Faircom makes your TV family room a pop culture haven during lockdown
Have the young ones in your home travelled on the yellow brick road? Hung out with the Goonies? Chances are, your references and occasional nostalgic outbursts have likely been met with eyerolls.
So, you’re already stuck together under one roof during the COVID-19 lockdown, you might as well introduce them to some classic cinema. Who are we if we cannot make (and share in) pop culture references? Don’t worry, we’ve done the homework for you, here’s our top picks of films everyone needs to watch.
The Karate Kid (1984)
You may have heard “Wax on, wax off” a hundred times by now – that’s about the amount of times we could watch this movie in a row without tiring. Young Danny finds himself to be the target of a group of bullies, but with repairman (and martial arts master) Mr. Miyagi’s help, he trains to master martial arts and eventually compete and defend himself against his foes. Rated PG.
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Robin Williams has the power to move us to tear – first with laughter, then with heartbreak. In this popular flick, a funny, carefree husband named Dan must face the music when his marriage starts to take a tumble and his wife asks for a separation. Dan devises a plan to get more time with his kids by going undercover as a nanny, gaining an even closer relationship with his family in the process. Rated PG-13.
Stand by Me (1986)
After learning that a stranger has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go search for the body. On the way, Gordie Lachance, Vern Tessio, Chris Chambers and Teddy Duchamp encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, as they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys’ adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives. Rated R.
The Witches (1990)
We’re not going to lie, The Witches does not come without a few “scares”, but this British gem, based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, manages the balance between frights, thrills, and laughs brilliantly. When a young boy and his grandmother tumble across a convention of witches while on a seaside holiday, hilarious chaos is unleashed. Anjelica Huston chews the scenery like so much gum as the fabulously evil Grand High Witch, but the real star here is the makeup – you’ll wince when you see what lies beneath these witches’ human masks. Rated PG.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
It’s a simple story, really: Boy meets alien. Boy and alien become best friends. Boy says goodbye to alien when his outer-space buddy has to go home, causing audiences everywhere to sob uncontrollably. How Steven Spielberg tells it, of course, makes a world of difference, as he infuses this family blockbuster with a childlike sense of awe. If you can think of a more magical ’80s movie moment than E.T. and Elliott biking past the moon, we’ll personally buy you a bag of Reese’s Pieces. Rated PG.
Annie (1982)
Red-headed orphan Annie lives with other little girls in terrible conditions under the control of neglectful and vindictive Miss Hannigan, but the pint-sized optimist can’t be beaten down. When a wealthy businessman, Mr. Warbucks, agrees to foster an orphan to improve his public image, he is eventually won over by Annie’s charms. There’s trouble brewing, however, as Miss Hannigan and her seedy friends concoct a plan to get rich. Rated PG.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
A girl stuck on a farm in dreary Kansas dreams of a more exciting life somewhere over the proverbial rainbow. Her wish is granted when a tornado deposits the Midwesterner and her little dog, Toto, into a Technicolor wonderland. For over 70 years, this Hollywood classic has continued to wow one generation after the next. What keeps enthralling each new wave of underage viewers? The sheer vibrancy and charm of the film’s imaginary world: flying monkeys and good witches, fleet-footed scarecrows and fraidy-cat lions, pastel towns of Munchkins and a garishly green Emerald City. This classic’s timeless message: You can go out and see the world, have adventures, make new pals and experience life at its most grand, but in the end, there’s no place like home, and no one quite like your family and friends. Rated G.
The Goonies (1985)
Mikey isn’t giving up without a fight. Although his home is about to be ripped away from his family, the determined tween has a plan to stay in Astoria. It’s simple: All he and his pals have to do is find One-Eyed Willie’s treasure. Simple right? Mikey, Chuck, Mouth and Data embark on an adventure to get the goods needed to keep the roofs over their head. But things make a turn for the worst— and quickly—when the Fratelli crime family catches on to their schemes. Will they be able to get their hands on this treasure? Will they stay safe from the crazy Fratelli trio? Well, “Goonies never say die”, right? Rated PG.
