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AICwHK: The Joy Of Movies
Hey folks, Harry here...
I haven't written on what happened in Aurora. Reading the reports about the victims that died to protect their loved ones. It is sobering. Writing or talking about the instigator of the tragedy though, it's something I won't do.
This week's episode is kind of how I respond to something like this. I was raised to tell & remember stories that made people feel better when the really bad things happen. I just feel that the rhetoric in the media at large, focuses so acutely upon every detail of the horror, assigning blame, finding scapegoats and using it to bully just about any cause they feel like. For people like us, we go to movies. We love them. They're that thing that shows us & gives us so many wonderful memories.
As you watch this week's episode, think about your favorite movie theater memories, perhaps share some with us in the Talk Back below or on the YouTube comments section. Let's celebrate our favorite movie theater moments, here's some of mine...
Readers Talkback
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Aug. 2, 2012, 10:02 a.m. CST
It is a cliche, but seeing Star Wars(first run) in dolby stereo, blew my nine year old mind
by TallanDagwood
I had never seen or heard anything like it. I went with my dad and my best friend and to this day we talk about it.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 10:25 a.m. CST
Harry, creepythinman is the asshole that was trolling Sage Stallione's obiturary, please get rid of him, please. We don't need the likes of this around here
by FreeBeer
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It's like watching a hypnotic bowl of pube-covered-Jello.
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getting the same movie education that i got: we just go to the movies every week, once a week, to see animated movies like Brave and Ice Age but also popcorn stuff like MIB and Real Steel as well as more special things like Where the Wild Things Are . He loves it. He can't follow everything yet because it's all subtitled here (=Belgium) but he's getting his movie love spooned in in the theatre. At home, we rig up the projector and, like last weekend, saw two Indy movies and now he's running around with a makeshift whip and fedora. I was taken to the cinema when i was a young kid and i saw all those greats in the theatre (Indy, Star Wars, Superman,...) It didn't inspire me to become an archologist or superhero, im a car salesman, but it formed me. It made me appreciate movies, not only the blockbusters but also the smaller movies. It's all i hope to do with my kid, make him love the cinema, the emotions, the fantasy, the joy and despair (oh, how my boy cried at the end of 'Where the Wild Things Are') and i'm totally with you that MOVIES DO GOOD. There will always be great movies as there will always be dross. But, for me, learning my son to enjoy cinema is one of the most fun things about being a dad. Just my thoughts on the matter. And oh yeah, why doesn't creepythinman get banned? he's mucho annoying.
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Please eat a dick.
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Awesome.
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so we can all throw rotten tomato's at you,at least you'll eat that night
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Aug. 2, 2012, 10:53 a.m. CST
Best ep. so far and may end up being the best ep. ever.
by moonlightdrive
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See you soon CTM
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Bravo on the episode AND getting rid of that stain of a human being CreepyThinMan. Your stock just went up in my book. When's Trumbull coming back?
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with my Grandmother, who at 70 selflessly took me. Her reaction "It must have taken alot of cocaine to come up with that."
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Aug. 2, 2012, 11:02 a.m. CST
I am profoundly disappointed in this week's episode of Harry-on-youtube.
by Knuckleduster
Just kidding. I don't watch this shit.
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I liked the examples of people gaining a positive career model or even moral model from a crazy genre film. That's very interesting. I also liked the conclusion with the Raider's fan film (which is such an incredible thing since it was so long term) and the celebration of the the theater experience as well, linked to the story about seeing "Moonrise Kingdom" to escape reality. I haven't seen it yet, but isn't it about an escape?
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Aug. 2, 2012, 11:19 a.m. CST
My favorite memory is my Dad taking me to see Batman in 1989.
by Kamaji
Going to a 10 am matinee in San Diego, CA, a copy of Enya's 'Watermark' playing in the audio cassette player in the car. 10 am is often too early for Californians to see movies, so the amount of people in that theater at The Grove 9 numbered under a dozen. The Grove 9 was newly-built, and was the first theater I ever set foot in that was THX-certified. It was my first introduction to their sound system promo image, and then, Batman began. I still remember that feeling of having no idea what I was in for as that opening started with Danny Elfman's music, which then hit with a crescendo not unlike that for THX's promo, before starting into that marching cadence that we soon came to associate with The Dark Knight.
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That was the first movie my dad took us to as kids..I remember crying at the wheelers. Freaked me the hell out. It's strange I have such a fondness for going to the movies after that :)
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My dad let me skip school and we went to see it. Looking at the release date, it surprises me that I wasn't even ten at the time but it made for a great memory! We went to GreenLeaf afterwards, ate a shortstack of pancakes---good stuff.
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That’s what I get for doing actual work.
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Summer, 1980. My Mom & Dad surprised my brother, sister & me to “The Empire Strikes Back”. Back then, we had drive-in theaters (where I saw the first Star Wars). This was the Central Plaza movie theater in Westchester, NY. This was one of the first “fancy” theaters that I had ever been to. Walking into that lobby with its huge arcade and concession stand was mind blowing enough for a 7 year old, but the theater Empire was shown in (theater #2), was the “good” screen (all theaters have that one good screen. That day, my life was changed when I saw my favorite characters in 70MM Six Track Dolby Stereo. The drive-in was nice, but this was worlds better. I had truly taken my first step into a larger world. Thanks Mom & Dad, movies (and the theaters they are shown in) have my world a better place.
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It was watching "Legend" in a half empty cinema. It was the most bizarre piece of cinema i had seen. Never even heard of it. If i recall, it wasn't even publicised properly, so i went in not knowing a damn thing. Aside from the Cruisers giant nashers, the design of the film was impeccable - even today the film stands up well, due to it's practical contruction, without the bullshit digital cheating we have today. What do youngsters today have? "Snow White And The Huntsman" - about as memorable as irritable bowel syndrome. Bizarre look you have there, Knowles. Distinctive, but bizarre.
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Because he insulted someone? Thats nuts!
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I'll just imagine it in ALL CAPS.
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...have you invented a time travel machine, Harry?. I'm fairly sure that Keaton passed away in the mid sixties, well before you were born. Was the ticket your Dad's?
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...with intermission and all at a Philly arts theater when I was eleven. It just felt like such a special event that I've never viewed the film going experience the same since. Best friends older brother took us. He got major points. Others special ones: -Drive in double feature of Jaws and Bloody Mama -3 dollar double feature of Chinese Connection and My Name is Nobody. -French class trip to see Clouzot's Wages of Fear -When just hitting my teens, an older cousin took me to one of the last big single film theaters in Philly (with stage and balcony) to see a little film I knew nothing about concerning an adventurous archeologist trying to thwart a Nazi plan during WW2. ...she knew I'd LOVE it.
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Is anyone really blaming "movies" and "movie theaters" for the Aurora shooting? I watch a lot of TV and haven't seen anyone try to pin this on the movie biz. Maybe Limbaugh or Beck is, I don't know. If anything is being "blamed" it's gun laws, etc.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 12:27 p.m. CST
d.vader, he was banned a while back for trolling the obiturarys with sick comments.
by FreeBeer
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have ALL happened in a movie theater then you've either been holed up in a porno house your whole life or you need to get out more and see the world.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 1:01 p.m. CST
Harry, your Dad left the auditorium to buy sodas 10 minutes from the end of JAWS??!!
by BenBraddock
Now THAT'S a dedicated family man right there!
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Or maybe you need to get the stick out of your ass. Seriously, why even visit a movie site with that kind of attitude?
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Recently my favorite theatre moment was the crowd going apeshit in AVENGERS when Hulk tossed Loki around...and some serious applause a little earlier after Bruce hulked out and they did that 360 pan-around of all of them. I'm also old enough to remember people cheering when Vader went spinning off into space in the spring of '77.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 1:06 p.m. CST
Harry this was great. Very well said. It also raises another point, why do we come to AICN and rant, moan about movies, because simply we love them.
by Bradly Durant
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Aug. 2, 2012, 1:07 p.m. CST
One of my early fond memories of the cinematic experiences involved Beetlejuice!
by xcornealiousx
My parents took us to see beetle juice, and was my sisters first movie, she couldn't have been more than 3. Holy crap did I love it, her...not so much hahha.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 1:13 p.m. CST
"Raiders" was one of the first dates my wife and I had together...
by Budcrud
That same night, a man with a red violin was playing outside of the Frost building. We tracked him down months later and had him play at our wedding under the ATX stars. Alamo + Austin = magic.
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Empty theatre. Amazing visual and audio experience!
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it EARTHQUAKED my world!
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So much better of a sword swinger than Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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It was 1979.... All of my friends and I had been eagerly awaiting the release OF a certain move for over 2 years by this point... Rumors and WHISPERS of mustardy greatness. We had all the paraphernalia: the lunchboxes, the action figures of the wise aliens who helped the heroes along the way and the vicious evils in the movie to be defeated... plastic toy VERSIONS of the iconic weaponry... PURE ADOLESCENT GEEKGASM. MY father WOKE me the day of the showing, and we gathered all of my friends into the AWESOMEMOBILE - the actual Beverly Hillbillies car he had purchased and put into working condition. SO cool. There was a twelve hour wait FOR the movie... as we had arrived twelve hours too early, but we decided to stick it out - true GEEKS do. That's when I knew my dad was something SPECIAL. Other dads would have driven the 5 min back to the house and waited. Not HIM. HE kept us fed with Twizzlers and Ale 8 until the theater opened and let us in. The movie? KRULL. Never had I been so moved.... The movie taught me compassion...how to be kind and seek justice.... It taught me loyalty, eloquence and dyspepsia. I would never watch a movie AGAIN without the foreknowledge of undisclosure.... When Cyclops staid be hind to die, I wept. To my right, my father wept...The sniffling of hundreds of moviegoers swept UP in the maelstrom of griefyness is a sound I will never. Suddenly, the man to my left, a stranger who had been in line with us from the beginning of times, leaned in and said "it is OK. It is only a story. Wait...patience will be rewarded." I have the same ever since. That man? Brian Cox.
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It was 1979.... All of my friends and I had been eagerly awaiting the release OF a certain move for over 2 years by this point... Rumors and WHISPERS of mustardy greatness. We had all the paraphernalia: the lunchboxes, the action figures of the wise aliens who helped the heroes along the way and the vicious evils in the movie to be defeated... plastic toy VERSIONS of the iconic weaponry... PURE ADOLESCENT GEEKGASM. MY father WOKE me the day of the showing, and we gathered all of my friends into the AWESOMEMOBILE - the actual Beverly Hillbillies car he had purchased and put into working condition. SO cool. There was a twelve hour wait FOR the movie... as we had arrived twelve hours too early, but we decided to stick it out - true GEEKS do. That's when I knew my dad was something SPECIAL. Other dads would have driven the 5 min back to the house and waited. Not HIM. HE kept us fed with Twizzlers and Ale 8 until the theater opened and let us in. The movie? KRULL. Never had I been so moved.... The movie taught me compassion...how to be kind and seek justice.... It taught me loyalty, eloquence and dyspepsia. I would never watch a movie AGAIN without the foreknowledge of undisclosure.... When Cyclops staid be hind to die, I wept. To my right, my father wept...The sniffling of hundreds of moviegoers swept UP in the maelstrom of griefyness is a sound I will never. Suddenly, the man to my left, a stranger who had been in line with us from the beginning of times, leaned in and said "it is OK. It is only a story. Wait...patience will be rewarded." I have the same ever since. That man? Brian Cox.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 1:43 p.m. CST
Conan the Barbarian was the first movie my parents ever took me to...
by ThulsaBoom
...explains a lot. Thanks for the Conan love Harry.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 1:45 p.m. CST
Oh and please, somebody,*MAKE KING CONAN WITH ARNOLD NOW*...
by ThulsaBoom
...just getting the ball rolling.
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I never realized Harry said "y'know" so much!
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Did movies inspire you to do pretty much nothing with your life? You can't even fucking walk. This is the first mention of anyone vilifying the movies that I have seen anywhere. Get a job.
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...with movies influencing people into becoming rapists and murderers, because they **also** influence other people into choosing careers that will help catch them! Is film awesome or is film awesome? There's a moral in there somewhere, but I was too busy trying to figure out what look Harry's going for. It's like Thomas Dolby had a kid with Harry (of '...and the Hendersons' fame) who wanted to spend his days as Magnum, bearded lady P.I.
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Best experience was watching moon in an empty theater by myself, the only time I've done that, and coincidentally, the most perfect film to see in a state of isolation.
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I was helping a summer recreation program for my school and the teachers in charge decided it was a good idea to take kids to see John Carpenter's The Thing. Fuck, I loved it, but the teachers had to hustle the 10-12 year old children out of the theater after the dog scene!!
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I don't get why people come on here and just bitch about the guy who owns this website. You know by doing that, you're funding it, right? It's like The tea partiers posting on huffingtonpost about how terribly liberal arianna huffington is. And as far as Harry "not doing anything with his life," last time I checked, he's found a way to be a professional hobbyist, which is, of itself, pretty impressive, even if inception put him to sleep.
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Hell yeah!
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Sorry for giving you shit for not saying anything right away. What can I say? I was heart broken about what happened. Thanks for the heartfelt reminder of how much movies mean to us all.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 3:20 p.m. CST
kiwiblackm - holy shit, you saw Moon all alone in a theater?!
by antonphd
was it cold in the theater? i bet that would have made it even more of an immersive experience.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 3:20 p.m. CST
Best movie-going experince for me... let me think... there was that one time in Florida when I was at this thaeter with VERY sticky floors and Pee-Wee Herman of all people sat behind me... though the back of my neck got wet somehow...
by R Howell
Maybe I should talk about the time I sat in front of Fred Willard...
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Aug. 2, 2012, 3:23 p.m. CST
Meanwhile, at the Bat-cave... http://www.batman-online.com/features/2012/7/29/comic-influences-on-the-dark-knight-rises
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
Bad-ass article. All comic-geeks need to know this to retain any cred.
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I'm glad you can and do share your perceptions and memories of movies with us.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 3:27 p.m. CST
The Big Lebowski, empty theater, because my friends thought it was, "Just a bowling movie."
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
Coen brothers are always a good time at the theater. Now all my friends understand and respect the Coen's and The Big Lebowski!
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I was 7 when my dad took me to see this at the old Jewel Theater. There was a row of obnoxious cub scouts throwing popcorn in front of us. By the end of the film I remember the tears streaming down my cheek. I'd never been so moved by a movie before then.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 3:43 p.m. CST
my older brothers and sisters took me to see Popeye at the drive in when i was 6 years old
by antonphd
they told me that i was sleeping in the van for the night. i was a foster kid, so, i was used to having where i sleep switched around as i moved from home to home. i laid down and fell asleep. they woke me up to tell me that i wasn't sleeping in the van for the night. they were only playing with me. we were at a drive in theater (i didn't even know what a theater was) to watch Popeye (i knew who popeye was). that was 32 years ago and it's still my most vivid and important memory in a theater. i knelt there in the car watching this orphaned sailor dance and sing and fight. the way he bonded with sweet pea still chokes me up to think about. but not as much as finding out that the real villian was popeye's father and seeing his father redeem himself and popeye and sweep pea and pappy all becoming a family. what a dream for a 6 year old foster kid, let me tell you. i have other movies that inspired me or changed me. titanic helped me finally get over my first love. good will hunting helped me go back to college. the thin red line helped me understand that enemies are people too. and then there is the lord of the rings trilogy. wonderful movies, but they didn't change or inspire me in any way. they are important to me, because my wife and i spent our first date reading the hobbit on a big log next to a waterfall in the mountains. each of the movies came out a couple weeks after our anniversary early in december, so, each december for our first 3 years of marriage, we went to see a lord of the rings movie. i keep all of my ticket stubs. i can look at a stub and i will remember not just the movie, but my life at the time i watched the movie. i need a new container though, because this antique chinese box is getting stuffed.
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Haha yeah, it was middle of summer in Houston when they overcompensate with the AC - great experience! When Duncan jones releases his 20th anniversary special edition with more explosions, I'd definitely recommend seeing it that way
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This moment in time might never be topped for me.
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I cracked open lord of the rings the other day, and found an old bookmark - my ticket stub from almost famous - sept 2000! I still remember being embarrassed sitting next to my friend's parents when Goldie Hawns daughter and e other groupies deflower the kid
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Dear god! Never seen an audience so into a move. Gasp were heard when the semi flipped over! I got a deep chill in my spine when the Joker got tossed off that building towards the end. Plus he was laughing on the way down! How cool is that?
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"The frost, sometimes it makes the blade stick".
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Aug. 2, 2012, 4:50 p.m. CST
Awesome subject Harry! My all-time-fav memory...my father surprised me and my young brother by pretending to take us to a PG movie....
by threetoesoffury
..and then walked up to the box office and asked for 3 tickets to see the Blues Brothers. I was 12 at the time and turned to my brother with a silent look of "does he know this is an R rated movie??". The experience was incredible. To this day the movie is my all-time indisputable absolute favorite movie. I, without sarcasm, would place it at the top of the two recent "top 10 all time best movies" found on another link in AICN.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 4:53 p.m. CST
2nd most amazing movie experience: the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark
by threetoesoffury
I honestly dont think i blinked my eyes during the entire scene until Indy was outside of the cave and surrounded by hovitos. That movie was unlike any before it and blew me away. I saved up my money and bought the album soundtrack, indy trading cards, and, of course, a flea-market bullwhip.
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Some of my childhood movie memories: 1) 9 Years Old: Ben (the rat sequel to Willard) at the drive-in; Tales from the Crypt at our town's newly built theater 2) 10 Years Old: Birthday double feature of The Poseidon Adventure, then Disney's The World's Greatest Athlete; The Exorcist (was I *really* only 10?) 3) 12 Years Old: Earthquake in "Sensurround;" hitchhiking 11 miles to see Jaws! 4) 14 Years Old: Star Wars (First Run) 5) 18 Years Old (technically not a child...): Raiders of the Lost Ark And, of course, all the Bond movies as they released!
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Star Wars - watching it with my dad Star trek the motion picture watching it with my dad. annie - watching it in cinema in wellington Gandhi - watching it with my mum Big - first movie going out to london by myself with my friends Back to the future II - playing truant from school Tango and cash - first kiss ever! Dances with Wolves - there was a girl.. Star Trek Generations - all the geeks premier night in london, such a great atmosphere. Star Trek - took my dad this time around Great Episode Harry.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 5:18 p.m. CST
AHHH!!! there's gonna be a Raiders: The Adaptation Book!?!? THANKS HARRY!
by threetoesoffury
i cant wait....Raiders the Adaptation is one of the coolest things ever. Around the Butt Numb a Thon 4 i actually tracked down one of the creators of it and called him and talked with him for a while about it. Super nice guy. Super incredible fan film. (i personally believe it was the inspiration for JJ Abrams Super 8). Thanks Harry for the great episode and the heads up on the Raiders book.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 5:20 p.m. CST
My favorite film 6 years from now: The Hobbit pt VI: Bilbo Stumbles Alot
by threetoesoffury
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While it seems that I could drag a list like this out for ages, the three that pop into my head right away are- Butt-Numb-A-Thon 12: The Dirty Dozenth- Both BNATs I have attended were special, but nothing will ever top the first. Surreal. Pure magic. Bliss in front of the silver screen. My first date with my (now) wife to go see FINDING NEVERLAND. She had no idea how many hours we would spend in front of a theater screen together at this point. My love story starts in a dirty old movie theater... and I love it. Finally, the first time I saw LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING theatrically. This is my favorite film of all time. I never expect to feel the awe that overcame me when I saw THE SHIRE and realized that Jackson and Co. had pulled off the impossible. Just a few personal memories to float out there for everyone's reading pleasure!
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Aug. 2, 2012, 5:37 p.m. CST
Return of the Living Dead at the Drive-In = Traumatized my little childhood brain for life.
by 3774
It was the old, 'just lie down in the back seat and go to sleep...you're not allowed to watch this'. There's nothing like the poor judgement of young, drug-using parents. Of course I watched it, and it gave me a zombie fixation for life. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was the first movie I saw in a theater. I remember while we were standing in line, my uncle was holding me while we waited. I was staring over the back of his shoulder and spotted some money on the floor and pointed it out, and the lady behind us that it belonged to (it fell out of her purse) picked it up, then patted me on the head, and just gave it to me. Five dollars at that age was like being given a million. From the opening music forward, that movie blew my mind. It fascinated, exhilarated and terrified me. I'll always remember that.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 5:39 p.m. CST
That Santa-esque projectionist needs to cut his nails
by RedLeaderStandingBy
Fucking disgusting.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 5:40 p.m. CST
Also, Harry's voice sounds like an overweight Michael Jackson
by RedLeaderStandingBy
But I love this fat bastard.
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Harry's little self-pleased chimp grin when he talks about something he owns or his "hhhhhhhuhhh" exhalations of frustration when he talks about something he wants but can't have. Also, learn a different adjective besides "amazing."
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Aug. 2, 2012, 6:01 p.m. CST
What a great thread...best we've had in years. More memories...
by Logan_1973
I remember an entire theatre bawling thier eyes out at the end of ET I remember an entire theatre bawling their eyes out at the end of RETURN OF THE KING! I recall not a pindrop not to be heard when leaving the theatre after SCHINDLERS LIST I recall gasps of an audience when that bigass boulder started rolling after Indy... I remember everyone being in disbelief over the death of Spock. Ah yes, the spoiler-free days of film! And I recall the days and weeks and months leading up to the release of RETURN OF THE JEDI being very exciting. Back then the question over Vader being Luke's father was like the biggest thing the world had been pondering since God talked to Moses.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 6:08 p.m. CST
milla jovovich - please tell Kate Beckinsale (however the fuck you spell that) that both of you are now TOO FUCKING OLD to act hot
by antonphd
i see you two open your mouths in the suck your dick open mouth look and it reminds me of that old lady that sucked Jim Carrey's dick in Yes Man. it's just gross now. stop it. please.
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You can go fuck yourself and I'll just keep on keeping on. You pathetic loser. How's that sound?
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I was with my grandmother, 8 years old at the time in 1983. The flick? The Right Stuff. I was introduced to my love of all things outer space. It remains to be perhaps the most memorable movie I've seen in the theaters. A close second is my second viewing of Titanic, which in of itself isn't that big of a deal, except it was the first US-released, English-speaking movie I ever saw in theaters with CAPTIONS! Being hard-of-hearing, this was Christmastime for me. Finally, I could start going to the movies and enjoy all the dialogue without having to wait for it on video to see it with captions (later DVD, then Blu-Ray).
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Went to it the first night it was showing in my little small town theatre. No one had freaked out during the head in the jar scene or Lecter in the skinmask scene. But when the lights went out on Clarice Starling in Buffalo Bill's basement and the green infrared glasses powered up and Bill reaches out and his fingers miss Clarice's frightened face by inches, I SWEAR every woman in the theatre screamed.
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Harry is Doug Heffernan. His little soliloquy reminded me of the episode where Doug finds out his parents have hidden everything bad that has ever happened to him, to the extent of replacing the same dog over and over again, his entire life. When bad things happen, the best thing to do is NOT to shuck them to the side and think happy thoughts. That is a childish and passive way to be. Sticking your fingers in your ears and screaming LA LA LA and trying to shelter yourself from bad things with joy-joy memories is a pretty sad commentary on your mental health. And also, refusing to say the name James Holmes when bringing up the tragedy doesn't make you some kind of crusader -- it makes you an irresponsible writer.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 7:06 p.m. CST
Hahaha, does Anton feel crunchy or is this the begining of 12 round fight?
by kindofabigdeal
I'd still give it to both of those hotties. Older the berry the sweeter the juice. ;)
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In the small prairie town where I was born there were two theatres. One downtown that was an actual theatre - The Roxy. And one out by the little resort village just a five minute drive down the highway - The Jubilee. The Roxi would do this Saturday matinee for the kids (well more for the parents for 2 hours of freedom) for 2 bucks a head. He'd find whatever kids or kids-ish movie was available from the distributor and play it. We saw Disneny films, we saw the 60s Batman movie and the 40s Batman serials, we saw made-for-tv movies...hell we saw all sorts of stuff. Everything from classics to schlock. The Black Hole. Heartbeeps. etc etc etc And to top it off, to keep us coming back for more if the movie sucked, the manager would turn off the movie ten minutes in and stand by the stage and pull our tickets from a drum and the winner would get to take home whatever toy or freebee prize that'd been displayed in the ticket booth when we walked in. I once walked home with a plastic piggybank bust of Spiderman as big as me. Then there was the Jubilee Drive-In, owned by the same guy. We'd find a centre spot in the gravel lot to park the family Malibu, hook up the speaker and run to the snack shack and get popcorn and pepsi and pickled eggs. If the movie was good I'd watch from the space between my parents front seats. If the movie sucked or was too scary (Airport 77 scared the HELL out of me) I was still small enough to crawl up atop the back seat and look up at the stars. It's where I saw Superman (well the first half hour before I fell asleep-hey I was five) and hopefully it'll be where I see DKR even if it sucks (I was felled by a fever and missed Dark Knight at the Drive-In). When I first got back to the drive-in 2003 I walked to the snack shack, waving my hands in the dark, making sure I didn't smack into the speaker poles. Then I remembered it was 2003 not 1978 and they had FM now. And on Halloween we ALWAYS stopped at the manager's house. He'd give away last years candy. Bobba Fett candy heads. ET bubble gum cards. That house was a gold mine! The theatre is gone. Turned into a sweet DVD rental place (kickass selection). The drive-in is still there but I worry it won't make the switch to digital. But the guy who runs both now (the old manager has passed on) is going to try to keep the dream screen alive as long as he can.
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I was completely and utterly transfixed by that movie. It gave me goosebumps for two hours.
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I won't write his name because I refuse to be a Google hit for his infamy.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 7:10 p.m. CST
^ It wasn't just about the movie but also the circumstances surrounding it
by Autodidact
I think that's part of the reason why I came to love AICN is the way Harry likes to describe his background with the material, his mood, the setting, the atmosphere in the screening room, etc.. It's hard for me to separate the memory of a movie from the memory of a first viewing experience. This is why I get so fucking annoyed when people talk to me or otherwise take my attention off a movie in the theatre. For the rest of my life every time I watch the movie when that bit comes up I will remember being interrupted and hence be taken out of the movie again (to a lesser degree, but still). SILENCE.
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Seems like you could have had a bunch more. You spent too much time on the Raiders kids. That's not yuour memory, it's theirs.
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After the manager died they found a stack of movie posters in the basement from movies from the entire history of the theatre.
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my first theater memory. Sat in the theater, feet barely touching the ground and seeing ET. I remember living every moment with those characters. I remember my tears near the end and seeing my mother's tears and thinking how amazing it was that we both were feeling exactly what those characters were feeling. Film transports us and takes us with it. Truly remarkable...
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Back to the Future Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Independence Day The Matrix Pulp Fiction Jurassic Park Batman Begins (went with a girl I would start dating soon thereafter) I also had a seizure during a late-night showing of Mulholland Drive, which was really fucking bizarre since it was soon after the scene where Naomi Watts has a seizure at a theater in the movie. It was a reaction to the Wellbutrin I was on. Not exactly a fun theater experience, but certainly memorable.
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...stay with me. Yes, it's awful. But the entire crowd at the viewing all turned on it and no one could look away. We all shared, mocked, and enjoyed each others "we wasted good money on this!?!?!" moment together.
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for one reason, me and my best friend at the time grew up with the TMNT, so we couldn't wait. We get our seats. In walks a guy who is the spitting image of Sam Elliott in full cowboy gear. He did not belong at that movie. He sits in the row in front of us. Doesn't say a word. Sits down with large drink. Puts drink in cup holder. Takes out straw, JAMS it into the cup. It makes this crazy loud "pop" sound. We couldn't stop laughing. Still makes me laugh.
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Because 39 and 37 is so old? It's fine though, if driving by his local middle school with no pants on is what makes antonphd happy, who are we to stop him, as long as he stays in his mom's PT Cruiser and doesn't lure anyone into it? I mean, I can completely understand. The temptation to anonymously disrespect successful women is so alluring and is what the Internet was founded upon. I just hope he doesn't take it too hard his tiny little peener when he hatesturbates himself to sleep tonight.
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I don't feel old. But I do feel like there are a lot of angry little 12 year olds on the internet.
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New here. Have read the articles & talkbacks for years though. I love the idea of this thread. There have been so many awesome theatre moments/events over the years. Hard to choose which or where to begin...
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...when I was playing down in the woods below my Dad's neighborhood with my sister. I didn't know it yet, but for a long time to come those woods would be my Dagobah. My Dad's car appeared at the top of the hill, then he beckoned us up with the promise of going to see a new movie. I remember being very short, standing in a packed theater on Secor Rd., surrounded by adults who were dressed up — do any of you remember when people dressed up to go to the movies and out to eat? I was just becoming a Star Wars fan. I had seen the original in rerelease and had a few toys, but it was The Empire Strikes Back that changed my little life forever.
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but at least there's a shameless plug for BNAT near the end
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Almost as fun as watching 1989 BATMAN at the midnight show. Well...
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Aug. 2, 2012, 11:19 p.m. CST
Turning the Aurora tragedy into 14 minutes of self promotion and *I did this ... and I did this ...* = very creepy.
by justmyluck
And a clear memory from a JAWS screening...while age four? Reminds me that I've kept hundreds of my movie ticket stubs going back to 1983 — showtime and date printed on the back — I really should scan them all before they disintegrate.
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This made me smile. You did a good thing here, my friend.
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Aug. 2, 2012, 11:37 p.m. CST
Met the 'Raiders' guys in '05 at a film festival. They told me how Spielberg took them to his office & showed them all the lost footage/gags from Temple Of Doom. Cool story, cool guys.
by david_boreanez_cunt_hairz
Their Raiders film was so fun to watch if your a Raiders fan.
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Ihave extremely vivid memories of return of the Jedi from age 4 - the huge satellite dish and "dark vader" are some of my earliest memories, so I don't think it's too much of a stretch. Plus, I think if I saw jaws at age four, I'd vividly remember shitting my pants and screaming when Ben gardener's corpse pops out of the hull. As well as vomiting in pure terror when that kid becomes a fountain of gore and his bloody floatie washes up on shore. Man, PG really meant something back then!
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Aug. 2, 2012, 11:52 p.m. CST
@kiwiblackm: I don't have any clear memories before age 5 or 6 ... just fleeting bits.
by justmyluck
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Harry this was your best effort so far. I have to admit I became a little teary-eyed. My favorite memory is of my younger brother and I taking the bus for an hour to go to the Lansing Mall and seeing the movie Westworld. We were maybe sixteen and fourteen. After the show we snuck in to see Enter the Dragon in the theatre next door and we were never the same. To this day I love to watch martial arts movies, and count that as one of the special moments with my brother
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Seeing Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me, and getting caught in the middle of a brawl. Peeing in a soda cup because I didn't wan't to get up during Attack of the Clones, and my friend picking up to drink it mistaking it for his cup. Seeing Independance Day opening night in the 7th grade with my dad. The first film where I had ever experienced the energy that a fun movie can create with an audience, and being blown away seeing(and joining) a standing ovation.
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You might be right, as I remember hearing that a lot of suspiciously early memories are actually filled in later, and it isn't true recall, but rather a sort of dramatization your brain has made to make sense of those fleeting images. In other words, harry and I may be full of shit but don't know it.
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no offence, but your fingernail reminds me of Morgan Freemans fingernail in Street Smart. please get some clippers. harry, kudos to you man. I am really enjoying the shit out of these segments! there are soooo many experiences I want to post from my childhood being an only child & having THE best mom taking me to some classic films...but that would take up too much space. just love these segments. and on the real, FUCK all the haters! I feel like I was a film geek as a fetus. keep up the heartfelt aich's, cuz they are much appreciated! sorry fathergeek.
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... is the turning point in my young adolescence that made me fall in love with movies in the first place. I was born in 1981. I loved every second of the 80's: the cartoons, wrestling, the tv shows, etc. And all the movies: Star Wars, ET, Indiana Jones, Goonies, all those movies us Gen-X people have written into our DNA. So many fond memories. Helluva decade to be a kid. But fast forward to summer 93. I was 11, heading into 6th grade the next. Looked forward to being one of the many big kids on campus. My parents took me and my friend Robert on opening night to see Jurassic Park. My dad had read the book, and was so excited to see it. But I hadn't yet read any of MC's books (RIP). I had no idea what I was in store for. Regardless, as the lights dimmed, and Spielberg began to work his magic, my soul itself seemed connected to the screen. I saw the characters on screen as people I could meet, not just actors. I felt what they felt. The sense of awe gripped me tightly as I saw the wonders of science-fiction. And then it happened. The moment when the brachiosaurus was first revealed. I was humbled, feeling the fear, awe, and joy that Sam Neil and Laura Dern conveyed to us through their characters Alan and Ellie. That night I left the theater changed. I was no longer a kid who liked movies. I was a young, growing human being that believed in the human race. I believed in the power to tell a story. I believed that music can touch the soul (JW's music never fails). I believed in the wonders of science-fiction, and how it can so easily be brought into reality. I was kid who began to dream. Ken P.S. Thank you so much for this site Harry. It's a joy to have a common place for movie fanatics like myself to come to. Just try not to set your expectations too high on movies (*coughs* TDKR), you only let yourself down. Imagine yourself in that moment before you fell in loves with movies, like myself before I saw JP. Because when I enter the theater with that mindset, I'm rarely disappointed.
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and Howard the Duck. heheeheh
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so I think I successfully psyched myself into believing I liked it...at least Lea Thompson was hot in it.
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a couple of talkbackers have shared the same experience I did having a whole fucking theater to myself/ourselves. mine was deep cover with my man fish. was directed by bill duke which I thought was the shit! best moment, well one of several in that flic. was when fish was walking across the street & the editing was in sync to the scores snare drum. even though the theater was empty, I was looking around for people to get some reaction to realize how cool that was. underrated film. sooo many great character actors in that film. "Felix the rat, Felix the rat" goldblum killed it as well. first & only time I had a whole theater to myself. cool to hear that some of you talkbackers have also had the same experience.
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Harry, this is my first time coming on the form. As a kid, there were a few things I loved. Listening to The Who, Reading DC Comics, Video Games, and watching Movies. Yes, watching movies was my love. The movies were my adventure of looking through films in the theater or on TV. The very first film I saw as a kid back in the late '80s (well it was an R-rated film) my Mom took me to see was, "A Fish Called Wanda". Now at the time, I didn't know anything about John Cleese or Michael Palin growing up in the Python realm until 1993 and '94. Before the movie would start, my Mom would say to me, "Now remember, this movie has a lot of bad language." Which every parent has to say to a kid to see an R-rated film. When the moment came when Kevin Kline was teasing Palin about Friedrich Nietzche by putting french fries in his nose and eating his fish, I was laughing and the audience as well. Now because I was not just blown away, but the story line about a Jewel Heist gone wrong in a funny way, made me realize that movies can be funny, heartwarming, touching, and drama at the same time.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 2:51 a.m. CST
when i was so young, and i saw men in black in theaters for the first time..
by Balkin Flabgurter
there has never been another feeling comparable to that day when i left the theater. Its almost like anything was possible, there was nothing that couldn't be done on screen or in real life now, then i saw godzilla, then starship troopers, independence day etc..(not in that order i think?) anyway your post is heartfelt, i was confused why you said nothing about the incident and your reasons are logical, so for the brief welling of good feelings i just experienced, thanks a lot Harry. sorry for trolling so much.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 2:53 a.m. CST
oh and my empty theatre experience was during "beavis and butthead do america"..go figure.
by Balkin Flabgurter
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Aug. 3, 2012, 4:29 a.m. CST
Milla Jovovich - you are not either of those women, so, chill the hell out, dude. this is a fun website.
by antonphd
as for me... i'm 38 and married to a woman who looks like a more dainty and feminine Jenifer Garner. happily married for almost 13 years. my wife and i have like both Mila and Kate since The 5th Element and Much Ado About Nothing. we are groaning with embarssment for them that they are acting like 21 year old party girls. especially since they were both far more mature acting when they were actually 21 years old. all to phone in half ass performances as action sex symbols in their husbands movies.
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10 years old - mind blown
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Continual gushes over mass produced, commercialised and terrible super hero movies. Amateur and biased reviews fuelled by hype (look up the reviews for indy iv), not to mention a sense of smugness from everyone who writes as if they have some thought of authority (the smugness from quint since his involvement in the hobbit has been extraordinary, and the less said about Harry and his anecdotes, the better). A celebration of all things 'spoiler' that I'll just never understand. The terrible terrible writing and grammar is just the icing on the cake. Signing off.
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It did take me a while to realise. Signing off again.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 7:15 a.m. CST
My girlfriend and I had sex in the back row of a screening of 50/50 last year.
by brokentusk
Yes, the cancer movie starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. I've never been so moved and aroused at the same time. Movies truly are a transformative experience.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 8:09 a.m. CST
I can recall where I was and every day of my life by the movies and games I was playing.
by UltraTron
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Trust me, they are and are leaving in droves. All the good and popular TB's left ages ago. I havent been here in months and only came back refently just to see how the site reacted to TDKR. Predictably, Harry the Idiot got it wrong because the movie challenged his one one brain cell more than that masterpiece of modern cinema The agreen Lanern that he adored so much. Back in afebruary Montychristo promised all sorts of changes but none of them have happened. In the meantime Knowles continues to have massaged his vast ego with his silly little childish videos and the animation at the top of the site, but no other changes at all. I won't be sticking around long. Right now I'm on vacation so coming here is a diversion because it is fascinating to see how the morons who run this site are so blind they cannot see it starting to implode.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 9 a.m. CST
Harry everything canned dirty says is true and you know it because we've both been here the entire duration of this site. At first it was fun being the only talkbacker left worth a fuck but it's not the old ultra. There's nobody
by UltraTron
left to inspire the old Bladerunner magic I used to smack down here. Your nazi tactics alienated your core audience.
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That was the funniest thing I've read here all week. I quite enjoyed your recent post in the DVD column as well. It seems we are cut from the same mustard.
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thank you Harry! As a long time reader I now found in this post the reason to participate and thank you for supporting the love for movies sharing the greatness that is cinema and what an awesome community filmfans are. Seeing the movietickets made me think of the huge box of tickets I once owned and threw away in a stupid moment. But the memories will not be forgotten. Thank you Harry and all the other important and amazing people that make aicn and the love for movies possible.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 9:54 a.m. CST
Doc - HA! I wondered if anyone would notice that it was a fake :)
by Jacob Underhill
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you could do a drinking game w this show and drink everytime you say 'You know" and be wasted in minutes. You mustve logged over 100 'you know's in that segment. other than that keep it up!
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I don't know what he says but it's not right.
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Two of my earliest movie memories. My dad took me to see Batman. On the way home he drove into our garage just like batman drove into the bat cave. The garage door was moving up as we drove in. Jurassic Park my whole family went and it was incredible. Never saw anything like it. The dinosaurs where real they did not look fake at all. I had a nightmare i was being chased by dinos that night.
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I have so many movie memories that are special. I remember in 1964 going to see Robinson Crusoe on Mars or Jason and the Argonauts. There was also Star Trek The Motion Picture where a bunch of us went together ( about 15 people ) to see it opening night. I remember also the time I saw E.T. and my hay fever was so bad that day ( I think I've told this one before ) that when we got to the end of the film and Elliot was saying goodbye to ET I was sniffing so bad my friend Dale leaned over and Said " It's ok it's just a movie " LOL! I hate to be typical but I guess the most excitement for me was the first time I saw Star Wars. I can remember waiting outside the Cedar Hills Cinema for 2 and half hours. As I got closer to the door I could hear the film. I could clearly make out the laser blasts and the roar of the Millennium Falcon! For the first time I went to a theater and the audience cheered when Han Solo came to Luke's rescue in the trench on the Death star! I love it when an audience is so moved they clap or cheer. Like the time I went to see Aliens and Sigourney Weaver comes through the door in the forklift for a suit and says " Get away from her you bitch! " Now that's something that you can't get anywhere else but a movie theater.
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Harry, This post made me come back to the talkback after a long time. Jurassic Park, '93, magical. A tiny theatre, midnight screening and a group of kids that still believed. Wow. Cool question man.
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Even if you liked it, you must admit there wasn't much joy.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 5:13 p.m. CST
Falling asleep during INCEPTION is one of my favorite memories... Oh, wait! That wasn't me! That's because I'm not a fat fuck with a short attention span.
by Mr. Pricklepants
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In the summer of 94 at age 13 I got the movie bug. By chance I saw 'Forrest Gump' and was just amazed. I never had an experience like that before in a theater...laughing, thrills, crying, all shared with hundreds of other people. I ended up going back to see it the next day with another group of friends and 2 more times after that. Then a few months later My Aunt & Uncle sneaked me and my cousin in to see 'Pulp Fiction'. Now that was a fucking experience! I'll never forget that static closeup of the needle the moment before Travolta pounds it into Uma's chest, a few seats behind me I heard someone let out this long exhale, like they were bracing themselves to have that needle plunged into their own chest. That is the magic that you get to experience in the theater with a group of people. When its a great film every single person in that room is sharing it together. Gotta love the cinema. Nothing quite like that
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Aug. 3, 2012, 6:45 p.m. CST
Trying to think of my last really amazing theatrical experience. Man, it might be THE MATRIX in 1999.
by Autodidact
Saw it at a crumbling old movie house that really suited the Matrix aesthetic. There are no places like this movie theatre left anymore, from what I can see. Anyhow, I saw the trailer for The Matrix once and avoided anything else after that because I knew it was going to be amazing. The movie absolutely did not disappoint. The entire audience was just flattened by the reveal of the pod fields. The climax with the lobby shootout and Trinity's escape from the crashing chopper was the closest I've ever come to a shared religious experience. I'm seriousl. The crowd went nuts but in a very reserved way where nobody wanted to miss a second of the film by actually cheering. My buddy and I both took multiple people back to see it in the ensuing months.
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That was great! What prompted me to write was the"Raiders" segment. I loved growing up in the early 80's where you would go and see a movie simply because of word or mouth. No internet, no trailers that I can remember, just neighbors or friends telling me that they just saw a great movie and that I should go. I was 9 when Raiders opened and when my neighbor told my sister she just saw Raiders, I raced in the house to ask my mother for bus fare. When I arrived at the theater, there was a Line up that was 3 hrs long and wrapped around the building three times. After getting my seat and not knowing what to expect, the opening scene when Harrison Ford turned and walked into shot to see his face, I screamed "Han Solo!" and the theater erupted in cheers... I would never wait in a line up today, nor be 100% spoiler free, those days are gone....it was and remains my favorite movie and fondest movie experience! Thanks for making me think of it again.
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My uncle took my and my brothers to see Raw Deal, but we couldn't find the small theater it was playing at. Instead we went to the nearest cineplex and saw Aliens. I never really get that scared during a movie. But I was shaking during Aliens. And of course fucking loved it. Couple years before same uncle tried to get us in to see Terminator, but the manager wouldn't let us in (I was like 12 at the time, and my brothers even younger). My uncle was about 20, but the stupid manager said only with parental guardian, taking the "parental" part way too literally. We argued and pleaded but nothing could sway this person. So instead we saw Starman, totally worth it, fucking great movie, and made us forget how heartbroken we were for not seeing Terminator.
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Salman Khan and Aamir Khan had not yet become big filmi stars yet, but their magic was undeniable. The song Do Mastane Chale best sums up this experience. Watch this video and experience the magic! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWeJ9axl0gA
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Aug. 3, 2012, 9:44 p.m. CST
Was the chaperone for my sister's first date, "Sleepy Hollow." Two very large ladies came in about 30 minutes in. The scene where Michael Gambon is cornered in the church balcony and is suddenly impaled by a fence post? One of the ladies jumps OUT of h
by ChaunceyGardiner
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Aug. 3, 2012, 9:50 p.m. CST
chauncey, did you put your lulla in the large lady's phuddi to calm her down?
by ajit maholtra
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The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushing.
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My parents took me to see Star Wars when I was 4. Yes you have heard this before. But omg it set the tone for a life spent lived half in fantasy, trying to reclaim the feeling of that first hit. Many have come close, but nothing satisfies like four year old Wars. Except 7 year old Empire.
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Have you tried marijuana? That is also nice.
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Aug. 3, 2012, 10:55 p.m. CST
Has anyone yet watched the song I posted from Andaz Apna Apna? That will give you the feeling like when you first watched Star Wars
by ajit maholtra
It will be like nothing you have ever watched before. If you have watched it, you are probably now thirsty for more. This is an even better one, but a little more serious. This one will touch your soul. It is from Raja Hindustani. Raja is a poor taxi driver who falls in love with a rich girl, but her family and society would never allow a lowly man like him to be with her. If you have ever been rejected by a girl, this song will speak to you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lme_8QJ48BI
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I had to go to special ed once a day in 5th grade. I watched Jurassic Park on VHS at a friend of my parents' house. It blew my mind - (There's more to this story? In book form? I don't care - where's the book - I'll read it this second.) I ended up blasting through THE LOST WORLD, then JURASSIC PARK, then CONGO, then SPHERE, then EATERS OF THE DEAD... My teachers noticed I was reading these Crichton books and gave me a different set of tests. I was (gt,) not special ed and the next year, middle school, I ended up going to a school for gifted and talented. I'm sure this happens a lot, but JURASSIC PARK has and will always be what triggered the course of my life. My love of JP brought me to DansJP3page.com, which I checked daily after school as a freshman. Somehow I talked my dad into a vacation to LA and Universal Studios for the (VIP Experience) around July 18th 2001 - by no means was he rich or I spoiled as that might sound - it just happened he had a friend out there and the timing worked. Long story short, two days before the film was released, they were having a premiere at the Universal Amphitheater. The press sign in was in an alley next to some restaurant. I walked into it from the restaurant and chatted up some friendly people. One of them let me hold his step ladder and so I snuck into the premiere of Jurassic Park Three and as people came down the red carpet, I got to shake their hands. As a 15 year old, that taught me - dreams can come true. What 15 year old kid from Texas can say they snuck into the premiere of a major hollywood movie, a movie they had been following since day one on sites like AICN, a third movie in a franchise that literally shifted his world. I now have a career in film (imdb me - not much, but might surprise you), am shooting my own zero budget balls to the wall movie, and I'm privileged enough to do my Saturday Shorts here on AICN. All of this is attributed to JURASSIC PARK and the joy/the wonder/the gift seeing live breathing dinosaurs interacting seamlessly with humans that that movie gave me and millions of other people. The Aurora tragedy was a shock to the system and it's easy to point at movies and say (It's that movie's fault this happened or that happened), but I'm a living example of how fucking awesome movies can be and how they can inspire people like no other medium.
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My mom bought me one at a yard sale when I was four years old. The thing was old and broken. When I was eight years old, I opened it up and fixed it the clock. When I was eleven years old, I figured out how to fix the message. It is one of my most treasured possessions. Not only does it remind me of my mom and her thoughtfulness (knowing that I liked Batman), but it gave me a love for teaching myself how to fix things. As usual, a great show! Thanks!!!
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_ape, k' bye have a happy vakay! ultra, keep it positive homie, you're one of the most intelligent & humorous talkbackers that has graced this site! I laugh out loud (will never write lol, I'm in my 30's) at 95% of your posts...negative posts that hammer on knowles not that much. maybe cuz I've got rods & screws holding my back together. movies, books & this site happen to be my medication. no disrespect ultra.
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No. As much as I loved Star Wars when it blew my 12 year old mind, movies are not like dreaming. Dreaming is your own mind creating a story. Movies are someone else creating your story. What is insidious about visual media is ... it replaces dreaming. It destroys one's capacity for dreaming, and leaves one dependent upon movies for one's whole life because, without the ability to co-create a story in your own head (as with verbal storytelling or literary storytelling) the person is dependent on movies to get "outside the box" of their lives. Storytelling should help teach the art of storytelling to the listeners, not just the story. It's passing along a skill, not just an entertainment, a skill of communication. What do movies do? How does watching a movie pass along the skill of moviemaking? A bright and motivated person might notice how editing and camera angles tell the story, but you can't learn how to do makeup, special effects, run a camera, act, light a set, set light levels, finance a project, run electric cable, ... 90% of what makes a movie a movie is the superficial visual element, and all the skill that goes into presenting it is pretty much untransferable to the audience. It is of no value to the audience except to wow them visually. And movie makers have learned, over the years, that the audience that has grown up on movies, and have lost their capacity to co-dream (and be offended by bad storytelling) will settle for pure spectacle. Logic and a plot that makes sense doesn't really matter to the visual medium, ultimately, or to an audience raised on the "dream" of movies, where "seeing is believing" and logic holes don't matter in movies any more than not knowing how your car works doesn't matter as long as it runs. If you saw it happen, it happened! It bypasses the critical faculties and teaches new rules and realities, and whether you realize it or not, your brain is being warped, is "learning" from this visual media, and if it's nonsensical and teaches bad lessons, it really matters, because on some level your brain will believe it, no matter how stupid you may analyze it to be. And it does matter that John Holmes might have been a movie fan. Sure, he was sick and disturbed, but would he have believed in the Joker power fantasy that he acted out if he hadn't seen the movie, and been convinced (seeing is believing) that it was possible for a Joker to be invincible and blow away innocent people and set clever hidden bombs all over? Sure he may have been a sick person anyway, but would he have been as convinced of the that the Joker Power Fantasy was REAL if he'd merely read it in a book? The answer, is ... it's much harder to be convinced of the reality you read in a book, or that someone merely told you. Always there's the idea that the "story" is in fact, a story. It's harder to enter the "dream" where you fully and totally believe in the fantasy, and can act it out. As much as I wanted to visit Middle Earth, the fact that it was, obviously, just words on the page, interacting with MY imagination put a natural mental seperation between me, the story, and reality. THAT DOES NOT EXIST WITH MOVIES. Seeing is Believing. The Joker Fantasy IS possible. And because he Believed, he did his best to live it .... and now sits looking confused in the courtroom, because the movie really didn't show him THIS part, being locked in jail, while the victims of his movie induced fantasy lie dead or maimed behind him. Movies and television are probably the single worst thing that happened to civilization. When the Internat first appeared, as an technological extension of print, there was a brief blip of hope, but gradually it morphed into Television and Movies for Iphones, and the last gasps of literacy are fading to silence, as the Lindelofs and Orcis and Kurtzmans write gibberish scripts that no one is bothered by as long as the CGI explosions are fun. And no, I don't think that a bunch of kids remaking Raiders is heartwarming ... I think it's tragic for those kids, and for humanity in general.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 5:32 a.m. CST
@streotypical evil archer - Thanks for that link! I don't know the Batman comics at all.But over the years (since Batman 89' when I was 13) I have followed...
by kenchun24
...The Batman through Burton,The Animated Series,Nolan (and even Schumacker) versions of Batman and cannot get enough.To those who have been panning TDKR that's cool...means more prime seats for another IMAX showing of TDKR for me and my friends! Oh and thanks Nolan,Bale and Co. for getting the taste of a TRULY disappointing film out of my mouth...Prometentiousness er...Prometheus.
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What a load of faux intellectual horseshit. What makes it even more appalling is how disingenuous it is on your part. Perhaps you need to be reminded of your history on these boards of being hung up on nothing BUT the visual aspects of cinema and how everything ISN'T spelled out for you. Your sad, meticulous hatred of PJ's King Kong being the prime example. You ranted for ages about the color of fire not being to your particular tastes (in the trailer, no less) and how PJ was a terrible filmmaker because he didn't show you exactly how characters moved from one location to another. You are the prime example of someone utterly incapable of co-creating cinematic meaning in your mind, so what do you do? You project your handicap on the thronging masses of movie-watching humanity in general. You're actually blaming movies for the violent acts committed by disturbed/malevolent individuals. Stephen King wrote about hearing of a violent act carried out in the 1970s where the perpetrators claimed they got the idea from one of his books. As far as I know, movies were around then as well. You're a pompous, disgusting, intellectually dishonest windbag of colossal proportions.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 7:23 a.m. CST
Alec Guinness Said it. "Promise me you'll never watch Star Wars Again"
by Ringwearer9
Said it to a young fan. Said that it would ruin his life. I remember being very surprised by him saying this, being a big fan of Star Wars myself. But it's true. Part of what made Star Wars so compelling was Guinness's own tweaks to the dialogue (he famously rewrote most of his lines so they would make more sense) and his delivery. His verbal evocation of the "more enlightened age, before the Dark Times, before the EMPIRE ..." resonated with so many viewers of the film, more than the pew pew lasers and pretty spacships (though those were great too). But the man who provided the most compelling presence in the film thought that the end product was overall poisonous.
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I like how the image on the video is one of film's greatest murderers.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:03 a.m. CST
ponyboy360: I'm touched and amazed that somebody actually reads my posts. For the record I love Harry and only make fun of him in the 'tradition' of making of fun of him on this site. Going forward I'd
by UltraTron
like the name UltraTron to be synonymous with ultraness at every level. I apologize for any obscure misconstrued racism or vented brain garbage. This site was always a dumping ground for my subconscious but I wouldn't mind doing a regular blog where I talk about the experiences that have shaped UltraTron. One problem though. UltraTron works for James Cameron. If he reads this I've made sure there are enough quirky folks under his wing to throw off the scent. I have to be careful not to out myself. I can tell you this. Cameron is like being in a room with captain Nemo. Captain Kirk. Captain of the earth. You feel safe with him in the room.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:04 a.m. CST
Maybe Nemo isn't the best analogy if he's kidnapped you and taken you aboard the nautilus
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:07 a.m. CST
Why do I work for him when I have my own businesses? Because I love making movies at the highest level.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:13 a.m. CST
Then when it came time to do something with my life all I knew was that I wanted to work for James Cameron or be him.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:15 a.m. CST
Because he's the best of the best that we've ever seen work the medium. The only pioneer at his level. Looking back I would have picked Kevin Smith though. I kid.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:20 a.m. CST
I'm kidding again I hate the man. He is such a slave driving maniac. It's the only way to get the results he achieves.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:20 a.m. CST
But I love and respect the living fuck out of him while he whips me. It's sick.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:29 a.m. CST
Like working for the closest thing to your god. The movie god. Anyways I usually say I work at Ross. I'll just stick with that so people don't call me a fag Cameron
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:34 a.m. CST
happened here but if we can do dinosaurs we can do some demon wings and some angel battles.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:35 a.m. CST
Well I think it's been shelved now but damn I had that idea a long time ago.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:50 a.m. CST
Sorry to keep posting but this is the best thread ever. Here are some movie going highlights:
by UltraTron
Kid pukes down the isle during the Thing CPR sequence, I go to see the '78 re-release of starwars and see a preview for a starwars sequel(this short circuited something), I'm interviewed and on the front page for (lets just say it was the biggest movie of all time at the time and a franchise that continues) because I'm first in line, here's a fun one- t2 blows my mind a solidifys my notion to work for a certain asshole
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Aug. 4, 2012, 9:35 a.m. CST
ringwearer9: I remember when film straddled a line between your imagination and the reality you were seeing. Case in point-
by UltraTron
the storm trooper on the dewback. Just sitting there. Your mind said that there were space soldiers riding dragons in this starwars universe. You didn't need to see a dragon battle to fill in the blanks. Now these points you bring up are as old as the gladiator games that inspired children to clash sticks together. I encourage everyone to download as many torrents of knowledge that they can get. I have several extra 'degrees' covering a variety of skill-sets. I'm currently working on becoming a brain surgeon. The knowledge to do anything is online. Take it while you can. Use it to elevate your social standing if you can. Is it wrong to steal? Steal enough knowledge and see what your brain thinks about it after you become much smarter and expand your abilities.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 9:37 a.m. CST
I say this because as dumb as society has become- never in history has society had access to all the knowledge. Just take it.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 9:45 a.m. CST
No one's going to give it awaaay. They make it hard for the gettin to taake- yeah to get want- you gotta do it yourself- reach out and take iiit..
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 9:46 a.m. CST
JURASSIC PARK was when I knew we could have a real HULK movie
by Autodidact
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Aug. 4, 2012, 10:05 a.m. CST
I'd be doing Galactus before I greenlit flying squirrels or whatever
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 10:10 a.m. CST
Nah the silver man stuff in T2 was barely there. Even in 1991 I thought the animation was really stiff on him
by Autodidact
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Aug. 4, 2012, 10:22 a.m. CST
Just whacking it to the little fingerprints and the way hulk's hair ruffles from frame to frame whenever his head turns
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 10:31 a.m. CST
Fuck that although I'd like to see a 60s period FF with the classic mole man and Galactus stories.
by Autodidact
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Aug. 4, 2012, 11:10 a.m. CST
I remember being in the theater during American Psycho and some chick yells that guy has a great ass! It was my girlfriend. I love my life
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 11:10 a.m. CST
I have a better ass than bale. It's not fair. No really it's great.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 11:13 a.m. CST
Sorry for so many posts but I have a story for every movie. I could just take over this column indefinitely. Michael Gough in Konga is this weeks recommend.
by UltraTron
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Maybe try typing some shit into the body of your posts?
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Me too.
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Changed everything. "Keep it cool." - H. Knowles
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you sir rank as THE best talkbacker in my opinion. & I've been coming here for 10 years+! your knowledge of film, well, it's like I'm talking to my friends at work. funny, sarcastic yet completely spot on. my boss, and I too have to throw out bread crumbs to cover my fucked up back, is one of the producers on a show called....well, sounds like "smells like eels" on amc. been with him for years. started working for free at the beginning 'till he recognized I was an asset. so when people on the dark tower thread mention anson mount....well I just laugh, I'm sorry. I believe you work for cameron, & if you've seen my few posts, you know I love me some 3-D. but 3-D aside, his & his brothers contributions to the study of underwater exploration astounds me! he puts his $ towards his passion & says fuck you to the establishment. I mean he fucking invents cameras, was one of the first, if not the first, to see where going digital was going to take us. I'm sorry, I could go on & on talking about Cameron, as I do with my friends. not to wax your car too much, but you sound like a solid & intelligent dude, & I think you are a huge positive on this site for all the years I've been coming here. you make me laugh, & for a guy who has to deal with sometimes unbearable pain, I honestly thank you for that. I don't tweet and am not on facebook or any other of that shit, so this & a few other sites are where I come to decompress. (a slight Cameron reference) take care homie.
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When I was 10 I stumbled across a copy of the Doc Savage novel “THE SPOOK HOLE.” I was already avidly reading The Hardy Boys & at least a dozen DC & Marvel comics a month. This looked like a cool book. Well that was all it took, by the time I finished it I was a Doc Savage fan for life. I soon found out that a film was in production. By the time it was released 2 years later, I was seriously primed for it. DOC SAVAGE: MAN OF BRONZE opened in my hometown June 5, 1975. Showing at the Paramount Theatre – a grand old single screen movie palace with lots of velvet and marble & a balcony (that always seemed to be closed as I recall). I was two weeks shy of my 12th birthday. I rode with my mom that morning when she went to work. I was going to kill time at the downtown shops till the movie started at noon. I remember taking my seat & sitting thru long forgotten previews, until finally, the movie began. All my anticipation was paid off over the course of the next two hours! The movie acknowledged all the lore that established the characters, had a strong cast in the leads (the villains were a different story, even at a young age I could see they were for the most part non-threatening caricatures). If there was anything wrong with the film it was that it was obviously geared towards kids, but this was a forgivable sin to my mind, because they got so many things right. As the end credits rolled we were promised a sequel DOC SAVAGE: ARCH ENEMY OF EVIL was coming soon, & I was confident that it would be flawless. Alas it never materialized, & DS:MOB was Savaged by critics & ignored by viewers who flocked to see a shark movie instead. This combination effectively destroyed any chance of seeing another Doc Savage movie on the big screen for 37 years and counting. For me though, it was one of those perfect moments in time. Seeing this dream come true on the big screen, in a grand old classic theater (taken for granted at the time) was a defining moment for me. As an adult, I can see the many flaws of DS:MOB, but ya know, none of that matters. When I slip my DVD copy in, turn off the lights, & await that 70’s style Warner Brothers logo to fill the screen. For just a few minutes, I AM 12 years old again, ready to be propelled into a fantasy world of adventure & heroics… And that my friends is priceless!
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2001: A Space Odyssey had been re-released, it played at my local flea pit for two nights only. I had never seen it, and this was my opportunity (before a home video release). I went to see it on New Year's Eve - and I was the ONLY person (apart from the usherette and presumably the projectionist) in the whole building. I was kind of surprised that they went ahead with the show with an audience on only one - but they did, and damn - I felt like I was getting a private screening. Good memories.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 1:10 p.m. CST
I remember being 12 or 13; same age my sister and...
by HollywoodHellraiser
our dad taking us to see John Carpenters The Thing! As my sis and I sat there terrified outta our minds. Yes, we manage to see the whole thing(mostly through our fingers) and on hindsight probably was too young for that film. But it was another great experience we had with our dad!
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Aug. 4, 2012, 2:03 p.m. CST
Watching the Star Wars Trilogy in one sitting with my dad
by richardHarrisonsSteamedCrabs
I remember walking out into the blazing sun, barely able to walk as my legs had turned to jelly. The Jungle Book with my grandad Going to the bar while my dad bought a beer during the intermission for Superman 2. I had a Coke. Temple of Doom, again with my dad. Indy was so cool. The Phantom Menace with my dad. Took me right back to being a kid again Going to Attack of the Clones with my brother at some ridiculously early time on a sunday morning after we had been up all night drinking with our mates Casino Royale with my girlfriend. In exchange we had to go see Snow Cake too! Casablanca at an old restored theatre with same girlfriend Crystal Skull with my brother. First Indy we'd seen together on the big screen Those are some of my most abiding favourite memories
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My first memory of going to the movies is Batman '89. It's what sent me on the road to become the Batman fanatic I am today. Jurassic Park was, of course, an amazing experience to see for the first time on the big screen. The Dark Knight was probably my most anticipated movie of all time, and seeing the midnight showing of that blew me away. I realized ten minutes into the movie that I badly needed to piss, but I held it in for the entire movie, because no way was I missing anything from the movie. And most recently, The Dark Knight Rises midnight screening at the IMAX in King of Prussia. That was honest to god one of the best movie going experiences I've ever had. I've never seen an audience eat up a movie more--even more so than the audience for the Dark Knight. As soon as the movie began, the audience erupted in cheers. And seeing that movie in IMAX is incredible--it engulfs you. The audience cheered at every action scene; went insane when Bane broke the Bat over his knee, and went absolutely ape-shit when Gordon lit the flare that lit up the fiery bat symbol on the bridge. It made me feel like a little kid again.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 2:57 p.m. CST
When Im at a movie, the more I movie the movie in my movie, I movie movie movie movie
by ajit maholtra
Heheheheheheheheheheheh.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 3:51 p.m. CST
Cheers pony and everyone! Oh and sorry Andy Serkis. I don't actually animate but I downloaded enough tutorials to gain
by UltraTron
the insight necessary to obliterate your Oscar chances. I didn't mean too. I'm like Loki that way. As for Dark Knight Rises IMAX: maybe the greatest sounding music in a theater for a superhero movie since batman 89. Audience applauded the whole completely unique imax movie experience. It was like looking up at actual sized buildings with the bat flying around. Epic. Sometimes I can't figure ol leprechaun head. Like what is wrong with inception it's a great spy movie where they steal your thoughts. Just a great idea. I don't understand not liking these movies. I'm going to spit on Harry's face. Just a little spittle like baron harkonen. I'm alive?! I'm aliiiiiiive!!!!!
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well said sir. well said.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 4:13 p.m. CST
the first movie I remember seeing in a theater was HOWARD THE DUCK, I was very little and really loved it
by chifforobe
That was back when Chicago was pretty dirty and run-down, and the movie seemed like an extension of the surroundings-- the gritty urban 1980s. I remember being struck by how loud and dark it was-- and sexy cute Lea Thompson shaped my view of women, I think. It's funny what can affect you when you're very young.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 4:44 p.m. CST
Scanners. I remember covering my eyes during scanners and the howling. Too scared to look at the screen. That's as good as it gets.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 4, 2012, 4:45 p.m. CST
Actually I think I saw em both twice to catch the missed parts. Eyeballs exploding in scanners makes me hungry for quail eggs
by UltraTron
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just walked in from seeing TDKR in IMAX...absolutely FANTASTIC!!! great wrap-up to a great trilogy! although I think canadian audiences are a little more reserved, NO applause! I went by myself & was like you fuckers show some respect! as of 3 years ago they closed the only drive-in in my city! i went by myself every saturday & hot-boxed my car until you could barely see, nobody would come with me cuz I stayed for the triple feature every week. soooo fucking dejected, the reason for the closure, not enough people/business every week. but I'm with you ULTRA on the love for drive-ins. my theater growing up had a SMOKING section!!! i mean a theater is one room, so technically the whole theater was a smoking section! plus the owner of the theater would kick out whole rows of people if someone became unruly! NO REFUNDS, even if you were not the perpetrator ! oh the good old days. I've enjoyed ALL of you talkbackers on this thread. some of your stories/memories are pure gold! keep it positive boys!/& maybe a few girls! one last thing...that prison back therapy scene in TDKRs hit sooo close home.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 5:35 p.m. CST
Singing 'Ghostbusters' with a room full of people, Summer 1984. Just epic.
by GINGE_MUPPET
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My mom pulled me out of school. Packed theater of course. Everyone went apeshit when Vader showed up. When Luke gave the salute and the lightsaber came out of R2, the crowd went wild. And when Anakin threw the Emperor down the shaft everyone went nuts. And I barely remember Raiders. I was like 3. I think that's where I got my snake phobia. Although I saw a re-release of Jaws at 3 also and sharks don't bother me.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 7:32 p.m. CST
Do you guys want me to post more Hindi bollywood hits for you?
by ajit maholtra
Or no?
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Bollywood is fucking retarded.
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Aug. 4, 2012, 7:43 p.m. CST
I would love to go to the drive-in but it's so fucking muggy lately
by Autodidact
I never really got my fill of drive-ins. Haven't been since 1998, and it had been a few years since my last visit (1996) at that point. It would be cool to go see TED at the drive-in, I think.
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And it has nothing to do with Indiana Jones!
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Aug. 4, 2012, 7:59 p.m. CST
Hey that reminds me of a great movie memory: BACK TO THE FUTURE at the drive-in
by Autodidact
Having a sister 11 years older came with some cool advantages like being taken to the drive-in for a double-bill of MASK and BACK TO THE FUTURE. I can't remember which came first. But I remember absolutely loving BACK TO THE FUTURE... and MASK sure stuck in my head, having only seen it once, I can still remember certain scenes.
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I remember literally getting up out of my seat and rolling in the aisle from laughing so hard when Data used a boxing glove on a spring to hit a bad guy in the nuts. That seemed like the funniest thing I had ever seen in my life at the time, and still sticks out as probably the hardest and longest I ever laughed at anything (some pee came out).
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Aug. 4, 2012, 8:04 p.m. CST
Harry, I'm sorry your posts bring out so many fucking idiots.
by Queefer Sutherland
Although it can be a bit entertaining at times.
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Aug. 5, 2012, 12:17 a.m. CST
queefer sutherland has stunk up this chatroom with his fart smell
by ajit maholtra
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Fight Club...mindblowing...confirmed that I have to pursue this film making path I so desire. The Star Wars original trilogy rerelease in 97 as I was too young to experience it the first time. Opening night and anticipation of The Phantom Menace too. Any Pixar film I've seen at the cinema...Finding Nemo in particular and Toy Story 3, which reduced me to tears. Jurassic Park with some friends. Took the bus into the city and had McDonald's 1st. That was the first movie I didn't have to see with parents. Documentaries Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, Some Kind Of Monster and Dogtown And Z-Boys. A marathon screening at the Astor Theatre, Melbourne, Aus of Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (Braindead), Meet The Feebles and Forgotten Silver. Aus Clerks 2 premiere and Kevin Smith Q+A. Documentary: Not Quite Hollywood and Mark Hartley Q+A. In frustration and depression at work and having just lost my licence for 6 mths, I went AWOL one day to see it. Felt a LOT better afterwards. Raimi's Spider-Man, after years waiting and also dreaming of one day directing it myself. Transformers...at least in childhood anticipation. Transformers The Animated Movie...epic. Optimus! Ghostbusters 2 with dad. Three Men And A Baby, An American Tail and Chipmunks The Movie with mum and dad. A fun night out with friends starting with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Jerry Maguire...just really spoke to me and I fell hard for Renee Zellwegger then. There's something About Mary...crowd went nuts. Spending the 90's with action movies...a steady Arnie diet, Cliffhanger, discovering John Woo with Broken Arrow, blown away by Face/Off and The Rock and all those dodgy ones, Mortal Kombat and seeing Judge Dredd and Street Fighter in a dirty cinema with a lumpy, sticky floor
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Giddy like a little boy after Avatar. X-Men 2...made up for a flaws of the first. Ronin and Reindeer Games...big Frankenheimer fan. Bittersweetly realising I will be just one of the world's few who appreciate Smokin' Aces. The dark insanity of Very Bad Things, which Peter Berg can never surpass. Fuck you Battleship. As much as I adore Batman and Spider-Man, this year nothing compares to the recent hat trick of Chronicle, The Avengers and The Raid.
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I don't twitter or anything either so this site has been my mental dump for years. I'm really happy that someone laughed. This is my diary of madness. I meditate and spew my musings upon the unsuspecting hords from this mountain. I love anyone who takes the time to talk about the fun things in life. Keep it ultra!(tm)
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Aug. 5, 2012, 9:21 a.m. CST
I've seen redned lay down some rightous knowledge of obscure cinema. Here's to the people that belong here!
by UltraTron
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Aug. 5, 2012, 9:24 a.m. CST
I'm kidding. Everyone belongs here. Nobody else will have you.
by UltraTron
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Fucking small world dude, small world!
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Aug. 5, 2012, 3:01 p.m. CST
RINGWEARER9 - get the FUCK OFF of AICN if you are gonna troll that BULLSHIT about movies and tv, mother fucker
by antonphd
you obsessively opposed the LOTR movies because you are a fucking asshole and now you are blaming movies and tv for ruining civilization and talking about hollywood conspiracies? you were a thorn in the side of everyone trying to enjoy chatting about watching the LOTR trilogy for 3 FUCKING YEARS here you BETTER NOT FUCKING DO IT AGAIN for the Hobbit movies, you fucking asshole! and if you believe what you said about movies, get the fuck off of AICN, cause you don't belong here.
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Aug. 5, 2012, 3:16 p.m. CST
It was the summer of 1992, I was 10 and my dad took me to see Terminator 2!
by Punisherthunder
My parents had read in the newspaper about the special effects being mind blowing (at least for 1992). So a week or so after it opened my dad took me to a matinee of it. Minus one or two attempts to plug my ears for the bad language, the experience was absolutely incredible. No lousy 3D or cellphones in those days. Plus it was a really kinda rundown local theater so the sound system was SUPER loud which was all the better. After that he took me to the toy store and I got a huge SuperSoaker 100 which made me only want to blast my T-1000 looking brother all day. Especially in childhood, that is my most awesome movie going experience.
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Aug. 5, 2012, 3:42 p.m. CST
My favorite movie theater memoy was the first ime i watched BLADE RUNNER
by AsimovLives
I was in total awe. I just couldn't believe that a movie could look and soud like that. I could not believe a movie could be that beautiful. I couldn' believe a movie could look like that. Nothing looked like it before It was a revelation for me. It turned me into a major movie geek right there and then, and i never looked back. My best movie experience.
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How sick I am of your shameless self-promotion. I swear that you mention the Alamo Drafthouse in every single video you shoot and article you write. Nobody cares about some random theater in the middle of Texas. You have a global audience, yet you have to beat us over the head with promoting your side-business. Hush.
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I haven't been posting much on Harry's threads, but hope you are doing well.
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Hi, friend, nice of you to ask. I've been alright, a bit of a problem on my back, as i have a back back and sometimes it hurts. Well, it did come quite in syncrocinity to my watching of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, as ol' Bats also has a bit of a back roblem in the movie. I could relate. Hehe! Reason why i haven't posted much lately is because i have been baned. This is just a short respite, i believe, soon i'll get banned again for who knows how long. Hope you have been well, and watched some good movies.
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Yes, I have enjoyed many of the summer releases. Be well.
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ULTRA, hey thanks for the compliment, coming from an intelligent movie cat like yourself, means a lot....although, no xbox in my user name, but I know that was just a little ultra spice thrown in there. anton, well said brother. that fucker has gotten on my last back nerve for YEARS. thank you for setting shit straight. I might add that I've enjoyed your posts over the years as well! you always make good points & express yourself with a tue film lovers passion. take care brother. there are numerous talkbackers that I have extremely enjoyed over the many years coming here, & I thank you all for bringing a smile to my face, or for that matter, making me laugh out loud! I just try to keep it positive, so peace to the hardcore film lovers! Harry, thanks again for this thread! you've brought us geeks together to share some GREAT movie memories!
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why post these videos to begin with?
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What was that like?
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Damn it's good to see you. I hope you're doing good. Be careful with your back. I occasionally have a little back trouble too. Yes there are some LIBERAL BAN-HAMMERs around here so be careful. I know speaking from experience. If you sneeze the wrong way or slip on a banana peel you can hear something swinging in the breeze! Stay cool!
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Aug. 6, 2012, 3:56 a.m. CST
oddly enough after scanning through this talkback i have the weirdest urge to go number 2 all up in my toilet basin.
by Balkin Flabgurter
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Dully noted, good sir. And thanks for the warm welcome, pal.
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Aug. 6, 2012, 8:08 a.m. CST
I come here to get banned. If I go on twitter I get arrested..
by UltraTron
Norman Messer, the father of the teen arrested after insulting Daley, said yesterday that Twitter should have shut down his son Reece's account a long time ago. Mr Messer, 58, said his son suffers from an extreme form of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. "It's not just Daley. He's abused everyone on Twitter. If you go down his tweets you can see he's got a problem. There should be some way to close down the accounts of people who are not well, like Reece. I also think there should be an age limit. It's not right that young people should go on there and say things like this." He said his son is now full of remorse for his tweets to Daley. "He finds comfort going on Twitter – it gives him a buzz. He's tried to apologise to Tom, but hasn't got a reply, which has caused him more anxiety – although I'm not trying to blame Tom at all."
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Willy Wonka, Snoopy Come Home, Live & Let Die - first three movies, all at a drive-in, ages 3-5 Rocky - entire audience openly cheering. Thrilling for an 8-year old boy. 7th Voyage of Sinbad (rerelease) - Easter Sunday. Theater so packed, we had to stand in the back! (still sometimes question if I imagined this) This is Spinal Tap - first R-rated theatrical experience. Had the soundtrack and a sticker on my binder. Didn't know a single person who even knew what this movie was. Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm at the Ziegfeld - a Valentine's Day surprise from the first girl I ever loved. My introduction to seeing films with a great audience in my favorite movie theater. Reservoir Dogs - a tiny theater in NYC. People leaving in disgust during the ear-cutting scene. Oddly enough, I've still never met another person who saw this film on its initial release. Batman 1989 - opening night, seemed like my whole little home town was there. Haven't had that feeling since. Flesh and Bone - first date with my wife of 14 years (blew off seeing Carlito's Way with my buddy to go to it). Why else would I remember this movie? Sorry this list spiralled out of control - I know these things are more fun to write than to read (although I kind of love reading them because I can relate). Could have kept going but don't wish to rile up the talkbackers too much...
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Challenge Accepted.
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Aug. 6, 2012, 1:39 p.m. CST
by beezbo: "Reservoir Dogs - [...] Oddly enough, I've still never met another person who saw this film on its initial release."
by AsimovLives
I'm the other one. And it happened in my home country of Portugal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal
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...Tron and The Thing double feature with a buddy. We paid for Tron and snuck into The Thing! ...'spider head' scene was the first time I ever turned away from the screen in disgust. Developed more backbone later.
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Aug. 6, 2012, 1:48 p.m. CST
Harry, I honestly feel that so many people do nothing but gripe about every movie, I'm not even sure we deserve high-quality entertainment.
by Playkins
Take a look at these boards. People gripe incessantly that everything sucks. The movie poster sucks, CG sucks, using photoshop on a poster sucks, remakes suck, reboots suck, this director sucks, etc, etc....<P> Then, there are revisionists that praise the 80s and 90s as some sort of magical time for cinema when in reality at least half of every film that is praised was universally derided for being terrible when it was released.<P> No one is happy with anything. It's not OK for a film to be "OK" anymore. Either it was terrible and anyone that liked it is either a plant or a simpleton, or it was the best thing ever and anyone that doesn't agree doesn't know what they're talking about.<P> Fuck, I hate being a film enthusiast these days. We look like elitist asshats that can't make up our minds.
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The thing is, we have very good reason to bitch about movies movies being made today because so many of them are, well, to put it bluntly, shit. The problem is not the public, really, it's the product. To just accept any movie made, when the bar is set so worringly low, and just go with it with little to no critcism about it, is, frankly, quite a very worringly thing to do. I can't abide to such passivity, numbeness of spirit and complacency. To critciseis actually showing you are a rel movi fan and movie geek, that you do not accept any old crap just because the producers labeled it as entertaiment. I'll be the judge if the movie is entertaining, not those who made it, thank you very much. Turning off the brain for the sake of a movie? No movie deserves that. Contrary to what seems the popular belief here, entertaiment and stupidity are not synonimous words.
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Seeing "New Jack City" in Times Square, NYC, before it was cleaned up, in a sleazy cheapo movie theater. I had gone to the city for an adventure, and it was 1 a.m., and I picked the movie purely for the poster, knowing nothing. The theater had me and a bunch of homeless bums who were sleeping. And the movie blew me away. When I left the theater, a drug dealer tried to recruit me to sell drugs at my college, and I felt like I hadn't left the movie. Recently, seeing "Drag Me To Hell" for the first time, final show of the night, and the multiplexes LED theater signs all reading "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!" in hellish red blinking letters, as we climbed the stairs to get out. When I was a kid, my dad taking us to see the parentally approved "Casey's Shadow" which had as it's followup "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger". Casey's Shadow sucked, but "Sinbad" started the film with a guy having a swordfight with skeletons. My dad made a move as if to leave the theater and save us from this lurid trash, but I begged to stay, and he gave in.
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They aren't any worse than they've always been. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that a good number of films these days are a hell of a lot better. Looking back and saying "Oh, it used to be so much better" is in my mind just a sign of cynicism. It's like that one friend everyone has that doesn't like any idea for a restaurant but doesn't offer up a meaningful suggestion. It's griping, and it's tiresome (IMHO).<P> I don't even care if someone can offer a reason they feel strongly one way or another, but hearing "It sucks", "It looks like ___" or "It used to be better" is neither educated, insightful, nor meaningful or contributory in any way.
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They aren't any worse than they've always been.
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" we have very good reason to bitch about movies movies being made today because so many of them are, well, to put it bluntly, shit."<P> *...movies being made today*<P> "TODAY"<P> How else am I supposed to interpret that?
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Plenty of people talk about major theaters in California and similar areas, but the Alamo Draft House is a very unique theater, quite possibly the best theater in the country for true fans of movies (yes, I've been there many times when we lived in Austin). And Harry doesn't own the Draft House, he's friends with the owners, so get over yourself.</p> <p> As for my favorite times at the movies, they were during films that really caught me by surprise, particularly movies that wrapped up franchises...</p> <p> RETURN OF THE JEDI (just loved it when it came out (I was 12) and loved that Luke became a jedi...and who didn't love Princess Leia in the dancing girl outfit?</p> <p> REVENGE OF THE SITH (couldn't believe Lucas pulled off such a great ending)</p> <p> THE PHANTOM MENACE (first and only movie I ever camped out for...all afternoon standing in line with a bunch of other uber-fans and friends)</p> <p> BATMAN (1989 version; my best friend and I went to this the summer before we left for college...opening night, the largest theater in our home town (a really huge theater unlike any you see any more) sold out show and huge anticipation...and we loved the movie)</p> <p> THE MATRIX (we couldn't talk about anything else for a week)</p> <p> THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (absolutely loved the conclusion to the trilogy)
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Aug. 7, 2012, 10:30 a.m. CST
the babysitter took me the the movies when i was 8yrs. old
by duke of url
we saw night of the living dead(68) i have never recovered i am sick
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good time at the movies!
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need i say more ?
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she is exquisite
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still a homo?
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Aug. 7, 2012, 11:15 a.m. CST
the babysitter took me TO the movies when i was 8yrs. old
by duke of url
see what i mean
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got any of that weed left dude...
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You are seven years old. You are a man. Bury your first toy and your mother's picture.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtVKz0rv4cg
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My reply to you was cut short because of the bug created by the commas. What i wanted to say is that i do agree in part with you that bad movies have always been the majority. That much is true. The problem is that they are not just the majority, but they are influencial as well. I see the 70s as the golden age of Holywood filmmaking, where even the makers of exploitation movies seemed to have some ambition to their movies. But the dumbing down of today started en force in the 80s. All the trash crap movies today owe a debt to the extreme influence of such figures as Jerry Bruckheimer, Don Simpson,and more recently since nthe 90s, to Michael Bay adn the members of Team Abrams. Yes, bad movies always existed, that's a given. But today, it seems that bad movies ARE IN CONTROL.
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I love that movie.
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Aug. 7, 2012, 12:56 p.m. CST
I would say, A certain Movie about New York City being turned into a Maximum Security prison in which the protagonist has 24 hours to rescue the POTUS.
by Stalkeye
Circa: July 7, 1981 I was in my tweens at the time I saw this in the theaters and was immediately floored by the opening theme as well as some introduction (rumored to be the voice of Jamie lee Curtis)of how NYC became a peneteniary via high Crime rate. Escape from New York gave me glimpse of what a Dystopian thriller should be about. From the setting,impressive soundtrack, fancy weapons,(32 snubnose with a scope attached) a fascinating ensemble cast which included Carpenter's then Wife Adriane Barbeau and of course the Iconic Anti-Hero S.D. Snake Plissken who in the beggining was devoid of compassion, but after witnessing the president's lack of gratitude for those who died in the process of his rescue, played the ol' swap trick which in turn let America,The Soviet union and China down a darker path. I expected EFNY to be just another schlocky B Film, but on the contrary, it was ahead of it's time in more ways than one as the film had been imitated several times from No Escape to Lockout. hell, even Hideo Kojima based his Solid Snake character on Plissken. There have been comparisons to 911 (Citing the scene in which some radical hijacks Air Force One and crashes it into a Building.)but it's just an odd coincidence IMO. EFNY is a Movie that didn't have to rely on big budgeted FX or ham fisted Story to be sucessful, instead it's a classic that got by on it's own creativity and originality courtesy of John Carpenter. who the fuck would think that some Guy known for making Disney films would predate Stallone, Schwartzenegger and Willis as the first modern Action Star? (post Eastwood and Mcqueen), of course.)
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Anyway I have several favorite movie experiences (in no particular order).... Lord of the Rings -- I first heard they were making a movie back in 1998 and had been following it ever since. Met some great friends through LOTR movie forums. Saw each movie in the theater 5-6 times, and I can remember all these little details about what I was doing that day the first time I saw each one, and how people in the audience reacted to certain parts. Fellowship of the Ring is my favorite movie of all time. When it first came out, after every time I'd go see it I couldn't watch any other movie for a couple days because it would just pale in comparison. Metropolis -- We saw the completely restored Metropolis in a theater accompanied by a live orchestra. It was awesome. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- My first date with my now-wife and my first date. I had already seen it when it first came out, she hadn't, and the theater was mostly empty because it had been out for a couple months already. We spent most of the movie making out in the back of the theater. I later bought it for her on dvd because she missed most of it and because it was our first date movie. Jurassic Park -- I was in fourth grade when it came out and I went to see it on the second day it was out with my brother and his friend. This was before we'd heard any of the hype and I had no idea what to expect. I thought it was going to be a kids movie, or I should say a kid-friendly movie like King Kong. Dinosaur movies had never scared me before. I was a big dinosaur nut and after the movie my brother and his friend asked me if the T-Rex was still my favorite. I said that I liked the plant eating dinosaurs now. All summer my friends and I talked about how they could do a sequel, and wondered if we would ever get to see real cloned dinosaurs someday. Terminator 2 The Matrix -- Saw this just because my friend wanted to see it. I had no idea what it was about other than it was a sci fi movie. I didn't really like Keanu Reeves because his last movie was Johnny Mnemonic. I was totally blown away.
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Aug. 8, 2012, 9:14 a.m. CST
My favorite movie of all time is The GodPulpRoboMatrixMalchovichAlien. But there's so many it's hard to say.
by UltraTron
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A great example of cinema doing more than just showing me a film is when my mom took me to a special screening of 2001. My mom does NOT like science fiction films, let alone ones that take their time like 2001 did. I remember at one point she actually snored. But she took me anyway. It was my first chance to see Kubrick's masterpiece on a big screen, with great audio quality. It was a pristine print. The sound BOOMED. The images transformed me. I was a young teenager. It changed me. Even though I had never been the kind of kid who even considered doing drugs, I remember coming out of that movie kind of *getting it* in a way. That wasn't because of the film itself, but because of its reputation as the ultimate *trip* years before. Because when I stepped back out into the Santa Rosa sunshine with my groggy and confused mother that day, my mind had been altered. By celluloid. And about that mom. This woman is the woman who took me to a local itty bitty cinema in a small northern California town when I was a kid to see Raiders for the 50th time, and then a few times after that. The man who owned the theater stopped charging me after about the 20th time. He'd just wave me in. When I returned to see The Road Warrior for about the 5th time, he stopped charging me for that as well, anticipating the same enthusiasm. And my mom. Instead of discouraging me, she saw what the experience did to me, how it *lit me up*. How it turned me from a kid who missed his dad into a kid with an interest. A kid with a passion. I had to promise to do my homework when I got home, and always did, but it was so worth it. This woman would drive me and friends all the way to Sacramento to see premieres of films like Blade Runner on the REALLY big screen, just because I was able to convince her how important it was to see the films the way *they were meant to be seen*. She didn't get it, but she trusted me. She could see that it was important to me and she went out of her way regularly, even while suffering her own depressions and loneliness. This woman was my mother, and a few days ago, at 4pm on the first of August, I watched her breathe her last breath. And I miss her so much right now. I spent the last 3 years giving her 24/7 care. I shut down my life. I gave up everything. And I do not regret it. Because she did the same for me. She gave up so much just to make sure that I didn't fall into despair at the loss of my father, who I worshiped. And when I found the transformative power of cinema could bring some of that lost happiness back to me, she was there to do whatever it took to help that happen. I'll never forget it. Because it still happens for me now. I spent a little over 90 minutes in the cinema with my son this weekend seeing a silly little film called TED, and we shared HUGE laughs. When it was over, we were thunder buddies. (don't worry, he's 15) We had not been in each others physical presence since he was 10 years old, due to many factors. The care of my mom, a falling out with my ex wife that was just for the most stupid reasons. We kept in touch with technology, but when we finally saw each other this week it was uncomfortable. We were distant on some level. When we walked out of the cinema.... it had all changed. We were father and son again. Connected. That is powerful. So right now I'd like to thank both my mother AND *The Movies* for making my life better. I hope they never go away. And I hope when my son decides to win a gold medal in the Olympics (he's already a champion cyclist) and have a family of his own, he'll take his teenage son to *completely inappropriate* movies. And I hope it helps him bond with his boy. Thank you, *The Movies*. I'll never forget.
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Aug. 8, 2012, 11:17 a.m. CST
Trailer for Spiderman. Look where we are now. We're in the silver age of marvel movies. Brett Ratner and Raimi closed out the golden age I guess.
by UltraTron
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Aug. 8, 2012, 11:18 a.m. CST
I remember seeing the spiderman trailer and everyone went full ape-shit throwing popcorn containers.
by UltraTron
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I remember as a kid talking and laughing with my friends about how stupid it was that the *flubber guy* was cast in Escape From New York (when our only sources for info like that was word of mouth and Starlog) and we were SURE it was going to be a hokey movie. BOY were WE wrong! What a career transformation, huh? And what a fucking movie!!! That synth score, the atmosphere, the humor. Perfection.
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Yeah, maybe in some cases. There's a certain perfect cinematic *thing* that movies had back then, especially 70mm presentations, movies like Raiders, Road Warrior, Close Encounters, Jaws, hell... even Network or something like All The President's Men. There was a widescreen, big, giant cinematic QUALITY that feels missing sometimes now. An analog magic. The Holy GRAIN. BUT.... I recently tried an experiment and listed all of my favorite films from the last 10 years and ...wow.... it is the cure for cynicism. Progress has been made. Just because you cannot feel nostalgia for it yet, doesn't mean amazing things are not being made. We are in a renaissance. And TV??? Shit, TV is better than it has ever been RIGHT NOW and even sometimes rivals cinema. We are lucky to be alive right now.
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Blew my brain out of the back of the skull when I first saw it. Liked movies prior to seeing it last year, loved movies after seeing it for the first time. THAT OPENING SCENE!!!
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Aug. 8, 2012, 2:28 p.m. CST
Another reason to love movies: Alejandro Jodorowsky finishes production on The Dance of Reality, his first feature film in over two decades
by Sam Lloyd
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/08/04/alejandro-jodorowsky-has-finished-the-dance-of-reality-his-first-film-in-over-a-decade/
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Aug. 8, 2012, 3:04 p.m. CST
gotilk, gotta give you props for that post (2001) that was deep man.
by Stalkeye
Thanks for sharing and glad to hear of the reunion with your estranged Son. In the quagmire of cynical posts, Flame wars, and sophomoric Humor (yes, I'm somewhat guilty of such attrocities.) it's refreshing to hear a sad story that ended on a positive note that wasn't off topic at that. Respect
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Thanks, man. And me too on the guilty charge, all of the above. lol. Now I'm dealing with my step-father's family treating my mother's death as if it were a divorce. Invading our space, making bizarre accusations, and not giving us a moment of quiet, peaceful mourning or reflection. I'll get through it all intact, but what a mess. Wish me luck.
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Lump in throat brother. Beautiful tribute. Hang in there.
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Thanks, man. You're the best.
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Respect on that word-smith. It's a shame people forget about the magic that is supposed to happen when the lights go down and the projector fires up. It's escapism and it's a way to find common ground doing something fun with people you love.
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Common ground! There ya go. When the lights go down, and the big stupid fun, or the sharp, deep, rich storytelling begins..... there are no left and right wingers. There are no Jews and Muslims. Just moviegoers ... letting the magic take over at 24fps. (or.... 48 ...or 60 soon enough) Even when the days of *Strange Days* or *Lawnmower Man* finally arrive , I hope there's still a vital, thriving moviemaking business going out there. There's something special about just letting go and not having to INTERACT with everything all the time. Kick back and go on a ride. But I fear for some of the people I see in theaters. People who cannot let go of their *social media lives* for even 90 minutes. They're like proto-Borg. And if it's not posted to Facebook, it didn't happen. I was SO PROUD when my boy turned his phone OFF before he entered the theater. You have no idea. It practically choked me up.
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When I was 13 , those eyes looked at me and owned me. A poster in a novelty shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Black and white. A shirtless man with a cool necklace, arms outstretched. I didn't know his name, but I knew he was dead. Three years later, I bought a ticket to the Care Bears movie so I could sneak into Oliver Stone's The Doors. The auditorium was packed. It was the first and only time I had seen people literally filling a movie theater. Not just full seat occupancy but sitting in the aisles, standing in the back; there were even patrons in front of the front row for Planetarium View. I knew this was special, and I also knew I wasn't the only one who had snuck in. There was an awesome vibe and a then unfamiliar smell in the air. Two and a half hours of everything movies are about. Story, Spectacle, Music, Light, Color, Community, and the Sensory Overload that Stone knows too well. Despite the uncomfortable nature half the audience was in, no one moved. We laughed and "ahh"ed and awed. Any argument against this movie's magnificence was and is futile. The experience is stronger than Dune's obelisk, Wolverine's claws, Lawrence's will. It is invulnerable. On my way to the car, I was surrounded by a glass bubble. I was the Star Baby approaching a new Home, wrapped in an invulnerable womb of knowledge: That's what I want to do. I know it. I've always known it. I'm doing it now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7WGZXKDeVc
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Please do not be mean to people. On another note, all the early Spielberg/Lucas movies inspired me like crazy. If I didn't have toys, I'd make them out of Lego or paper or whatever I had on hand. I'd try to fake alien footsteps outside my house to creep out my sisters. By the way, how DO you create fake alien footsteps. I still don't know. I tried to make a rope work like Indy's whip. In dreams, Bela Lugosi was a real threat. Yeah, movies at that age affect us, especially with what we would recognize later as our geek inclinations. I make small scale films still. Sometimes I'm a grip, sometimes I'm a script supervisor. When I get the funds together I can make a micro-budget film that makes some people a little bit happy. Thanks, Harry. Really. Movies gave me my sense of play all the way into adulthood.
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My sister had an older boyfriend who took her to see it, and she said people were absolutely crammed into the theatre, sitting on the aisle floors and such. Sounds like a nightmare to me!
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No more of this Butchie.
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Thanks for that. Joy is still with us.
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