A List of Cinematic Firsts

I get a little sentimental this time of year. More on that later. Here is a list of film related firsts throughout my life.

1. First Film in a Theater
Or at least the first film I remember seeing in the theater. 1987. The Princess Bride. My aunt took me. We saw it at the mall. The ROUSs scared the crap out of me. Awesome. [Edit: After speaking to my mother this morning, I've learned that she took me to two films prior to this: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock in 1984, because she couldn't find a sitter, and The Care Bears Movie in 1985, of which I have a very vague memory. See more below.]



2. First VHS Tape
We really dug Hayley Mills' films when I was a kid. At least three of them. In Search of the Castaways was one of those three. I can't tell you exactly when we got our first VCR and a tape to play with it, but I do know we watched this a lot once we did. Now I barely remember a thing about it. [Edit: My mom also said she thinks the first VHS tape she bought was White Nights, but this was probably the first kid appropriate one she bought.]



3. First DVD(s)
The day after Christmas in 2002, I left for a two week trip to London. For Christmas I got a portable DVD player, which blew my mind because they were so expensive, and because I didn't even have a regular one yet. To accompany me and my new toy (which was the envy of all my travel companions) I also got two of my favorite teen comedies, Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You (plus the first season of "24"). At least the long flight was made easier for a few hours.



4. First Blu-ray
Our first Blu-ray player wasn't the best. My husband actually installed one on his computer and hooked it up to our t.v., but unsurprisingly it wasn't the high definition I was expecting. I had to test it out on something and a random purchase of Mr. Stark's first outing was it. Later I bought a proper Blu-ray player and finally saw what all the fuss was about.



5. First Movie Review
The reason I get all gooey this time of year is that 6 years ago I started blogging about movies, just to keep track for my own sake and to pass the time. I never imagined it would escalate into everything it has become, but I'm thankful for all I've learned and the friends I've made around the world. Read it here, at your own risk.

9 comments:

  1. ROUSs scared the crap out of me forever - until I saw the knees of the guys in the suit crawling around. Now they make me cringe, but hardly scary.

    The first film I left at the theater was Return to Oz - it was too scary and I made my dad come pick me up while my cousins stayed with my mom and aunt.

    My first DVD when I got back from Kenya and bought a DVD player was The Green Mile (no clue why). My first videotape was actually Betamax Oklahoma. No clue what it was for VHS.

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    1. Yeah, I was watching it with some friends a few years back and mentioned how the ROUSs scared me as a kid. Everyone joked how fake they looked and playfully mocked me. It should be noted though that I happened to be the oldest in the room and the only one who saw it in its original theatrical release, while everyone else was older when they saw it on home video.

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  2. Well, this is fun...and very hard to remember.

    The first film I went to the theater to see was Song of the South - which I now realize must have been some sort of re-release or something at the theater since it came out in the 40s. But, my sister and I did not seem to enjoy it - we didn't make it the distance.

    First VHS tape that I can remember was Star Wars.

    I got a DVD player for Christmas my second year of college and with it I got Pleasantville and Clue.

    First Blu-Ray - It was either Cars 2 or Thor, they were pretty close together. When we bought them we didn't even have a Blu-Ray player yet, but knew we would be getting one.

    And, Holy Smokes - I just looked on my site as well (and although at the time not a full movie site) my first movie review post was on April 2 as well - in 2008. What are the odds? Anyway, that was on Dazed and Confused. So random.

    Thanks for the info - and the idea to reminisce.

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    1. Thanks, Keith! My first review didn't go up until 4/4/07, but I wanted to post this today.

      Star Wars was your first VHS? Very cool!

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  3. My parents took us to the drive-in a lot when I was young. I think we saw every Disney film & John Wayne film as soon as they were released. I couldn't tell you what the first film was that I saw at the drive-in. I do remember the first time my mom took us to an indoor theater. I didn't know such a thing existed! We saw THAT DARN CAT (yes, kids, the original one). You already mentioned my first VHS. I think my first DVD was NEWSIES. I still don't own a Blu-Ray.

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    1. I need Newsies! Like right now!

      And I would like to go to a drive-in someday, if they still exist.

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    2. Rachel, there are 3 drive-in theaters in Arkansas: Fayetteville, Marshall, & Mountain View. There are also several in Wisconsin. You can find this info on the internet.

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  4. Of course I remember almost none of my answers for these... let's see...

    -First theatrical film... no idea. The very earliest I can remember is the Tom and Jerry movie in 1992. I would have been 6. But I'm sure I would have had to have gone prior to then.

    -First VHS... I can't say, because I recall my family owning a lot of VHS movies/tapes for pretty much as long as I can remember, from things recorded off TV to store bought. But I did wear the heck out of that Little Shop of Horrors VHS, I tell ya! (On a similar note, the first VHS movie I ever bought myself with my own allowance was Jim Carrey's "The Mask.")

    -First DVD... this one I actually do remember. The first DVD I bought was Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. I had a PS2 for a DVD player long before an actual DVD player, and it never played DVDs right for some reason. But it worked enough. Though if we're talking first DVD I ever saw... if it wasn't FF, it was that horror/thriller Bless the Child (yeah, I know... totally random).

    -First Blu-Ray... I'll be honest, I have *no* idea. And that's sad, because it's the most recent. I *think* it might have been Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

    -First movie review... I actually reviewed movies on MySpace back in the day before I reviewed them on a blog. And one of my first was actually Grindhouse, as well. But if we're talking first review on my actual blog, I think it was "The Golden Compass." I don't think I reviewed anything before that on Boomstick Reviews (before the change to R2D2). So, yeah.

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    1. Oh Myspace. You're taking me back in time there, Jobe.

      It's funny you mention always having VHS tapes around, because I remember watching as our collection grew (slowly at first) enough to eventually take over the bookcase next to the t.v. The difference of 5 years in age makes.

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