Monday, March 20, 2006

Shame. It can be a good thing.

Ok. I'm going to ask a question that may make you uncomfortable. It may make you want to hide your face and wish you'd never come here. But this is for your own good. So buck up and answer me when I ask, "How many of you have intentionally watched Red Dawn?" (and by "intentionally", I mean "without a gun held to your head" or "not under the influence of alcohol or powerful sedatives.")

I'm asking because... ok, I can do this... My name is Stacie. And I watched Red Dawn. Or at least part of it with Rusty the other night. Only part of it, dammit. Don't you judge me! Between the Swayze-ness, the Sheen factor and the C.Thomas Howell of it all? My brain revolted and threatened to physically leave my body if I did not refrain from watching immediately. It's just bad, bad 1980's movie making. Baaaad. Really bad. It took nearly two days to stop mentally yelling "Wolverines!", and that? Is just wrong, people.

I'll be honest and say that I didn't see this movie when it came out (I was like 10. My parents probably didn't see any redemptive value to having their elementary school aged child watch a badly made movie about the Cubans and Russians invading mid-America. Good job, Mom and Dad. Seriously.) Maybe this movie, like Aqua Net and George Michael, didn't seem so terrible when placed against the backdrop of mid-1980's American culture. But Aqua Net turned out to be bad for the ozone layer. And so did George Michael, for that matter. So "It was the 80's" is no excuse. That movie should not be in rotation on the modern day cable networks. It should be allowed to slip silently into the same drawer with our pegged jeans and doubled up florescent socks and left to die.

Please, I beg of you. Stop the Swayze-ness.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

(logging in as anonymous)

I'll have you know that back in the 80s, that movie was cool! Back in high school, it was a great movie of kids who fight for our country and our freedom, and win in the end.

I think that's what was about, wasn't it? LOL!

And all the hot guys, and cute girls, and the agony of defeat, and guns, and horses, and commies. Woooooo! The whole spectrum of the Reagan years. Uhm-uhm!

Note, I'm not fessing for having seen the movie. Anyhoo, you don't know who I am anyway... ;)

Anonymous said...

Why does everyone rag on the 80s? Elvis Costello! Talking Heads! Joe Jackson! (Yes, all my favs got their start in the late 70s, but all had significant decent output in the big hair years.) Devo! It wasn't all Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. (which, by the way, is my embarrassing pleasure.)

Spoken by a person who still has her 80s hair.

I've actually been hearing a lot of WHAM/George Michael on the radio lately - Faith today, Father Figure yesterday afternoon. I blame Ace Young.

betsy

Stacie said...

No. This is not ragging on the 80's :-) This is ragging on Red Dawn as an entertainment choice last week. I love quite a few things about the 80's myself (Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam - "Head to Toe" is on my iPod.) But I do not like the practice of using the time period as an excuse for movies like this (or "Dirty Dancing" - Yech!)

Jodi said...

I am happy to say I've not seen Red Dawn, but I know you are not dissing Dirty Dancing...one of my all time favorite movies. All though Patrick Swayze does nothing for me I think he is built like a girl.

Anonymous said...

Okay, I will admit to liking Red Dawn when I saw it...which was most likely in the 80's. It actually scared me...to think about our country being invaded. Of course, I also remember being completely freaked out by that made for TV movie called "The Day After" which was about nuclear war here in the US, too. Oh, and I am pretty sure I thought jellies and v-necked sweaters with pastel tank tops and matching socks were so totally tubular.

So, ridicule me, if you must. I am proud to say I have seen it. It was GOOD theater.

Of course, if I were to watch it NOW, I might have the same reaction. Just like now, when I see a Family Ties re-run, I pretty much cringe at how incredibly in love I was with Michael J. Fox. He was dreamy.

 
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