Today’s generation of up-and-coming actors, mired in pandering money-makers best epitomized by the Twilight saga, make at least this audience long a time in which young actors actually put out movies that told realistic coming of age stories. There is something to be said with a young actor or actress connecting to an audience in a relatable way, never better expressed than in the Brat Pack’s string of hits throughout the mid to late 80s. Who was the Brat Pack, you ask? You may recognize the names Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald and Emilio Estevez just to name a few (Patrick Swayze, John Cusack and Robert Downey Jr. often find themselves in the mix as well). The Brat Pack left a lasting legacy in their film, with young viewers today still feeling as if they grow up right can pop in a DVD and watch the characters on-screen grow up right alongside them. Without further ado, here is the cream of the crop

1. The Breakfast Club (1985) Never has the high school landscape been so thoroughly explored across the diverse landscape of tight nit cliques, sticking together to ensure social survival. Watch as fences built up semester after semester slowly come down over the course of a Saturday detention.
2. Sixteen Candles (1984) Life, and love in particular, can be confusing for a 16-year old girl, and who better to play a 16-year old girl than a young Molly Ringwald of the same age. Step into the dark shade of an older sister’s shadow as a young lady on the verge of woman hood tries to find happiness on her 16^th birthday.
3. St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) The Brat Pack grows up a bit in this film, essentially connecting with a post collegiate audience attempting to adapt to life in the real world. Watch as a close knit group of college friends struggle to stick together and come to terms with varying levels of success in both love and the workplace. Read the rest of this entry »

After a career that lasted six decades, Dennis Hopper died of complications related to prostate cancer on May 29. Hopper was 74. Though he is best known as an actor who often played villains and other unstable characters, Hopper also directed and wrote a number of films. One of his best known early roles was in the 1969 hit, Easy Rider. In this film, Hopper co-stars alongside Peter Fonda, playing the role of a young biker who sets out on an adventure with his friend to bike across the country, meeting many interesting characters along the way. What many people don’t know is that Hopper had been playing smaller roles in TV and film for over a decade before this big debut. Some of his earlier works included Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. Read the rest of this entry »