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Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2009 > June > 10 > Entry
What are your favorite/least favorite summer movies?
The folks over at Ain’t It Cool and the Web site Hit Fix came up with a good question, so I’m going to appropriate/co-opt/steal it. And this one’s pretty easy:
What are your favorite summer movies/summer movie experiences?
If I had to name my absolute favorite (and I guess I have to in a post like this, don’t I?), I’d have to say Raiders of the Lost Ark. Two things in particular stand out about seeing that movie for the first time. First, there was the way it made time seem to fly. I remember checking my watch at the end of that movie and being surprised 2 hours had passed. It felt more like 20 minutes.
The other thing I remember most? The ROAR that went up when Indy shot the villain waving his knife around. God, I miss movie theaters that could hold 1,000 people or more.
Some other favorite movies/memories:
Seeing Terminator 2 and being asked what I thought of the movie, which wore me out so much I could only give a rating by holding up five fingers.
Seeing Hercules (the 1997 Disney movie, mind you) and discovering the wonders of Susan Egan as Megara.
Seeing Star Wars: Episode II at a screening with a room full of critics and being taken aback when I didn’t hear a HOORAY at the opening fanfare.
Miracle on 34th Street: OK, I didn’t exactly see this on its original release, but it DID come out May 2, 1947. By today’s calendar, that counts as a summer movie.
As for my least favorite summer movie, that’s also beyond easy: Bad Boys II. I know I pick on it all the time here, but Michael Bay will be doing penance for that for the rest of his life in my mind. And so it goes …
So what are your favorite/least favorite summer movies?
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Ask the Audience
Comments
By T-Man
June 17, 2009 2:38 PM | Link to this
“Young Frankenstein” where my wife and I went on our first date. 33 years later, I still laugh the whole way through.By Kelle
June 11, 2009 10:16 AM | Link to this
One of my favorite summer movies has to be “Independence Day” with Will Smith.I have to also agree with “Jaws.”By SRCputt
June 10, 2009 9:54 PM | Link to this
As for favorite, I’ll go for E.T., a truly brillant film I just rewatched last week.By SRCputt
June 10, 2009 9:50 PM | Link to this
I still can’t believe I saw Armageddon in a theatre. Man, I hate Michael Bay. I’ve caught most of his crap on video just to see if he’s gotten better, and I can’t imagine he’ll ever get worse than Bad Boys II, but Armageddon would be my worst experience in a theater because its the only Bay movie I’ve seen there. What was the review line? Like watching an automatic weapon stuck in the firing position.By Jenna
June 10, 2009 6:51 PM | Link to this
Dirty Dancing and 16 Candles….nuff saidBy FES
June 10, 2009 12:51 PM | Link to this
I completely disagree about Michael Bay. His movies are iconic, especially “Transformers.” Such a great summer flick that at 9 months pregnant, even my son (born 11 days later) kicked the entire time in excitement. :) (The original) “Fast and the Furious” also was a great summer flick.By Allie D.
June 10, 2009 11:27 AM | Link to this
I have to also give a huge “agree” to Terminator 2. I was 11 years old, but I still remember staring agog at the screen as the T-1000 rose up out of that checkered floor. Another one I remember well is the Tim Burton Batman, as it was from about the same time period. Of course those were later overshadowed by the Nolan pictures. The Dark Knight is still definitely my favorite summer movie experience in recent years. Also, there was The Blair Witch Project, which left me walking out of theater white as a ghost and trembling. lol Worst summer movie experience, hands down: Armageddon. It looks like Michael Bay is responsible for a lot of summer time shame. In fact, when I think about the stereotypical mindless summer blockbuster, he’s the first person that comes to mind.By Brother Phil
June 10, 2009 11:24 AM | Link to this
I don’t think I have a least favorite summer movie, but my favorite is “Jaws.” I loved the movie, but was wary of swimming the in ocean for years after seeing it. I can still hear the soundtrack whenever I think about it…. Dunt, dunt, dunt, dunt, dunt, dunt, dunt, dunt, doodle de doo….By Barb
June 10, 2009 11:16 AM | Link to this
Top Gun, 1986. I think of Footloose as a summer movie too, but it was released in February. I still like it and can’t believe they feel the need to remake it. Why???? Oh, I forgot … no original ideas have come out of Hollywood in years. Remakes, sequels, prequels, TV shows & books made into movies. Whatever.By ron
June 10, 2009 10:38 AM | Link to this
without question: “Jaws.”