I'll be back...

I watched Terminator 2: Judgment Day yesterday and found myself in awe of the special effects almost 20 years after its release. I still think Robert Patrick ruled that film in all his melty-metal body glory. I saw it in the theater when I was 17 and I remember my boyfriend's disgust when I cried at the end of the film. Perhaps those tears were on advance for the way the Terminator series began to stink afterwards.

Anyway, I remember watching the original film, The Terminator some time after its theatrical release on video. When the futuristic date 2029 flashed on the screen at the beginning, I vividly recall thinking, "I'll be so dead by then. People will be orbing and beaming up everywhere." I've recently surprised myself by realizing that in 2029 I'll only be 55-years-old. I guess in 1984, at the age of 10, I couldn't imagine a long-term future in terms of a date that seemed so far away.

Similarly, I caught part of Titanic last night as well. I saw it for the first time on December 22, 1997. I celebrated my 24th birthday less than a month before. But every time I see any part of that film, I recall exactly how I felt that first time in the theater. My friend Mark kept trying to console me by saying, "it's just a movie. That didn't really happen." I vehemently countered with, "I don't care about those Jack and Rose characters - that DID really happen. All of those people died for no reason - largely as a result of a ridiculous class division and snobbery."

But I do admire James Cameron's dedication to the truth of the story. There are many subtle details that were taken from historical accounts. For example, when Jack and Rose break through the wall and the crew member chases them claiming they'll be responsible for paying for it, they both turn around and scream, "Shut up!" That really happened, but of course the people weren't named Jack and Rose.

To put the misinterpretation exclamation point on my love of Titanic, my boyfriend at the time bought me a ridiculous, limited edition print of Jack and Rose, framed, with this special little battery-powered light-up section at the bottom. I wanted to laugh when he gave it to me but I knew that would crush him. I dutifully kept it for quite a while, but eventually sold it at a yard sale. You see, I know Jack and Rose as characters made the movie more marketable, but I've personally never lost sight of the fact that more than 1500 people lost their lives on that February night in 1912. That loss has always been the root of the Titanic tragedy.

I guess my point of this post is that movies really can take you back. Both memories of the movies and memories of viewing them have stuck with me for more than 25 years in some cases.

Ahhh. The power of a good movie!