The Lost Boys - Still Not Living Up to its Potential

The Lost Boys images owned by Warner Bros.

Here I am with another hot take on a beloved classic. Now, I’ll admit, this was better than I remember it being and to be fair, my first viewing was at 14, right after seeing Stand By Me and I expected Kiefer to basically be a vampire Ace Merrill, but I couldn’t get past the mullet. However, 23 years later, I popped in the VHS and gave it another go. Midway through, I said “I didn’t give this movie enough credit.” I stand by that, but I also stand by my hot take that it suffers from what most Joel Schumacher movies do - it doesn’t live up to its potential (Falling Down and The Client are exempt because those are perfection).

The vibe is great, music is on point, it starts strong driving in exactly what kind of story we’re about to experience when Lucy walks up to the community board and the woman is pinning a missing flyer for the security guard, but I feel like the whole story was too complex for the amount of time we have - while I’m a big proponent of the 90 minute movie, this could have used another 20-30 minutes to really make the Peter Pan point.

Before I start handing out awards, let’s talk about the people roaming this movie starting with my favorite - Grandpa. Grandpa is goals. Living alone in his TV free house full with your root beers on the second shelf, heck yeah! As a kid, I didn’t appreciate Sam, but his color blocked robe is a style choice I can get behind. Maybe it’s my creep-radar that’s developed over the years, but the moment Max enters the screen, I knew he was the head vampire. Maybe it’s the shoulder pads; maybe it’s David’s recklessness, but it was obvious to me.

All right, award time.

Best dressed goes to the head vampire himself, Max. It’s the shoulder pads.

Runner up is a 3 way tie between David, Star, and Laddie. For being a beach town, everyone is killing it with the overcoats.

This is a general award because I’ll follow Dianne Wiest into any movie she’s playing a mom in - so best on-screen mom goes to Dianne Wiest.

Finally, best line, the line that made this movie memorable, goes to Grandpa - “One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach, all the damn vampires.”

Honorable mention is Michael because of Jason Patric and if you’ve ever heard me on the podcast Honor2beNominated talking about The Exorcist and my teenage girl crush on Father Karras played by Jason’s father, Jason Miller.

Pretty in Pink: Better Off without the Girl

I’m kicking off a new (sporadic) series - Better off without the Girl (or Boy) - with a controversial opinion that Duckie was better off without getting the girl in the end .

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Duckie stan and I don’t stan anyone, but Duckie is my guy (spoiler for the awards later, Duckie does a near clean sweep).

That pompadour, the suit blazer sleeves rolled up, overzealous accessories, dirty chucks, and the slacks to round out this rural zoot suit, plus he rode a bicycle! I’m already sold, but with lines like “Yeah, yeah, cardiovascular.” and his rendition of “Try a Little Tenderness”… Duckie is forever sealed in my heart. I mean, does a more well developed character exist outside Duckie and Drexl?

Image of Drexl owned by Warner Brother’s.

I digress.

Pretty in Pink is an absolute classic, following the basic formula of the hero’s journey, hitting all the points needed to make the story stick, and has the baddest villain of all John Hughes movies - Steff. Even the girl he canoodles is a great sidekick villain. Honestly, the most forgettable character is Blane, our major appliance co-star.

There’s nothing wrong with Andrew McCarthy’s performance, it’s the very vanilla character whose spine breaks to Steff’s prodding and dodges Andie’s phone calls, then lies to her.

The scene that follow is tense in the school hallways with Andie waiting to confront Blane and her calling him out for his lies. While I never agreed with some of her choices, I respected Andie for confronting him. Beautiful drama.

Now, why do I say Duckie was better off in the end when we’ve spent decades debating this and yelling that Duckie was robbed, he totally should’ve gotten the girl in the end and where is our alternate ending?

I read the original script. It was an early draft, not quite the masterpiece cult classic we love today, but it had the main points and original ending with Andie choosing Duckie. Having what I wanted for so long… the anticipation and want was better. And frankly, Duckie deserved better than being settled for. Andie is cool, but Andie cast Duckie aside once Richie Rich Blane showed up. Maybe I’m being unfair since I can understand Andie needing to set boundaries with the Duckman, but he was there for her when her esteem faltered and then let her go when he saw she really wanted that mild stuff, Blane.

However, this is also the reason I think Duckie is the true hero of Pretty in Pink because according the hero’s journey, the hero is the person who learns a lesson and changes most. Duckie learned he needed to let go of Andie and was rewarded with a girl who sought him out. He learned, not only to let go, but also what it felt like to be wanted. In fact, Iona makes a huge change in the end, too, as she accepts her age and this new man who treats her with respect.

Best dressed, best style, best overall performance of every kind goes to Duckie for everything.

Runner up for best dressed goes to Iona for her ‘grown up’ ultra 80s shoulder pads blazer. She also takes home the award for best action with a staple gun.

Best line goes to Jena for “I hope they shrivel up.”

Best dressed villain goes to Steff because I can’t deny how much Spader nailed the part and his wardrobe just tied it all together.

And finally, best prom attire and personal wardrobe goes to Andie because without her handy work, we wouldn’t have a movie.

Obligatory Harry Dean Stanton.

The Ref: An Underrated Christmas Movie

“Slipper socks, medium!”

This is my favorite Christmas movie, but I’m a cynic with a healthy appreciation for witty humor and a leading lady against the Hallmark romantic grain.

Caroline Chasseur (Judy Davis) is my favorite character. I love her realness of being over their marriage, yet hopelessly romantic enough to save it, but it’s her tenacity and almost unbelievable humanness that gets me.

She strikes a bond with Gus (Denis Leary) not out of sexual desires, but as two hostages of situations they’ve found themselves in with unwilling partners - Gus being stuck with this drunk, halfwit partner, Murray & Caroline in a rutted marriage with Lloyd.

Caroline takes home Best Dressed with the exaggerated shoulder wool trench coat and her Christmas dinner ankle length dress over a long sleeve. Simple in every way and modestly separates them as renters in Old Bay Brooks’ mansion owners club.

Best Caroline line: Caroline is obviously drunk reminiscing about being young and in love, Lloyd suggests she eat something. Caroline - “Lloyd, why don’t you eat me?”

Runner-up for Best Dressed is Gus in the finest cat burglar outfit the local K-Mart had to offer - black sweatshirt, black jeans, black boots. His devilishly disconnected mustache & goatee paired with shaggy hair rounds out the 80s bad boy turned jewel thief look.

Honorable mention goes to Mary with an ultra 90’s ensemble, complete with a beret & Jesse’s peacoat worn on the path through the woods to the docks.

Best dressed Santa Clause goes to drunk George in his final moments in the film as he confronts Lloyd and Caroline for ignoring his wife’s fruitcake. His beard is pulled down and his hat is whipped off. This is either the greatest or worst Santa and I choose greatest.

Should this movie get more recognition?
No. It isn’t camp enough for cult or holiday enough for a classic.

The characters are well rounded, the story structure is on point, the running joke isn’t overused, archetypes are met, and the dialogue is sharp & quotable, but this is not a movie for everyone.

Best line:
”You know what, Mom? You know what I'm going to get you next Christmas? A big, wooden cross. So anytime you feel unappreciated for all your sacrifices, you can climb on up and nail yourself to it.”

Best joke:
Connie - “Who would catch a criminal and let them go?”
Mary - “Republicans?”

13 Days of Halloween: Donnie Darko

“Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.”

There’s a lot in this movie and I have a lot to say about it, so I’ll start by saying my favorite thing about this movie is all the banger one-liners come from Kitty Farmer.

Much like The Blair Witch Project, I’m proud to say I was a part of the craze over Donnie Darko in the early 2000’s. I even visited the website that was supposed to give you more info about what it all really meant - I still don’t know, but by the end of this blog, I explain a theory and then dismantle it.

What was it about Donnie Darko that gave it such staying power? It wasn’t the first mind-fuck movie, yet that’s how it felt. Maybe it was the soundtrack. I can’t be the only one with a Pavlovian response when “Killing Moon” comes on at the grocery store and I feel the disoriented sideways shot of the school bus. Let’s be honest, though, Gary Jules cover of “Mad World” was the soundtrack to so many existential life crisis after this movie.

This movie is so self aware. It’s set in 1988, feels like 1988, but is so aware that the year is 1988 that everything reaches the top without going over. The small details are what push it to peak 1988, like Mom reading It, the girls going on Star Search, and Drew Barrymore’s shoulder pads.

Nothing stood out as a shining star in wardrobe, which is okay because this movie isn’t about the clothing. Though, I do appreciate the choices to dress everyone in very regular people clothing. Donnie really is a regular kid with issues. He wears regular teenager clothing with no personality or identifying features. Maggie, however, is the older sister with style. You know she’s cool with her earrings, plaid pants, and leather jacket. I would absolutely be friends with her friend.

The Halloween costumes in this movie are dope. Hulk Hogan (thank you clearance department) and the viking are great in a crowd of grass skirts and Pharaoh & Cleopatra.

But it’s Donnie’s skeleton costume under the hoodie that takes home best costume.

Runners up are Frank & his friend dressed as a clown. Tell me you wouldn’t shit yourself just a little seeing this duo getting out of a car.

A few random takeaways - Holmes Osborne is such a dad in this movie, it’s great; Grandma Death is probably my future; and the emphasis on words - cellar door - makes me feel like this script could have used a few more passes to really tighten it up. Even names were deliberate - Donnie Darko, Roberta Sparrow, Gretchen Ross.

Every time I watch this movie, I try to figure it out. This time I think I figured it out due to one small detail.

Early on, the morning after the jet engine lands in the house and Donnie arrives to his neighborhood to find all the commotion, the cop at the barricade just lets Donnie walk through after a Willy Wonka struggle to stop him. We vaguely hear the cop say to the onlookers, “He’s fine.” as this barefoot teenager in pajamas telling him “this is my house” is enough credential to walk unescorted through an active scene.

This makes me think the whole movie was in his head and we actually watched them go through the month of September. But writing this all down now, I feel like I’m wrong and this movie really is just a mindfuck about time travel.

To quote my favorite line from the movie, “tell them, everything’s going to be okay.”

13 Days of Halloween: Hocus Pocus

All images are owned by Walt Disney Pictures

I couldn’t do this blog without covering Hocus Pocus, but I’m going to say it - Hocus Pocus was too long… wonderful, an absolute classic worthy of a yearly watch, but it was 25 minutes too long.

Let’s just get this out of the way - the “false win” when the kids return to Dani & Max’s house with Binx up to the final fight in the cemetery could (should, IMO) have been cut.

That said, Hocus Pocus truly deserves its cult status, but why? Why is Hocus Pocus a revered classic while Casper is not (here’s my hot take on Casper)?

I have two answers.

The nerdy, screenwriter answer comes down to storytelling basics - it has a strong BMOC - definitive beginning, middle, and conclusion with closure - and its super stylish villains literally kill children. The rest is just fun layers to solidify its place in the hearts of many 90s kids.

The other reason this movie is a classic, I believe, is the same reason Dan Aykroyd or John Belushi said The Blues Brothers was so popular - it’s an easy Halloween costume.

Overachievers will work all year on their Sanderson Sisters costumes to get all the details while slackers will throw a slice of red / green / purple on a witch costume, grab a broom / mop / vacuum, and don the appropriate Sister’s expression. Either way, you’ve got yourself a contest winning costume.

Speaking of which, those costumes are 17th century couture fashion. Big gowns, fishnet sleeves, striped stockings! My personal favorite consists of Mary’s dress, Winnie’s stockings & rings, and Sarah’s cape.

Max’s wardrobe is upstaged by everyone, including Jay & Ice whose 1993 fashion victim statement screams American suburbs.

Allison is by far the coolest character next to Dani. I like to believe there’s an alternate version of Hocus Pocus where Allison and Dani are sisters who get mixed up with Max when he lights the black candle and spend the rest of the movie trying to save the day while Allison is the real hero.

Anywho, Allison’s wardrobe is so indicative to her badass personality, starting with her red riding hood coat when she hands Max his own number back. Even her old timey Halloween costume is cool, but let’s be real and appreciate that she saves Salem, Mass wearing a cardigan and jeans while waving a container of Morton Salt. This is my kind of hero.

Finally, the adult Halloween party set unrealistic expectations of Halloween parties for me as a kid, but maybe I haven’t been to the right one (if you’re ever throwing a Halloween party on this level, please be sure to invite me). The band with skeleton makeup is cliche, but always a hit and the costumes (thank you Disney clearance team) are so good, but the winner for best costume is clearly Mom as Madonna.

Honorable mention goes to Thackery Binx in his billowy pirate shirt and short pants lounge wear.

13 Days of Halloween: My So-Called Life S01E09: Halloween

All images owned by ABC Television Network Group.

Watching this after nearly 20 years reminded me why I love this show and why it didn’t last beyond a season - it was mumblecore before anything was mumblecore. It was the most realistic, awkward depiction of regular life. Nothing over the top, intercrossing storylines a’la 7th Heaven or Full House; nor was it a sitcom with intentional funny moments. Plus, the actors are aged appropriately for their roles - I’m looking at you Beverly Hill 90210 and The O.C.

For Halloween, this episode hits perfectly on the nose for each member of the Chase family:
- Angela, neck deep in “I want to be someone else, not pretend to be someone” teen angst, is too old for trick ’r’ treating and too young (and outcasted) for parties.
- Danielle is caught in tween Halloween morning crisis needing a costume. She’s in the transitional point of needing a “cool” costume, not cute.
- Patty & Graham need a last minute costume for a friend’s Halloween party, which neither wants to go to, but being what married couples do… they concoct a plan.

Rayanne’s outlandish costume with vampire teeth, a strip of white hair, red fishnets, a very Rayanne, boho style dress, and a cape gets her the “Best Dressed” award.

However, “Best Overall Costume” goes to Rickie wearing Brian Krackow’s clothes and no makeup. A total transformation from his everyday style to “be like everyone else”. This is driven home later when Rickie bails on the girls’ seance and stumbles upon Jordan Catalano under the bleachers watching the drunk burn-outs of the school tear up the football field. While talking, Jordan tells Rickie he should get going since these guys were pretty fired up. My heart and soul sang for Rickie Vazquez.

In the end, Danielle takes home the “Best Costume Under Pressure” working with what was literally in her sister’s closet for her costume - Angela Chase.

Angela’s costume with a skirt, mohair cardigan, and cat glasses is cool and definitely embodied her soft spoken voice, especially when talking to Jordan about going to class so he doesn’t get kicked out. I’d like to take a moment to appreciate Jordan’s quintessential stoner kid style of the 90s (I couldn’t find a picture, so it was a blue Dickies gas station shirt over a thermal shirt with sleeves over his hands and his classic blue jeans).

The main storyline of this episode is hinged upon a ghost story that’s been handed down a couple generations about a greaser kid, Nicky Driscoll, who died in the ‘50s. Rayanne is convinced they can contact Nicky’s spirit with a seance and calls for Rickie and Angela to meet her at school at 9pm. This was said in front of Brian who, awkwardly, thinks he’s been invited. Meanwhile, Angela has been seeing the rebellious ghost of Nicky Driscoll all over school and develops a crush on him, so she must save him… him being Nicky from death or Jordan from getting kicked out of school. As a teenager, this made total sense; as an adult, I’m eating my popcorn saying “You go girl, get those bad boy decisions out of your system!”

The next day we’re all back to normal, mostly..

Rickie returns to school in his regular flamboyant style; Rayanne was always Rayanne, but with vampire teeth; and Angela is in her uber ‘90s, super cute outfit - multicolored shirt and purple overalls (my teenage self had to settle for purple pants since we couldn’t find a single pair of purple overalls in the mall).

Danielle doesn’t hate Angela, in fact she leaves her a few pieces of Halloween candy. Patty and Graham are more in love after skipping the party for an intimate night at home.

And finally, Jordan shows up to class!

In true TV Halloween fashion, as Angela accepts she dreamt the whole night of ghosts she finds the dried rose Nicky gave his girlfriend in her text book.

13 Days of Halloween: Casper, 1995

Casper, 1995

Hi, thanks for joining me. To honor my favorite month, October, I’m covering 13 movies / TV specials that took place on Halloween night. I’ll be covering the wardrobe and story departments and why this particular movie / special is or isn’t a revered classic.

All images owned by Amblin Entertainment & The Harvey Entertainment Company

The first time I saw Casper was at my dad’s house for a family movie night. I was ten years old with a major Devon Sawa crush - my ceiling was literally covered in the four-panel fold out posters from Teen Beat – and a lady crush on Christina Ricci after her role in Now & Then as the tomboy, badass who got to kiss Devon Sawa.

Casper’s initial impact on me was solely in the wardrobe and production design. Whipstaff Manor became my house goals with the elaborate hallways, staircases, and secret doors. I was devastated to find out it was all built in a studio, but I recently discovered Casa Batlló in Barcelona (added to the bucket list) was the inspiration for Whipstaff Manor’s design.

The costuming, designed by Rosanna Norton, shaped my style more than any fad ever did. The simplicity of the pieces chosen, yet the intention to show the characters with the clothing effected not only my style, but my budding writer rituals. This was where I learned to dress my characters.

Let’s talk about Kat’s (Christina Ricci) wardrobe because as a kid, this was everything. The first time we really meet her, she’s annoyed with the world wearing tiny, blacked out sunglasses – for the next three years, this was the only type of sunglasses I would entertain – while riding down a desert road in a Griswold station wagon. It was my introduction to teenage apathy before I was apathetic.

Casper is a movie rooted in nostalgia, not just in the way Dr. Harvey talks about his wife or how Casper sees his toys; its repeated recent viewings are based on Millennials being the most nostalgic generation and I am no exception.

The most nostalgic feeling came to me when Kat finds her room and with a low angle on the floor, we see her boots. It’s not often I remember how I felt the first time I watched any movie, but I remember my heart rose to my throat when I saw her boots with straight leg jeans, then her black cord necklace with a bead charm, and her sweater with too long sleeves.

I promptly insisted to my mother I needed boots, but at the time, JC Penney’s had only brown Timberland knock-offs and rubber rain boots. I settled with ditching sweatpants and drawstring shorts to wear only jeans from that point forward. The 15 year old girl who babysat me gifted me a black cord necklace with a baked clay mushroom and a couple long sleeve shirts close enough to Kat’s that I entered tween-hood feeling like a cool cat (pun intended).

The outfit Kat closes the movie with, the gorgeous antique dress once belonging to Casper’s mother, didn’t jive with me, a misfit 10 year old just discovering grunge music, but as an adult I love this dress and hope to emulate one day, complete with black boots and a necklace.

Dr. Harvey (Bill Pullman), a widowed ghost psychologist (every goth kid is fanning themselves over this title), is so much of a regular adult wearing ill fitting clothing and drinking coffee in the morning with a touch of despair. My first impression was – what a cool adult. My adult impression is – I relate too much to Dr. Harvey, but that cardigan is amazing. I mean, lets be real, Dr. Harvey’s cardigan was the real star of Casper.

There were other wardrobe pieces that stuck with me like Carrigan’s robe and the way she confidently wore the towel in her hair while fighting with hotel room service, which was her one humanizing moment asking for chocolate Haagendaz. Even as vile and selfish as she was, I appreciate the confidence she has balancing that towel and the fluffy cuffs finishing the black robe.

The last wardrobe piece that has stuck with me was belonged to human Casper.

I’ll be honest, I never liked Casper’s wardrobe, though I understand the reasons for it - historically relevant, plain and simple, but he looked like a pirate with the cuffed boots and white shirt unbuttoned at the top. At first, I thought he attempted to dress in a costume for the Halloween party, but then realized this is how he dressed in life. Personally, I would’ve put him in an old timey Halloween costume and done a reveal on the dance floor by taking his mask off or something. 

This time around, I’m approximately Dr. Harvey’s age watching Casper alone while my partner was at work.

As the Universal Pictures opening played, I wondered why this movie isn’t a revered classic on people’s Halloween “must watch” list like Hocus Pocus.

I did find my answer, as well as a new appreciation for the film.

Watching this movie through experienced eyes, I caught the adult jokes and laughed even harder when Father Sarducci arrives, but it’s the concept of death in this children’s movie I narrowed in on.

Each character handles death different. Carrigan is unfazed; Kat is jaded; Casper and his uncles are so nonplussed, being dead has become a running joke; and then there’s Dr. Harvey, a lonely widow who can’t move on from his wife’s death.

While interesting, it also causes Casper’s legacy to fall short of its potential. The topic of death is never pushed to its fullest; it’s a punch that’s always pulled where there could have been a good lesson, it’s watered down and lifted with a hug or a joke. The scene where Casper is remembering his sled and how he died, presumably, from pneumonia handled with the softness of talking to a five year old and for a movie using the word “bitch” as many times as the MPAA would allow, I feel like we could have handled a bit more dark reality with our ghosts.

Critically, the best scene I couldn’t appreciate as a child is the reunion of Dr. Harvey and his wife, Amelia.

There is no hammy comedic acting here. It is from the heart when Bill Pullman whispers, “I’ve thought of a million things to say.” And then Amelia hits home with - “You and Kat loved me so well, I don’t have any unfinished business. Don’t let me be yours.” (damn, what a way to say "let go already")

This scene is also the only resolution we’ll get since the owner of the house dead, Dibs has run off, Casper scared the whole party away, and it ends with a dance number between Kat and Dr. Harvey.

I have so many questions! Are they staying? Do they now own Whipstaff Manor? Dr. Harvey did technically find what he was looking for, so does that mean Kat keeps her promise and they’re off to find more ghosts in needs of a psychologist?

I digress. Back to why Casper missed the classic boat.

Most movies with staying power are timeless, or nearly timeless… Casper is the epitome of 1995.  

Christina Ricci; Hard Copy; a classic, monotone Ben Stein cameo; a jheri curl joke; plus the promise of Devon Sawa! Not to mention the other cameos – Mel Gibson, Rodney Dangerfield, Dan Ackroyd… a Ghostbuster, sure, but Dan Ackroyd, nah. Even Ben Stein. Can we bring back the norm of Ben Stein random cameos, please?

1995 (great year) aside, I believe Casper’s true issues, like most movies, begin within the script.

For a movie about death and the afterlife, nothing ever seems to be at stake. The ghosts can’t hurt the humans and humans can’t hurt ghosts. Carrigan is after the ‘treasure’, but is not actively trying to harm anyone nor is anyone trying to stop her. The Lazarus comes into play between Carrigan and Casper, but what happens if Casper loses the Lazarus? He stays a ghost… if Carrigan held onto the Lazarus until Dr. Harvey has his unfortunate Happy Hour accident and it’s suddenly between Carrigan and Dr. Harvey for the Lazarus, now we’re talking.

The villains weren’t villainous. Carrigan isn’t evil; she’s a bitch. Ashley is spoiled brat, not an evil high school girl set on putting Kat in her place. I want a Cruella Deville willing to drown puppies for her treasure and a Heather Chandler ready to destroy the egos and self esteem of anyone who dare cross her.

All in all, it’s a great nostalgic film I, and many other Millennials, will return to with starry eyes for one reason or another. Personally, I’ll be returning for Bill Pullman’s cardigan.

Coming Soon....

On this day in Endless history, I released the first segment of Last Chance for a Slow Dance. We had a release party in the living room of the house I shared with three other people. We dressed the room for the occasion, there was music, laughs, and emotions on all levels as we crammed nearly 30 people in a non-air conditioned room in Los Angeles.

Through my endeavors, I am living my best life outside the city, collecting & selling vintage clothing and artifacts at the Etsy shop I co-curate with my partner, JB Trollman. We are building something special that will be unfolding as the days go by.

This blog will serve as my journal of clothing and artifacts, their histories, and my emotions and intentions.