Ever notice that some songs like “In My Life” by the Beatles sound fresh and wonderful, decades after release? And movies like “Rear Window” are still amazing, well written and tense, even by today’s standards. Yet other movies that were big in their time and the “old you” enjoyed quite a bit seem hopelessly dated and cliché ridden.

I saw “Bullit” as a kid. All I could remember was that Steve McQueen was handsome and that I wanted to go to San Francisco.  (The first part is still true and yes, I’ve been to San Fran by now.) Beyond that, I thought it was a “classic movie.” Now, so many years later it ranks as interesting but just OK. The biggest thing I noticed upon re-watching in 2013, is man, this is pre-CSI!  We all could give that detective squad some high tech pointers about ways to keep their evidence clean and not thrown out in court!

And an even sillier trip down memory lane was the “Long Hot Summer” with Paul Newman.  Why did the dialogue and plot line seem so trite, even though based on the writings of Faulkner?  Is it a North/South thing?  The one thing that did not disappoint was Paul Newman. He could act without words, and showed off his six pack abs in several scenes. Wow, were those eyes blue or what?

All this leaves me wondering: will ARGO and other great 2012 films feel strange in 20 years? Or, will they hold up?  Hard to know. I guess we have to wait and see.