Hey guys, it’s Millie, here for the 7th week of the blog challenge! This week is going to be so great! We are allowed to do anything that our heart desires for this blog post.

I’ve decided to take you back into the history of films and pop culture—specifically the 80s and 90s! (You may have noticed the title of this post, one of the more well-known quotes from Good Will Hunting 1997.) I take great interest in learning all about the stars, music, literature, and movies from these eras. To be honest, I sometimes wish that I was born around the same time as my parents so that I could have experienced firsthand the magic of cinema when it was evolving with the various new technologies being introduced. However, this is not the case, and I can still watch lots of 80s and 90s films! I’m going to test your knowledge on movies from these decades… comment what your score is below! After, I’ll review my top 5 favourites. 

The answers are here if you would like to see them!

#5: Dead Poets Society 

Plot Summary: In 1959 England, timid and soft-spoken Todd Anderson arrives at Welton Academy for boys, where his brother had previously attended and upheld a good reputation. His parents want him to attend Yale and become a lawyer just as his brother did after finishing his time at Welton. This situation of being under significant pressure from parents is very common throughout the school; Welton’s reputation for having extremely high expectations and strict methods precedes it. Todd befriends Neil, another troubled student whom he is roommates with. Mr. Keating, a new teacher, is introduced into the routine lives of the oppressed schoolboys at Welton as an English teacher. His unorthodox and lively ways of teaching draws Todd and his friends out of their shells and changes their lives by encouraging them to think for themselves and ‘carpe diem’— seize the day. 

Starring Ethan Hawke and Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society is just great in every perspective. The heartbreaking story of the horrible methods of teaching that were actually common in the past makes me so happy to have the opportunity to go to school in a friendly and encouraging environment (especially in PLP, the special program I’m in). The acting is also so great, of course Robin Williams is amazing as per usual and Ethan Hawke is exceptional too. This film has become a classic coming-of-age story for its words of wisdom and insights. Overall I love it because the character development and bond shared between the boys and their teacher is so moving. I cried a ton! I definitely recommend this film to anyone who takes interest in poetry, tragedies, or just wants to watch a good movie.

“I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. To put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived.”

#4: Good Will Hunting 

Plot Summary: Will Hunting is a troubled young man who works at M.I.T. as a janitor. He is extremely talented in mathematics, but due to his broken past of foster homes and abuse, he refuses to rise to the potential of his abilities and shuts opportunities out of his life. He spends most of his time in bars with his other friends from the south side of Boston, wreaking havoc and getting in trouble with the police a fair amount. When a professor at M.I.T. spots Will completing an insanely difficult math question, he reaches out to him, bailing him out of jail on two terms: he must meet with the professor every week for math, and he must see a therapist. At first he is headstrong and reluctant to share anything with his therapist Sean, but finds that they share a rough past. Overtime, Sean helps Will break out of his habit of pushing people away, and when he meets a lovely young woman, opens his mind to the truth of love and embracing the risks of it. 

For my fourth choice, another film starring Robin Williams, along with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Good Will Hunting  has become one of the best movies I’ve ever seen because the story is written so well, and everything said so eloquently. Will’s journey never lacks a feeling of completion; what I mean is, the story fills its watchers with the sense that they get to know this character very well, and identify with his internal struggles. Matt Damon’s portrayal of the conflicted Will is also perfect. He delivers just the right amount of everything for his tendencies of violence, emotional difficulties, and pain. Will and Sean’s bond is so pure and genuine, because it is the first time that Will has actually let himself believe that he can truly get close to someone without losing them. The skills of the actors combined with the chemistry of the characters makes for a stunning performance.

“You’re not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you’ve met, she’s not perfect either. But the question is whether or not you’re perfect for each other.”

#3: Titanic

Plot Summary: Young, rich and beautiful aristocrat Rose DeWitt Bukater boards the R.M.S. Titanic, or ‘Ship of Dreams,’ with her mother and fiancé. She feels disconnected from the traditions of her luxurious lifestyle and haughty family, and attempts to commit suicide off the front of the ship. She is saved by commoner and artist Jack Dawson, who is then invited to dinner with Rose and the other of the richest passengers aboard. They form a friendship that leads to something more, as Jack understands Rose’s struggles and encourages her to loosen up about life with a night of dancing on the lower floors of the vessel. Rose and Jack fall begin to fall in love, but tragedy strikes when the Titanic hits an iceberg, and what was considered ‘the unsinkable ship’ begins to sink. Jack is wrongly accused of theft and locked up in the depths of the craft, and there isn’t much time before the entire ship is submerged in the Atlantic Ocean. Rose must find Jack and figure out a way to free him, as well as successfully get them both off the ship unscathed by her angry fiancé’s wrath before it is lost forever in the icy cold ocean. 

I chose Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, as my 3rd favourite film because it is a masterpiece. Almost everyone has seen Titanic (if you haven’t, please go watch it now!!) and it is one of the most classic films of the 90’s. The tragic love story, though a whopping three hours and fifteen minutes, is told from the memories of a 101- year old Rose, who reminisces about her times with Jack on the Titanic many years ago. Having it narrated as a memory by Rose makes it seem much more painful to watch. This film is probably one of the saddest I’ve ever seen. I won’t give any spoilers, but I guarantee you will cry, or at least wish you could change the fate of the characters. I love Leo, so maybe I’m biased, but this film is truly great and has a stunning and, for the most part, realistic portrayal of the Titanic sinking. It’s amazingly well done, and it deserves to go down in history as one of the greatest love stories of all time.

“I’ll never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go.”

#2: The Outsiders

Plot Summary: In 1965 Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ponyboy is a troubled teen who is part of a poor, aggressive and wrong-side-of-the-tracks clan known as the Greasers. Their opposites are the Socs, a group who are commonly rich, snobby, and first class. Their rivalry defines the story and the characters who rebel against the stereotype of these two distinct classes, like Johnny, a quiet young boy who is friends with Ponyboy and his two brothers. One fateful night, a cruel Soc and his gang confront Johnny and Ponyboy after they had been speaking with the Soc’s girlfriend at the drive in. The Soc attempts to drown Pony, and in a last attempt to save his life Johnny stabs and kills the Soc. Realizing the consequences to his actions, Pony and Johnny decide to run away and take shelter in an abandoned church. Their disappearance, combined with the murder of the Soc, leads to a series of events that will shape Pony and his Greaser family’s lives forever. 

The Outsiders is a tale of friendship, family and tragedy that has endured through the years as one of the most classic stories and pieces of literature of its time. The film, starring C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze, boasts an impressive cast. I absolutely love this story and film, from when I first read the book until now. It makes me feel nostalgic to think about reading it in English class last year, and everyone discussed what they thought was going to happen next. The book by S.E. Hinton is so good, and it makes sense why it’s required reading in Grade 8. The ability to read it in a classroom has allowed me to examine it so very closely, and break down the parts of the novel in order to discover every hidden bit of rich backstory that adds to it. The film adaptation is probably one of the reasons why I began watching lots of older movies. I love the characters, and even though the film AND book will break your heart, I have a constant longing to reread and rewatch everything. It’s just so amazing! The Outsiders is very close for the number one position. I recommend both the film and novel to anybody. 

“I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.”

And finally…  drumroll for the final pick…

#1: Stand By Me 

Plot Summary: In the summer of 1959, Gordie Lachance, a quiet and sensitive boy, is reeling over his older brothers’ death and his seeming invisibility in the eyes of his grieving parents, who favoured his athletic brother. Gordie often hangs out with his misfit friends: Vern Tessio, a naive and spritely kid who is the butt of many of the group’s jokes; Teddy Duchamp, a crazy and unpredictable handful due to his fathers’ abuse, which is evident in Teddy’s mangled ear, a result of his father holding it to a stovetop and nearly burning it off; and finally Chris Chambers, who is haunted by his family’s horrible reputation, and is expected by most to amount to nothing. Despite this false pretence, Chris actually maintains a tough yet kind disposition and takes care of the other boys in the group. One day, Vern overhears about the dead body supposedly of missing child Ray Browers, and tells this to the gang. They all decide to go on a small adventure to retrieve the body, and become heroes for their findings. However, the trip morphs into a coming of age tale for the four boys, and especially Gordie, who must come to terms with his brother’s death and his parent’s neglect. 

I first watched this film at a cottage on Vancouver Island a couple of years ago. I didn’t know anything about it, but I enjoyed the film, and the next year when we returned to the cottage, I rewatched it. While at a used bookstore in Cumberland, I found the novella by Stephen King that included this story, which was originally called ‘The Body’. I bought the book and have read it a couple times since. I’ve also seen the movie many times since the first time watched it. Stand By Me takes first place, because it is the ultimate 80’s movies that encapsulates youth untouched by the thralls of the modern world. The bond between all of the characters is so strong and genuine, likewise in the film and the novel. I love it so much, and especially Chris. His story is so compelling and important in showing that one can make anything of themselves that they please, if they put in the work. But every one of the four main boys has a dynamic and creative personality that gives them this chemistry so intriguing to watch.

“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”

If you are interested in some other lists of the top 80’s and 90’s films here they are!

And that wraps up my blog post for Week 7! I hope you enjoyed and now have a longing to sit back and go on an 80’s and 90’s films binge!

Materials Used: Procreate to draw and Bazaart to photoshop certain drawings with photos.

✨Image Credits!!✨

Background image for The Outsiders art here. Background image for The Titanic here. Image and background image for Stand By Me here and here. Image for Dead Poets Society here.