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Popcorn at the Movies
When I think about it, maybe I used to go to the movies because of the popcorn. I can't watch a movie without popcorn and a soda. I used to eat popcorn almost every night. Nowadays I hardly ever eat popcorn. I also hardly ever go to the movies. In fact, the last movie I saw at the theatre was in 2003.
And I think movies were meant to be watched in a movie theatre. You know, more of an outing, with maybe a walk around the mall or a car ride afterwards to discuss the film. I miss all that.
But I've seen hundreds of movies in my lifetime and I've made a list of my "top ten" favorite movies. Are any of your favorites on my list? These are in chronological order, not in order of number-one favorite to number-ten favorite. Maybe before you read this, you should pop some corn, just to get in the mood.
Midnight Cowboy (1969) - Dustin Hoffman as memorable Ratso Rizzo with that crazy limp. Jon Voight as Joe Buck. For a movie to be great, you have to be able to identify with someone in the movie. I was in college when I saw this movie and most guys my age probably wished they were the young stud Joe Buck. For some reason I identified more with Ratso.
Deliverance (1972) - It's the only Burt Reynolds movie I ever liked. Jon Voight was in this movie, too. It is probably the only adventure movie on my list. I've never been the great outdoorsman, so it is hard to identify with this type of movie. But what made this work was that they were just ordinary guys looking to do something on the weekend. I could picture a bunch of us teachers back in '72, you know, maybe Z, Ray, Jim Murray, Skip, Sal and me renting some canoes and tossing in some beverages for a little fun. Next thing you know you are in over your heads! My old teacher buddies will remember our adventure of deep-sea fishing to Maine. That was enough of an adventure for me.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - If I had to pick my all-time favorite movie it might be this one. Jack Nicholson at his finest ... and he's had a lot of finests. One look at Nicholson makes you believe he is actually mental ward patient Randle P. McMurphy. Before I saw the movie I had read the book by Ken Kesey, thanks to a tip from my colleague Dick Trombly, who was a Ken Kesey fan. Louise Fletcher is great as Nurse Ratched. One of my favorite among many favorite scenes is when McMurphy calls the play-by-play for the World Series, even though the television had been shut off. There's never a dull moment in this movie.
The Shining (1980) - Jack Nicholson again -- this time as crazed writer Jack Torrance. By the end you are sitting on the edge of your seat as Torrance chases his wife (played by Shelley Duvall) through the hotel and grounds. And, of course, this movie has one of moviedom's all-time great lines: "Here's Johnny!"
Teachers (1980) - This may be the least known of the ten movies on my list. How could I not go see this movie? I was in the tenth year of my teaching career and thought I knew it all by this time. Nick Nolte plays frustrated teacher Alex Jurel. He challenges the school board, stands up for his students and risks his job in his battle with the school board. When he finally achieves success, the school board president screams at him that he's crazy! Jurel proudly looks at her and declares, "I'm a teacher!" That moment in this movie reassured me that I had picked the right career. I have to admit that sometimes my teaching styles might have been a little off-the-wall, but I was always willing to take the chance if it might get some student back on track.
I'm out of popcorn! In the next blog I'll list my next five favorites through the 1980s and up till now. Plus, I'll list about 20 more movies that just missed my top ten.
Comments
For those who can't find a 1963 yearbook for PHS, the answer to the question is C. Carl Yastrzemski.
Paul C. Shirley Jr.
Posted by: Paul Shirley (Class of 1963 - PHS) | February 23, 2007 8:16 AM
The multiple guess choices for the name of the famous baseball player on the bat carried by "Johnny" in "The Shining" are: a. Hank Aaron, b. Ted Williams , c. Carl Yastrzemski, d. Willy Mays.
Give up? The answer is my middle initial! You will need a 1963 yearbook from PHS.
Posted by: Paul Shirley (Class of 1963 - PHS) | February 20, 2007 1:48 PM
"Who wants to be a Millionaire" just had a question about the movie "The Shining". What famous baseball player is on the baseball bat that "Johnny" is carrying when he was trying to clobber his wife?
I have to wait a couple weeks before i can enjoy popcorn again as I just had my wisdom teeth removed last Friday, but looking forward on your list of movies. I remember taking Allison (Condo) Smith to see "Days of wine and roses" in the 60's starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. Probably not a suitable movie to take a girl on the first date, but I don't remember much of it anyway.
Paul
(Foxy's note: Paul, that's a great trivia question. What is the answer? If you don't remember much about "Days of Wine and Roses" you must have been cuddled up in the balcony at the Strand!)
Posted by: Paul Shirley (Class of 1963 - PHS) | February 20, 2007 8:47 AM
When you say going to the movies & eating popcorn old man Malone pops into my head. Remember him? He was the manager of both the Strand & the Champlain theaters - old guy, white hair & his tongue was always outside his mouth moving a mile a minute, he must have had some kind of affliction. And he definately had a flashlight that he used to hit kids with indiscriminately. Anyways, you have to include True Grit when speaking of action movies - I saw it @ Radio City Music Hall along with a show by the Rockettes in 1969. And you ask me ... well, do you? As Good as It Gets is Nicholson's finest movie. I like the 50's & 60's classics. North by Northwest, Roman Holiday, Breakfast @ Tiffany's, To Catch a Thief, Pink Panther, Spartacus, Ben Hur, High Noon, and I Walk Alone - a movie that starts out with Burt Lancaster and Kurt Douglas driving a truck just north of Plattsburgh, jumping the border with illegal booze during Prohibition. I'm waiting to see your list, Foxy - get a glimpse inside your heart.
Posted by: Miney Rowlson | February 20, 2007 7:46 AM