Movies I’d like to see at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont


So, I like movies.  I’ve blogged about some childhood favorites.  I’ve blogged recently about the Hollywood Theater and In Person Productions.  Here I’d like to express my thoughts on what movies I’d like to see on the big screen in a little room over at the Hollywood.  All of these could only be enhanced by In Person bringing in a related actor, writer, director, producer, etc.  I don’t know if they take requests, but that’s not gonna stop me from blogging about it.

Kick him in the nards!

Wolfman's got nards!

Monster Squad Duh. This movie is perfect for the Hollywood Theater in Dormont.  It’s got a cult following.  I hear other theaters are doing it.  Wolfman’s got nards.  (I’ve never seen Dekker‘s other movie, Night of the Creeps… maybe that would be cool too?)  At any rate, this movie is fantastic.  The monsters come alive, they’re so evil and scary.

Boodie twaps!

Boodie twaps!

Goonies    Who wouldn’t wanna see this?  I want to say this was the movie for my generation.  It had a pirate’s treasure, kids as heroes, Sloth, and asthma.  I’m sure I wore out the local video store’s VHS when I was younger.  I’d love to see this on the big screen, in all of it’s sweeping epic glory.

C64

C64

Explorers  ⚡  I don’t think that I ever saw this film on a big screen.  I just saw it on VHS.  I’d love to see it in full-size.  I’d also like to know how many others dig/remember this film.  I mean, it had a Commodore 64 in it… and the kids made their own spaceship.  They made. their. own. spaceship!

Would you like to play a game?

Would you like to play a game?

War Games I still want to try that payhone trick.  How cool was that?  Talking computers?  So futuristic! Reminded me of SAM.  Global thermonuclear war was kind of scary, but I was too busy trying to figure out that modem.

The Crow

Can't rain all the time…

The Crow    This movie is incredible.  I saw in on VHS for the first time.  I’d love to see it in the theater.  It’s a story of revenge, it’s a story of love, it’s a story of some things being stronger than mere mortality.  The images & ideas from James O’Barr’s graphic novel were transferred quite well to the screen here, the violence was actually played down.  Making Eric a guitar player instead of a dancer is probably the only time I’ll ever say “yeah, good move” to a movie changing a comic book or graphic novel story.  T-Bird said “There ain’t no coming back. This is the really real world, there ain’t no coming back.”  But, we all know T-bird was wrong.  So, let’s bring this one back to the big screen.

Slimer!

Slimer!

Ghostbusters double feature    OK, just the first one.  They came, they saw, they kicked some ass… and should have stuck with the cartoon instead of Ghostbusters II.  Maybe we shouldn’t cross the streams.  I think I did see this in the theater, but I don’t remember it.  I wanna see a life sized Stay Puft marshmallow man, please.  (Yes, I actually had a plush one when I was a kid.)

Flux Capacitor

Great Scott!

Back to the Future marathon    A perfect trilogy.  Goofy adventure, faulty science, crazy hair, the old west, 50’s cars, cowboys & Indians, hover-boards, poop jokes, futuristic home-faxing, temporal paradoxes, a Star Wars reference, a Chuck Berry song, ZZ Top in the old west, & Huey Lewis.  What’s not to love?  Oh yeah…  the AMC DeLorean is the coolest time machine ever, and there was a sweet guitar.

We named the DOG Indiana...

We named the DOG Indiana...

Indiana Jones marathon.    Or maybe Indiana Jones month.  Four weekends, four films.  Or, only 3.  It’s OK if there’s only 3.  Unless they hand out Crystal Skull Head Vodka at the event.  These stories are too epic for your TV, they need to be shown on a grand scale.  I can hear the music in my head as I’m typing.  Now you can too, can’t you?  I’m not sorry.  Maybe I can just bring the Wii over & play Lego Indiana Jones while no one’s using the theater?  Please?

Eborsisk

Siskel & Ebert... or Eborsisk the dragon.

Willow    I think I did see this on the big screen, but I’d like to see it again.  I feel like it’s an underrated movie.  It had great effects, a great fairy-tail type story with a literal little guy taking on the evil establishment, and a world in which you could easily get lost.  Also, the villain, General Kael was incredibly scary & awesome, even if he shopped at the same store as Skeletor.

STAR freakin’ WARS marathon    I mean, come on.  Do I even really need to even state a case here?  We have the movies proper, the animated feature film, the Ewok specials.  Play ’em all!  Please, play the Star Wars Holiday Special.  It may have to be some secret underground invitation-only thing so George Lucas doesn’t hunt us all down & destroy us, but it’d be totally worth it.

Those WERE the droids I was looking for...

|-o-|

Never tell them the odds...

Never tell them the odds...

Fanboys  ⚡  See above.  It’s a fun movie.  I’d like to see it on a big screen, it never got a proper release.  I bet you could get more than a few of the actors to come down to the Hollywood.  Let’s do this.  There’s a kid named WindowsWindows, I tell you.  This is a great film for geeks & nerds of all kinds.

Shaun's Plan

Want to go to the Winchester?

Shaun of the Dead    Zombies, zombies, and more zombies… in a romantic comedy?  Yes.  Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, & Nick Frost are geniuses.  This movie is just absolutely incredible.  I bet people would be all about seeing this on the big screen.  We could watch the regular movie… or the one with pop-up trivia.  How fun would it be to see this with a room full of like-minded humorous zombie film fans?

Ever fired your gun in the air and yelled, 'Aaaaaaah?'

Ever fired your gun in the air and yelled, 'Aaaaaaah?'

Hot Fuzz    Yes.  And, whatever the 3rd movie is gonna be.  OK, the movie is a little slow in the beginning, but it’s absolutely necessary for the ridiculous pacing later in the film.  This is the buddy cop film of all buddy cop films, that unleashes ridiculous action like no other.  It’s great to see a movie that celebrates & pokes fun at an entire genre.

These guys are at the movies every time we go...

These guys are at the movies every time we go...

Gremlins double-feature    I think I saw these in the theater too, but I wanna see them again.  A mogwai would be the coolest pet ever, as long as you don’t feed it after midnight, or let it near your office supplies.

Batman night!    Any/all of them, please.  Why not play some of the serials or Batman: Dead End too?  Batman is the coolest comic book character ever.  He’s smarter and more cunning than all of them combined.  Sure, he’s just Zorro with ears & more toys… but it’s such a great story & way easier to relate to than something like Superman or the X-Men, unless you’re an alien or some sort of mutant.  I mean, there’s a plethora of cartoon movies too.  It could be Batman movie day every day.

Batman Evolution

Batman Evolution

The LONE Rangers?  There's 3 of you...

The LONE Rangers? There's 3 of you...

Airheads    Some day, I’m going to write a letter to Santa, and my wish list will be as follows:  Radio Airplay, a football helmet full of cottage cheese, naked pictures of Bea Arthur, A Zon walnut bass, a PRS guitar with dragon inlays, 67 copies of Moby Dick, and a six-foot baby bottle.  You dig?  Who has ever picked up a guitar, bass, or drum sticks & didn’t love this movie?  If you just thought “me”, you might as well just quit reading now.

He was the patron saint of quality footwear.

He was the patron saint of quality footwear.

This is Spinal Tap    This movie goes to 11, and has incredible sustain.  Why wouldn’t we all want to watch & laugh together?  In 1984, everyone in a band thought this was poking fun directly at them.  And, while it was… that’s why it’s hilarious.

It Might Get Loud

It Might Get Loud

It Might Get Loud    Great movie.  I’m not a U2 fan, and I thought that Jack White was slightly annoying before this… but it was just a cool tale of the evolution of the guitar and the individual players.  It gave me insight into the three guitarists and their influences. And really, who wouldn’t want to be in a room with the opportunity to jam with Jimmy Page?

Berserker

Actually any rock docs or even concert movies being regular would be quite cool.  I just missed Purple Rain, damn it.  Anvil! The Story of Anvil and Lemmy would be great movies to see in the theater.  Why not a whole series of Kevin Smith films?  I love the adventures of Jay & Silent Bob.  Even stand-up comedy films might be cool as long as they don’t involve any of the Blue Collar guys.  Maybe even The Princess Bride, The Last Dragon, Flight of the Navigator, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure & Bogus Journey, & any of the Star Trek movies.

Bruce Leroy | The Last Dragon

He ain't no cornball! He's my brother. And he's the master.

A bad movie night with Leonard Part 6, The ‘Burbs, or Howard the Duck would be excellent.  Maybe even Pluto Nash?  (I’ve never worked up the courage to see that one.)

She's Out of My League

She's Out of My League

What about Pittsburgh set or filmed movies, like She’s Out of My League, Adventureland, & so many more?

Would you like to see any of these at the Hollywood or a theater near you?  What have I missed?  What do you wanna see on the little big screen?

18 thoughts on “Movies I’d like to see at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont

  1. If you haven’t seen it, check out Repo Man…mid eighties film by Michael Nesmith. Funny, smart movie. Some commentary on the early punk scene. It is one of those movies you’ll find yourself repeating lines from.

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  2. Growing up my mom was really liberal in regards to what media I consumed. She has also always absolutely hated everything animated. As such, I saw a lot of R-rated movies in theaters at a really young age. Case in point, The Crow. In theaters in 1994, my mom and I went and saw this late in its original theater engagement. Two facts, #1, I’m pretty sure we saw it at Showcase North, but regardless of which theater it was, we were the ONLY two people in the movie theater for this. #2, I was 12 years old at this time, watching a movie in which the FIRST SCENE is a rape and murder.

    I also distinctly remember seeing Terminator 2 and Backdraft in theaters. Release date for both 1991, Zach Schweitzer = 7 years old.

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    • That’s crazy. Ha ha. I’m pretty sure I saw the Crow on VHS at my buddy’s house who also worked at a video store at the time… and I graduated in ’95. I was into comics at the time, & rushed out to get the Graphic novel… it opened me up to a world outside of Batman & Wolverine. (I just got a more recent copy signed by James O’Barr at the Steel City Con!)

      Do you feel that you’ve been desensitized or warped by exposure to fictional violence, or do you feel that you’re more well adjusted than the average Disney fan?

      I remember seeing Troll when I was too young, and I was afraid of the laundry room for years.

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    • Totally agree with most that have been mentioned. A Pittsburgh-themed event would need to include “Zack and Miri” of course.

      Unfortunately I probably wouldn’t be able to make it to any of these, just a little too far out of town these days. I haven’t been to the Hollywood since before it shut down, when they used to show “Rocky Horror” every weekend (in the late 90’s). Have lots of … interesting memories from that place though.

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  3. I would love to see Princess Bride on the big screen! I also love classic movies so any old school western like Eldorado would be fun. Really, anything I could take the kids to see – they haven’t seen a movie in theaters yet as there haven’t been any worthy ones. Plus, my eldest is just 3. 🙂

    Btw, best Batman movie ever: Mask of the Phantasm. So perfect, the cartoon got everything right.

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  9. I’ve gotta agree with a lot of what you listed.

    I would see The Crow on consecutive nights. That’s a great call. It is a very cool movie with a tremendous soundtrack. It was also the only movie starring Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee. He was killed in the making of the movie. Tremendous pick!

    Here are some I would see.

    Animal House. It is the reason most of the students who were borderline college material strived to get into college at my City of Pittsburgh high school. For me, it was the start of Toga Parties and Food Fights. It introduced me to the question, “Is being bad more fun than being good.” It defined parties.

    Just a random list of others: Bad News Bears, Die Hard, Black Cauldron, The Black Hole, Conan the Barbarian, Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, Say Anything, Better Off Dead, Stand By Me, Fight Club, Red Dawn, Taps, Heathers, Pump Up the Volume, Flashdance, The Sandlot, Real Genius, House Party, Vision Quest, Excalibur, Stripes, Blade Runner, Airplane, History of the World, Untouchables, Poltergeist, Bull Durham, Johnny Dangerously, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, Nightmare Before Christmas, Good Will Hunting, Dirty Harry, Lord of the Rings trilogy, any Harry Potter movies.

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    • Yeah man, The Crow is up there with my all-time favorites… Like Star Wars it took somewhat familiar elements & blended them into something completely new & different. The Bruce Lee connection… I didn’t even think about that. It could tie in to one of his dad’s films and or a biopic. I’d love to see an Enter The Dragon & The Crow double feature!

      And… because my mind jumps… Mani from Brotherhood of the Wolf played the Crow in that TV show (and hosts Iron Chef America). I’d like to see hat one on a big screen too!

      Animal House would be a great call! It’s the college movie that served as the template for everything that came after it.

      Nice list there… those 80’s movies… Remember when 8 and 53 and even 22 would play those on Saturday afternoons? I had those way before cable. What was the one where the kid drew cartoon rabbits & it had Bobcat Goldthwait?

      Have you seen my list of 80s(-ish) movies or Rock N’ Roll movies? Ha ha. I’d see all those on the big screen too.

      Thanks for taking the time to comment, mind if I ask how you found my blog?

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