Say you really loved back then but not so much now. Or didn't care for it much, and now think differently. Or you loved (or hated) it then, and your opinion hasn't changed.
What very popular movies do you remember seeing in "first run" back in the '80s, '70s, '60s, etc., and how do you feel about them now?
I saw the first Star Wars in theater in '77. To date, that's the only Star Wars movie I've ever seen and I have no regrets about it.
I loved it, but much preferred Close Encounters
fantastic at the old theatres. the mothership scenes alone were breathtaking.
Oh, I still watch Close Encounters from time to time.
I saw it the week it opened and I was hooked. I’ve seen every one, and live them all.
I really disliked it. Still do.
I was 11 when that came out. It blew my mind.
that was my first inside movie theater movie ever.. before that it was drive ins only.
eventually saw all three at the theater. empire and return impressed me more as movies, but nothing compares to seeing the first star wars movie as your very first theater experience.
I saw the first Star Wars in a tiny theater in Glens Falls NY and I thought, "That was a cute movie."
Later, when I returned to college, I went to see it again at Seattle's UA 150 with it's huge screen.
I had steam coming out of my ears by the end.
Size does matter .. for movie screens at least.
It inspired me to always have a room with a big blank wall to use with a projector.
Actually gonna watch Shogun in just a few minutes on Wall Theater.
Tootsie:. I really liked it at the time. I saw it again just a year or so ago. I expected I was going to hate it, but I was honestly surprised. It's really quite a great movie, and still stands up.
9 to 5: Saw it in a theater. Loved it. I've seen it again as an adult, and while it doesn't quite stand up as well, it's still a very funny movie.
Star Trek: Wrath of Khan. Loved it when it first came out, still love it. My favorite Star Trek movie.
Top Gun: Great movie as a kid. I saw it again for the first time in decades (in a theater no less). I'm not _quite_ as enamored with it as I was decades ago, but if you think of it as a silly period piece from "Reagan's America", it's still fun.
The Right Stuff: Loved it as a kid. Now? I don't know.... I imagine it in my head, and the movie seems a little corny. I don't know if I'd like it or not.
The Breakfast Club: Liked it when it first came out. Not many movies had more honest portrayals of High School life, and the cliches that existed. Now? I don't know.... it's a little cliche. As an adult it seems to wrap up all those big problems of HS cliches into everyone smoking the doobie and suddenly relating to people as people.
Ferris Buellers Day Off: Classic movie. I remember seeing it, and my friends parents joking with him that it'd give him too many ideas. Today I think it's a timeless classic. It perfectly captures the idea that all kids want to usurp their dumb parents, and elders power to escape their boring lives... if just for a day.
I'm still waiting for the Sequel, with Ferris and Cameron stuck in dull, dreary jobs, just to escape for a day.
Holy shit Ferris sequel as adults is gold Jerry! Gold!!
Ferris: Married Sloan, became a successful politician, divorced by Sloan after ten years. Rumored to have cut a lot of corners and skirted the law but never caught.
Cameron: Probably in a normal, but well-paying job but a devoted husband and a good dad, not wanting to repeat the mistakes of his father.
They played a double feature at our local drive in a while back: The Goonies and The Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club was disappointing as an adult.
The Goonies was still awesome. I went home and bought it that night.
I can believe that about The Goonies. I of course saw it when it came out and love it. In my imagination I think I'd still like it if I saw it again.
The other one I saw again recently in a theater.....Gremlins. Really fun movie. Goofy. Lots of in-movie references. I don't think it's quite recognized as the classic it really is.
A Ferris Bueller 2 would be amazing!
Ferris and Cameron drifted apart over the years, nothing serious, just Life.
Then one of their grandkids is about to graduate from high school, the other comes with his extended family back to the old home town.
While the middle generation (Ferris’ and Cameron’s kids and their significant others), who were all friends growing up, go out for the day, the grandparents are left home with the teenage grandkids.
“What was high school like when you were young, Grandpa? You guys do anything cool?”
Ferris and Cameron look at each other, and then the camera. Ferris gets that old devilish glint in his eye.
cue music, Oh Yeah by Yello
Doo Bow BOW
Chikka chikka KA!
I loved Purple Rain when it first came out. Didn’t stand up very well when I watched it as an adult. Soundtrack is still great.
The acting in that movie, if that's what you'd call it, barely existed. Prince was amazing but never could quite pull off "natural human" on screen. Still, the movie's on-stage sections hold up.
We rewatched it recently... it was disappointing.
8th Street Cinema NYC yeah! Had no idea what an amazing movie we were about to see Purple Helium for weeks after
Man that was such a great movie when it came out. I don't think I've ever rewatched it though. Maybe I shouldn't.
Star Wars at age 8.
Literally changed my life as I became obsessed with it and all things Sci fi / fantasy which still affects my interests to this day.
I often feel the same way about the movie Phantasm. When you see the right movie at the right age :)
Airplane. A classic.
My aunt used to work at JC Penney. "There's a sale at Penny's!" became a running joke amongst us cousins.
The Owl and the Pussycat released in 1970 starring Barbra Streisand and George Segal was one of the funniest side splitting movies that I have ever seen - and it still makes me laugh so hard my stomach hurts.
Fwiw, What's Up, Doc? is still my #2 movie of ever!
It'd been many years since its release, but one of our eighth grade field trips involved seeing Kubrick's 2001 : ASO in a cinema big screen theater.
As I've never been a sci-fi guy, I was mildly bored. Saw it again in the late 90s on dvd (and a couple times since), and have appreciated the care and deliberation within it.
Watched Blazing Saddles not long after its premiere, and found some parts too-hilarious. Started to again at a friend's place like a decade later, and not 15 minutes in, I walked. Just couldn't sit thru it.
That first viewing of Arthur in 1981 -- and to this day -- I've been locked-in with it being my absolute favorite. It's simply priceless!
That first viewing of Arthur in 1981 -- and to this day -- I've been locked-in with it being my absolute favorite. It's simply priceless!
I'll alert the media.
Would you believe I'm a dentist?
Yes... You obviously have a wonderful economy with words, Gloria. I look forward to your next syllable with great eagerness.
In the first place, THANK you!!
Running-up is (if we might, here) throw me your subjective top 5 films from prior 2000. An' I'll list mine. No need per se for reason, nor even rhyme, tho they're terrific bonuses.
Either way, this should be fun. Unless you wish to not, which I totally unnastan. (I figure, life's short, why not let's trade another handful of laffs...)
The top five films that I really enjoyed at the theater prior to 2000 would be:
- Alien
- Ghostbusters
- The Gods Must Be Crazy
- Animal House (actually on my submarine where it played almost endlessly)
- Revenge of the Pink Panther
The audience played a big role in my enjoyment of some of these movies. Ambience cannot be overstated. And some of these movies are relics of a certain age that now I find either dated or culturally insensitive.
When still in its intro first few weeks in theaters, some friends of friends insisted I see Alien, despite my begging otherwise. "No, see, I'm just bored out of my otherwise-occupied mind with science fiction," I pleaded, but ya can't get thru to some people.
At some point, watched Ghostbusters on VHS with a pal and came away with Rick Moranis's "...so he's doin' all right!" as the line I rmmbr from it and tied with the sliding glass door fiasco as my favorite part.
After marrying, my then-missus brought TGMBC to the counter at some brick & mortar vidstore which was cool becuz I'd often see it at those places, yet hadn't thought to look into it. From then on, when apt, she or I would say, "You noticed!" and bask in our little moment.
Animal House is an irreplaceable iconic classic gem, which I've seen a dozen times.
For the most that I can recall, anything Pink Panther is always welcome over here, cuz Peter Sellers was a natural comic, and as for the cartoon, tho I don't seek it out, if it's on, I'm good with it as a fixture. 🙂
I'll bring my five in a next box commentary. My second cup is a necessity in interest of both coherence and decorum. See yous in a bit....
My 5 faves (released before 2000)...
[5] The Game (1997)
[4] Planes Trains Automobiles (1987)
[3] Marathon Man (1976)
[2] What's Up, Doc? (1972)
[1] ARTHUR (1981)
We just rewatched Arthur a couple of months ago. It was still funny, but I found that I really felt sorry for Arthur's addiction to alcohol.
I saw The Game and Marathon Man in the theater, but I've never rewatched them. I'll never forget the "dental scene" in Marathon Man!
What's Up, Doc is one of my wife's favorites. We've seen it about three times, but never in the theater.
We watched Planes Trains and Automobiles in the theater and have rewatched it several times since then. I've got the DVD so we can play it on demand.
JAWS, in a packed theater, Atlantic City, NJ, day of release. When that decapitated head rolled out, everyone screamed and jumped out of their seats. Still a great movie.
Saw it in Merritt Island FL, with the same audience reactions. It was my first serious jump scene as a kid.
Palm Beach County, FL. Had a huge impact on our comfort level when we went to the beach.
I saw The Sting when it came out to enormous acclaim and thought it was crap. I was a film snob back then. Saw it on television 20 years later and thought it was entertaining.
Redford Neuman what a duo they coulda done more
Star Wars. Not A New Hope. Just Star Wars. Still love it. Watched it Saturday.
Before I was married,so lots of them; Star Wars, Close Encounters, Jaws, Animal House, The Exorcist, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Blazing Saddles. Young Frankenstein, Loved them then and now. Regret that I never got to see 2001 on the big screen
2001 is sometimes re-played on the big screen in various theaters. It's played every couple years or so in a theater that plays old movies in my city.
It's definitely not too late.
I saw Tootsie (starring Dustin Hoffman) in the theater, and Popeye (starring Robin Williams). and also Space Balls. those are just a few I remember. surely there were many more.
when I close my eyes I can smell the 1980s popcorn machine, feel the slubby woven fabric of the thin, creaky fold-up metal seats, and also feel the slickness of the painted concrete floor under my shoes.
I miss the 80s.
Easy Rider 1969
Paranoia off the charts with Easy Rider
The Music Man is a musical that I will sit for, in any of its comebacks, including high school musicals. Anywhere, any time. The Last Starfighter is also on my forever list. (And guess who has a part in the movie?)
Haha, I mean, that pretty much encompasses every movie I’ve ever seen! You are basically asking what movies I saw growing up that I either
Liked then but don’t like now
Didn’t like then but like now
Liked then and like now
Didn’t like then and don’t like now
Probably just another bot.
I haven't re-watched many of them, but a list:
grease. I mean, it's a fun movie, fun music, the period vibe is fun to see too. but the story and many of the relationships, I doubt I'd be there for most of that.
star wars. I think I'd still like the very first movie because that association with how it hit is so strong. but han solo's macho swagger would annoy me, and the whole solo/Leia "tension" even more so.
meatballs. I think I'm the only person I know who never liked SNL and doesn't like any of its actors either. a little space is carved out for Bill Murray though. I probably wouldn't mind watching meatballs even now.
the deer hunter. I believe this would stand up. a while ago I went and listened to that cavatina that was its theme sound and it hit me just as hard.
Tootsie: it's a good movie - dialogue, cinematography, acting, story. it's genuinely witty but. even at the time I was all "oh, so the message is believed and the messenger gets his butt kissed if it's a man giving it? fuck that."
a league of their own: watched this a few years ago. can't stand Geena Davis and all that unearned perfection, but i got completely sucked in anyway.
Meatballs is one of my all-time favorite movies, political correctness be damned.
I got a job once because the interviewer asked me what my favorite movie was and I said "Meatballs" and for emphasis I banged on the table in front of me saying IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER! IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!
True story, lol.
:) it is kind of special, isn't it.
I remember reading an article by a critic about the movie Grease on its 20th anniversary. He said the irony about Grease was that it is a movie about the 50:s made in the 70:s and was the fav movie for young people in the 90's.
Not too many movies can boast that.
Man, I looooove Meatballs!
My first movie without my parents was Kansas City Bomber with a neighbor friend. I may have been twelve. The movie was action packed and I seem to remember, may have had a few vulgar words. But what I remember most was the picket line outside the theater when we exited. I think a union picket maybe. Wasn’t sure.
Well anyway a fist fight broke out right in front of me! My friend’s parents were waiting for us and they quickly ushered me out of harm’s way, but I really wanted to see how the fight turned out. The fists hitting didn’t sound at all like movie sounds.
So my impression of the movie? I kept an eye out to see it again, but haven’t caught it. It was my introduction to Raquel Welch at the right time of my life. 😂. I did follow her after that.
But I really liked the fist fight outside.
So in the early-mid 60s big movies with special engagements and intermissions were a thing (the movie industry's answer at the time to compete with TV) so I remember movies like "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" and "The Sound of Music" (which I think were 64 and 65) that were things I just loved when I was a kid. Now I wouldn't watch The Sound of Music mainly because I'm just not interested in the story or songs now, I feel like I've seen it enough. I did see IAMMMMW on streaming a few times, and it's a different experience watching such a long movie in your home where you can pause it for bathroom breaks, etc. I found that one to still be very enjoyable and now I appreciate it for additional things, like 60s decor and costumes, the plethora of stars in the movie who are now dead, etc. They really don't make things like that anymore. But I will say TSOM influenced me in other ways, my first trip to Europe was to the Salzburg, Austria area and I had to pilgrimage to many of the sites in the movie, so you can never really get away from Julie Andrews and those nuns!
One of the Friday the 13th movies was released on a Friday the 13th sometime in the early 80's, when I was in high school
The local theater broke the fire code laws as the theater was more than crowded, kids sat in the aisle ways.
The theater, before the movie began, looked like our high school as it was all kids from our high school in there (mostly).
The whole vibe was so different from any other movie I watched in a theater.
Starwars and Jaws. Still like SW, and shark movies.
Since I was in that business, most major films from Star Wars on.
2001: A Space Odyssey. Just wow then and just wow now.
Ghostbusters on the big screen was amazing.
It wasn't first run, but I saw The Producers by Mel Brooks with Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel on TV while babysitting in about 1968-9. I didn't know they made movies that funny. Still probably my favorite movie. Dick Shawn was amazing! Still love movies.
My mother took me to the theatre in 1956 to see Moby Dick with Gregory Peck! Quite a thrill for a 7 year old boy at the time. I watched it on TUBI recently again . Still holds up!
Let It Be, JAWS, The Exorcist, Star Wars, This is Spinal Tap, Song Remains the Same. Still have the swag they used to give out at early screenings from Spinal Tap, including a fake backstage pass.
The Day the Earth Stood Still...1951. Much better IMHO than the 2008 remake (sorry Keanu). I still enjoy the rare chance to see it. Forbidden Planet was and still is a fav sci Fi movie 1956 but the special effects were way ahead of its time. I found it on DVD. The Thing (from another world) 1951, has had two remakes, the original is still the best. I think I block out the memory of movies I didn't like. Animal House I enjoyed at one time, but I saw it recently and didn't enjoy it at all. Some skits were funny, but the movie as a whole, nope. Star Wars blew everyone away when it came out. It was so far ahead of it's time people couldn't see it enough, they sat thru it dozens of times. VHS machines weren't common and were ungodly expensive at first. Our first one cost $600 in 1983/4.
So funny. A friend in the industry had a vcr 79/80 we watched Dawn of the Dead riding in a Winnebago along the California coast
I'd love a Winnebago. Or even one of those Volkswagen Vans. Updated. I finally got a van but I'm too old to go anywhere anymore.
Dawn of the Dead was very controversial when it came out and theaters didn’t want to run it
Was that the George Clooney one?
Sorry that was from dusk to dawn 20 years later. Sorry
Another over the top creature feature. Wish Clooney had stayed awhile in horror
George Romero did a lot of zombie movies
Four ? I think
Dr Doolittle, 101 Dalmatians (animated one), Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Clockwork Orange, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Jaws, Star Wars (I was so high), every James Bond Film, Animal House, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and there were so many others. Most have held up well.
I'll never forget... my small-town cinema didn't get Star Wars for months, so I had to beg my mom to take me to a cinema 15 miles away to see it... long after at least half the school had seen it.
Mom wasn't excited at all: I remember her talking to her friends on the phone about having to take me "to see that dumb Space Wars movie".
However, as soon as the opening crawl finished, and Leia's fighter flew overhead, followed by the gigantic Destroyer, Mom went "Woah!" and from that moment on I think SHE was more excited about it than I was.
But yeah, George Lucas killed any good feelings with that via the prequels. I remember gameplanning with friends about what cinema we were gonna see The Phantom Menace, what time, how early to get there, etc. And the movie just... fuckin' sucked.
a fish called Wanda. this was unbelievably funny the first time around. still unbelievably funny.
breaking away is an interesting one. I re-watched it a few months ago. on the one hand I was surprised at how amateur the main character's acting is. it has that high-school-drama-class quality that feels as if he's just reciting the lines. on the other hand, I have a whole new perspective on what's really going on in all the different dynamics and relationships. I now think it's a wonderfully nuanced, authentic story wrapped in a deceptively simple plot.
Footloose: similar to breaking away. when I saw it for the first time I was mostly just baffled. an entire movie about illicit dancing in a small town seemed so strange. and a (sort of) musical to boot. again, the real story is in the nuances and I see it differently now.
walkabout by Nicholas roeg. weird and beautiful then, still weird and beautiful now.
Grease. It was hyped. Was thoroughly disappointed in how 'nothing special' it was. Now I love it as a piece of nostalgia. The songs are great but it's still not a great movie.
I saw Die Hard in the theater. Twice, because I loved it so much I went back and watched it with a friend.
Loved it then. Still love it now, and still watch it (nearly) every Christmas. (Yes, it came out in the summer, but it's still a Christmas movie, dangit!)
I saw "The Shining" in a big theater in Midtown Manhattan. It was half empty and people were clearly bored, including me. It seemed too slow, and the acting seemed off - Jack Nicholson, in particular, seemed like a guy trying to conceal the fact that he's high.
We think of "The Shining" as a universally loved masterpiece, but I like its individual scenes better than the movie as a whole. And Pauline Kael didn't like it.
'Jaws'. Still awesome.
I really liked “Stripes” when it came out in the 80’s. I thought it was so funny. I watched it a couple years ago, or rather, tried to watch it. After about 45 minutes I turned it off and thought it disgusting.
I saw Ben-Hur when I was a child. Everyone dressed up to go to the theatre. Coats and ties and dresses. Great movie.
The Back to the Future
Ghostbusters
Star Wars
I loved Star Wars and Breakfast Club back then and still do
I remember seeing Karate kid, ghostbusters, and one of the original star wars movies. I was probably around 5 years old. What I have realized is that the story lines were better because they did not have all the special effects that they have today.
The other thing I realized is that movies with special effects back then are not as great as I remembered them to be.
Love Story. I didn’t really like it. I think I was too young. I still don’t think it’s very good.
I saw Star Wars as a young teen and it rocked my world. (Hey there, Han and Luke!) It rocked my world. Didn't care for the prequels but have really enjoyed the new ones, especially The Last Jedi.
Superman, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Top Gun, and Aliens. I also saw Jaws 4 at a drive-in, but we don't talk about that... just because.
I saw Superman with my family at a drive-in, saw E.T. with the neighbor who I babysat for, saw Raiders with some friends, my brother begged me to go with him to see Top Gun (because he hated going alone and had seen it like eight times already), and my eventual husband took me to Aliens. The only one I didn't like was Top Gun because I've just never been a Tom Cruise fan, even back then. I saw Aliens with no prior knowledge of the story, never saw the first one. I had my hand clamped on my eventual husband's hand the whole time, absolutely grossed out and I loved every second of it. The Alien franchise is still one of my favorites.
ET is the only movie I ever paid to see twice in the theatre. The first night I took my ten year old daughter. The next night I heard a little child behind me saying "Daddy, Daddy, why are you crying? Daddy!!!!" I wanted to marry that man sight unseen.
I saw Ben-Hur in 1959 during its first-run release. It was very popular back then. I thought it was an ok movie but I’ve since seen many I’ve liked better..
did you ever see The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston and Yul Bryner? That movie still captivates me.
6 saw Gremlins as a kid. Somone told my mom it was a great kids movie. My mm hates horror movies so I was hiding under the seat in the movie theater. I don't remember any of this.
I love he movie now and my daughters first horror movie night was at the same age I was and she watched it with me and her brother. She loved it. She loved it so much she wanted to be gizmo for Halloween. It's now family fvorite.
Back to the Future - Incredible film. I just rewatched it not long ago and it still is enjoying.
Ferris Buellers Day Off - Another great film that is still enjoyable today.
Top Gun - I really enjoyed this when I was a kid. Lots of great quotes today. I did watch this again recently and while it is corny, its still a fun film.
Raiders of the Lost Ark - I was 11 when I saw this and it was jaw dropping. Still is enjoyable today.
Ghostbusters - Very enjoyable at the time. I like the movie today too.
E.T. - I really enjoyed this film as a kid. I haven't rewatched this one so I don't know how I would like it.
The Abyss - Absolutely an incredible film and I watch this film at least 2-3 times a year.
Gremlins - Wow, this was a jaw dropping film when I saw it. I haven't seen it in a long time though so I don't know if it holds up.
Beetlejuice - Another favorite of mine but I got more of the jokes when I got older. Still is enjoyable today.
Big - Another one I really enjoyed but I haven't seen it lately to know if it holds up.
Superman - One of my favorites when I was a kid, and I still rewatch this a couple times a year. I love the intro.
Saw Willie Wonka in the theater. Scared and delighted me.
SO MANY!!! Star Wars and Jaws come straight to mind.
Star Wars- I've been a Jedi as long as I can think straight. I'm going to a screening tomorrow of IV in a giant theatre just because I can. I will try not to mouth the dialogue. I LOVE Star Wars lore and everything in it. Princesses become Generals. I think maybe because we were not allowed to see it at first, we had to wait because money was hard. BUT MY WORD! when dad said, okay, get in the car we're going to Star Wars, I thought I was going to pee myself I was so excited. I was going to marry Luke and life was delightful. (Years later I worked with Mark and he was just the KINDEST human on the planet and loves being Luke.)
Jaws: I watch this movie once a year. The story of how it was made and re-watching teaches me everything I need to know about my love of film. Bruce forever. It was the first blockbuster for a reason.
I wish movies hung around in theatres as long as they used to do, too.
Mom had to drag me to see Ghostbusters in 1984. It instantly and permanently became my favorite comedy of all time.
"If I'm wrong, nothing happens! We go to jail - peacefully, quietly. We'll enjoy it! But if I'm right, and we can stop this thing... Lenny, you will have saved the lives of millions of REGISTERED VOTERS."
A hopeful smile grows on the mayor's face. Cut to the cardinal, giving him the nod. Best laugh I've ever had with a movie.
I still laugh at the first full-screen shot of Mr. Stay-Puft. The combination of the disaster-movie score and something adorable made horrific is evergreen.
ET. Movie upset me as a child and to this day as a grown ass adult I'm mad my parents took me to see it
I saw Star Wars when it was still in limited distribution in 1977 at Grumman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. In fact, I stood in line for two hours to buy tickets, just so I could stand in line for another two hours before we could go into the theater. It was great! You could even feel the vibration of the Empire's battle cruiser come above the diplomatic ship and it felt like the vibration came from above. About a year later I saw it again, this time with the studio allowing Lucas to use the title he wanted to use: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, but the theater in Alhambra, California did not have the sound or vibration from above so it didn't feel so ominous when the battle cruiser came above the diplomatic ship. And obviously when I watch the movie at home on Blu-ray there is no overhead vibration. I think the movie held up very well and I still consider it great!
I saw Gleaming the Cube (1989) near the end of its run and thought it was a so-so action/mystery. However, about 3 years ago I watched it on a cable channel and thought it stunk. Maybe it's my taste in detective movies; the movie is rated pretty good at 6.2 on IMDB and a Popcorn viewer rating of 69% on Rotten Tomatoes.
I watched Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in the theater a three times and each time when I left it was raining outside. I really enjoyed the story, the in jokes, the poking fun at people out of their element (the Enterprise top officers from the 23rd century having to function back in primitive 1980s to save the 23rd century Earth), just a lot of fun. I think it held up well, even if many newer viewers don't know who the whales were named after.
Love Story with Ali McGraw & Ryan O’Neill: loved it then, hate it now. Paper Moon with Ryan and Tatum O’Neill: loved it then & still love it now.
My dad and I unwittingly had a private viewing of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I would say it’s held up pretty well.
Oooooh. Star Wars. I'm 61 and still remember standing in line in Salinas for A New Hope. It had been out for months before it hit our tiny town.
I saw star wars when it came out. I barely remember it. I do vividly remember seeing Jaws & Close Encounters.. . Even The Car, Piranha, Inframan & The Towering Inferno. All those flicks came out around Star Wars.
Smokey and the bandit , hooper , cananonball run , every which way but loose,star wars, Rambo, bladerunner, thirteen year old me didn’t like bladerunner when It first came out but appreciate it now. AIRPLANE . When the tail Wing was circling around to the jaws theme the entire theatre was in stitches.
Almost nothing stands up well. It’s kind of shocking to look back at what was once “normal” even though I lived through it.
Apocalypse Now. I saw it with one of the Bower boys and he wanted to see Halloween or something. I really don’t remember how much I liked it. I’ve seen it a bunch of times since and think it’s one of the greatest movies ever.
Karate Kid. The theater erupted in applause when Larusso crane-kicked Johnny Lawrence’s head off. I love the movie even more now bc I’m old enough to really appreciate the relationship between Mr. Miyagi & Daniel-san
Terminator 2
Unlike many movies from that era, it still holds up REALLY well today.
Unless seeing the movie in a theater corresponded to a significant life event, I don’t remember very many of them. The few that I remember for the actual movie such as Jaws, E.T., & Star Wars were super-hyped and instant classics.
Superman…with Christopher Reeve. Just as Tom Baker will forever be “my” Doctor? The Reeve(s) were “my” Superman. (George Reeves played him in The Adventures of Superman that we watched religiously on tv.)
Today I see it’s this side of being a bit campy. But it had a very feisty a la “9 to 5” version of Lois Lane, and that makes me smile still.
The ones I saw first run were ET, Batman, Goonies, Gremlins, I can't recall many others. I feel the same about them now as I did back then.
Billy Jack. My 15-year-old self thought it was Profound. My adult self thought it was cringey.
Wonderful World Of Brothers Grimm in Cinerama
All the ORIGINAL Star Wars movies at the CineramaDome in Los Angeles! Still remember very vividly.
I saw all three Back to the Future movies in the theater when I was a kid. I felt like it was monumental, on the scale of Lord of the Rings coming out.
I saw the Empire Strikes Back in the theaters. My mom and I both fell asleep.
E.T., the hype and talk about it was huge. Theater was completly full. It was, just OK to me. People were crying, it wasnt worth that much emotion.
The Breakfast Club, I loved this movie. But I was 25, and I could see it was a fantasy. All the different high school clicks would never relate and bond to each other like that.
One that stand out for how bad it was, Soul Man. Saw it on a packed theater afternoon show, had to sit up front. Oof it was cringy even in 1987.
Saw an Alien and Amityville Horror double feature between 2nd and 3rd grade (it was a different time).
Alien is still a classic and Aliens did a good job turning horror into action but they probably should have stopped there. There just was never enough depth to the story to justify so many sequels.
Amityville was classic 70s crap elevated by good actors. A couple of good scenes that I can remember that maybe would hold up.
the moment I watched the commercial for Die Hard I knew I had to see it as soon as possible. I wasn't disappointed than and I still consider it a close second for the best action movie ever made (with Raiders of the Lost Ark being number 1)
Jurassic Park. First few Matrix movies.
I existed during MOST of the Star Wars movies being in theaters, but I was way too young. And not extant at all for the very first one.
It's funny how time marches on and expectations of "wow" change between generations. My kids have seen Jurassic Park and a few of the subsequent movies and they're just kind of "meh".
They've also seen Top Gun on TV. And while I don't think I saw Top Gun in the theater when it was new, we for sure rented it and watched it at home.
For me and people around my age - Top Gun and Jurassic Park are to us what the Star Wars movies were to folks 10-15 years older. Groundbreaking.
The Matrix was pretty high up there too. If only in my mind.
Back to the future I, II, III
Ghostbusters
Ferris Bueller
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
High Anxiety
Airplane
Young Frankenstein
Every James Bond movie from The Spy Who Loved Me
I still love them all, and occasionally rewatch them.
The first three Star Wars movies, of course, but I don't rewatch them anymore. I'm done with Star Wars. Same for Star Trek movies, but I do watch some of the new Star Trek series, like Discovery.
I liked Corvette Summer, when I was young, but I tried watching it again a few years ago, and couldn't sit through it.
I didn't see Return to Oz when it came out, but watched it a couple of years ago, and loved it. Highly recommended, if you missed it.
I saw the original Dune, and didn't care for it, but I've enjoyed the two new ones.
Summer of 1977. I was 12 years old and saw Star Wars the second day it was out. Well I saw it the first time the second day it was out. I have no idea how many time I saw it that summer. First in theaters and then in drive-ins.
I saw both Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977) in theaters during their original release. Also perhaps notable were the original Halloween (1978) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Obviously I saw tons of films during this time, probably just about every notable move from the mid-1970's up until 1990.
For me, the movies that I loved on the first showing, I still love; and that goes the same for the movies that I hated. However, the gray area for me are the movies that I was meh about. A second showing could put them in the hate or the love category.
The Exorcist, Superman, Alien, First Encounter of the Third Kind
Awesome movies you had a huge impact on society and other movies going forward for unique stories, technology, more natural way of actors interacting.
People were fainting in the theater when they saw The Exorcist.
In Alien, besides a having good-looking woman being a badass and zero romance, I had never seen actors conversing over each other in natural conversation. If you recall the eating scene where they're all laughing and talking with each other right before the alien makes an appearance out of the character's chest, you'll know what I mean. Up until then it actors' conversations always went back and forth.
First encounter of the Third Kind had really great cinematography and awesome sound. That's the first time I remember hearing things that were happening off screen behind me in the theater and the clarity was off the charts.
Superman really did look like he was flying. Still don't know how they did it. He was in his icy hideaway and he flew up toward the camera and it was awesome to see!
Planet of the Apes at the drive-in in 1969. I was 5 and did not get it. Saw it on VHS and enjoyed it and mostly enjoyed the sequels. The reboot series is great but I still have a fondness for the original.
To Sir with Love, Guess who's coming to dinner, ET, Babe, Milo and Otis, Batteries not included, Heidi, the 1937 version, Short Circuit, Wall-E, One flew over the cuckoo's nest, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Parent Trap from 1961.
I saw Rocky. I remember the whole audience cheering about something toward the end of the movie. I watched it recently and it wasn't too likable, in my opinion.
Saw Jaws... terrifying.
Saw The 3 Amigos... hilarious.
Saw Star Wars 1, 2 and 3. I wasn't a big fan, thought they were so - so, but my sister and cousins were fans. They had to go back and see them multiple times.
E.T. was awesome!
Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Weekend at Bernies, St. Elmo's Fire, About Last Night, War Games, Young Guns, Taps, The Last American Virgin, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Risky Business, Dangerous Liasons. All good movies.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Fifth Element. Not a fan. The Fifth Element was so boring, that I asked my husband if we could just leave early in the middle of the movie. We did.
We went to the movies a lot, so there are too many to list.
Please do not comment directly to this post unless you are Gen X or older (born 1980 or before). See this post , the rules, and the sidebar for details.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.