A 1980's phenomenon, the Brat Pack was a bunch of very young and only slightly talented actors and actresses thrust on the silver screens for us to adore, adulate and hate. Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Charlie Sheen, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Mare Winningham, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Eric Stoltz and Anthony Michael Hall were among the much-vaunted and much-hyped stars with their million-dollar lifestyles. Only a few cut the mustard on the credits today, but nostalgia has finally caught up with the Brat Pack.

 Why are Tom Cruise and Demi Moore still box-office stars but Mickey Rourke is unemployable, uninsurable and "unlunchable" for most Hollywood execs? This book gives all the answers, discussing the rise and fall of a generation of stars and why teen movies have staged a comeback in today's Hollywood.

Brat Pack Confidential is a guide to the Brat Pack films, from Pretty in Pink to Young Guns, as well as profiles of the major figures of the Pack.

Andrew Pulver is the film editor of The Guardian newspaper, and contributor to the published screenplay of Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous.

Steven Paul Davies is a writer and journalist based in London. He is the author of Alex Cox: Film Anarchist (Batsford, 1999).

Apart from arguing with the authors about the level of talent involved in the Brat Pack, this seems like a really good book. I've yet to read it, but it is peppered with amazing pictures. I'm looking forward to being outraged at the attitudes towards my favourite group of actors.