Back before the rise of hundreds of cable channels catering to every niche, no matter how small or stupid, and instant video options that put dozens (DOZENS!) of top movies only a click away, it seemed that we all were, more or less, on the same page for our entertainment input.
Between the top TV shows which averaged more viewers than a few networks combined get now to the big box office films that were showed edited and punctuated with commercials, the world was a much simpler place.
This weekend, as I read an article from The AV Club which kindly name dropped #pbf’s favorite film, Weekend at Bernie’s, along with its wretched sequel, I began to wonder how pervasive were films twenty years ago compared to now. It feels like everyone over the age of 25 has seen Weekend at Bernie’s or Die Hard simply because they were played ad nauseum on HBO or NBC. But it doesn’t seem as easy for a film to have that penetration anymore with so many different entertainment venues. I even begrudgingly know people who still haven’t seen The Dark Knight!
I can’t think of another movie that has as much broad appeal as Jurassic Park. It has action, suspense, kid empowerment, and even Jeff Goldblum! Sprawling sci-fi films like Star Wars have a built-in detractor base and overly serious films like Schindler’s List are arguably not the best material for young kids to watch. Any better ideas?
*Everybody refers to people with taste. Not those who have elevated garbage attractions like Justin Bieber into the zeitgeist. Hence, under 20 year olds are disqualified.
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