Top 10 movies of my childhood that I need to revisit to sort through which memories are actually mine and which are borrowed from the movies.
1.) Flight of the Navigator (1986)
It took me years to figure out what this movie was called! The few things I remember are that the boy wonders off from his family and is gone for months in space (?) or on some sci-fi mission. In the end, once he returns to his family, it is as if he was missing for only a couple of hours and joins his family on a boat in a lake near their house (?). I also remember the main boy’s creature companion, which was perhaps the most resonant image that I recall from the film. I would describe the movie to people as “do you remember the movie where the boy goes to space with an oily ginger root creature?” Describing the creature below!
I eventually asked my dad about it and he recalled the movie instantly!
I made this collage (2?) years back in celebration of discovering the move title:
The collage steals a conversation from some of my middle school colleagues (a thread posted on one of my profile pictures which turns into LEXI fishing for compliments smh !) My collage contrasts the concerns that some of my middle school friends had vs my own preoccupations at this time period in middle school, circa 2008-2011 when I still didn’t know what this dang movie was called!
2.) A Simple Wish (1997)
The last scene of this movie is pretty vivid, I believe there is a part when the witch woman (spoiler) shatters and dies in the mirror. I remember really being drawn to the magic in this film and I am excited to re-watch it. I also recall a line in this film where the little girl–being a sassy younger sister–says “could you not be a jerk for once in your life.” I thought this line was so funny as a kid and shot it at my dad in what I thought was a playful way. He did not get the movie reference. He was just upset.
3.) Baby Geniuses (1999)
Baby Geniuses > Boss Baby. I remember Babies crawling around in a very lab-like setting and not much else. I would be super interested in re-watching this film to see what other moments I recognize/remember watching. Thus far the trailer doesn’t seem like an accurate depiction of what I remember and so I am particularly interested in returning to this film.
4.) Not The Sandlot, Not The Goonies, Not Stand by Me
It’s none of these films, but I still don’t know what this one is called. Alas, it is my top 4.
I remember a film about 4-5 pubescent white boys who ride bikes as a primary form of transportation in their neighborhood. The boys witness their neighbor strangle, and they presume, kill someone through the silhouette of the neighbor’s window. From what I remember, the remainder of the movie is about the boys trying to discover if the woman was actually murdered as they try to look for her body next door. I thought that this was a random underrated movie similar to A Simple Wish, however after describing it to a few people it is more popular than I thought! This gives me hope that I will one day figure it out. A google search (with something along the lines of the above description) will suggest a lot of horror movies, but I wouldn’t categorize this as a horror movie. It is still a children’s movie which features a murder. What is a bit scary about this film is that it is revealed that it is entirely up to the kids to work things out. The parents and cops won’t believe them, they are the only ones motivated enough to care. I think this a common theme in children’s movies and so I can understand than that this one is a popular, perhaps cult film. If you know what this movie is please let me know!
5.) Time Bandits (1981)
I can credit my dad for showing me this when I was younger. The most resonant image I remember is in one of the Beginning scenes when there was a magnetic force which pulled thumb tacts out of the wall. I think I remember this image clearly because I remember my dad (talking during the movie) and asking “I wonder how the filmed that.” It remains a fair point.
Apart from this the film has a lot of beautiful & daunting images which I immediately recognized when watching the trailer.
Notice the film also features a boy is departs the circumstances of his family….
6.) The Blue Bird (1940)
This film is also about a child who gets separated from her family and enters a sort of fantasy land. I remember being creeped out by it and would love to see it again!
7.) The Little Vampire (2000)
This movie would have been ranked higher If I had not had the chance to revisit it recently! I have so many insiders with my siblings about this movie, we found it so funny! Especially the line “out of my way losers,” which I admit is not too original. Nonetheless, this is a funny film!
8.) Max Keeble’s Big Move (2001)
This movie gave me nightmares when I was younger! I was so afraid of watching this! I watched it once, and I was so haunted by the bullies in the film. I think having bullies do terrible things to their peers was so realistic that it was more scary to me than say a spooky sci-fi film. I want to re-watch this, but to be honest I could barely make it through the trailer.
9.) My Girl (1991)
I need to watch/re-watch My Girl mainly so I can determine if I have seen it or not. I don’t think I ever watched it. I think It was a movie cover I frequently saw in stores at Blockbuster, but that I never rented out. I associate the movie My Girl with the La Brea Tar Pits. I remember being at the La Brea Tar Pits when I was younger with a family friend who I was visiting in LA. My friend was telling me about the movie when we were at the museum. I still cannot remember if she was telling me about the movie because it took place (for one scene at least) at the La Brea Tar Pits museum, or if she decided to tell me about it then and there for some other reason. I would love to (re?)watch this movie to figure out if the museum was what prompted our conversation about My Girl in the first place.
10.) Best in Show (2000)
This one is important, but listed as last, mainly because I remember watching it and not understanding a lot of the humor. My older siblings frequently insisted on watching this movie but I found it boring and not at all adventure-packed enough. I would love to re-watch it soon cause it looks hilarious!