Friday, April 10, 2020

John Hughes Blues, Becomes A Week of Enlightenment (101)

My chat tonight is 80's and 90's themed. My week has been watching 80's and 90's movies- Say Anything, Reality Bites, Singles. But mostly- a lot of John Hughes Movies.

I guess this journey was spawned by completing the book- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. The book is amazing.

I think these movies, really resonated not only because they are the films of my adolescence, but because their theme is still very relevant today.

Sixteen Candles
It's the time of your life that may last a lifetime was the tag line. We often feel out of place, overshadowed by events. There are a lot of birthday parties cancelled these days. A lot of teenagers, who feel ignored in a house full of siblings. It's a time to make sure we acknowledge what they are losing. Let’s face it these days everyone is feeling a loss and teenagers and children most of all.

Pretty in Pink
I can’t even imagine, if in the 80’s when I was a teenager, that I was isolated from my friends. That my prom was cancelled. That my high school graduation might not happen. The culmination of four years of my life- just fading into the woodwork without celebration. This movie might be about being an outcast- but it definitely resonates with what is happening today.

Some Kind of Wonderful
I love this movie- it is an obscure one though. A crush on someone “out of your league” a friend you don’t notice is perfect for you. It feel like the thousand voices jumping on Twitter trying to get noticed. I know it has been crowded on Twitter, but lately it seems over-flowing with yelling voices all trying to be heard. To be noticed by the ‘popular crowd.’ When keeping it close, with friends, seems like the better bet.

Breakfast Club
Everyone knows this movie. A group of teens, who probably would never speak to one another are forced into a situation where they are supposed to not communicate but do. Boredom gets them collaborating and conversing. But, at the end of the day, the honest truth is it will go back to the way it was before. We are entering one another’s orbits often temporarily. But, it’s worth it- to glean insight.

Weird Science
Designing the ideal woman is this movies plot. But with distancing learning it is all about designing an ideal lesson, building ideal virtual relationships. We are all searching for camaraderie and connection. Sometimes its real, sometimes it a flash, temporary moment- but every day we are all trying to make connections in another wise quiet world.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Playing hooky. Taking a drive in a forbidden car. Museums, restaurants and baseball stadiums. The sheer thrill of being outside and living life normally is all of our daily wishes. Yet, like school is a prison for Ferris somedays- our homes feel like an unwelcomed enclosure for us. BUT we have our imaginations and lots of cable tv. I know that among other things is keeping me sane.


John Hughes movies are universal, enduring and indelible. Catch one of these sometime and you will be transported for a little while into the world of expected outcomes. That is refreshing in a time where uncertainty has grabbed hold.

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