Was 1989 The Best Year for Summer Movies?

One of the best parts of summer is cooling off in a movie theater with the A/C so high you wish you wore jeans.

No one’s doing that this 4^th of July weekend. *sigh*

I’ll let the cinephiles debate if we’re missing much now. But in 1989, the New York Post asked and answered: “Was 1989 the best summer for movies ever? Yes.”

You had quite the choice of future classics at the Cineplex that holiday when Batman starring Michael Keaton was #1 at the box office, along with:

· Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

· Dead Poets Society

· Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier

· Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing

· Honey, I Shrunk The Kids

· License to Kill with Timothy Dalton in his second (and final) performance as 007

And these films were all released before the 4th.

If you waited until the 5th, you would have been among the first to see Weekend at Bernie’s. Two days later you could catch the opening of Lethal Weapon 2.

I missed out on “Bernie’s.” Guess I’ll just Netflix-and-(literally)chill with it in my air-conditioned living room this year.

Comments

l i t t l e b r e t t , BIG CITY

When I left college in 1989, I was a virgin with corn-fed drive and a terrifying secret. It could disappoint or disgust my family and friends. It could even kill me. But I couldn’t hide from it anymore. With "The World's Heaviest Briefcase," I escaped on a midnight train from Lima, Ohio to the YMCA on West 34th Street in Manhattan. Being gay had to be easier in New York, even though I was arriving with no home or job. Right away, a hooker chased me in Times Square, and perverts watched me shower at the Y. I filled payphones with quarters each day, desperately seeking work. Ultimately, I was confronted by my biggest fear when dating my first man – a member of AIDS activist group ACT UP. Could I really survive in one of the hardest cities in the world? Or would I fail and return to Ohio, back in the closet to find a wife and a lawn to mow. l i t t l e b r e t t , BIG CITY celebrates finding your own place in the world. Here I recall and sal

Paula Abdul Became "Forever Our Girl" This Week in 1989

Paula Abdul’s second single entered its second week at #1 this day in 1989. I was kicking off my last semester at Bowling Green, but I didn’t really connect with the song. I was more “alternative.” Think “120 Minutes.” But it's sure in my head 30+ years later. Paula Abdul is like the Gen X version of Cher. Earlier this year, she wrapped a residency in Vegas , filling seats with fans of her videos, her choreography, and her iconic role as a talent show judge. Her appeal, like her resume, crosses generations. She’s still not on any of my playlists, but I appreciate her hustle. Check out the video for this song. She wasn’t so big that she couldn’t pay tribute to some of the biggest videos a few years before her. Even if it was just to fuel her quest to be our girl, forever. Elijah Wood makes his acting debut here too as one of the “Boys of Summer.”

We Got The Beat - For Cardiac Supplements!

Savvy marketers have used 80s songs in commercials for awhile now, trying to appeal to Generation X by raiding our old cassette collections. I think it's cute, validating even. Banks and insurance companies now think I'm worthy of their products! I spent a dozen years working at VH1, so I appreciate the power of nostalgia. Fidelity Investments has been my clear favorite, lifting "Saved By Zero" from The Fixx; "More Than This" by Roxy Music, and "If You Leave" from OMD—forever tied to Molly Ringwald and "Pretty In Pink," no matter what commercial it lands in. Last year I LOL'd when Geico featured "new homeowners" who were thrilled with their house's character, crown molding, and walk-in closets. But they had a rat problem. Flash to the 80s metal band RATT performing their first big hit "Round and Round" in the attic, bathroom and then the kitchen to the annoyance of the residents. For fun, here's my autogra

Little Brett, Big City

Search This Blog