1. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
I was deathly, deathly afraid of Edward Scissorhands when I was little. Like, seriously. I know Johnny Depp is a heartthrob but come on having scissors as hands are creepy as hell (plus his goth outfit and makeup only made it creepier). But one day for some bizarro reason I decided to watch it again because I didn’t understand why everyone loved the movie (and because I forgot what it was about). The opening credits creeped me out and I was convinced that this is definitely a scary movie. However, when the opening credits ended and this scene showed up:
It reminded me of the charms of Tim Burton’s movies that was about to unfold. I guess I was too clouded with my belief that the movie was going to be errie that I completely forgot about how colorful and friendly the neighborhood featured in the movie was. To those who were in the same position as I was and was freaked out by the movie when they were little, give Edward Scissorhands another go.
2. Remember the Titans (2000)
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye.
It’s probably a rite of passage for every kid who went to an American school to watch a football movie (funny how I said that because while my school was indeed an American school, it was more close to an International school). Anyhow, we watched Remember the Titans together as a class when we were in Middle School and I can say it is one of the most touching movies I have ever seen.
It’s always good to revisit movies that have touched our souls when we were young, and Remember the Titans is no exception. Disney released this movie based on real life that dealt with racial prejudice back in the 70s, and the message really sank in. Rough times it must have been back then and the remnants of the time period still remains nowadays. I think this is a great movie to watch these days for us to see the acceptances of young soals for one another through mutual passion.
I know the scene when Gerry and Julius finally resolved their differences by yelling “Left side” and “Strong side” was one of the best and most touching scenes, but I say my favorite is when they all sang “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” together.
BTW, Ryan Gosling was crazy cute and adorbz in this movie.
3. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Nicole Kidman’s golden age, methinks. To be honest, I cannot believe I watched this when I was small (I’m gonna blame it on my sister’s influence). This movie is so inappropriate for a middle school kid and yet I loved it nonetheless. So here’s the reason why you should re-watch it. First of all, we’re all now mature enough. The music is so so good (Elephant Love Medley!). And now that I re-watched it, the end of the musical within the movie when the magical sitar said, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return” seems so much more significant (not gonna spoil as to why it was significant but you’ll see throughout the movie).
PS: Let’s not go yelling Voulez-vous coucher avec moi. It’s embarrassing enough that we said the phrase when we didn’t even understand what it meant. Atleast I didn’t.
4. Titanic (1997)
Titanic came out when I was only 3 years old, but I remember watching it multiple times in the theatre. Our family even went further and actually bought the videotape cassette (REMEMBER THOSE?!).
It’s not like the movie needs re-watching because I didn’t quite understand the storyline when I was small. I knew two people fell in love and they were doomed because they got on board a ship that would sink. The reason why I think people should watch it again is it’s simply timeless. The movie came out 18 years ago, but visual effects are incredibly realistic. Dare I say it is better than some of the recent movies that rely entirely on CGI special effects.
5. The Princess Bride (1987)
Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
I actually haven’t watched this when I was small and finally got to it last year. And Oh. My. Goodness. It is the most ridiculous (but in a good way) movie I have ever seen in my life. The dialogues aren’t so old as to set the movie back or anything, and I was able to engage in the movie just fine. The stunts and effects are so obvious I believe it was purposefully done poorly just for the laugh.
The funniest part for me (because I have a weird sense of humor) was when Buttercup pushed Westley down (not knowing his identity yet) the grass field and he yelled “AS YOU WISH” as he rolled down. It was funny because it was so absurd and (like I said) I have a weird sense of humor + I’m 三八. The reason I chose this movie for this list is because I was able to laugh at all the jokes just fine. It’s a hilarious movie and people should check it out again.
Oh, and Cary Elwes is crazy good looking in this movie.
BONUS: Jurassic Park (1993)
Remember back in the good ol’ days when we hated the raptors? I know I know, I loved the raptors in Jurassic World (somehow they reminded me of my cat Ollie). But now that dinosaurs are popular once again, maybe we should all watch the original movie that started it all? Jurassic Park remains close to my heart, and just like Titanic, we used to have the videotape cassette and my sister and I watched it religiously.
I think watching Jurassic Park (and Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings) is a rite of passage for many. It’s a classic everyone enjoys.
My favorite scene is the jello shake (and I think we all know what I mean).
So what’s a movie you think we should re-watch now that we’re old and tad bit more mature?
tiffany hs cho. 