This One Time... How Movie's Have Impacted My Life

Thanks to movies…

1.  Not only can animals talk, but they are probably making fun of me right now.  Yeah, screw you right back squirrel! (Dr. Doolittle / Zookeeper / Every Animated Movie ever)

2.  When I drive through a tunnel and get to the center, I always look for doors and a way to get higher than the water that will inevitably come gushing through when the tunnel collapses (Daylight)

3.  I think that all prostitutes have a heart of gold (Pretty Woman / Milk Money)

4.  I am always on the lookout for wooded areas where I can take drive away as soon as the Russians parachute in (we know they will). I also start inventorying the things that I will need to “borrow” from the local gas station to get me through the winter. (Red Dawn)

5.  When I see above ground electric poles on an open field, I stop and wait for the monsters that will come and eat them away like a deranged Pac-man (Langoliers)

6.  Every time I hear the song…

a.  Cruel Summer by Bananarama – I think of Ralph Machio playing soccer (Karate Kid)

b.  Poker Face by Lady Gaga – I think of a dancing half goat half boy in a casino (Percy Jackson)

c.  I’m Alright by Kenny Loggins – I think of a dancing gopher (Caddyshack)

7.  If I go 1 on 1 with someone in any contest, I use a fake Russian accent and say…. “I must break you”.  Of course, I guess that is better than going to the hospital and looking in on people and saying “If he dies…he dies” in the same accent. (Rocky IV)

8.  Any pitch that is remotely out of the strike zone is met with a resounding “Just a bit outside” in my best Bob Uecker imitation (Major League)

9.  Whenever I am on a boat, in any weather, I yell…”Iceberg…right ahead!” (Titanic)

10. I grew up thinking the fastest way to a girls heart was to raise my boom box above my head and play “In your eyes” (Say Anything)

11. Anytime I reference a large amount of money, I automatically say 1 billion dollars and put my pinky in my mouth.  (Austin Powers)

12. I tried to befriend my old eccentric neighbor thinking he may have a time machine made out of a Delorean in his garage.  Nope, he was just weird.  (Back to the Future)

13. I wonder why the president just doesn’t come out and say that he knows about Area 51 and the upcoming alien invasion (or asteroid heading towards Earth) but that it is OK because Will Smith (or Bruce Willis) is on the case (Independence Day / Armageddon)

14. I think every archeologist carries a bullwhip (Raiders of the Lost Arc)

15. Anytime I have a cold I just assume it is some sort of Zombie Virus (Dawn of the Dead / 28 Days Later)

16.Every time I hear “This one time…” I follow up with…Yeah you know the rest

Songs that remind me of movies

If you’re like me, you hear a song come on the radio or CD or 8-track and immediately think of a movie or more specifically a movie scene.  Did I lose you at 8-track?  Actually some people may not even know what 8-tracks are.  How about a 33 or 45?  Ok, I am done dating myself, so let’s stick with – you hear a song on your I-pod and…

Anyway, back to my point, some songs just immediately trigger a visual response for me, most likely a movie (or a bad night of Karaoke). But for sake of my dignity, let’s stick with movies.  So in hopes that I am not the only one who does this; I have listed my top songs that trigger a related movie.  Rather than top songs, I should say the last songs I have heard because, you know, my 8-track player is acting up.

“In Your Eyes” – Peter Gabriel:  Say Anything.  I don’t think it’s physically possible to listen to this song without holding a boom box above your head.  If you do not understand that reference, you need to go to a video store…uh, I mean use Netflix…mmm I mean stream the movie “Say Anything” to your wifi-enabled viewing device (is that better?) and watch it.  Not only is it a great movie, but it contains the iconic scene where Lloyd Dobbler holds up his boom box (a boom box was this electronic device that played songs from “tapes” back in the day) and serenades his love.  Classic!

“Cruel Summer” – Bananarama:  Karate Kid (1984). Weird, but every time I hear this song I think of a pre-Dancing with the Stars Ralph Machio playing soccer on the beach in Karate Kid.  What’s weird is that this song wasn’t played when he was playing soccer on the beach but rather when he was walking into his new high school.  The other weird thing is that as soon as I think of either of those scenes, I immediately say “Sweep the Leg Johnny”.  In a related Karate Kid remake note, nothing makes me think of Jaden Smith.

“I’m all right” – Kenny Loggins:  Caddyshack.  Sometimes when you hear a song or lyrics, you think of a person singing them.  When I hear the beginning of this song “I’m all right, nobody worry about me”, I think about a gopher dancing.  If you don’t know what I am talking about, see my advice on “Say Anything” and go rent or stream this movie.  One of the top comedies’s of all time.

“Poker Face” - Lady Gaga: Percy Jackson.  This is an interesting one, because I only recently put these two together.  The song came on the other day and I immediately thought of Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief.  I have written about this movie as one of the worst transitions from a book to a movie ever (although on 2^nd watching it wasn’t that bad since I forgot the plot of the book).  There is a scene in Las Vegas where the main characters are in a nightclub for a week (yeah, just go with it) and this song doesn’t stop playing.  I also think of the half boy half-goat busting a move on the dance floor.  Although like 8-tracks, the term bustin a move may have also gone out of style with Young M.C.

“All Star” – Smash Mouth: Shrek.  As soon as I hear the words “Somebody once told me the world is going to roll me” I immediately think of that green monster.  No, not people on Wall Street  but Shrek.  This movie is also responsible for me thinking of it when I hear the song “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett.  Although, now that I think about that song I also think about the movie Kick-a$$.  So its like Shrek is competing with Kick A$$ for my attention.  Uh oh, the next time Bad Reputation plays I may end up like Sybil lying on the floor confused over whether I am Peggy or Helen.  Ok I may be breaking out obscure references here and honestly, I am not even sure how I got here since this was supposed to be about “All Star” and Shrek.

“Oh Yeah” – Yello:  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  Seriously, as soon as you hear the  phrase “Ohhhh Yeah….Chicckkka Cowww” (or something like that) who doesn’t think of Cameron from Ferris Beullerr’s Day Off.  Also, who doesn’t think of Ferris’s scheme to hide the fact that they drove Cameron’s dad’s sports car by putting it up on blocks and driving it in reverse to remove the miles from the odometer.  Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Holding Out for A Hero” – Bonnie Tyler:  Streets of Fire.  This is a dilemma for me.  Every time I hear this song (just the other day in my car), I think of an obscure but awesome film called Streets of Fire.  It is basically about gangs and music and “stuff”.  However, I am not even sure this song was in the movie.  I even Googled it and am still not sure if it was in the movie.  But either way, anytime this song comes on I immediately think about this movie – especially the scene where the hero is held up by a guy with a knife, disarms him in about 3 seconds, gives the knife back to the thug and says “try again”.