Sometimes it can be a bad thing when you do not let go of the past. But then there are things you can never let go. They are the things we look back on fondly, make us smile effortlessly, and make us think about simpler times. This week, AiPT! takes a look back at our childhood favorites.
What is a movie that has been one of your all-time favorites ever since you were a kid?
Dave Brooke: Ghostbusters is up there. I could watch that forever due to the still excellent special effects and many hilarious moments. Ace Ventura also comes to mind.
Rory Wilding: The first Toy Story remains an all-time favorite since I saw it on the big screen. It did spawn one of the greatest film trilogies of all time, but the first one is my personal favorite, largely due to how quotable it is, with every toy getting their moment to shine, leading to such hilarity.
Justin Cohen: The Lion King. It was one of the first films I saw in theaters as a kid, and it’s still my all time favorite to this day.
Davis Pittman: This might sound odd for childhood, but Titanic. I also loved The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and Ice Age.
What is a movie you first saw as a kid and gets better every time you see it?
Dave: Eraserhead. Possibly the first movie I remember seeing it was really messed up then, but now I understand he deeper meaning.
Rory: As the first film I ever saw in theaters, Jurassic Park spawned my love for dinosaurs, but as I got older, I learned to appreciate everything else, from a character and thematic standpoint, most notably Ian Malcolm’s numerous conversations about chaos theory and life finding a way.
Justin: The Big Lebowski. As a kid, I didn’t understand the humor as much but it grew on me to the point where I find it hysterical every time.
Nathaniel Muir: The Breakfast Club gets better with age. The first time I saw it, I thought it was funny, but all the serious stuff was just weird to me. I just wanted to laugh at Bender. As I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate the more dramatic scenes and the character studies. I still don’t get how Emilio Estevez can break a whole pane of glass just by shouting though.
What is a movie that no one else seems to like but you have liked it since you first saw it as a kid?
Dave: Hook for sure. I saw this in the theater with my mom and adored it then. It bombed with critics and upon rewatching I still enjoy it.
Rory: When it initially came out, The Iron Giant didn’t find its audience until much later, due to the rise of CG animated films. However, as one of the few who caught it on the big screen, I think it remains as Brad Bird’s best and most humane movie, which is now widely regarded as a modern animated classic.
Justin: Anaconda. It’s not a great movie by any means. But I loved it as a kid (despite my #1 fear in the world being snakes…) and I still find it a fun watch to this day.
Nathaniel: Never heard of is the same as do not like, right? I loved Time Bandits as a kid. With a cast that includes Sean Connery and John Cleese, the first part of Terry Gilliam’s “Trilogy of Imagination” is a fun movie that anyone can enjoy. Yet, every time I mention it, no one has any idea what I am talking about.
What movie makes you feel most nostalgic?
Dave: Those early 90s movies get me. Coneheads, Addams Family (and the sequel) both hit my funny bone while bringing back memories of the simple life of being a kid.
Rory: As someone who collected Transformers toys and watched the Generation 1 cartoon during my childhood, I have a nostalgic soft spot towards The Transformers: The Movie, which undoubtedly can be seen as a cynical commercial to promote Hasbro’s latest toy-line, the story is surprisingly dark and emotional, while the animation can range from dated with errors to stunning surrealism.
Justin: There are quite a few 90’s films that get me nostalgic. One of the ones that hits me hardest is American Pie. It just was such a big memory from my youth (I was 10 years old when the original came out and was not allowed to see it) and it’s all about your high school years. My friends and I would watch the first two films in the series along with some of the other raunchy comedies at that time on repeat over our teenage years, and it brings me back to that time in my life when I watch it.
Nathaniel: Bachelor Party, by far. My sister and I someone came across a VHS copy of it and we would always watch it. It is silly, funny, and innocent. (A weird word to use about a movie that includes a donkey dying of a drug overdose, but it was simpler times.) The movie takes me back to being a kid when nothing really mattered but having a good time.
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