April 5, 2021
Childhood Classics
A look back at movies we loved as kids, which still hold up for a nostalgia-watch today.
A Cinderella Story: After Samantha Montgomery’s adoring father dies, her greedy stepmother and vain stepsisters do their best to make her life miserable, forcing her to do lowly jobs at the family diner and wait on them hand and foot. The California teen finds comfort in her dreams of attending college at Princeton and by communicating with her secret online pen-pal. Although Sam is stunned when “Nomad” turns out to be Austin Ames—her school’s handsome, charismatic, popular quarterback—the pair shares an intimate waltz at the Halloween dance before Sam rushes away without telling him her name, accidentally leaving behind her cell phone as the only clue. Can Austin find the beautiful, mysterious, enchanting girl he calls “Cinderella”? Or, as Sam fears, will his attraction towards her fade once he learns her true identity? There are five modern-day retellings in the A Cinderella Story series; this one is the first, and in my opinion, the best! Featuring Gen-Z heartthrobs Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray, this 2004 film is one of those classic rom-coms that never loses its charm, regardless of how many times I watch it. With its swoon-worthy romantic drama and happy fairy-tale ending, A Cinderella Story offers viewers the same type of magic found in Disney’s original Cinderella. No matter how old I get, this movie will always be one of my favorite childhood throwbacks to rewatch over and over again! Available free on YouTube Movies.
Mr. Nobody: Mr. Nobody is a film from 2009 by director Jaco Van Dormael, telling the life’s story of an old man through his aging mind. This film is quite interesting, as it weaves and bobs between three different timelines that may or may not be real at all. It is quite a trip to watch, but this was the first time as a young adult I felt challenged by a film as it spins its story and changes it just as soon as you think you understand. It is not only a beautifully shot film, but one that ever since childhood I find myself going back to over and over again. Check it out on Amazon Prime or anywhere else movies are able to stream.