An idea brought on by the 'WarGames' thread...

Reading the posts in that cool thread, how about we bring up a movie and post our memories of the first time we viewed it?

If you're up for it, please let me tip things off with "Jaws," which is coming out on BluRay soon.

I remember see this at age 11 and almost pissed myself.

When Ben Gardner's head pops up in that porthole, everyone in the entire audience (it was SRO) -- including yours truly -- screamed.

By the end of the movie, my feet were on the my seat as my knees were pulled to my chin.

That night was the first of what have proven to be a ton of memorable nights I've spent being moved by something I've seen on the silver screen. I bought the massive book on the making of "Jaws" last summer and it kicks ass, just like the film that spawned it.

 

Animal House - my mom took me and my brother and sisters to it. Laughed my ass off. I don't know what was funnier, the movie or my brother batting away my mom's arm when she tried to shield his eyes from seeing the boobies.
Funny thing is - I think my mom laughed the most of all of us during the movie.
A great movie changes you. It makes you want to "be" in that world. In Jaws case, it actually made people leery of going to the beach.
And who didn't want to be Blutarski?

 

Dan: "Animal House" is my favorite comedy of all-time!

My thought was for everyone to post their memories of "Jaws" here, then we could start another about another iconic film.

But, this works just fine for me, too.

"Animal House," like you said, made me want to be in a fraternity. Which is kind of ironic because I ended up never darkening the door of a college or university as a student, having done so only while visiting some of my buddies.

I quote more lines from "Animal House," "Cadddyshack" and "Holy Grail" than any other, I believe. I love your description of you mom trying to shield your brother's eyes from the boobies!

Along these same lines, the original "Halloween," which I saw on opening night in 1978, was an amazing experience.

So, too, was "Rocky II," which I also saw on opening night. I will never forget the entire crowd standing throughout what I consider the best fight ever put to film and cheering as if we were actually in attendance. (Saw "Rocky II" and "Poltergeist" on the same night).

"Caddyshack" was another great moment. It was the first time I had ever seen Rodney Dangerfield, who flat out stole the show.

I could list so many more, but it's time to share the floor with others.

 

Jaws came out before I was born, so I never saw it in the theaters (though it is one of my all-time favorites). But for me, the most impressive movie going experience of my early life would no doubt be Aliens. It was such a visceral, exciting, tense movie (with some great humor courtesy of the awesome Bill Paxton) that I think it still holds up well today.

 

Loved Paxton's "game over" rant! He was terrific in the sequel to the great "Predator," as well.

I was too young (11) to legally get into "Jaws," but I snuck in as part of a large group.

 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Freshman year of college.. student newspaper staff decided to get together for an informal Thanksgiving dinner earlier in the week. The highlight of our get together was seeing this staff favorite, which I had never seen before. I laughed my butt off during it - from the opening credits through the arrest in the final scene. The black knight scene was especially memorable and I still quote the French tower guard from time to time.

 

Gone With the Wind in my sophomore year history class. I remember watching the first hour, thinking Scarlett wasn't that pretty and was a total bitch and that Rhett was old and gross. Three hours later I was totally in love with it, and it's only grown since then.

 

A recent Jaws moment for me:

I was in some hostel in Kuala Lumpur a few months ago, watching a pirated copy with about four German guys. They came in about halfway through, which is about where Jaws makes his first appearance.

We were all sitting on this huge L-shaped couch thing in the living room when Jaws appeared, and every single one of those guys jumped out of his skin. I had a hard time not laughing. Clearly, it was the first time any of them had seen it.

 

Either your mom is very very hip, or very very weird.

 

For "Jaws," I never got to see in it the theatre. But those of a certain age will remember what a huge thing "free HBO" weekends were, back in the nascent days of cable. That's where I saw it. I wasn't supposed to - Mom had banished me to bed when it started, but I snuck back and watched from the door of the living room. I was too young, and traumatized. Nightmares for the next two nights.

 

KJIM: That is awesome! Reminds me of when I had seen the original "Friday the 13th" on opening night, then went back the next night with a few other friends. Knowing Jason's mom was going to jump out of the lake when all the chaos had seemed to be concluded made the reactions of those who were seeing it the first time hilarious.

Killick: How were you able to stay quiet when all heck was breaking lose? Pretty solid self control for a youngster!

 

That was Jason, not Jason's mom, jumping up out of the lake.