Camiele: A Life in Movies
1991: Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead
This was one of the first films I saw that actually made me want to be a secretary! I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s also one of the reasons I legit love typing… HaHa. Plus, it’s the first film I remember thinking, “Man, being a grown-up is AWESOME!” *siiigh* Oh, youth…
1992: Aladdin
All you need to know about this movie is what happens in this clip…
1993: Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit
I don’t really care what anyone says. The sequel to the outrageous Sister Act is pretty much the prototype of every choir movie since. Any movie in which someone who’s used to big lights, big money, and stardom has to go to a little known place with a troubled church that has a terrible choir with loads of potential… yeah, these two films were your grandparents.
The sequel also introduced the magical “contest to raise just the right amount of money we need to stay open” trope that’s now requisite in most Black church films — *sigh* but that’s another post for another day. Besides that, it’s just a damn good film with inspiring performances by Lauryn Hill, Tanya Blount, and every member of the Catholic school choir. The songs were incredible, the scripts was top-notch, and the cast was just supreme. Plus it introduced one of the greatest pieces of advice in film: “If you wanna be somebody, if you wanna go somewhere, you better wake up and pay attention.”
1994: Crooklyn
Though most would argue Spike Lee’s Malcolm X was the pinnacle of the man’s filmmaking, I’d be one of probably two people in the crowd who’d disagree (the other would most likely be my brother). I saw this film when it came out, and though I obviously didn’t know every single concept discussed or explored in it, I identified quickly and easily with Troy.
The setting is the mid-late 60s (as attested by Lee’s perfect use of music in all his films), but the story is universal to any child growing up who wants to be noticed, wants to be thought of as something more than just the tomboy who takes no mess from nobody but is too small to really do anything more than, say, pour scalding hot water on top of a boy who made fun of me… Really, this is my favorite film from the controversial director/writer/producer, and it’s one of those films that will stay with me forever.
1995: Mortal Kombat
Okay, so it’s not exactly an Oscar-winning piece of cinematic history. But it’s most certainly one of the most entertaining films I’ve ever seen. It helps that the music is used/has been used in every single Laser Tag place I’ve ever been to — particulary, a magical kingdom of unbridled, unadulterated bloodletting in Chicago known as LaserQuest!!! Yeah, Mortal Kombat pretty much gave me a deeper insight into the world of Secret Ops and guerrilla warfare. It also had some the most incredible fight sequences EVER! (And the 90s certainly had its fair share of those.)
