Movie #244 - Gremlins

Gremlins
1984 - Rated PG - 1 hr 46 min
Director: Joe Dante
Starring: Hoyt Axton, Scott Brady, Zach Galligan, Corey Feldman, Dick Miller, Phoebe Cates

I know lots of boys were in love with Phoebe Cates because of this movie, but that Zach Galligan seemed pretty studly to my youthful self.  Now, not so much.

Watching this again after so many years how's not only reoriented my thinking of what's attractive, but has also let me see more clearly the lesson learned by this movie.  Don't get a pet you can't take care of.  Everything that goes wrong results directly from poor pet care.  Yes, Gremlins are more extreme than cats or dogs, but if you don't take care of your pets, sh*t's gonna go down, people!

Still my favorite scene? Caroling Gremlins that send Mrs. Deagle on a wild ride up the stairs and out the window.  Priceless.

Movie #240 - The Goonies

The Goonies
1985 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 54 min
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Joe Pantoliano, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jonathan Ke Quan, Robert Davi, Anne Ramsey

Oh, the goonies.  Suburban American gets it's very own pirate adventure in this 80s classic, rife with young stars. Little baby Sean Astin.  Teenage Josh Brolin. Skinny Joe Pantoliano.  And Cyndi Lauper's all over the place, in case you missed her.

The best part about revisiting this childhood favorite as an adult is all the jokes I've just understood.  And the pirate's name is One-Eyed Willy.  One. Eyed. Willy.  How did I not get that? And how do all these people make it through the movie without laughing?

We also got to watch the deleted scenes on the DVD, including the illusive octopus attack scene that Mike has been obsessed with finding since childhood.  Well, here it is.  Hooray.

So I love this movie for what it represents from my childhood, for being led by a talented cast of tweens, and for introducing us all to the possibility that we could become treasure hunters. And actually find something.