Favorite Movies from Your Childhood

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So, I spend the day watching Tim Burton's classic movie, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, bringing back memories of movies that I watched when I was younger. I forgot how wonderful that movie actually was. It is rather weird or mildly demented due to Paul Reubens humor, but it blends perfectly with Burton's direction.

So I ask, what are the classic movies that you remember from when you were a child. It doesn't matter what year it was from, but what movies did you grow up watching, and maybe still watching today.

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@Theaetetus,

"Beauty and the beast"!! I still love it. And "The little mermaid". Sometimes, when I have a cold or something, I watch "Beauty and the beast".

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@Theaetetus,

Land Before Time, Back to the Future Trilogy, Lion King

Honourable mention to 1994's Shawshank Redemption, which I did not get at the time, but my parents did, and now I do too. Great movie.

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@Theaetetus,

Well, it's from my childhood, but I didn't watch it until about six months ago. Martin Scorsese's very underrated film from the mid 80s starring Robert DeNiro,The King of Comedy is an excellent film where DeNiro plays a rather crazy man who tries to get his comedy act on a talk show.

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@Theaetetus,

I know, I know, I know!
I'm a pain in the ass with this eternal hobby-horse, I deserve an all-american "get lost!", I'm ready to have my a... kicked, BUT:
Doesn't this question (pre)suppose some common cultural background again?
And isn't this too easily supposed to be american? (What? Again? Yes, again...)
My most intense early memories of something-on-a-screen are NOT from Walt-Disney movies. They are from a small-scale television production called "Captain Zeppos". Flemish television made several series like that in the sixties, there was also "Johan en de Alverman", sheer magic in a historical setting. Yes, you're right, these are not movies, but what memories!! When I feel sad I still whistle the theme of "Johan...": tadadam tam tam tam t??dadadam...
You all hum it with me? ;-). Oh there was a swedish series too: Vi pa Saltkrakan, based on the childrenbooks of Astrid Lindgren. Seemed like eternal summer in that series, as childhood itself. I was too old to have a taste for Pippi when she appeared on the screen, but still, that smile of Inger Nilsson... Did Pippi over made it to the States? The Smurfs did...
Precious memories of visual art works, a great theme to muse about. But not necessarily induced by Walt Disney. There is more between heaven and earth...
Still friends? ;-)

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@Theaetetus,

Quote:

Doesn't this question (pre)suppose some common cultural background again?
And isn't this too easily supposed to be american? (What? Again? Yes, again...)

The first paragraph in Theatetus' post is North American-specific, I'm not particularly sure how many non-Americans, non-Canadians, know about Paul Reubens or Pee-Wee. But the second paragraph is general, what movies did you like when you were a kid. Either North American or not.

I've heard of Pippi though, was never a fan though.

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@Victor Eremita,

Godzilla!!! I went rarely to the movies when I was a kid, but I remember a visit to a local cinema where they played Godzilla, or at least one of the series. I may have remembered it because all the shooting and destruction were not exactly my cup of tea. There was a horrible scene in the end, where the Bad Professor was smothered between his desk and the wall, and blood ran out of mouth. And there was a big ape in it too. Somebody knows more about this particular film?

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@Theaetetus,

I just watched a movie that I faintly remember from my childhood called Fletch, staring Chevy Chase in what is probably his best role. Most of the humor went right over my head when I was younger, but it may be one of the best comedies I have seen. The soundtrack plain stinks like many 80s movies, but Chase lets the one liners fly one after another. I am glad I stumbled upon the movie again, because it is definitely a classic comedy from the mid 80s. The great thing about the movie is that it could have been totally serious and had no jokes through the whole movie, and it probably still would have been an excellent movie.

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@Catchabula,

Catchabula;67218 wrote:

Godzilla!!! I went rarely to the movies when I was a kid, but I remember a visit to a local cinema where they played Godzilla, or at least one of the series. I may have remembered it because all the shooting and destruction were not exactly my cup of tea. There was a horrible scene in the end, where the Bad Professor was smothered between his desk and the wall, and blood ran out of mouth. And there was a big ape in it too. Somebody knows more about this particular film?

godzilla was from my time, catch! i think it was japanese made if i am not mistaken, they were really fond of dinosaurs. godzilla was a big lizard, and they used to use guys dressed up in lizard suits stamping on little toy cars-it was hilarious really. rodan was another classic. and american made was king kong, the giant ape that climbed the empire state building in new york and they sent airplanes to knock him off. then of course mighty joe young, i tend to get those two big apes mixed up. to this day in america i bet they still show king kong on thanksgiving-though i dont know why. maybe it was just a local tradition in cleveland.

who is pippi? pippi longstocking?

television is another issue, i think.

we had serials at the movies in the old days-after the movie they would show one episode of...heck, i forgot their names now. usually some spaceman theme...oh yeah, buck rogers.

but i cant think of any that were my favorite until i became a teen-age girl. then i fell in love with burt lancaster-rain man, elmer gantry, devil's advocate.

and michael rennie! that movie with the robot who was going to come and police the world because we have made such a mess of things. someone must remember that....clatoo veradah nicto, remember?

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@salima,

The Dark Crystal, Nightmare before Christmas Lion King, Toy Story, Star Wars original trilogy, Land Before Time series, The Iron Giant, etc.

Yeah, I still like most of those movies I just listed, but my taste in movies has widened quite a bit. I can add more mature titles like Requiem for a Dream, Full Metal Jacket, Jarhead, Paths of Glory, American Beauty, American History X, Donnie Darko, Children of Men, Pulp Fiction, Blade Runner, Rashomon, Office Space, and 2001: A Space Odyssey to my list.

Although I saw Pixar's "UP" in 3D the other week, and that turned out to be amazing as both a children's movie and as a movie in general. It had some very psychological themes that were presented just subtly enough to not ruin the movie for kids, but just obviously enough for adults to catch on.

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@Catchabula,

Catchabula;67132 wrote:

Oh there was a swedish series too: Vi pa Saltkrakan, based on the childrenbooks of Astrid Lindgren. Seemed like eternal summer in that series, as childhood itself. I was too old to have a taste for Pippi when she appeared on the screen, but still, that smile of Inger Nilsson...

I'm so proud of Sweden. Ah, when Pippi lifts her horse, that's just priceless.

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@The Dude phil phil,

Didn't the japanese made Godzilla-movies for decades? The one is remember was definitely with a giant ape in it, but perhaps I'm mixing up two films. After all this was in the late 1960's, I was 10 or 11 then (haven't evolved much really ;-) ). And it was in a small village cinema...
Yes I meant Pippi Longstocking, and her less subversive little friends Tommy and Annika. There was a horse in that series, and also an ape, and clowneske criminals. But the world was broadening for me when they appeared on television, so I could appreciate Pippi only much later.
This thread gives me an awfully nostalgic feeling. Yes, there were american things on tele too.
ZORRO! ZORRO! ZORRO!
I fling myself on Tornado and I'm galloping away in flashes of lightning.
ZORRO!!!

Oh yes, I do remember Gort, wasn't there some creepy pfuuwiii-music while he stepped towards the girl? She had quite an accent while she repeated the words of the handsome alien: "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!". That was nice, but it's not a childhood-memory. Hey, anybody remembers Doctor Who? Wooo-wooo-woooooh...!!!

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@Theaetetus,

I am pretty sure the Japanese made a movie called Godzilla vs. King Kong. They were putting Godzilla up against various other monsters in movies for some time.

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@Theaetetus,

The TV documentary 'The World at War'

The way it ends, fade to a monochrome photo-stat like frozen picture,
and then that dramatic music.

ok, so I was a bit serious as a kid.

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@Theaetetus,

Anybody remember Howard the Duck? God did it suck. Such a good idea thrown away by George Lucas and cohorts with terrible acting. I tried watching it again the other day, and I think I felt brain cells popping one by one until I shut it off.

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@Theaetetus,

Theaetetus;67032 wrote:

So, I spend the day watching Tim Burton's classic movie, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, bringing back memories of movies that I watched when I was younger. I forgot how wonderful that movie actually was. It is rather weird or mildly demented due to Paul Reubens humor, but it blends perfectly with Burton's direction.

So I ask, what are the classic movies that you remember from when you were a child. It doesn't matter what year it was from, but what movies did you grow up watching, and maybe still watching today.

When I was a child, we did not have a color TV. Watched everything on the old black and white. Color TV was pretty new then. You had to be pretty flush to be able to afford that new luxury. But, I do remember. I was just a snippet. We would go over to my grandmothers house when The Wizard of Oz was on, and watch it in color. I loved that movie. Another classic that I liked, was the Greatest Story ever told. Loved that one too.

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@Theaetetus,

Theaetetus;67866 wrote:

Anybody remember Howard the Duck? God did it suck. Such a good idea thrown away by George Lucas and cohorts with terrible acting. I tried watching it again the other day, and I think I felt brain cells popping one by one until I shut it off.

I used to love that movie when I was little! I used to sing the song from the concert at the end of the movie. Razz

I haven't watched it in forever though so I don't know if I would still like it. What about the Super Mario Brothers movie? I saw that on tv not too long ago and thought to myself, "Why did I like that? It's so cheesy." Other movies I watched as a child were anything by Disney or Tim Burton, Jurassic Park, Drop Dead Fred, Star Wars Trilogy, Legend, The Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Ferngully, Rock-a Doodle, and tons of other movies. I love watching movies. My list of child hood favorites could go on and on.

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@inunokanojo,

My favorite movie of all time as a kid, from way back in 1960 . . .
It used to run on TV now and then in the early 70's.

YouTube - "Dinosaurus" 1960 trailer...original Jurassic Park?

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@Theaetetus,

Favorite childhood movie has to be The Princess Bride, based on the novel of the same name, both of which were wonderfully written. I still watch it occasionally, and still love it. Who could resist Andre the Gaint's one stint on the big screen? Billy Crystal's performance as Miracle Max goes down as best cameo in history.

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@Theaetetus,

Well my favourite movies from childhood would have to be Weekend At Bernie's, Nuns On The Run and The Thing.

Used to watch them all when I was pretty young. Brings back good memories of being out at my Gran's.

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