Sunday Afternoon Movies


Fright NightIt’s Sunday afternoon and I am in the mood for a movie. The thing is, it has to be the perfect Sunday afternoon flick. This is a serious decision.

Let’s face it, there are some movies that were created with Sunday afternoons in mind. And, though it’s hard to completely describe what that means, you probably understand. In order for a movie to fit the term “Sunday afternoon movie” it has to fit a lot of parameters.

A Sunday afternoon movie shouldn’t be a thinker, so you should avoid movies that make you crinkle your brow. This includes Pi, Requiem for a Dream or anything that involves reading subtitles in French. They also can’t be too serious. So, no Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, or anything where a non-animated animal dies.

Just keep it in mind that roughly ten hours after you watch this movie on a Sunday afternoon, it will be Monday. You can start thinking again on Monday. But for now, you want to relax and laugh and vegetate a bit before the onslaught of Monday depression.

Here are some ideas.

70s thrillers

Perhaps it’s nostalgia, but nothing says Sunday afternoon flick like a car chase in 1977 New York City or guys shooting at each other wearing fly away collars and flared jeans. There are so many movies that fit this bill. Three Days of the Condor, The Marathon Man, or The Odessa File. Anything with gunfights, Dustin Hoffman, or Nazis is acceptable.

Monster

A serious horror film is better suited for a Saturday night than for a Sunday afternoon, so I’d avoid anything truly horrifying (yes, this includes Showgirls). But there are hundreds upon hundreds of monster flicks that will work wonders for your Sunday afternoon. Jaws? Nothing better than seeing Robert Shaw get eaten by a shark. Or you can go old school B horror movies like Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, or (the original) Night of the Living Dead.

You might want to go to the good old monster flicks from the 1980s, like The Lost Boys or Fright Night. And if you want to do one of the classics, you can do John Carpenter’s The Thing or An American Werewolf in London.

Adventure

Are we ever more reminded of how normal and mundane our lives are than on a Sunday afternoon? Throw in an adventure flick or two and live vicariously right from your own couch while drinking a frosty beverage.

You could do The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump, or (if you feel like getting freaked out by puppets, and who doesn’t?) The Dark Crystal. There is also The Dirty Dozen or The Great Escape if you feel patriotic or just hearing Lee Marvin’s voice.

You could also extend this into a whole afternoon marathon if you choose to do all three of the (good) Star Wars films or all three of the (good) Indiana Jones films. There are also the Terminator and the Alien films. Or just trump them all and do Big Trouble in Little China.

Sports

Why is watching a sport movie better than watching an actual sport on Sunday? Well, frankly, the sport movie almost always ends the way you want it to. And you get better bathroom breaks.

Major League and Hoosiers are always on this list. There’s also Slapshot, Wildcats, and The Longest Yard. The only problem with a sports movie on Sunday is that you might be moved to some physical movement. Unlikely, but possible.

Oh, and under no circumstances are you to watch Any Given Sunday. Just. Don’t.

There you are, folks. A whole lot of possibilities for next Sunday afternoon. And what am I forgetting? Add to this list!

  1. #1 by Eddie on June 3, 2014 - 3:34 am

    There are so many! Beverly Hills Cop, Fletch, Rocky, The karate Kid, Killer Clowns from Outer Space, April Fools Day, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Dazed and Confused, The Straight Story, Evil Dead 2, Cliff Hanger, Reservoir Dogs, Superfly, Amazon women on the Moon, Young Guns, The Naked Gun, The French Connection, Towering Inferno, Hoosiers, Creep Show I or II, The Howling, Judgement Night, PCU, Dog Day Afternoon, Jeepers Creepers, Field of Dreams, The Goonies, The Running Man

    • #2 by Damien Galeone on June 3, 2014 - 8:54 am

      How on Earth could I forget The Goonies!? Ed, you should write a Sunday Afternoon Movie blog!

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