The POP-EXPOSE 

Just Because We Can, Should We Be Remaking Pop Culture and Pulp Classic Movies?

By: R.A. Rayne In a summer of reboots, remakes, and sequels, nostalgia is a trend for the first time, not just a midlife crisis. While we haven’t quite yet reached the levels of embracing the 1980s like Ernest Cline portrayed in his Ready Player One and Two books, we are tiptoeing into his world. (In more ways than one.) While every generation seems to have a nostalgic callback to their parents’ youth, this time things are different. We now live in an age when, in a digital minute, parachute pants,…

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The POP-EXPOSE 

Rocky Balboa in the 80s: Hope With Bruised Knuckles

The 1980s were full of heroes who looked impossible. They had magic swords, transforming bodies, talking cars, laser weapons, secret bases, and powers that made childhood feel bigger than the living room floor. But one of the decade’s most powerful heroes did not come from another planet, live in a cloud kingdom, or command an army of robots. He came from Philadelphia. He wore a gray sweatsuit.He ran through city streets.He talked with a rough voice and a soft heart.And when life knocked him down, he got back up. Rocky…

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The POP-EXPOSE 

The Karate Kid and the Quiet Kindness of Mr. Miyagi

The 1980s gave us a lot of heroes who made noise. They drove fast cars, fired laser rifles, kicked down doors, flew through space, transformed into trucks, and shouted battle cries while running straight into danger. It was a decade built for big entrances and bigger victories. But one of the greatest heroes of the 1980s did not need any of that. He was quiet. He trimmed bonsai trees.He fixed things with his hands.He spoke softly.He listened carefully.And when a bullied kid had nowhere else to turn, Mr. Miyagi stepped…

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The POP-EXPOSE 

Michael J. Fox, Marty McFly, and the Hope That We Can Still Fix Tomorrow

The 1980s gave us a lot of unforgettable movie heroes. Some carried swords. Some flew spaceships. Some wore leather jackets, proton packs, or bandanas. But one of the decade’s greatest heroes wore a denim jacket, played guitar too loud, rode a skateboard through town, and accidentally turned a DeLorean into the most famous time machine in movie history. Marty McFly was not the biggest hero of the 80s. He was not the strongest.He was not the toughest.He was not the chosen one from some ancient prophecy. He was just a…

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Superman The POP-EXPOSE 

Remembering Gene Hackman: A Legendary Hollywood Career Spanning Six Decades

Story by Mitchell Smith Eugene Allen Hackman was born on January 30, 1930, in San Bernardino, California. Raised in Danville, Illinois, he had a difficult childhood, marked by his parents’ divorce and his father’s abandonment of the family. At the age of 16, he left home and joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served for nearly five years. After his military service, Hackman pursued a career in journalism and radio before enrolling at the Pasadena Playhouse in California to study acting. Ironically, he and fellow aspiring actor Dustin Hoffman…

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The POP-EXPOSE 

Revisiting ‘Short Circuit’: A Timeless Eighties Classic and Its Legacy

Story by Mitchell Smith Hello everybody. Today I’m taking a look at one of the greatest eighties movies, Short Circuit. This 1986 film was directed by John Badham and featured 2 of the most popular stars at the time John Guttenburg and Ally Sheedy. Fisher Stevens added some great comic relief and Tim Blaney superbly voiced the beloved Johnny number 5. This is a great movie and had a sequel as well. I wonder if they will ever try to make a modern sequel with different main characters or if…

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