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Title: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Archivist on June 25, 2017, 11:26:25 PM Whenever a new Star Wars movie is released, I think back to the time I saw the A New Hope in the cinema in the late 70's. I was just a kid, barely at school, and the movie was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was all I could talk about for days and days, and that's just my personal story. The huge following that Star Wars has maintained over the years attests to its emotional impact.
The next closest thing for me is The Matrix (1998). That movie blew me away, and had I seen it as a child, it would have emblazoned itself on my mind in the same way as Star Wars. What other movies have had this level of 'world altering' impact? What are the kids of today watching that are grabbing them in a similar manner? And what movie was a cinematic turning point in your life? Highlander? Raiders of the Lost Ark? Close Encounters? The Lord of the Rings? The Dark Knight? Singing In The Rain? Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: indianasmith on June 25, 2017, 11:39:49 PM My 7th grade girlfriend (now my wife) and I saw STAR WARS in the theater together in 1977. It blew us both away and created a fandom that has lasted a lifetime. Very few movies have had a similar impact, but here are a few for me:
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN - Wow! That 20 minute sequence of the Normandy landings had me crying and shaking on the big screen, knowing that this was what my Dad was training to do in Japan when the war ended. THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING - I discovered Tolkein when I was a teen, and had waited twenty years for this movie. It was worth every day of the wait. INCREDIBLE cinematic experience! SUCKER PUNCH - Yeah, I know, some people will laugh. But this mind-bending movie took me outside myself and inspired multiple repeat viewings. I still quote it on occasion. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: kakihara on June 26, 2017, 07:48:23 AM Nightbreed - a very special movie for me. Being troubled and alienated in my youth, i always wanted to find a place to be myself and be accepted. This movie represents that for me.
Fight club - a very spiritual movie for me. Yes its somewhat nihilistic and self desructive but theres this theme of rejecting materialism and things that arent important. That really speaks to me on a personal level. Theres some really great philosophy within: " the things you own, end up owning you". Oh, and that pixies song at the end, gives me chills. Neverending story - theres a little girl that cries inside me when i watch this or hear the song. Labyrinth - god i miss jim henson. The music, the characters. The dark crystal - fn beautiful! Ok, im trying to stop now. Those are some of my special movies. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Archivist on June 27, 2017, 03:10:34 AM @kakihara - don't stop, keep going! It's fascinating to see the kinds of movies that have emotionally impacted people, and why.
@indy - you mentioned Saving Private Ryan, and how you felt about it. A friend of mine had a related experience when he went to Turkey about 20 years ago. The movie Gallipoli (1981) was very popular in Australia, and the soundtrack featured Oxygene by Jean Michel Jarre. My friend was a huge Jarre fan, and was also a fan of the movie. He went to the beach at Gallipoli and was overcome by the sense of what had happened there, as portrayed by the movie. Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy has affected me deeply. On the opening night of The Dark Knight Rises, I watched the first two movies in the cinema beforehand, and it was like going on an entire journey in seven hours. It resonates with me so much about doing what you know you need to do, about getting back up after failing, and even supplies me with inspiration for work. If I find myself flagging or in a rut, I watch the final scene from The Dark Knight Rises and it reminds me that anything is possible. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Trevor on June 28, 2017, 07:51:19 AM Movies are a big part of my life and form a big part of my working life.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS: I saw this aged 7 and it marked me forever - I was a confirmed movie goer after that: still am, 43 years later. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: When I saw this, I felt as though I was part of the film, rather than just sitting there watching the thing. SHANGANI PATROL: the first film about my birth country's turbulent history: I screened this film about ten years ago to a very receptive audience of over 100 people - fittingly, my Mom was in the audience and my Dad was with me in the projection booth. STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME: the first movie I saw when I came to this country in 1987. I remember crying at the end, a kind of sad / happy cry. FURIOUS 7: Paul Walker's death hit me almost as hard as Princess Diana's - almost all of the people in the audience were hit in the feels by the ending. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Archivist on July 07, 2017, 04:30:02 AM Movies are a big part of my life and form a big part of my working life. MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS: I saw this aged 7 and it marked me forever - I was a confirmed movie goer after that: still am, 43 years later. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: When I saw this, I felt as though I was part of the film, rather than just sitting there watching the thing. SHANGANI PATROL: the first film about my birth country's turbulent history: I screened this film about ten years ago to a very receptive audience of over 100 people - fittingly, my Mom was in the audience and my Dad was with me in the projection booth. STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME: the first movie I saw when I came to this country in 1987. I remember crying at the end, a kind of sad / happy cry. FURIOUS 7: Paul Walker's death hit me almost as hard as Princess Diana's - almost all of the people in the audience were hit in the feels by the ending. I must see Murder On The Orient Express. Was it the 1974 movie? Raiders of the Lost Ark blew me away, it was nuts for a little kid to see. So exciting and engaging! The Temple Of Doom freaked me out with the heart-ripping, though. Fascinating about Shanghai Patrol, I must catch that one, too. I saw Furious 7 with some family friends, and a 12 year old kid was with us. Huge Paul Walker fan. He was in tears at the end of the movie, and I gave him tissues. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Trevor on July 07, 2017, 08:16:15 AM I must see Murder On The Orient Express. Was it the 1974 movie? Yes: I see some [expletive deleted] has now remade it! Why?? Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: javakoala on July 07, 2017, 08:48:48 AM SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE: Stumbled upon this on cable and was charmed, tickled, shocked, and reduced to tears. Went right out, bought the novel, read it, and had another and much different emotionally intense experience. The power of Vonnegut's work is channeled, though to a much lesser degree, in the film. Just the story of a simple Everyman who finds himself unstuck in his own timeline, so that he finds himself living through random portions of his entire life.
BREAKER MORANT: Being ignorant of the Boer War, I watched this film while out of my gourd on herbal therapy. It was like being trapped in a nightmare that just keeps getting worse and worse, then it takes it even further. As the ending progressed, I kept telling myself, "No, this isn't how this ends. They can't do this." Started hyperventilating and crying. Felt like I'd been shot when it was over. Yeah, and there's a few others. To be honest, Star Wars, while awesome in its old days, did not have the depth these films did, but it made up for it in longevity. I was a Star Wars fan right up to Lucas' betrayal of all things wonderful about the original trilogy. Ah, well. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Trevor on July 07, 2017, 08:57:50 AM BREAKER MORANT: Being ignorant of the Boer War, I watched this film while out of my gourd on herbal therapy. It was like being trapped in a nightmare that just keeps getting worse and worse, then it takes it even further. As the ending progressed, I kept telling myself, "No, this isn't how this ends. They can't do this." Started hyperventilating and crying. Felt like I'd been shot when it was over. When I screened this for students earlier in the year, they laughed at Edward Woodward's "Shoot straight, you bastards, don't make a mess ol it!" and then there was an audible, collective gasp when Morant and Handcock are shot. They were not expecting that. :buggedout: Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Archivist on July 08, 2017, 01:22:25 AM SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE: Stumbled upon this on cable and was charmed, tickled, shocked, and reduced to tears. Went right out, bought the novel, read it, and had another and much different emotionally intense experience. The power of Vonnegut's work is channeled, though to a much lesser degree, in the film. Just the story of a simple Everyman who finds himself unstuck in his own timeline, so that he finds himself living through random portions of his entire life. BREAKER MORANT: Being ignorant of the Boer War, I watched this film while out of my gourd on herbal therapy. It was like being trapped in a nightmare that just keeps getting worse and worse, then it takes it even further. As the ending progressed, I kept telling myself, "No, this isn't how this ends. They can't do this." Started hyperventilating and crying. Felt like I'd been shot when it was over. Yeah, and there's a few others. To be honest, Star Wars, while awesome in its old days, did not have the depth these films did, but it made up for it in longevity. I was a Star Wars fan right up to Lucas' betrayal of all things wonderful about the original trilogy. Ah, well. I've heard good things about Slaughterhouse Five, and a still from the scene with a topless Valerie Perrine has lnng fascinated me. I'll get the film and book and see where it takes me. It has just occurred to me that Avatar (2009) might be a Star Wars of that generation, assuming the viewers were young enough to have no experience with Dances With Wolves, Pocahontas, The Last Samurai, and similar movies. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: The Burgomaster on August 06, 2017, 12:24:38 PM ROCKY - When I saw it during its original theatrical release everyone in the theater was standing and cheering during the Balboa / Creed fight. It was like being at a live sporting event. I had never experienced anything like it in a movie theater. I'll probably never experience anything like it again. Unfortunately, the sequels and other Stallone movies turned ROCKY into a joke. But at the time, it was electric.
Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Trevor on August 31, 2017, 01:34:01 AM I didn't mention this:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/15/Darfur_FilmPoster.jpeg) I was invited to the Cape Town premiere in 2010: the film left me in tears and emotionally drained, I couldn't eat or sleep that night and had nightmares when I did drop off. One of the most brutal, violent and depressing films I have ever seen but a masterpiece. Now look at who directed it: yes, it is him and yes, it was a truly wonderful cinema experience. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: RCMerchant on September 21, 2017, 04:16:31 PM .In 1967 (I was 5) I saw FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943). I've been hooked on monster movies ever since.
.PLANET OF THE APES (1968) was my first theater experience. I was amazed. .the BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE (1959). Don't laugh-I saw this on late night TV in 1972-scared the s**t out of me. When the monster busted out of the closet-in all his lop-eyed,cone head ugliness-my step brother Jimmy ran from the room and hid in the bathroom. Perhaps this formed my outlook that BAD movies could be GOOD. .the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) I thought-by the advanced age of 12-I couldn't be scared of horror films anymore-thrilled-fascinated-but not scared. I was wrong. I saw STAR WARS on it's initial release back in the day...did nothing for me. The F/X were good-but not groundbreaking. 2001 had been there done that. And the story was more or less a rehash of FLASH GORDON space opera. I wasn't impressed. In fact-after all the bally-hoo I heard at school-I felt cheated. About the same way seeing the 1976 KING KONG-just-blah. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Pacman000 on September 25, 2017, 12:24:57 PM Before I post this I must point out that the thread title is "As emotionally impactful as Star Wars?" That does not preclude bad movies; if the film impacted you, you can include it. With that in mind I give you this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0eUE5TmBaM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0eUE5TmBaM) I feel silly admitting this, but getting the VHS back in the day was a big deal. To my ten-year-old mind it was powerful. There was mystery! (Which I knew the answer to, which made me feel good.) There was a nice anti-fighting moral. (Which even when I was ten seemed like an attempt mitigate parental complaints. The TV show already distinguished between contests, which were okay in its universe, and plain old-fighting, which was not.) There was a memorable song (Brother, My Brother.) And it came with a trading card! That's cool right? Today, the mystery's so obvious it's embarrassing, the moral really seems forced, and that song's so dated and poorly mixed with the rest of the sound track it's painful. (I could go on.) Doesn't matter; it still had an impact back-in-the day, so I still kinda like it. At least the trading card's still cool, right? :smile: Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: RCMerchant on September 25, 2017, 03:19:08 PM Before I post this I must point out that the thread title is "As emotionally impactful as Star Wars?" That does not preclude bad movies; if the film impacted you, you can include it. With that in mind I give you this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0eUE5TmBaM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0eUE5TmBaM) I feel silly admitting this, but getting the VHS back in the day was a big deal. To my ten-year-old mind it was powerful. There was mystery! (Which I knew the answer to, which made me feel good.) There was a nice anti-fighting moral. (Which even when I was ten seemed like an attempt mitigate parental complaints. The TV show already distinguished between contests, which were okay in its universe, and plain old-fighting, which was not.) There was a memorable song (Brother, My Brother.) And it came with a trading card! That's cool right? They had the cards-and toys and marbles and and and!AHHH! This was just after they're Power Rangers obsession. Today, the mystery's so obvious it's embarrassing, the moral really seems forced, and that song's so dated and poorly mixed with the rest of the sound track it's painful. (I could go on.) Doesn't matter; it still had an impact back-in-the day, so I still kinda like it. At least the trading card's still cool, right? :smile: Doesn't seem strange to me. I bought it for my kids back in the day.-They watched it every f**kING DAY. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: akiratubo on September 25, 2017, 07:46:22 PM The Road Warrior, Labyrinth, and RoboCop.
Everyone is trying to hurt Max everywhere he goes. He just wants to keep running until he either finds a safe place or he just can't go any farther. I relate. Sarah is trying to figure out who she is and how she fits into the world. I relate. Murphy is trying to figure out WHAT he is and has to come to grips with the fact that he won't ever be like other people, nor will his life ever truly be his. I relate. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Coerkerdon on October 01, 2017, 05:16:25 PM Pulp Fiction? Or is that a little too mindless. I also think Fight Club is a nice addition
Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Fox Sake on February 14, 2018, 02:49:23 AM Being one of those irritating "Millennials" (born 1993), my film experiences were a little late in coming, especially at the cinema. I don't think I started going until I was about 15 or 16. But films that really impressed me back then included:
The Black Swan Harry Potter The King's Speech About Time To some casual observers this is a pretty lame list, but all 4 left a lasting impression in the context of a cinema-going experience. In terms of home-cinema experiences, the Matrix is up there, along with The Usual Suspects and Memento. All of them left a lasting impression on me one way or another. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Svengoolie 3 on February 14, 2018, 03:34:54 AM Star trek the motion picture. I don't want to hear what people think of the first run, it really made me feel star trek was back. We, the fans, had made it come back.
Terminator 2. If only machines really could learn the better sides of humanity. Shin Godzilla. I really could have been one of the people recruited to solve the godzilla crisis. (Well, except I'm not Japanese.) Scientific heretics, outcasts, weirdos and general pains in the system's ass. It was good to see a movie where intelligent people were the heroes and not portrayed as doormats and pushovers that exist to service the big action hero types. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Fox Sake on February 14, 2018, 07:28:11 AM Shin Godzilla - Seems this gets mentioned quite a lot throughout the various the various threads on this forum. I really don't know much about the while Godzilla "thing" other than the odd YouTube video showing the various incarnations of the monster over the last 50 odd years.
I actually Googled Shin Godzilla, and even Rogert Ebert's Simon Abrams' gave it 3.5/4, which suggests this is more than just a man-in-a-rubber-suit affair! I might actually track it down if it really is any good, and judging by alll the posts on this site, it is! Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: Svengoolie 3 on February 14, 2018, 04:14:22 PM Shin Godzilla - Seems this gets mentioned quite a lot throughout the various the various threads on this forum. I really don't know much about the while Godzilla "thing" other than the odd YouTube video showing the various incarnations of the monster over the last 50 odd years. I actually Googled Shin Godzilla, and even Rogert Ebert's Simon Abrams' gave it 3.5/4, which suggests this is more than just a man-in-a-rubber-suit affair! I might actually track it down if it really is any good, and judging by alll the posts on this site, it is! It was also just nice to see a movie with people i could relate to, and respect. I'm not really able to feel much for the typical fearless, hulking, musclebound badass characters. Intelligent people trying to solve a problem with scientific methodology, analysis, thought, research, etc. I can relate to those people. I can feel more for them than the action hero types. Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: zombie no.one on February 14, 2018, 05:18:14 PM Harry Potter more broadly speaking, the HP movies have become the newer equivalent of Star Wars. ...maybe? I haven't properly seen any. but they do seem to have unified a certain film-watching generation. kids have grown up with those movies - and grown up with the 3 main actors. hard not to develop an emotional connection of some kind, in those circumstances, I guess. Ive seen bits and pieces of a few of them, and they look well made. first one came out when I was about 25? just wasnt the right age or demographic to get involved with it really... Title: Re: As emotionally impactful as Star Wars? Post by: ER on February 14, 2018, 05:26:54 PM Star trek the motion picture. I don't want to hear what people think of the first run, it really made me feel star trek was back. We, the fans, had made it come back. Sven, were you around back in 1979 when the first Trek movie came out? From the tone of your posts I was thinking you were a kid. Heck, you're older than me. Call me surprised. (I like that movie, too, but I think it was chasing 2001 and Kubrick.) |