LOEB - Top 10

This week the League of Extraordinary Bloggers is tasked with creating a top 10 list. The topic is wide open so I decided it would be fun to share my Top 10 favorite knick knacks/decorations in my man cave/collection room/Nerd Nook (as it's come to be called).

Day 28 - 80s Marathon Cont.

I've been covering quite a bit of ground on Netflix streaming this summer. It's kind of fun to just go through the movies and pick random titles. I like to think I've got a pretty comprehensive movie background. I've been a huge movie fan for decades and have seen most of the must see titles. While scrolling through I came across one movie I haven't seen, "The Witness".

Dissecting the Banner - Harry and the Henderson's

 Lately I've been toying with the idea of creating a new 80s inspired collage type banner for the old Nerd Nook. I also decided that before I do so I'd go back to something I thought of doing a while ago..... I give you the first installment of what I'm going to be calling.....

Dissecting the Banner!

80s Spotlight - Black Rain

The 80s was a decade rich with cop movies. There was "Lethal Weapon", "Beverly Hills Cop", "48 Hours", "Robocop", "Police Academy" (for the lols), "Running Scared" (childhood favorite), "The Untouchables" (epic soundtrack), "Die Hard", "Red Heat", "Tango and Cash", "Turner and Hootch", and the list goes on. With all those great and memorable movies mentioned, there's one that rises to the top for me, "Black Rain". 

This movie had an amazing cast and the settings in Japan were perfect. The score by Hans Zimmer as well as "I'll Be Holding On" by Greg Allman were perfect compliments to this great cop flick. 

The movie begins with Nick (Michael Douglas' character), a motorcycle racing for cash New York cop embroiled in an internal affairs investigation into his on the job ethics. His partner Charlie (Andy Garcia) is a young, hip (for the 80s), hot shot cop loaded with enthusiasm. They make for a great pair! 

While Nick is dealing with the heat of the investigation, he and Charlie by chance witness a Japenese mob style hit in a restaurant in New York. They are able to chase down and apprehend a high ranking member of the Japanese mob, Sato. Sato is wanted in Japan for an assortment of offenses and is to be sent back to Japan. Nick and Charlie are to personally deliver him and that's when things go south....fast! They are duped before they even get off the plane by Sato's men impersonating police. Needless to say Nick is not the type of cop that takes kindly to being screwed with. They delve head first into a counterfeiting war more complex than they could have ever predicted.

It's truly a masterpiece of a movie with some great quotes from Michael Douglas that if I included would lose me my PG rating fast! The performance by the cast is outstanding. If you haven't seen this movie put at the top of your to do list! 

League of Extraordinary Bloggers - I'm Obsessed!

Wow it's certainly been a long time since I posted anything here at the old Nerd Nook. I have most definitely been more focused on my Instagram (NerdNook) than this blog. I'm excited to see our League Leader Brian over at Cool and Collected getting the band back together! So without further adieu:

 

Well as it turns out I've got loads of obsessions as of late, most of which stem from nostalgia, the 80s, and recapturing pieces of my childhood. I've got several toy collections going at the moment and will be hopefully adding a new installment of Nerd Nook Newbies to blog soon. Stay tuned for that! But in the interest of staying to the point I'm gonna write about one recent obsession that encompasses the nostalgia, reliving of my childhood, and the 80s.........

If you haven't checked out this show DO IT....DO IT NOW! It really manages to capture that 80s feel with the music, clothes, decor, and general attitudes of the characters. They regularly include some the 80s biggest heavy hitters including: The Goonies, GI Joe, Masters of the Universe, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Transformers and more!

For the nostalgia impaired, like myself, it is a must watch show. I find I can relate to the characters, the family dynamic (I grew up with my great uncle living with us and he was funny and silly much like the grandfather), and of course the pop culture that defined the decade! I often find myself sitting there grinning while watching, having just been reminded of a long buried memory or 80s detail I'd forgotten about.

Even the brief intro and song pull you back to that simpler time, devoid of tablets, smart phones, and BS. You feel like a kid again, popping a recorded over VHS into the VCR ready to kick back on the carpet, drink some Ecto Cooler and enjoy some care-free relaxation!

Be sure to check out the rest of the League's Obsessions over at Cool and Collected!

80s Spotlight -David the Gnome

Here's a quick jolt of nostalgia on this Uneventful Thursday in September....."David the Gnome"! As a kid I remembered absolutely loving the theme song. It had a sort of "magical" feel to it and got me super excited for the cartoon to follow. The memories this show jogs would be sick days home from school and catching a few of these episodes in a row. Would love a day like that right about now ;)

"Look around you.
There are many things to see, that some would say could never be.
These things I know.
It's true and I will tell you so.
They are there to see, if you believe.
Trolls and wizards and fairy kings, birds that talk and fish that sing.
And if your heart is true, then you will find them too.
In every wish and dream and happy home, you will find a kingdom of the Gnomes."

Iconic Picture Spotlight - The Breakfast Club

One of my all time favorite movies, 80s, or any other decade! The perfect ending. The song is, of course, perfectly fitting and at this point iconic. John Bender throws up the old fist pump knowing he won the day. A timeless classic by the great John Hughes!

He - Man....the most powerful man in the universe!

It's crazy how a toy can hold so many memories! When I see these amazingly awesome action figures I am instantly transported back to Atlanta, Georgia (where my family lived in the early 80s). From my spot on the carpet, I can hear Orko's theme playing in the background while Man at Arms tells us kids some bit of important safety information.

 I think that's what I love most about collecting. Surrounding myself with relics from the past that remind me of simpler times when everything was amazing and new! 

And now to start my loooooong day I'll echo those words in my mind "I have the power!"

Retro Spotlight

So I did some digging over the weekend (I have loads of stuff I need to go through) and I came across some neat old watches I saved. The watches were worn on my wrist from the years 1989 to right around 1996. The range from a Batman watch that was released with the 1989 movie (still my all time favorite super hero flick) to Lost World and Congo watches (both Michael Crichton books incidentally).

Is it weird I still remember the day I got this? As far as I was concerned, I WAS Batman with this thing on.

These were offered by Taco Bell when the movie came out. I remember my brother and going after that orange one with the evil gorilla pretty intensely!

"We are watching you...."

These were offered by Burger King when "The Lost World" hit theaters.

This one with the eye hologram was the one to get from this collection!

Toy Spotlight - Alf

Here's a quick spotlight for you guys of one of the lolziest characters to come out of the 80s.....Alf. Now as for this toy, a friend of mine had it since his childhood and gave it to me knowing how much I loved pop culture stuff....especially from the 80s. It fits right in with the rest of the decor in the Nerd Nook.

I was hoping some of my fellow Leaguers could help me identify the type of toy this is. I remember these being available in various characters back in the day, I just can't put my figure on what they were called. Any help would be awesome!

80s Spotlight - Denver the Last Dinosaur

I totally loved this show when I was a kid. I grew up reading dinosaur books, watching dinosaur shows, building dinosaur skeletons, drawing dinosaurs, playing dinosaurs....you get the point. So needless to say when this show aired I was hooked!

"He's my friend and a whole lot more!"

80s Spotlight - Huey Lewis and the News!

Who doesn't love these guys! This band could make a strong case for best band to take you back in time!

"So take me away, I don't mind

But you better promise me, I'll be back in time!"

80s Spotlight

I'm sleepy, grouchy, and a bit annoyed to see that even more of my hard earned money is going to Uncle Sam this pay day....the first thing that popped in my mind was this........

Anyone have a time machine =)

Either way Happy Friday!

80s Spotlight - 1985's Super Bowl Shuffle

With the Championship games being played this weekend I figured there was no better time to use this absolute GEM from 1985 as an 80s spotlight!

Only in the 80s could something this awesome ever happen!

"Now I'm as smooth as a chocolate swirl, I dance a little funky, so watch me girl. There's not one here that does it like me, My Super Bowl Shuffle will set you free!"

80s Spotlight - Garfield and Friends

Back with another quick installment of the 80s spotlight. Once again this show was technically early 90s but I'm sticking with the title!

I loved this show as a kid. I mean Saturday mornings held so much potential! Mom was cooking up a weekend type breakfast (eggs and stuff), me and the bro were getting set for a day of fun with our neighborhood friends! I just loved Saturday mornings...I still do!

Here's a show that helped make them memorable....

80s Spotlight - Cadillacs and Dinosaurs!

Another installment of random 80s. Ok so this one is early 90s but I'm sticking with the label! I remember many a Saturday morning watching this show. What sticks out in my memory about this one is of course my love for dinosaurs (making this show awesome) and the fact that it came on at 10:30 or 11:00. Because of the time it aired there were many Saturdays that one our best friends would already be over hanging out watching it too....adding to the memories! Then of course after that, we'd be out of the house, gone the rest of the day, playing who knows what!

80s Spotlight - Billy Ocean and Romancing the Stone

I've been wanting to post random 80s related stuff for some time now so I figured what the hell.  For my first 80s spotlight I decided to start with Billy Ocean. I heard "Caribbean Queen" at 7am yesterday on the way to work and I knew it was going to be a good day!  Billy Ocean's music has the ability to transport right back to my living room floor watching "Jewel of Nile" or listening to the cassette tape that the Ford dealer included with my mom's new Ford Tempo which featured the song "Get out of my Dreams and Into to My Car".

"Who's that lady comin down the road?!"

When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going!

Love this at the end of Jewel Of the Nile

Classic!

Finally for this first 80s spotlight I can't talk about Billy Ocean without mentioning "Romancing the Stone" and "Jewel Of The Nile".  Like most things I love, my attachment to these movies is rooted firmly in nostalgia!

I have this very poster hung in the Nerd Nook

"Oh, oh *I'm* the creep, huh? Well at least I'm honest: I'm *stealing* this stone. I'm not trying to romance it out from under her"