling Interview and a neon fuzzed-up photo of Billy Idol on the cover. I ran screaming from the newsstand but still felt the burning sense of rip off as the magazine owed me numerous issues.

I don’t understand why the whole world didn’t love this magazine. It was endlessly scathing and hilarious. They published two of my letters to the editor and between this fine publishing coup and the reviews (described below) I thought I was well on my way to fulfilling my dreams as a rock n’roll writer. I could have been Almost Famous.

I subscribed to CREEM Metal (remember this was the ’80’s, Poison was on top) which no doubt would have been Alterna-Creem in the 90’s and CREEM Word Up today. Metal must have been a last ditch attempt to get a cash infusion because they folded shortly thereafter. Folded owing me many, many magazines which I mention again, even though of course I’m totally over it.

There were other signs that they were cutting corners. They started something called the Reader Review. They encouraged readers to send in reviews for possible publication and $25. They published 2 of mine which apparently I don’t have in electronic format so I’ll have to show them to you later. It goes without saying that they still owe me $50. I say cutting corners, they might have argued that this was the ultimate in reader interactivity — but I don’t think so.

More later. The family is here for Thanksgiving and we’re off to do some museum-y type things.