There are people out there who have never seen The Princess Bride. They walk among us, holding down jobs, contributing to society, and generally living happy, semi-fulfilled lives. But whisper a perfectly-timed “mawage” in their direction during a wedding, and the resulting blank stare or awkward chuckle will expose an inconceivable pop-cultural blind spot. Someone failed them when they were growing up.
In many ways it’s too late for them, but we can still save the next generation.
The 55 Essential Movies Your Child Must See (Before Turning 13) is a starting point.
Not on the list but should be: Red Dawn (1984), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), Excalibur (1981).
Worked for me.
That reminds me, Countryborn, I just watched the Milius documentary on Netflix, and I recommend it.
Your comment also reminds me of one of my favorite film factoids: George Miller, the man behind Mad Max, was also the man behind Babe and its (very dark) sequel.