"Forget everything you've just heard, and go back to sleep."

Tangerine Dream. Sunsets over the horizon. Box televisions. Crazy outfits. Synthpop. Group aerobics with neon costumes. All-night diners by the side of the road. VHS. Helipads on the top of skyscrapers. The threat of nuclear war from Russia.

These are all in Miracle Mile. These are all synonymous with the 1980s. Why are these important? Allow me to continue.

Miracle Mile is, most likely, not just one of the best films of the '80s. It is most likely one of the best films of all time. It's a beautiful, romantic story combined with a sense of nuclear paranoia and borderline sci-fi elements that attempts to keep the glass half-full even in the darkest of times. It's truly awe-inspiring and I couldn't possibly say how much I love it. What I can say is just how important it is as a film, and the key element which makes it so important to our modern day; it isn't modern.

Unintentionally, every single retro '80s element that we know and love ties in perfectly to the themes of Miracle Mile. This is possibly the most '80s a film can get, and whilst we laugh, we kinda realise how great the culture of the '80s was, and how it isn't the same now. The thing is, people back in the '80s were going through a similar emotional state due to the very paranoia we see onscreen here, which brings me to my point; there's so much great in our lives right now that we often don't even see. Elements of culture which we enjoy and often even take for granted will become nostalgic for both us and future generations later along the line. We are living in a time just about to go by, and half the time we don't even know it. We could live the future's sense of retro. Just like back in the '80s, we don't quite know the beauty of the world we're living in until it's passed and the world has aged.

People sometimes ask each other "what would you do if you had 50 minutes to live"? Well, that's the exact question posed by the events of Miracle Mile, as we see the lead-up to a nuclear apocalypse begin. True, our heroes are on a journey to reach survival and safety throughout, but there's a sense of living in the moment kept throughout the film, to appreciate every second, to actually enjoy our lives together with those we love, to enjoy culture, to enjoy music, enjoy media, enjoy nature, enjoy life. It made me think about what good there is in my life, and particularly about my girlfriend, and how much I appreciate her and everything she does, and all those I love. It made me think about those little moments which make my life, well, worth living. As much as I joke, maybe there's so much now, this second, that I'm not noticing, and I should be enjoying. Everything's out there at my fingertips, so where do I start?

The truth is, maybe we all have 50 minutes to live. We may not know it, but we do. 50 minutes to live in this time, in this decade, in this moment, 50 precious minutes. Maybe these 50 minutes aren't literal, but are days, weeks, months, years. We may be the architects of our nostalgia, but what is even better is to make the most of those 50 minutes before they pass. Those "good old days" are now; live them whilst they're good. Spend some time on the Miracle Mile and live your life. Breathe in. Breathe out. Feel the world go round.

Live life like you've got the 50-minute deadline.