Brat Packed

It started with Bodyguard In Beijing, it really did.

Last week, I bought all three shiny comic books of Darna's 50th anniversary special. I just had to see it and spent 360 bucks (around $8.00) just to satisfy my curiousity.

My mind was in Soap Opera overload that day, so most of my mall purchases that night was...unusual.

I was looking for Bodyguard from Beijing (Jet Li, circa `94) because I read a fanfic based on this movie and thought it sounded interesting. I heard it sucked but what the hey. I wasn't looking for something cerebral, I was looking for something mildly entertaining.

But none of the videostores at the mall seem to think that Jet Li made movies before he did Romeo Must Die, except for this one token copy of Once Upon A Time In China hidden behind Jackie Chan's older stuff.

Instead of going home empty handed, I decided to pick up something else. Something nice, linear, and mildly entertaining.

So I chose Pretty In Pink.

There is something about that movie that just draws you in. Except for that godawful prom dress--and those crappy `80s clothes--that movie is just...well, it's happy.

I think I went to bed that night smiling.

I'd just seen Andew McCarthy on Straight From The Heart (2003) and thought I needed to watch a lot more of these to get me on a happy-high--enough to get me to write some mush.

Angst I can do in a heartbeat, mush...mush is something else.

I must have seen Pretty In Pink a total of three or four times this week. The one and only time I saw it was....ten years ago? When channel nine re-ran it as their weekend special.

My cousins (children of the `80s, you should see their prom pics) were all over this and we younguns got dragged in the excitement.

I don't think I ever got over Andrew McCarthy after that.

Just for variety though, I do like James Spader. My mother loved White Palace (1990) and I thought he played Jackson pretty well in Stargate (not really a fan of SG-1, sorry)

But Andrew McCarthy... I must have paused, replayed, forwarded and paused some more on all the yummy parts in that movie. I don't honestly care that the only thing he did there was to widen his eyes and twitch his mouth (oh, that smile) to show emotion. I wasn't after an Oscar performance, it worked for me...man, it worked for a lotta girls!

Now I am stuck on Andrew McCarthy...heck, i'm even stuck with an image of Robbie McNeill playing Charlie Brent in my head.

Is this retribution for dishing the soaps? Fuck, is this karma for dishing the `80s?

If my friends are reading this...if I start wearing my hair up in a side pony or attempt to put on any of Patricia Fields `80s creations...stuff me in a closet until the next season comes out. Please.