Movies

Twelve years ago, Facebook asked what are 15 films that stick with you. Here are my answers from 2010

I’m thankful for the role that books and movies have played in my life. They have educated me and expanded my ability to empathize and stretched my imagination. They have created a shared experience I can discuss with family, friends or even strangers. They have at times even given me a goal that meant I had to keep living even when most of my life seemed unbearably sad. It might be pathetic that I would see a preview and think that I can’t die now because I have to see this movie, but you know, whatever it takes to keep you getting up on those days when it’s really hard and the brain weasels are lying to you.

Movies for my parents were huge deals, going in to town and seeing a movie, buying snacks and taking the family, seeing a piano player during intermission, getting the news reel and seeing friends. When I was a child it was smaller, but still important. Seeing a movie at the theater or occasionally on TV, still a social event, often involving popcorn and friends, in theaters there was no news reel but there was a cartoon before the feature film and a lot of movies started with a musical overture and the scroll of actors before the film. Seeing a slide show was a big deal in school, by my sons school days a movie at school was a rare treat, a party earned or a novel finished first. But now movies have all been seen by all the kids and they are background. If I am left a movie to share as a substitute teacher, the kids tune it out and draw or chat with each other or sneak onto their phone.

Now my 2022 list would be a bit different, but there are some seriously old ones that have become more important as the people I shared them with have become memories. Movie we watched as a child on tv were seasonal traditions that the entire family would see together while eating home baked treats mom had prepared in anticipation. The Wizard of Oz, the claymation type Christmas versions of Santa Claus is coming To Town and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The story of The Little Drummer Boy used to terrify me as his family was burned to death and he was sent out alone. We watched Charlie Brown and Snoopy and the Peanuts gang for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We watched so many “wonderful world of Disney” movies on Sunday nights. In fact the morning at church, a big lunch with cousins and an afternoon playing with them, followed by just the family, eating pie and ice cream for dinner in front of the Disney movie, was a weekly high spot. Mom and I loved dreaming of beaches and surfing (in Wyoming) with the Gidget movies.

The movies that became important with my boys were as different as they are. Austin loved more nature/history stories while Emerson was all about fantasy and science fiction. Austin did love The Neverending Story, but a lot of older things like The Wilderness Family and Grizzly Adams and of course The Christmas Story. Emerson was all about Star Wars and Pokémon. The Harry Potter movies were anticipated by all of us and have just been enjoyed again with the oldest granddaughter.

Are there any more recent movies that have really mattered to me? Maybe not so much. I really enjoyed, “Where the Crawdads Sing” and yet, the newest movies haven’t really sunken into being a part of me yet. Maybe in the future I will look back and say, remember when we watched —- - with Patty, or went to see —— - or cuddled in at home to see——-? But it’s too soon to know for sure. For instance, when Greg and I first got married we snuck away from the Black Hills Playhouse to watch a little, mostly forgotten musical movie in Rapid City. It shouldn’t have even been remembered over the years except that the soundtrack has echoed in my mind ever since and I guess that makes “Streets of Fire” one of the most unforgettable movies to me.

[Mickey Anderson]

Wow, nice selection.
1 Shenandoah
2 Fantasia
3 Dr. Zhivago
4 The Christmas Story
5 Christmas vacation
6 Pale Rider
7 Godzilla: first Japan one
8 Gone With The Wind
9 Forest Gump
10 Fievel The Mouse
11 Crossroads
12 Tremors
13 Sound of Music
14 Twister
15 ET

[Dixie Goode]

@brillomick thank you for your time and thought. I love your list. I’d forgotten some of them. Fievel! Was that called American tails or an American Tale I think. ET was partially filmed here where I live, and so Were the Ewoks scenes in Star Wars and a part of Jurassic Park 2,