Friday, March 8, 2013

My Top 10 Favorite Movies as a Kid


It’s a lot of fun looking back at the flicks I grew up with. Some of them are heartwarming gems that continue to comfort me, others are numbing romps that I haven’t bothered with in years. But a few of them are more. More than child-pleasing distractions, more than mindless entertainment. A few of the films listed below are partly responsible for my fascination with the medium. They made me realize that movies could be more than movies. So take a trip with me down the rabbit hole of my youth, and be sure to list some of your childhood favorite flicks in the comments.

Cinderella (1950)
I’ve featured the picture above on this blog before, but that is me, age 2, receiving my first film. Such a large milestone at such an early age. Because of this, Cinderella will always be my favorite animated film. A few months ago, I watched the movie for the first time in more than a decade, and I was oddly inspired and invigorated. In short, it made me feel like a kid again. The power of film.

E.T. (1982)
Am I the only who was scared shitless by E.T. as a kid? And I know what you may be thinking, Yeah, the scenes with E.T. running in the woods is kind of creepy. But no, I actually thought those moments were thrilling. It was everything else. E.T. hiding in the closet. E.T. pale white and dying in a ditch. E.T. stumbling around the house drunk and alone. I have no idea why these scenes frightened me so much, but more curiously, I haven’t the slightest clue why I watched them over and over (and over and over). I watched this movie so much, I burned through three different copies of that bright green VHS tape. Maybe that’s why, to this day, I would rank E.T. in my Top 25 films of all time. I’ve never not been consumed by its power.

The Monster Squad (1987)
The Monster Squad is a kind of brilliant horror comedy that expertly juggles the balance of not taking itself too seriously, but remaining smart throughout. In the movie, a band of famous monsters (Count Dracula, The Mummy, The Gill-man, The Wolf Man, The Frankenstein Monster) invade a small town and are battled by a precocious group of teens. The film was co-written by Shane Black, who was then one of the highest paid screenwriters in Hollywood (and, currently, can be found as the director Iron Man 3). The film is filled with Black’s unique wit, and remains a pleasant horror romp to this day.

Beetlejuice (1988)
From its perfectly eerie opening credits (seriously, I wish Danny Elfman still made music like this), to its iconic use of Harry Belafonte tracks, to Michael Keaton’s go-for-broke star-making performance – Bettlejuice is Tim Burton at his absolute best. And from an early age, I was so taken with Burton’s no holds barred approach to gothic satire. Granted, I had no idea what gothic satire was when I was four years old, but it made the movie no less enjoyable.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
I warned you that some of these might not be the most… mature of films. But if I’m being truthful, I loved the hell out of this movie as a kid. I was never too fond of the first TMNT film, and I absolutely loathed the third one, but damn if I didn’t watch The Secret of the Ooze on repeat. That hilariously dated opening credits sequence (that makes it impossible to NOT crave a slice of pizza), the toy store fight, the abandoned subway station, Tokka and Rahzar, Vanilla Ice (“Go ninja go ninja GO!”) – I mean, really, what’s not to like?

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
Amy Jo Johnson. The Pink Ranger. My first ever crush. Not celebrity crush. Not movie crush. Crush. Period. I loved her.

Bad Boys (1995)
Bad Boys certainly wasn’t the first R rated movie I saw, but it was definitely the one I got the most mileage out of. My friends and I would watch this flick damn near every weekend, throwing lines at the TV, singing the bitchin’ ‘90s tracks, being wowed by the over the top action scenes – there was nothing about it that we didn’t love. And, to get a little technical, I’d like to point out that this was the first film I saw with a soft, pre-credit opening. The kind of opening that has nothing whatsoever to do with the plot of the rest of the movie, but everything to do with expert character establishment. And to think, there was a time that Michael Bay actually made a solid flick.

The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Usual Suspects was the first movie that, upon finishing, I immediately watched a second time, without dare leaving my seat. I know the film’s ending has been dumbed down and parodied to death, but when this movie was initially released, it was a fucking sensation. An indie flick starring people you sort of recognized, with a snap crackle script, and a denouement that fooled us all. The Usual Suspects had serious Wow Factor back in the day. Whether that’s remained or not is irrelevant to this post, what matters is that I was deceived by its charm. Exquisitely deceived, even.

Scream (1996)
People forget how big of a gamble Scream was. It was directed by a genre master who hadn’t had a hit in years, written by a guy no one had ever heard, and starred a bunch of could-go-this-way/could-go-that-way kids. But Bob Weinstein rolled the dice, and it paved way for a film I have never fallen out of love with. When Scream was released, I was a few years younger than most of the characters in the film, but there was something about them that made them so identifiable. They talked how I talked, watched what I watched, knew what I knew. Scream was (is…?) a slice of horror comedy gold that knew exactly what it was doing, and seriously reaped the benefits.

Taxi Driver (1976) and Pulp Fiction (1994)
I broke chronology and am listing these two landmarks together because both Taxi Driver and Pulp Fiction had the same impact on me, at the exact same time. I saw them a few months apart when I was 10 years old, and it was with this pairing that I realized what film can be. Or, perhaps more significantly, what it can do. I realized that film is so much more than an escapist artistic medium. Movies, I realized, weren’t solely meant to entertain, they were meant to elicit emotion. To provoke thought, and fear, and laughter, and excitement, and dread, and inspiration.

Don’t get me wrong, Pulp Fiction is the most entertaining film I’ve ever seen. Period. But there was something about it that struck me so early in life. It was the way the story evolved, the way the characters talked, the way the music propelled everything. It was all so… new. Taxi Driver was different, but the same. Which is to say that although the films don’t resemble one another structurally, their impact on me was profound. Let me put it another way: Taxi Driver and Pulp Fiction are, to this day, my two favorite films of all time. And believe me, that certainly isn’t a coincidence.

42 comments:

  1. That's a nice list. With the exception of the Power Rangers movie (I was never into the Power Rangers) and The Monster Squad (I've never seen that film), you and I are pretty much dead-on with this list though I was late with Taxi Driver and the films of the mid-90s as I was in my teens when I first saw those films.

    I have a HD movie channel that is showing some movies I loved as a kid like The Last Starfighter and Explorer. Shit, that takes me back. Plus, Beetlejuice is still my favorite Tim Burton film. "Nice fuckin' model!" I think that's where I first learned the F word as an eight year old kid. Then I learned all sorts of bawdy language and saw boobies through the Police Academy movies.

    Those were the days.

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    1. That's so awesome that you liked so many of the same films as a kid. Anytime these flicks come on TV, I feel compelled to at least watch some of them. Beetlejuice will always be my favorite Burton... shit is priceless. Fuckin' Keaton, man.

      Those were the days indeed.

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  2. Fantastic list! One of the landmark films of my childhood (shit, there are too many to mention) is Reach the Rock, a little film written by John Hughes that almost no-one saw because it never got a DVD release. Those who did see it by and large hated it. It's one of the best films I've ever seen. Having a rare gem like that that you love so dearly is one of the things being a cinephile is all about, for me.

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    1. Thanks man! Dude, I just looked up Reach the Rock on IMDb... synopsis sounds really compelling, I'd definitely see it if it was available. Wonder why no DVD release...? Damn shame.

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    2. That film was just on Cinemax a few weeks ago. In fact, it was I think the last film John Hughes wrote by himself in his own name as everything else he did in the late 90s and 2000s were under the Edmond Dantes pseudonym. If it comes back on, I'll DVR it and save it and see if I can pass it around to everyone else.

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    3. That would be really cool of you. I'm genuinely curious to see it now. Thanks for looking out!

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  3. Yay, Beetlejuice! I used to watch that all the time. Now I barely remember it. Man, I really need to re-watch it.

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    1. I rewatched it a few weeks ago and was transported back to childhood. LOVED that movie.

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  4. Michael Keaton was/is/will always be creepy as hell in Beetlejuice! I wish Burton hadn't fallen off course...his latest movies have all been mediocre and forgettable. No one will ever forget Beetlejuice!

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    1. Because of Keaton's work in Beetlejuice, I will always consider him a great actor, no matter what. I agree that Burton has fallen off. Really a damn shame. Go back to your roots!

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  5. Go Go Power Rangers!! Ahh, the good ol days.

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  6. Beetlejuice! It's one of my mom's favorites, so we re-watch it all the time. I still like it to this day. I grew up in Haiti so I went around calling the Power Rangers 'Papa Rangers' because that's what I heard it as and I could not read English yet. Amy Jo Johnson looks good to this day. Loved Bad Boys as well. Hated the Ninja Turtles, still do. But, I am more shocked by the fact that you were allowed to watch Taxi Driver and Pulp Fiction at 10? Granted, I was allowed to watch graphic movies at an even younger age, but it's just not the norm, at least not in the U.S.

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    1. Beetlejuice never gets old for my family either. Still great indeed. Amy Jo will always look good in my mind. Always.

      I was allowed to watch whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted by age 9. My parents did their best to try and stop me from watching certain flicks, but I always found a way. So after a while, they just gave up and hoped for the best. And a few years after that, they were encouraging me to watch everything. Very very supportive. It sounds trite, but I really did view films differently, even as a young kid. I've always been entranced by them.

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    2. I believe your story. It really shows.

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    3. Nice man, I take that as a compliment!

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  7. I love how Taxi Driver and Pulp Fiction are in this. I was 16 when I watched them.
    My kid years were very Bollywood, Jim Carrey and Robin Williams filled, Titanic of course, and then there was Harry Potter.

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    1. Those two movies really did change movies for me. I'll never forget their impact.

      I loved Jim Carrey's flicks as a kid. Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber were played on repeat.

      MOCK... YEAH!

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  8. A couple of these I didn't get to until I was a teenage, but I remember the magic (and indeed horror) of watching ET as a child. This nostalgia post should be mandatory for every blogger :)

    I actually was considering checking out all those iconic Disney classics that I haven't seen: Cinderella, Dumbo, Bambi, Lady & The Tramp, Pinocchio, Jungle Book, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Fantasia, etc.

    My own childhood favorites? 100 favorite films are packed with them, and I agree going back makes me feel like a kid again, and who doesn't want that once in a while :)

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    1. Whew, someone else who was freaked by ET... glad I'm not alone!

      I'm honestly not the biggest fan of those Disney classics, but I do love Cinderella, A Goofy Movie and Aladdin. Those were tops for me.

      It's so warming to feel like a kid again, isn't it?

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  9. Haha !! Great List. I saw most of the movies here quite late but I get what you are talking about. In fact, I still haven't seen most of the Disney Classic. Snow White that I saw earlier this year was my first.

    However, can we get to the all important question of How did you get to see Taxi Driver and Pulp Fiction or even Usual Suspects at the age of 10 again? :D

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    1. Basically, I was allowed to watch whatever I wanted around age 9. My parents tried their hardest to restrict my viewing, but I always found a way to watch them. (At that time in America, you didn't need an ID to rent R-rated movies as a kid. Everything was pretty much free reign). And after a few years, my parents supported my viewing habits and encouraged me to watch everything. Lucky kid!

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  10. Such an INTENSE expression on that two-year-old's face, studying his first movie. That speaks volumes.

    Fun list! About bring scared of ET when you were a kid ... I was terrified to tears of the Grinch who stole Christmas. So I'm not judging.

    Pulp Fiction is one of my go-to feel-good movies, y'know when I'm in low spirits and need to be entertained. Yes, I read that sentence, and I know how tweaked that sounds. Travis Bickle is a wonderfully morally ambiguous character. I definitely would not want him dating one of my daughters, but I can't deny the dude has heart. ;-)

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    1. I know right?! I need to pull that whole video and post it on here. It really does say everything about me as a cinephile. Hilarious.

      The Grinch definitely used to freak me out too!

      We get along so well because we agree that Pulp is so entertaining and Bickle does indeed have a heart! Truth, truth.

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  11. Ahhhh...fond memories. Great list. The dinner scene in Beetlejuice is one of the best ever.

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    1. Thanks! How many times did I watch that scene when I was kid? Over and over and over. I love Harry Belafonte.

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  12. Niiiice. I was also a big fan of E.T., TMNT and Power Rangers as a kid. I used to watch a ton of Disney flicks but got tired of them pretty quickly. Well, all except for one -- Toy Story. Still love the hell out of that movie today.

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    1. Another Power Rangers fan! All right! I got pretty bored of most of those Disney flicks as well, but yeah, ones like Toy Story never grow old.

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  13. Great list!! I'm surprised not to see "Adventures in Babysitting" on this list. Someone told me you watched and re-watched and re-watched that movie. In addition to a couple of the above, my list would have The Wizard of Oz, Toby Tyler, and Babes in Toyland. Have you ever seen those movies?

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    1. I can't believe I forgot Adventures in Babysitting... gotta call it out as a honorable mention. That's a real gem there, isn't it?

      And yes, I do believe I've seen Oz, Toby Tyler and Babes in Toyland upwards of 100 times each. HA!

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  14. Most of these I watched for the first time as a teenager, but I grew up with a few. I still have the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy (Yes, I even liked the third one) and the Power Rangers movie on VHS. Other essentials were Star Wars, Indiana Jones, the 3 Ninjas series, and the Disney Davy Crockett movies. Ah, good times.

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    1. I have that TMNT box set to. Hilarious. I loved 3 Ninjas and that Crockett flick as well. Forgot about those!

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  15. Great list. E.T., Beetlejuice, TMNT II - my bread and butter as a kid. I actually didn't see Monster Squad until a few years ago but I still love it. Shane Black is definitely a big reason why. Plus the line "Wolfman's got nards!"

    Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, not so much. I never really watched the show (I think it was because of the big hooplah over the violence or something. Parents wouldn't let me).

    I still to this day can't really say that I've seen Bad Boys all the way through. What do you think, Pain and Gain will be a new solid Bay flick? Look's interesting and a hell of a lot better than Transformers.

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    1. Love that we have so many of these in common! That is a great, great line from Monster Squad. I got in trouble so much as a kid for saying that.

      I can't even lie, I'm pretty sure I was the biggest Power Rangers fan as a kid. Lasted for a few years. The good years.

      I do think Pain and Gain will be a welcome step back from the Transformers nonsense. But I don't think it'll top Bad Boys or The Rock. We shall see.

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  16. Great list man, I love that you can trace your movie history back so far and so detailed. TMNT II would definitely be on mine as would Power Rangers. Others on my list would be Jurassic Park, Lady and the Tramp, Pete's Dragon and my all time favorite animated movie the The Land Before Time.

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    1. Thanks dude! Pete's Dragon... wow. Wow. Haven't thought about that one in years. Great call. I loved The Land Before Time too. Its 78 sequels... not so much.

      Really appreciate you reading and commenting!

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  17. I guess I have Disney to thank in an odd sort of way for my eclectic appreciation for films. I never really liked any of the Disney cartoons, I thought they were too loud and 'kiddy' for me (Yes, even back then, even today the only ones I like are pixar creations). With my folks not knowing what to do with me, they showed me the movies THEY liked: Star Wars, Star Trek, James Bond, Indiana Jones, Hitchcock, Back to the Future, Untouchables, Airplane, Groundhog Day and Field of Dreams. It all gave a great background in great visual storytelling. Gotta love nostalgia!

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    1. Gotta love it indeed! I was never actually a fan of Disney films or animation in general. Still not. I find myself unable to fully invest in them on a number of levels. But Cinderella, man... I'll always love that one.

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  18. The Monster Squad kicks The Goonies ass anyday!

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  19. Great read. Off your list Beetlejuice and The Monster Squad were the two I watched the most, I remembering hiring Beetlejuice from the video store four or five times over a 6 month block.
    But The Karate Kid will forever be my No 1 childhood movie, Gods I loved that.

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    1. Thanks Ed. The Karate Kid would be in my Top 15 here, no question. Christ I watched the hell out of that movie. I love the freeze frame in the end. So perfectly '80s.

      Also love that you were (are...) a Monster Squad fan. Whatta gem.

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