Children of the Summer Blockbuster

It wouldn't be obvious to anyone younger than children of the late 70's, probably,
but we are in another "Golden Age" of big summer movies that make us throw our
popcorn from fright or excitement, make long lines stretch out into the hot summer air,
It's this time of year that they pack the trailer-time before the movie with previews of coming attractions that everyone comments on to their date or friend in hushed whispers that are either
"I am SO going to see that!" or "I'll pass, I'd rather clean my garage out than see that..."
Started in May of 1977 with Star Wars, the Summer Blockbuster is a real, tangible, great part of my childhood memories. There was all three Star Wars films, Raiders of the Lost Ark (my favorite film of all time) and it's sequels, Jaws (forget the sequels), The Superman films,
James Bond films, etc. etc. etc...
And now, I feel we are in another period that is like that time
in history. It's not just the boxoffice these films are generating (because, frankly, with the cost
of a lot of these films, the profits are actually LOWER than the blockbusters of my childhood).
It's that what was once old, is renewed again. We have a new Indiana Jones movie coming out
next summer, another Batman movie and Superman movie coming in the next 2 years, Iron Man is coming, another James Bond movie, Spielberg and Lucas pal-ing around making films they love, with crews they have worked with for 30 years... It's a great time to be a movie fan, and here's hoping that the movies are good (great would be even better), and that even in some
small way bring the "Children of the Summer Blockbuster" back to a time when the world was simpler, safer and a whole lot more fun! I've got my popcorn, do you?