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More Favorite Summer Movies!

Uh by Duke of Hurl	Jun 11th, 2009 05:07:29 AM

I remember reserving my VHS copy of JP at Kmart. by Duke of Hurl	Jun 11th, 2009 05:08:51 AM
Those were the days.
this is like a Hollywood remake by thinboyslim.	Jun 11th, 2009 05:12:13 AM
boring and unwarranted
Hate to shatter a cherish memory but... by Charlie & Tex	Jun 11th, 2009 05:18:19 AM
...it was not SDDS that had that particular logo, but DTS. Anyhoo, this article is making us feel VERY old.
One of my earliest theater-going experiences by caruso_stalker217	Jun 11th, 2009 05:24:40 AM
I was seven and it blew my mind. I imagine it was the dinosaurs.
I loved the summer of '96 by Belasco_House	Jun 11th, 2009 05:25:14 AM
Independence Day, M:I, Twister, The Rock. They all seemed great at the time (some less so now)
I read the book first by Child_of_Endor	Jun 11th, 2009 05:26:59 AM
And was still blown away by the film when I saw it. Still don't quite understand the goat/cliff paradox in the T-Rex attack though.
That was a classic summer. by Fortunesfool	Jun 11th, 2009 05:36:06 AM
I remember parents trying to calm down their kids during a screening and then said kids literally getting launched in the air moments later when the parent leapt out their seat with fright. And people try to tell me that Star Trek is a great summer movie.Pfft!
Summer of 1991. TERMINATOR 2. Unforgettable. by Motoko Kusanagi	Jun 11th, 2009 05:39:25 AM
The opening sequence where the endoskeleton crushed the human skull, I jumped out of my seat! I'll never forget this thrill ride. Two years later, I bought my first own VHS stereo recorder and the T2 tape and watched it more than 53 times in the following months. Ahhh, those were the days.... Internet kiddies will never understand what it was like back then...
Summer Movies by lochkray	Jun 11th, 2009 05:41:44 AM
It's funny, you actually went over what, in my opinion, is the golden age of summer movies in your article. They started with Jaws, and ended with Jurrasic Park. After that, summer movies have all been the marketing baragging people, telling us what the next great movie is, rather than people seeing the marketing, gravatating towards the movie, and discovering its magic. Like you said, the marketing never showed a dinosaur. It would be like the latest Terminator never showing a machine before you went to see it. You're right, there have been better movies since (I still remember the first time I saw Matrix in the theater, not knowing anything about it and being blown away) and yet it just wasn't the same as the glory days of Jaws, Star Wars (+2), E.T., Gremlins, Indiana Jones (+2 -1), Ghostbusters, Batman, Terminator 2, and all the other great popcorn flicks between 1975 and 1993. And after Jurrasic Park, none of them ever seemed to match up. It's like effective CGI characters were the climax - the point where they learned they could make anything seem real.
like reading a mirror. by Obscura	Jun 11th, 2009 05:42:03 AM
Jurassic Park honestly changed my life. i remember knowing nothing about it till i saw it in the theatre, and the moment i left that darkened room, my life had changed forever. before that moment i was a typical kid, loving dinosaurs regardless of the movie, even being geeky enough to want to grow up and dig them up one day. but Jurassic Park put me on a different path. i didnt want to dig up dinosaurs, i wanted to make them walk. i got obsessed with visual effects, read everything i could about Jurassic park and every movie after. and today, after years of studying, ive got a degree in animation, and im posting off my showreel to a visual effects company. Meanwhile, the theatre i saw the film in has been knocked down and turned into a car park, but not before i managed to save a brick from the rubble where my life began.
the film was not really that great, was it? by robamenta	Jun 11th, 2009 05:44:22 AM
aside from the effects, which still look great, it seemed the whole point of the film, was to get the sam neil character ok with wanting to have children. so that folks in the suburbs can feel good about wasting thier lives by creating more little brats (consumers) for the economic machine we are all slaves to. (yes i am am very self important)
exactly! by truffaut	Jun 11th, 2009 05:45:52 AM
I am from Czech republic and I am 25...My parents brought me to see the movie in 1993, i remember that that was probably the last time those two were in the cinema together.. Everyone was talking about dinosaurs, everywhere were advertisements, toys etc... We were sitting in the darkness of the cinema and then those huge brachiosaurs appeared on the screen and it was like our wildest dreams came to reality - it was like sitting in that car with Sam Neill and watching it for your own eyes. Somehow I feel that Jurrasic park is the turning point - end of one era and the beggining of the new one, digital age... I think I had the same feeling watching the movie, as people had 100 years ago while watching first movies by Lumiers, Meliese and the others... it never happened again. Before Jurassic park we were amazed almost everytime that such things are possible - everytime there was something new...after JP we know that EVERYTHING is possible, no place for surprises of preJP era...
Wow, we're exactly the same age, Quint. by mraig	Jun 11th, 2009 05:46:56 AM
You're definitely right--people born around the time we were remember Jurassic Park as "the movie". That raptor cage scene at the beginning scared the crap out of me. The jokes were just the right amount funny and the scary scenes were just the right amount scary. It's like Spielberg just knew exactly how to imprint himself onto the mind of a 12-year-old boy.
That last sentence sounded weird... by mraig	Jun 11th, 2009 05:47:16 AM

When I think of summer movies... by vroom socko	Jun 11th, 2009 05:50:20 AM
The summer I was 11 going on 12, (with my brother being a year younger than myself,) my dad was insistant that the three of us go to a movie together. My dad isn't exactly a big movie guy, but he wanted to treat us. And the movie he wanted to treat us with was... Snow White. Now, my brother and I were at that age where we were too old to enjoy Disney as kiddie fare, but too young to enjoy them as art. So we were dragged, kicking and screaming to the theater, saying all the way that we were too old for Disney, and why can't we see something else, and you get the idea. We arrive at the theater, and my father steps up to the window and says words that are made of pure magic: "One adult and two children for ROBOCOP, please." My brother and I lit up like Vegas. The cashier looked like she'd just been hit by a 2x4. She says, "You do know that this is a Hard-R movie, sir?" My dad just gave her a glare and repeated, "One adult and two children for ROBOCOP." I've seen better movies, I've seen bloodier movies, but that screening was one of the best of my life.
No Script Girl this week. by Donkey_Lasher	Jun 11th, 2009 05:53:02 AM
People are only opening that flash video to see what she is wearing.
Quint, You Said it Best with John Williams Music by puto tenax	Jun 11th, 2009 05:57:30 AM
Which is so much a part of our favorites, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Superman and of course, Star Wars. I remember buying the big, two-disc lp's to both Star Wars and Superman. Just last night I was watching The Time Tunnel and "Johnny Williams" did the music for Irwin Allen back in '67. Glad you gave a nod to Johnny.
true words by lucky818	Jun 11th, 2009 05:57:59 AM
i read this and it really made me remember how much of an impact that movie had on me. When I was younger I would only read about dinosaurs because of that movie and how amazed when I first watched it as old as I was whenever I saw it first. This was a really tight article and made me pretty nostalgic. Thanks Quint
Jurassic Park was one of the great summer events by zapano	Jun 11th, 2009 06:00:49 AM
I remember everyone talkign about it when it was in cinemas. It wasn't just young people, but older people as well. All were just amazed at the dinosaurs and you could literally hear gasps from the audience when you first get to see the brontos. the film hasn't really stood up. The kids are very annoying and there are a few ropey scenes, but as a collective summer experience, it's pretty unsurpassable.
Transformers 2 review online by Rocco Curioso	Jun 11th, 2009 06:03:24 AM
From someone who attended the Tokyo premiere: http://tinyurl.com /lrrpyt Be wary; there are many spoilers.
I loved movies before JP by barnaby jones	Jun 11th, 2009 06:04:41 AM
But in 93 it captured my 10 year old mind, i can still remember it like it was yesterday.
Century 21 by MidnightPimp	Jun 11th, 2009 06:06:07 AM
That theater near the Winchester Mystery house was probably the Century 21 (http://cinematreasures.org/th eater/357/). It has a couple of twins, all very cool. Hope this helps!
Great Article! by Fa_Tass_DinoMolester	Jun 11th, 2009 06:06:58 AM
I agree, JP was an amazing experience...
That shot of the T-Rex emerging from its paddock by Fa_Tass_DinoMolester	Jun 11th, 2009 06:07:54 AM
was like the Star Destroyer going over the camera for a whole new generation...
Jurassic Park owned me! by shonin	Jun 11th, 2009 06:08:01 AM
Quint mate I know what you mean. I grew up watching all the Harryhausen stuff and all the crappy claymation, blown up lizard, stop frame toy t-rex , etc, and loved it all but just wished that one day Dinosaurs could be done realistically. Then I first saw the teaser trailer and thought it was some sort of ride at Universal Studios. Then the news coverage started here in the UK, showing glimpses of the amazing CGI dinos…..my heart leapt!! I watched everything I could building up to the release and even got the crappy comic book of the first chapter of the film (weirdly I forgot all about that when I watched it on the big screen). Loved the exploding disc, loved the music, shit man it is all coming back to me! I would have gone to see it everyday that summer, if only I had the money. Bring on the blu-ray!!!!
Batman - 1989. That summer was owned by it. by Mr Nicholas	Jun 11th, 2009 06:08:22 AM
The soundtrack was all over the radio. Merchandise was in every shop. Posters were on every vertical surface (and getting nicked as soon as they were put up). It was also a gloriously hot summer. Yeah, that was awesome. And the movie was excellent too!
Indy and Raiders by dchantry	Jun 11th, 2009 06:12:56 AM
I was 14 when this was released and it took me a while to get around to it. Being a big Bond fan summer of 1981 was For Your Eyes Only and cinema involved a few sittings of this. Finally decided to go and watch Indy after constant riends recommendations and was blown away. Still today my favourite fim of all time and the only one I never turn off if I come across it on the TV.
Aliens by NathanielCarper	Jun 11th, 2009 06:21:09 AM
I must admit that I saw this one in November 86, but only because I live in Germany, and we didn´t get it until then, but for you guys, it was released in July, so technically, it was a summer movie. I remember being a geek all my life, but only of the "harmless" stuff, you know, like Star Trek and Star Wars. Empire really hit me hard, and Khan changed the way I looked at Trek forever, but in theatres, I had never seen anything that was really scary, or, at least, I don´t remember seeing it. I think I was a bit too well protected by my parents... ^^ But then, in November `86, just one month before turning 18, I had an urge to rectify that. Of COURSE I had heard about Alien, I had seen fotos, and I think I read the tie-in novel, but I hadn´t seen the movie. Then ALIENS came along. And I went. Alone. I took no friends, it was an afternoon showing, relatively empty. I wanted it to be a cool experience, so I went to the biggest theatre and sat down, I think, five rows from the screen. I was close. Very close. And then the movie happened to me. I had no idea what to expect beforehand, beside the hope that it would be cool. The rest is history. I had no idea it was so LONG. It went on and on, getting better every minute of it. When Ripley stepped out, armoured with that giant yellow crane thing, I think I was VERY close to getting a heart attack out of tension. I remember thinking, nearly screaming, "Yeah, now you´ll get what you deserve, you motherfrakking bitch", and she did. Then it was over, and I was stunned. Hell, I was nearly 18 and blown away by like a twelve year old who had just seen his first movie. It certainly felt that way. I watched Aliens again fife or six times that summer, and up to, I think, fifty times in matinees and duo-features and on video in the next two ir three years. Never again has a movie hit me that hard. And for that, Mr. Cameron, Sir, you´re my personal hero. I can´t wait for Avatar. I know it will be nowhere near that Aliens experience. But I still hope.
I got my first real six-string. Bought it at the five-and-dime. by Flim Springfield	Jun 11th, 2009 06:30:06 AM

Played it till my fingers bled. It was the summer of 69. by Flim Springfield	Jun 11th, 2009 06:30:18 AM

25-32 year old? by Keeper Of Chimps	Jun 11th, 2009 06:40:12 AM
Why would you have had to been under 16 to really remember the summer of 1993? I remember seeing Jurassic Park in college very well. BTW, why is everyone putting T2 up there with Raiders, Empire, and Aliens? It was a big douche fest - and if George Lucas had written movie about a father-figure terminator, you'd all be crying about your childhood.
Another one of these threads? Why? by odo19	Jun 11th, 2009 06:45:09 AM

Oh and The Matrix again. by odo19	Jun 11th, 2009 06:45:41 AM

It was DTS by Albia25	Jun 11th, 2009 06:47:50 AM
I was a projectionist during that time and watched Jurassic Park that summer about 200 times. Loved it!
odo19 by Donkey_Lasher	Jun 11th, 2009 06:51:28 AM
Lots, and lots of hits is why.
Ah, Jurassic Park by kwisatzhaderach	Jun 11th, 2009 06:51:50 AM
One of the most fun experiences i've ever had in a movie house. Those were the days.
Keeper of Chimps by kwisatzhaderach	Jun 11th, 2009 06:52:33 AM
Aptly named.
Donkey-Lasher Ahhh, thats what I assumed. by odo19	Jun 11th, 2009 06:57:05 AM
It's never been so.......obvious before though.
I remember thinking, when I first saw... by Lobanhaki	Jun 11th, 2009 06:59:32 AM
the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, that just about anything would be possible. Dragons, spaceships, anything. Anybody who talks about crappy CGI doesn't recall crappy stop-motion, crappy optical compositing, crappy matte shots, and all that shit. We're better off.
Crappy CGI, indeed... by NathanielCarper	Jun 11th, 2009 07:03:23 AM
I remember the years after Star Trek-The Motion Picture, with FX getting more and more expensive, that (despite its other shortcomings) we would never see such a beautifully shot space movie again, just because it would cost too much money. Then CGI happened. Yeah, it´s overused a lot, but it surely saved a lot of writers´ asses who got told a lot more often "that´s impossible to shoot" before.
Bring Back DePalma by MANZILLA	Jun 11th, 2009 07:03:27 AM

Steven Sommers got Fired From G.I Joe by MANZILLA	Jun 11th, 2009 07:10:56 AM
According to Latinoreview
Flim Springfiled by spud mcspud	Jun 11th, 2009 07:12:12 AM
Those were the best days of my life. Back in the Summer of '89. You fucking legend ;D
1989 was my year. by spud mcspud	Jun 11th, 2009 07:15:08 AM
I was 17, first year I started going to movies on my own, and all the greats were seen multiple times on the big screen: BATMAN, GHOSTBUSTERS II (eff you, I enjoyed it!), THE ABYSS (mindblowing), INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (loved that movie!), NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST 4: DREAM MASTER (hey, the kills were great!)... There have been many great years since for cinema (particularly 92-93, when I worked at my local Showcase Cinema, and 95-96, when I worked at my local UCI Cinema) but none as great as 1989. Those were the best days of my life. Back in the Summer of '89...
DerLanghaarige by spud mcspud	Jun 11th, 2009 07:16:24 AM
It's NEVER too late to fire Stephen Sommers, not after VAN HELSING. Fuck it, I'm firing him off THE MUMMY RETURNS RIGHT NOW!!
1986 and 1989 by galoot	Jun 11th, 2009 07:20:34 AM
In '86, I was working as a camp counselor in Southern Ohio. Each of us got one night off each week. If a parent or an older staff could swing it, we'd hit a Showcase or Loew's Cinema. "Aliens", "Ferris Bueller", "Back To School" and "Top Gun" were my favorites that season. In '89, I worked for a Loew's Cinema in Northern Kentucky. The staff watched "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" the night before it opened. River Phoenix owned his screen time... My location had "Lethal Weapon 2", "The Abyss", "When Harry Met Sally" and "UHF" (the last of which, Ozzy Osbourne came to see with his entourage on a Sunday night. Most of the customers were middle-aged and didn't recognize him.) A few of us traveled to the rival Showcase Cinemas to see "Batman", the shitty "Star Trek V" and the slightly less shitty "Weekend At Bernie's" and "Ghostbusters 2". Big movie summer that was.
1995 by jacksparness	Jun 11th, 2009 07:21:25 AM
Got to see batman forever and had my first kiss over the credits to seal's "kiss from a rose" - what a summer!
My first Big Screen experience was Superman II… by mr sulu	Jun 11th, 2009 07:22:09 AM
Yeah in summer 1980 or 81...I was either 3 or 4 - was too young to be taken to see Superman I...cant remember much - just how massive and awesome it all seemed and wondering HTF Reeve was flying!…remember seeing the posters on the way in of supes flying toward the 3 villians over the water..and of a guy selling S II programs which I desperately wanted but didnt get and feeling intense Stewie like anger LOL …turned me into a life long superman fan… Think next film I saw at the cinema was WRATH OF KHAN in summer 82...my god..even at that young age I remember thinking I was witnessing a masterpiece….although at the time it was probably too adult for me.. Khan scared the poop out of me…… Was taken to see Return of JedI in summer 83 - I hadn’t seen the previous 2 as too young and had no interest in star wars whatsoever…in the theatre they played the trailer for Superman III which I had no idea was coming and all I could think about was that there was a new supes film out and fuck this star wars crap (even went to the toliet during the end battle)… Anyway i aint gonna go into every film I saw as a kid - as a teen I too was blown away by T2 and the Jurassic Parks dinos.
How'd the T-Rex get into the building??? by Kid Z	Jun 11th, 2009 07:28:55 AM
What is this? The setup line to an old borscht belt standup routine?
My favorite summer movie of all time... by kenjinattix	Jun 11th, 2009 07:36:23 AM
Was also the first Rated R movie I ever saw. Die Hard. I begged my mother to take me for weeks. I put off having Christmas presents that year if it meant that I could see Die Hard. She took me. And boy was it worth it. Die Hard narrowly beats out the first movie I saw in the theater where at the end the entire audience stood up and clapped. That movie is Terminator 2: Judgement Day. I was so taken aback that an entire room of people thought the movie was just as amazing as I thought it was. Close third would be Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Parents surprised me by taking me to see that. I had no idea where we were going. Turn out it was to see Indy. Just my favorite summer movie moments.
"That's a real dinosaur" by FUCK_YOU_GEORGE_LUCAS	Jun 11th, 2009 07:37:04 AM
Exactly Harry. I think that's what went through the mind of pretty much everyone including myself when the Brachiosaurus was first shown. It was magical. I had a crush on Ariana Richards too. What a cutie.
First kiss during Batman Forever? by Kid Z	Jun 11th, 2009 07:42:03 AM
Damn, I don't even want to know about your therapy bills!
1989 was a terrific summer by Juggernaut125	Jun 11th, 2009 07:43:02 AM
for movies. My folks let me borrow the car a lot to go see all the biggies in London (ontario). I saw a bunch of them with my friends, by myself, when ever I could get away for four of five hours. I loved UHF and saw it twice. And when I saw Jurrasic Park, years later, it was at a drive in with a bunch of friends in two cars. I remember saying "fuck you Steven Spielberg", because he put a T-Rex, chasing a jeep on the big screen. And the thing reaches down and pushes the jeep over a bit while its moving. But it couldn't do that because it wasn't really there! But there it was. I loved that move that year. Oh, and we drove home through a big pile of dear carcus on the highway that obviously was taken out by a semi. Disgustinly cool.
Kid Z by jacksparness	Jun 11th, 2009 07:44:18 AM
What can I say, my Dad was a very tender man.
You're only 28? by Grandpa Bunche	Jun 11th, 2009 07:44:29 AM
You write a lot older, and I say that as a complement.
Keeper of the Chimps by TheMandrakeRoot	Jun 11th, 2009 07:44:47 AM
Don't be an asshole man, just cause maybe you didn't like T2 doesn't mean you have to be ignorant to the fact that it's one of the most beloved action movies ever, and was also a benchmark film like Jurassic Park in visual effects. You may not like it but acting shocked that others do makes you look foolish.
Jacksparness... by Kid Z	Jun 11th, 2009 07:47:54 AM
...Heh! Ya mean he waited until your teen years? (Kidding)
And this is why I like reading Quint by SoylentMean	Jun 11th, 2009 07:48:22 AM
Amen. You chose the movie that shaped my moviegoing fanaticism. The movie that I WOULD NOT SHUT UP ABOUT back in'93. This is my comfort film, the movie I've watched the most, wearing out three vhs copies and prompting me to buy both the widescreen and fullscreen versions of the film, because what the hell, it's Jurassic Park! Oh and Quint, I'm gonna guess you didn't know this back in your youth but yeah, you can kinda request certain cups/kids meal toys at McDonald's. I remember going into my local McD's, going up to the counter, and asking the person to "show me all of your Jurassic Park cups". I bought every single one that way. When it comes to collectibles, leave nothing to chance.
Damn I'm Old!! by Underoos Hero	Jun 11th, 2009 07:51:30 AM
And I'm typing that I'm old on some Talkbacks. maybe I suck?
My Jurassic Park challenge by SoylentMean	Jun 11th, 2009 07:54:21 AM
During Jurassic Park's theatrical run I saw it seven times and after the first time (and understanding I would see it many more) I challenged myself not to jump when Ellie is attacked by the raptor after turning the power back on. I think I might have only flinched just once, but damn that scene gets me (almost) everytime. Love it.
I went with Independence Day by OGoncho	Jun 11th, 2009 07:55:49 AM
For the same reason Quint chose Jurassic Park, and it has just reminded me that I saw Jurassic Park in the cinema despite only being 5, so maybe I should have gone for that one too. Certainly less embarassing to look back on.
1999 - Year of the Whoa by galoot	Jun 11th, 2009 07:56:20 AM
"Phantom Menace" was pretty much the only film I was excited about seeing that summer, but it didn't deliver. The big surprise for me was "The Matrix". The combination of "bullet-time" and Keanu in the trailer turned me off. I had no intention of seeing this film. But my folks came to visit and wanted to see it. Air-conditioned theater, free movie, South Florida, summer - the odds were stacked in "The Matrix"'s favor. From the moment Neo took the pill, I was hooked.
err I meant Quint by FUCK_YOU_GEORGE_LUCAS	Jun 11th, 2009 07:56:22 AM
I thought Harry wrote this. My bad.
RAMBO PART 2 by Underoos Hero	Jun 11th, 2009 07:57:14 AM
Just called Rambo back then, was my favorite summer movie!!! Yes I saw it in the theater the summer it came out. That was 1985 I think.
Yup I remember that movie well by Aphex Twin	Jun 11th, 2009 07:57:27 AM
When the raptor jumped up to get the girl's leg in the kitchen scene this chick sitting next to me freaked out and clawed my chest. We laughed about it and later she clawed my back. SHAZAM!
1996 - The Great Depression by galoot	Jun 11th, 2009 08:01:43 AM
What promise it had! Started off with "Twister" and "Mission Impossible". By the middle of the summer my girlfriend broke up with me, it was hotter than hell in South Florida and the movie pickin's were slim. "The Rock" blew. I saw "Independence Day" a second time because the air conditioner in the house broke down. Luckily the Christmas movies later that year perked me up. "Scream" and "Star Trek First Contact" hit the spot.
I felt the same level of excitement by Darth Busey	Jun 11th, 2009 08:05:49 AM
leaving the theater after seeing "Starship Troopers". I thought it was just brilliantly over-the-top and ridiculous. Verhoeven just made a Nazi propaganda film with the cast of 90210 and Doogie Howser. Awesome.
Jurrasic park was compared too.... by BendersShinyAss	Jun 11th, 2009 08:07:23 AM
...the very first ever film screening of a train coming towards the camera in which audiance members screamed in terror. all i know from my packed out screening (i was 16) was that the whole audiance was absolutely enthralled, and it was the first movie since nightmare on elm street (aged 6) And aliens (aged 9) that actually got my heart racing. Seriously, that T-rex scene was heartstopping!
Jurassic Park by honavery	Jun 11th, 2009 08:07:50 AM
Thanks for this piece Quint. I feel almost exactly the same way about the film.(saw it when I was 13) The movie couldn't of been anymore hyped and it still blew away my expectations. I went to see it with my Mom and cousins, and I remember just looking over at my Mom after the first t-rex scene was over and we both just gave each other a "holy shit, what did we just see" look. I believe that was the first movie to have digital sound....at least the first one I saw.
Kid Z by jacksparness	Jun 11th, 2009 08:12:45 AM
He was tender in the teen years, a sodomite during my development.
Yet they still won't make Jurassic Park 4... by SoylentMean	Jun 11th, 2009 08:14:30 AM
those bastards.
My JP memory by chimpjnr	Jun 11th, 2009 08:15:44 AM
So many to choose from, but the lingering one is of the kid next to me literally pissing himself during the T-Rex attack on the land-cruisers. I guess it was kind of intense, but even so...
STAR WARS!!!!!!!!!!!!! by Underoos Hero	Jun 11th, 2009 08:17:04 AM
How the hell did I forget this one?!!! My parents took me to see Star Wars in the summer of 77' and ofcourse it blew my wee mind. Then followed by ...... God You young uns' missed an entire 13 years of some of the greatest movies of all times. Not me!! sticks tongue out and make a mmmmmnuh sound
Quint, today is 16 years EXACTLY that JP hit theaters by IndustryKiller!	Jun 11th, 2009 08:19:03 AM
Wow man, that's some impeccable timing. I remember it cause my experience was similarly defining.
great article. for me it was Batman '89 though. by THE_ONE_MAN_GANG	Jun 11th, 2009 08:19:29 AM
i was 9 and it was an awesome theater experience.
Seems like the 2 big world-changers by half vader	Jun 11th, 2009 08:20:17 AM
are Star Wars if you're a bit older (like me), and JP if you're a bit younger. Nothing else has really approached those in terms of changing filmmaking and blowing geeky minds. I saw Temple of Doom 6 times. Watched it properly twice and just made out with my first proper girlfriend the next 4 - nothing else at the twin cinema at the time and also the reason I saw Supergirl twice. What a turkey.
CLASH OF THE TITANS !!!!!!!!!!!!! by Underoos Hero	Jun 11th, 2009 08:27:34 AM
Shit I could go on and on........ I saw this the summer of it's release and I was ordering the figures out of the JC Penney catalog like a mad person. or something...
A- F'ing -MEN!!!! by punito2k3	Jun 11th, 2009 08:28:40 AM
You took the words right out of my mouth. I'm 27 and that right there is the movie that totally geeked me out...I scrounged up whatever money I could, doing various choir and saw that movie 4 times in the theater! I thought for sure that someone re-created Dinosaurs and had them hidden on some island. High-five to you Quint!
ESB and Flash Gordon - 1980 by Vic Twenty	Jun 11th, 2009 08:29:40 AM
10 years old (yeah, I'm an old fucker) my friends and I riding our bikes all the way across the city to see ESB every freakin weekend. Saturday was baseball, Sunday was movie day. I saw Empire 34 times in the theater - most days we'd sneak in to a 2nd showing. The 1st time I saw that I knew nothing of what was to come. The "I am you father" thing blew my 10-year-old brain like nothing has since. Ah, to be young and spoiler-free.... The only thing that could drag us from ESB was Flash Gordon. That crazy-ass fever dream was like Brain candy. And yes, Quint still calls me Uncle Vic. But I don't ask him to play with "Corky" anymore.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND!!!!!!!!!!!! by Underoos Hero	Jun 11th, 2009 08:31:01 AM
Back when movies would stay in theaters for more than a year at a time, my parents took me to see this in the spring of 78. Ok so it wasn't the summer but this movie still kicks ass to this day!!!
Underoos - Clash of the Titans ruled! by Vic Twenty	Jun 11th, 2009 08:31:14 AM
Medusa was one nasty skank.
Batman's ultimate contribution.... by BendersShinyAss	Jun 11th, 2009 08:31:38 AM
...to cinema is that it was the VERY LAST old school style visual effects big budget hollywood film before digital technology started taking hold.
Awesome movie experiences for me, but not so good by half vader	Jun 11th, 2009 08:32:25 AM
for my parents. As a kid when E.T. hit I raved on and on about it so much I basically completely turned my parents off it. And Roger Rabbit was even worse I hyped it so much. I feel bad now I ruined those flicks for them. And when they took little me to Star Wars (and loved it), it was only a matter of months before my Mum started giving me grief about raving on all the time and not being "over that yet". And I'm STILL not over it! Back to JP, I recently showed it, Close Encounters and Raiders to my own boy (9). All three blew his mind. Made me as proud as when my own Dad let me stay up late to see Jason and the Argonauts and Seven Samurai on telly. Awww.
Ellie Attacked by a Raptor by ThusSpakeSpymunk	Jun 11th, 2009 08:33:10 AM
That scene is freaking ridiculous. Well, rather, the scene shortly after that. Best scene in the whole movie, when she races out of the underground bunker and sees Dr. Grant and yells "RUNNNNN!" and then walks up to him and hugs him and they hang out for a minute before wandering off. Classic.
I think the Visitor's Center was still incomplete... by GaiustheBrave	Jun 11th, 2009 08:34:21 AM
If you look closely during the scene when they're racing into the jeep and to helipad, I think you will see plastic coverings flapping in the wind. Don't ask my why they would be missing a wall. It seems like they were. Or, maybe I just made the whole thing up in my head. I'll have to go back and watch it, again. I'm still apologizing for it 16 years later. What really doesn't make sense is the T-Rex attack scene when the power first went out. First, the ground in the T-Rex paddock is even with the road, then the jeep falls over the edge of the road and the fall is fifty feet or more. WTF?
Vic Twenty by Underoos Hero	Jun 11th, 2009 08:37:10 AM
Woo Hoo.....Damn, us old timers got to see all of the great movies that changed cinematic history. Our generation was THE target audience for the Spielbergs and Lucas' of those days. Jurassic Park I have to admit was a great movie but the fucking 90's sucked so much asshole for Hollywood. Coming out of the 70's and 80's? Are you kidding me? NOT ONE movie from the 90's really stand out in my mind.
The mistake I made with JP by Vic Twenty	Jun 11th, 2009 08:41:04 AM
was I read the book just a bit before seeing the movie. Let's just say the film suffered by comparison. I can watch it now (indeed my oldest boy loves it) and judge it as a piece of great stand-alone entertainment.
Very Little Makes Sense in JURASSIC PARK, Gaius by ThusSpakeSpymunk	Jun 11th, 2009 08:47:15 AM
It all shows how your perspective can be shifted and how everyone sees something different. I, too, remember JURASSIC PARK, but not with any fondness. JURASSIC PARK was the movie that marked the end of traditional effects, for one, and the real "birth" of true CGI (YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES nonwithstanding - sorry, Pixar!) as an effects method instead of just something that got used here and there. And god, it was an awful movie as far as I'm concerned. The triceratops looked like a piece of theme park atmosphere at Six Flags. "Lean here!" How did they breed ancient plants that have no blood to capture in amber? Why did the dino snot have the consistency of all Hollywood "ubere slime?" Why did every dinosaur look kind of blurry when it moved, like it was inconsistently lit from its background and covered in a thin layer of watery mist? Why did Ellie yell "RUN!" and then stand there hugging Dr. Grant while - nothing - chased - her? How did a patch of normal, level roadway become a cliff-pockmarked jungle trail during the T-Rex attack, and then a normal road again on the way out of the area? NOTHING in JURASSIC PARK makes a lick of sense, and it was the moment the studios realized, "Hey, none of this makes sense - but nobody cares! Woo!" And they stopped caring, and now NOTHINH makes sense because the craft and narrative effort have vanished. Thanks, Mr. Spielberg.
1989 by panicdawg	Jun 11th, 2009 08:52:05 AM
The movie was Batman. I think that was the best summer movie experience I ever had.
Blazing Saddles! by McSatan	Jun 11th, 2009 08:54:45 AM
The summer after I graduated from high school my friends and I went to see that movie so many times I lost count. Still one of the funniest films ever made, and one of the best summers of my life.
Summer 89 and 91. by Redfive!	Jun 11th, 2009 08:55:03 AM
1989=Batman,Last Crusade,Ghostbusters 2 {Yes I liked G2}. 1991=Terminator 2,The Rocketeer and Point Break.
I Was 24 When Jurassic Park Came Out by kevinwillis.net	Jun 11th, 2009 08:57:28 AM
So, it was a "wow", but couldn't affect me like it affected Quint. That would be Raiders of the Lost Ark, seen at a "back-in-the-day" single screen--huge screen--theater. That was the most awesome movie going experience of my life. Wrath of Kahn was close, Tim Burton's Batman was also close--and talk about a movie that wouldn't make my top 500 list of movies today. Also, my experience of seeing Back to the Future the opening weekend in a sold out, cracker box mall theater--the theater was terrible, but I was so won over by the movie, it didn't matter. Also, Superman and Flash Gordon. Both great movie going experiences that stuck with me, and I still love both movies, to this day. They oughta cover "movies on TV" experiences--I hadn't been interested in Aliens, hadn't seen it in the theater, was just watching it casually at home and then just got sucked in. Hardly a theater experience, but just happening to catch movies like that and Altered States on cable are some of the best movie experiences that I remember.
Ghostbusters! by kevinwillis.net	Jun 11th, 2009 08:59:33 AM
I almost forgot that one. The original, at the theater--hard to beat that. Another sweet movie going experience that, recalling it now, makes me feel very old. I actually had a Ghostbusters jumpsuit, cut to fit a very fat teenager. Yes, I was a Mega Geek. I recall seeing The Rocketeer with a distinct "meh".
1977 by ScribeOz	Jun 11th, 2009 09:01:07 AM
I am seven years old and we went to the Odeon in Singapore. DIdn't know what I was seeing, only knew mom wanted to take me to this really cool movie that was earning raves everywhere. The movie was Star Wars. Walked out of the film and deep sixed all my Barbies because only Princess Leia would do. I was the only seven year old who wanted to run off with Harrison Ford because Han Solo was the coolest guy that ever lived. Way cooler than Luke. The movie was a religious experience almost. I started writing because of it and have loved science fiction every since. No matter how awful the prequels are, I'm always going to love George Lucas for opening that door for me with that first movie. As for Jurrasic Park - I studied archaeology at university (told you the Harrison Ford love ran deep) and the best moment for me was the sheer wonder that Sam Neill expresses when he sees the brachiasarous and then the hadasour herds. "They're moving in herd. They do move in herds." It made the film for me.
Oh, and for me it was GHOSTBUSTERS by ThusSpakeSpymunk	Jun 11th, 2009 09:03:14 AM
HILARIOUS movie, and the first big crush of my life, my best friend in the world went with me to see it. I was just hitting puberty, so I developed the worst crush on him. Oh, man, it hurt later on emotionally when I realized he'd never be interested ... but the movie was beyond words, though I'll say 'awesome' as a placeholder, and the illusion of being in the theater with him was great, too - so, that's my most memorable.
dont remember 1993 summer movies by animas	Jun 11th, 2009 09:03:17 AM
i turned 21 and was getting lots of women. I vaguely remember Army of Darkness though.
This makes me realize how directors don't make "SHOTS" anymore by Series7	Jun 11th, 2009 09:04:10 AM
Naming all these key scenes from these movies, think about just last year what a great summer season it was. What was the classic scene in TDK? The Hit me scene? Classic shot of Iron Man/Hulk/Hellboy 2:Die Harder/Speed Racer/Twilight/Sex in Cities/Mama Mia!/Get Smart/Step Brothers/Pine Apple Express/Step Up 2:The Streets/Extreme Movie. The only movie I can think of from last year that has "classic" shots/scenes is tropic thunder. The Tom Cruise scene, the shot of Stiller with the head and a few others. Man what about this year? Nothing in T4 stood out, because I'd seen it all before and Star Trek? Shit Wolverine had more SHOT moments though they were lame. Watchmen has more of its comic book moments.
GIVE US JURASSIC PARK 4!!!! FUUUUUCK by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jun 11th, 2009 09:05:10 AM

Yeah, the first time seeing the JP Brachio was like... by performingmonkey	Jun 11th, 2009 09:10:36 AM
...fucking hell! It still sends chills that scene. And, of course, the Rex attack - one of the 'berg's top set piece scenes. The CG is pretty flawless. What other movie that old can you say that about?
I agree with DGDB. How'd that happen? by SoylentMean	Jun 11th, 2009 09:10:54 AM
Today it will rain up, pigs will sprout wings, a studio will re-greenlight Steve Alten's MEG...
Steve Alten's MEG... by Series7	Jun 11th, 2009 09:16:25 AM
I wish.
The 80s by kevinwillis.net	Jun 11th, 2009 09:16:40 AM
I saw some movies I really liked in the 90s, and the 2000s--Lord of the Rings, The Matrix--but the 80s. My, my, my. Raiders of the Lost Ark. E.T. Poltergeist. Empire and Return of the Jedi. Temple of Doom. Robocop. Ghostbusters. Back To the Future. 9 to 5. Breakfast Club. A Christmas Story. Nightmare on Elm Street. Christine. Buckaroo Banzai. Airplane. Aliens. American Werewolf in London. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Batman. Real Genius. Repo Man. Beetlejuice. Field of Dreams. Scanners. Die Hard. Child's Play. Better off Dead (I loved that movie). Big Chill. Dark Crystal. Terminator. Big Trouble in Little China. Cocoon. The Shining. Friday the 13th. Blues Brothers. This Is Spinal Tap. Little Shop of Horrors. Top Secret! Used Cars (which I watched approximately 100 times). Last Starfighter. Highlander. Splash. Caddyshack. Wrath of Kahn. Goonies. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Gremlins (another heck of a theater experience for me). The Little Mermaid. Starman. Mad Max. Fright Night. War Games. Predator. Ladyhawke. National Lampoon's Vacation. Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Heathers. Blade Runner. Videodrome. Lost Boys. Monty Python's Meaning of Life. Naked Gun. Princess Bride. When Harry Met Sally. Xanadu (okay, that's just a personal favorite), and some others I can't think of right now. That was a helluva decade. All I'm saying.
Star Wars in 1977 by kevinwillis.net	Jun 11th, 2009 09:21:51 AM
I thought Star Wars was okay when I saw it. I was 8 at the time, and thought it was good, but it took the buzz-buzz-buzz of class mates for the next couple of years to get my hookd. By the time the Empire Strikes Back came out, it was a top priority, and I ate it up. Amazing to go from being "that was good" with Star Wars to being "omfg Darth Vader is Luke's father!" and "Yoda is so totally bad ass!" and "Han Solo is in the Carbonite! Auuuuuggghhhh!" . . . I loved Empire. It was all we talked about for weeks up until I saw it (and Darth being Luke's father had been spoiled for me). Sigh
June 1981. Raiders. by Beezbo	Jun 11th, 2009 09:22:10 AM
I was twelve years old. It's hard to believe now, but when this came out, my brother and I knew almost nothing about it other than the fact it was Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford. Saw it many times in the theater that Summer - hell, I even went to it with my grandparents (I'm pretty sure this is the only movie I ever went to with my grandmother - and she loved it!) While I love other Summer movies for various nostalgic reasons (opening night of "Batman" in my small town theater when it felt like the whole town was there, waiting on LONG lines for "Rocky II" and "Jedi", "Ferris Bueller" and "Back to School" opening the same week the Summer after I graduated high school), I still think "Raiders" is the best Summer movie ever because it wasn't all about hype, it was about quality. Now that I'm older and have SO much information about movies before I see them, most theatrical experiences have a level of disappointment to them. Like many of you, I'm enough of a geek to have taken off of work to see "Phantom Menace" (I spent the rest of the afternoon in a sleepy depression). I try to get my daughter psyched up for the Summer movies, but it's not the same (she was in a frenzy to see "Indy 4" and it sucked the life out of both of us). Hard to believe "Transformers 2" will be some kids fondest Summer movie memory!
Gremilns by Series7	Jun 11th, 2009 09:22:11 AM
Howie Mendel did the voice of Gizmo, anyone know that?
Ah, summer by Wee Willie	Jun 11th, 2009 09:24:31 AM
This is a lovely thread, what AICN should be all about. Jurassic Park was a wonderful summer movie experience. Seeing it on a big screen in a packed theatre was really something. Back when CGI was "Oh my God, how did they DO that!!!" not "Oh boy, CGI again!" Seeing Aliens at the Palace Theatre in Calgary was something else. Went back two days later with my Dad and brother and a man had a seizure during the movie. Some lady screaming "Call a doctor!" while Ripley and Company were waiting for the Aliens to come. Then that great shot of Michael Beihn peering up throught the cieling tiles. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when I was 14. Same theatre, front row balcony. The smell of popcorn, the bug scene, the roller-coaster mine cart chase. Although Batman was the big movie of summer '89, what really got me was Lethal Weapon II. The in media res opening, Gibson dislocating his shoulder underwater, Danny Glover's "He's been decaffinated". Oh, and a brief shot of atsy Kensit nipple! Now that I have kids, it's always the newest Pixar. or seeign Transformers with my son a few years back. He was five. Turned to me during the talking parts asking "Can we go home?", then during the giant robots beating the fuck out of each other parts he turns to me, wide-eyed and says "I don't want to go home anymore. This is the greatest movie ever!"
Howie Mandel: Indeed, I Did by kevinwillis.net	Jun 11th, 2009 09:27:53 AM
Loved that movie. Love that little song Gizmo sings. Phoebe Cates, Cory Feldman, Dick Miller . . . it's a perfect slice of 80s brilliance.
Kevinwillis.net - a Golden Age indeed by Vic Twenty	Jun 11th, 2009 09:31:09 AM
great post - all memorable! It really hammers home how lucky we were to be able to see great filmmakers make great films in their prime. I weep for the children, stuck with McG, Stephen Sommers, Micheal Bay, etc. The good old days weren't always good, but the movies usually were.
And Raiders - saw that plenty! by Vic Twenty	Jun 11th, 2009 09:33:17 AM
I love every bit of that film. One of the all time greats. I was 11 the first time I saw a nazi melt.
Smaller summer movies that rocked by Nerd Rage	Jun 11th, 2009 09:35:18 AM
Speed, Arachnophobia, Encino Man, and Coming to America. Good times watching those in the theater.
God I hate being right all the time... by jaezonhugh	Jun 11th, 2009 09:35:19 AM
The scene when the T-Rex escapes and walks between the 2 cars is probably one of the best scenes in cinematic history... People I work with call me Ian Malcom (I like my RayBans)
My Favorite Summer Flicks by snaps_provolone	Jun 11th, 2009 09:50:46 AM
I'm only 23, so I couldn't experience the "first crowds" of Jaws/Star Wars/etc. However, these stuck out for me: JURASSIC PARK: I remember seeing that when it first came out (I was 7). I remember hearing that it was so scary, and most kids under 13 would be freaked out. It's embarassing to remember now, but I remember covering my eyes and looking away when the T-Rex was attacking the kids/Jeep. Still, awesome experience. SIGNS: I remember seeing this the Saturday it came out at 9 something, and it was completely sold out. Tons of screaming, laughing, the whole thing. Say what you want about the Shama, but that movie was great. That whole 10 minutes of the kid's birthday party/pantry was insane. People went nuts, as did I. That was great. BRUCE ALMIGHTY: Not the movie, but I do remember when he says, "Back to you, fuckers!" I was screaming laughing for at least 2 minutes. THE DARK KNIGHT: 2 different experiences: Firstly, I saw the midnight showing on regular format. That might go down as the most anticipated movie of my lifetime that delivered in everyway. I remember the crowd goinig nuts with the "pencil trick," most Joker dialogue, and when the truck flipped over. People cheered like crazy when it flipped, and then the Bat Pod did taht little spin right afterwards. Awesome. The 2nd experience was that Sunday in IMAX. I remember hearing that collective "Woah" on the first image of the buildings in IMAX format. Huge, insane. So cool.
The 90s, In Retrospect, Seem Especially Weak by kevinwillis.net	Jun 11th, 2009 09:51:45 AM
2000-2010 seems a little better. But neither decade seems as dense as the 80s. Oddly, when I think of 90s movies I liked and wanted to see, I think of things like Jurassic Park and Twister. A few others. But not much. 2000s have brought us some good stuff, but more retreads than ever. But I'm not sure how much has the universal experience of a Back to the Future or Ghost Buster, especially when there's a million other things competing for attention that barely existed back in 1985. "It's your kids, Marty. Something has to be done about your kids!"
Battlefield Earth Baby by MANZILLA	Jun 11th, 2009 09:53:26 AM
Quite possibly the great movie of all time!!!!!!!!!
The plastic unfinished stuff DOES make sense in JP by half vader	Jun 11th, 2009 09:56:59 AM
The park's not finished yet. Jesus, don't you guys pay any attention?! As for the final T-Rex bit, it was the first instance of a director changing the ending at the last second because of infatuation with CG. True story. There was supposed to be a scene with a bulldozer or some Earthmoving equipment. Can't quite recall exactly - we were doing merchandising for the movie and were sent everything - including the end of the bloody film! Which reminds me how stupid it was to merchandise a film for kids who weren't old enough to see the damn thing!
My brother's story by Kief_Ledger	Jun 11th, 2009 10:01:16 AM
He was 8 when Batman came out. He desperately wanted to see Batman and begged my parents for weeks. He's the oldest of four and with a new child (me) born a few weeks prior they didn't exactly want to leave the kids with a sitter. One day my Dad tells my brother he's taking him to baseball practice. My dad doesn't drive him to practice, but instead they go see Batman. My brother still considers it one of the happiest moments of his life.
Batman Forever by Anna Valerious	Jun 11th, 2009 10:01:25 AM
Definitely my favorite. (And that Sommers thing is a rumor perpetrated by a jerkwad. How it got on IESB, I'll never know.)
summer by Tenenbaum	Jun 11th, 2009 10:07:14 AM
A few buddies and I had a few drinks and saw "Transformers". Ok movie but at the end when Shia and Fox are making out on top of the hood of Bumble Bee my buddy yelled, "Menage a Trois". Got a good laugh out of that one.
Star Wars by freerangecelt	Jun 11th, 2009 10:09:43 AM
I was 11 when my sister took me and a friend to see it, and for us, that was quite the treat, that fall in school there wasn't a kid in class that wasn't wearing a Star Wars shirt or carrying something that didn't have a droid on it. Even I had a shirt, which is one of the better memories of my childhood.
Saw JP at the Uptown Theatre in D.C. by Darthkrusty	Jun 11th, 2009 10:12:20 AM
HUGE screen. Loved it. But my favorite summer film is still GREASE. Followed closely by SUPERMAN 2 & RAIDERS. STAR WARS (New Hope) blew my then 10 year old mind away, but I don't think I got to see that until the fall... parents finally took me after I did really well on my first report card that year. I remember that movie was in the theatres forever it seemed. Big sensation.
lets get real- 1.goonies2.indy3.weird science by THE_ONE_MAN_GANG	Jun 11th, 2009 10:21:32 AM
even lost boys and license to drive...as a kid, those were all great.. maybe not the best movies, or even my favorites, but still, as a kid, they were awesome.
It wasn't summer & it wasn't good.... by Funkatron	Jun 11th, 2009 10:31:23 AM
but Street Fighter changed my life after seeing it in the theater. That is the day that I started hating everyone, and everything.
Jurassic Park was the first movie I saw in theaters by Sardonic	Jun 11th, 2009 10:31:40 AM
I was four-years old, and it single-handedly sparked a lifelong obsession with movies for me.
Another for JP by Neezer	Jun 11th, 2009 10:35:35 AM
I was a 9, went to see it with a few friends of the family. Utterly terrified and was scared to go out in the woods alone for about a year afterwards. Happy days.
JAWStarWarSupermanRAIDERS ALIENS T2 JP 7 KONG TDK by JDanielP	Jun 11th, 2009 10:36:31 AM
In 1989, BATMAN was huge...and the character has been my favorite since childhood. You have to understand the magnitude of this moment, for me, of FINALLY seeing a serious interpretation. My brother, whom had taken me to see HIS favorite fictional character, SUPERMAN (back in the day), was again with me. I remember during the opening scene with Batman, my brother had turned to look at me and smile, which I only saw from the corner of my eye. I didn't want to miss a thing. THE DARK KNIGHT, though not flawless, may be as close to a perfect Batman movie as I will ever witness. Personally, it has taken the top spot as my favorite movie of all time, mostly for my connection to the character. (Note: There is lots of history to pull from...to make many more Batman movies of this quality.) I saw JAWS during the original run, which was a fluke. Normally, at my age, at that time, I was denied of seeing anything potentially scary and/or graphic. But an Aunt from California, somehow, convinced my mother that she HAD to see it. And unimaginably, I was allowed to tag along. I remember feeling every bit of the suspense and terror, unable to look away. And despite my mother's best efforts to cover my eyes, I did see the head pop out of the boat. --JAWS was and is a great picture. Sometimes, with talent behind the camera, an effects based movie may prove special despite a lower budget,...like TERMINATOR, and ROBOCOP, for example. But if Hollywood made more BIG budget fantasy and/or sci-fi that were of quality, I would see them all, summer or not.
But if I had to pick..."the one" by JDanielP	Jun 11th, 2009 10:39:52 AM
STAR WARS It just doesn't get any bigger than that.
also,the 80's were the last true decade of film by THE_ONE_MAN_GANG	Jun 11th, 2009 10:43:00 AM
the 90's and beyond marked the transformation to digital film...which has changed story telling- which has been awesome in some instances: JP, star wars (for the most part), lord of the rings, THE MATRIX ,T2, new star trek, spider man seriesetc. and bad for others.. x-men movies, except for x2(i hate to say it), T4, Wolverine, to name a couple.
Right on Quint. I'm with you. by Sierra_Rift	Jun 11th, 2009 10:48:07 AM
As I was reading your intro I kept thinking about my favorite summer experience, and all I could think of was Jurassic Park. And then you started on 1993 and I was like "KICK ASS!" Jurassic Park changed my cinematic life forever.
'07 Summer by snaps_provolone	Jun 11th, 2009 10:48:30 AM
Two other things I just thought of: SUPERBAD - I saw that with a packed house and they were dying. The line "my back is located on my cock" got about a laugh that carried on for about 2 minutes. Good times. CLOVERFIELD TEASER: I do remember hauling ass to get to Transformers before it started to see this mysterious teaser playing in front of it. That teaser was one of the all-time bests, in my opinion.
One more geek out moment.... by honavery	Jun 11th, 2009 10:57:02 AM
I know the end doesn't make much sense with the T-rex and the raptors, but when the T-rex disposes of that last raptor and turns around and lets out one last full blown roar(loud enough to shake your insides in the theater), and the banner "When dinosaurs ruled the earth" drops down....chills just thinking about it.
I was 7, but this is essentially my story, as well. by Kid Idioteque	Jun 11th, 2009 11:12:53 AM
Jurassic Park changed me. I remember begging my parents repeatedly and they said I had to be on good behavior for 3 weeks straight. That seemed impossible to my 7 year old brain. I had read the junior novelization and for 3 days straight I drove my parents crazy with my "I'm behaving soooo good, please, please, please take me to the movie. They caved on the third or fourth day. To this day, my mom still tells me that I told them everything that was about to happen onscreen and that the people sitting around us kept telling them to shut me up. I remember my dad trying to cover my eyes when the lawyer was killed and then when that failed, him dragging me to the bathroom for Nedry's death scene. I saw it 4 times that summer... which is a lot for a 7 year old. Like Quint said, it's not my FAVORITE movie, but it is the one that will always stick with me. For years after I thought I wanted to be a paleontologist, when in fact, I had just completely fallen head over heels in love with movies. It just took me a few more years to figure it out. I hope I get to see it on the big screen one more time in my life.
JURASSIC PARK ALL THE WAY BABY! by D.Vader	Jun 11th, 2009 11:15:50 AM
I still wanted to be a paleontologist or Disney animator at the time, but Jurassic Park was one of the first films that had me really paying attention to filmmaking and started turning me down that career path instead. Read the book in 4th grade and couldn't wait for Spielberg to release it in 6th.
Rocketeer by BendersShinyAss	Jun 11th, 2009 11:20:32 AM
while today the film may not be 'breathtaking'... when i was a kid, that film was all about feeling like you were flying. James Horner wrote an alternate version of his Trek 2 score for it (which was fantastic) and jennifer connoly didn't hurt it either. fond memories
T2 one of the most beloved action movies of all time? by Keeper Of Chimps	Jun 11th, 2009 11:25:58 AM
Really?! Really?! Terminator 1, maybe I can see. T2, though popular, was the Whitesnake of action movies - really popular but really shitty and has not stood the test of time.
The Abys by BendersShinyAss	Jun 11th, 2009 11:31:04 AM
hasn't stood the test of time. in fact, it's one of the few films i remember watching at the cinema thinking "This is really boring, yet im so compelled to watch it"
Biggest Summer Surprise: AP 1 & Detroit Rock City by Falafalguy	Jun 11th, 2009 11:31:08 AM
Both shocked the hell out of me with how good they were. DRC still stands up today and is funny as hell. Austin Powers lost a some shine after the sequels.
Quint, that was right on by sambafreak13	Jun 11th, 2009 11:36:27 AM
I am 31 and I totally remember my unbridled giddiness at seeing Last Crusade (3 times in the theater that summer...lot of disposable income from mowing lawns)..also, my mom actually helped sneak me in to T2, and Jurassic Park was easily the coolest thing I had seen to date. Good call on all of the above!
Thanks, Quint by Tin Snoman	Jun 11th, 2009 11:38:36 AM
That's pretty much my story, as well. Minus the personal details, of course. Having been a dinosaur enthusiast as a kid, reading the book when it came out and hearing that, of all people, the guy who did ET and Indiana Jones was going to make it into a film, well, you can imagine I was eagerly anticipating its release. I will say that plotwise the book is better, but the sheer experience of sitting in that theater was absolutely mindblowing. Spielberg will probably never be that good again, unfortunately. Why do those brachiosaurs still look amazing, yet most of the CG done these days looks so terrible? And John Williams...holy crap. He knocked that one completely out of the park. I actually haven't watched it in a few years, but this isn't about how I feel about it now, it's about back then. And back then, Jurassic Park was AWESOME.
Yeah, thanks Quint by Bill Brasky	Jun 11th, 2009 11:49:05 AM
For making me that much more dumber. Er. Yeah.
Jurassic Park----Oh that takes me back by drewlicious	Jun 11th, 2009 11:49:33 AM
Back when CGI was special. Funny thing is I was nuts about dinosaurs back then yet for some reason I never heard of a velociraptor (heard of similar dinosaurs) or dilophosaurus. The latter was kind of cute......until it blinded you and ate you.
More summer experiences! I have a ton! by Davidhessstation	Jun 11th, 2009 11:57:57 AM
Here are a few: Cemetery Man! Yeah, never heard of it huh? According to imdb, this came out at the end of April but when it arrived in Rochester, NY it was the summer of 1994. No one was in the theater and my friend and I were so pumped to see a real gory horror film finally on the big screen. The 90's sucked when it came to horror films! We were the only ones in the theater and the seat I sat in had a broken arm. I ripped it off and took it home with me and we both signed it and wrote the date on the arm. Kind of stupid but a good memory. 1984 gave me Karate Kid and I remember running out of the theatera nd kicking my dad as hard as I could right in the butt. I got my ass kicked for that but still, a memory for that summer. Back to the Future is also up there because I saw it twice in the tehater with my parents which never hapepend! I also remember summer of 1985 and saw the first film I was ever allowed to see with a friend and not with a parent...Spacecamp!
Wow...Jurassic Park! by jake122683	Jun 11th, 2009 11:59:13 AM
I remember seeing that with my Mom. My brother and Dad went on a trip and we didn't, so we had a fun weekend. My favorite summer movie time was more recent, it was the summer of 2000. Gone in 60 seconds, What Lies Beneath, Coyote Ugly, MI2 (which sucked), and the best movie of all X-MEN!
JURASSIC PARK? by Underoos Hero	Jun 11th, 2009 12:06:44 PM
I really had no idea that you young fellers have soo much love for this film and that it was such a moving experience for you. Now I do feel sorry for most of you because you weren't really old enough to experience all of the great movies that (as I said earlier) changed cinematic history. My movie experiences started for me in the late 70's and I was very lucky to be able to see all of the great movies that came out in the late 70's and 80's in the theater. HELL....my parent's took me with them to see Elvis in 1978. I was there in the same building with Elvis fucking Presley. How many of you kiddies can say that. **waits for asinine comments like "who cares" etc...
Summer 1975...Jaws by mattb68	Jun 11th, 2009 12:17:27 PM
I was seven years old. We were on vacation (holiday) in Bournemouth, UK. My mom,dad,brother and I had heard about this big movie everybody was talking about featuring a shark that was blowing em all away in America. As you can imagine, it was an unbelieveable experience in the theater with a crowd. I've been to many more in the years since (Star Wars, Khan,Indy etc) but I'll never forget that one. Don't think you'll ever capture that feeling again although I do enjoy the Blu-rays on the big screen at home !
JAWS BEST SUMMER MOVIE OF1975 by kennyd	Jun 11th, 2009 12:18:17 PM
THIS MOVIE STILL TO THIS DAY STANDS ALONE...HAD ALL THE ELEMENTS..EVEN THE SOUND TRACK..NOW THEY WILL DESTROY THAT..WITH A REMAKE....FUCK HOLLYWOOD...STEVEN WILL PRODUCE ALONG WITH DREAMWORKS,www.bestmovienews.n et HAS THE STORY ON IT,,CHECK IT OUT THEN LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU ALL THINK
I love the guys who take the time to post... by sambafreak13	Jun 11th, 2009 12:19:19 PM
...about how stupid the topic is. (i.e. "who gives a shit what your favorite movies are?")...if it's such a stupid topic that nobody gives a shit about then WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU READING THE TALKBACK AND TAKING THE TIME TO POST? Nobody gives a shit if you think it's stupid/lame/boring...you just come across as a misanthropic asshole (which is maybe your goal in the first place)...if you don't care about a topic on the site, DON'T FUCKING CLICK ON IT!!! sheesh
Stephen Sommers Fired from GI JOE!!!! by erichaislar	Jun 11th, 2009 12:23:17 PM
http://tiny.cc/tC92C
Jurassic Park is the first film I have vivid memories of by TheDark0Knight	Jun 11th, 2009 12:23:56 PM
seeing in theaters...I was 4 my sister was 7, I had the coolest mom of all time. She took us to see it a couple weeks after it had come out. There werent to many people in theater, I stood in awe the entire time, my sister hid her face for most of it. I was at that perfect age where nothing is actually scary & everything is mindblowing. When Jurassic Park 2 was coming out I was beyond stoked & im pretty sure that was the first time I experienced the disappointment of a sold out theater. I love summer movies.
JP the book blew! by shutupfanboy	Jun 11th, 2009 12:24:51 PM
Face it, any book that shoves fake DNA code in is a joke. I wouldn't even get into the whole run with the raptors to get to the helicopter end. It was a great case of the movie being far superior to the book. Steven turns somewhat dull books with great premises into epic stories. He did it was Jaws and he did it here.
Every summer used to feel like that by Arteska	Jun 11th, 2009 12:26:49 PM
JP was kind of a throwback event even when it arrived but yeah it was incredible. Only a few times has the needle moved the same way since.
Empire Strikes Back, but in a different way by VADER77	Jun 11th, 2009 12:38:48 PM
this is supposed to be greatest impact of summer movie, not greatest summer movie, right?? it's Empire for me, but not exactly in the way it is for most...being a HUGE Star Wars fan, 13 going on 14, puberty and all that goes with it, this movie changed me! it actually disturbed me, the story, the darkness of it all, the very adult themes and images... at that age, that's what a lot of kids are struggling with, and Empire hit home and drove those themes thru me. To this day, Vader is my favorite character of all, because of the complexities of what happened to him, and even though there are better movies out there (Star Wars is STILL my fav) Empire had the biggest impact on me for a summer movie...... been a movie geek ever since and don't plan on stopping............ and i agree with most people, i'd like to see hollywood leave more OUT of the trailers, and let the magic happen in the theatre !!!
1974-Present by REDD	Jun 11th, 2009 12:40:39 PM
1974: Golden Voyage of Sinbad 1975: Jaws 1976: The Outlaw Josey Wales 1977: Star Wars 1978: Star Wars (it was still in theaters!) 1979: Alien 1980: The Empire Strikes Back 1981: Raiders Of The Lost Ark 1982: Tie: The Thing / Blade Runner 1983: Return Of The Jedi 1984: Ghostbusters 1985: Back To The Future 1986: Tie: Aliens / Top Gun 1987: RoboCop 1988: Die Hard 1989: Batman 1990: Total Recall 1991: Tie: Point Break / T2 1992: Batman Returns 1993: Jurassic Park 1994: True Lies 1995: Apollo 13 1996: Tie: Independence Day / Mission: Impossible 1997: Tie: The Lost World: Jurassic Park / Face/Off 1998: Saving Private Ryan 1999: Tie: The Matrix / The Phantom Menace 2000: Gladiator 2001: AI 2002: Tie: The Bourne Identity / Attack of The Clones 2003: Tie: The Matrix Reloaded / X2 2004: Spider-Man 2 2005: Tie: Batman Begins / Revenge of The Sith 2006: Superman Returns 2007: The Bourne Ultimatum 2008: Tie: The Dark Knight / Iron Man 2009: TBD (but so far, Star Trek)
JP was great until the old man eating ice cream by Knobules	Jun 11th, 2009 12:45:56 PM
That was a time killer scence and should be cut out. And Laura Dern screaming nonstop, for crap sake nobody wants to hear a screaming women. Well in the movies if ya catch my drift. ButDAM that T Rex scene was classic.
Quint by Turd Furgeson	Jun 11th, 2009 12:52:39 PM
I must say, you are by far the most talented reviewer/writer on this site. And I say that with man love for everyone here. Your style and storytelling ability are great. Just in this piece, you got me totally jacked that its summer again! Very nice work.
'85 and '87 by SmokeFilledTavern	Jun 11th, 2009 01:04:05 PM
1985: Back to the Future 1987: The Untouchables, Robocop, Full Metal Jacket, Predator, etc.
'85 forgot... by SmokeFilledTavern	Jun 11th, 2009 01:04:47 PM
Rambo
Jaws was mine, i was 11 by mygirleatsbannanas	Jun 11th, 2009 01:20:24 PM
Loved yr article , brought back similiar memories.I live at bondi beach,Australia, buggered my summer as far as swimming goes.Still my all-time favourite
1987 by galoot	Jun 11th, 2009 01:21:01 PM
Don't forget "Stakeout".
I distinctly remember Bill & Ted's Incredible Journey by RobertBaron	Jun 11th, 2009 01:21:27 PM
I was a really hot summer day and my mom took a friend and I to see it. I remember after the movie we played Bionic Commando and Link on the NES and then watched a VHS of the Royal Rumble later that night
JP is still a great thrill ride by SifoDyasJr.	Jun 11th, 2009 01:27:00 PM
During the stampede scene, the sound system vibrated so much that it caused the theater's ceiling tiles to fall on the audience. Now that's total immersion!
The most effective movie trailer by SifoDyasJr.	Jun 11th, 2009 01:31:09 PM
was, oddly enough, the one for The Devil Wears Prada. They showed one entire scene from the movie which actually got me interested enough to see it with my girlfriend. If it had been the typical lame trailer that gives away everything (like 'The Proposal') I wouldn't have been interested at all.
Star Wars 1978: Star Wars (it was still in theaters!) by Series7	Jun 11th, 2009 01:31:30 PM
They don't do that anymore. I think movies had a lot more impact back then because there were 7 wide releases every week. Now its a huge deal if a movie stays number 1 for more then one week.
Oh man!!! Does this bring back memories!!!! by SobchakSecurity	Jun 11th, 2009 01:43:38 PM
First post on here, and reading this sure brings back that magical time. I still remember it pretty clearly. It was summer 93, I was 7 almost 8 years old. The hype machine for this thing had been building for months. This has to have been the first time I ever really felt that magic. Oh sure, there were other memorable ones, but this one stands out in my mind the most. I remember when I was a kid, I had to see the movie the opening day or at least weekend when I came out. I begged my parents to take me and go and see it. I saw it opening weekend with my dad, I was mesmerized and terrified at the same time. After all that, something had changed. I remember going into the toy stores and seeing all the toys,I remember I was gonna buy all the jp toys, make my own jp movie and everything. I had scripts, characters, all that. Yeah. I was that into it. That didn't happen. I read the book probably 3 times after that, and to be honestm, I think I enjoyed the book more. I must have seen the movie like 6 or 7 times after this. Nothing was like it at the time.
JP the book was cutting edge when it came out. by Vic Twenty	Jun 11th, 2009 02:02:05 PM
And I recall fans of the book being let down by the watered down Speilberg product. I really enjoy it now, but there were so many moments from the book that were missed. Nature of the beast, I suppose.
I graduated in 1993 by QuickStopBoy	Jun 11th, 2009 02:03:41 PM
I had just gotten back from Senior Week. What my mother was thinking letting her 17 year old son go away fro a week with other 17 year olds I'll never know. (I know one thing, my kids will never do this or hear that I did it) I saw this movie with someone who would go on to be one of my greates friends. We enjoyed the hell out of it. For some reason I did not think it would be scary. That all changed when the T-rex came through the sunroof of the jeep to get the kids. I remembered that Spielberg was the guy who made Jaws. It was my first summer where I was not going to school in the fall and I was directionless. It was a scary and exciting time. I always associate movies with a certain time in my life and Jurassic Park was the first great movie I saw at a very weird time in my life.
First R rated movie memory by Moviegimp	Jun 11th, 2009 02:16:23 PM
I did this in Harry's post so I won't repeat it here, Star Wars though. The first R rated movie I got to see was Best Little Whore House in Texas. It's not a great movie, not sure if I've ever seen it since then, but it's a good memory since it was the first one. My brother took me to see it. I was 16, I know 5 year olds go to R rated movies now but not then, not in my family. Actually my parents didn't know. They would have grounded him for a month if they did. He was a big Burt Reynolds fan because of Smokey and Bandit. I think that is the only reason we went to see it. Plus it has Dolly Parton so I wasn't going to say no. I should rent that movie.
I lived on a military base by Series7	Jun 11th, 2009 02:22:29 PM
During the summer of 99, and lived right above the movie theater that showed movies for free. It was a big base so the movies were only like a week or two old. I saw Deep Blue Sea like 6 or 8 times, just to see the reaction of the auidence. One time I got there late and had to stand in the back because all the seats were taken and when Samual dies you saw the whole auidence WHOOSH back in their seats, it was great.
If you were 12 years old in 1993 by Abominable Snowcone	Jun 11th, 2009 02:22:48 PM
Then I'm an old fuck.
Independence Day by Emperor_of_the_Sun	Jun 11th, 2009 02:27:51 PM
What I loved about that movie during the summer of 96' wasn't really the movie itself, it was really cheesy, but the fact that I cannot remember a movie that my hard core cowboy father was so excited to see. My dad was one of the last of the old school cowboys, he went on cattle drives, broke horses, went on horseback for WEEKS at a time in the mountains with just what he and his horse could carry. The funny thing was that he liked scifi, he loved watching Star Wars with me when he was home. Anyway, for some reason, ID4 got him really excited and I remember watching it in the theater 3 or 4 times and loving it. It's more the memory than the actual movie, but that has got to be my favorite summer movie memory of all time. My father died from cancer a few years ago and I still think about those times.
Thanks Quint by qbert455	Jun 11th, 2009 02:32:51 PM
I too was 12 years old that summer, and everything you described, was my experience. The lines, the sound, the swell of John Williams amazing score as they arrived at the island (still my favorite score of all time), collecting the cups (stupid Gallimimus...I had 3 of those cups!). I feel like we just had a bonding experience.
I too feel my spirit "souring" when I watch Jurassic Park by Toilet_Terror	Jun 11th, 2009 02:37:41 PM
It's my childhood memories curdling. [Not making fun of you, I totally acknowledge the timestamp.]
Quint! by The_Coyote	Jun 11th, 2009 02:50:26 PM
You saw Jurassic Park at the Century 24 jumbo screen on Winchester Ave. I go there all the time, to this day. It's right by my house. I had no idea you were from this area.
My best summer movie experience was... by deckard197	Jun 11th, 2009 02:54:21 PM
A CHINESE GHOST STORY. It was the summer of 1991. I was 12 at the time and one day my big brother told me about this supposedly kick-ass kung-fu film playing at the fantasy filmfest and if i would want to go, too. I was, still am, totally into Hongkong cinema, so of course, i went with him. The fantasy filmfest at that time was a small festival just insiders knew about and it was just playing in two german cities back then. Now it's bigger and taking place in multiplexes throughout germany, so it kinda lost its charm. When the lights of the small Kant-Kino went out that day, magic happened. I remember it as if it was yesterday. Although the film was shown in cantonese with english subtitles, and with 12 i spoke neither language, i didn't realize that the charactors spoke language then i do. But it was not the funny moments, nor the cool fight-scenes, nor the magical athmosphere that made the film special. It was the unbelievably gorgeus Joey Wong that made this film, this experience, incredible. I never felt love before, i never even knew what that meant, but as soon as she appeared on screen i knew i was in love. The scene in which Leslie Cheung's character hides in her bathtub, so her mistress wouldn't spot him and then he looks at Joey Wong taking her ripped wedding-dress off, of course he chokes then at this perfect sight and she leans forward to breathe into his mouth to not just save his life from choking, but from a far worse Death, was the most erotic scene i ever saw and could imagine at that time. After this night i dreamt of joey Wong for months. I will never forget this and i will always be grateful to my brother, for sharing this with me. Thanks for reading!
Drag Me To Hell by Super Rabbi	Jun 11th, 2009 02:55:05 PM
This might have been my favourite movie experience ever. Surprisingly full crowd, all excited, and reacted at all the right cues. Marvellous.
1984 by Samuel Fulmer	Jun 11th, 2009 03:02:23 PM
Ghostbusters
'91 by TheNewDirector	Jun 11th, 2009 03:09:22 PM
Watching T2 in the theaters at the age of 11, great experience, I've been in love with movie ever since that skull got crushed..
aintitcool? by Lemure_v2	Jun 11th, 2009 03:13:21 PM
no, not really. Anyone want to hear a blow by blow account of my first trip to the cinema on my own to see Die Hard 3? Yeah? Thought as much.
My Nightmare by WellDisciplinedVC	Jun 11th, 2009 03:20:39 PM
Summer of '74. 11 years old. Edgewater drive-in. GODZILLA VS. MEGALON. Pity me.
Quint by DocPazuzu	Jun 11th, 2009 03:30:24 PM
Great story. You are definitely the heart and soul of AICN these days. I was ten when Star Wars came out in 1977, so that's the one for me, but I do recall being absolutely flabbergasted the first time I saw the brachiosaurs and the hadrosaur herd in JP. I wrote a bit about this in the last summer movie TB. I am soooooooo fucking lucky to have been at the perfect age to enjoy all those great movies on the screen and without having my brain tainted beforehand by the internet and the deluge of CGI. Before Star Wars blew my mind and changed my life I had been raised on a steady diet of old classic movies like Tarzan flicks and Hammer horrors. My dad, who was teaching at UT during the 1970s, used to take me to summer night outdoor screenings of old genre films like the Universal monster movies. The first time I saw The Thing From Another World was sitting on a fold-out chair on a balmy Texas evening together with a bunch of UT stoners and geeks more than twice my age. Good times, good times... Now I'm almost -- ALMOST! -- old enough to wear one of those cool-ass paleontologist hats that Sam Neill wore in JP without looking like a tool.
I was lucky enough to go to a sneak preview of JP by lockesbrokenleg	Jun 11th, 2009 03:30:34 PM
It was indeed an awesome experience. Kids were crying. And everyone was screaming! The T Rex was great.
JP was also my big summer film. by FrenchBastard03	Jun 11th, 2009 03:43:20 PM
I was 8 years old and I remember my dad and I passing by a Jurassic Park standee in a theatre after seeing some other movie and he says to me, "I'm going to take you to see that, opening day". That was the first and only time he had done that, and sure enough we were there opening day. I was scared shitless, but it was an awesome experience.
I love how you AICN assholes narc off other sites stories and th by Glory_Fades_ImMaxFischer	Jun 11th, 2009 03:53:36 PM

Fuckin' Glory_Fades_ImMaxFischer by Al Swearengen	Jun 11th, 2009 04:05:51 PM
Cocksucker.
American Werewolf in London and The Thing by ThrowMeTheIdol	Jun 11th, 2009 04:11:41 PM
I have fond memories of going to see them. A great period for that kind of b-movie fun.
Return of the Living Dead and Gremlins by KanekoFan	Jun 11th, 2009 04:25:18 PM
Those two, along with The Empire Strikes Back, were the movies that defined what I love in a movie, but I only saw Empire on a later re-release just prior to Jedi coming out, and it lacked the anticipation element that seems so key to a lot of these Summer movie memories. But I remember first seeing the ad for Return of the Living Dead in the paper, cutting it out, tacking it to my wall, and staring at it enraptured for (days? weeks? Who can be sure? I had just turned six, after alll...). My parents were a little hesitant about a six-year-old seeing an R-rated zombie flick, but I would not take "no" for an answer on that one. As my father describes it, everybody in the audience was looking pretty shocked at the presence of a little kid in the theater, but when I started laughing at the movie's funny parts, the whole crowd loosened up and had a great time. As for Gremlins, I have no memory of the anticipation, but I do remember how obsessively I went on and on about it after seeing it. I must have annoyed the Hell out of my folks.
San Jose by jelac07	Jun 11th, 2009 04:33:12 PM
I had no idea you were from my hometown...ah the Century 21. I knew when you said Bullwinkles...lol. we very well could have been in the same theatre.. Nothing was more magic than the first time you see those dinosaurs... that movie is why I now have an reasonable fear of velociraptors
Summer of 87 by theBigE	Jun 11th, 2009 04:52:23 PM
I was about to start my senior year of HS, I had a driver license, and their is nothing to do in rural mid-america, except drive to the local one-screens on the weekend. I must have seen 20 films in the theatre that summer. Many of them stunk, but it was a great summer. I think Witches of Eastwick, Revenge of the Nerds 2, Dragnet, etc... all came out that summer. Unless my memory is going.
lemure by THE KNIGHT	Jun 11th, 2009 05:28:59 PM
You sir, are a cunt.
THE KNIGHT by jackalcack	Jun 11th, 2009 05:45:18 PM
Ha ha! He sure is.
Best Star Wars experience? JEDI in '83. by spud mcspud	Jun 11th, 2009 05:56:24 PM
First SW movie I saw onscreen (not much money in our family back then). Knew every word of it, having read the Storybook through a gazillion times. Could not believe how thrilling it was to see a new STAR WARS onscreen. Caught up by watching all three originals in Special Edition format, but when I saw windows in Cloud City, Rontos and Dash Rendar in ANH and a fucking AWFUL song replacing the decent one in Jabba's palace in JEDI, I knew it was the beginning of the end. The prequels finished me off - SW as we knew it is dead. But, damn... I'll never forget seeing JEDI at my local ABC in 1983. Halcyon days.
People who grew up watching Star Wars on TV by lockesbrokenleg	Jun 11th, 2009 05:59:11 PM
Fuck. You assholes don't know what it was really like Star Wars was MADE to be on the big screen.
The Monster Squad. by Dr. Samuel Loomis	Jun 11th, 2009 06:14:49 PM
Greatest film experience ever. I don't remember if it was Summer, but I'm sure it was. Still has a place in my heart as my favorite childhood film. The Night of the Living Creeps is right up there as well.
Hell...my parent's took me with them by Han Job Solo	Jun 11th, 2009 06:15:28 PM
to see Elvis in 1978" Your parents took you to a mausoleum?? He was a corpsicle in '77.
Summer of '63 by Han Job Solo	Jun 11th, 2009 06:29:25 PM
Visiting the grandfol in Minnesota and a group of us kids ranging in age from 6-10 walk to the local movie house to see The Birds for a quarter a head. Man that walk home in the dark was pretty frightening for a 7 year old afterwards. Freakin' awesome though.
Still say ID4 by Logan_1973	Jun 11th, 2009 06:29:38 PM
Right down to the fireworks. No movie cries freedom better during the summer.
Grandfolk* by Han Job Solo	Jun 11th, 2009 06:30:34 PM
Grr
Summer of '67 by Han Job Solo	Jun 11th, 2009 06:36:57 PM
Speaking of Dino movies, One Million Years B.C. Raquel Welch in big screen wonder....sploosh!
Lots of 'em! by dgeer80	Jun 11th, 2009 06:53:36 PM
I have tons of favorites for Summer. I'll make a Top 10 List of the most memorable: 10) Transformers 9) The Dark Knight 8) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 7) Jurassic Park 6) The X-Files: Fight the Future 5) Independence Day 4) Batman (1989) 3) Attack of the Clones 2) Revenge of the Sith 1) The Phantom Menace This is not according to film quality, but rather "most memorable" summer movie experiences. I loved all the movies on the list though.
True Story by MrHyde	Jun 11th, 2009 07:08:53 PM
my friend lives on campus on the university of california irvine aka UCI. one day we decided to do some mushrooms and walk around. i had just watched jurassic park and remembered how bad ass it was. all day i was blabbing about jurassic park to the point where i was doing it just to annoy my friends. just talking about how it is the height of ass kickery. then we wandered into an open but empty classroom. and i shit you not one the chalkboard someone had written JURASSIC PARK = AWESOME. i could not believe it. and i won't blame you if you don't.
'80 and '81 by Han Job Solo	Jun 11th, 2009 07:40:49 PM
Caddyshack in '80, man did I laugh/trip my ass off. A few years later I rent the VHS and watch it with my dad, laughing/tripping my ass off again (dad was laughing/not tripping). Good times. Then '81 and I was rocked by Excalibur, remains one of my all time favorite movies.
The Blair Witch Project by neoroosta	Jun 11th, 2009 07:46:12 PM
I had a very similar experience with Jurassic Park. I was just about to turn 12 and going to see it with all of my extended family who I was visiting was an early birthday present. I had just read the book, and for some reason, for Jurassic Park, that was beneficial to my enjoyment. I had read about dinosaurs being brought to life, and then I saw dinosaurs brought to life by Mr. Spielberg and company. Another huge summer movie for me was The Phantom Menace. I had no idea how much that movie actually sucked until years later. In the summer of '99, though, I had just graduated high school and there was NEW FUCKING STAR WARS in theaters. I saw it eight times (and only fell asleep through the whole Tattooine section the last five), but the movie that changed the way I thought about films and made me want to become a filmmaker that summer was The Blair Witch Project. It's weird to me that nobody has mentioned that one yet. It was the first and only time I've ever walked out of a theater into bright Arizona sunlight and still been absolutely terrified. The marketing campaign on the burgeoning internet changed the way films have been marketed ever since. It was brilliant.
Batman 89 by smackfu	Jun 11th, 2009 08:09:40 PM
Every kid and teenager I knew was nuts about this film all summer long. It was all anyone talked about, people were buying the friggin trading cards, and all of a sudden everyone who could read was getting interested in, and buying, old Batman comics. It was a) the first 'summer event' movie that was like what we have now, where everyone knows it's coming for months and anticipates it and b) it was the first REAL superhero summer movie, and c) it completely re-energized Batman and the comics industry in general
Walked out of Empire Strikes Back in a daze by romanocc	Jun 11th, 2009 08:11:46 PM
8 years old in 1980, loved Star Wars, and was expecting Star Wars II. Except, Lucas(when he actually wanted to make a great movie) threw a curve ball and took away every kids innocence. Luke gets wacked by the monster in the first scene? Han opens up the guts of a Taun Taun? The Hoth Battle? The Millenium Falcon rolling through the asteroid field? Yoda lifts the X-Wing out of the swamp? The Cave? Vader is choking imperial guards left and right? Han and Leia hook up? Han is frozen in Carbonite? Vader is Lukes father? The movie ends and the bad guys win? WTF???? Awesome, just awesome! That is what a movie experience should be!
The proof of Batman '89's power... by smackfu	Jun 11th, 2009 08:21:39 PM
lies in the fact that children were buying Prince albums lol. Name one other movie who's mojo was so strong it could make children rock out to something like Prince for the better part of a summer.
Ghostbuster Fanclub by jaezonhugh	Jun 11th, 2009 08:47:18 PM
I was so psyched to see ghostbusters, it was the first live action movie I saw by myself. The movie changed my life! Right after seeing it, I bought the soundtrack (mind you, that was the first real cassette I ever bought with my own money.) Went straight home and started my own ghostbuster fanclub, I became the ghostbuster on my road. Unfortunately my brothers (who were way young at that time) and me were the only kids on my road. I couldn't help telling everyone to "Back off Man, I'm a scientist." Who was with me?
1996 rings a bell... by pr0g2west	Jun 11th, 2009 10:25:17 PM
Twister, Mission Impossible, ID4, The Rock, Mars Attacks, From Dusk till Dawn, and Escape from L.A. are all tattooed in my memory.
1981... by Pissed Off And Bitter	Jun 11th, 2009 10:30:18 PM
Someone posted that Clash of the Titans came out then. Well I don't exactly remember when it came out, except it came out in 1981. Anyway my mom took me to go see only we went with the double feature of Dragonslayer and Clash of the Titans. I'll never forget the baby dragons chowing down on the princess and the reveal of the big Dragon Vermithrax. Great movie!!! Scared the hell out of my mom. Then Clash of the Titans came on and just seeing all the stop motion wizardry on display, it just couldn't get any better. The Kraken destroying the city, Zeus breaking apart the king's clay body, Calibos attacking Perseus, Medusa and her getting her head chopped off. Again, that scared the hell out of mom. Oh yeah and the end where Perseus manages to get on the cliff where the Kraken is gonna eat Andromeda, he then pulls out the head and it kicks Kraken ass and turns it into stone. Awesome movie experience!!!
MEG... by serellie	Jun 11th, 2009 10:31:05 PM
I've been waiting years for that movie. Come on, someone, make it happen!
Jurrasic Park by pr0g2west	Jun 11th, 2009 10:31:07 PM
I was 11 when I saw it, That was the most excitement I ever experienced from a movie in my life, and im pretty sure i'll never get that feeling again. It was pure magic.
The Thing and Blade Runner by IamZardoz	Jun 11th, 2009 10:53:30 PM
were both released on the same day, 25 June 1982.
Best Movie Experience Ever... by transparentman	Jun 11th, 2009 10:54:36 PM
When I was a kid, movies weren't always an option. We hit a rough patch there when my dad got laid off from the saw mill in 1989. AND we didn't even have cable. Looking back, I don't know how I survived. Well, that's a lie...I went outside a lot during those years, which is something I need to get back into. But, here I sit. Trying to recall a moment that left me breathless. Now, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of movies I've seen since that are far better, but the movie I remember seeing that for the first time left me awestruck was Tombstone. I can remember the day, with my dad, as we talked about going to see a movie. I had already seen Jurassic Park, and my Dad is big into westerns, so he talked me into it. We got the requisite snacks at took our seats. I don't remember the theatre being very full. I do remember not being very excited. Growing up, I remember John Wayne movies and Clint Eastwood movies being in regular rotation in the family VCR. Looking back, those are some awesome pictures, but at the time, my young mind couldn't comprehend the awesomeness of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, or Pale Rider or Big Jake or The Green Berets. So, there I sat, kind of stewing because I wanted to see Jurassic Park again. I remember being still disinterested until a key scene. It's when a drunk Doc Holliday(played perfectly by Val Kilmer) challenges one Johnny Ringo to a test of manliness. Johnny whips out his six-shooter and twirls it around and expertly whips it about, wowing the audience, save for Doc. To retort, he spins his alky mug in the same fashion, much to Johnny's chagrin. I can vividly remember that moment as when I started caring about character and story, more than shininess and cool effects. That was the stage set for later in the film, a constant chaffing between these two men until the final showdown that is damned haunting in it's carrying out. I'll never forget the line, "I'm here, Huckleberry." Dripping with testosterone laden bravado and backed by a man with a pair of enviable testes. There are many aspects of that portrayal I wished were me in real life. The way he carried himself. It inspired me. I watched that movie, and when it was over, I was changed forever. I looked my dad in the eye. I spit more. I felt like I could really be a man if I had a shotgun. Or learned to play poker. I chose the latter. And, I got to share an experience like that with my father. I really appreciate that he'd take me to movies(even when we may not have had the cash to do so). It's something that I hope to do for my kids one day. To give them a chance to be awed. Tombstone may not be one of my FAVORITE movies, but it will always be the most influential.
"I'm here, Huckleberry." by Han Job Solo	Jun 11th, 2009 11:34:03 PM
Wasn't that line, "I'm your huckleberry"? And You're no Daisy at all...ah, loved Val as the Doc
Summer of 2001 by Fineus Fog	Jun 11th, 2009 11:38:01 PM
as a New Zealander our summer is Dec - March so seeing Fellowship of the Ring on a stinking hot day Dec 19th was amazing. I still remember the end credits rolling and everyone cheering for our hometown boy - P.J
Most memorable trailer ever: by sambafreak13	Jun 11th, 2009 11:47:06 PM
The Phantom Menace. Admit it; every single one of us lost our shit when we first saw it...
The decades by Han Job Solo	Jun 12th, 2009 12:02:44 AM
It's kind of hard for me to delineate my movie going experiences to one or two decades like most here. I've had several to choose from. Seeing Thunderball when I was 8, 2001 A Space Odyssey at 13, MASH at 14, Zachariah at 15 with the Acapulco Gold cartton as a double feature, Young Frankestein and Pearl in Germany in the Air Force at 18, Rocky at 19, Star Wars at 20, Alien at 22, and the list goes on. I envy the youngsters getting their movie mojo on with the advent of movies like Indy and JP, what magic...
Something is wrong with Jurassic Park fans... by Fa Fa Fooey	Jun 12th, 2009 12:13:39 AM
That film has no soul, and for you to claim that it does, is absurd. You're the kid who jerks off to Fangoria.
"I'll be your huckleberry." -- TOMBSTONE by JDanielP	Jun 12th, 2009 12:54:25 AM
My wife is so cool, it is one of her favorite flicks.
Batman by Toulon	Jun 12th, 2009 01:11:01 AM
To echo a few others on here, it was DEFINITELY Batman for me, in '89. I was 8 years old, and Batman . . . BATMAN . . . was onscreen in live action, taken seriously, and JACK was the joker. The soundtrack was everywhere, the single, iconic bat-logo was plastered over every surface, and there was the big, secret, 'we'll-never-tell-how-we-did-t he-Joker-makeup' story going around. When you start going through the trench in the opening titles, and then it becomes the bat logo, I felt like I had reached a new level in life . . . this was DIFFERENT. However, what really cemented it for me was that, I had seen it with my folks at the very first screening we could, which was like noon or something, and then we were going out gift shopping for a relative's birthday. Mom went off to pay for some gifts, and my dad and I were sitting in 'the chairs' in the store, going over and over all the parts of the movie. Then he looked around, leaned in and asked: "Wanna see it again?" I don't think I actually made any noise, he knew my answer. So what did we do? We found a pay-phone, put in ONLY ONE QUARTER, and got the number for the theatre . . . not some automated line, but the actual teenager running the box office. We asked when the next show was, and if it was sold out yet. He said there were still about 30 seats left, but were going quick. We then asked "Can we buy tickets over the phone?" He thought about it, and said "Don't see why not, if you give me a credit card number, I'll have them here when you come to the box office. So basically, yes, we will take credit for moviephone any day!! Mom comes back, no one says a word, and she just looks at us . . . then says "we're seeing it again, aren't we?" And we did!!
first time I ever skipped school was for Jurassic Park by BadMrWonka	Jun 12th, 2009 01:57:12 AM
blew my mind. I also remember seeing it again with my parents, and my mom cried because she knew my uncle (who we had just lost to AIDS a few months prior) would have fuckin' LOVED it. he was a movie and SFX nut. crazy, I haven't thought about that in years...
Fa Fa Fooey by BadMrWonka	Jun 12th, 2009 01:59:05 AM
it takes a special kind of asshole to shit all over something that everyone else is remembering as a great childhood movie experience, just for attention and to be unnecessarily contrary. I don't say this often, so feel proud that you've earned it...fuck you.
Underoos Hero by vivahst	Jun 12th, 2009 02:24:11 AM
You say your parents to you to see Elvis in 1978? Were your parents necromancers? The last time I checked Elvis died in 1977.
Lol, anyone remember Dick Tracey? by lockesbrokenleg	Jun 12th, 2009 02:24:34 AM
That was the first midnight movie I ever went too. Man, do I ever regret it.
The Last Action Hero? by alucardvsdracula	Jun 12th, 2009 02:42:44 AM
My memories of that summer are a little hazy but I'm sure the movie souviner book had nothing but pictures of steaming turds in it. Just like the movie.
Fuck Drew McWeeny by masteryoda007	Jun 12th, 2009 02:50:28 AM
Asshole
JP! by SUPERJIM	Jun 12th, 2009 03:52:50 AM
This is almost exactly the way I felt about this movie. Granted the specifics are not the same but I too was 12 in 1993 and JP changed the way I look at film. If I had to chose one movie-going experience that changed me in some way it would be JP. There was no cinema in our town even though it is not a particularly small town. We used to have to travel to a crappy old shithouse of a cinema 15 miles away and I had probably been 3-5 times in my entire life. Shortly before JP was released, a new 14 screen multiplex had opened on a retail park close to that old shitty cinema. We didn't have a car in our household but my best-friend's dad did and would occassionally drop us off somewhere after moaning about it. I know for certain that there was me and my best-friend, I am sure there were more of us but I cannot remember who. As you can probably imagine, going to the cinema was a massive event for me, even seeing a crappy film was amazing. I remember all of the publicity surrounding it and wondering how the hell they made the dinosaurs look real. A friend of mine had a magazine that showed the Galamimus(sp?) running in formation. He believed they had ACTUALLY created dinosaurs in the same way that they do in the movie as he had take the description seriously. Thankfully my young brain was not that stupid. JP just blew our 12 year old brains away! When we came out and his dad was waiting to take us home, we were going to run back in and get in the next showing - leaving his Dad to wait in the car park for 2 hours and tear us a new one when we finally emerged - but we didn't have enough cash to do that. It was the first and last time I have ever wanted to go right back in to watch the same movie again.
Granted, Jurassic Park was a great summer movie back then... by Motoko Kusanagi	Jun 12th, 2009 04:19:12 AM
...and I saw it twice and even jumped outta my seat at the same scene (severed arm) at the second viewing. But the movie aged kinda badly. The effects work still is convincing, but the story got pretty stale and lame and those two kids simply annoy me. Plus, the movie should've been as gritty and bloody as the novel. As it is, it's just a walk in the park. So, another "great" example for a PG-13 flick that could've been much more cooler as an R-Rated thrill ride.
Quint: You just captured how I felt in 1993! by tazzzer	Jun 12th, 2009 05:00:04 AM
Quint, what you just wrote then vividly bought back 1993 and Jurassic Park for me. I was 13 and it remains the most incredible cinema experience I have ever had and it was the event that made me fall in love with cinema. I know in the 70's for 13 yr olds in 77 it was Star Wars but for me and for many in my generation it Was Jurassic Park. For that reason it remains my favourite movie of all time and I still love seeing it. Infact only recently have I started watching movies in Hi-Def and JP was the first I watched. I was taken aback because it was like watching it new all over again although it could never ever beat the original experience. God bless you Speilberg and Co for giving me that memory and experience. What I find incredible still is that when you look at that T-Rex in the car destruction scene that T-Rex actually looks a lot more real I think that many CG attempts today. Infact I get really frustrated with movies made today for that reason because I'm like hangon they did a lifelike T-Rex in 1993 but they produce this shite in 2009? Anyway's like you Quint Jurassic Park is my movie of all time, fucking love it still and it will always be King I think for me for the emotion it brought on - that feeling like it was real that meant your mouth opend wide in amazment. Where are these kind of movies now I ask? All we get is remakes. I hate that the second half of JP 2 Lost World was crap and I thought JP 3 was poor but the original remains best. I guess there will be no JP4 now and maybe that is not a bad thing but inevitably because they cant create anything new I would imagine one day they might do a remake of Jurassic Park all I hope is that they dont fuck it up because it is my movie!
How about worst summer blockbuster? by classyfredblassy	Jun 12th, 2009 08:41:44 AM
My vote for all time turkey goes to 1998's Godzilla. First movie I walked out on. Hadn't done that since till last year's "The happening". Thanks m. Knight dork.
Godzilla by Series7	Jun 12th, 2009 08:56:18 AM
Hell no. I love that movie, and so did Harry during a period of time. That movie is how I found out about this site. I actually lived in the middle east at the time and the chances of me seeing the movie where slim. I went to the states that summer but Godzilla had left theaters. On the way back we stopped in Britain for two days and I caught it, it was on the one showing a day by that point. I think it was the first movie I went to solo. I've seen the movie way too many times since and still enjoy it. I don't get why everyone hates it so much, its not like the source material was ruined or anything. Its based on a cheesy man in suit movie and now its a cheesy CGI movie. They even had actors playing duel roles.
serellie by Series7	Jun 12th, 2009 08:58:04 AM
Its funny I was going to respond to you about Meg when I read what this bozo put about Godzilla. I was going to mention how that scene in the book where the Meg jumps out of the water to grab the heilcopter I need to see on the screen. How they have to do it better then Godzilla grabbing the heilocopter.
vivahst Re: Elvis by Han Job Solo	Jun 12th, 2009 10:14:23 AM
Good catch, just about 8 hours late though
"What this bozo put about Godzilla?" by classyfredblassy	Jun 12th, 2009 10:22:45 AM
Are you for real, or just tempting me to hit you in your pencil neck with my cane? Harry has had some positive reviews of TERRIBLE movies. In fact, his glowing review of Godzilla is considered his "jump the shark" moment. That version of Godzilla had: Terrible script, check. Terrible acting, check. Cheesy effects, check (baby godzilla scenes any one), Rip off other movies (again see baby godzilla scene). You could hear the audience moan about half thru at some of the terrible jokes. The Roger Ebert mayor? Awful. Just awful. Plus the original Godzilla (especially the original Japanese edit, minus Raymond Burr) is actually a good, dark film that was actually about something, and had a genuine sense of menace. It was not about a giant iguana that gets taken out by one f-16. God who let the pencil neck geeks out of their pen today?
WellDisciplinedVC by half vader	Jun 12th, 2009 10:58:53 AM
I will not hear a bad word about it. First movie I ever saw by myself (Mum picked me up afterward). Astra Parramatta for me!
Frist (!) & last movies I ever saw at a drive-in by half vader	Jun 12th, 2009 11:06:15 AM
First was Enter the Dragon. I was very little and was supposed to be sleeping in the back of the station wagon, but I kept peeking. Didn't understand why he kept making those noises. My Mum & Dad didn't have much money so we usually hid under the folded-down bench seat in the back to get in free. Which was fun. Home-made popcorn and cordial was no fun. Last thing I saw at a drive-in was American Werewolf in London. That shot of the werewolf just coming into shot at the bottom of the escalators scared the crap outta me and I kept expecting it to appear at my bedroom window that night...
is by Series7	Jun 12th, 2009 11:13:57 AM
A 17 inch neck considered pencil? I don't know really, I was just measured the other day so I know. And if you are so old you have to use a crane no wonder you didn't like Godzilla, probably too loud for you. For someone who "walked out" of the movie you know a lot including the end?
Series7: Answers for stupid questions by classyfredblassy	Jun 12th, 2009 11:25:44 AM
(1) A 17 neck is a pencil neck. All necks are like pencils compared the Great One, the Hollywood fashion plate. (2) I use the cane for to get the good handicap seats, and sometimes as weapon in match if Kamala is loosing. (3) I saw the ending on cable tv. You must have been one those problem kids. You had no toys so you played with yourself. You beat your meat instead of beating your Tom Tom.
Walking out on movies by rogueleader66	Jun 12th, 2009 12:49:56 PM
Ok, I just don't get that. I have seen bad movies, but never have I walked out of a movie. You have already paid, all you are doing is pissing away your money. Ok I get it when a movie stinks you just want to leave. But leaving a movie 30 mins in like I have seen a lot of people saying they have done? I just don't get it. When I see a bad movie, I try to sit through it so I can say I gave it every last chance. Ok so what I do is not how everyone else does it I know that, I am just trying to understand the rational reason for walking out and wasting your money.
I feel asleep by Series7	Jun 12th, 2009 12:53:43 PM
During the opening scene of MIB2 and woke up during the credits, does that count as a walk out?
CFB by Series7	Jun 12th, 2009 12:57:31 PM
No I had a lot of toys, pretty spoiled actually. Though I don't see how not having toys has anything to do with the argument, maybe in your senile old brain (one that thinks you actually have to have a handicap to use the handicap seats because people check, lets face it your fat and can't walk up the stairs to the other seats). And who is this Great One you are so enamored with? And in fact I do beat my Tom Tom, because it annoys the shit out of me giving me bad directions all the time.
Yeah I miss movie theaters by Series7	Jun 12th, 2009 01:04:30 PM
Giving out free shit for movies. Now your lucky if you can get a poster.
Servies7 do you know who you are talking too? by classyfredblassy	Jun 12th, 2009 01:56:13 PM
http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/un categorized/2007/08/23/244. jpg Remove the spaces cupcake
Sorry by Series7	Jun 12th, 2009 06:43:50 PM
I had to wait till I get home before clicking on that link, because my work does not approve of gay porn on computers.
Drive-in movies were the shit by Han Job Solo	Jun 12th, 2009 08:42:03 PM
when I was in college circa '78-82. Had a VW bus and would cruise by and pick up a large pepperoni pizza, have a 12 pack on ice in a cooler and watch the fun unfold. Saw Circle of Iron during that time. What's weird is that movie stands out from all the rest.

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