Back to the Future

[triplemultiplex]

As a kid, it was the third film that really made an impression on me.  Using my toy trains and cars to recreate the climactic scene at 'Eastwood' Ravine?  You know it!

The creators got duped by the fraud that was 'cold fusion'.  Turns out, (duh!) you can't get more energy out of a system than you put in unless you put in enough energy to push atomic nuclei close enough together.  For that, one needs lots of energy and/or lots of pressure; way more than you can strap to the back of a car.

They extrapolated on the popularity of baseball in 2015 based on the late 80's when it was still riding high.  (Star Trek whiffed on that one too and predicted MLB would be international.)

The most painful part about movies from the past set in the future is how they didn't think something simple would change dramatically and now their 'future world' looks old and lame.  Something like the aspect ratio on TV screens.  It reminds you that you are watching a movie from 30-40 years ago when, say, everyone in The Running Man is gathered around 4:3 cathode ray tubes to watch Arnie kill dudes in costumes.

But at least we have "hover"boards! They don't hover and function more as concussion machines than recreational transportation, but we got 'em!

[Roadrunner75]

IIRC, the song he attempts during the high school tryouts (of all interesting things) is The Power of Love, and the song tryout is adjucated by none other than Huey Lewis.

All this time I didn't realize that was Huey Lewis.  Never noticed, but then again I haven't beat that movie to death watching it over and over and haven't seen it in a number of years.  Wow.....that's great.

I think I'll bust out the old box set and introduce it to a new generation since we're all stuck at home anyway.

[SectorZ]

BTTF III is my favorite western, and I will die on the cross with that sentiment.

[kphoger]

BTTF III is my favorite western, and I will die on the cross with that sentiment.

Best part:

Doc : And in the future, we don't need horses. We have motorized carriages called automobiles.

Saloon Old Timer #3 : If everybody's got one of these auto-whatsits, does anybody walk or run anymore?

Doc : Of course we run. But for recreation. For fun.

Saloon Old Timer #3 : Run for fun? What the hell kind of fun is that?

[Max Rockatansky]

BTTF III is my favorite western, and I will die on the cross with that sentiment.

Best part:

Doc : And in the future, we don't need horses. We have motorized carriages called automobiles.

Saloon Old Timer #3 : If everybody's got one of these auto-whatsits, does anybody walk or run anymore?

Doc : Of course we run. But for recreation. For fun.

Saloon Old Timer #3 : Run for fun? What the hell kind of fun is that?

I run for fun.  What I don't remember was anyone back in the 1980s engaging in athletic endeavor past the age of 18.  The closest we had was the power walk crowd marching down the street in those silver slim suits after watching a Richard Simmons video. 

[kphoger]

I run for fun.  What I don't remember was anyone back in the 1980s engaging in athletic endeavor past the age of 18.  The closest we had was the power walk crowd marching down the street in those silver slim suits after watching a Richard Simmons video. 

You don't remember Jazzercise?

[Brandon]

BTTF III is my favorite western, and I will die on the cross with that sentiment.

Among my favorite westerns (along with Blazing Saddles, Support Your Local Sheriff, and Maverick).

[Max Rockatansky]

I run for fun.  What I don't remember was anyone back in the 1980s engaging in athletic endeavor past the age of 18.  The closest we had was the power walk crowd marching down the street in those silver slim suits after watching a Richard Simmons video. 

You don't remember Jazzercise?

I do, I also remember there was so many of those workout VHS tapes for sale back then.  Some were absolute gold in terms of cheesiness. 

[SectorZ]

BTTF III is my favorite western, and I will die on the cross with that sentiment.

Best part:

Doc : And in the future, we don't need horses. We have motorized carriages called automobiles.

Saloon Old Timer #3 : If everybody's got one of these auto-whatsits, does anybody walk or run anymore?

Doc : Of course we run. But for recreation. For fun.

Saloon Old Timer #3 : Run for fun? What the hell kind of fun is that?

I quote that "run, for fun" line constantly, usually any time someone sedentary mocks me for cycling or my wife for running as a matter of fitness.

[rickmastfan67]

Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FSgPLtPA3Y

[ErmineNotyours]

[vdeane]

But at least we have "hover"boards! They don't hover and function more as concussion machines than recreational transportation, but we got 'em!

Come to think of it, the hoverboards we see the kids with when Marty takes one are basically e-scooters without wheels.

[Max Rockatansky]

Something I found a little odd in the backstory of Back to the Future 2 & 3.  Why would a guy that owns a Rolls Royce bother suing a kid that was still in High School?  It sure didn't look like George and Lorraine were impacted too much in vanilla 2015 but Marty was basically just some bum factory worker...I think working under Needles?  More so, given Marty altered his own future upon returning to 1985 doesn't that in theory put his kids at risk of never existing? 

[ErmineNotyours]

I like how these vloggers just walked into the high school used in the movie.  What kind of security do they have there?

[Max Rockatansky]

I like how these vloggers just walked into the high used in the movie.  What kind of security do they have there?

It's not like schools back in the 1980s or 1950s had much in the way of security.  I always found it refreshing watching those movies and being glad that I didn't have to go to the modern glorified prison complexes used today. 

But more to your point, yeah that's not good that random people can just walk into a school unchallenged. 

[nexus73]

With an optimistic and humorous atmosphere, the "Back To The Future" trilogy was quite the series.  Even now these movies still come across well. 

Seeing the DeLorean with whitewall tires and chrome Moon hubcaps was something! 

Rick

[Max Rockatansky]

With an optimistic and humorous atmosphere, the "Back To The Future" trilogy was quite the series.  Even now these movies still come across well. 

Seeing the DeLorean with whitewall tires and chrome Moon hubcaps was something! 

Rick

The idea of getting up to 88 MPH in a Delorean with those white walls in a dirt parking lot was kind silly.  Those cars weren't exactly fast to begin with and slapping 50s tires on them wouldn't have helped. 

[texaskdog]

Watched the movie for the first time over the weekend, was one of the best films I've ever watched. I liked Michael J Fox's acting. Haven't watched 2 and 3 but I probably will soon.

You’re just now seeing it? Well its never to late. Glad you liked it.


iPhone

Well he is only 16! and it was out long before he was born.
I'm 50 and haven't seen ET

[Max Rockatansky]

Watched the movie for the first time over the weekend, was one of the best films I've ever watched. I liked Michael J Fox's acting. Haven't watched 2 and 3 but I probably will soon.

You're just now seeing it? Well its never to late. Glad you liked it.


iPhone

Well he is only 16! and it was out long before he was born.
I'm 50 and haven't seen ET

I'm finding as I get older that I've been way more into movies than most people are.  My Dad and older Brother used to drag me along to a movie or two every week growing up.  I was still seeing a new movie 3-5 times a month with my wife before Virus Time hit.  There was a point in time where I saw at least 6-10 movies a month in early adulthood, I couldn't find anything better to do. 

Funny, ET is hardly on anymore.  I've always found that kind of odd considering so many people were once enamored with it on a similar level as Back to the Future. 

[SectorZ]

Slight tangent to this but related... Christopher Lloyd's nephew, the actor Sam Lloyd (best known as the incompetent lawyer Ted in the TV show Scrubs) died on 4/30 of lung cancer.

[kphoger]

I like how these vloggers just walked into the high school used in the movie.  What kind of security do they have there?

I used to deliver cleaning supplies all over southern Illinois from mid-2006 until January 2008, and the majority of my customers were schools.  I estimate that I could count on finding an open door to the building at 80% or more of those schools.  At some of them, you had to know which nondescript door to look for at the back of the building, but it's my experience that custodians tend to leave at least one door unlocked as a matter of convenience.  Not at every school, mind you, but most.

And, if you look like you belong there, people don't usually ask questions.  If I walked in the front door wearing a uniform, hauling boxes on a dolly–four times out of five I could just go right past the front office, wave hello to anyone I came across in the hallways, and make my way clear to the back of the building.

I remember, at around that time, seeing on TV a news reporter report about how he walked into a school and wandered around awhile without anyone asking him what he was doing there.  The reporter was astonished at how appalled he was.  I looked at my wife and said, "I do that every day, all day long."

[vdeane]

Yeah, when I was in school (graduated HS in 2009) the security wasn't too tight.  During the morning when people arrived, everything was open, and we even had the principal greeting students at the most heavily used entrance near the front office.  During the day, most entrances were kept locked (though students would often let other students in), with two kept open with visitor check-in desks - one at the front, used by most visitors, and one in the back, mainly used by students coming in from PE or walking outside during a free period (we were also allowed to leave campus during free periods that fell during the time lunch was served as well as arrive late or leave early if a free period fell at the start of end of the day).  Our security staff consisted of three people who were friendly for the most part (no "resource officers", a name that doesn't really make sense to me) and our "security dog" was a golden retriever.

[zzcarp]

I turned 8 the year the original Back to the Future came out and watched it dozens of times on our newly acquired VCR. I think I even taped a version from broadcast TV to aid in the number of viewings (home copies of movies were super expensive back in the day). Seeing the "To Be Continued" screen at the end of the movie added to the anticipation for the sequel. It occurred as FOREVER for the 4 year delay for release of the sequel.

The sequels were fun, even if they didn't live up to my expectations. "Read my fax" is a classic line from Part II.

[nexus73]

With an optimistic and humorous atmosphere, the "Back To The Future" trilogy was quite the series.  Even now these movies still come across well. 

Seeing the DeLorean with whitewall tires and chrome Moon hubcaps was something! 

Rick

The idea of getting up to 88 MPH in a Delorean with those white walls in a dirt parking lot was kind silly.  Those cars weren’t exactly fast to begin with and slapping 50s tires on them wouldn’t have helped. 

...ain't that the truth!

Too bad the father of the GTO did not stick an engine into the DeLorean worthy of the great design he came up with.  Then the tires would have been irrelevant....LOL!

Renault made the engines.  'nuff said on that!

Rick

[1995hoo]

I believe the manufacturer quoted a 0—60 time of 8.8 seconds with the manual transmission. Road & Track said their tests showed a top speed of 109 mph, though of course the time machine couldn't hit 109 because temporal displacement occurred before it reached that speed. The car had a 2.5-litre V-6 making 130 hp at 5500 rpm. (Damn. My '88 RX-7's 1.3-litre Wankel makes 143 hp.)

For a $25,000 car at that time (closer to $70,000 today), you'd expect more.