Many of the posts we do here at GeekDad involve films we enjoying sharing with our children. As I was going through a stack of old DVD’s the other day, I came up with small stack of movies I would love to share with my kids… someday. At this point, they are both a little too young.
Luckily for me (or unluckily, depending upon how you look at it) my offspring are rapidly approaching the ages where it would be appropriate to watch some-or-all of these films. (Consider it a Geeklet’s rite of passage into adulthood, if you will.) All of them are dark, all are violent, and all are great films to watch with others!
Are there films you just cannot wait to watch with your young’uns? Feel free to share your picks in the comments section below.
1. Blade Runner (1982) – Arguably, Ridley Scott’s finest work; a masterpiece of neo film noir. Harrison Ford plays Deckard, a blade runner who has to track down artificial humans called Replicants. Los
Angeles in 2019 has never looked so dark.
2. The Terminator (1984) – Arnold Schwarzenegger is a cyborg sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton, before she gives birth to the future leader of the human resistance. Written and directed by James Cameron.
3. The Matrix (1999) – Haven’t we all wondered at some point whether our day-to-day life is reality, or just an elaborate computer simulation. (C’mon, I can’t be the only one.) The best of the Wachowski brothers series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, and guns… lots and lots of guns!
4. Serenity (2005) – The continuation of the television series Firefly, which IMHO is still the best science fiction television series that never was. (Yes, I am still that bitter.) Written and directed by Joss Whedon.
5. Alien (1979) – Another Ridley Scott masterpiece. The space ore freighter Nostromo investigates a distress call on a distant planet. The movie tagline sums it up nicely: “In space no one can hear you scream.” Starring Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt and Tom Skerritt.
6. Repo Man (1984) – Young punk Otto trains to be a repo man, and gets involved with a government conspiracy involving UFO’s. Produced by former Monkee Mike Nesmith, starring Emilio Estevez & Harry Dean Stanton, and a great punk soundstack featuring the theme song sung by Iggy Pop.
7. Brazil (1985)– Terry Gilliam’s vision of a retro-future world, run by a convoluted over structure. A strange tale of bureaucracy, inept government and ductwork. (Yes, ductwork!)
8. Robocop (1987) – A terminally wounded police officer, played by Peter Weller, is turned into a cyborg to fight crime in future Detroit. But woe be unto his corporate bosses when his memories begin to return. Directed by Paul Verhoeven.
9. Twelve Monkeys (1995) – Another Terry Gilliam cult classic. Convict Bruce Willis is a reluctant time-traveler, sent back in time to prevent a devastating plague. Features Brad Pitt in one of his finest roles.
10. Escape From New York (1981) – In 1998, the President’s plane crashes on Manhattan Island, which has been turned into a maximum security prison. Kurt Russell, as the one-eye’d Snake Plissken, is sent in to rescue the President, played by Donald Pleasance. Plausible? Not really. Fun to watch? Absolutely!
[This post originally ran in January, 2009]
