Movies and Memories

Certain movies have left indelible memories, depending on where I saw the movie and who I saw it with. Movies can create lasting connections between people who have shared the experiences. Grab your popcorn and let me share some of my movie memories.

My very first movie was Walt Disney’s 101 Dalmatians (1961), when I was about 5 years old. Cruella de Vil scared the beegeesees out of me. Shortly after that movie, our family got a Dalmatian puppy we named Lady, after the lady-likeness of the animated canine celebrity Perdita, Pongo’s beloved spotted partner. Many, many, many years later, I saw Cruella (2021) billed as a Crimedy (Crime/Comedy) film and definitely not for kids. Cruella still scares me.

While watching The Sound of Music (1965) during a family matinee outing, I became sleepy and snuggled up next to my father while Captain von Trapp sang ‘Edelweiss’ to his children, who had just fallen out of a rowboat on an Austrian lake. That song became ‘our song’. It was our father-daughter dance song at my wedding. I still tear up when I hear it.

My first date was with a boy I had a ginormous crush on in middle school, and we saw Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). His father drove us in his convertible to the theatre because we were way too young to drive. He bought us each a big bag of popcorn and a soda, then sat four rows behind us and watched the movie. I kid you not! So I guess my first date was with two guys- my crush and his pop. Our second movie date was The Sting (1973), and this time his older sister drove us - no dad or sister in the fourth row of the theatre. And by now I had developed a second crush — on Robert Redford.

In high school, there was a revival of Gone With the Wind (1939) showing at the downtown theatre, so my mother suggested that each of us sisters invite a girlfriend. It was a matinee on a SCHOOL day, but Mom convinced the other mothers that this was ‘educational ’-you know, Civil War - reconstruction history and all that stuff, so we got out of school with an ‘excuse’ note from our parents. My mom took us to the Tea Room for ‘luncheon’ before going to this classic film. I’ll always remember how much fun I had playing hooky with my sisters and our friends, while ‘learning’ about Civil War history because ‘frankly, I don’t give a damn.’ I think Scarlett O’Hara would have approved of our playing hooky.

After watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), my father and I walked back to the apartment we had rented in a sleepy beach town. Midway up in the elevator, the power went out, and the elevator came to an abrupt halt. We sat in darkness on the elevator floor for hours, discussing the movie and just talking until the electricity came back on and we could get up to our 9th-floor apartment. I treasure those stolen hours with my dad, just talking quietly in the dark with no interruptions from my siblings. I felt like he was Butch and I was the Sundance Kid on our own elevator adventure.

Schindler’s List (1993) was the saddest movie I’ve ever seen. Once it was over, I could barely peel myself out of my seat as I was so wracked with tears, sadness, and utter devastation. Everyone left the theater with swollen, red eyes and tears streaming down their faces, in total silence, aside from the sniffling and nose-blowing. Strangers weeping together in darkness is powerful. The sense of humanity was heavy in that dark theatre.

My girlfriend and I, both dog owners, saw Best in Show (2000), a hilarious Mockumentary about the Westminster Dog Show. We were practically rolling in the aisles trying to stifle our giggles, but then everyone else was also laughing. Laughing is contagious in a theatre. Whenever I hear ‘GET the busy bee!’ I giggle all over again. To this day, I love Parker Posey.

The only film I ever walked out on was The Lobster (2015), an absurdist, dystopian, and very dark Dramedy. A friend insisted that we see it. She said it MUST be good because Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz were in it AND it won a PRIZE at the Cannes Film Festival. Midway through, we both walked out saying, “What the hell did we just watch?” Way too weird. She is still apologizing for dragging me to that one.

The most recent memorable experience was attending the 2026 Oscars Documentary Shorts with a friend. The Oscar shorts are unique because each documentary is about 20 minutes long, and there are usually four or five international short films selected for the Oscars. The hard part about seeing the documentaries is that you need to reset your emotional button every twenty minutes because each one is either tragic, thoughtful, or humorous. A lot of emotions are spinning in those ninety minutes of film. Seeing the Oscar Documentary Shorts is always an annual event, and it’s even more memorable seeing them with a good friend.

Movies and memories go together. Seeing a film on the big screen with a special friend or during a certain time in your life can influence the way you remember the experience. Movies can bring back a sense of nostalgia and some unforgettable memories.