The Shaping of My Childhood...

So, an internal discussion I’ve had with myself quite frequently is which movies from my childhood rank as my all-time favorites? The possibilities are more or less endless. Although I’d like to think that a classic like Disney's Robin Hood would be in my top five, it is one of the many that I’ll always love…but not that much.

And while I unexpectedly (and contrary to what I’m sure would have been my mother’s wishes) got to see Wayne’s World at age 7, forever cementing it as a favorite of mine due to the fact that my mom would have probably cut off her own fingers before letting me watch it as a child, even that memory isn’t enough to pull it into my top 5.

So, now that I’ve got you on the edge of your seat, I’m sure you’re wondering what other classic films from my childhood rank as my most important, both as influences and as repeated joy-bringers into my innocent youth. Well, I’ll go ahead and share them with you…

#5:
There was a not-surprising battle for the 5th place spot because there are so many good movies that could make the list. And while an imagination-inspiring film like Blank Check could have been on the list, I have to give the number 5 spot to an even greater classic: The Sandlot. At one point I had a link to the perfect video, but it has since been removed from YouTube, sadly. So just pretend there's a great video clip here.

P.S. – there’s no doubt in my mind that The Sandlot is a much better movie than some of those coming up on the list as far as quality of film and storytelling goes, but it’s my childhood, not the Academy’s childhood that we’re focusing on here.

#4:
Ok, number 4 is probably the least-known of the five movies I’ll put in my top 5. Chances are, if you aren’t between the ages of 20-23 you might not even know this movie exists. But, in my formative childhood years, Surf Ninjas contained every element of film necessary to make it a Billeter Classic Movie (that’ll be my movie network someday).

Surf Ninjas had karate:



video games:



and humor:



And it had Barbara Ann in it:



It was so perfect. I have the VHS if you’d like to borrow it sometime. If you haven’t seen it, I’d be happy to sit and watch it with you. Twice even.

#3:
This one has got to be a movie you’re familiar with. I would hope. Especially if you’re from this general region (specifically, Minnesota, but usually South Dakotans tend to love teams and things from "The Cities," so I think it’s ok). Regardless, if you haven’t quoted this movie at least once, I don’t think we’re from the same generation. I probably watched D2: The Mighty Ducks 150 times as a kid. From the unbelievably exciting team re-gathering sequence when they rollerblade over fountains and stuff, to this epic scene,



D2: The Mighty Ducks was my rainy day, sunny day, and any day movie. Sometimes it even made me wish I played hockey. And any movie that could make me wish I played hockey, even as a kid, deserves some mad props (that means recognition for you old-timers).


Tell you what…I’ve got 2 movies left in this top 5 list (and I can assure you, they’re fantastic), but this blog post is already far too long. So go ahead and check out Part 2, featuring my top 2 movies, whenever you feel like reminiscing about some classic cinematic masterpieces.


Weeeee are the champions my friends…and weeeee’ll keep on fighting, ‘til the end…