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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Film Reminders: Back to the Future Is Just as Awesome as You Remember; Don't Take Your Mom to Repo Men

Posted by Erik Henriksen on Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 12:22 PM

Dont worry. Jude Law totally has a license for slicing people open in graphic, graphic detail.
  • Don't worry. Jude Law totally has a license for slicing people open in graphic, graphic detail.

Back to the Future is wrapping up its run at the Laurelhurst this week—it plays tonight, tomorrow, and Thursday at 9:40, and then that's it. Go while you can—because, as I discovered last night, it's every bit as awesome as I thought it was when I was a kid.

A small and unasked-for glimpse into what made me the man I am today: Both Back to the Future and Teen Wolf came out in '85, and both films led my five-year-old self to boldly proclaim to my mother, with utter earnestness, "Michael J. Fox is my hero." Not Marty McFly, and not Scott Howard, but Michael J. Fox, because this guy was somehow both of them: This was one man who was, apparently, a time-traveling, skateboarding, basketball-playing werewolf. My point is this: Go see Back to the Future while it's still on the big screen, 'cause seeing it big and with a happy crowd is a total blast, and also because it will remind you of the inspiring heroicness that is Michael J. Fox.

Another point: DO NOT TAKE YOUR MOTHER TO REPO MEN. I saw Repo Men at Pioneer Place on Sunday afternoon (Ned reviewed it here), and I was kind of meh on it for its first two thirds, during which it mostly just feels like a retread of Minority Report. But then the film's final third kicked in, and... well, not to give anything away, but holy shit. It gets so insanely bloody and creepy and funny and weird and balls out, mashing up ludicrous action and creepy body horror and dark comedy and weird sex stuff into a jaw-dropping climax. It's the sort of film that's crazy to watch at a corporate megaplex, because you're bewildered that anyone at a major studio greenlit it. After that final-act chaos, I walked out surprised and happy and creeped out—but the best part, after all of that, was walking into the theater lobby and seeing a shaken, shell-shocked sixtysomething woman and her sheepish thirtysomething daughter also leaving the Repo Men auditorium, with the daughter simply saying:

I'm so sorry, mommy. I didn't know.

So yeah. Sunday afternoon matinees with your mother? Delightful! Good on you. Taking her to see Repo Men? Probably not the best idea. That's what they made The Blind Side for.

 

Comments (14) RSS

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1
Yay!

Posted by kiala on March 23, 2010 at 12:21 PM · Report
2
*still wants a DeLorean*
Posted by tk. on March 23, 2010 at 12:25 PM · Report
3
I had a DeLorean, and my license plate said MCFLY. That's how cool *I* am, in case anyone was wondering.
Posted by Reymont on March 23, 2010 at 12:34 PM · Report
4
Was this version of Back to the Future the one with the outro for the sequel? I asked Alison to let me know, but I think her cold and un-caring demeanor scared me off or something. I don't know.

Who wants tacos? I do.
Posted by Graham on March 23, 2010 at 1:14 PM · Report
5
Woah. I actually was wondering about how cool you were. Turns out even cooler than I was expecting!
Posted by ROM on March 23, 2010 at 1:15 PM · Report
6
Fox was my hero too. When I was younger I wanted my name to be Alex, after Alex P. Keaton.
Posted by jjjj on March 23, 2010 at 4:32 PM · Report
7
@Graham
Two times, I asked Erik, but for some reason he's ignoring my iChats.

TACO TUESDAY!!!1!
Posted by Alison Hallett on March 23, 2010 at 8:07 PM · Report
8
If the 2 women didn't like the movie, they could have just walked out. Right?
Posted by ujfoyt on March 23, 2010 at 10:37 PM · Report
9
@Reymont: That's aweso-- wait, what do you mean "had"?!

@Graham: There's a version without it?
Posted by tk. on March 24, 2010 at 7:24 AM · Report
10
@Graham There's a version with an outro for the sequel? Even seeing it theatrical back in it's initial release I do not recall this at all.

I do remember the teaser on Back to the Future 2 before the credits rolled that announced, "To be concluded...."

Anyways, the print does not have a teaser for BTTF2 at the end, but it does start with a trailer for Repo Men.
Posted by grady on March 24, 2010 at 9:13 AM · Report
11
IMDB: "The VHS release added a 'To Be Continued...' title card at the end to advertise Back to the Future Part II (1989). This was not in the original theatrical release nor is it on the DVDs."

That's the only difference I see mentioned, fwiw.
Posted by tk. on March 24, 2010 at 10:10 AM · Report
12
@tk.

I'm trying to remember now if my old VHS copy of it had it on there. It must have. While I was searching about before completing that post I came across the following teaser poster.

http://bit.ly/dyBNEW
Posted by grady on March 24, 2010 at 11:55 AM · Report
13
Ha, nice find!
Posted by tk. on March 24, 2010 at 3:42 PM · Report
14
@tk I think I like that first poster compared to this one.

http://bit.ly/9dPR0m
Posted by grady on March 24, 2010 at 5:41 PM · Report

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