“Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die…”
Yes folks, its another “out of the slot” entry that has nothing whatsoever to do with the topic of this blog! While this is unlikely to be of interest to my fellow slot-heads and T-Jet collectors, there may be a modicum of interest for movie fans, followers of the pop culture of the 1980s, and anyone with a penchant for vampire lore!
Thursday night was a cold, gloomy one here in the Denver area: it had snowed the day before and the sky that day was iron gray, so when night fell there was ice on the ground and the wind was biting: not the kind of night that anyone wants to go out in…especially after getting home from a long and challenging day at work! But, earlier that day, my buddy Jason sent me a text message with this image screen-grabbed from his iPhone:
I wasn’t even sure what this was about until he explained that there was a recently opened bar down on south Broadway that was running a series of classic 1980’s movies for no admission cost other than the price of the drinks. He wanted to check it out and wanted me to go. I was in no mood with the weather the way it was, but he convinced me, so after getting comfy at home, I pulled my boots back on and braved the cold and the traffic to head down to see what this place was about. Imagine my delight when I came up to the door to find out I had arrived at a bar called “THE DELOREAN.”
The whole place was ‘80s themed: that was its entire purpose! From the posters on the walls to the ephemera under the glass bar counter to the artifacts in display cases throughout to the names of the drinks on the menu, the entire point of the place was a flashback to the Reagan Era! It became even cooler when the tilt toward the macabre became more evident, especially with some of the décor in the bathrooms, where the walls were papered with murals depicting the monsters of nearly every classic 1980s horror flick you can name! We were met at the door by a lovely young matre’d that showed us in and seated us at the bar counter where we spent the evening ordering beer and cocktails, eating microwavable snacks, and listening to the best music of all time, before the big event at 7:00, when the music was turned off and the TVs went on!
In this environment, it was easy to recapture my intense love of the movie being screened: the timeless 1987 classic “The Lost Boys.” This flick is, of course, not slated to be profiled in my Theatre of the Less Obvious posts for all kinds of reasons: its not a car movie, and its hardly obscure. On the contrary, its extremely famous, and rightly so! Yet, even though this flick has nothing to do with the principal topic here on “thunderjetheaven.com,” I could hardly help myself from singing its praises! This is a movie that never gets old no matter how many times I see it. The last time I watched it was in May of 2017 in the midst of my divorce. That was a dark time in my life, and watching “The Lost Boys” with a friend one evening helped lift my spirits tremendously. Tonight, I recalled why: surrounded by others who either experienced the era, or knew how cool it was, I was riveted to every frame, every line of dialog, every song, and so was everyone else in the bar around us!
To say “The Lost Boys” is a classic doesn’t cut it: it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. It may not quite rise to the level of “high art,” but with its fantastic set design, excellent costumes, excruciating attention to detail, and phenomenal soundtrack, its damn close! Its also got some historical significance to the vampire genre, being the first film that I am aware of-certainly the first mainstream film-that portrayed vampires as young, desirous teenagers: a theme that would become endemic in the years that followed. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Twilight,” and numerous other vampire ‘mystique’ stories and franchises owe a debt of gratitude to “The Lost Boys” every bit as much as to the novels of Anne Rice! It’s perfect blend of scares and humor, just the right amount of gore, and surprisingly good performances from the entire ensemble cast working with a witty script, exciting chase scenes, and a running time that’s not a minute too long or too short make for a pitch-perfect movie!
And, on the usual topic of this blog: while it’s true that it doesn’t quality as a “car flick,” it’s also worth noting there were some pretty cool classics in this movie; in additional to several background vehicles you wouldn’t see on the road today, mom’s ’68 Toyota Land Cruiser would be a valuable SUV now, and Grandpa’s WW2-era IH M-2-4 and his pristine ’57 Ford Fairlane Skyliner both had memorable screen time!
When “The Lost Boys” first hit the theatres in late July of 1987, I was 16 years old; it was a sensation upon its release: everyone was talking about it! My strongest memory of it came a few months later, watching it at home in the living room with my family on a VHS tape. I was as captivated then as I am now by the look and feel of it: the set designers went all out with this one, and even though nearly every scene is burned into my mind, it’s amazing how I can watch it over and over again and notice something new every time. Very few movies stand up to multiple viewing the way this one does!
I doubt there’s anyone reading this who’s never seen this movie, but if you haven’t, I can’t recommend it strongly enough! As for The Delorean? I can’t recommend this place highly enough, either! The staff was friendly, the drinks were fairly priced, and the atmosphere was second to none! I will definitely be hanging out here again, since it appears they do a classic ‘80s movie night every Thursday. In fact, look at what their website says is coming up at the end of the month! Another ’80s classic that never gets old! I’m planning on being at that screening! Want to join me?
South Broadway ’80s Bar The Delorean Opens in Denver | Westword
When it comes to nostalgia for the ‘80s, there are two kinds of people: those who were there, and those who wish they had been!
Right, so while this post is a detour that’s off topic, fear not, T-Jet fanatics, for our next post will bring us back on topic in a big way: I’ve got something special coming up for Sunday, because there’s always something new to see and do at DRAG CITY!
Your critique of that film is, of course, spot on! It’s a great film with great memories attached to it. I didn’t see it in the theater, though I wish I had, but I remember trying to get the rental shop before all the copies were rented out! The Delorian looks and sounds amazing. It’s incredible that they have collected and display all that memorablia! That’s awesome that you had a great night out with a good friend like this!
I consider myself fortunate to be a child of the 1980s, the last iconic era this world experienced. Everything else that came after is just dull.
The 1980s represent to the younger generations precisely what the 1950s represented to us when we were young: a cool period full of character, good music, and good movies.
Well said! I couldn’t agree more! I find it a little ironic that I spent the ’80s wishing I had been raised in the ’50s and now I look back and realize what an awesome period I was raised in myself! We are fortunate indeed!