"Why the hell are we playing with these guys?"

"user314" (user314) 02/19/2020 at 10:03 • Filed to: Planelopnik, planelopnik history, the final countdown, pearl harbor attack, oldness

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My cousin spent President’s Day introducing his boys, who are 9, to The Final Countdown, which they loved . I realized this morning we’re now farther from the premier of this movie (8/1/1980) than the movie itself was from the attack on Pearl...

Ash78, voting early and often > user314 02/19/2020 at 10:24

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There needs to be a term for this effect. It creates a weird mental time compression.

Culturally, 1980 was much further from 1945 than it is from today. This is even more clear in all the 80s retro fashions, which might have the effect of closing that gap.

What gets me is the sheer number of Vietnam movies that were made just 5-10 years after the end of that war. Even the tangential Vietnam stories, like Chuck Norris films.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > user314 02/19/2020 at 10:35

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I’d forgotten Martin Sheen was in this... but had remember ed Katharine Ross had a small, but key to  the movie’s hook, role in this one.

She had the good fortune of appearing in that era’s highest-grossing films— including Butch Cassidy and The Graduate. Amazing career crescendo for a few years.

Also, Mrs. Sam Elliott, Dude.

Bo Knows > user314 02/19/2020 at 10:50

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I remember renting this from Blockbuster in 1997-ish

Notchback88 > user314 02/19/2020 at 10:52

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Today I learned that The Final Countdown is not just a song, but a movie that came out before I was born. 

ClassicDatsunDebate > Ash78, voting early and often 02/19/2020 at 10:57

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https://waitbutwhy.com/2020/01/its-2020-and-youre-in-the-future.html

Thomas Donohue > user314 02/19/2020 at 11:01

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The F-14's buzzing the old yacht was such a great scene. (3:10 mark of video )

Crazy that was 40 years ago.

user314 > Notchback88 02/19/2020 at 11:02

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Go watch it when you get a chance. Nice bit of almost -alternate history and plenty of late-70s/early-80s USN aircraft.

Notchback88 > user314 02/19/2020 at 11:06

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I do love me some Tomcats, Intruders and Corsair IIs. I wonder if there are any Vikings in there too?

Even though it’s kinda trash-tier in Ace Combat 7, something about the F-14 in Razgriz colors gets me going. 

Chariotoflove > user314 02/19/2020 at 11:41

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“Splash the Zeros”. That’s the line I remember from that movie. 

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Ash78, voting early and often 02/19/2020 at 12:06

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We’re now about as from from the first manned spaceflight as the first manned spaceflight was from the goddamn Wright Brother’s first flight.

facw > Notchback88 02/19/2020 at 12:15

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S-3s: Yes, according to the Internet Movie Plane Database:

https://impdb.org/index.php?title=The_Final_Countdown#Lockheed_S-3A_Viking

I don’t see any in that particular shot though.

facw > Ash78, voting early and often 02/19/2020 at 12:23

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Some relevant xkcds (though a bit dated now, can you believe this first comic is from 9 years ago?)

Though the one that really got me was from an xckd blog post: The first episode of Star Trek aired closer to the ratification of the 19th Amendment than to present day. And currently a lot closer (19th Amendment: 1920, Star Trek: 1965, so 45 years vs. 55 years). Yet despite the datedness, Star Trek is Space Age while the Women’s suffrage movement seems like a 19th century thing (even though it took longer to get the vote to everyone).

user314 > Ash78, voting early and often 02/19/2020 at 12:58

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Also, there’s a point in Final Countdown when they’re looking at recce photos of the Japanese armada, and Martin Sheen’s character says “We’re seeing something that hasn’t existed in 40 years.” My cousin’s boy said “40, it’s over 70 !” 

Ash78, voting early and often > user314 02/19/2020 at 13:07

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To be honest, when I saw the Sandlot as a kid/tw een, I didn’t even process that it was supposed to be old. I just thought it was how kids dressed and acted in some other town or state. 

Another one: I only saw Happy Days in reruns and thought it was really a show from the early 60s. I only realized later it was a show from the 70s about people reminiscing about the 50s.

And Mr. Miyagi was in it, with no accent!

So confusing.

RallyWrench > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 02/19/2020 at 13:47

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Do ya have to post mah babe wife so much, Dude?