Blockbuster Movies
Yesterday was the opening of another summer blockbuster, the 6th movie in the Harry Potter series. Since the ds is at college orientation, I haven’t seen it yet. We’ve seen all the other movies together, have gone to the book release parties together, so it wouldn’t be right not to wait.This release had me thinking about other blockbuster movies.
“Jaws” was considered the first summer blockbuster. I was 9, so my mom didn’t let me see it.
“Star Wars,” we saw. All three of them. I think my mom even went to “The Empire Strikes Back.”
“ET” we saw in NJ when we were on vacation. I remember watching with my cousin who later was my maid of honor and my son’s godmother. We ate Reece’s Pieces. I don’t think I knew what they were before that.
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” we saw 4 times. It was when my uncle was living with us after his divorced and he LOVED that movie. We did, too.
“Jurassic Park.” My friends and I had read the book (I was already teaching, so I was in my 20s.) We were so excited about this movie. I remember they showed the T-Rex on GOOD MORNING AMERICA the morning the movie was released. I went to buy tickets for the evening movie at 11 AM (this was before Fandango) and the line was SO long! Then we met up to go see the movie, and loved it. I remember Denise snatching her legs up onto the seat when the little girl fell through the ceiling, and I remember standing outside the theater rehashing our favorite parts afterwards, and lamenting the parts that were left out of the book.
“Batman” with Michael Keaton—Prince on the soundtrack made this a win. Michael Keaton was no one’s pick for Bruce Wayne, but he was awesome. This was the first movie we bought on VHS.
“Ghostbusters 2”—I loved this movie. I was just married and we all went to see the late showing after work, my boss, my co-worker and the dh.
“Independence Day” Will Smith was GOLDEN. Jeff Goldblum, too. Who knew he was buff? Okay, I liked him in “Jurassic Park” but there was no muscle shirt involved. ANYWAY. Exploding landmarks, dogfights with aliens, and terrific dialogue. I know the resolution was iffy but it was so much fun. I can watch this movie over and over.
“King Kong” with Jessica Lange. Okay, it wasn’t a summer blockbuster but it’s the first movie I stood in line for. The line wrapped AROUND the theater. Again, before Fandango. Loved this one, too.
“Pirates of the Caribbean” HAD to see this one. HAD to. I remember it came out the week before we went to NYC for RWA National the first time I finalled in the Golden Heart. We saw the movie twice before we left, then bought the bootleg in Chinatown and watched it again the night we got home.
“Godzilla” I think this one released the last day of school one year. I remember being so excited about going to see it, because I LOVED “Independence Day” and the same guys did it. I HATED the movie. HATED.
“The Mummy Returns” We didn’t see the first Mummy movie in the theater, though I wanted to. But when we did see it, we loved it. So when the second one came out, we were there on opening night. It wasn’t nearly as good, but boy, did it have action. When we came out of the theater, it was storming, and we ran to the car through the flooding parking lot. We said we were like Rick, Evie and their son. My son loved the movie so much that we went to go see it at the IMAX before we left for New Orleans for the RWA conference. (Yes, the movie is that old.) I remember tricking him that we were going to see an “educational” movie, and we saw “The Mummy Returns” again.
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” wasn’t a summer blockbuster either. I remember being awed by how true to my vision Chris Columbus made the world. I went a second time with my step-dad and my brother and from the first strains of the theme, I was happy.
“Lord of the Rings”—I was dragged to this one, and was shocked at the cliffhanger ending. LOVED the second in the trilogy, though my son, in middle school at the time, had nightmares about it. Saw the third four times in the theater.
What blockbuster movies have you loved?
Labels: MJ Fredrick, summer movies
posted by MJFredrick @ 12:50 AM
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