Take Me Back to the 80's

Directed by Howard Deutch Released June 17th, 1988 Written by John Hughes Movie Synopsis Courtesy of IMDB "A Chicago man's hope for a peaceful family vacation in the woods is shattered when the annoying in-laws drop in." Alright, I was pleasantly surprised with this movie! I was a little worried at first because of some of the people who had recommended this movie to me. Let's just say we normally have different definitions of funny. But this movie really did come through! It was entertaining, the jokes weren't super cheesy, and it had two of my favorite Johns. What also surprised me was the fact that this movie was written by my hero John Hughes (John #1). I had no idea, but it also has me thinking. John Hughes always directed his own movies, so the fact that he didn't direct this movie makes me question as to why. So the first thing that I found is that this wasn't the first time Hughes and Deutch worked together. Apparently, Hug...

Directed by Norman Jewison Released December 18th, 1987/January 15, 1988 Written by John Patrick Shanley Movie Synopsis Courtesy of IMDB "Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry." So for starters I will clear the elephant in the room. The reason this movie has two dates in the title is because I am not sure what to put down as the real date. It's release date is technically January of 1988, but it's first premiere was in December of 1987. Which also means that it was made in 1987. I am not sure which is more accurate so that's why both is on there. You can decide which release is more accurate. Obviously this movie centers a lot around the idea of marriage and love. But it does so in a different way than most romantic comedies do. Not only do most of our characters have a vague and weird outlook on love/marriage, but th...

Directed by Barry Levinson Released December 16, 1988 Written by Barry Morrow Screenplay by Ronald Bass & Barry Morrow Movie Synopsis Courtesy by IMDB "Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country." It is no secret that Tom Cruise is one of the staples of the 80's, so it was only a matter of time before I got to one of his movies. With that said, though, I don't think this is a Tom Cruise movie. I think this movie is all about Dustin Hoffman.  Making a movie like this can be very challenging. When playing a character who has a disability/impairment/mental problem/etc. you never want to offend anyone or get information wrong. It is important that you try to act and stay true to a character without making them into a joke. There is a very fine line when making a movie like this and I think that Dustin Hoffman executed his role professionally an...

Directed by Penny Marshall Released June 3, 1988 Written by Gary Ross & Anne Spielberg Movie Synopsis Courtesy of IMDB "After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult." It was as I was prepping this blog, by watching movie clips, that I remember how great this movie is. Not because of the cinematography, or the production quality, or the storyline, largely the acting, but the big (no pun intended) reason is because it just makes me happy. Big is one of those movies that reminds you what it was like to be a kid and it shows you what kind of adult you want to be. It is a movie that allows you to see a lot of yourself in the characters both good and bad.  The main point I am talking about with this is the idea that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. That is the kind of philosophy I am trying to live my life with, as a second semester senior trying t...