The Movie Junkie Collects

As a Movie Junkie, I never really quite outgrew my love for movie related items. In other words...toys. I'm a geek like that. If it was up to me, my house would be one big Toys R Us/Knick Knack cluttered mess.

Years ago, before kids, I was very into collecting. My main collections were Barbie Dolls and Pigs. Funny how they don't really go and are complete opposites. One is tall and skinny, the other short and fat. But they went for me.

I also had a decent Star Wars collection. Mostly Han Solo 12 inch dolls...ahem...excuse me..."figures". (Let's be honest, boys...if it's over 5-7 inches tall, it is no longer an action figure. It's a doll. And there's nothing wrong with that!) I also have an amazing Admiral Ackbar ("It's a Trap!) and other characters, but Han Solo dominates the collection.

My pigs are still on display, up in my office. But the collection has died out once my kids came along. My Barbies are also packed away in boxes. I believe I bought my last Barbie 10 years ago on our Honeymoon in Disney World.

My Han Solos are also packed away. There are just so many of them. But I do have a bust of him in my living room, along with a small model of the Millennium Falcon.

He sits along with a Darth Vader Snow Globe.

Can you see the tiny figures inside Vader's eyes?

And a Boba Fett figure.

I have other collections that only come out certain times of the year. My Macy's Holiday Plushies grace the top of my living room book cases during Christmas time. My den gets decorated in in Disney only for Christmas. During the month of October Hogwarts' House Banner, a Golden Snitch, and a Dementor hangs around my living room.

The rest of the year, on the same set of shelves as my Han Solo bust are books and photo albums and pictures frames of the kids and loved ones. Look around and you'll find Dexter and Trinity snuggled in there

And E.T. finally looks down from the top.

I. Want. More. Every time I get one of those nerd catalogues, the geek in me squeals and I make a mental list. I want to clear the books and dvd's. Find new homes for all the pictures. I want to make that entire wall nothing but movie and television memorabilia.

I want the DeLoreon and the General Lee. I want the bust of Eric Northman. I want the Iron Throne. I want Gizmo. I want Snape's Wand. And Harry's, Ron's, Hermione's, Dumbledores', Bellatrix', Neville's, Sirius, Voldemort's, Lupin's...oh just give me one of each!!

If it has something to do with Gone with The Wind, I want it. Spartacus (the Starz show, not the movie) I want it. Indiana Jones, I must have it. The Lost Boys. Oh Yeah! My taste is all over the place.

And then...today...I saw this:

MUST. HAVE. IT!!!!!!!

An action figure (and yes, this is NOT a doll) of Ajax from The Warriors. Really? No one told me they made this!!! Why is this not in any of the nerd catalogues?!?!?

It's James Remar!! In action figure form!! OMG!! This discovery almost made me squeal with delight and run upstairs to wake my husband and tell him!!!

In case you haven't noticed, I love James Remar. Like LOVE this man! Loved him since I was about 11 years old when I first saw him in The Warriors. And I still love him today when he shows up as Harry Morgan on Dexter.

And I love The Warriors. It's definitely one of my favorite movies of all times. We have the poster hanging in our basement. And I have a t-shirt that I wear with pride that has a faceless Cyrus, arms extended in a Messiah fashion and under it, it says "Can You Dig It?"

I do believe this is one of my most quotable movies. I tend to respond to things by quoting The Warriors. Doesn't everyone?

If I buy something and my kids asks me "Is this ours?" I will and have been know to respond by saying "This is all our turf!" and with the same drama as Cyrus. There have been instances where the phrase "Come out to play-yay" was needed. And who doesn't help their kid do math homework without saying "Can you count, Suckers?" No? Just me?

And of course, when baseball season gets on my nerves and my husband is watching a game that went into extra innings I will yell at whatever player is up at bat and say Ajax's most famous line:

"I'll shove that bat up your ass and turn you into a Popsicle".

Best. Line. Ever!!!!

So, Mr. Movie Junkie...if you should read this...know that it is basically a wish list. Keep it in mind for Christmas, Anniversary, and Birthday. Can you dig it?

A Movie Junkie's Vacation (Or How My Kid Got Over E.T.)

Summer is almost over. It's been hectic with the kids home, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm trying to focus on my own health (www.themoviejunkieloses.blogspot.com) and not just sit around eating and watching movies. But I still get my movie watching in.

Movies have become a bigger part of our family since we have planned a trip to Universal Orlando in the fall. Every week we have "Universal Family Movie Night". It's been a joy introducing the kids to movies like Child's Play, Jurassic Park, Men In Black, and others.

And best news of all...my son gradually recovered from his fear of E.T. He had no choice. I know that Universal Studios has an E.T. attraction and I know we would encounter E.T.'s picture and I just could NOT have him freaking out and vomiting and crapping his pants at the park. So, he had no choice. This mean Mommy struggled with her son and physically forced him to look at a stupid drawing of E.T. one morning. A coloring page. The way he screamed...the way he kicked...the way he cried...the way he hung on to the kitchen table for dear life and gagging like he was going to throw up...you would have thought I was leading him to walk a plank.

I had to pry his little fingers and hands from the table. That was no easy task. Every time I got one hand off, he would wiggle his other hand away from me and clasp it down on the edge of the table. And his screams!! That deep, throaty "some one is killing me!!!" scream. I was waiting for the doorbell to ring with a couple of cops standing out there.

But, I finally did it. It only took me about 15 minutes to remove him from the table and plant him in front of the computer, where this horrible, frightening picture awaited him:

He looked at it, his arms around my waist, his breathing quivering and hiccuping. And then he said "Ok. I looked at it!! Now TURN IT OFF!!!!"

I turned it off, and told him it was for his own good. I wasn't asking him to watch the movie. I wasn't asking him to ride the ride when we go to Universal Studios. All I was asking was for him to get used to seeing pictures of the little creature. I just could not have his ridiculous fear of a PICTURE OF E.T. ruin our family vacation.

He agreed. He asked we take it slow. He asked that he be allowed to look at a picture just once a day. To take it reaaaaalllll slow.

Day two, I found another coloring page. He did not fight me to look at it, but did approach my laptop ever slowly, his hands wringing together nervously, his skin a grayish color, his eyes huge with fright. But he looked. And I was proud.

Day three involved a picture of a stuffed, toy E.T. straight from a Universal Studios Gift Shop itself. Again, he was cautious, but he laughed and said it didn't even look like him.

Day four was the big one: An actual picture of E.T. The kid was so nervous. He had it so built up in his head. I had to keep reminding him that it's only a picture.

And he bravely looked. Part of me wanted to suddenly shake my laptop and scream "RAAAWWRRR!!!!!" in his ear just to mess with him because I'm mean like that. But I didn't. I respected his fear. Plus, I didn't want to clean up the mess he would have made in his pants if I did that.

He looked at the picture and admitted the E.T. didn't look as bad as he always pictured him. The next day was a big one. He actually requested to see E.T. on youtube. So, I found an old Reese's Pieces commercial. And he watched it. Several times.

By the next day, he was ready. He wanted to watch the movie. So we made it a "Universal Family Movie Night". It truly was an event. He sat as close to me as he could without actually being in my lap. He had a blanket draped over him, just in case he needed to dive under it in fear. We had pop corn and Reese's Pieces (of course!!).

And he watched it. Three frickin' times!!!

He can't wait to go on the ride. He can't wait to go into the gift shop and buy an E.T. keychain or figure or something, anything with E.T. on it. And best of all, my collectible E.T. statue that has been in hiding for YEARS was once again welcomed back into the family. He sits high and proud in my living room on top of the shelves that contain other Entertainment Memorabilia like my Dexter Bobbleheads, my Millennium Falcon, my Han Solo Bust, and my RENT props.

All has been restored back to normal in the Movie Junkie House.