AUTHOR: Steve Spears
TITLE: Pretty in Pink -- best movie of the 80s?
DATE: 7/07/2006 07:14:00 AM
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BODY:
<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.sptimesphotos.com/blogs/80s/uploaded_images/PrettyInPinkBigPic-729112.jpg" alt="" align="right" border="0" hspace="4" vspace="4" />Our Stuck in the 80s podcast show on the 1986 masterpiece <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pretty in Pink</span> is now online. <a href="http://pod.sptimes.com/stuckinthe80s048.mp3">Click here</a> to download it. Or <a href="https://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/subscribePodcast?id=81501666">click here</a> to subscribe to the whole series of podcasts for free on iTunes.

In the show, the hosts debate <span style="font-weight: bold;">whether it's actually the best teen film of the 80s</span>. At the very least, it certainly sports one of the best soundtracks of the 80s, so prepare yourself for plenty of music, including one song that wasn't included on the soundtrack. (Gotta love the Rave-Ups.)

<span style="font-weight: bold;">Other trivia you'll discover while listening:</span>
-- Find out which two actors turned down the role of Duckie, before the character landed on the lap of <a href="http://www.sptimesphotos.com/blogs/80s/2006/07/80s-dance-off-joel-vs-duckie.html">Jon Cryer</a>, who turned it into one of his best acting pieces ever.
-- Hear the exciting news about the <span style="font-weight: bold;">original ending of the movie</span> ... soon to be available for the first time.
-- Discover the answer to the nearly-impossible "name that 80s tune" challenge and try the latest challenge. You could win Cathy's car! (Or more likely a hat and pen.)
-- Special bonus for 80s addicts: <a href="http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers/movie/prettyinpink/pretty_in_pink_1.jpg">Click here</a> to download <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pretty in Pink wallpaper</span> for your computer monitor. (Yeah, I did it. I'm hopeless.)

(Don't forget: We need your vote for the annual Podcast Awards. <a href="http://www.podcastawards.com/index.php?option=nominate">Click here</a> for the nomination form. Nominate us for whatever categories you like. We're throwing a kegger for all our fans if we win.)<div style="clear:both; padding-bottom: 0.25em;"></div>
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/8080508" rel="nofollow">yellojkt</a>
DATE:7/07/2006 01:10:59 PM
I gotta give <I>The Breakfast Club</I> the nod over PiP. I think the art direction in PiP was a little over-stylized. Real teens never dressed that good all the time. And how dated are bolo ties?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/9284321" rel="nofollow">Steve Spears</a>
DATE:7/07/2006 02:16:10 PM
Personally, PiP isn't my favorite either. I'm sticking with Ferris.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:Anonymous
DATE:7/07/2006 02:51:55 PM
No Way, Some Kind of Wonderful, better soundtrack, better ending...
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/27083549" rel="nofollow">bam89</a>
DATE:7/07/2006 08:03:36 PM
We have a dispute in the bam89 household on this issue.  The hubby said Ferris, which I agree is high on the list.  I, however, love love love Footloose.  He didn't like Footloose at all. Is it a guy thing? We do agree that it isn't Pretty in Pink. I am going to give it another chance and watch it again.  Oh, and by the way, how can bolo ties be dated when we are all stuck in the 80's anyway?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/26977466" rel="nofollow">dblvd</a>
DATE:7/07/2006 09:19:51 PM
hehehe...good point...if we can't be outdated here, where can we be outdated???<BR/><BR/>I think I'm going to have to lean towards Some Kind Of Wonderful.  I loved it. Pretty In Pink is awesome too but I love Some Kind of Wonderful...I think it may be Keith's red hair and the Garbage Pail Kid Cards.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/9284321" rel="nofollow">Steve Spears</a>
DATE:7/07/2006 09:40:14 PM
I loved Footloose. I have fond memories of seeing it with my first real, love-her-for-life girlfriend, Alisa Fouts. Wish I knew what happened to her. <BR/><BR/>For the record, Pretty in Pink was on cable tonight, so per tradition, I watched it yet again. No, it's not the best movie of the 80s. I will give it credit for being the first of John Hughes' "serious" films. And maybe that's why we all secretly are attracted to it. It's a rite of passage, per se.<BR/><BR/>Some Kind of Wonderful is a great movie. But it's like having the second best cheeseburger of your life: the surprise is already gone, all you do now is appreciate it.<BR/><BR/>Ferris remains a masterpiece of originality. I'll always also love Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Sure Thing and Valley Girl.<BR/><BR/>Viva la 80s!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<span class="anon-comment-author">Bassnote</span>
DATE:7/07/2006 10:09:42 PM
They held several 'cattle call' audition for the roll of Duckie. I went to the one in Chicago. In the end they went with an actor who had some rolls already. I will say I loved Jon Cryer in the part, but it is not the best 80's movie. I think I would also lean toward Ferris, but Sixteen Candles comes close.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:Anonymous
DATE:7/07/2006 11:31:36 PM
I'd have to agree with the other comments that Pretty in Pink isn't the BEST movie of the 80s, but it is a really good one.  The things that make it a classic are also some of the things that keep it from being the best.  How many times did Andrew McCarthy basically play the same lovesick guy?  The clothes (for Molly Ringwald and Jon Cryer) were Hollywood vintage store cool, but nobody really wore all that stuff together.  And, the ending was predictable.  But...isn't that all the stuff we wanted in a movie in the 80s?<BR/><BR/>-Shelly
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/27133838" rel="nofollow">rebecca_taylor</a>
DATE:7/07/2006 11:40:13 PM
My personal choice for best movie of the 80s has to go to the divine <I>Valley Girl</I>, although I think that maybe <I>Sixteen Candles</I> is the best teen movie because it had all the ingredients that came to personify the teen movie genre. However, <I>Pretty in Pink</I> would have to be pretty high up on the list of best teen movies.<BR/><BR/><I>Some Kind of Wonderful</I> is good, but I can't get over how much better it could have been if Martha Coolidge hadn't been replaced as director four days before shooting started. She of course directed <I>Valley Girl</I> and the totally underrated <I>Real Genius</I>, which really deserves a podcast all its own. I think <I>Some Kind Of Wonderful</I>, while great, falls way short of all the other Hughes teen classics.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/26536230" rel="nofollow">DC</a>
DATE:7/08/2006 01:06:36 AM
I haven't listened to the podcast yet (I'm downloading it now), but I too never thought PIP was thee best 80's film. BREAKFAST CLUB and DIE HARD are still my favorites.  <BR/><BR/>But PIP is cool, tho.  It was the first film I saw "Dice" Clay in. And it put Molly Ringwald on the cover of TIME magazine.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<span class="anon-comment-author">Nabila</span>
DATE:7/08/2006 01:42:55 AM
Pretty in Pink is definitely NOT the best movie of the 80s. I can't decide on just one, but some contenders are Ferris Bueller's Day Off (of course), Better Off Dead, Back to the Future, The Sure Thing, The Breakfast Club, The Lost Boys and, although it isn't set in the 80s and has no 80s fashion, hair, or music...<BR/>STAND BY ME
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/26977466" rel="nofollow">dblvd</a>
DATE:7/08/2006 01:52:35 AM
Oh but wait...Stand By Me does have something very 80's...one of its stars is none other than Corey Feldman. Yes, River Phoenix is there too and he does an amazing job, but Feldman is an 80's product if there ever was one.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/26977466" rel="nofollow">dblvd</a>
DATE:7/08/2006 02:26:17 AM
A favorite Duckie moment:<BR/> <BR/> Duckie: Do you know what an older woman does for me?<BR/> <BR/> Iona: Changes your diapers.<BR/> <BR/> Duckie: Touche! (the cool part)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<span class="anon-comment-author">Nabila</span>
DATE:7/08/2006 02:27:11 AM
Then I guess that settles it - Stand By Me is THE best 80s movie.<BR/>Thank you Feldog for being so very very 80s.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/9284321" rel="nofollow">Steve Spears</a>
DATE:7/08/2006 09:35:40 AM
I'm not really a Stand By Me fan, but I certainly recognize it's a VERY 80s movie. The stars, the style of the film, etc. <BR/><BR/>Valley Girl is probably the movie from the 80s I've seen the greatest number of times. Probably close to 100 or more. No kidding. I have no life, but I just enjoyed the music. If you ever get a chance, buy the special edition DVD of Valley Girl with the director's commentary and interview with Nicolas Cage (present-day Nic). It's fantastic.<BR/><BR/>My real pick for best movie of the 80s changes every time a movie I forgot comes on cable. One day it could be Trading Places, the next day it's Sure Thing.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of podcasts, we're thinking of doing a show on "Red Scare" movies of the 80s: Red Dawn, White Nights, Top Gun, Moscow on the Hudson.. Can anyone think of any others?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<span class="anon-comment-author">Nabila</span>
DATE:7/08/2006 10:58:00 AM
You're not a Stand By Me fan? Steve Spears, you ignorant slut.<BR/><BR/>Oh well, I'm not that into Valley Girl. I do like E.G. Daily though (a.k.a. Tommy Pickles in Rugrats).
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/26977466" rel="nofollow">dblvd</a>
DATE:7/08/2006 06:03:01 PM
You know...I think that there are so many great 80's movies we should name the greats of each genre. It might still be hard but...easier (???).<BR/><BR/>Comedy<BR/>Drama<BR/>Action<BR/>Romance<BR/>Cult<BR/>Etc.<BR/><BR/>And an 80's movie off the top of my head...how about War Games (Matthew Broderick and Alley Sheedy)??
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:Anonymous
DATE:7/08/2006 07:42:04 PM
Hey Steve. You should get Morbid on the phone when you do the Red Scare Films show. It might be interesting to  get his take on those films (if he's seen all of them). Hmmmmm?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<span class="anon-comment-author">Joe</span>
DATE:7/09/2006 04:37:43 PM
I know this has been mentioned before, but I think Valley Girl is (almost) across the board a better film.<BR/><BR/>First, the soundtrack, which is probably the strength of Pretty in Pink. Valley Girl has the better Furs song (Love My Way vs. the title track), and the bands shown live are actually on the soundtrack, unlike the Rave-ups who were stiffed from the PIP disc.<BR/>There is nothing on the PIP soundtrack as good as the Plimsouls.<BR/><BR/>Also, try to get your hands on an original vinyl VG disc. Not easy.<BR/><BR/>As you mentioned in the podcast, the ending pretty much ruins Pretty in Pink. Whereas in Valley Girl, the obligatory prom scene actually made sense, and had meaning. The film built towards its conclusion, unlike the "let's refilm this" ending of PIP. Plus, you get the limo ride in Valley Girl, complete with "Mely with You", before you were sick of hearing it.<BR/><BR/>Nicolas Cage is a better actor and had a better role than all the males in PIP combined. The ONLY nod I will give to PIP is that Molly Ringwald is a better actress than Deborah Foreman, who basically spent a lot of time smiling in astonishment or smiling in happiness. (She does have a myspace page though if you wish to say hello). Would have loved to have seen Molly Ringwald playing against type as Julie.<BR/><BR/>The parents in Pretty in Pink were basically Harry Dean Stanton playing the caring weirdo dad, whereas Valley Girl had a couple sets of parents involved, all with interesting backstories.<BR/><BR/>Pretty in Pink was an average 80's film. It fails compared to many others, such as The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. That flick Valley Girl, however, is truly dazzling. fer sure.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<span class="anon-comment-author">Mirrorball Man</span>
DATE:7/10/2006 02:10:16 PM
Hmm...PIP Best Movie of the 80's?!?<BR/>I guess that depends on who youre asking and what mood theyre in?<BR/><BR/>I think people here are being a little over critical of PIP.( I have not listened to the podcast yet).<BR/><BR/>Every movie here beyond having the teen factor has a different plot/storyline. I dont think it's really fare to compare, people identify with any given movie because of their own personal ideal.<BR/>I think PIP is great for what it is.It's a simple teen drama story about love in that age, fitting in, and the different social classes.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of this movie perhaps someone here can help. I've been trying to do this for some time,but can't seem to come up with a complete song listing.<BR/>I want to create the true PIP soundtrack meaning every song played in the movie whether it was in the soundtrack or not. Even the tracks that you while Duckie is fooling around with the radio in Andie's car(near impossible).<BR/><BR/>Amoung other music musings, nobody mentioned the band Talkback that preforms in the movie?!<BR/><BR/>I read once that during the prom scene If You Leave was not finished at the time of the filming and they decided not to use Goddess of Love so everyone is dancing to ..what else...Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds.(funny)<BR/><BR/>I hope that they final release the movie with both endings on DVD I would just like the opportunity to see it.<BR/><BR/>I think Annie Potts deserves some props here, I always found her character very cute , beyond that she practically playing the mom role here. I wouldnt mess with she'll shoot out your eye with the staple gun!<BR/><BR/>BTW "Real teens never dressed that good all the time."<BR/><BR/>I don't know where you went to school but that is exactly how the kids dressed where I went to school. There were kids at my school that drove to school in new Jags, BMW, ect that mommy and dadyy bought for them and theyre were always those that dressed to the hilt...Where were your Z. Cavariccis? Believe it.<BR/><BR/>MM<BR/><BR/>MM
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.lookslikelorne.com" rel="nofollow">Dr JOhn</a>
DATE:7/12/2006 09:57:44 AM
Valley Girl<BR/>Breakfast Club<BR/>Some kind of wonderful<BR/><BR/>Liked PIP when it arrived but that may have been the Molly crush blinding me....<BR/><BR/> I recovered
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/26047865" rel="nofollow">Life, or something like it</a>
DATE:7/12/2006 04:00:21 PM
The Breakfast Club and Lost Boys would get my vote for best movie of the 80's
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/27383280" rel="nofollow">CBryant</a>
DATE:7/12/2006 07:21:14 PM
The best thing about PIP was Duckie!!  I had a friend just like him!  <BR/><BR/>But as far as the best 80's movie... The Top 3 for me, is Fast Times, Ferris Bueller and The Breakfast Club.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:Anonymous
DATE:7/14/2006 09:11:14 PM
Ok. If you want to hear a version of the song "Rudy"  that Talkback put into Pretty in Pink (not the exact version for obvious reasons) <BR/><BR/>go to:<BR/><BR/>www.myspace.com/headbonemusic
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