Today's movie reference comes from S1, E9- The Lorelai's First Day at Chilton.
Madeline: "I hate nature."
Madeline, Louise, and Paris are hiding in the bushes outside of the Chilton office where Rory has just dropped off her paperwork. Paris is gathering intel on the new girl. As the three girls crouch, Madeline complains somewhat incessantly about how much she hates being outside, ultimately uttering the words, "I hate nature."
For my Gilmore girls Movie Challenge I refer to several sources, in addition to gathering movies from the episode myself. I try to be as thorough as I can, but I have to admit, I would have never caught this one on my own.
The Gilmore girls fan-run Wikia, sites Madeline's exclamation as a reference to the 80s cult classic, the Goonies. In the Goonies, there is a scene where-in the stumbling, bumbling, character, Chunk, finds himself running from the Fratelli's through some dark and scary woods. He utters the line, "I love the dark, but I hate nature."
This seems like a tenuous connection at best, but I fucking love the Goonies, so I was more than happy to include it in my challenge.
What can I say about this iconic flick that hasn't already been repeated a thousand times over? It's a classic for a reason. The Goonies perfectly captured a brief moment in American history. I'm not just talking about the pop-culture laden lingo, the killer outfits, or the bitchin' hairdos. It was an attitude; a feeling that everything was kinda fucked up but it was all going to be alright. A belief that our generation- GenX- could save the world.
Naïve? Sure. But to this day I can't watch the Goonies without a feeling of bright hopefulness rising up inside me. Mouth, Chunk, Andy- the whole gang are my best pals and I am instantly 12-years-old again. We never grow up and we never say die. We're the Lost Boys of a lost generation, and the Goonedocks are our Neverland. The dreams of my youth are all still possible. Adventure is right outside my own front door.
Goonies was directed by the legendary Richard Donner, who also brought us such classics as Superman (the good one with Christopher Reeves), the Omen, Lethal Weapon, and, one of my top 10 all-time favorite flicks, LadyHawke.
Adding awesome to awesome, Goonies was written by Chris Columbus, who also gave us Gremlins.
If you grew up in a cave and never saw Goonies, and if you're over the age of fourteen, there's a good chance you won't love this movie. Although it holds up amazingly if you saw it when you were a kid, I've been told it comes off as corny and even silly if you watch it for the first time as an adult. I can't understand a world like that, and I'm truly sorry for you if you fall into that camp.
My rating system, as always, is based on Pippi Longstocking. Pippi, adorable oddball that she is, would never want a standard 1-10 rating system. In light of this, I have opted for a system as follows:
1 Gold Pippi Coin= Pure crap
1 Sack of Gold Pippi Coins= Pretty Good
1 Treasure Chest of Gold Pippi Coins= Fantastic
1 Cave of Pippi Coins= Holy shit, this is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen!
Of course, I gave this flick a rating of a cave full of Pippi coins- my highest. I love the Goonies and recommend it to one and all!
Thanks for tuning in for another edition of Dean's Black, White & Read Nights! I hope you've
enjoyed this little romp through a great movie with me! Check out my previous installments and be on the lookout for my review of the nerd blockbuster, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, coming soon.
If you'd like to leave me feedback or ask a question, shoot me an email at LukesJamHands@gmail.com. I love to hear from you guys!
If you love the Gilmore girls, check out my Under the Floorboards podcast with my pal Elizabeth Allen. We review each episode scene-by-scene, following our tangents where they lead while making fun of lots of people in the process. Just like life in Stars Hollow! Plus, we give you all the latest updates on everything Gilmore!
Also, if you are a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender , the animated series, give a listen to me and my son's podcast, TeamBoomeraangKickACast.BlogSpot.com .
Thanks again!
