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What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

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What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Old 05-26-12, 04:54 PM
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What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

An interesting question from "What The Flick?" (start this video at 2 minutes in to skip the unrelated banter):

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So what are your picks for the 5 ultimate Summer Movies?

(You can interpret "Summer Movies" anyway you want)
Old 05-26-12, 05:26 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

OK, my list of what I think (for me) were the 5 ultimate Summer Movies...

And, by Summer Movies, I think of big movies released during the Summer season that were just a blast to see when I saw them at the theater during their initial release, so I only consider my first impression of them for this, not my view of the same film looking back years later.

My #1 Summer Movie: Star Wars
I saw it in the summer of 1977 when I was a kid and this just blew my mind at the time. Back then, I really thought it was the best movie ever!

My #2 Summer Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark
I saw it in the summer of 1981 and it was fun, fun, fun, fun!!! Just a total blast at the theater! This movie was like a drug that left me with a high that lasted for a while after it was over.

My #3 Summer Movie: Jaws
I saw it in the summer of 1975 when I was a kid and I was totally engrossed by it, although it scared the crap out of me.

My #4 Summer Movie: RoboCop
I saw this in the summer of 1987 when I was in college and the satirical edge in it so impressed me that I was stunned by it for a while afterwards and couldn't stop thinking about it.

My #5 Summer Movie: Die Hard
I saw this in the summer of 1988 and it really surprised me. I didn't expect much from it walking in (it just had that Bruce whats-his-name guy from TV in it), but at the time, I thought it was a near perfect action movie.
Old 05-26-12, 05:40 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Not the best movies ever, but had a blast at each showing.

1. Star Wars (saw it summer of '77 in London...my earliest memory)
2. Top Gun (released May '86, but caught it months later at the second-run Air Force Base theater)
3. T2 (July 3 '91)
4. Independence Day (July 3 '96)
5. Jurassic Park (June '93)

Honorable Mention: Batman (June '89), The Hangover (June '08), and American Pie (July '99)
Old 05-26-12, 06:00 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

I don't know about 5, but to me On Golden Pond represents summer, as I can relate to having grown up with the paradise that is a lakefront cottage. My parents bought theirs in '75, when I was an infant.
Old 05-26-12, 06:11 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

T2 would be my #1. But I was too young to see it.

I'll say Armageddon. I just remember it being a big event. Evil and manipulative or not, grown men cried during that movie. Almost everyone left the theater all teary-eyed. The action was exhilerating. And people were in love with the Aerosmith song. It's really the most "complete" summer movie formula I can recall.
Old 05-26-12, 06:16 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

My most memorable:

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (summer of 1963)
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (summer of 1967)
THE WILD BUNCH (summer of 1969)
REVENGE OF THE CHEERLEADERS (released in NYC in summer of 1977)
INFRAMAN (released in NYC in summer of 1979)

Posters from two of them:



Last edited by Ash Ketchum; 05-27-12 at 12:38 PM.
Old 05-26-12, 06:18 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Jaws (when I think of Summer blockbusters, this is #1 even though I was too young to have seen it)
Terminator 2 (one of the first big movies I remember seeing in theaters)
Independence Day (I was 15, it rocked)
Godzilla (1998) (sure, the movie sucked, but as a Big G fan my hype meter was off the charts)
American Pie (this came out the year I graduated, so the parallels were very strong)
Old 05-26-12, 06:36 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Jaws- this one started it all, have to include it
Independence Day- has lost its luster with time, but it was what a summer movie is all about
Jurassic Park-same as above
T2 - Most expensive movie ever made at the time, R-rated, and loads of fun for a 14 year old kid and his friends
Raiders of the Lost Ark- Damn, Steven Spielberg really is good at the whole Summer Blockbuster business, isn't he?
Old 05-26-12, 07:08 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

I wish I was around to see Star Wars (Born in 1981), or old enough to have seen T2 (my mom and dad wouldn't let me watch for a few more years after it came out). But here are my favorites.

1. Batman (1989)- I'll never forget how big and ground breaking this was in 1989, all I had know of Batman was the 60s tv show, and this was completely different from that. I didn't see it until the fall at a dollar theatre.

2. Jurassic Park (1993) Remember going to a packed theatre with my whole family, I think I saw it at least 3 or 4 times in the theatre.

3. American Pie (1999) This came out the summer before my senior year, probably the most fun to see with a sell out crowd.

4. Independence Day (1996) It hasnt aged very well at all for me, but it was fun to see as a kid.

5. UHF (1989) I wish Weird Al would make another movie. I spent a whole summer a few years after it came out watching this on VHS almost every morning. Every year since I always seem to watch it during the summer.
Old 05-26-12, 07:50 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Terminator
The Matrix
Independence Day
Jurassic Park


My fondest movie going memory is #1 and #2 as a double feature. What a great day that was to see those movies for a buck!!
Old 05-26-12, 08:45 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

In general? I'd think it would be:

Idependance Day
Jaws
Star Wars
Jurassic Park
Raiders of The Lost Ark

For me though?
JP (I was 5 when this came out, I remember tearing up when that first moment in the movie where when they showed the Dinos it was amazing to me. Dinosaurs were real and I saw them. That was also the moment when I first knew what a director was and who Steven Spielberg was. It was a big moment for me as a kid)
T2 (I remember crying at the end cuz well...the big A never went down from the movies I saw as a kid)
TDK
Armageddon
Godzilla (I remember being disappointed a bit that it wasn't...THE G but I enjoyed it)
Old 05-27-12, 12:55 AM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

For me, ID4 defined what a big summer movie was all about.

I still watch it every year, using the three days it took place on (July 2, 3 and 4th) to make it into a sort of miniseries kind of thing. It's a tradition.
Old 05-27-12, 01:14 AM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC
In general? I'd think it would be:

Idependance Day
Jaws
Star Wars
Jurassic Park
Raiders of The Lost Ark

For me though?
JP (I was 5 when this came out, I remember tearing up when that first moment in the movie where when they showed the Dinos it was amazing to me. Dinosaurs were real and I saw them. ThatI was also the moment when I first knew what a director was and who Steven Spielberg was. It was a big moment for me as a kid)
T2 (I remember crying at the end cuz well...the big A never went down from the movies I saw as a kid)
TDK
Armageddon
Godzilla (I remember being disappointed a bit that it wasn't...THE G but I enjoyed it)
Pretty much exactly how I feel about about Jurassic Park. The quintessential summer movie in my opinion. I was 13 when I saw it and it absolutely blew me away. I saw it 4 times in the theater and each time was a packed house. I agree that it was the first time I saw "real" dinosaurs and it was actually a very moving experience for me. I mean what kid doesn't love dinosaurs? And to see "real" dinosaurs on screen was a very special experience for a lot of people.
Old 05-27-12, 01:31 AM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

I didn't check out the video clip, but the answers seem to go towards movies released in the summer months. Since the OP indicated defining summer movies anyway I wanted, I'll go with films that take place in the summer (for the most part).

Jaws could still qualify. I'd also consider National Lampoon's Vacation. And then I'd have to include some of my favorite films about baseball--The Sandlot and Bull Durham top the list.
Old 05-27-12, 03:23 AM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

1) Jaws
2) Star Wars
3) Raiders of the Lost Ark
4) Jurassic Park
5) Prometheus
Old 05-27-12, 09:43 AM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Originally Posted by cardsfan111
I didn't check out the video clip, but the answers seem to go towards movies released in the summer months. Since the OP indicated defining summer movies anyway I wanted, I'll go with films that take place in the summer (for the most part).
I can give you the gist of the clip. Christy Lemire and Ben Mankiewicz begin by giving multiple definitions of "Summer Movies" (at ~2:45 into the clip) and say a Summer Movie can be: a big blockbuster released in the Summer; a movie actually set in the Summer; a movie you saw as a kid in the Summer and have nostalgic memories for; or a Summer Movie can be just plain hot. So they then picked movies that fit any of these descriptions...

Christy Lemire picked ones that matched a variety of these different definitions:
- Point Break
- Jaws
- The Seven Year Itch
- Do The Right Thing
- The Flamingo Kid (this is her nostalgic pick)

Ben Mankiewicz stuck with movies set during the Summer as his preferred definition and then very loosely picked:
- Dog Day Afternoon
- Jaws
- 12 Angry Men
- Body Heat
- Dazed and Confused (He just threw it out at the end, but I think it counts as one of his picks)
Old 05-27-12, 09:50 AM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC
Armageddon
Finally, another child on here who was able to enjoy Armageddon. I know that it wasn't big with critics and stuff. But I think it's the most definitive, very-modern example. It's like, ID4 (mid 90's), Armageddon (late 90's), The Dark Knight (late 2000's)? I can't even think of what else to put on there.
Old 05-27-12, 10:19 AM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

1) Boobwatch 1
2) Boobwatch 2
3) Boobwatch 3
4) Boobwatch 5
5) Tron Legacy
Old 05-27-12, 11:07 AM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Originally Posted by WeylandYutani
1) Jaws
2) Star Wars
3) Raiders of the Lost Ark
4) Jurassic Park
5) Prometheus
Nice marketing ploy
Old 05-27-12, 11:44 AM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

#1 Jaws
#2 Star Wars
#3 Raiders of the Lost Ark
#4 T2
#5 Jurassic Park
Old 05-27-12, 12:38 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

1.Jurassic Park: Saw this when i was a kid in the theaters. Saw it six times over the summer. Loved it.
2.The Lost World: Yes haters I loved this one just as much as the first.
3.Armaggedon: Great fun movie.
4.Star Wars: Only saw it when it got re-released in theaters. And of course the rest of the butchered versions on dvd.
5. Power Rangers: The Movie. Loved it as a kid and is still a guilty pleasure to watch today. Kimberly is still the hottest Pink Ranger
Old 05-27-12, 01:29 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

My top five summer movies are:

1.)Batman(1989)- Before this movie, I was a normal 10 year old boy. Still quiet but relatively normal. Batman made me a bonafide freak. I counted down the days until the movie came out. I saw the trailer in front of every movie. I'd grab the shirt of every male adult I knew, bring their face close to mine and proclaim "I'm Batman". I had the trading cards, t-shirt, toys, comics, Batman brainwashed me. I still get a little excited when a new Batman movie comes out. It is absolutely one of the most important moments of my film watching life. Even though I only think the movie is good-okay now, it was my favorite movie ever in 1989 and it's one of the first things I think of when I hear summer movie. Releasing a Batman movie in any time other than summer does not make any sense to me.

2.) Jurassic Park- I remember not being very excited for JP. The trailer didn't excite me. But like SolidSnake, I was amazed by the first dinosaur scene. Then when I saw the T. Rex attack, I thought "Holy Shit!" I made every friend/family member who said they hadn't seen it yet go see it(so that I could tag along with them.) A good movie with some very great moments.

3.) Raiders of the Lost Ark- I was too young to see(or is it remember seeing? I have no idea) this movie in theaters when it initially came out in theaters. It's pretty much the perfect summer movie. Every summer movie wants to be Raiders. If a summer movie were to suddenly become sentient and said "No, I don't want to be as good as Raiders.", they are a fucking liar. I finally got to see this movie at the Castro theater in San Francisco with the organ playing the Indiana Jones theme before the movie and it was damn magical.

4.)The Phantom Menace- For me, you take the good, you take the bad. And it's my least favorite in my list by far but for me, like it or not, The Phantom Menace represents summer but in the way that summer movies can represent bloat, bad story, Yay! explosions and sometimes...disappointment. TPM was the adult equivalent of my Batman experience. I bought the toys, the making of book, read the spoilers on Ain't it cool but it turned out to not be so cool. I missed Stars Wars and Empire by not being born and was too young to have an opinion on Jedi. So, TPM was my generation's chance to finally see a brand new Star Wars movie on the big screen. I still don't mind it as much as others but I'd have to be lying if I said I was fully satisfied. At least it's not Attack of the Clones though.

5.)The Avengers- I'm glad that this movie ended up being good because I can put a more recent movie on my list. I felt the excitement again but as I learned from TPM, things could turn out bad. I think it stems from Batman. Seeing a superhero movie is really cool but what if there were a movie with all kinds of cool superheroes? Sure, there's X-Men but Hulk, Thor, etc. in one movie? There's a million ways it could have gone wrong but only a few ways it could have go right. I laughed, cheered, all those fucking emotions. I felt like a ten year old again watching Batman.

Honorable Mentions: E.T., T2, ID4, Pirates 1, Armageddon, Jaws
Old 05-27-12, 01:45 PM
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I'll throw out one that I didn't see mentioned above:

Back to the Future


If I define "ultimate summer movies" as the biggest box office hits (inflation adjusted, of course) that were also "summer movies", the top ones are:
1) Star Wars (5-25-1977)
2) E.T.: The Extraterrestrial (6-11-1982)
3) Jaws (6-20-1975)
4) The Empire Strikes Back (5-21-1980)
5) Return of the Jedi (5-25-1983)
6) The Phantom Menace (5-19-1999) (yes, really)
7) The Lion King (6-15-1994)
8) Raiders of the Lost Ark (6-12-1981)
9) Jurassic Park (6-11-1993)
10) Forrest Gump (7-6-1994)
11) Mary Poppins (8-29-1964) (yes, this was a big hit when my family saw it in 1964)
12) Grease (6-16-1978)

I bet there are a few surprises for most of you in that list. The fact that it is Star Wars and Spielberg dominated probably surprises nobody.

For me, the top 5 summer movies would be:
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Batman
Jurassic Park


with runners up:
T2
Back to the Future
Independence Day
Return of the Jedi


You will notice that my list is skewed toward movies from several decades ago because I am an old guy (59, today).
Old 05-27-12, 05:03 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Originally Posted by WeylandYutani
1) Jaws
2) Star Wars
3) Raiders of the Lost Ark
4) Jurassic Park
5) Prometheus
are you from the future?
Old 05-27-12, 05:09 PM
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Re: What Are The 5 Ultimate Summer Movies?

Originally Posted by lizard
I'll throw out one that I didn't see mentioned above:

Back to the Future
Yeah I was shocked reading through the thread and not one mention of it.

Mine:

1. Star Wars
2. Jurassic Park
3. Jaws
4. Back to the Future
5. The Lion King

I'd put Die Hard up there, but it's a Christmas movie despite the summer release date.

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