TBizzyMovieReviews: August 2013

Top 10 movies that remind me of my Dad

My dad passed away 3 years ago on August 9^th. I wanted to post this on that exact date this year, but things have been crazy in my world so I was not able to do so. Now that I have a moment, I thought I would do a tribute to my dad with a top 10 movies that make me think of him. These 10 movies hold a special place in my heart for whenever I hear them mentioned, see them on TV, or see the DVD sitting on my shelf, I can’t help but smile in remembering my Pops. So, this list may not be especially awesome for you to read, but it is especially awesome for me to share.

RIP Dad. Your tribute list is an awesome one!

WARNING THERE MAY BE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Top 10 (In no particular order)

#10 Robocop

My dad was super liberal in terms of what movies I could/couldn’t watch when I was a kid. I remember when Robocop came out that I was so mad at my dad for not letting me see it. It turns out he made the very RIGHT call on that. I saw it a few years after its release and even that was too early. Whenever I see Peter Weller or baby food I can’t help but smile and remember.

#9 Porky’s

So, this is the other movie that my dad didn’t let me watch as a kid, and again, very much the right call. Nudity, coarse language, and sexual situations would have shattered my child like innocence. I saw it many years after and it made me realize that parents really do know best. Whenever I hear something about Florida I can’t help but smile and remember.

#8 Hard to Kill

This movie and this movie alone is why I will always support Steven Seagal. When people complain about some of the god awful tripe that he has made in the last decade, I will always respond with “Yeah, but he made Hard to Kill.” When my brothers and I were kids, my family would go to a cottage for the summer. My dad rented Hard to Kill and we sat down and watched Seagal break dozens of legs and arms. I loved it, my brothers loved it, and my dad loved it. It came on the TV the day before he died and we watched it in all of its awesomeness for one last time together. Love him or hate him, Seagal will always make me smile and remember.

#7 Die Hard

When I was a kid, I was at a friend’s birthday party when my dad showed up to take me home. I was upset because Die Hard was just put in for us to watch. It was also a movie I was worried my dad wouldn’t want me watching. My dad took one look at Bruce Willis and calmly plunked himself down at the back of the room. What happened next was 2 hours of one of the best action movies of all time. My dad and I bonded over an awesome action film like a father and son should. Whenever I hear the name John Maclean, I can’t help but smile and remember.

#6 A Clockwork Orange

My dad went 66 years without ever mentioning this movie to me. It was a few days before his 66th birthday when he mentioned he would like a copy of this as a present. He told me it was one of his favorite films. I never got to watch it with him, but I thought my dad was a little bit cooler that day for saying that he loved this film so much. Whenever I see Malcolm McDowell in something I can’t help but smile and remember.

# 5 Straw Dogs (1971)

Exact same thing as Clockwork Orange, he said he wanted this movie as a present because he loved the sheer violence of it. That is a badass statement. Whenever I see Dustin Hoffman in something I can’t help but smile and remember.

#4 The Great Outdoors

My dad loved John Candy, and I also loved John Candy when I was growing up. Why this movie when Candy had so many better films? It came down to one scene. A bear gets its ass blown off with a shotgun. That scene had my whole family laughing for minutes. It was one of the earliest times that I can remember where my dad just lost control with laughter. Whenever I see John Candy in something I can’t help but smile and remember.

#3 Bridge on the River Kwai

My dad was always watching military programs when I was a kid. It could have been a documentary, a television show, or a movie, but he just loved the army genre. I could have picked many movies but my dad must have watched this film a hundred times. Seeing that bridge exploding brings back great memories. Whenever I see Sir Alec Guinness I can’t help but smile and remember.

#2 Crocodile Dundee

I remember this movie fondly because it was always on TV back in the day. Whenever it was on, me and my pops would watch it for two quotes. “That’s not a knife, that’s a knife” and “you can live on it, but it tastes like shit.” This film always entertained us and was just classic 1980’s flick. Whenever I see Paul Hogan I can’t help but smile and remember.

#1 Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan

My dad loved Star Trek and he always had this film on in our basement. Arguably or not arguably, it is the best Trek film in the whole franchise and it was one of my dad’s favorites. Whenever I hear someone scream KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!! I can’t help but smile and remember.