# Movies that made a big pop culture splash but are now disporportionately forgotten **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2014, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755 "2014-11-16T08:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/201 "2014-11-18T19:54:52Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > The difference, to me, is that while Avatar made a ton of money and a lot of people saw it, it never particularly entered the pop culture in a “lots of people quote this movie and reference it and dress up as its characters sense”. So it’s not like it had that status for a while and then lost it, it just never really had it, imho at least. I think it did for a while: I remember reading about Navi weddings, a place in China that was being made up to look like the Avatar world, people learning to speak the fake language, just like Trekkies learning Klingon… ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/202 "2014-11-18T20:30:17Z")
_Avatar_’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t translate well. When it first came out you could watch it as James Cameron intended, and it worked really well there as an immersive big screen 3D experience. But now you can’t, and watching it on DVD really doesn’t play to the movie’s strengths. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/203 "2014-11-18T21:43:53Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > I think it did for a while: I remember reading about Navi weddings, a place in China that was being made up to look like the Avatar world, people learning to speak the fake language, just like Trekkies learning Klingon… I’ve always wondered how much of that was real and how much of it was people/clickbait articles attempting to get ahead of the curve and just pretend to really be into Avatar assuming it would be the next big thing. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/204 "2014-11-19T00:03:10Z")
Disney is also adding an Avatar-themed section to their Animal Kingdom park in Florida, which seems dated already and it won’t open for a while yet. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/205 "2014-11-19T02:13:47Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > Fi > > American Graffiti is now mainly remembered as the movie that spawned Happy Days, and doesn’t garner much attention. I still love it and the first Bad News Bears, and BNB still gets referenced now and then, but we used to watch these movies in syndication at local drive-in theaters. Actually, the Happy Days pilot became a Love American Style segment. Lucas asked to see the pilot to see if he would cast Ron Howard and then Happy Days was green lighted. Someone mentioned Deliverance? Seriously? “You sure got a purty mouth” and “Squeel like a pig” are timeless. Besides Archer keeps that and other Burt Reynolds films relevant. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/206 "2014-11-19T02:47:55Z")
Jurassic Park? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/207 "2014-11-19T02:58:56Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > Jurassic Park? Jurassic Park?! Who’s forgotten that one? It seems like so many scenes are pretty much branded in public consciousness. Who can forget the giant T-Rex foot by the jeep? Plus, I think that people still enjoy–affectionately–mocking it. There’s tons of spoofs of it still around, from How It Should Have Ended to the Nostalgia Critic’s reviews of all three films. And the memes. Newman squealing! “Shoooooot her!” “Clevah girl!” ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/208 "2014-11-19T03:14:19Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Jurassic Park?! Who’s forgotten that one? It seems like so many scenes are pretty much branded in public consciousness. Who can forget the giant T-Rex foot by the jeep? Plus, I think that people still enjoy–affectionately–mocking it. There’s tons of spoofs of it still around, from How It Should Have Ended to the Nostalgia Critic’s reviews of all three films. And the memes. Newman squealing! “Shoooooot her!” “Clevah girl!” “Must go faster” ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/209 "2014-11-19T03:15:18Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Talking of Winona Ryder … how about _Heathers_. Not that it wasn’t a good movie (it was) - but does anyone still remember it much? Actually, yes, among a certain age group. Check out their YouTube and facebook discussions and \*Heathers \*gets quoted a lot. Almost as much as _Mean Girls_. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/210 "2014-11-19T03:25:03Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Actually, yes, among a certain age group. Check out their YouTube and facebook discussions and \*Heathers \*gets quoted a lot. Almost as much as _Mean > Girls_. “Fuck me gently with a chainsaw” “There are no stupid questions…that’s the stupidest question I ever heard” “I love my dead, gay son.” “True, I was coming up here to kill you!” “cornnnn nutsss” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/211 "2014-11-19T03:25:24Z")
Here’s a couple of films that I remember big deals being made out of at the time, but I haven’t even heard mentioned in decades: Freejack – Seems like MTV was the Freejack channel early in my college days. It got promoted about a lot. I still remember it mostly for the line “You keep looking at me, you’re gonna see me kill you.” But otherwise, poof, it vanished. Porky’s and Porky’s II - In my pre-adolescence, it was talked about a lot. I remember the ads, the Sneak Previews reviews, and countless recountings of scenes at recess. I even recall a Johnny Carson doing a Carnac gag that went like this: he put the sealed envelope to his head and said “Porky’s 2”, then he opened the envelope to reveal that the question was “What part does the butcher throw out?” Aaaaand… poof. Nearly three decades since I’ve ever heard these films mentioned, ending only with my own mention right here. I also remember these being buzzed a lot, and subsequently heard little about them: Making Love Sex, Lies and Video Tape Down & Out in Beverly Hills Ruthless People Kramer vs. Kramer (until recently discussed right here on SDMB) Nomads ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/212 "2014-11-19T03:52:34Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > “Fuck me gently with a chainsaw” > “There are no stupid questions…that’s the stupidest question I ever heard” > “I love my dead, gay son.” > “True, I was coming up here to kill you!” > “cornnnn nutsss” “Yeah, but this is Ohio. I mean, if you don’t have a brewski in your hand you might as well be wearing a dress.” “Save the speeches for Malcolm X. I just wanna get laid.” “Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?” “I don’t patronize bunny rabbits!” _Heathers_ is one of my favorite movies. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/213 "2014-11-19T05:39:01Z")
My 13 year-old son has discovered and watched most of the movies mentioned here on his own. With Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Redbox, and Youtube it seems like just about any movie that has ever existed has a pretty good shot at some sustaining or re-emerging popularity. I’m 35, and there have been several films mentioned that I’ve never seen but I am highly aware of and know several people (and I know very very few people in general) that love them or can’t stop talking about them. Maybe “A Fish Called Wanda” was a good call. I’ve never seen it, but when it was released it seemed like everyone was talking about it. Can’t recall anyone I know ever mentioning it or it coming up in a conversation in my adult life. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/214 "2014-11-19T06:02:42Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Similarly, the Swedish pair of films **I Am Curious (Blue)** and **I Am Curious (Yellow)** were scandalous when first released in the late sixties because of the nudity (including a penis!), and simulated sex in a relatively mainstream film. Actually banned in Boston, and an early recipient of the “X” rating. How many people know of or recall it today? The only time I see it mentioned is among the films released on DVD by Criterion. > > [I Am Curious (Yellow) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Curious_(Yellow)) This is the best nomination yet. Those films were huge in the culture and their very titles entered the language, tied to the openness the films were supposed to represent. No one would even think of renting them nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/215 "2014-11-19T06:09:36Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Jurassic Park?! Who’s forgotten that one? It seems like so many scenes are pretty much branded in public consciousness. Who can forget the giant T-Rex foot by the jeep? Plus, I think that people still enjoy–affectionately–mocking it. There’s tons of spoofs of it still around, from How It Should Have Ended to the Nostalgia Critic’s reviews of all three films. And the memes. Newman squealing! “Shoooooot her!” “Clevah girl!” And there is a hugely anticipated sequel coming next year that will star Chris Pratt. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/216 "2014-11-19T07:13:23Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Someone mentioned Deliverance? Seriously? “You sure got a purty mouth” and “Squeel like a pig” are timeless. > > Besides Archer keeps that and other Burt Reynolds films relevant. That was me. Dueling Banjos is a classic song too, but seriously, Deliverance is about as obscure as Billy Jack nowadays. I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone discuss it, other than the occasional squeel like a pig joke that comedians do. By the way, is anyone going to offer their own nominations for this thread rather than dispute others? There’s quite a few unmentioned films that would qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/217 "2014-11-19T14:16:55Z")
Well I was going to say [Westworld](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070909/?ref_=nv_sr_2), but then… HBO green-lights Westworld series. [Link](http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/11/westworld-officially-gets-hbo-series-order.html) ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/218 "2014-11-19T14:30:01Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Well I was going to say [Westworld](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070909/?ref_=nv_sr_2), but then… > > HBO green-lights Westworld series. [Link](http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/11/westworld-officially-gets-hbo-series-order.html) Aren’t a lot of these remakes cries of desperation? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/219 "2014-11-19T18:48:44Z")
You just can’t go wrong with killer androids, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/220 "2014-11-21T03:38:27Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > The sound of music (1965) is among the top grossing movies in history, adjusted for inflation. I don’t get the impression that it’s remembered much. The Ten commandments, Doctor Zhivago, Gone with the Wind and Snow White are all as old or older and better remembered. > > One problem with the question, if not properly researched, is that asking for films which have largely been forgotten may fail to turn up excellent examples precisely because they’ve been so thoroughly forgotten. The Sound of Music isn’t remembered much? The live version with Carrie Underwood had fantastic ratings last year, despite critics ripping Mrs Mike Fisher. Highest numbers since 2004 for an entertainment show on Thursday for NBC. They even reran it a few days later. When was the last time that happened? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755.md?page=12)