Saturday, September 7, 2013

Weekend Weigh-in: What Was the Best Summer for Movies?

Let's all remember where we were when rush hour hit the water.

Another summer movie season is behind us, and it was a little disappointing. So what was the best summer you can remember? And was it defined by ONE great movie (Jaws) or lots of pretty good ones?

29 comments:

  1. I wouldn't even know where to start because I can't remember yesterday, but I believe you guys talk about 99 all the time on your podcast, right?

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  2. I wouldn't even know where to start because I can't remember yesterday, but I believe you guys talk about 99 all the time on your podcast, right?

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    1. As good of a year as '99 was overall, I don't know if much of the reason for that is from summer movies. I thought about '99, but wasn't so impressed as I thought I would be when I looked at the line-up of films released that summer.

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  3. I had to do my research to come up with this, but a quick recap of summer movie seasons leads me to believe that 1982 was in fact the best summer for movies overall. E.T., Blade Runner, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Poltergeist, The Road Warrior, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Need I say more?

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  4. I like the roster from 1988 quite a bit:

    Who Framer Roger Rabbit, Coming to America, Big, Die Hard, A Fish Called Wanda, Willow, Bull Durham, Midnight Run, The Blob

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    1. Just outside the range, Moon Over Parador (9/9/1988)

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  5. 1994 was also great, with Lion King, Forrest Gump, Speed, Natural Born Killers, etc.

    It was also a time when the summer movies from 1993, namely Jurassic Park, were still playing in the theater too.

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  6. The summer of 1989 has lots of pretty good ones namely:

    "Batman", "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", "Lethal Weapon 2", "Honey I Shrunk the Kids", "Parenthood", "Dead Poets Society", "When Harry Met Sally", "Uncle Buck", "The Abyss", "Licence to Kill", and "Sex, Lies, and Videotape".

    I can also think of 1997 with the likes of:

    "Men in Black", "Air Force One", "My Best Friend's Wedding", "Face/Off", "Con Air", "Contact", "Conspiracy Theory", "The Fifth Element", "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery", "Breakdown" and "The Full Monty".

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  7. Rather than look at a list and decide what summer gave me the highest number of overall winners (like '82) I'm picking the first one that kicked my ass:

    1984. Nine years old, and this is what I saw in the theater that summer: Indy & the Temple of Doom, Gremlins, Romancing the Stone, Top Secret, The Last Starfighter, Cloak and Dagger, Starman....it's safe to say my life changed. (I don't recall if it was summer, but Neverending Story was kind of a big deal, too)

    The next year was just as good: Back to the Future (the champ), The Goonies, Weird Science, etc. (Ladyhawke being that year's Neverending Story)

    Again, I was fucking ten years old. But I love EVERY SINGLE ONE of those; own 'em all. And yeah, I'm a grown man who loves The Goonies unironically. But it means something to me. They all do.

    They gave me this fantastic gift and it helped to make me what I am today. There will never be another summer of '84; not like that.

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  8. Amen on '08, Corbin.

    Wall-E is still Pixar's best.
    Iron Man & The Dark Knight are not only great but they have heavily influenced (for good or bad)the comic book movie genre.

    2008 also featured Wanted, The Incredible Hulk, Kung Fu Panda, & Tropic Thunder.

    Yes, yes, I know the Indiana Jones and The Crystal Skull disaster was in the summer of '08 as well but nothing is perfect.

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    1. forgot about tropic thunder.

      I guess my point is this is the last summer i remember having fun. Save for the aforementioned flicks above, there were movies I just had fun w/ (not necessarily "amazing"), in no particular order:

      forgetting sarah marshall, kit kitteredge (shut up), hellboy 2, mama mia (i'll admit it), pineapple express, vicky cristina Barcelona, burn after reading.

      plus the flicks you listed (except kung fu panda--just never saw it)

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  9. Though there have certainly been summers with MORE really good movies, 1993, the Summer of Jurassic Park was the summer that meant most to me - I've never been more excited about a summer movie - I watched it during summer vacation in PEI - it was just so great.

    I actually just got back from a little vacation in PEI where I finally proposed to the lovely lady I've clumsily referred to here as my girlfriend/wife/spousal equivalent. She said YES!

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    1. Congratulations, Sol! That's awesome!

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    2. What great news! You watched Jurassic Park again!

      Seriously, though, congratulations. Great job. Let's start organizing your online bachelor party.

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    3. Congrats Sol! Is PEI an island off the coast of Costa Rica that you've been leasing from the government to set up a sort of biological preserve? Really spectacular, spared no expense?

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    4. TOGA. TOGA. TOGA.

      Summer 1978 was great, guys. Congrats Sol!

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    5. Thanks guys, Jurassic Park really is great, right?

      I thought my online bachelor party was just going to be me, the Internet and a tub of lube, but if you guys want to join in I'm sure we can figure something out!

      But seriously, thanks!

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    6. Belated congrats, Sol. That is great news.

      "Tub of Lube" was my college band's name.

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    7. Way behind as well, but congratulations Sol!

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  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  11. 1982
    1984
    1989
    1994
    1999
    Anything else would be uncivilized.

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