Bloglet: Traumatizing Childhood Movies

I thoroughly enjoy watching movies from my childhood.

I was an 80’s kid, and I lapped up all of the great 80’s movies. Including ones I never should’ve watched at that age (Sixteen Candles, anyone?)

There are some truly traumatizing children’s movies. I mean, have you seen Old Yeller? Bambi? Even E.T., with it’s cute short little alien with the extendable neck. Go re-watch the scene where he’s white and dying. Last time I managed to make it to that part, I was sobbing so hard I was hyperventilating. That was in my 20’s.

But the most traumatizing movie scene is one that is very rarely mentioned when you talk about upsetting movies. And it shocks me, because I was so upset by it as a child. It broke my then-fully-intact heart.

The Red Shoe - Who Framed Roger Rabbit

I don’t believe any one scene from a supposedly children’s movie has ever upset me as much as this scene did. And I am a soft-hearted freak. I ran over a rat the other night and was in near hysterics.

First of all, shoes come in pairs. They’re partners. Friends. Compatriots. Lovers.

(Don’t think of your shoes being lovers, it’ll freak you out.)

So, this poor little shoe’s partner? Is now alone. What’s that shoe going to do? It can’t find a new partner, all the other shoes are already paired! Plus those sassy purple heeled boots look like bitches.

Find a cartoon with a peg leg, who only needs one shoe? Well, yes, he could do that, but all his life, he would feel the emptiness of his missing partner.

Did you see the eyes on that shoe as he was put into the dip? Ignore the cartoon open mouthed screen. Look at the third screenshot. That is a broken shoe. That looks painful. And he screams.

Seriously, I think of this scene and it upsets me, and I really love this movie.

This is, by far, the most traumatizing moment from a children’s movie. Ever.

Movie Meme Days 22 and 23 - I’m trying here, peeps

I have no steady employment. I have no money. I have no hope. I have lost the will to blog.

But I am working on it, I SWEAR.

And that’s peeps in the non-Dr. Laura sense of the word.

31 Day Movie Meme

Day 22 - Favorite final scene/line

The first time I watched The Lost Boys, I wasn’t aware that it’s a parody/spoof. My mother, her boyfriend, my sister and I all watched it together. It was dark in her room, and we were scared shitless. It didn’t help that my mother conspired with her boyfriend and he went outside and slammed his hand into the window to REALLY scare the pants off of us.

But come the end of the movie, you’re thoroughly invested, oh, god, oh, god, we’re all going to die…then Grandpa roars in with his truck and kills the vamp. He gets out of the truck, grabs a soda from the fridge, and turns to the gang.

One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach, all the damn vampires..

It’s just…perfect. As are the reaction shots that end the movie. That’s when I should’ve known it’s a humor movie, not a horror movie.

Second runner up for this is Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, with “You're still here? It's over! Go home. Go!” Also, see RyAn's entry for Back to the Future. I think his beats mine.

 

Day 23 - Best explosion or action scene

When I first thought about this entry, I was going to use the destruction of the White House in Independence Day, because to me, that’s still one of the most “Holy shit” explosion scenes ever featured in a movie.

But that’s a cop-out, because really, I’m not all that impressed by explosions in movies. Ooh, you blew up a house. Ooh, you blew up a car. Ooh, you caused a 25 car pile-up. Wow. I’m sure that took a lot of work.

I love beautifully choreographed fight scenes. Not ones that make me think, “Wow, that’s some nice wire harness work going on there.” And especially not ones where I think, “Nice stunt doubles.” I want good choreography that looks like the actors did as much as they could, and got their asses handed to them.

Enter Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I already thought Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were the most beautiful people in the world. Brad I’ve loved since Legends of the Fall, and Angelina immediately won me over after watching Gia. So the fact that the two of them were going to be in an action movie? HELLO.

We’ve already gotten some nice action throughout the movie, some small things that just made me grin. Then the fire explodes in the kitchen, Jane comes flying out, and “Express Yourself” blasts on the soundtrack, and the battle. is. on.

This fight scene is not only amazing to watch, it’s also hilarious. I would’ve loved to have been a stunt double on this, because I can’t imagine not cracking up while fighting. They are just BEATING THE CRAP out of each other, and it’s raw and there’s no wire stunts or even guns involved. It’s all hand-to-hand, and it’s hilarious to watch.

Promptly followed by the required sex scene, which is just…wow. If I weren’t a Brangelina supporter before then, I most certainly was after that.

Movie Meme Days 12 and 13: New York State of Mind

First of all, let's give it up for Lori for so generously guest blogging day 11's meme entry. Lori is the bomb, if you're not reading her blog, get your ass over there.

I was going to post yesterday's blog entry, but I was stuck in an Atlanta airport for literally 5 hours, with a "you have to pay" wifi system that I wasn't feeling. I managed to sneak one hour of time, but any more would've pushed my luck. So, two in one. Also, the next four or five days' worth of entries will be live from New York.

31 Day Movie Meme

Day 12 - Best soundtrack/background music in a scene

I'm not even going to lie. Bring it On is one of my favorite movies. I love the energy, the sass, the sarcasm. I've also discussed my love for good choreography, and a movie about cheerleading is all about the dance and movement.

The soundtrack is fabulous. I don't think there's one song on there I don't like. All throughout the movie you get these great songs, not including the original cheer at the beginning that will get stuck in your head faster than a commercial jingle. Parts of these songs play throughout, and you groove on them without realizing it while watching.

Then, in the final cheerleading scene, all of those songs are mashed together to make up the song they perform to. I was absolutely tickled pink by this. From Blaque's "As If" to Smashmouth's "Freaking Me". It's just a great use of a soundtrack, and I think it made the final performance even more fun to watch.

Love. Love love love this movie. And only 3/4 because Eliza's in it.

















Day 13 - Favorite animated movie

This is another one of those that doesn't require a moment's hesitation. I still have the ticket stub from seeing The Little Mermaid in the theater when I was a little girl.

As a little girl, I loved it because Ariel is pretty, the movie is funny, and there's singing. But growing up, the message just resonated so beautifully with me. Who doesn't want to experience something they don't have? There's so much in the world you want to do, and there's always something that's trying to hold you back, and you fight against it.

Ariel didn't want to go to the surface to meet a boy. She wanted to learn. She wanted to know about books and fire and the way humans live. Finding a cute boy was just another thing to motivate her on.

Ursula is my favorite Disney villain. First of all, she's a BBW. Then, she's purple and evil. Oh, she's so much fun.

I got involved with a debate on a favorite website of mine some time back about this movie. A woman didn't like that Ariel has to give up her voice for a boy. She felt it wasn't empowering. I felt she completely missed the point of the movie.

If you listen to the lyrics of Poor Unfortunate Soul, it's telling you right there the anti-message of the movie.

The men up there don't like a lot of blabber
They think a girl who gossips is a bore!
Yet on land it's much prefered for ladies not to say a word
And after all dear, what is idle babble for?
Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation
True gentlemen avoid it when they can
But they dote and swoon and fawn
On a lady who's withdrawn
It's she who holds her tongue who get's a man

So Ariel gives up her voice. And she meets Eric, and he thinks she's so freaking beautiful, but he really can't get into her because he doesn't know who she is. She can't talk to him. Once she gets her voice back and can speak again, he falls in love with her.

It's a fairy tale way to get to the point, but I like those.

I also love and can sing the words to every song on the soundtrack. I had it on a CD when my niece was very very little with other Disney songs, and my favorite one to sing to her while driving was Les Poissons. I did the overly exaggerated French accent, and she loved when I would shriek the "Hee hee hee haw haw haw!" parts.

And then there's Part of Your World, which you can catch me singing at random sometimes when I think no one is around.

Final note: My hairdresser, who diligently dyes my hair dark red as often as I can afford it, has a gorgeous little girl about my niece's age. I've babysat her before, so she knows my name. But hairdresser has another client with my name, as well. So her daughter has a way to differentiate us.

I'm the one with "Ariel hair".

I love my hairdresser's little girl.

Movie Meme Day 9 - Causing a scene

31 Day Movie Meme

Day 09 - Best scene ever

This meme is way harder than the TV meme. I guess I am more movie-minded than TV minded. Unless we’re talking BTVS, of course.

To come up with this, I figured I would run my top 10 list through my head. First movie on the list is Labyrinth, my all-time favorite movie for life. I’ve seen some amazing movies in my life, but none has surpassed it for pure charm, humor, music, and happiness.

There is so much to love in the movie, but the staircase puzzle set to Within You made such a huge impression on me when I was little. I could walk out of the room during any other scene in the movie, but as soon as I heard the opening chords signifying this scene was starting, I would run back into the room.

First of all, the scenery is absolutely incredible. Jareth running up and down the stairs, walking upside down and sideways. Toby appearing upside down, the crystal bouncing up the steps to him. Sarah running all over trying to get to him, Jareth appearing and disappearing. Walking through her, coming up from underneath. Yes, the effects were very 80’s, but they were lovely 80’s. Jim Henson did it up, and he did it well.

If there’s one thing you should learn about me, it’s that I’m a music fiend. So it would only make sense that a musical would be my ideal movie. David Bowie singing in a muppet movie? There is no bad.

From the first moment we see the stairs until she jumps, it’s just a truly, truly amazing scene.

How you turned my world, you precious thing
You starve and near exhaust me
Everything I've done, I've done for you
I move the stars for no one

A Goldie Weekend

I very recently finished Goldie Hawn's autobiography, A Lotus Grows in the Mud. I've been a fan of Goldie since I was a little girl, watching her in Laugh-In on Nick at Nite and thinking she was so beautiful, and so funny.

Her autobiography woke up a real need for me to watch/re-watch some of her movies, so I decided to see how many the library had. Not enough for my taste, but there were three I'd never seen, so I sat down this weekend to watch them.

I started with the greatest Goldie film of all time, Overboard, and moved backwards down the time table from there.

Let's do it for Johnny!

I read The Outsiders in high school, but I never watched the movie. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I started looking into seeing the movies made from the books I enjoyed when I was younger, and vice versa. This went bad quickly. See my review for the book Forrest Gump.

But my library had the new, uncut version of the movie in the library, so I decided it was time I finally watch it. I knew that Patrick Swayze and Ralph Macchio were in it, but the rest of the cast was rather lost on me. It was a shock to discover Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise were in it. These two were favorite actors of mine growing up. This is a very, very pretty cast. They are all so young and fresh looking, despite the constant bumps, cuts, and bruises they get.

Ain't that a kick in the rubber parts?

Two movies this time, one that I picked up at a friends' insistence (read: demand), the other because of a Whedonverse alumni.



It should be said, I have issues with Woody Allen.

I have no doubts he is as talented as everyone says. Up until this moment, I had never seen one of his movies, but I’d heard how talented, funny, and self-depricating he (and his movies) were.

However, he lost pretty much any ounce of credibility I once had for him once I learned about the situation with his adopted stepdaughter, whom he had been around since she was a young child. The creep factor was too much for me, and I’ve never had any inclination to watch his films.

However, there was a roadblock to my decision not to seek them out.