A Trip to the Cinema.

  I love the calming sense of serenity one gets after they watch a good film. For me, that sense of an overall calm feeling is much better if the movie itself is filmed a certain way. I like films that have a vintage feel to them, whether that movie be set in the past itself of if it is filmed like it was. I also have appreciation for movies filmed decades ago. Anything before 1990 is considered a classic to me. Let's have a look at some of my favorite movies that have also left me feeling that 'sense of serenity' afterward.

The Virgin Suicides (1999)

I love the interior of the Lisbon girls' rooms!

  What a gruesome title, isn't it? Despite the title, The Virgin Suicides is about the five teenage Lisbon sisters living in the mid-1970's. Each girl has their own set of problems, but the film is mainly based on Lux, the 14-year-old daughter. This movie is told from the perspective of a few teenage boys who live in the neighborhood of the Lisbon girls and watch their lives while collecting souvenirs and interacting them.

Again, the Lisbon girls minus Cecilia.

  The movie is told from the perspective of an unknown boy who apparently was one of the boys who watched the Lisbons' slow down-spiral into depression. Although the movie does have a grim and somewhat sudden ending, the film is definitely worth watching. I've watched it four times in the past year and I never get sick of the mystery that was the Lisbon family.

Watch The Virgin Suicides trailer here.

 

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Suzy and Sam reviewing their map.

  I'm normally not a fan of movies from 2000 and on, but Moonrise Kingdom is a great exception. I wanted to see this movie so badly that I actually went out and bought tickets to see it in theaters, which is rare for me. I usually wait for it to come out on TV. 

Suzy out on the lake in her wonderfully-sixties dress.

  Moonrise Kingdom is yet another wonderful Wes Anderson film. I'm personally a huge Wes Anderson fan, mainly because the way he films everything is so vintage and wonderful. The movie itself is set in 1965 and is about two twelve-year-old kids named Sam and Suzy who fall in love after meeting accidentally backstage Suzy's play. Following this they write each other letters and eventually meet up, running away together until they are caught by the local police. The movie's filmography is absolutely brilliant and I enjoyed every minute of it in theaters, from the wonderful clothing the characters wore to the amazing soundtrack.

Watch the Moonrise Kingdom trailer here.

Carrie (1976)

Carrie winning prom queen, a great surprise.

  Although I've made a Carrie post before, the film is so brilliant that I thought I must include it. The film is based off of a Stephen King novel of the same name, published in 1974. It is about a young girl named Carrie who is taunted after she receives her time of the month for the first time in the gym showers. She had been harassed before, but now the harassment increases. She is also struggling with her telekinetic powers that she hides from everyone, but eventually tells her bat-crazy mother. From there she is constantly bullied until asked to the prom by Tommy Ross, a popular boy from school.

The crazy ending to Carrie.

  At first Carrie thinks it is a joke, but she eventually agrees. On the night of prom all havoc breaks loose after the infamous pig-blood scene. I won't spoil the ending, but Carrie is an absolutely brilliantly-written film that defied horror movie standards in the 1970's. It is absolutely lovely.

Watch Carrie full length for free here.

Quadrophenia (1978)

  Quadrophenia is a film based off The Who's 1973 concept album of the same name. The album and movie are similar, although it is a little harder to figure out the plot by simply listening to the album. The movie is about a young teenager named Jimmy living in the early 1960's who decides to take up the mod lifestyle. Throughout the film he seems to be enjoying being a mod, although his spiral downward into popping pills and wrecking havoc increases. 

  While Jimmy is out with friends enjoying himself, he's battling the demons of his multiple personalities inside. Some may say he has schizophrenia; this is why the movie is titled Quadrophenia, as Jimmy had four different personalities (one for each member of The Who.) Soon bad things start happening to Jimmy. During a mod riot he is taken in by the police, the girl he likes named Steph goes for another guy, he is kicked out of his house, and his mod scooter is smashed. Jimmy realizes he's hand enough when he finds out his idol, fellow mod Ace Face (played by Sting) is actually a bell boy at a local hotel. He steals Ace Faces scooter and crashes it over a cliff, jumping off before he himself plummets to his doom. The movie ends with Jimmy walking on a Brighton beach, the same way the film started, leading to think that the entire movie was simply a flashback.

 Watch Quadrophenia full-length for free here.

The Soundtrack to My Life. from itsamodmodworld on 8tracks Radio.

1. "Sunday Morning" - The Velvet Underground & Nico
2. "Run of the Mill" - George Harrison
3. "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34" - Benjamin Britten 
4. "If You Want to Sing Out" - Cat Stevens
5. "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls are Coming to the Canyon)" - The Mamas and the Papas
6. "Winter" - The Rolling Stones
7. "Sun King" - The Beatles
8. "Aubrey" - Bread
9. "Wild World" - Cat Stevens

Who I Am

  I realized yesterday that you guys probably know nothing about me. This is kind of sad, considering I've given you all this information about the music and fashion I love, and yet nothing about the actual me. My name is Sam and I'm fourteen years young, I live on the East coast of the U.S. and am one of the only people I know that is as obsessed with the sixties and seventies like I am. My room is completely decked out in music, books, and posters, as well as other personal belongings that represent the decade. Why don't you have a look yourself?

My bookshelf. I recently emptied it out to fit more personal belongings. The big John Lennon book on the top shelf was originally $30, but my dad snagged it at a sale for only $5. The Beatles over-sized shot glasses on the second shelf were a gift for Christmas, and the Who plate is something I painted at a local pottery place. The shoes on the third shelf are all thrifted with the exception of the saddle shoes, which I purchased at Payless.

Some of my favorite books. They read, from L to R: Clapton by Eric Clapton, The Green Mile by Stephen King, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, The Beatles 1967-70, Working Class Mystic (About George Harrison) by Gary Tillery, According to the Rolling Stones (by the Stones themselves), Miss O'Dell (A GREAT read, I highly recommend it) by Chris O'Dell, Who I Am (autographed too!) by Pete Townshend, and Wonderful Tonight by Pattie Boyd. The movies read, also from L to R: The Quarrymen, Heathers, A Hard Day's Night, The Monkees Season 2.

The large "Treasures of the Beatles" sign in the center is actually the cover sleeve of a book. Next to that is my Beatles lunchbox, a Bob Dylan poster, and an Abbey Road poster.

My wall of mini posters! Here they all are, from top to bottom, L to R: Jefferson Airplane, the Beatles, Pattie Boyd, the Rolling Stones (Their Satanic Majesties Request), Pete Townshend smashing a guitar, Led Zeppelin, Keith Moon, Pattie Boyd and the Rolling Stones, John and Yoko's 'War is Over' sign, two photographs of my dad and I, a postcard from California, a brochure for the play 'Million Dollar Quartet,' The Beatles, George Harrison, Klaus Voormann, (Below that are the Beatles and the Beatles' Apple logo), The Beatles, two Clockwork Orange posters, A George Harrison card my friend made me, more Beatles, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, MORE Beatles, a brochure for Lez Zeppelin, a great Led Zeppelin cover band, The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, And Beatles, Beatles, Beatles.

The sleeve to Revolver (hung on a coat hanger that I bent myself to make a rack!). Unfortunately I received this from my dad's friend and there was no album inside! I decided to make the best of a bad situation and hang the empty sleeve for decoration.

My mod jacket! The patches are for the Who, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd, and the pins are for the Beatles, Sgt. Pepper, and George Harrison.

My concert tickets (so far!). From top to bottom, L to R: A ticket from the train from London to Liverpool, Ringo Starr and his All-Starr band, two Rolling Stones tickets, Hilary Duff (don't laugh, I was seven!), Who I am interview with Pete Townshend, Ray Manzarek and Robby Kreiger of the Doors, Rain: A tribute to the Beatles, and Lez Zeppelin. Unfortunately by Glimmer Twins, Beatlehjuice, and Who tickets aren't on there! I need a bigger board!

My beloved guitar in front of my Yellow Submarine poster. This guitar is actually over thirty years old; it's my uncles and he gave it to me a few months ago to keep. The strings are original from when it was first purchased, and the guitar was so out of tune when I first received it that I could lift them up about a foot off of the guitar! Luckily, none of the strings snapped when I tuned it and now it plays wonderfully.

A close up of my Abbey Road guitar pick and Yellow Submarine poster.

The Elvis Presley patch on the quilt my grandmother made me.

My Batman guitar my dad gave me for my birthday. It plays absolutely horribly, and the amp to the right of it is no help at all. Hopefully I'll be selling this in order to make some cash to buy a decent one!

More tickers! This is an Abbey Road black and white photograph framed with fake signatures below each Beatle (the tickets are covering them, I'm sorry). The tickets read, from L to R: Rain: A tribute to the Beatles, Lez Zeppelin (I think? Either that or Beatlejuice), and my movie ticket to Moonrise Kingdom. On the left is a postcard I won at the actual Cavern Club in Liverpool! On the right is a brochure from It's Only Rock and Roll, a lovely rock and roll T-shirt store across from the Sherlock Holmes museum on Baker Street in London.

A Beatles poster I received in a book I purchased. Poor Ringo all alone in the left corner!

Another angle of my room. There's my bed, my giant Beatles poster (which is about five feet tall) and more posters, including my Yellow Submarine one (next to my bed) my Quadrophenia one (above my bed), more Beatles, a Woodstock poster, and another angle of the Bob Dylan one. Another Beatles poster is above the Woodstock one, but it's been cut off.

A James Dean poster I purchased in Cape Cod. It's laminated, I love it!

Another angle of my poster wall, showing the Dark Side of the Moon, Paul McCartney, a Ringo Starr interview, and many more.

  Well, I hope you enjoyed my room! To get to know me a little more, I've made a playlist of some of my favorite songs of all time! Hopefully you'll enjoy. :)

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things.. from itsamodmodworld on 8tracks Radio.

1. "Peace Frog" - The Doors

2. "Go All The Way" - The Raspberries

3. "Misty Mountain Hop" - Led Zeppelin

4. "Sexy Sadie" - The Beatles

5. "Sister Golden Hair" - America

6. "Love Grows (Where my Rosemary Goes)" - Edison Lighthouse

7. "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" - Paul McCartney (Although, the Admiral Halsey part is the only part I like)

8. "Happiness is a Warm Gun" - The Beatles

9. "Ramble On" - Led Zeppelin

10. "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls are Coming to the Canyon)" - The Mamas and the Papas

11. "Let's Spend the Night Together" - The Rolling Stones

12. "Pictures of Lily" - The Who