Nothing makes a college student feel old like realizing that his favorite childhood movies are now the age of a child. Looking back at what was popular in the past helps us get a glimpse of what life was like and can bring some strong feelings of nostalgia. These four pieces of entertainment are reaching their tenth birthdays, and each of them is still special to many people a decade after their release.
“Little Miss Sunshine”
“Little Miss Sunshine” is a dark comedy about a dysfunctional family traveling across the country in a Volkswagen bus, and next month it will reach its 10-year anniversary. Starring a hilariously blunt and morbid Steve Carell, “Little Miss Sunshine” is an off-beat and uncharacteristically smart comedy that stands out in what is generally a fairly formulaic and generic genre. Ten years later, few comedies have managed to be half as unique and memorable as “Little Miss Sunshine.” If you didn’t see this movie when you were younger, do yourself a favor and watch it. And if you did see it when you were young, watch it again because chances are some of the film’s witty jokes went over your preteen head.
“Oblivion”
In March of 2006, the fourth installment of "The Elder Scrolls" series, “Oblivion,” came out and took the gaming world by storm. The open world environment, gameplay and graphics of "Oblivion" were all incredibly impressive and innovative for its time. For about a year, many gaming fanatics were putting off their homework in order to put countless hours into exploring Cyrodiil, the medieval fantasy-land that the game takes place in. While “Skyrim,” the 2011 installment of the series, was a bigger hit, “Oblivion” holds a special place in gaming history and is likely a great inspiration for many modern games.
“The Road” by Cormac McCarthy
“The Road” is Cormac McCarthy’s iconic post-apocalyptic novel about a man and his son and their brutal trek across a destroyed America. While I didn’t read “The Road” until several years after its publication, I had often heard about it and have since seen its tone and themes recreated in other works, such as the 2013 video game “The Last Of Us.” The harrowing and grueling way that McCarthy writes about the novel’s desolate setting and the incredibly emotional and tragic conversations between the main character and his son makes “The Road” a highly memorable read. Even with its 10-year anniversary approaching in September, “The Road” is still often brought up as an iconic work that continues to influence modern post-apocalyptic stories.
“The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance
That’s right. It has been 10 years since all the emo kids at school were wearing their black skinny jeans and MCR shirts playing “The Black Parade” on repeat while trying to do a skateboard trick off of some rail they weren’t allowed to skate on. For many of us in college right now, “The Black Parade” was the ultimate angsty teenage battle cry that served as the soundtrack to our middle school and high school years. People might try to forget about this time in their lives, but even the most regretful MCR fan can’t help but prepare to sing along as soon as they hear the first piano note of “Welcome to the Black Parade.” No matter how much you think you’ve matured past your emo teenage years, everyone needs to put this album on from time to time and embrace the nostalgia and the black hair dye. What better time than the 10-year anniversary? You definitely aren’t getting any younger.