Throwback Movie Tuesdays

So, a couple days ago I entered an AWESOME blog giveaway over at Megan Whitmer's spot on the interwebs (that I did not win...drat). To enter we had to discuss something that was interesting about our past; something from our history.

My entry involved two of my loves from way back: movies and 80s music.

The actual entry went as so:

The first time I rented Teen Witch (in VHS format, obvi) from our local Phar-Mor (now extinct, of course) I was nine. And I was OBSESSED with finding a special necklace that would give me a rich history full of witchy power. Also, I dreamt of how awesome it would be to break out in magical musical numbers when I finally got to high school. You know, as a normal high school student would do: in the hallways, lunchrooms, and locker rooms. 
Yeah...
Anyway, I chose Teen Witch as my weekly rental for a solid three months. Then sporadically after that until I was in high school and realized that a special necklace and magical musical numbers were FAR from what I needed to be concerned with.
Movies are still a big part of my life, though most of my 80s music library has been replaced with too much music of today to keep up with. But on special occasions, only Cindy Valentine's song Finest Hour will do!*

*I'm very aware that this entire post exposes that I was the geekiest child ever. I'm okay with that. ;-)

After entering the giveaway, I couldn't push Teen Witch from my mind (as one can NEVER do after thinking of it, watching it, singing its soundtrack, etc, etc). The amount of time during my childhood that was dedicated to watching this movie on a loop speaks volumes about me as a lover of story (which, by the way, was not easy with VHS, kids. I mean I had to invest in a VHS rewinder that was separate from my VHS player so that it wouldn't wear out the gears on the... NEVERMIND).

Anyhow, I kept coming back to the amount of time I spent engrossed in story during my formative years. It would not be a stretch for me to say that movies raised me: cheesy movies, great movies, bad movies - you name it and I watched it (probably).

So, I decided to start posting the movies that I grew up with, along with some reasons why I fancied them. Feel free to share thoughts or stories about your own viewing of particular titles, as I list them. Oh, and feel free to recommend movies for me to cover - I very well may have seen them, no matter how cheesy or bad or obscure.

First off, of course:

Teen Witch




I'm posting the Most Popular Girl clip instead of Finest Hour (even though it's a fav) because I don't want to ruin the end of the movie! Seriously, you need to get yourself to amazon or netflix or wherever and WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!

Now, why was I obsessed with this movie?

1. Cinderella mixed with a witchy vibe? Hells yes!
2. The big curly bangs, the jean EVERYTHING wardrobe mixed with lace, and the musical numbers.
3. Brad's mustang. Yep, the one in this video. I wanted one all the way up until I was old enough to drive, then I was over it. Go figure.
4. The cheesy, but lovable way Louise, the heroine, is okay with herself but still wants MORE.
5. Did I say the music? All of the magical musical numbers. All of them.
6. Did I mention the witchy-ness? Because, I LOVED the witchy-ness. Especially the fact it was used lightly, and kept accessible in Louise's already established life. Our worlds are often only as big as our surroundings when we're young (at least pre-digital age. There will be a post on that later this week), and the magical necklace opened Louise to all the possibilities surrounding her that had laid just beyond her comfort level. Which, of course, she soon realizes she never needed a necklace to open those doors to begin with; just courage to confidently be herself in front of others the way she was behind closed doors.
7. Going off of #6 a bit, I could relate to Louise's story even as a younger child because I was comfortable with myself in 'my world', but clammed up when thrown in large groups or activities outside my experience level. It took watching Louise's story, watching many other movie journeys unfold, as well as reading book characters wobble on the fence of Where Do I Fit In, to finally trust that I could bring my inside, confident-self out to the forefront and not get trampled into the swamp of dismal embarrassment. And eventually I learned that if someone didn't quite take a liking to my particular style of self, it would be OKAY.

Characters like Louise helped me get through those moments, and that's what it's all about!

Okay, lovelies, who out there has watched Teen Witch? Have a favorite part and want to share? I look forward to hearing from you all!