Just about everyone enjoys talking with friends about movies . . . what they’ve recently liked or didn’t like, other films an actor they’re a fan of might have made, and all time favorites, etc. But if you’re going to publish your talks about movies, not just chat with friends but announce your opinions to a general audience, then you kind of have to introduce yourself and suggest why anyone should care about what you think. So, please allow us to introduce ourselves . . .
Who Mickey Is
Who can identify their first experience with and earliest disposition towards movies? I assume the first movie I must have watched was watching along with something my mom was watching, or watching something she specifically encouraged me to watch when still too young to really get much besides lights and shapes and movement out of the experience. But my earliest memory that movies were something special is recalling when I was still in elementary school and my mom, before leaving for work in the evening, telling me I didn’t have to go to school the next day because she wanted me to stay up to watch the late show because that night it was a great classic film.
From being instructed to skip school to watch movies I grew to waiting anxiously every week for the glorious Saturday matinée at the neighborhood theater. These were movies made just for me…at night they showed grown-up movies, Richard Burton and ‘Cat On A Hot Tin Roof’ and Joanne Woodward and stuff that actually won awards, etc - but Saturday afternoons it was all about Hercules and Stooges and Godzilla and flying saucers, etc.
Then, sitting happily in the Saturday matinée, 1962, I saw a preview to the evening feature currently playing for adults . . . for the first time, I realized that some grown-up movies looked pretty cool - ‘United Artists presents, a Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli production filmed at Pinewood studios in England. Sean Connery IS James Bond, 007, licensed to kill . . . whom he wants, where he wants, when he wants.’ and that music! I was suddenly interested to start following major current releases along with TV late shows and Saturday matinées.
At home my mom had me grow up watching the great Hollywood classics (Capra & Hitchcock, Grant & Lemmon, etc), as a 10 year old boy in the mid 60’s I had major studios and gifted filmmakers making movies just for me (Ray Harryhausen & Steve Reeves, incredible shrinking men & fantastic creatures), as I grew into my teens my first grown-up movie experience was ‘The Graduate’.
Then, I met my high school sweetheart and pretty soon I was encouraging my own 6 children to watch good movies, and we did. We had family favorites that we all loved and watched every so often, and each had their own inclinations and tendencies toward certain types of films and so, personal favorites. My middle daughter, Mary, enjoyed movies so much she studied film at the university level . . . and now she has invited dad to join her on this website to discuss movies. We hope our film chats will be of use to you.
Who Mary Is
My great love of film obviously comes from the man above. While my mom would never allow us to skip school for a late night movie, I had the unique pleasure of growing up in a household where ratings didn't matter. It was such a non-issue that I never knew ratings existed until I was a teenager and going to movies with my friends and they were not allowed to see anything over PG-13 and I had no idea what they were talking about.
I'm assuming it was the luck of the draw being born in the middle of 6 kids but, looking back from the when my memories begin, I was given a sort of education in film in chronological order. As I grew we moved onto the next decade. It's evident in that Rebecca holds a special place in my heart and is my all time favorite film. This is the first film that struck me. I have no idea how old I was but I remember after it was over feeling I had just witnessed a masterpiece in motion and somehow it would never be that magnificent when played back. It was as if Renoir was in my living room painting beautiful picture just for me.
I then went to college and took every film course my university offered and loved every minute of it, except of course when I was being forced to watch Citizen Kane over and over. Then came marriage and the baby carriage x4 and I am now a SAHM whose most enjoyable escape is into the wonderful world of cinema.
I recently ran into an old college friend who asked what I was doing with movies these days, to which I replied, "Nothing but watching them." From that, the idea for this blog came about and now I get to talk movies with my Dad and I couldn't be more thrilled!
