Summer of 1991

The summer of 1991 was going to represent a major change in my life. I was sixteen years old and just finished my sophomore year of high school. I had turned sixteen in October of 1990, but my mother did not think I was mature enough to obtain a driver's license. Not being able to receive my driver's license was upsetting. That meant I was still relegated to walking or riding a bike. My sixteen-year-old self-found this mode of transportation to be socially isolating. An exciting thing occurred right after the New Year in 1991, my mother allowed me to obtain a learner's permit. I started to get very excited about this happening in my life. I was going to be practicing driving and would be able to achieve the ultimate driver's license) I would be able to practice my driving skills. In Indiana if you are 16 and a half you can get your license without taking driver's education. I believed i would get my license mere months after obtaining my learner's permit. The license gods had other plans for me. My mother also put in the stipulation that I would need to take driver's education along with my driving practice under parental vision. My sixteen-year-old self was losing his mind. I need to drive, and I need to drive now!!!!! Finally, I complete my sophomore year of high school and will begin driver's education the Monday after school ended. The goal is mere weeks away, this was the only time I can remember being excited to wake up early every day. Each passing day represented a step closer to the almighty license and freedom to roam the greater Michiana area. My life was going to change forever. (in my mind) I was still in drivers ed, but my mom was going to allow me to take the driver's test before completion. The day of the test arrives, my mother and I get there early and sign in. My name is called to the desk. My mother needs to come up to the desk to show her valid license. My mother hands over her license. The words that came out of the license branch employee were the most heartbreaking words of my life at this juncture. "Sorry, you cannot take the driver's test, because your mother's license is expired. You need to wait two more weeks to take the test. Pure anger and disgust is all I have for my mother. How could you not know your license was expired? I was beyond angry. Reminder!! I do love and respect my mother very much; this is from the perspective of an angsty ready to drive sixteen-year-old. I get home and call my father and explain the situation. He says yes to letting me use his car to take the test. Two weeks later I 'am able to take my driver's test. Praise the Lord!!! The choir Angels sing. My wait is over, my life is changing for the better. I received my license roughly ten days before the 4th of July weekend. There is a major movie event happening Fourth of July weekend 1991, Terminator 2 Judgment Day is being released. My friends and I have been waiting in great anticipation for this movie. It is the sequel to The Terminator. My friends and I have been waiting for this movie for seven years. That felt like an eternity to my sixteen-year-old self.

The car in the above photo is what I learned to drive in and would be packing my friends in to see Terminator 2 Judgment Day. The excitement was palpable, and it was all we could talk about for almost a week. The day came for us to watch Terminator 2 Judgment Day and it was amazing. The cast was spectacular, the special effects were amazing, and the story was very well done as well. It was directed by James Cameron, who also directed the original Terminator film. He has directed many films throughout his career. My friends and I were ecstatic leaving the theater. This was better than the original. I would talk to other people who had seen it at the time, and they were mostly all positive reviews. This movie was the summer blockbuster of 1991, it resonates with me because it was the first time, I was able to drive a carload of my friends to a movie or anywhere at all. Most of my driving experiences were either with my father or mother. Fast forward to 2022. I viewed Terminator 2 Judgment Day recently and have some observations for the movie at this time. The special effects are somewhat dated compared to what we have now. The effects are still very good, but you can tell the film is over thirty years old. The effects are not laughable, which I think is important. I have run into some movies and the effects do not hold up very well at all. The acting is very good still. Arnold Schwarzeneggers is never going to be considered in the company of the Nicholsons and Streep's of the world, but this character is iconic and has many popular quotes that still make me chuckle. I appreciate the fact that the movie does bring me back to that time in my life as a sixteen-year-old. I also noticed product placement in this film. It could be the older version of myself just realizing this now. I did not think product placement was prevalent yet in the early 90's, but I was proven wrong. I also liked that Linda Hamilton's character was that of a strong heroine. The establishment wanted to keep her down and prove her to be an angry female, or crazy. rewatching now, I believe Cameron was trying to showcase a strong female character in this movie. I thought that was a positive thing for even thirty years ago. Terminator 2 still resonates with me; I would gladly watch it again in the near future. It brought me back to a certain time in my life, and Iam grateful for that. I will be posting once a week. I am going to try and do it in chronological order. So, I will be reviewing movies and telling a small story of what was going on in my life at that time. I am interested to see if any of you have any great stories about obtaining your driver's license and if you possibly remember the first movie you drove yourself to.

 Movies of my Youth will focus on films that I viewed between the ages of 7-18. I will mostly stay in the action genre. I wanted to do this blog as a time capsule of my life and how certain movies bring back great memories from my life. That would cover the reflection portion of my blog. The review portion will cover if the movie still resonates with me or not. This blog might also inspire individuals to view these movies for the first time. Not to give away my age, but these movies will be 30 to 40 yrs old now. 

One of my fondest movie memories occurred during the fall of 1991. The Morris Civic Auditorium was showing the Wizard of Oz on the big screen. I had seen the  movie on the television many times. My grandmother wanted to take me to see it on the big screen. My 16 year old self was very reluctant to go with my grandmother. After some coercing by my grandmother, I decided to go. I was glad I chose to do this. The movie was so much better on the big screen and I had a greater appreciation for the movie. Plus it is a great memory I have of my grandmother, who has now been deceased over 6 years. 

Movies bring back memories of friends and family that you have gone to see the movies with. In this blog I will give the background story of where and who I saw the movie with and give a brief description of where I was at that time in my life. I do this with other activities , but since this blog will be focusing on movies that will be the main focus. I could do this with sporting events and concerts as well. 

My grandfather was an avid movie viewer. He was the person I first saw this frightening site with. Those twins scared the  heck out of me when I  was 10 or 11 years old. My grandfather also introduced me to this wonderful actor. Movie viewing can be enjoyed by all ages and different generations can introduce us to films we might never have considered viewing. Maybe this blog will have that effect on you. 

The objective is to have people express their opinion on the movie being reviewed. It can be positive or negative feedback, but it must be constructive and there will be no swearing or attacking of other peoples opinions. This is supposed to be fun and hopefully some of you will share some fond movie memories with me on this page.

photo credit imdb.com