Monday, March 21, 2011

Feeling Nostalgic

This weekend I rewatched STAND BY ME.  It was one of my favorite movies as a kid.  My best friend at the time, Chase, and I were maybe 9.  We watched it over and over again.  My favorite scene was always the scene where Wil Wheaton's character tells the story of Lardass and the puke-o-rama.  It was one of the earliest times I can remember thinking I wanted to be a writer.

Recently, I've been watching a lot of my old childhood faves.  Spaceballs, Running Man, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  I've been disappointed with how poorly most have held up.  STII is still the best of all the Star Trek films, but the overacting and bad costuming are groan-worthy now.  I was surprised by how well Stand By Me held up over the years.  In fact, I think if the film had been made today, it would have looked very similar.

The best books are the same way.  They're timeless.  They're not flash-in-the-pan with the coolest slang or loads of pop culture references.  They're the kind of books that kids in twenty years will pick up and read it in awe, unable to believe that it's twenty years old.

That's it, I suppose.  There's a lesson to be learned from Stand By Me.  Maybe it's never make fun of someone because they might puke all over you.  Maybe it's something else.

3 comments:

  1. LOL - STII is my LEAST favorite! But I'm one of the few people that mildly enjoyed Nemesis, so... Of the originals, STIV was by far my favorite. The dialog was so much smoother, the acting...slightly better.

    In general the quality of the movies was drastically improved in the TNG movies. Generations is probably my all-time fave. The idea of the Nexus was just a brilliant storyline to me.

    I rewatched an old fave from my childhood the other day, too: Space Jam. It's still kick ass. Along with A Christmas Story, which was a year-round favorite for my family.

    Isn't nostalgia a remarkable feeling?

    ~Tara

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stand By Me was my first date movie. I loved it because it was sooo faithful to the novella (yay, Rob Reiner). Of course, it's chock full of pop culture references, but they were already 20-30 years past when the story was written. I think that's the only time they work (or don't stick out like broken thumbs, anyway).

    My other favorite movies from high school were Princess Bride (still great, yay, Rob Reiner); Ferris Buehler (still fun, if a fashion mess), and... The Highlander. Not sure I want to see how that one has held up. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tara: See! Everyone is different. My second fave was Undiscovered Country. And I love all the TNG movies. There was just something about Khan that still gets me.

    Shan: I can't find the novella anywhere. And I think you're write. Pop culture references from the past work. I think it's because when you use present pop culture references, you don't know what's going to stand the test of time. Lady GaGa is big right now, but in ten years, who knows if anyone will remember her. However, if you mention the 80's and mention Madonna, even kids today will get it.

    I'm also interested to see how Highlander has held up. I may add that to my list. And Princess Bride is another fave. As you wish.

    ReplyDelete

Keep it clean, keep it classy, and jokes are always appreciated.