Okay, this is admittedly old news, but it’s just coming to us here at MIX Loves the ’80s… Apparently, according to HollywoodReporter.com, MGM has decided to produce a remake of the 1984 semi-classic Red Dawn.

Of course, you remember the story: A small town right here in Colorado is invaded by joint Russian and Cuban forces intent on taking over the US from the inside… or something.  The fun of the movie was watching Brat Pack stars like Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey take up arms and use their mountain-state survival schools to defeat a military force while screaming “Wolverines!”  And it was, without a doubt, a pretty ludicrous scenario, despite having a complicated socio-political back-story (that never really gelled in the actual film).

But the standing question remains: Is there any room for a remake of this movie in a post-Cold War, post-9/11 world?  Sure, we’re suddenly in a stand-off with Russia again over their actions in Georgia, but unless the film-makers are planning to spoof a Russian invasion of The Peach State, it’s hard to imagine this movie having the same impact.  Our paranoia is now much more focussed on terrorism, and an actual invasion seems as remote today as the fall of the Berlin Wall did in 1984.

And yet… it’s hard not to have some nostalgic affection for Red Dawn.  So, how about it?  Will you go see the remake?

(Like others who’ve commented on the story, I’m much more intrigued by the idea of a Robocop remake!)

Trailer for 1984 version of Red Dawn

It’s been all over the TV in the last two weeks, and discussions online seem kind of split on whether it’s terrible or well-done, on-the-money or completely missing the point… it’s the new JC Penny’s Back to School commercial featuring a one-minute remake of “The Breakfast Club”.  If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a video clip of the spot as it’s airing on TV:

As much as ’80s fans will (justly) proclaim their love for The Breakfast Club, the question is whether the high school kids shown in the commercial have ever even seen it.  It used to play on (hilariously badly edited) TV versions all the time, but those days are gone.  It’s hard to imagine kids even being that excited by a rock-updated cover of “Don’t You Forget About Me” (maybe the worst part of the commercial?). Sure, it’s targeting the parent who will be buying the clothes for their kids, so maybe it’s being pretty subtle in who it really appeals to, but in other ways it seems like a bad nostalgia cash-in. 

(And if it is targeting the parents, perhaps JC Penny and their ad agency forgot that those kids are in detention!)

What do you think?

Let’s get the ’80s discussions going with Retro Topics!

We’ll get the ball rolling with an easy one… At MIX Loves the ’80s.com, it’s the music that comes first, so we want to hear from you about your favorite musical moment of the 1980s.  Maybe it was a favorite music video, or a particularly amazing concert.  It could be the song that soundtracked your first kiss, or the one that became your wedding dance.  Whatever it is, we want to hear about it.  Add a comment and share!