Your Greatest Memorial Day Movie Memories
Filed under: Fandom, Summer Movies
There's been a lot of digital ink posted about how this Memorial Day weekend marks the tenth anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace ...or as Drew McWeeny so eloquently put it, the day fandom lost its way. So many have already said it so well that it feels cheap to join the conversation with my own memories of disappointment.
Instead, I thought it would be fun to discuss the good times you had at the movies in all the Memorial Days gone by. Box Office Mojo has a list of the major Memorial Day movies beginning with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, and Cinematical's ongoing Our Favorite Summers series should help jog your movie memories. Some of the ones listed are probably films you've long forgotten (Enough? Really, 2002?) or disassociated with the blockbuster season such as Braveheart or Insomnia.
My own personal favorite has to be Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. I think it was the first midnight showing I ever attended, the place was full of Jedis, Twi'leks and Slave Leias and smelled a bit like geeks who had spent too much time waiting in the sun. My friends and I decided to one-up them and hastily assembled "the worst Star Wars costumes ever," which were a scattered collection of bathrobes, one monk's robe, a poncho /serape, and an Imperial Guard helmet. It speaks to the weirdness of the crowd that no one even remarked on it. I remember that the midnight crowd collectively loved the movie (something I've heard again and again to the point that I'm convinced they were piping in drugs all over the country to keep word of mouth positive) only to wake up the next day wondering what just happened. Oh well. It was fun for a handful of hours ... and I'll always remember my group with their arms folded Obi-Wan style inside the sleeves of their paisley and plaid bathrobes.
Your turn, readers ... and hopefully there's some tall, alcohol laden tales out there.
Instead, I thought it would be fun to discuss the good times you had at the movies in all the Memorial Days gone by. Box Office Mojo has a list of the major Memorial Day movies beginning with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, and Cinematical's ongoing Our Favorite Summers series should help jog your movie memories. Some of the ones listed are probably films you've long forgotten (Enough? Really, 2002?) or disassociated with the blockbuster season such as Braveheart or Insomnia.
My own personal favorite has to be Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. I think it was the first midnight showing I ever attended, the place was full of Jedis, Twi'leks and Slave Leias and smelled a bit like geeks who had spent too much time waiting in the sun. My friends and I decided to one-up them and hastily assembled "the worst Star Wars costumes ever," which were a scattered collection of bathrobes, one monk's robe, a poncho /serape, and an Imperial Guard helmet. It speaks to the weirdness of the crowd that no one even remarked on it. I remember that the midnight crowd collectively loved the movie (something I've heard again and again to the point that I'm convinced they were piping in drugs all over the country to keep word of mouth positive) only to wake up the next day wondering what just happened. Oh well. It was fun for a handful of hours ... and I'll always remember my group with their arms folded Obi-Wan style inside the sleeves of their paisley and plaid bathrobes.
Your turn, readers ... and hopefully there's some tall, alcohol laden tales out there.
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-22-2009 @ 8:59PM
gottacook said...
Star Wars. Just plain Star Wars, before anyone guessed that it would last a solid year in first-run, before the "Episode IV" tag was hung on it. Loews Astor Plaza, Manhattan, Memorial Day weekend 1977, with a college friend. We had seen the trailer at the Orson Welles in Cambridge that spring and knew it would be good. It was. 'Nuff said.
Reply
5-22-2009 @ 11:19PM
Robert Magness said...
Phantom Menace is my most memorable Memorial Day Weekend movie. It ended poorly, mind you. I walked out of that theater feeling very ripped off and my soul crushed. But the 12-15 hour preceeding that screening...man, they were the best. We set up our own little community in that line. People in costumes, coolers full of food and alcohol; power lines run so we could hook up a TV with A N64, Dreamcast and Playstation; dueling with lightsabers; constant conversations about the Universe and our hopes and dreams for this new trilogy; hell, I even snuck into my third screening of The Mummy to help pass the day.
The hours leading up to it were so much fun that it overshadowed the movie one hundred times over. Since then, Memorial Day has been "meh." It seems the movies that have really pumped me up since then come out on the first weekend in May: X2, Spider-Man 1, Iron Man. Though, Wolverine didn't help...
Reply
5-24-2009 @ 11:00PM
saltine said...
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith'
For me i loved it so much
Fanboy in me makes it my best movie of all time
I think ill watch it now
Reply
5-23-2009 @ 5:32PM
michael said...
1984 Indiana Jones and the temple of doom. I been wait all year to see it.after school I ran to the theater to see it opening day it was great I love the mine cart chase. Summer of 84 was one of the summer I had. I wish I could relive it again
Reply