1993

The summer of 1993 is the one in which the Schofield girls grew up. At the tender age of 5, they went to 2 PG-13 (!) rated movies which also happened to be the top 2 grossing movies of the year: "Jurassic Park" and "Mrs. Doubtfire" (Sarah did put her fingers over her eyes when the T. Rex first showed up in "Park"). I did like both movies, but neither could compare to the power of my favorite.

Some other ones I went to that year included: Schwarzenegger in "Last Action Hero", "Wayne's World 2", Mel Brooks' "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", "Hot Shots: Part Deux", Macauley Culkin as "The Good Son" (he was a real bad-ass in that movie), and "Addams Family Values".

Over the holiday season of 1993, I saw my favorite movie of the year. A very highly-acclaimed movie had just opened in LaCrosse. I asked my mom if we could go to it. So on a wintry evening, we drove out to LaCrosse. First we went to eat at the Pizza Hut located right next to the theatre. I had gone through a depression earlier in the year (one of the factors being the passing of my grandmother) and my mom had been extremely supportive during this time. I was doing much better by the end of '93 which my mom was happy to see. After eating, we went to the theatre. Now for 1993, this was a real state-of-the-art theatre (something we weren't used to in Winona). There were hundreds of seats (all very comfortable) and each of them rocked. It was bitchin'. The theatre steadily filled up and then the picture started. It was mostly in black and white which made it all the more striking when color images were used every now and again.



It really was a perfect moviegoing experience. The crowd was quiet, but obviously moved by what they were seeing. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie I'm talking about is "Schindler's List". The movie finally gave him the Best Director and Best Picture awards that he should've gotten a decade earlier for "E.T." or "Raiders".

I've only seen this movie once, but it did leave an indelible impression on me. The disturbing content is probably the reason why I haven't revisited it. But someday I do plan to view it again.

The movie introduced the world to two fantastic actors, Liam Neeson and an actor that my mom pines for to this day: Ralph Fiennes.

The summer of 1993 also saw the release of another very strong motion picture (my 2nd favorite movie of the year). It was the number 3 top money maker of the year and starred one of my all-time favorite actors (Harrison Ford). I went to it with several friends in August. Tommy Lee Jones won Best Supporting Actor for his fantastic performance in "The Fugitive".