Fire in the Twilight

Just finished an anthology of writers on John Hughes' 80's output called (what else?) Don't You Forget About Me. The editor is local, and I'd seen the book first at the MFA bookstore. Not quite ready to lay down the $16 (despite the back cover looking like a VHS tape--nice touch!), I picked up a copy at my town library, and promptly started thinking about how to pitch a John Hughes frosh seminar...

But then I lurch back to high school: Why did Ferris Bueller bug me so much? (Not as much as everyone in St. Elmo's Fire [1985], but still!) Why didn't Duckie get Andie? How did I manage to get Jennifer Anderson to go to prom with me--was it the floor tickets I had for the Simple Minds concert?

Then I fast-forward to my first-ever paper from graduate school: a textual analysis of Pretty in Pink (1986). And he still agreed to be on my thesis committee! Hmmm: I wonder if the world could use another academic article on Molly Ringwald?

What are the films kids are watching right now that they'll look back with wistful embarrassment in 20 years' time?