Your Flavorwire resisted the temptation to wade into the recent controversy over those collectible figures from Quentin Tarantino’s Djanjo Unchained, but we’ll say this much: it’s important to remember that those toys were aimed at adult collectors, while we can recall (or have managed to suppress our memories) of some thoroughly strange movie tie-ins from our youth that were aimed directly at kids. After the jump, stroll back to the ‘80s with us, when any movie was marketable to anyone, no matter how bizarre or inappropriate. … Read More
1980s
Eccentric Photos Capturing the Many Faces of Nina Hagen in the 1980s
During the height of her glorious punk/post-punk weirdness, Nina Hagen visited the New York City studio of Gilles Larrain, who we discovered on Behance, for a series of improvised photo shoots. With newborn daughter Cosma Shiva in tow, the German singer and actress revealed her many faces — mannered, flamboyant poses and ensembles that prove why she’s a beloved and eccentric style icon. See the “mother of punk” take over Larrain’s SoHo studio in our gallery. … Read More
There’s Going to Be a Live-Action ALF Movie
Now for the most random nostalgia news of the day: there’s going to be a life-action ALF movie. The 1980′s sitcom star was a jolly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF (Alien Life Form) who crashed into a suburban home and was taken in by the Tanner family.
ALF creator — and the voice of the wisecracking creature — Paul Fusco… Read More
A Taxonomy of 1980s Film Dads
Father’s Day is right around the corner, and while you’re hurriedly evaluating his taste in cologne and neck ties for a last minute gift (hopefully not, because we have a list of better presents he’d prefer over here), take a break with us for a look back at some fantastic film fathers. The 1980s was a great decade for dads who ranged from classic Cliff Huxtable types to more angsty and outrageous patriarchs. We’ve categorized them in a handy taxonomy past the break. See if you can figure out where your pops might fall on the list before sending off that Father’s Day card, and chime in with your own suggestions below. … Read More
Beautiful Celebrity Illustrations and Pop Culture Collages
Barcelona-based illustrator Berto Martínez creates beautiful portraiture, and his “celebrity” gallery recently caught our eye. His subjects range from film stars and musicians to well-know writers. Martínez often combines several different figures in his compositions. The organic collages fit nicely together, providing a creative snapshot of pop culture moments in time. We were glad to see Michael J. Fox hanging out with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and friends. Visit Martínez’s illustrations of famous figures like Amy Winehouse and Quentin Tarantino past the break. … Read More
What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office
Today at Flavorpill, we recalled 2011′s biggest band beefs, two of which involved Bon Iver. We met the entire Nintendo family, in a piece of deviantART that depicts all of its countless major characters. We watched a bizarre pair of elderly Christian twin sisters perform a pantomime to Radiohead’s… Read More
Gallery: Illustrations of ’80s Cartoon Heroes in Vintage Clothes
Chilean artist Fab Ciraolo illustrates hazy, candy-colored images of ’80s cartoon heroes lounging around in their finest vintage garb. Hipster-esque versions of television’s most-loved characters from shows like He-Man, Thundercats, Rainbow Brite, and Jem are decked out in plaids and florals for the amusing series Old School Heroes. If you’ve ever wanted to see what an old-timey He-Man looks like while he golfs on Sundays with Duncan or what She-Ra might wear out shopping with her girls Frosta, Castaspella, and Mermista, click through our slide show for more. … Read More
Watercolor Portraits of ’70s and ’80s Sitcom Characters
Let’s try a mental exercise: Picture some of your favorite TV shows of the ’70s and ’80s — maybe Three’s Company or the original Hawaii Five-0. How do the characters look in your imagination? Crisp and bright, or somewhat blurry and washed out? For us, it’s always been the latter, either because our memories of them are dim or simply due to the desaturated look of decades-old TV. So it’s remarkable to see how closely San Francisco-based artist Kelly Falzone Inouye’s watercolor portraits of sitcoms from that era our own recollections. “For me, the medium of watercolor is extremely nostalgic and sentimental,” writes Inouye. “In using this medium in its loosest, most watery form to depict fictional characters, my intent is to examine issues of portrayal vs. portraiture.” Check out Sitcoms Series after the jump, and then visit Inouye’s website to see more of her work. … Read More
Johnny Stiletto's Gritty Photos of '80s London
The anonymous photographer Johnny Stiletto (a pseudonym, of course) captured the London of the ’80s through a streetwise lens, capturing the day to day life of the average man with gravity and beauty — as well as sneaking a peek at a celebrity now and again. “I like interaction,” he told the Telegraph, ”I like an eye line. I like people who look stylish. I don’t do it at weekends, because people are less interesting when they’re being ‘weekendy’. Winter tends to be better than summer, because bright daylight is not very rewarding. I like evenings.” Stiletto’s photographs have recently compiled into a collection entitled Vintage ’80s: London Street Photography, which is definitely worth a look. In the meantime, check out some of our favorites of his shots (and Stiletto’s charming and elucidating ruminations on his subjects) after the jump, and then be sure to head over to his website for many more. … Read More
How to Blame ‘The Smurfs’ for the Debt Ceiling Debate
Last weekend, the cinemas of America were bursting with several fine films — Captain America and Harry Potter in the multiplexes, The Guard, The Future, Tabloid, Project Nim at the art houses — yet the big hit was The Smurfs, a CGI-enhanced big-screen version of the intolerable, one-joke cartoon series from the 1980s. The film has been a punch line for months, but when the receipts were tallied up, The Smurfs came within a hair of beating the weekend’s top grosser, Cowboys & Aliens, co-starring no less than James Bond and Han Solo.
Suddenly, the previous big question surrounding The Smurfs (“How the hell did that get made?”) has been replaced by a bigger one (“How the hell did that make so much money?”) and sadly, both questions have the same answer: the ’80s nostalgia factor. It is not a phenomenon confined to the singular occurrence of The Smurfs; my own visit to multiplex this weekend confirmed the existence, via trailers and posters, of similarly unnecessary and unwelcome remakes of artifacts like Conan the Barbarian, Footloose, and Fright Night. … Read More
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