The ’80s are Back to the Present

Like, oh my God! The awesome ’80s are back! Totally go to the mall and check what everyone is wearing. Holey jeans, jean jackets and vests are coming back. Just Monday I saw a woman wearing leg warmers! Punk fashion is back. Guys are sporting mohawks everywhere. Soon, the mullet will make its way back (like gag me with a spoon), and girls will be feathering and crimping their hair. Musically, I totally hope Taco goes back on tour.

I was just a little kid in the ’80s…really little…too little to be seeing a whole new generation embracing that awesome era. Get your own look!

Then again, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Even with my totally tubular job in movies, the trend is irrefutable: Indiana Jones 4, My Bloody Valentine 3-D, Friday the 13th, Rambo 517, Rocky 3,741, etc.

What really blows my hair back is the retro appeal of actual ’80s’ movies. If you’ve been watching the Top-25 sales list on DVDPlanet.com, studio DVD releases of ’80s’ hits are selling like junk bonds in 1987.

Some titles make sense, but others baffle me to no end. “Vibes!” “Vibes?!” Seriously?! My sister Tiny Neh-Neh and our babysitter Britta were the only two people in the country who actually saw that in the theater! Twenty years later, it is on my Top-25 pre-order list! I still love Cyndi Lauper, but having watched “Vibes” 100 times with my sis on VHS, I can only thank God for the sales value of nostalgia.

So in case you wanna ride this gnarly wave of nostalgia, here are some of the oh-so-fresh ’80s’ hits and nonhits new to DVD:

♦ Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) goes “Back to the Future” in 1985’s mega hit about a slacker teenager who is inadvertently sent back in time to 1955 in a tasty Delorean time machine. After accidentally disrupting his parents chance encounter that ultimately led to his existence, Marty is on a date with destiny and forced to get them together or disappear. In “Back to the Future 2,” Marty is brought to the future by his mad scientist friend Doc (Christopher Lloyd) to save his kids and himself. And in “Back to the Future 3,” Marty must go back to the Old West to save Doc, who decided to retire as a cowboy. Sound tracks include great ’80s rockers ZZ Top and Huey Lewis and the News.

♦ “Vibes” was rereleased yesterday on DVD. Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Goldblum and Peter Faulk head from New York to the Andes on a quest for the ultimate source of psychic power on earth. Oh yeah, by the way, Cyndi and Jeff are psychics. Peter actually says he’s looking for his missing son but is only using their skills to make a fortune on a psychic treasure hunt. Along the way, they encounter evil psychics bent on taking over the world. It is camp enough for a Cub Scout troop and loads of nostalgic fun!

♦ Then out on March 10, “Howard the Duck” returns from cult comedy heaven. Brought via laser to Cleveland from a parallel universe in which water fowl, not apes, evolved, Howard must learn to cope with 1986 America. The ultimate sour puss, Howard is lucky enough to have Lea Thompson try to help find a way to send him back home. But when evil aliens are also brought to earth via the same laser, Howard first has to help save earth. This also stars Tim Robbins and Jeffrey Jones. I laughed my tail feathers off in 1986, and I plan to laugh them off again in two weeks.

And if you happen to be one of the few people alive who knew me way back in the ’80s, then you know I can’t sign off on this column without a plug for the greatest TV show ever…now on DVD: “Sledge Hammer” seasons 1 and 2. Never was a narcissistic homicidal cop funnier.

Trust me. I know what I’m doing.

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6 Responses to “The ’80s are Back to the Present”

  1. 6
    Psychic Readings Says:

    Interesting post. Keep up the good work

    Psychic Readings did not rate this post.
  2. 5
    Tiny Neh-Neh Says:

    I still love Cyndi Lauper, and I still have the VHS of “Vibes”! On behalf of my better half, I will have to add a nod to old skool “Knight Rider.” I know it isn’t a movie, but who cares?

    Tiny Neh-Neh did not rate this post.
  3. 4
    Seth Says:

    Don’t forget about Big Trouble in Little China. Good old Jack Burton’s famous quotes!

    “Ol’ Jack always says… what the h*!!?”

    &

    Like I told my last wife, I says, “Honey, I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, it’s all in the reflexes.”

    Seth did not rate this post.
  4. 3
    Nathaniel Says:

    Yep. Lea was a hot commodity back then.

    Nathaniel did not rate this post.
  5. 2
    loy Says:

    And what’s wrong with feathered hair??? The 80’s must have been Lea Thompson’s decade…Wasn’t she in the ‘Back to the Future’ series too?

    loy did not rate this post.
  6. 1
    admin Says:

    An 80s classic, no doubt, Howard the Duck is as funny as it is original. Nice to see it finally get some credit!

    admin did not rate this post.

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