Movies That Molded Our Lives

[pajama]

Thanks everybody for the input. I thought of another one this morning, well two actually, that helped form one of my big phobias.

Jaws and Alligator - Jaws in particular came out, or I remember the book, when I was 7 or 8. Up until then I can remember going to the beach every summer without a care in the world. The summer Jaws came out, I was even apprehensive about getting in a pool. To this day I WILL NOT get into water I can't see the bottom of (hence why I never go swimming in a lake or pond). And even when I'm in the ocean snorkling I have to work very hard to not have an anxiety attack. I usually can only tolerate an hour or so in open water snorkling.

When Alligator came out I was in my early teens. Overall the movie is kinda stupid but there is this one scene where these little kids (7-8) are playing pirates at night out at the pool. One kid is making the other "walk the plank" by going out on the diving board. The giant gator is at the bottom of the pool and the blindfolded kid walking the plank sees him under the bottom of the blindfold. That terrified me so much, that I won't swim in a pool at night without the lights on in it to this day. And even with the lights on in it, I tend to have to fight the anxiety attacks also.

A

[Gemme]

A,

I'm with you! Jaws messed me UP when it came to swimming. Even in pools. I just knew that shark was waiting for me beneath the drain. I've never done faster dives in my life.

There was another creepy monster movie, The Thing, I think. Or one like it around that time. A marshy, slimy weird looking guy thing creeping around. We had an institutional bathroom....long and narrow with the pot at the end....and I would dash to potty and dash to the sink and my baths never took more than 5 minutes. I was about 8.

[pajama]

Originally Posted by Gemme

A,

I'm with you! Jaws messed me UP when it came to swimming. Even in pools. I just knew that shark was waiting for me beneath the drain. I've never done faster dives in my life.

There was another creepy monster movie, The Thing, I think. Or one like it around that time. A marshy, slimy weird looking guy thing creeping around. We had an institutional bathroom....long and narrow with the pot at the end....and I would dash to potty and dash to the sink and my baths never took more than 5 minutes. I was about 8.

TOTALLY AGREE

Oh that reminds me of another one Psycho, to this day I try to only use clear shower curtains. I want to see that crazy mo-fo coming for me before he flings back the curtain to stab me. LOL When I was a kid I would look out the shower curtain like 5-6 times during a quick shower 'cause I'd think I'd heard something. Now I don't have to check.

[Thinker]

There's an old, old movie titled Imitation of Life. My mother made us watch it everytime it was on TV.

She wanted us to be proud of who we are and where we come from. I think the biggest lesson in it was that she did not want us to do things or act in ways that we would later regret......later when it was "too late" to make amends.

I definitely carried that with me into my adult life. While not perfect, I almost always put a good amount of thought into things I say and decisions I make so I don't have regrets later.

[pajama]

Originally Posted by Thinker

There's an old, old movie titled Imitation of Life. My mother made us watch it everytime it was on TV.

She wanted us to be proud of who we are and where we come from. I think the biggest lesson in it was that she did not want us to do things or act in ways that we would later regret......later when it was "too late" to make amends.

I definitely carried that with me into my adult life. While not perfect, I almost always put a good amount of thought into things I say and decisions I make so I don't have regrets later.

Oh wow. I hadn't heard of it, so I went out and watched the trailer. Now I will have to find it to watch it. Sounds very interesting and so edgy for the era. Wow! Thanks for sharing.

[~ocean]

love "The Imatation of Life " great classic !

[weatherboi]

Shawshank Redemption
Schindlers List
The Godfather
Citizen Kane
Star Wars
To Sir, With Love

[girl_dee]

Psycho

It has never left me!

[Lady_Di]

Originally Posted by Thinker

There's an old, old movie titled Imitation of Life. My mother made us watch it everytime it was on TV.

She wanted us to be proud of who we are and where we come from. I think the biggest lesson in it was that she did not want us to do things or act in ways that we would later regret......later when it was "too late" to make amends.

I definitely carried that with me into my adult life. While not perfect, I almost always put a good amount of thought into things I say and decisions I make so I don't have regrets later.

Love that movie, I never miss it when it is on. Just like Magnificant Obsession, in point of fact :-)

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by Thinker

There's an old, old movie titled Imitation of Life. My mother made us watch it everytime it was on TV.

She wanted us to be proud of who we are and where we come from. I think the biggest lesson in it was that she did not want us to do things or act in ways that we would later regret......later when it was "too late" to make amends.

I definitely carried that with me into my adult life. While not perfect, I almost always put a good amount of thought into things I say and decisions I make so I don't have regrets later.

I remember watching that movie when I was a little kid, and being incredibly saddened by the daughter's self-imposed estrangement from her mother. I was already at that place in my childhood of aching for my mother's love and approval, and the tragedy of choosing to let go of a mother's love seemed unbelievably self-destructive and haunting to me.

[nycfem]

John Waters' (who I have mixed feelings about these days) old movies (e.g. Female Misbehavior, Serial Mom, and Pink Flamingos) were very influential to me in a positive way. I loved how women could be fat, vulgar, ugly, poor, criminal, perverse and just plain bad-ass and still be considered joyous, hilarious, fashionable, and worthy of the greatest admiration. I loved the idea of mocking the conservative, heterosexual suburban culture of gender-stereotyped nuclear families that I grew up in and instead making the ideal something completely opposite. Like in Female Misbehavior when a mother is trying to convince her son to be gay: "But you could change. Queers are just better." I adore Divine's showy, sexy, bold Fat Gyrl outfits! The notion that women don't need to be traditionally beautiful inside or out to be worshipped rocks my world!

[Lady_Di]

speaking of the phobias....

Arachnophobia