Help Wanted: What Are These Movies?

Hello, friends!

I am returning briefly to make sure that this blog stays alive against all odds, as it will probably be awhile before I do something again. The previous two years in November I did NaNoWriMo and was very satisfied that at the same time I was able to keep this blog running, with nine posts both times. Well, this year I want to try NaNo again, but with my higher work load this blog might be neglected (more than it already is? I don't know if that's possible).

You probably came here looking at the post title and wondering what I want. I was inspired a few months ago by Elizabeth at Autumn Ink with her post Does Anyone Know This Movie or Did I Make It Up?. In that post she talked about a movie she had seen part of once and was curious about seeing the rest. Problem: she had no idea what it was.

My mind and memory has been wiped.

This reminded me of all the movies I have seen in my life that I really enjoyed yet have no idea what they were. The curse of cable TV. Now I'm spoiled it being able to look at what it is called, or watch things because I want to, not hope to find something good by chance. Why not do what Elizabeth did and take this to a bigger audience? That's what I'm here to do today!

Prepare yourselves: This is a very long list. VERY long.

First, you should know that I'm bad at explaining things. In the past I have had times where I've had success at finding these movies, and other times where I've just made the situation more confusing.

1st example: (Where I show how bad I am at explaining things)

I'd gotten up early once because I couldn't sleep, so my dad and I started watching a movie, and I really loved it. The next day I eagerly explained it to my mom.

Me: "There was this priest and this other guy who were in prison, and the other guy got out and found a lot of money. He then went to this new house and I was there! He had parties and was trying to find people. Then there was this kid who almost got his finger cut off. Then fighting and how people weren't saints and...*trails off into spoilers*"

My dad walks in.

My mom: "What movie were you watching with MC last night?"

......

...any guesses?...

......

......

My dad: "The Count of Monte Cristo."

My mom: "Oh! That makes more sense. But what do you mean, MC, that "you were there"?"

Me: "Dad said so."

My mom looks inquisitively at my dad.

My dad: "The filmed part of it at Powerscourt in Ireland and I told MC how I carried her all over there."

See it in the background there?

I know, I sound like Donald in National Velvet (1944) arguing about how the story goes with Mi Taylor as "I was there!" 

Everyone else: "No you weren't. You were a star." 

Donald: "I was not a star! I was there!"

At least I'm not always insisting that "I was sick all night."

2nd example:

Long, long, long ago in a galaxy far far away I had seen this movie and I really loved it (surprise surprise, you will see that this is a common factor. That's why I still remember them.)

It was about a woman and her daughter who lived a luxurious life on top of a rock. The daughter had never seen any of the world. One day two things happened, the first was where an old guy got up there by falling from the sky. Later, a young guy climbed up the rock based on a challenge and then fell in love with the girl. Happily ever after?

In 2018, on January 4th (oddly specific, but I know because I wrote it down) I was doing things in the same room that my dad was watching a movie. It had W. C. Fields and I thought it was ridiculous. I wasn't paying attention, but when I stood up to go I saw people from the movie I had always known! I screamed and made my dad tell me what this was.

Never Give A Sucker an Even Break (1941).

Weird title, I know. The part that I had remembered was a very small section. The premise was even stranger than I thought it was. Nevertheless, my dad and I quote other parts of the movie all the time now:

'"Don't you want to grow up and be smart?"

"I don't want to be smart. I want to be like you."'

3rd example:

I had been asleep in our living room and woke up to my dad watching a movie. I was listening to it for awhile without opening my eyes and because a character was Juli thought it was an American Girl movie. I was very confused. Finally I opened my eyes and was watching, too. I absolutely loved it.

It was about a girl and a tree. It switched perspectives and was also about a boy who hated eggs. Yet Juli kept giving him eggs. Juli liked this boy and he was always trying to run away from her, but then things started to change...

Then my dad realized that I was watching, too, and was embarrassed that I had caught him. And switched to a different channel. Then feigned having no idea what I was talking about when I tried to convince him to turn back. I thought I would add it to the movies I would never see. Woe is me. 

I'm not sure how it happened EXACTLY, but here's one version. At that exact time I had been reading Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief - by Wendelin Van Draanen. I had looked her up (as you do when books are awesome) and found that she had written many. About a week later I read Olivia's post about Top Ten Book Couples and began screaming (another common factor of these reveals). There was a picture of Bryce and Juli!!! And she said it was from something called Flipped?? I looked it up and was greeted by one of Wendelin Van Draanen's books. So, I would've found it eventually, but I'm gratified that it was only a week of agony.

Oh, and I remember the day that I figured out Ocean's 11 (1960) was the awesome robbery movie. I had more of a clue there because I knew Frank Sinatra was in it.

Wow, that could be a post on it's own. Sorry. There's more.

Tl;dr: I am bad at explaining things, but extremely lucky. Maybe you guys can help me figure out what these movies are? I'm going to be saying everything I remember about it, so there might be spoilers. But if you don't know what it is then doesn't it really count, right?

1st movie I need help on:

This movie had something I love: outlaws. It was black and white. For awhile I thought it was The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), but that, of course, is in brilliant technicolor. It was about outlaws who were against an evil reign, and the key to all of this was some jewels. The jewelry had been placed the care of a noble lady who was traveling. The leader of the outlaws was able to meet her and convince her to join their side (twue wove) and give them the jewels. She did and they all escaped together after there had been resistance and the shooting of arrows. Once safe, the outlaws had a bonfire in the forest, all rejoicing. Everything was going well until the leader collapsed. He had been hurt but hadn't let anyone know! The ending maybe ends with a castle burning? I remember the striking visual effects.

2nd movie I need help on:

I am pretty sure that this had Robin Williams in it. It was about these bad guys who kidnapped a guy and and his daughter. I think the guy was an inventor, or had a job that was worth ransoming. Earlier in the movie we had seen these boys who were either the girl's friends or bullies. They had made fun of her for her lipgloss that was either 1. a particular color, like orange or 2. scented? Anyway, these kidnappers are taking the man and his daughter somewhere so they are on the road. They take a break at a rest stop quickly, and the girl draws with her lipstick on the mirror. Later, those same friends/bullies find it and recognize that she was there and know where to find her?

3rd movie I need help on:

This one I think had a title with something to do with a club? It was a mystery of some kind? Maybe, the Boathouse Club? It was about kids who got together to help others or solve mysteries. A little girl was in a bad situation with her stepmother and her stepmother's boyfriend? I think she was locked in the house and not allowed to go out. She started writing a note to the club, but misspelled something so she started again. This time she finished it up, and taking a balloon (it had been her birthday?) she tied it to the balloon and sent it out the window. The stepmother noticed the balloon was missing and the little girl claimed she had flushed it down the toilet. The stepmother finds the first abandoned note...

Now you have had a peak inside my mind. I have others, but I think this is enough for now. I'll see how well this works out before I get my hopes up.

Maybe it's too late. I really want to know what these stories are.

So, tell me: does anyone know what in the world these movies are? Are my explanations confusing? Do you need more information? Does anyone know the movies I talked about in my examples?

Please! Tell me all your theories no matter how far off they seem!

I also want to thank you all for your comments! Right now I only have time to write new posts or reply, so I'm writing new posts, but I will get around to replying! The comments always make my day! I'm working on a special project for all of you that I am really excited about. I hope you like it, too!

Until then, my friends!

Chloe the MovieCritic