About

Katie

Movie Marathon Sundays started as a way to kill time on the weekends, especially on Sundays since that’s when football is on and my dad has decided to Quit Watching Football Forever (since the Broncos are terrible this year). We posted reviews on Facebook, primarily for our own amusement, but as we moved forward, we decided we wanted a more formal way of cataloging the films we were reviewing.

I wouldn’t say that I have a “passion for film” by any means, I just love movies. Some of my fondest memories from my childhood are from when my dad and I would go to the movies together and discuss them afterwards. The ritual of going to a movie is just as important to me as the movie itself: getting the tickets, buying overpriced popcorn, candy, and drinks, finding the perfect seats, watching the trailers, and picking out which upcoming movies we wanted to see. I can remember seeing a lot of bad movies as a kid, but I can’t remember having a bad time seeing them. That’s really what we tried to capture with Movie Marathon Sundays.

My top 5 movies are (in no particular order):

  1. Spirited Away. I am a late congregant to the church of Miyazaki. I didn’t see this movie until I was in my 20s, but it definitely captured a feeling of sad nostalgia in me that no other movie has been able to replicate.
  2. The Princess Bride. This is one of the first movies I remember seeing with my dad. I immediately fell in love with the fantasy tale being spun before my eyes. I remember quoting the best lines for days after back and forth to my dad and laughing like it was the first time I’ve seen them.
  3. The Lion King. I watched this movie over and over again when it first came out. I had all the merch, toys, and I knew (know) all the songs by heart. Mufasa’s death scene still breaks my heart just like it did when I was 4/5/6. (Spoilers two decades too late, by the way)
  4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. My dad thinks that franchises should count as 1 movie, but I disagree. My favorite part of any high fantasy book or film is the beginning. The main character is living a pretty normal life when suddenly they have to make a conscious decision to leave everything they love behind for the greater good. My dad and I saw this along with my brother at the Imax theater and I’ll never forget the feeling of wonder and excitement I felt when I got to see some of my favorite book characters come to life on the big screen.
  5. Trains, Planes, and Automobiles. This is technically a Thanksgiving movie, but in our household, this is a Christmas movie and we watch it every year. This movie really ignited my love of buddy comedies and road trip movies. And before anyone asks, yes, I do cry every time I watch it.

Jim

Sitting in a darkened theater, going on an adventure has always been my favorite pastime.  When Katie was old enough, I suddenly had a film buddy.  We could go see a movie and then discuss for hours the various merits of the movie.  The only bad movie is one that we can’t discuss when it’s over.  If we’re still talking about a movie a week or so later, it was a good movie–even if it was so bad, we’re still talking about it a week later!  There are rules to movie watching at a theater which are different from movie watching at home: 1)  You MUST go to the largest screen available.  2)  You MUST sit in the exact middle row of the theater in the exact middle seat.  3)  Large Popcorn to share; Large Soda (just for me–I used to be able to sit through the whole movie without having to leave but then I hit 40!); and on special occasions, Raisinets.  4)  We MUST discuss the merits of the movie afterwords.  If the conversation lasts the ride home–winner!  While I do go to and watch movies alone sometimes, I like the most when watching with my daughter and son (who is away at college).

My top 5 favorite movie experiences and why:

  1.  Lord of the Rings.  (I had to ask Katie if this counted as 1 or 3.  She said 3 but I don’t care)  Because I read the books as a High School Freshman and finished just in time for the Ralph Bakshi cartoon to come out and ruin the entire thing.  (notice I said cartoon and not “animated classic’).  Not to mention that Styx song.  Thank you, Peter Jackson.
  2. Alien, Meatballs, The In-Laws, Who’s Killing the Great Chef’s of Europe?, The Main Event.  Why 5 films for this one you might ask?  This was the summer I spent at my grandparents house and my uncle was crushing on this movie attendant at the local cineplex so I got to see all of these movies over and over and over, over the course of that summer.  ok AND Bill Murray!
  3. Rollerball.  My father never went to the movies but the whole family went to see this one and as an intellectual he discussed this movie and the deeper meaning for days afterwards which opened my young eyes to the deeper levels possible with movie watching–“Rollerball has deeper meaning?” You might ask.  You had to know my dad.
  4. Star Wars.  This movie opened my eyes to the ways a movie can take you on an adventure AND  become a cultural phenomenon,, AND how the musical score can influence the audience emotion during a particular scene, AND Special Effects, AND, AND….
  5. The Next Movie!