Dad, Mom and The Big Picture.
7/11/2006 4:25 PM
A few cinema stories from my past for you today. When I was a kid my dad "forced" (heh...I didn't even think about that) me to see Star Wars. I wanted to see "Rollercoaster" because they had...not making this up..."rumbling seats". But he and Mom insisted...even dragged me in to see it. Then there was the opening scene with the Star Detroyer chasing the Blockade Runner and I was in for life. My mind was officially blown. You should be able to tell because not only do terms like Star Destroyer and Blokade runner exist and are used regularly in my vocabulary but I can even give ship specs on them. I wanted to start with a positive story. I wanted to show my father does have sound judgement...sometimes. He also took me to see the Sam Fuller rated "R" war biopic "The Big Red One". I was 12. My military experience prior to that was army men. It was not only were bombs dropping around us but the "f" bombs as well. Its a good movie but I was truly rattled coming out of it and I was given strict instructions "Not to tell Mom" about it. Previous to that was in a way an attempt at "bonding". He took me to see Moonraker. When you're 12 in 1979...Moonraker is porn. I couldn't believe my dad was taking me to see this. I'm sure he looked at it..."It was the space shuttle, lasers, Richard Kiel...how could it be bad.". When you're 12 and every hormone is going of like like a rocket. James Bond is Nitroglycerin. I remember looking at the screen...jaw dropped...looking at my dad...back at the screen. Giant beads of sweat rolling down my forehead. It was as close to mortified I had been to that point. That was until my Mom bought "Purple Rain" and we watched it together.