Did you ever wish you had a DeLorean, à la "Back to the Future"? Sometimes I think it would be nice to go back in time and relive certain memories and experiences, or to return to a time when everything seemed much simpler. Don't get me wrong; I am very happy to be living in the 21st century, but sometimes I feel like the world of today is missing something.
And this is where my wish to bring back the past comes in. Not every aspect of the past, because let's face it, '80s fashion was questionable at best and, personally, I can't take anyone who uses '70s (and some '90s) jargon seriously. Not to mention that today's technology is way too good to ever live without. But I would love to bring back some elements of the distant and semi-distant past – specifically past entertainment, like the movies and games that had great effects on individuals and society as a whole.
The entertainment industry today is very good at what it does, and I'm not saying that it is in any way inferior to that of previous generations. I very much enjoy many of the movies and electronic games available (Candy Crush is my life – don't judge me). But I firmly believe that the integration of entertainment from the last century would be beneficial for everyone. When left to their own devices, the majority of children (and adults – myself included) are glued to some kind of screen for hours on end. Video games are a lot of fun, but let's not leave out "old" games like Scrabble and Battleship - games that require brainpower and face-to-face communication – and games like Frisbee, tag, and others that involve moving your whole body instead of just your fingers.
Today's cinematic entertainment is wonderful as well. Hollywood makes some pretty great films. But sometimes it seems like movies are only being made for the money, or to try to outdo the ones that came before in both special effects and overall popularity. Again, I'm not saying that's all bad. I enjoy today's movies as much as everyone else. What I am saying is that I miss the "old" movies – the ones that didn't have all of the flashy effects or the biggest box office numbers, the ones that very few people under the age of 40 remember and/or appreciate. It makes me sad that almost everyone I talk to in my age range (20-30) has either never heard of or never seen "Anne of Green Gables" or Shirley Temple movies or Hayley Mills movies. I grew up on movies like "Heidi" (1937) and "Pollyanna" (1960) as well as Shirley Temple's "The Little Princess" (1939) and Hayley Mills' "The Parent Trap" (1961). Yes, these movies existed before the 1995 and 1998 versions! The Chronicles of Narnia were also translated to film before 2005 (I grew up with the 1988, 1989, and 1990 adaptions). These are the kinds of movies that are timeless – classics that must be passed down through generations. They may not be shiny and new and technologically up-to-date, but they are good, wholesome, family movies and not all about sex and action and high drama.
Once again, I feel like I need to reiterate that I am in no way dissing the movies or electronic games of today or saying that they are all bad (although there are some bad ones out there). I just think that we should mix a bit of the old in with the new. There will be no need to own a DeLorean if we bring bits and pieces of the past into our present and future.
