My Six True Loves of the '80s

1. Phoebe Cates

Most of you know her from Fast Times at Ridgmont High (1982) and think of her every time you hear the song "Moving in Stereo" by The Cars. I actually fell in love with Phoebe Cates after watching Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).

2. Elisabeth Shue

With the combined weight of The Karate Kid (1984) and Adventures in Babysitting (1987) it was awfully hard not to fall in love with Elisabeth Shue in the '80s.

3. Apollonia

Not only did Purple Rain (1984) set the standard for every music movie that would come in the following decades; it also introduced us to Apollonia Kotero. In a decade full of beautiful girls, Apollonia was the first woman I ever fell in love with.

4. Mia Sara

I'm a freak. If you ask me what my favorite movies of the '80s are I'm not very likely to rank Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) very high. It's common for me to miss Ferris Bueller references that you will make. The movie just didn't do as much for me as it did for you. But Mia Sara certainly had the look. She could have been in The Toxic Avenger (1984) or Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988) and I would have fallen in love with her.

5. Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer Connelly had me forever after Labyrinth (1986). Thank goodness. Jennifer Connelly is the right '80s actress to be immortally bonded to, especially seeing her exemplary performances and growth as an actress that follows in the next few decades. Connelly remains to this day a force to be reckoned with in the realm of acting and beauty, even long after David Bowie decided to bless her career with his magic goblin wand (Was that in poor taste? You have to admit that David Bowie's nether regions were kind of the star of that movie...).

6. Jami Gertz

Traditionally there are two kinds of women that have always captured the hearts of men: those who are mysterious and those who need to be rescued. Jami Gertz was both when she played the love interest in The Lost Boys (1987). Who among you didn't dream of being Jason Patric in that movie just so you could be a beautiful man who wins the heart of the mysterious vampire groupie?