Posts by Tara McNamara
ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET is the book we loved in 1970 — and it’s the Mother’s Day movie we’re thrilled to get now!
What girl of the 1970s and ’80 (and beyond) didn’t try the exercise “We must, we must, we must increase our bust!â€? Judy Blume’s novel, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret†was essential, if not furtive, fifth grade reading, with talk of bras, breast size, boys, and wondering which of your friends was going…
Read MoreCONFESS, FLETCH’s Annie Mumolo Spills Secrets from the Set
In Confess, Fletch, Annie Mumolo elevates a character trope into a character for the ages. One-upping the Gladys Kravitz and Stanley Roper nosy neighbors of yore, Mumolo’s “Eve” is the busybody next-door neighbor, hyper observant about the lives of others while oblivious to her own. The actress, best known for co-writing Bridesmaids, keeps ’80s Movie…
Read MoreWhy You Need to See CONFESS, FLETCH ….Twice
If you’re a Fletch fan (and who isn’t?), the release of Confess, Fletch, the third film in the Fletch series, is both exciting and vexing. Fans want a new movie, but at the same time, worry it won’t measure up. (When it comes to ’80s reboots, Top Gun: Maverick and Cobra Kai are anomalies). Jon…
Read MoreWhy GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE is the movie we need right now
When anyone postulates, “Who ya gonna call?” most everyone smiles, knowing the 3-syllable answer. Thirty-seven years have passed since the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man pounded the streets of New York, but there’s never been a better time for a satisfying reboot the whole family can rally behind. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is actually a rebirth, launching the franchise in…
Read MoreINTERVIEW: David Henrie explains why he & Selena Gomez made an ’80s teen comedy for today’s moviegoers
If you’re reading this, you likely share the same opinion as David Henrie and Selena Gomez: what the world needs now is an ’80s teen comedy. There’s something buoyantly carefree about those times as reflected in those films. That’s not quite how you’d describe 2020 and 2021. So, as Henrie tells our ’80s Movies: A…
Read MorePodcast: Racism, rape culture & Jake Ryan: How SIXTEEN CANDLES influenced a generation
Humorously showing the emotional pain of teenagers aching for true love amid the social expectations of high school, Sixteen Candles turned a teen sex comedy into an pop cultural phenomenon that was watched by every ’80s kid. Mentored by National Lampoon, known for its intentionally offensive humor, John Hughes imbued relatable and aspirational three-dimensional characters with racist and misogynistic attitudes. The depiction of a Chinese foreign exchange…
Read MorePodcast: ST. ELMO’S FIRE reflects how life in the ’80s truly was “out of hand.”
St. Elmo’s Fire was a response to the teen films of the 1980s, examining what happens after college. Joel Schumacher crafted an authentic and progressive story about the emotional lives and professional challenges of seven recent Georgetown grads, reflecting young women focused on career rather than marriage and introducing the idea of a gay lead character (a baby step, but…
Read MorePodcast: LITTLE DARLINGS gave us Lecherous Devils
Tara McNamara and Riley Roberts offer their take on LITTLE DARLINGS on their podcast ’80s Movies: A Guide to What’s Wrong with Your Parents.
Read MorePodcast: Why PRETTY IN PINK’s OG Simp Duckie was never gonna get the girl.
Before John Hughes, a movie couldn’t be made that was just about who was going to take a girl to prom. But with a high school divided into the haves and have nots, Hughes was able to make a love story of Romeo and Juliet proportions. The relationshp was bigger than working-class Andie and Yuppie son Blane:…
Read MorePodcast: How the U.S. Capitol insurrection can be traced back to RED DAWN
“Wolverines!” The call creates a Pavlovian swell of patriotic pride in ’80s teens. John Milius’ Red Dawn is one of the few teen action films of the ’80s — and definitely the most influential. It showed that teens were responsible, skilled, and capable enough to save their town and, possibly, the United States. It’s a blow ’em up, shoot ’em up,…
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