It’s 101 degrees outside. Going for a bike ride, a walk or even a car ride, is hard to get excited about, especially when it’s a comfortable 78 degrees inside my house.
To keep my mind somewhere else, I cleaned out the pantry – did those fruit cups really expire in 2018 – my office and the refrigerator.
Three trash bags later, I’m done. Instead of dusting or vacuuming, two chores I avoid like the plague, I decided to sit down and escape with a movie for a couple of hours.
I’ve always been a movie junkie. My mom and I would curl up on the couch on Sunday afternoons and watch tear-jerker movies. My favorites were “Imitation of Life,” “Backstreet” and “Madame X.”
Occasionally we’d get lucky and an MGM musical would be on. A favorite was “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” the barn-raising dance scene one of the best of all time.
I loved “Singing in the Rain,” but my sons grew to hate that movie. On school mornings, I’d sing “Good Morning” to wake them up. One of the boys said whenever he hears that song, it’s like fingernails on a blackboard.
This hot afternoon I tuned into “Rush Hour” with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Not an award-winning movie but a fun one, and that’s exactly what I was looking for.
Chan was 44 years old when he made this movie. At that age, my knees were starting to give out and I needed bifocals. Chan was jumping off buildings, boats and hanging from the rafters.
Another hot afternoon movie is “Seabiscuit.” The true story of this remarkable racehorse, the owner, the trainer, and the jockey would be impossible to believe if it wasn’t true. The movie is always inspirational and a good reminder to never give up.
I’m one of those dinosaurs who still has DVDs and a machine capable of playing said discs. Here’s my list of some recommended escape-the-heat movies you can find online or rent:
“The Sandlot.” The line “You’re killing me Smalls” is one that I’ve used at least a dozen times in my life. For anyone who recognizes the line, the result is always a smile.
“The Mummy.” Brendan Fraser might’ve won an Oscar as an obese father, but as a young actor, nobody swashbuckled like Frazier. When he kisses Eve’s knee in “Blast from the Past,” he cemented his image as a heartthrob.
“City Slickers.” Most of the jokes are out of date – young people have no idea how hard it was to program a VHS player nor would they recognize the theme song from “Bonanza.” It’s still a fun way to spend an hour and a half.
The “Back to the Future” movies are always a good bet, especially the first one where we’re introduced to Marty McFly and Doc Brown. And, Doc’s right, if you’re going to time travel, what’s better than a DeLorean?
A good bet is any movie with Denzel Washington, Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Viola Davis or Sandra Bullock. Harrison Ford also delivers great performances, especially as Indiana Jones.
Whenever I don’t want to feel like I’ve totally wasted the afternoon, I’ll watch a classic. I can always find something profound in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” If I need a good cry at the end, I’ll pop in “Karate Kid” or “My Dog Skip.” If I want to feel like there’s hope in this sweltering world, it’s “Rudy” or “Field of Dreams.”
The movies are a great way to escape bad weather, housework or whenever things are going sideways.
Order up a film from your internet provider and sit back with some popcorn and spend a hot afternoon with some familiar film friends.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.