There’s definitely a ‘window’ there; I was 8 in '82, that astounding summer when we had – in one three month period – Blade Runner, Conan, Rocky III, Road Warrior, Tron, even Secret of NIMH. E.T. was everywhere and ubiquitous, though, and for kids that age, required viewing, and I still think it’s a terrific movie in retrospect. But I love Close Encounters dearly.
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Hollywood had some excellent summers in the early/mid 80s. But looking at the “most popular” lists by year on IMDB, even at 16 my taste was already leaning toward more adult fare, and that’s probably part of why I didn’t see ET – I must have deemed it too childish. (Plus, I was a snob about most genre fiction, Star Trek excepted, until I was well into my 20s.) On IMDB I see a lot of movies I didn’t see until years later, and many more that I haven’t ever seen.
I did love Blade Runner from early on, but can’t claim to be among the few who saw it in first run (according to IMDB, it grossed $27 million, vs. $435 M for ET).
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Don’t forget Rikki-Tikki-Tavi! It’s mid-70s but any kid of the 80s almost certainly watched it on Beta (or its inferior sibling).
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That I’m not a big fan is not an opinion, it’s a fact.
I never said they were bad movies, just that they don’t turn my crank. They’re excellent for what they are, though I understand the most recent one is loathed by most fans.
I also make no judgment as to the worthiness of LOTR (I’ve seen about 20 minutes of the entire thing), the various Star Wars movies I haven’t seen (there must be six or so), the numerous superhero movies I have never seen nor ever will…
Besides, the unpopular opinions thread has somehow morphed into the jinx thread. It’s bad luck to mess with that.
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We watched Rikki-Tikki-Tavi many times in school, both on Beta and as a flickery film-reel, usually alongside Mowgli’s Brothers.
Other elementary school movies I recall:
The Million Dollar Duck
What’s Up, Doc?
Rascal
The Apple Dumpling Gang
Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings (!!)
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Haven’t seen…
The Walking Dead and it’s spinoff
How I Met Your Mother.
Big Bang Theory.
No Country For Old Men.
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I need to get a copy of that for my niece (Rikki) and my nephews (Yaakov and Tavi) for obvious reasons 
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Out of all that, No Country is about the only thing I’d say you should consider watching, but even then it’s one of those “not for everyone” films. If you liked the novel, it’s an uncommonly fine adaptation, so you either don’t need to see it because it has nothing new, or it’s safe to see it if you were worried about the novel being ruined.
HIMYM was above-average for a sitcom of its era, and had some good moments, but IMO it’s not worth the time investment.
Big Bang Theory flat-out sucks.
Walking Dead has its moments but is mediocre overall. I regret having wasted my time on it.
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A nihilistic Fargo. Worth watching at least once, though.
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I’ve seen all of the Star Trek movies…
Except I haven’t seen Star Trek V: The Undiscovered Country (the one directed by William Shatner).
(Well, and the new one, but I’m going to get around to that)
I haven’t seen the new Hobbit movies.
I haven’t seen Episode VII.
I haven’t seen Breaking Bad
I haven’t seen the Sopranos.
I haven’t seen the last umpteen seasons of the Simpsons.
I haven’t seen Blade Runner.
I haven’t seen the “Amazing” Spider-Man movies.
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Haven’t read the novel for No Country either so I wouldn’t have a comparison anyhow. I haven’t watched a lot of things due to either not having access (Netflix or HBO or Showtime) or just not interested in the subject.
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I haven’t seen Mad Men, which everyone tells me is “made for me”.
Nor have I seen Breaking Bad.
Or Downton Abbey.
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I have seen only five of these 102 movies:
100. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
79. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000)
62. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)
51. Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)
33. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
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Mad Men is maybe a tad overrated and somewhat uneven, but worth the watch IMO. Its pace is a little slow, and at first glance it looks like nothing more than a lavish primetime soap, but it’s got some real depth to it.
Breaking Bad is massively overrated but might still be worth the watch. You’ll know if it’s for you within a couple of episodes. I thought the second season was especially fine, and the final half dozen episodes were superb. (Far more annoying than anything in the show were some of the fans: it attracted a lot of dudebros who seemed to miss the point and/or revelled in hating the main female character, sometimes to the point of fast-forwarding through every scene she was in.)
Downton Abbey, in my opinion, works best if you imagine it’s intended as parody. It’s lovely to look at, and full of preposterous soapy storylines, stereotypes standing in for characters, bad history, silly dialogue and hammy acting. Maggie Smith is wonderful, though.
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That is a bizarre list of movies. Not yours, the BBC’s. A.I.? Mulholland Drive at #1?
If there’s any one of the top ten I’d say is utterly essential, it’s Spirited Away.
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The least Tom Cruise I’ve ever seen Tom Cruise be in a movie was in Tropic Thunder.
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I’ve not seen that, actually.
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If you can’t stand Jack Black, do not even try to watch this movie. Otherwise, it’s got some good gags and is probably one of the best comedy action movies out there.
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I’m fine with jack black… Maybe I’ll see it at some point, then…
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