A Chorus Line
Hands down my favorite musical turned film (and it doesn’t even have Barbra Streisand in it, which says something). It’s probably that old fear of auditions and the excitement of singing that makes me love it as much as I do, but I cry every time I watch this movie; I am 100% invested in the stories of the dancers.*
Cinderella
I think we can all agree that Cinderella is the most bland of all of the Disney Princesses. I’m really just in it for the singing mice with this movie. I have a hard time setting aside the rampant sexism and helplessness apparent in the princess movies, but historically it’s not entirely inaccurate. Except for that whole “prince marrying someone not of noble blood” deal. Also, what is up with all of the really poor parenting in these stories? There’s a psychological study to be done here for sure.
Circle
Eddie Izzard is my favorite stand-up comedian, and I’m really happy that he’s finally gained some popularity here in the U.S., even if it’s for his acting and not so much his comedy. This isn’t my favorite set of his, but it is the only one I have on DVD – the rest are on VHS and are actually even the wrong region speed.
Clue
My husband thinks that Clue is the best movie of the ‘80s. I’m not ready to commit to that, but it is one of my all-time favorite films. While everyone else was all about Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Picture Show, I was all about him as the butler in Clue.
Clueless
I was a senior in high school when Clueless came out, which means that I was the intended audience. I find it fascinating that Amy Heckerling struck gold twice, a decade apart, with the pulse of teenage America. Clueless was great because it was everything that was great about being a teenager in the 90’s on steroids. The outfits were exaggerated, the slang was exaggerated, but the overly dramatic emotions were dead on. Another fantastic thing about this movie is that so many of the actors were pretty much unknown before the film but went on to have huge careers: Alicia Silverstone, Breckin Meyer, Brittany Murphy (rest her weary, little soul), Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, and Elisa Donovan.**
The Best of the California Dreams
Hey, remember when Saturday mornings were filled with cartoons and half hour-long, teen angst-filled sit-coms? It was amazing, and the California Dreams were living the teen dream with their own garage band that actually got paying gigs. By the way, my husband kept making fun of this show while I was watching it to the point that I had to say, “It’s on a DVD, I can make you watch it again.”
Clerks Uncensored: The Animated Series
I like Clerks the animated series more than Clerks the film. I like Kevin Smith, just not as much as everyone else who graduated from high school in 1996. I honestly feel like the movie was the birth of the condescending hipster.
Designing Women: Season 1
How I didn’t own any of this series until Christmas of this year I don’t know, but I have to thank Kelli for hooking me up. The 80’s were an amazing time to be a young girl. Legally, women had been equal with men for a while, but there was still a huge gap in how we were perceived and treated in the workplace and society in the United States. Things still aren’t ideal, but in 1986 Julia Sugarbaker made it clear that things had changed. Women owned and operated businesses and had political opinions and the right to voice them. Every time I hear the theme music I see my mom in a power suit with shoulder pads reading her New Woman magazine.
*My parents actually saw this show live when it ran originally. My mother was horrified that there were children in the audience during Dance 10, Looks 3.
**Elisa Donovan went onto star in Sabrina (the college years) along with Melissa Joan Hart and Soleil Moonfry, in case you’re not getting it.