EdR

I apologize if there's a thread about this topic already, but it's a difficult thing to search for.

I'm curious what movies really affected other HTFers as kids (preferably seen in theaters and not on TV). I'm specifically not asking about movies that have stood the test of time (although they may have), but movies that you remember as being incredible experiences when you saw them as a kid, let's say 17 or younger.

I'm 34, so I need to go back 17 years. In no particular order:

Aliens - Left me absolutely breathless, a smart action film with a strong female lead. I can still remember the sense of forlorn dread when the 'rescue' ship crashed, the gut wrenching thrill of the queen alien scenes...and the incredibly well-timed humor of the line: "get away from her you B*****!"

Tron - I was a Tron freak, I saw it somewhere around 10-15 times. I'll never forget the first time I saw the solar sailer "rez-up" in the hangar. And of course who could forget the amazing light cycle scene. I still love the design of the movie, which stands out even now. And don't get me started on Recognizers, they even sounded cool!

Raiders of the Lost Ark - I was completely sucked in by this ride of a movie.

Wargames - I adored this movie probably because I could identify with matthew Broderick's character. No, I wasn't a hacker (although a friend and I did dial-up defense dept. computers once, but they were not classified or restricted). I loved all the stuff about artificial intelligence. And I loved the scene where he sneaks out of the infirmary in NORAD.

Earthquake - At 7 years old, I was so scared seeing this that I asked my mom if I could leave the theater. We had just moved to California and I was petrified of earthquakes. I left and never saw the end in the theater (I did see on TV years later, and wondered why I was so scared).

Star Wars & Empire Strikes Back - I don't need to add anything here.

E.T. - I was deeply affected by this movie as a 13 year old.

Those are the one's that come to mind, maybe some of you will remind me of more.

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The Languages of the Brain

ThomasC

I know you wanted just theater experiences, but I couldn't leave this out: I watched The Sound of Music countless times on VHS when I was a kid (around 15 years ago). I didn't understand the plot back then, the songs were what pulled me in.

I can still the remember the relative location of where I was sitting in the theater when I saw Jurassic Park, and I think that theater (one of the Century theaters in San Jose) had the biggest screen I've ever seen a movie on, with the possible exception of IMAX.

Crimson Tide: Great movie, but that's not what got me at the time. I had never heard so many swear words in that amount of time before.

The man I loved - the man who vanished - he never came back at all. But maybe he's still out there, somewhere. Maybe some day, when Gotham no longer needs Batman, I'll see him again.

imported_Christopher P

I am 27, and my earliest theater memory is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. When the music played and the credits rolled, I stood up feeling like I hadn't moved in 2 whole hours (as I probably didn't). It hardly even seemed as if the time passed I was so engrossed. That one stands out the most for me.

Chris

Robbie_P

Probably one I remember was when a group of us (10 yr old's) went to see superman (don't know which one), but it had finished it's run and Platoon was on in its place - we'd no idea what it was, nor what to expect butI remember my jaw hitting the floor on more than a few occasions...

Another film I remember - the Clint/Chas Rookie movie. Probably the first film that I sat through and realised how crap some movies could really be

Alex Spindler

I recall the following:
Conan the Barbarian (1982) - This is the first R-Rated film I remember seeing. I enjoyed the action, but I think I enjoyed the idea of seeing an "adult" movie even more.

Die Hard (1988) - I think this was the first time I realized how great a movie could be. Perhaps it was the time, but I can't recall anything matching the awe I had for this movie. Everything from the sound design (which I didn't even know how to look for at the time), music, action, dialog, effects, and resolution hit a nerve. Not even Indiana Jones or Star Wars sequels made as much of an impact.

The Goonies (1985) - Absolutely the ultimate adventure in my young eyes. With crass heroes, funny bad guys, great adventure, traps, Sloth, and Mouth's translation, I was in heaven.

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - The first film I recall that truly scared me. I don't think a similar effect happened until Candyman. I saw this on video at a relative's home and I have the most minute details of that house burned into memory because of this movie.

Big Trouble in Little China (1986) - I think this was the first film that I unintentionally memorized dialog for. Goonies followed soon after.


Man, am I ever a child of the eighties.

Simon Massey

Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi double bill : I was too young to see the first two in the cinema but when Jedi came out, they ran a double of both films in the cinema. The one cinema experience by which all others are measured. I was transfixed for 4 hours, and could have sat through it all again straight away. I was 7 years old. Vader scared the life out of me in ESB, especially in the Dagobah cave and when he jumps out at Luke in the last part of the lightsabre fight. And I loved the Ewoks!!

E.T : I cried and cried.....and then cried some more....and then Elliot met ET.....

Jaws : saw this on TV, but it had an extremely strong effect on me, and I have never been comfortable swimming in the sea since.

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom : I had seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, so I was really looking forward to this. I begged my Mum to take me for weeks, and I was really enjoying the film.....and then the sacrifice of the man in the lava pit scared the life out of me. I had nightmares for weeks afterwards, dreaming that my bedroom floor was opening up and I was going to drop in some lava pit.

Basic Instinct - the first 18 certificate film (UK rating) that I got in to see at the cinema. And of course I thought it was the greatest film ever at the time.....:b

Batman - I really loved this film, and thought Batman was great, with all his gadgets, especially when he pulls the guy to him at the beginning and says "I'm Batman." I also loved his car and plane and was disappointed when they changed the car in Batman Forever. In fact, I really hated the entire change of tone from Returns to Forever, and don't get me started on Batman and Robin.
The Lion King : when I realised that liking a Disney film didn't mean you were being babyish

My DVD collectionhttp://www.intervocative.com/dvdcoll....aspx/simassey

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm, there's a golden cloud, and the sweet silver song of a lark,
Walk on through the wind, Walk on through the rain, Though your dreams may be tossed and blown,
Walk on, Walk on, with hope in your heart and you'll never walk alone,
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE!!

Dan Rudolph

The Goonies: slick shoes. I really wanted a pair of those, but I don't think they actually exist.

My Collection

Matt Stone

Jaws - My parents rented it, and I watched it with them. It didn't scare me as much as I thought, but I loved it! For years my buddies and I played Jaws at the pool. (IE, one of us pretends to maul everyone else )

The Goonies - Watched it constantly on tape. I was told that I saw it at the theater, but I had to be like 3, so I don't remember.

Robocop - Another movie that I first watched on tape for the first time. I still cannot believe my Mom let me watch this at such a young age...but I loved it (which explains why I'm so screwed up now ). From my first viewing, I wish I could store a gun in my leg

Oddly enough, I can't remember too many that I saw at the theater. I can definitely remember seeing a lot of films there, but I can't remember any special moments.

Dome Vongvises

Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi - I think I wore out my VHS copy of SW. Hell, it was such a horrible copy I didn't see the opening text crawl until I was well into junior high school. Yep, I've got the toys and everything. According to family lore, I watched ROTJ six times in theaters. I can only remember one time.

Back to the Future - It was the first movie where it left me hanging so bad with that "to be continued" mark.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - It gave me all the fodder I needed to give my Indian friends hell in high school.

Adam_S

Return of the Jedi - first memory I have of a movie is Jabba's palace, Jabba being so terrifying and scary that I jumped behind the couch whenever he came on screen (saw this on taped off HBO first ROTJ then ESB after it on the same tape). Jabba, not Greedo, is the reason I want the originals on dvd.

The Land Before Time - my first memory of watching a film in a theater, I later memorized the script from watching our Pizza Hut vhs so much.

Spaceballs - saw it and thought it was hysterical, starting on my eighth or ninth birthday I insisted on renting this every year to watch it at my party, every one of my friends thought it was great, it became a tradition that lasted until I was fourteen.

Robin Hood Prince of Thieves - I watched this almost as much as Land Before Time, I themed my ninth Birthday as a robin Hood birthday, just a wonderful movie that I loved to death.

Hook - I got this as a ninth birthday present, soon became one of my all time, my neighbor and I could trade the entire pre foodfight insult war back and forth verbatim, with either one of us doing either part--we watched it that much.

I think those were the most significant, the movies that at one time or another were my all time favorites.

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2008 film list
My DVDs; S&S List 62...212 AFI lists: - DONE!

Peter Mazur

One of my earliest memories is seeing Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I was probably 4 and we went to the drive-in. That movie scared me silly and I cried almost the whole time. The scene where the fat kid got stuck in the pipe especially freaked me out.

Another early memory is seeing Disney's Robin Hood. That movie I loved.

I will never forget the first time I saw Star Wars. It was a summer night in 1977 and we waited in line for a long time. Inside it was so crowded that my family couldn't sit together. I sat with my dad and the thing that I remember is when Luke got sucked under in the compactor scene, I must have looked scared because my dad leaned over and said, "He won't die, he's the main character".

When Superman came out we saw that on New Years Day 1979. I remember it well because the dog we had since I was born died that day. Every-time I watch that film I think about him. Plus the scene where Krypton exploded was very intense. Especially the scene where you see all the people falling into infinity.

The next film and the one that leaves the greatest impact on me is The Empire Strikes Back. I will never ever forget the feeling I got the first time I saw the walkers appear and open fire on the base. That for me was a true "Hollywood Magic" scene. I had never seen anything like it before.

Raiders of the Lost Ark was of course great. I never liked ET. And the first and only time I saw Jedi in the theater, I was so disappointed and extremely bored by it. I was in my teens at that time though and some of the magic was gone.