I found myself feeling nostalgic today.

First a fellow blogger emailed about a project they are starting. I’ll keep the particulars quiet for now, but I will say that what they have in mind has participating bloggers looking back at movies from their past. As I went about my workday, and did indeed muse for a moment or two on films from my own past, I was reminded of one in particular thanks to The Criterioncast.

In their most recent episode, the good lads and lovers of all things Criterion talked about Michael Bay’s summer of ’96 offering, THE ROCK. Listening to them talk about that flick was like listening to Dolly Parton sing a love song. It reminded me of the guy I used to be, and the simple things that used to make me happy.

THE ROCK is crap…hot, steaming, ridiculous crap. Thing is – it’s my kind of crap. I’ve never been able to get into B movies, wacky foreign action, and other such so-bad-it’s-good-properties. But when it comes to overblown, Bruckheimer-produced, flag-waving, 1990’s pyromania I’m all over it. I realize I might be shaking any trust you have in my opinion of good cinema, but hopefully I’m regaining points for honesty.

When I was younger, these movies provided me a lot of fun. They’d make me smile on summer afternoons and give me a line or three to endlessly quote and drive my friends nuts. They were to buttered popcorn what brie is to cabernet. And yes, I know that I just compared cheese to cheese.

THE ROCK for instance has Cage overacting, an awesome car chase, Michael Biehn, Harris holding Frisco hostage, a band of blood thirsty mercenaries, some weird green gas beads, and Connery lecturing about what it takes to fuck the prom queen. Tell me where I’m supposed to find good stupid fun like that at the multiplex right now? (Did I mention Michael Biehn?)

I grew out of it all of course. While I’ve moved on to bigger and better things, I can’t deny the movie geek I once was…and in many ways still am.

I also can’t help but wonder if my dissatisfaction with many of the summer blockbusters I’ve seen lately, is that none of them give me the laughs and thrills that TOP GUN, FACE/OFF, THE ROCK, TRUE LIES, and yes even ARMAGEDDON once gave me.