The other day my mom mentioned to me that I haven't blogged in a long time. Which is true. When I first started, I thought I'd try to write something on each day of the weekend at least, and maybe something during the week too, although that was pretty unlikely. But then stuff distracted me and here we are, a month later, and I only have 2 blog entries to my name.
But I digress. I wanted to get back into the habit of writing again, and since this week was a very John Hughes-y week for me, it seems like the perfect thing to write about. Monday I watched The Breakfast Club, simply because I was in the mood to watch. Then on Wednesday it was on TV and I thought "Who cares if I just watched it? I'm going to watch it again." (I have to point out that watching on TV after just having watched it on DVD is a funny experience. They really don't do a good job dubbing the curse words.) After The Breakfast Club they immediately aired Sixteen Candles and I couldn't not stick around for that, even though I eventually had to go to bed and therefore couldn't watch the whole thing. Yesterday I watched Pretty in Pink, just to complete my viewing of the John Hughes/Molly Ringwald trilogy of nostalgia. Though some may not agree with me, they are amongst my favorite movies ever and they just make me so happy whenever I watch.
During the week I also watched the pilot episode of Community, which is heavily influenced by The Breakfast Club. In fact, the episode is dedicated to John Hughes, who had passed away the summer before Community had premiered. After watching, I thought about how sad it was that he wouldn't be able to witness this legacy he had left behind, although I suppose the legacy existed long before Community (and will continue long after, no doubt.)
There was another episode of Community that aired just a few weeks ago that had used Don't You (Forget About Me) (AKA the Breakfast Club song.) Just hearing it in the background of a scene that lasted about a minute was enough to give me that warm happy feeling we call nostalgia, and was probably what subconsciously put me in the mood to watch all these movies again. But here's the funny thing. I was born in the 80s. When The Breakfast Club came out, I was not even 3 years old. I saw all the classic 80s teen movies on tv years later. So why do I get nostalgic for coming of age movies that were made a decade before I came of age myself? As a matter of fact, I don't get any sort of sentimental feelings for things like Dawson's Creek which probably was the show that defined my generation. (Although I personally think Daria captured high school life in the 90s better than any other show from that era.)
Sometimes when I'm at the mall, I see teenagers and I feel like I'm a universe away from them. Not even so much age-wise, because getting mistaken for being younger than I am is something that happens to me on a semi-regular basis. But something about their demeanor, the way they carry themselves, makes me feel like the world you live in between the ages of 12-19 is different than the world we inhabit when we're adults. Sometimes I remember my own youth and feel the same way. But whenever I turn on a good Brat Pack movie, those barriers vanish. Youth becomes relatable again.
It's the magic of Hollywood, I suppose.
