A Timely Blogathon: Airplane! (1980) & Stand By Me (1986)

Originally posted on Movierob here.

I have such a short attention span, and so when I saw the announcement of ‘A Timely Blogathon’ hosted by Movierob and Film Grimoire I practically squealed with excitement. Never has there been a blogathon more perfect for me! Of course, there’s something ironic about being late for a blogathon about being short on time, so thank you both for still having me!

The theme of the blogathon is movies that have a runtime of 90 minutes or less, and after a quick Google search I came across a movie I’d been meaning to watch for years, and luckily for me, it’s runtime was 88 minutes. Phew, just about! That movie was Airplane! (1980)

My sense of humour has made a lot of people groan, I’m a huge fan of jokes that get labelled as ‘Dad jokes’, and so numerous people have recommended Airplane! to me over the years. The only reason I haven’t seen it yet is it’s age. I struggle with older movies and I wondered whether any of the humour would actually hold up 36 years later.

The plot to Airplane! is simple enough. On a plane flying from Los Angeles to Chicago, the pilots and many of the passengers become alarmingly ill, leaving one passenger, Ted Striker (Robert Hays) with the responsibility of landing the plane safely.

I can safely say that not only do the jokes hold up over time, they come so frequently that a second viewing is almost mandatory; I spent so long laughing till it hurt that I probably missed a load of jokes! There are references to certain names that went straight over my head, but honestly, this is hilarious from start to finish. Just a few of my favourites:

Nervous?

Yes.

First time?

No, I’ve been nervous lots of times.

You’d better tell the Captain we’ve got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.

A hospital?! What is it?

It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now.

Can you fly this plane, and land it?

Surely you can’t be serious.

I am serious...and don’t call me Shirley.

I’m laughing my socks off just typing these out. I’ve got to say though, there is no way some of these jokes would make it into a movie made these days. There’s the ‘Jive Dudes’ that have subtitles whenever they’re speaking, the little girl who likes her coffee black, just like her men, and the pilot who asks the young boy in the cockpit all kinds of odd questions!

Realistically, this movie isn’t for everyone. It has a very unique sense of humour, and reminds me of Monty Python in that sense, you either love it or hate it. The plot is silly, the events completely unreal. If you’re looking for a serious, dramatic movie about a plane on the brink of crashing, this isn’t for you, but if you’re in the mood for something funny with a guarantee to make you laugh, you honestly need to give this a watch.

Since raving about this movie all week I’m now being told to watch The Naked Gun, does anyone else recommend it?  I can't stand the Naked Gun films but if you loved this you will love them!

I thought I would throw my 10 cents worth in after googling films that are 90 minutes long or less and not one but 2 of my favourite movies popped up.  Maybe subconsciously I prefer a shorter movie like Allie!

I can't believe that Stand by Me is only 89 minutes long, it feels so much longer when you're watching it.  The first time I watched this film when I was younger, I was on the edge of my seat, I was convinced one of the boys was going to be snatched or that something was going to jump out at them.  When I finally realised it wasn't a horror, I had to watch it again to actually enjoy the story for what it was.

The concept of the film and the story are so simple and yet told in a way that makes you laugh, cry and gasp.  For me, it's one of those movies where not much happens but you find yourself smiling to yourself as you watch it.  It stays with you long after you have finished watching and as an adult you find yourself with the urge to ring your childhood best friend and just say hello.

Allie reviewed this last year for a Blogathon and I didn't end up contributing so I'm glad I am getting the chance to show some love for this.  I can't say I have been a huge fan of Stephen King adaptations, Tim Curry's IT put me off for life - I have never been more terrified of an actor in a role.  However, Stand by me is one of my all time favourites and one I can watch over and over again much like Beauty and the Beast which was also in the list at 84 minutes of awesomeness and a great sing-along!

The Stephen King Blogathon

Original Post here: 

I’d like to thank Movierob and Darren of Movie Reviews 101 for letting me take part in their huge blogathon this month, aptly named ‘The October King-a-thon’. When they posted the 62 movies available to choose from, I was ashamed that I could count the number of Stephen King movies I’d seen on just one hand. I’ll just hand in my blogger badge now, right?

Anyway, I knew this was a great chance to get involved and tick another ‘must watch’ off my list, so I chose my movie based on two factors:

It’s in IMDB’s Top 250 list, and conquering that list is a not so little mission of mine

One of the main cast is played by my favourite geek when he was barely a teenager, Wil Wheaton!

So, the other night, I snuggled up on the sofa and watched Stand By Me (1986). Based on Stephen King’s novel, The Body, the story is told through the writings of a grown up Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton). After a close friend of his died, he decided it was time to recount the journey he and his friends Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman) and Vern (Jerry O’Connell) went on to find the body of a missing boy, reportedly found just off the railway tracks.

My first thought was how much I wished I had seen this when I was younger, although I think I can be forgiven as Stand By Me was released 3 years before I was actually born. It’s the perfect film to watch in that transitional period between schools, when even though times were much simpler, the fact of moving on and potentially leaving friends behind is the worst feeling in the world. You know, maybe I should scrap that, I’ve just realised this was rated R! What does that equate to in UK ratings?

Moving swiftly on, I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I was surprised at how well acted it was from such a young cast. I read that in the scene on the bridge, the director, Rob Reiner thought a couple of the boys didn’t look scared enough so he shouted at them till they cried and then re-took the take! So hats off to him for that one.

There’s one scene that will stick out in my mind for years to come, and I hold it in the same regards to the Bruce Bogtrotter scene in Matilda. I’m talking about Gordie’s story when they gang had set up camp for the night, about Lardass Hogan and the pie eating contest. It was gross enough and then I found out that the vomit was made from ‘cottage cheese and blueberries’, and my stomach hasn’t felt the same ever since.

All in all, I would rate Stand By Me as a film that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime, it’s such a beautiful story.

Saturday Catch Up & Links

As long as I don’t look out the window (it’s unusually sunny) the signs of Autumn are all around. My sunflowers have refused to stop growing, I only got one of them to flower this year but it was a much better attempt than last year. The local shops are full of cardigans, and I’ve bought 2 already. Also, I came down with a big stinky cold this week and I’m still feeling sorry for myself.

Thanks to my sick-day, I finally caught up with New Girl. I was at least 30 episodes behind, which is really unlike me, but at least I’m prepared now for the Season 5 premiere later this month. Is it this month? With a Jess shaped hole in my viewing schedule, I’ve watched more Teen Wolf than usual. I’ve decided I definitely enjoy Teen Wolf now, but it’s more of a guilty pleasure than anything else, and I feel like I’m too old to be watching it really. It has the coolest title sequence though!

My fiance and I have also started watching Netflix’s Daredevil at long last, and we’re probably the last people on the planet to be watching it. It’s like Breaking Bad all over again. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I am actually, and the fighting scenes are nothing short of legendary.

Earlier in the week I stumbled across a post (I think on Buzzfeed) of movie-themed cakes. They were amazing! I have a newfound appreciation of cake since starting to plan my wedding, and although my budget is nowhere near big enough to allow a cake as epic as some of these masterpieces are, they’re still pretty to look at. I might just dedicate a whole blog post to my findings soon!

On the subject of blog posts, here are some of my favourites this week:

Movierob and Darren of Movie Reviews 101 are hosting an October Steven King-a-thon, and are still open for reviews. Check it out, I’ve chosen Stand By Me.


Dell at Dell on Movies has been nominated for another Liebster Award, congratulations dude!


Caz at Let’s Go To The Movies has reviewed Gotham Season 1. I never got around to watching Gotham but I might try and catch up.

Drew’s Movie Reviews now includes Footloose, a classic that Jenna and I only got round to watching for the first time last year.