10 Years with the Burbs forum

[JoOngle]

Just discovered that I was registered here in 2011-may, which is 10 years.

I don't know of any other communities that are THIS loyal, The Burbs is really special to us.

Any ideas why it's so special to us. I mean, most movie interests just passes over a 5 year time, but we're going on forever it seems.

Now, I know what makes the movie so special to me, but I would love to hear your stories (and I just might tell you mine) to why you love the Burbs so much, and if you're a long standing member - why do you keep returning to this forum? (we love that, but tell us why)

 

[Pathologist]

Congratulations on your 10th year anniversary JoOngle.

The 'Burbs is special to me for a number of reasons, here are some:

1. It's nostalgic, I watched it as a kid during that carefree time of life when everything is an adventure. When I rewatch it as an adult I get the same feeling I had when I was a kid, if just for a short while.

2. I used to watch it with family members that are no longer alive. When watching it I think of them and all the laughs we had.

3. I grow up far away from a cozy suburban neighborhood. Watching the movie always made me feel that I wanted to live like this, in the future. It was a goal of mine and a vision I had since childhood and I'm proud to say that I've accomplished that for me and my family.

4. During difficult times in my life The 'Burbs always managed to cheer me up. Before exams, I used to watch the movie to remove some stress and it worked like a charm.

5. This board and all the love from all the fantastic members make this movie even more special for me.

I would love to hear your reasons.

 

[RayPeterson]

Wow, 10 years, a decade, that's a very long time. Thanks for your loyalty and congratulations on your anniversary.

First of all, thank you both for your insights. It is very interesting to learn the backgrounds about our affection for this film. And I think everyone has a certain story to tell there.

Mine actually starts not THAT long ago, it was the year 2004 and I was 23 years old. I was struggling a bit with where I wanted to go in life professionally. There didn't seem to be anything that I really enjoyed doing, and my studies weren't really fulfilling at the time.

Somehow, at that time, the film fell into my hands. I don't even know if I had ever seen it in its entirety before. It was more like seeing it on TV, but never completely. When I first saw it in its entirety, I realized, much like Pathologist, that it somehow had a positive and calming effect on me. I kind of identified with Ray, who at the time was a bit of a "I work in a bank but I don't really enjoy it" kind of guy. Just like me. And secretly I wanted to be a little bit more like Art. Take things more easy.

Well, anyway, in the summer of 2004 it became an obsession of mine to watch the movie, it just cheered me up every time and had a positive effect on my life, because I actually managed to approach things more loosely and become a bit more relaxed. And finally, I found a job that can still be very stressful, but still brings joy overall.

It's probably a kind of "gratitude" I feel for this movie that has also made me a loyal Burbs watcher, celebrating Burbs Day every year and never giving up on this board here, where so many nice Burbanites hang out, all belonging to our virtual neighborhood.

Edit: I just realized that on June 13 it will be my 14 year anniversary on this board. Time flies...

 

[Fred8888]

I've signed up almost 8 years ago, at the time I havn't got any clue
about the Burbs fandom on the internet, wich is too bad but better late than never.I only used to visit the Imdb forum, I recall that
one guy said the 6.6 rating was fitting the satanic cult theme, of course it's a 10/10 for me.As the love for this movie is growing over the years, it's rated 6.9 today.

Reading this forum really feels like chilling out in Ray Peterson's backyard holding a beer, and maybe a stogie.Like the movie, it helps when you're depressed, and it's also great when you feel good and the sunny days are coming.

I'm just hopping that we'll discover more stuffs about the 'Burbs.

 

[HideousRagingInferno]

Finally getting some time to get in and post to this thread. Was just this last weekend up at the dank dark cabin drinking a couple hundred of beers. Luckily, no stairs for me and my gigantic head to fall down.

I started watching the 'Burbs because my best friend had a TV and VCR at his house with just a few movies. This was the early 90's. Tremors, Let it Ride and the 'Burbs were in regular, heavy rotation. We would watch them over and over from about 1992 to 1995.

I knew Tom Hanks from the TV show Bosom Buddies and his other early 80's movies. I discovered later that I was born in the same hospital in Concord, California as Tom Hanks ( And Mark Hamill)

My best buddy and myself had a secret language that no one else understood, in the form of 'Burbs, Let it Ride and Tremors quotes. The 'Burbs, as we know is very quotable.

There is a certain Je Ne Sais Quoi with this movie. The combination of these specific actors and the characters they play, to that unique time during the writers strike and the confines of the cul-de-sac on the Universal back lot. There's clearly something special here. There are no "Gremlins" or "Big" or "Splash" fan forums.

So, what is it? Someone more eloquent than I hopefully can explain.

 

[JoOngle]

@Pathologist, We share a lot of the similar feelings for the movie and the "mood"

Also a lot of you have "tuned" into your own special reasons for loving it, I love that part!

Here's my reasons:

The movie depict an era were you didn't need to close your doors, and your neighbor were your friend and could drop in at any given time, no such things as trespassing or any sinister motives, it was just people hanging out and being themselves.

Also, I liked the illusions of the fake "American Dream" we all grew up with back then, you know - House, Wife, Car, Dog, Kids and a job we all hate.

It was something to shoot for, somethings that made us think - THIS is how I want to live when I grow up. And it pretty much steered my choice of neighborhood and house after watching the movie for the 100th time or so, I literally live in a Cul-de-sac like that, and were the neighbors are as nosy and curious as in the movie, it's got its quirks and isn't always rosy and unicorn like, but REAL - Like Ricky says in the movie:

"This isn't a movie - THIS IS MY NEIGBORHOOD".

My favorite is Rumsfield as you can tell from my Avatar because he represent the weirdos I like to hang out with. As a Kid I hung out with the arcade-repair dude, he was as weird as they came, you know - house full of weird stuff, and you'd never get bored visiting him once in a green sky's night.

Also I like that everyone hangs out, Ricky and Dave hangs out, but they also hang out with the neighbors, nothing weird about that, it's just people being bored and enjoying eachothers company - today, that stuff is a sad suspicious affair and you can hardly talk to anyone + or - 5 years off your age without something being really off or totally wrong in the publics eye. I don't like todays society, at all.

I even like that people competed for the prettiest yard on the block, not that I care that much - because mine is like a cross between the Klopeks and Petersons, Green but an amazon jungle in Sweden (yes it's possible, it's the south of Sweden, we don't really have winters here, but it get's dark for too long periods).

Guess I'm a cross between Art, Peterson and Rumsfield in a sense that I'm a home owner like Peterson (and curious about my neighborhood), and a little like Rumsfield because I like to keep our place clean from hoodlums and "get-off-my-lawn" kinda type, at the same time I'm very much for "supporting our troops", and a little of Art since I'm a bit on the chubby side, and quite childish at times, and like his amateur electronics, I'm also into electronics.

If I could live with you guys from the community on a common street were we all bought houses, I'd actually consider doing that, because I suspect we would have the most awesome neighborhood - EVER!

And I guess I'd have to call the Pizzadude, we're gonna have a party!