May 18, 2009
you had to be there
I would suggest that there is a sub-genre of movie that could be described as "beloved child classic." This designation means that if you see the movie as a child, you will no doubt love it and and quote it endlessly, and then later on in your life you will hear someone mention it and you will breathlessly exclaim, "Oh yeah! That movie is a classic! The part with that thing at the place! Hilarious!" Meanwhile, people who saw the movie in their late teens or twenties will wonder why you think the movie is of any redeemable value and will begin to question why they spend time with you.
Sometimes these movies are perfectly fine "family" movies that could be enjoyed by anyone regardless of age, but will not hold up as well as one ages. Examples: The Goonies (I saw this for the first time when I was 16. Not too impressed), The Princess Bride (I saw this when I was ten; I liked it, but not that much), The Neverending Story (I saw this quite young, and loved it. You couldn't pay me to watch it now), Flight of the Navigator (this one actually scared the hell out of me when I was young, but it wasn't that good), Short Circuit (I saw this as a kid and then much later. It sucked), etc...
Then there are the obviously crappy movies that could have only seemed great back when our minds were much simpler. These movies are the ones that the 80's nostalgists will go on about endlessly and will sometimes purchase commemorative TV shirts of. Crappy cartoons (Thundercats, Strawberry Shortcake, Transformers), crappy comedies (Police Academy, Ummm, Revenge of the Nerds), and crappy teen movies (Teen Wolf, The Secret of My Success, Teen Wolf Two, Mac and Me?) will always be crap no matter how much fun you had watching them over summer break with your cousins from Michigan.
Sometimes even really awesome movies that seem to be timeless when they come out can, on second look, turn to crap. I watched Terminator 2 a while back after not having seen it for many years and boy did I not enjoy certain aspects of that movie. The whole thing where Arnold is a killing robot that exists to blow people's skulls open, yet he sensitively asks Edward Furlong why humans cry and then gives young John Connor a thumbs up as he is lowered into the molten metal? Lame. Arnold is not E.T., he is a merciless instrument of destruction from the future. Duh.
Here are the movies I saw as a child and still enjoy:
1. Ghostbusters (AMAZING TO THIS DAY. WHO ARE YOU GOING TO CALL INDEED, SIR.)
2. The Blues Brothers (I just picked this jem up at Walmart for five bucks. That's like 45 crashed cop cars per dollar!)
3. Indiana Jones Movies (Does not include the new one with Shia Lebouf swinging from vines like Tarzan.)
4. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (There are so many things wrong with this movie--mostly Christian Slater--but also so much right with it--mostly Alan Rickman.)
Sometimes these movies are perfectly fine "family" movies that could be enjoyed by anyone regardless of age, but will not hold up as well as one ages. Examples: The Goonies (I saw this for the first time when I was 16. Not too impressed), The Princess Bride (I saw this when I was ten; I liked it, but not that much), The Neverending Story (I saw this quite young, and loved it. You couldn't pay me to watch it now), Flight of the Navigator (this one actually scared the hell out of me when I was young, but it wasn't that good), Short Circuit (I saw this as a kid and then much later. It sucked), etc...
Then there are the obviously crappy movies that could have only seemed great back when our minds were much simpler. These movies are the ones that the 80's nostalgists will go on about endlessly and will sometimes purchase commemorative TV shirts of. Crappy cartoons (Thundercats, Strawberry Shortcake, Transformers), crappy comedies (Police Academy, Ummm, Revenge of the Nerds), and crappy teen movies (Teen Wolf, The Secret of My Success, Teen Wolf Two, Mac and Me?) will always be crap no matter how much fun you had watching them over summer break with your cousins from Michigan.
Sometimes even really awesome movies that seem to be timeless when they come out can, on second look, turn to crap. I watched Terminator 2 a while back after not having seen it for many years and boy did I not enjoy certain aspects of that movie. The whole thing where Arnold is a killing robot that exists to blow people's skulls open, yet he sensitively asks Edward Furlong why humans cry and then gives young John Connor a thumbs up as he is lowered into the molten metal? Lame. Arnold is not E.T., he is a merciless instrument of destruction from the future. Duh.
Here are the movies I saw as a child and still enjoy:
1. Ghostbusters (AMAZING TO THIS DAY. WHO ARE YOU GOING TO CALL INDEED, SIR.)
2. The Blues Brothers (I just picked this jem up at Walmart for five bucks. That's like 45 crashed cop cars per dollar!)
3. Indiana Jones Movies (Does not include the new one with Shia Lebouf swinging from vines like Tarzan.)
4. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (There are so many things wrong with this movie--mostly Christian Slater--but also so much right with it--mostly Alan Rickman.)
Labels: empty nostalgia, films
# posted by McDirty @ Monday, May 18, 2009 
Comments:
<< Home
I never saw Goonies until I was in my late teens and I absolutely hated it (I probably would have simply disliked it but I watched it with a bunch of people who loved, loved, loved it as kids and they still thought it was the greatest). To this day, however, Wayne's World is probably one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time.
I love Wayne's World too, but I didn't see it until I was in High School, so I didn't list it as a childhood movie.
My favorite part is Garth dressed head to toe in Reebok gear holding a Dominoes pizza box: "It's like, people just do stuff so they can get paid and I just think it's really sad."
My favorite part is Garth dressed head to toe in Reebok gear holding a Dominoes pizza box: "It's like, people just do stuff so they can get paid and I just think it's really sad."
Excellent scene. It is so funny for me to go back and watch Wayne's World now, because there are TONS of jokes that I didn't understand at all when I watched it as a kid (yet I still laughed at them). Examples:
"I'll have the cream of some-young-guy" -Wayne (when asked what kind of Chinese food he wants)
"Ribbed for her pleasure...eeewwww." -Garth
Come to think of it...I don't think I understood any of the jokes, yet I still found it to be the most hilarious movie ever. I still can't listen to "Bohemian Rhapsody" without headbanging at the part where it turns to hard rock.
"I'll have the cream of some-young-guy" -Wayne (when asked what kind of Chinese food he wants)
"Ribbed for her pleasure...eeewwww." -Garth
Come to think of it...I don't think I understood any of the jokes, yet I still found it to be the most hilarious movie ever. I still can't listen to "Bohemian Rhapsody" without headbanging at the part where it turns to hard rock.
I'm going to forgive you for what I am assuming was only an accident that you forgot to put David Bowie and "Labyrinth" on your list.
You better believe I have that soundtrack on my iPod. (I'm completely serious)
You better believe I have that soundtrack on my iPod. (I'm completely serious)
yourgot little trouble in big China and top gun in you list of ageless classics from our childhood also I'd throw in Rookie of the year because of the repeated use of the phrase "funky butt loving"
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
