Courtesy of Dayton Ward, “The ‘When I was 12’ movie meme thing.”
Here’s how it works: go to Wikipedia (as the most convenient resource), and copy the list of movies that were released in the year when you were 12 years old. Mark in italics the movies that you’ve seen. (Not necessarily that year.) Mark in bold the movies that you own on video, DVD, Blu-Ray or whatever. If you’re not sure if you’ve seen a movie, you haven’t.
So, 1985…
The Adventures of a Two-Minute Werewolf
The Adventures of Mark Twain (I’ve seen this one many times)
After Hours
Agnes of God
American Ninja
The Annihilators
Avenging Angel
Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend
Back to the Future (No, I don’t own this on DVD)
Bad Medicine
Better Off Dead
The Black Cauldron
The Boys Next Door
Brazil
The Breakfast Club (No, I’ve never seen this. Honest!)
Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo
Cat’s Eye
The Care Bears Movie
Certain Fury
A Chorus Line
Clue
The Coca-Cola Kid
Cocaine Wars
Cocoon
Code of Silence
Code of Vengeance
The Color Purple
Come and See
Commando (This movie is tres awesome!)
Crazy Construction
Creature
Crimewave
Dance with a Stranger
Day of the Dead
Death Wish 3
Desperately Seeking Susan
The Devastator
Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart
The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission
Enemy Mine
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (I suppose it was released theatrically outside the United States…)
Explorers
Fandango
Final Justice
Fletch
Follow That Bird
Fran
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
Fright Night
The Malibu Bikini Shop
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
The Goonies
Gymkata
Heaven Help Us
Here Come the Littles
Insignificance
Into the Night – starring Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer
Invasion U.S.A.
Jagged Edge
The Jewel of the Nile
Joshua Then and Now
King David
King Solomon’s Mines
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Ladyhawke
The Last Dragon
Legend
The Legend of Billie Jean
Lost In America
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Man Hunt
The Man with One Red Shoe
Mask Elliott
The Mean Season
Missing In Action 2: The Beginning
Murphy’s Romance
My Beautiful Laundrette
My Life as a Dog (Mitt liv som hund)
My Science Project
Naked Vengeance
National Lampoon’s European Vacation
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
Nine Deaths Of The Ninja
The Official Story (La historia oficial)
Once Bitten
One Magic Christmas
Out of Africa
Out of Control
Pale Rider
The Peanut Butter Solution
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
Phenomena
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment
Porky’s Revenge
Private Resort
Prizzi’s Honor
The Protector
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Radioactive Dreams
Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Ran
Real Genius
Red Sonja
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins
Return of the Living Dead
Return to Oz
Revolution
Rocky IV (Would you believe I’ve seen none of the Rocky movies?)
Runaway Train
Santa Claus: The Movie
Secret Admirer
The Secret of the Sword (Yes! The He-ManShe-Ra animated movie!)
Silver Bullet
Silverado
The Slugger’s Wife
Smooth Talk
St. Elmo’s Fire (Another movie everyone of my generation is supposed to have seen, but I haven’t…)
Starchaser: The Legend of Orin
Stick
Subway
The Sure Thing
Sweet Dreams
Target
Teen Wolf (I may have this on DVD with Teen Wolf Too, but I can’t be arsed to check.)
That Was Then… This Is Now
That’s Dancing!
To Live and Die in L.A.
Transylvania 6-5000
The Trip to Bountiful
Tuff Turf
Twice in a Lifetime
28 Up
Vagabond (Sans toit ni loi)
Vampire Hunter D
A View to a Kill
Vision Quest
Water
Wetherby
Weird Science
Wild Geese II
When Father Was Away on Business (Otac na slubenom putu)
Witness
The Woman And The Stranger (Die Frau und der Fremde)
Young Sherlock Holmes
So, if I have this counted correctly, I’ve seen thirty-five of the films released the year I was twelve, including the five that I physically own. All in all, that’s not bad.