Thursday Movie Picks: Nostalgia
Edit: So, I think I may have misunderstood the theme. I think perhaps I was supposed to use movies featuring nostalgia, so let's just pretend Lando was nostalgic for the Falcon in Return of the Jedi. Everyone in Jurassic Park was nostalgic for when they were a kid and loved dinosaurs, and Robin is nostalgic for when he didn't have to babysit Bebe's kids.
1) Return of the Jedi
Have I mentioned that I watched the original trilogy backwards for the first time? We had Return of the Jedi on tape, but we couldn't find Empire Strikes back. So I went ahead and watched it. Eventually we found our copy of Empire, so that came second. We never had A New Hope, so the first time I saw it was when they re-released them in theaters in 1997. Star Wars still means a lot to me and Return of the Jedi always makes me feel like a kid again.
2) Jurassic Park
This was the first "grown up" movie I remember seeing in theaters. I loved dinosaurs and adored this movie. I remember being surprised when one of my friends came over to my house when it was on tape and said she wasn't allowed to watch it. It didn't strike me as being too mature for our age.
3) Bebe's Kids
I took Nostalgia differently because I wasn’t sure what was meant. Return of the Jedi is quite cool except for the Ewoks whom I wanted to book over some fire pit:) when I first saw it in the theatre and they took off Vader’s helmet, I thought, “Oh my God! It’s Uncle Fester!! Remember they used a different actor at the beginning. I enjoyed Jurassic Park and, from my post last week about King Kong, I think many young kids were blown away by the great effects like my dad was when he saw King Kong back in 1933. I was blown away. I have seen your last film but I am all for political incorrectness and all that jazz because I am getting sick of all the PC stuff.
ReplyDeleteI think I might be the only one that took it this way so far...ahh well.
DeleteI too took Nostalgia differently. Anyway, I love Return of the Jedi, Ewoks included, and Jurassic Park. Haven't seen the other.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't quite sure where to go with this either as it was similiar to last week's. lol
DeleteI'm not much of a Star Wars fan, they're fine but nothing I return to and I've only seen the original trio, but Return of the Jedi was a good film.
ReplyDeleteI've always been fascinated by dinosaurs too and Jurassic Park is the best of that series, withstanding that it has the almost always risible to me Laura Dern in the cast.
I've never seen your last (you know me and animation)
I also went down the film loaded with nostalgia route but nothing wrong with looking at the theme in a different way.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)-A year in the life of the upper middle class Smith family (including second daughter Esther played by Judy Garland) as they and their hometown prepare for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. For the most part charming, sweet and bandbox pretty full of great songs-The Trolley Song, The Boy Next Door, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (which was written expressly for Judy) etc.-this is interwoven with dark undertones most courtesy of borderline psychotic (though she’s meant to be seen as innocently eccentric) youngest daughter Tootie (Margaret O’Brien-who won a special Oscar). Wonderfully produced by the Freed unit and directed by Vincente Minnelli.
On Moonlight Bay (1951)-Based on stories by Booth Tarkington we are once again at the turn of the 20th century. In bucolic small town Indiana the upwardly mobile Winfield family has just moved into a bigger house that only the father likes until tomboyish daughter Marjorie (Doris Day) meets handsome neighbor, college student Bill Sherman (Gordon MacRae). Suddenly she gets in touch with her feminine side and she and Bill start a romance which goes along fine until her father finds out Bill is a nonconformist who doesn’t believe in marriage or other traditional values. But after many songs, several mishaps and lots of warm and fuzzies all ends happily. Followed by a sequel “By the Light of the Silvery Moon”
Radio Days (1987)-Told as a remembrance Joe (Woody Allen) recalls his youth (played by Seth Green) growing up in the 30’s and 40’s with his colorful and somewhat crazy family (including his parents who will argue about anything including which is the greater ocean-Atlantic or Pacific!) and people he encounters including the story of radio personality Sally White (a quite brilliant performance by Mia Farrow). Filled with beautiful period detail this captures both the period and a sense of youth.
I haven't seen any of your picks this week. I've heard of On Moonlight Bay at least.
DeleteLOVE Return of the Jedi even though A New Hope is still my favorite - and yeah, all of the original trilogy makes me feel like a kid again.
ReplyDeleteEVERYONE loved Jurassic Park when it came out... except me. Partly because I just didn't like scary movies (and those raptors were SCARY) and partly because I liked the fossils and bones more than the actual dinos themselves lol.
I haven't even heard of your third pick. What even is it??
It's...a weird comedy about a guy that gets roped into babysitting when he's trying to impress his new girlfriend? It was on HBO ALL THE TIME.
DeleteHOLY SHIT!!!!! You've seen Bebe's Kids too? WE DON'T DIE! WE MULTIPLY!!!!! I love that film.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad someone else as at least heard of it! lol
DeleteHaha yeah...I had intended it to be a Ready Player One sort of nostalgia thing but you know just make it your own...Now I'm curious how everyone else interpreted it.
ReplyDeleteThe right way, apparently. lol
DeleteAwesome picks! I've never tried to watch the Star Wars series backwards, but I'm half-tempted to try it. :D
ReplyDeleteIt's still easy to follow lol.
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