Top 5 Moviegoing Experiences
I was recently inspired by Filmspotting's Top 5 Moviegoing Experiences episode.
#5 SHADOW - 2019
Whenever one of my children asks, “Hey, Dad, you want to go see a movie?” My answer is, “YES!” It’s just that Henry is really the only one that ever asks. Last year, he suggested a palace intrigue plot set in third century China playing at the Screenland. “Oh, hell yes!” The stunning black and white movie played on one of the smaller, newer screens. The fight sequences where incredible! When we left the theater, it was raining outside similar to how it was in a pivotal scene in the movie. I raved about the movie to everyone, and saw it again at Alamo a few months later.
#4 THREE AMIGOS - 1986/2015
I first saw the Three Amigos at the Petite 3 Cinema in Kirksville. I remember laughing louder and more than many other theater goers that night. The Petite 3 is also where I remember being deeply moved by Platoon (1986) and crying at Beaches (1988).
But the screening I loved the most was at the Alamo Drafthouse Three Amigos Movie Party in 2015. Everyone was given a cap gun and when guns fired on the screen, we shot ours in the air. Hooting, hollering and shooting while sipping a beer and eating a big-ass burger is my kind of evening. Ahh… the sweet smokey smell from the caps.
#3 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL - 1982
My grandparents took my sister and me to see E.T. They rarely went to the movies, so that was treat number one. But what really sticks with me is how much the following exchange tickled my grandfather.
Elliott: He's a man from outer space and we're taking him to his spaceship.
Greg: Well, can't he just beam up?
Elliott: This is reality, Greg.
I can still hear him say, “This is reality,” while shaking his head and smiling.
#2 SPLASH - 1984
First date with my very special lady friend. She called and invited me to see Splash at the dollar show. I wasn’t the first one she called, or the second. But I was ready when I got the call.
Her side of the story —> yeah, I asked him, but he said, “Okay, but only if you go to this church youth group with me first.” True story.
#1 STAR WARS - 1977
Mark Nelson, my best friend up the street, called and asked if I wanted to go see “Star Wars.” I hadn’t heard of it, and with the word “War” in the title, I thought it was some dumb army movie. My mom said she thought I would like it and encouraged me to go. I was 9 years old, had super-low expectations, and was BLOWN AWAY! Imaginary light saber battles and moments of concentration harnessing the Force for the next 43 years.
Oscar Game Plan and Scorecard for 2015
Here's the full list of the 16 movies that fill the Best Picture and four acting categories for the Oscars. This is what I use each year to track what I need to see, keep notes and rank order my favorites. Feel free to download and share and let me know which movies you like best. Or you can get the pdf here.
OSCAR NIGHT 2011 | 127 Hours
I expected a large portion of the screen time to be in set up (getting to the point of being stuck) and a significant amount of scenes of what was happening in the real world when they finally learned he was missing. Nope.
A large part of any movie experience is determined by the expectations set before hand. I roughly knew the story of Aron Ralston who got his hand pinned between a fallen boulder and a canyon wall and had to make some pretty tough choices in order survive; but I hadn't read any reviews or recaps before going to see it, so my expectations were uninformed. I expected a large portion of the screen time to be in set up (getting to the point of being stuck) and a significant amount of scenes of what was happening in the real world when they finally learned he was missing. Nope. It was much more like Tom Hank's Cast Away where one man carries the entire film for most of the two hours. Only unlike Cast Away where Hanks could move about the island and explore new adventures, Jame's Franco's Ralston is stuck in a fixed position within a narrow canyon. The impressive part of 127 hours is that it works. The constantly changing camera angles and video diary make his journey of mental and physical determination through over 5 days of pain and starvation a captivating tale.
Two interesting bits of trivia regarding the video diary from IMDB:
Aron Ralston filmed a daily video diary while he was stuck in the canyon; the footage has only been shown to close friends and family and is kept in a bank vault for safety. Before shooting began both James Franco and director Danny Boyle were allowed to view the footage in order to accurately portray the events in the movie.
The camcorder used by James Franco in the film was the actual one Aron Ralston used when he was trapped in Blue John Canyon.
127 Hours is an intense, emotional real life story that is not for the squeamish and earns the number 11 spot on my list of 25 movies to see before Oscar night 2011 bumping down The Fighter. What did you think of the movie?
RANKING of OSCAR 2011 MUST-SEES (so far):
- The King's Speech
- True Grit
- Winter's Bone
- Black Swan
- The Social Network
- The Town
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Inception
- Toy Story 3
- How to Train Your Dragon
- 127 Hours
- The Fighter
- The Kids Are All Right
- Animal Kingdom
- Alice in Wonderland