The Top Favorite Movies From My Childhood Years -- Compiled By Ericsson

As a movie fan I would like to talk about a favorite film title from my childhood, and I still enjoy it today as a grown-up. The film is called Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope - or better known simply as just Star Wars. I think of it as THE BEST FILM EVER...in the sub-genres of science fiction, fantasy, action/adventure, and the box office hit as well as a geek's favorite.

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It is a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Darth Vader and his Galactic Empire rule with an iron fist in the galaxy, the Jedi Knights are all but extinct, and the Rebel Alliance is fighting in a struggle to overthrow the space tyranny and restore peace and freedom for its people. The galaxy's new hope, Tatooine farmboy Luke Skywalker, leads space rogue Han Solo, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, and two droids - R2-D2 and C-3PO - to rescue Princess Leia in the Death Star, the space weapon with enough power to destroy an planet entirely. The Rebel Alliance, meanwhile, is concentrating on destroying the weapon.

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Star Wars was directed, produced, and written by George Lucas, who previously made THX 1138 and American Graffiti. Its good, talented acting cast includes the following:
1.) Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)
2.) Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia)
3.) Harrison Ford (Han Solo)
4.) Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi)
5.) Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
6.) Kenny Baker (R2-D2)
7.) David Prowse (Darth Vader)
8.) James Earl Jones (Voice of Darth Vader)
9.) Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin)
10.) Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
11.) Denis Lawson (Wedge Antilles)

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Many of the film's best memorable quotes will keep me awake at night, including:
1.) "Don't you dare call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease." (C-3PO)
2.) "If there's a bright center in the universe, you're on the planet that is farthest from." (Luke Skywalker)
3.) "I find your lack of faith disturbing." (Darth Vader)
4.) "Watch your mouth kid, or you'll find yourself floating home." (Han Solo)
5.) "The force will be with you...always." (Obi-Wan Kenobi)
6.) "Would somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?" (Princess Leia)
7.) "Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate our chances. (Grand Moff Tarkin)

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When I first watched it on TV at age 11, I had no idea that Star Wars was some sort of a modern-day fairy tale, given with elements such as knights, sword fights, and the rescue of a princess added along with a good text opening. It also has the best instrumental music soundtrack composed by John Williams, which is very dramatic and moving to fit in with the perfect sequences. Already raised by superhero-dominated Saturday morning cartoons, I feel like that the film changed my life as I now see Luke Skywalker as the greatest hero in galactic mythology; this is an element that I want to include in my own space fantasy story that I'd like to write someday. Besides the space opera setting, Star Wars radically changed special effects (SFX) through THX, Skywalker Sound, and Industrial Light & Magic, which made the action here excellent. Not only its blockbuster success lead to five sequels, similar sci-fi/fantasy knock-offs also followed; without Star Wars movie fans probably won't have later film titles like The Lord Of The Rings or Harry Potter. For those who haven't seen Star Wars yet, you should check it out what I call a highly recommended classic that no one should miss. You'll remember how one sci-fi film from the 1970s influenced modern-day cinema and pop culture forever.

Every generation has a legend. Every journey has a first step. Every saga has a beginning. Taking place some 30 years before Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, the story of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace goes as the greedy Trade Federation stopped trade and blockaded the planet Naboo. Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi came in to force a settlement to the conflict. They meet Queen Amidala and head to Courscant. Meanwhile at Tatooine, Qui-Gon encounters someone who is strong in the Force, which lead the Jedi Council into thinking he was the Chosen One. That one was the 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker, the pod-racing boy who is unaware that the journey he begins will transform him into the evil Darth Vader. Darth Sidious, who apprenticed Darth Maul to have a light-saber duel with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan on Naboo, lurks to doom the galaxy and hoping to take revenge against the Jedi over his fallen Sith order.

Star Wars: Episode I was directed by George Lucas and features the following cast members who spoke good dialogue both in English and Huttese throughout the film:
1.) Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn)
2.) Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi)
3.) Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala/Padme)
4.) Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker)
5.) Frank Oz (Yoda)
6.) Ian McDiarmid (Senator Palpatine)
7.) Kenny Baker (R2-D2)
8.) Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
9.) Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks)
10.) Ray Park (Darth Maul)
11.) Pernilla August (Shmi Skywalker)
12.) Silas Carson (Ki-Adi-Mundi/Nute Gunray)
13.) Terence Stamp (Chancellor Valorum)
14.) Oliver Ford Davies (Sio Bibble)
15.) Samuel L. Jackson (Mace Windu)

Memorable quotes are all over the first episode (and fourth installment) of this Star Wars film, including:
1.) "I have a bad feeling about this." (Obi-Wan Kenobi)
2.) "Meesa Jar Jar Binks." (Jar Jar Binks)
3.) "Are you an angel?" (Anakin Skywalker)
4.) "At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge." (Darth Maul)
5.) "Patience, my blue friend." (Qui-Gon Jinn)
6.) "May the force be with you." (Qui-Gon Jinn)
7.) "Fear is a path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." (Yoda)
8.) "Now this is pod-racing!" (Anakin Skywalker)

For longtime diehard fans, 16 years of waiting for the new Star Wars movie finally came with the May 1999 release of Star Wars: Episode I. But for me, this was my first in the series to be theatrically viewed. I was learning and watching a lot of the classic trilogy on the VHS set months earlier when The Phantom Menace came out, so I had to watch how the Star Wars film saga began. Even it's been long after my late '90s childhood I knew that this episode was still fun and great with raging battles battles featuring pod-racers, Naboo starfighters, and Jedi. Despite the $429 million smash at the box office, I think the film would have been better if Anakin was a young teenager instead of a child and Jar Jar Binks, Watto, and the Neimodians learned how to speak properly without sparking any racist accusations. While The Phantom Menace isn't necessarily perfect to the flawless level, it's not that bad at all. The acting performances are very excellent, including that of Ewan McGregor who could play a young adult version of Alec Guinness's Kenobi character. I still like to watch the film for great viewing entertainment to see the action, adventure, and special effects (SFX), especially when I get amused by the concept of midi-chlorians playing in the role of the mystery of the Force.

Luke Skywalker and Han Solo saved Princess Leia and destroyed the Death Star, but the battle isn't over yet. The forces of the Rebel Alliance are scattered across the galaxy and faced a crushing defeat on the frozen ice planet of Hoth by the Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker seeks out in the swamps of Dagobah, where the mysterious Jedi Master Yoda trains him to become a Jedi Knight. Meanwhile, Han Solo and Princess Leia outrun the Imperial Fleet to the beautiful Cloud City on Bespin. While plotting to turn Luke to the dark side in a trap Darth Vader and the young Skywalker engage in a fierce fights with him in a lightsaber duel; it was where Luke faces a terrible revealing truth of the Skywalker family legacy.

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Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back is directed by Irvin Kershner, produced by Gary Kurtz, written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, and executive-produced by George Lucas. All of its good acting performances comes from the returning characters as well as the newcomers:
1.) Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)
2.) Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia)
3.) Harrison Ford (Han Solo)
4.)Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett)
5.) David Prowse (Darth Vader)
6.) James Earl Jones (Darth Vader's voice)
7.) Kenny Baker (R2-D2)
8.) Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
9.) Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
10.) Denis Lawson (Wedge Antilles)
11.) Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian)
12.) Frank Oz (Yoda)

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Many of the film's best memorable quotes will keep me awake at night, including the following eight:
1.) "Laugh it up, fuzzball! (Han Solo)
2.) "Wars not make one great." (Yoda)
3.) "Mudhole? Slimy? My home this is!" (Yoda)
4.) "I have a bad feeling about this." (Princess Leia)
5.) "Anger. Fear. Aggression. The dark side of the Force are they." (Yoda)
6.) "Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try." (Yoda)
7.) "The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet." (Darth Vader)
8.) "May the force be with you" (Luke Skywalker)

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One of my favorite film titles from my childhood, The Empire Strikes Back is a fan favorite due to its emotional plot plus some memorable moments, and it's a usual case that the first sequel either improves or does as good as its predecessor. And like the previous Star Wars movie, I know that this is another modern-day fairy tale, but it's also a tale of revenge. The Imperials may have been defeated with their Death Star destruction, but all Vader wants is to lure Luke into the seductive dark side. Already raised by superhero-dominated Saturday morning cartoons, I see Luke Skywalker as a great hero in galactic mythology. The special effects (SFX) here are excellent - I find the scenery of Hoth and Bespin very real-looking to me. It's always good to have the instrumental music soundtrack composed by John Williams to fit with the dramatic sequences. With all such elements, I think of this Star Wars episode as THE BEST FILM EVER...in the sub-genres of science fiction, fantasy, action/adventure, and the box office hit as well as a geek's favorite. And it's also a highly recommended classic that you don't want to miss.

"Welcome to Jurassic Park."
- John Hammond

The most phenomenal discovery of all time becomes the greatest adventure 65 million years in the making. On the isolated island of Isla Nublar a wealthy entrepreneur secretly creates a theme park featuring living dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric DNA. To quiet down concerned investors, he invites a top paleontologist, a paleobotanist, a mathematician/theorist, and his two enthusiastic grandchildren to experience the park. However, the visit is anything but peaceful when the security of the park breaks down, leading the giant prehistoric creatures to break loose.

Based on the novel by Michael Crichton and directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park features excellent acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Sam Neill (Alan Grant)
2.) Laura Dern (Ellie)
3.) Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm)
4.) Richard Attenborough (John Hammond)
5.) Bob Peck (Muldoon)
6.) Martin Ferrero (Gennaro)
7.) Samuel L. Jackson (Arnold)
8.) Ariana Richards (Lex)
9.) Joseph Mazzello (Tim)

Long before I enjoyed Star Wars and E.T., it was Jurassic Park that was my first viewed science fiction movie, and I watched it around age 7. It was also when I began my lifetime quest of searching for epic blockbusters that would change my life forever, and I would like to thank Mr. Spielberg for making this possible. The movie is at all scary with the exciting, explosive moments of our characters running away from danger and chaos, all due to the advancement of digital special effects (SFX) that created the ferocious monsters. Even after watching this movie I had a short fascination of dinosaurs and wanted to become a paleontologist just like Sam Neill's character. And having been amazed by the idea of resurrecting extinct dinos from DNA, I think it would be great to see that although I knew it would create very disastrous results. With all of those elements I would like to say that Jurassic Park is the BEST MOVIE EVER...in the genres of science fiction, action/adventure, thriller, and the box-office blockbuster. I highly recommend this film title to everyone who likes film.

Return to a galaxy far, far away. Han Solo is frozen in carbonite as the prisoner of the gangster Jabba the Hutt, so his friends attempt a rescue. But Chewie is imprisoned, and Leia, R2-D2, and Hutt makes C-3PO as his slave. Luke and his companions are all sentenced to death yet he performs the most spectacular rescue ever. He then joins the rebellion while his companions launch their final attack against the empire's new but incomplete Death Star orbiting the forest moon of Endor. Meanwhile, Luke fights in what was the ultimate lightsaber duel with Darth Vader as the Emperor attempts to turn Luke to the dark side.

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Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi is directed by Richard Marquand, produced by Howard Kazanjian, and executive-produced by George Lucas. Its cast includes returning roles as well as new ones:
1.) Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)
2.) Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher)
3.) Harrison Ford (Han Solo)
4.) David Prowse (Darth Vader)
5.) James Earl Jones (Voice of Darth Vader)
6.) Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine)
7.) Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett)
8.) Kenny Baker (R2-D2)
9.) Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
10.) Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian)
11.) Frank Oz (Yoda)
12.) Denis Lawson (Wedge Antilles)
13.) Warwick Davis (Wicket)

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Within the best of the movie's dialogue, here are its four of my favorite memorable quotes that will keep me awake all night:
1.) "The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am." (Darth Vader)
2.) "This bounty hunter is my kind of scum." (Jabba the Hutt)
3.) "When 900 years old you reach, look as good, you will not!" (Yoda)
4.) "It's against my programming to impersonate a deity." (C-3PO)
5.) "I'm a Jedi, like my father before me." (Luke Skywalker)

The Star Wars film saga makes its exciting conclusion with the Return Of The Jedi, and by doing that it needs a return of Anakin Skywalker to the light side, the final destruction of the Sith and the Galactic Empire, the victory of the Rebel Alliance, not to mention the final lightsaber duel that Luke needs to finish when he fights Vader back in The Empire Strikes Back. Plus, the film can't be complete if it weren't for the exploding action and its special effects (SFX) taking place in space and on the planets; they all blew my mind away as if I sat next to the screen. And what about the Ewoks? They, including Wicket, are credited to be the cutest alien creatures ever to appear on the film series, and they surely looked brown Muppets to me. With all such elements I can say that this Star Wars episode is, like the previous two films (and Episode III), THE BEST FILM EVER...in the sub-genres of science fiction, fantasy, action/adventure, and the box office hit as well as a geek's favorite. The circle is now complete, and I liked it! I'm glad that it's over, but there's also an Expanded Universe of further stories left open for me to explore...

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Oh yeah...."Airplane!" is the best comedy movie that I've ever seen in my lifetime! The comedic work of the ZAZ directing team- David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker- places this as "one of the top ten funniest movies ever made", as one movie poster says. In the past 15-16 years I had watched this ZAZ movie 10+ times.

The way ZAZ created this hilarious spoof of air disaster movies such as "Airport" is great, and so are the acting performances from stars such as Julie Hagerty, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Hays, and Robert Stack.

"By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?" (Elaine Dickenson)
"Surely you can't be serious?" (Ted Striker)
"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley." (Dr. Rumack)
"Have you ever seen a grown man naked?" (Oveur)

When the passengers and the entire crew gets sick due to the consumption of poisonous fish, Ted must land the plane to safety. I surely say that "Airplane!" is the best comedy movie of all time! And don't call me Shirley!

I gotta go send E.T. home! We've all heard of the familiar touching and heartbreaking film title "E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial", which is about an alien whose mother ship abandoned him on Earth by accident. Deeply affected by their parents' divorce, brothers Elliott and Michael and sister Gertie befriend the alien and help him go home. In a cycle of spanning events powered by nature itself- which really amazed me- E.T. has special healing powers, arrives and lives on Earth, dies, and is resurrected, perfectly paralleling that of Jesus Christ. I was also amazed that Elliott and E.T. are like the same person as the latter felt the same feelings as the former like some sort of manipulation. And I call that weird yet surprising. Good special effects (SFX) are plenty here, including how E.T. gives the bicycles the power to fly. The look of the titular character is the perfect depiction of what an alien would like if we found him alone and stuck on Earth. I wish that I'd definitely watch "E.T." while munching down the Reese's Pieces candy like the ones that the characters ate.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, who was also behind "Jaws" and "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind", "E.T." features the finest acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Henry Thomas (Elliott)
2.) Robert MacNaughton (Michael)
3.) Drew Barrymore (Gertie)
4.) Dee Wallace (Mary)
5.) Peter Coyote (Keys)

"E.T." has good spoken dialogue, including that of "Be good", "E.T. phone home", "Ouch...", and "I'll be right here". Four of these titular character's best quotes that will keep me awake all night. The theme music composed by John Williams is so powerful that it's stuck in my head now; I can also imagine myself riding on my bike and flying past the moon while listening to the main "E.T." theme.

The plot, action, and emotions are all of what makes "E.T." a great sci-fi film of the modern age. Whether you're a believer or a skeptic of aliens, you can't fear or miss out "E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial" when you check it out. It's highly recommended and won't get old for centuries to come.

This is the best computer-generated/animated film that I've seen in my lifetime. "Toy Story" tells the tale of toys coming to life whenever people are away, as in the case of Andy's bedroom. The pull-string talking cowboy Woody was Andy's favorite toy....until Buzz Lightyear comes in and displaces Woody as Andy's top favorite. So Woody plots to get rid of Buzz, but the plan backfires when he and the spaceman get lost in an adventure which includes Sid's house. Sid....that's the sadistic neighborhood boy who tortures toys just for fun, and oh my goodness, he looks like an evil version of Andy! This movie is great stuff, especially with quotes such as "You're my favorite deputy!" from Woody and "Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!" from Buzz. Oh, here's another good Woody quote, spoken to Sid when he was going to save Buzz: "So play nice". I watched "Toy Story" many times during my childhood, including my first theatrical viewing, and whenever that movie airs on TV I turn on the TV and see the actions from the toy box. My interest in this movie was so strong that I also had to enjoy the other films that Pixar made, including its sequel "Toy Story 2". Great action, great dialogue, and great toys make "Toy Story" a great animated film that no one should miss.

I remember much about "The Lion King", as I watched a lot of it back in my childhood days. That was a great animated Disney movie, and I can point it out to the excellent story of- you guessed it- lions. Mufasa, ruler of Pride Rock, teaches his son Simba the responsibilities of becoming a lion king (hence the movie title). Meanwhile, Mufasa's brother Scar plots to overthrow him by luring Simba in a wildebeest stampede in which Mufasa is killed while saving his son. That's the sad part, which leads Simba to "run away [from Pride Rock] and never return", as what Scar told him. I go fast forward to many years later, when Simba's all grown-up and befriended by his friends Pumbaa (the warthog) and Timon (the meerkat) plus his childhood friend Nala in a struggling battle to fight Scar as a way to live on Mufasa's spirit. I always have to remember the movie's memorable quote of "Hakuna Matata", which is a lesson or us and means "no worries" in some African language; also, some bad things happen and you have to leave the past behind. Anyways...."The Lion King" is a great animated movie, and any one can enjoy watching it. I give this movie four stars!

Launched into theaters in May 24, 1998, "Lost In Space" is definitely an excellent re-imagining of the popular 1960s sci-fi TV series that is intended for the present-day audience. In the year 2058, humanity is now expanding into space. But with crises such as severe resource depletion that would make Earth unsuitable to support life in two decades, the Robinson family blasts into space aboard the Jupiter 2 while fighting to save humanity. In their journey they would reach the distant planet Alpha Prime while sleeping in cryogenic tubes. Evil stowaway Dr. Smith, however, attempts to sabotage the mission and instead brings the Robinsons into traveling strange new worlds. I like the great special effects (SFX) here, especially with the space station scenes where the characters fight alien spiders. The visual effects of empty black space and the planets definitely looked real to me. The futuristic technology is definitely beyond up-to-date from early 21st century standards. For example, although impossible and improbable, it would be possible for us to develop time travel and create alternate time bubbles. Space travel beyond our solar system is definitely another possibility that we would have to achieve someday.

Directed by Stephen Hopkins, this film version of "Lost In Space" has great acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Gary Oldman (Dr. Zachary Smith/Spider Smith)
2.) Matt LeBlanc (Major Don West)
3.) William Hurt (Professor John Robinson)
4.) Mimi Rogers (Maureen Robinson)
5.) Jack Johnson (Will Robinson)
6.) Jared Harris (Older Will Robinson)
7.) Lacey Chabert (Penny Robinson)
8.) Heather Graham (Judy Robinson)

I like the film's spoken dialogue, among of them includes the "Danger, danger, Will Robinson!" quote spoken by the robot. Even before I watched this "Lost In Space" movie, I happened to have watched only one episode of the original "Lost In Space" series and read three spin-off novels of the film, including the original movie novelization that I once had.

In short, the 1998-released "Lost In Space" is definitely a great sci-fi movie when it comes to the future possibilities of space travel.

"For the colony, and for oppressed ants everywhere!"
- Flik

Journey inside the miniature world of bugs for bigger-than-life fun and adventure under every leaf. Ant Island unfortunately revolves around feeding and fearing the local grasshoppers. When Flik accidentally destroys the seasonal food supply for the grasshoppers he decides to look for help. The ants, led by Princess Atta, are eager to dispose of the troublesome Flik. Yet he finds help - a hearty bunch of bug warriors - and brings them back to the colony. Unfortunately they are just traveling circus performers afraid of conflict. Yet the cavalry of unlikely heroes are set for comic confusion while the horde of grasshoppers are coming to attack the colony.

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Directed by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, A Bug's Life features very excellent voice-acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Dave Foley (Flik)
2.) Kevin Spacey (Hopper)
3.) Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Princess Atta)
4.) Hayden Panettiere (Dot)
5.) Phyllis Diller (Queen)
6.) David Hyde Pierce (Slim)
7.) Joe Ranft (Heimlich)
8.) Denis Leary (Francis)

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As one of my favorites from my childhood, A Bug's Life strongly matches with Toy Story when it comes to animation quality. It reminds me of the movie-based video game that I used to play on my Playstation all day. With its gentle G-rated story and the variety of insect appearances besides ants, it performs better than Antz, so thankfully there aren't any violent bug battles to see here. :) Though, of course, the action is needed for the bugs to fight against the grasshoppers whenever the last leaf falls. And, oh yeah, the film's funny, as with the comedic outtakes featured on the end credits that made me laugh. Anyways, all I can say that A Bug's Life is a great Pixar film, something that I can enjoy watching all over again.

"Let's do it guys, it's Morphin time!"
- Tommy

Six teenagers have discovered the power to fight the powers of evil. Now the fate of the universe is in their hands. Construction workers uncover a hidden manhole and let the universally feared Ivan Ooze, who was hibernating in his tomb for 6000 years, loose and plot world domination. The six Rangers are stripped of their powers and travel to a distant planet where they could find the Great Power. With their Ninjetti powers they could save the world by saving Zordon and vanquishing Ivan and his ooze-powered mechanical insects.

Directed by Bryan Spicer, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - The Movie features great acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Jason David Frank (Tommy/White Ranger)
2.) Steve Cardenas (Rocky/Red Ranger)
3.) Johnny Yong Bosch (Adam/Black Ranger)
4.) David Yost (Billy/Blue Ranger)
5.) Karan Ashley (Aisha/Yellow Ranger)
6.) Amy Jo Johnson (Kimberly/Pink Ranger)

At the time of the film's 1995 theatrical release I've been watching the original Power Rangers series on TV, which featured the six-colored, spandex-wearing heroes who fight evil monsters from outer space. The film version keeps the fun from the show with the action-packed adventures of the Power Rangers and their robotic vehicles called the Zords, who use them to fight the villains, used here. And so does the martial arts action - kids, remember that the Rangers fight with monsters, not people. My loud roar WAS way over them, and so was my '90s generation's: it was something comparable to Pokemon or the Ninja Turtles for its popularity on TV and its merchandising spin-offs. It's been a long time since the Rangers first appeared on TV, and while I'm no longer excited about them when their spin-offs are still on the airwaves, I still love those old-time, color-suited heroes as they were part of my childhood.

Something has survived. A few years before, entrepreneur John Hammond opened a theme park featuring dinosaurs genetically created from DNA, but its security system broke down before it could open, and the island was closed to the public. Now on the nearby island of Isla Sorna, the dinosaurs secretly survived and been allowed to roam free but now there is a plan to capture and bring them back to the mainland. Hammond, who has lost control of his InGen company, sees an opportunity to redeem himself for his past mistakes and sends an expedition led by Ian Malcolm to reach the island before the mercenary team gets there.

Based on a novel by Michael Crichton and directed by Steven Spielberg, The Lost World - Jurassic Park features excellent acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm)
2.) Julianne Moore (Sarah Harding)
3.) Pete Postlethwaite (Roland Tembo)
4.) Richard Attenborough (John Hammond)
5.) Vince Vaughn (Nick Van Owen)
6.) Arliss Howard (Peter Ludlow)
7.) Vanessa Lee Chester (Kelly Curtis)
8.) Peter Stormare (Dieter Stark)

Having enjoyed the original Jurassic Park a few years earlier, I first watched The Lost World when it was theatrically released in 1997 and hoped for more excitement than the original movie. And when I found them, it was also more scarier - yes, more dinosaurs - with the exciting, explosive moments of our characters running away from danger and chaos, all due to the advancement of digital special effects (SFX) that created the ferocious monsters. Which, speaking of that, reminds me of the fact that if the dinosaurs are let go in the wild and bring them back to civilization, it would create very disastrous results. It's nice for me to see great acting performances here - there's even a short appearance of a young Camilla Belle at the start. With all of those elements I would like to say that The Lost World - Jurassic Park is as good as the original and is the BEST MOVIE EVER...in the genres of science fiction, action/adventure, thriller, and the box-office blockbuster. And to heck with the critics who trashed it: I highly recommend this film title to everyone who likes film.

I've seen a number of movies featuring Pinocchio, and as I could tell with the plot and story, this one's the best that I've ever seen. It's the live-action version featuring real actors. "The Adventures Of Pinocchio" tells the story of Geppetto (Martin Landau) carving, from a tree, a puppet named Pinocchio. The puppet comes to life and looks for fun while traveling out in the world that was not familiar to him- all part of the quest to become a real human boy. It's nice to see Jonathan Taylor Thomas (remember "Home Improvement"?) playing the titular marionette character, and when I first saw the evil Lorenzini, I didn't knew that I first saw Rob Schneider years before recognizing him as a male gigolo, an animal, and a hot chick. Also, there's a cricket character who's his conscience, and his name's Pepe. This is the best adaptation of the popular children's story of "Pinocchio" just yet, and I give this movie four stars.

This is where I first got to know the titular marionette character - the Walt Disney adaptation of the popular children's story "Pinocchio". It was a great movie. I knew what the movie is all about: Geppetto creates Pinocchio and wishes for him to come to life, which the Blue Fairy did. Jiminy Cricket (I mistakenly once called him "Jimmy") acts as the puppet's conscience as a way to tell him from right or wrong. Whenever Pinocchio tells a lie, his nose grows an inch. I used to watch this animated movie- as well as similar movies- on video cassette many times during my childhood and even read a Disney read-along book with an audio cassette. The music in "Pinocchio" is really good, especially with the "When You Wish Upon A Star" that was sung by Jiminy Cricket. Today I'm all grown-up now, and there is always a day of when I should check out this movie again so I could relive my childhood days. I have recently noticed that there's an officially licensed South Korean release of "Pinocchio" providing audio and subtitles in both English and Korean. I wonder where I can find it....

As what the movie posters say, the "Men In Black"- or MIB as abbreviated- is protecting the Earth from the scum of the universe. I enjoy this sci-fi/action/comedy movie for the fictional depiction of black-suited agents of an obscure government agency who approach people who had witnessed UFOs and alien encounters. They're more secretive than the CIA, and they're even more powerful than the FBI. But unlike the FBI, the MIB have a good sense of humor similar to that of Hollywood agents of 1950s B-movies. In this film title, Agents J and K must try to save Earth from an alien bug and Arquillians who threaten to blow Earth up. "Men In Black" has all of the action that blew me away, such as the gravity-defying Ford LTD in the tunnel and a battle with the alien bug. I'm surprised by all of the featured technology that only the MIB can use; it's silly that J has to use a small "noisy cricket" gun during a battle scene. The special effects (SFX) are very good, including all of the featured aliens such as the coffee-drinking worms being computer-generated (CG). I'm glad I saw such alien activity in this film. :-)

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, "Men In Black" features great acting performances from the following cast members:
1.) Will Smith (Agent J)
2.) Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K)
3.) Linda Fiorentino (Dr. Laurel Weaver)
4.) Vincent D'Onofrio (Edgar)
5.) Rip Torn (Zed)
6.) Tony Shalhoub (Jeebs)

The theme song that Will Smith recorded for the film's soundtrack really gets me in the rapping rhythm. What a great tune! I also liked the "Men In Black" sequel and the Saturday morning animated series that spun off from it for four seasons from 1997 to 2001.

"Men In Black" is a great sci-fi movie that can defend the world from aliens. It's highly recommended.

Taking place millions of years before the first humans appeared on Earth, "The Land Before Time" shows animated talking dinosaurs, which I think a story like this needs since it needs dialogue to get the plot going. As what the story goes, an orphaned dinosaur named Littlefoot plus a few other friends must go to the Great Valley, where they would reunite with family after surviving a natural disaster. "The Land Before Time" was just one of the movies that I enjoyed watching as a little kid, and I always remembered it as the film that made me take a close look at a prehistoric time when dinosaurs ruled the Earth....and that was around 100 million years ago.

"Disney's Aladdin" tells the greatest tale of how a poor street rat named Aladdin- the big hero of the story- becomes a prince by a wish of a genie and his magical lamp and meets Princess Jasmine. Meanwhile, when the evil Jafar- the big villain of the story- plans to take over and rule Agrabah, it's time for Aladdin to battle him. What a great movie! I watched a lot of "Disney's Aladdin" during my childhood so I could follow along with the actions of Aladdin by watching this movie and its two direct-to-video sequels, "The Return Of Jafar" and "Aladdin And The King Of Thieves". Those were the days. Today, I'm all grown-up now, and while I'm hoping to watch "Disney's Aladdin" again one time, I could always wonder the location of the real Agrabah. The movie has a Middle Eastern setting, so I would say that the fictional city was located somewhere in Arabia....and hence comes the main title song "Arabian Nights".

I think "An Americal Tail" is an all-right animated film with some historical value, as it takes place in the late 19th century. "An American Tail" tells the story of mice emigrating from Russia to America and then face cats. Fievel is one great hero of the story!

Roll the dice and unleash the excitement! It took around 26 years (1969-1995) to finish playing a board game that brings out all the action from the jungle whenever a player rolls the dice and read a card. When a 5 or an 8 is rolled, Alan returns to the real world after disappearing from sight to Jumanji (and hence the game's title). The two kids, Judy and Peter play the Jumanji game and bring out all the perilous things such as wild animals, rain, quicksand, and the villainous hunter Van Pelt as a result of taking turns. I find the film action great when it comes to the special effects (SFX) that created the wild gone onto town. Plus, I even read the original children's book from Chris Van Allsburg; the film makers must have made the story even better through the addition to different time settings and good action sequences.



Jumanji is directed by Joe Johnston and features good acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Robin Williams (Alan Parrish)
2.) Kirsten Dunst (Judy)
3.) Bradley Pierce (Peter)
4.) Bonnie Hunt (Sarah Whittle)
5.) Bebe Neuwirth (Nora)
6.) David Alan Grier (Carl Bentley)
7.) Jonathan Hyde (Van Pelt/Sam Parrish)
8.) Adam Hann-Byrd (Young Alan)
9.) Laura Bell Bundy (Young Sarah)



Overall, I say that Jumanji is a good film, exciting and enjoyable for the whole family. Seeing this film makes me want what to yell out whenever I want to end the game: JUMANJI!

Now there's a movie that I used to watch when I was a little kid. It's called "The Indian In The Cupboard", which is about a kid named Omri meeting an Indian who came to life as a result of a magic key unlocking a cupboard. This movie was such a great story.

There's one movie that I like watching when I was a little kid. It's called "Casper", the movie about a friendly ghost who never scares people. All featured ghosts such as Casper make the plot of this movie a great story.

The question of whether we're alone in the universe has finally been answered on the ordinary summer day of July 2. Without warning, communications systems worldwide are sent into chaos by a strange atmospheric interference. Only did the military learned that a number of enormous alien spacecraft are on a collision course with Earth. On the day the lives of every person across the world was changed, targets such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington DC were obliterated. It's time that heroes such as Capt. Steven Hiller and David Levinson take the Fourth of July in an an entirely new meaning. No longer will it be an American holiday, it was now the day all of Earth fought back.

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Directed by Roland Emmerich, Independence Day features great acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Will Smith (Capt. Steven Hiller)
2.) Jeff Goldblum (David Levinson)
3.) Bill Pullman (President Thomas J. Whitmore)
4.) Mary McDonnell (Marilyn Whitmore)
5.) Judd Hirsch (Julius Levinson)
6.) Robert Loggia (General)
7.) Randy Quaid (Russell Casse)

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Independence Day shows proof that life does exist elsewhere in the universe (and thus we're not alone at all) and that Earth is a vulnerable target for the invading aliens. Oh wait...this movie is not based on actual events. It's more of a version of H.G. Wells' War Of The Worlds with aliens causing lots of widespread destruction throughout the globe minus the tripods. (At least the freaked-out, panicky population was kept in, though.) I find it interesting that the peoples of the world must put aside their differences and fight the aliens altogether - and it was America, whose nation born on July 4, that fought for freedom first in history. As one of my childhood favorites and definitely THE BEST FILM EVER - in the genres of action/adventure and science fiction - I'd watch ID4 again for the great special effects (SFX) and the interesting story on how a surviving part of mankind fought back to escape annihilation from the invaders.

"Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory" is sweet as the chocolate featured in the movie, and as golden as the Golden Tickets found by five kids who get to visit Willy Wonka's candy factory. I saw this movie a number times and I even read the Roald Dahl book that inspired it. It's a great story, but the book and the remake (both titled "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory") are better.

"Space Jam" is a great live action/animated movie! It's cool that Michael Jordan teams up with "Looney Tunes" characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to win a basketball game against a team of aliens from outer space!

I saw this Christmas-themed movie several times and remembered it as non-stop fun of the holidays. As the story of "Jingle All The Way" goes, everybody has to go to their last-minute shopping to get their Turbo Man action dolls and two fathers- Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad- race around Minneapolis (where the movie takes place) in an attempt to get their gift. I got to remember that "Jingle All The Way" came out in 1996, when Ah-nuld was still making movies and hasn't entered politics yet; plus, Ah-nuld's on-screen son was played by Jake Lloyd, who would later play Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" three years later. My message to all of the movie's viewers: While you're racing for the last-minute shopping for the latest gift, don't forget to watch "Jingle All The Way".

"When Lloyd Christmas drives a woman to the airport, he makes sure she gets all her luggage. That's my whole philosophy."
- Lloyd

If they each have half a brain, they still only have half a brain. And for Harry and Lloyd, every day is a no-brainer. They're two stupid yet lovable friends who struggle with every aspect of life. As a loser limo driver, Lloyd falls for the beautiful Mary as he drops her off at the airport. But when Lloyd discovers that Mary accidentally left her briefcase behind, he and Harry head to Aspen, Colorado where they would return the case back to her while confronting cops, kidnappers, and a pair of criminals who are also after the case.

Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly, Dumb And Dumber features great acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Jim Carrey (Lloyd)
2.) Jeff Daniels (Harry)
3.) Lauren Holly (Mary)
4.) Karen Duffy (J.P. Shay)
5.) Mike Starr (Joe Mentalino)
6.) Charles Rocket (Nicholas Andre)

Having enjoyed watching this a few times during my childhood years, I think of Dumb And Dumber as a funny and funnier movie that sees the best illustrated example of stupidity, and I liked it. It's nice to see the friendship between Harry and Lloyd when they both fall for the same girl of their dreams. Even with their brainless antics, they're kinda smart in some ways, like how did they outrun a pair of criminals? It's simple: their stupidity. The off-color humor really puts this comedy film as a '90s favorite for Jim Carrey's finest acting performance.

Twice the fun, double the trouble. Hallie Parker and Annie James look exactly alike and are sisters. Hallie is a cool, laid-back gal from California, while Annie James is a proper rose from London. Neither of them has met the other parents who were divorced after their births. By the chance of luck, the twins meet at summer camp and uncovered the mystery behind the ripped picture. After realizing that they're twin sisters separated at birth, they decide to switch places as they're eager to meet their respective parents - their wedding gown designing-mom and their wine-making dad. At the same time, the selfish gold-digging Meredith gets in the twins' way as she's going after their father's money rather than love.

The Parent Trap is directed by Nancy Meyers and features good acting performances from the following cast members:
1.) Lindsay Lohan (Hallie Parker/Annie James)
2.) Dennis Quaid (Nick Parker)
3.) Natasha Richardson (Elizabeth James)
4.) Elaine Hendrix (Meredith)
5.) Lisa Ann Walter (Chessy)
6.) Simon Kunz (Martin)
7.) Ronnie Stevens (Grandfather)

As one of my favorite childhood films, I've heard all about this familiar story of what's awesome about being a twin even though you never knew it. That's the case here. The acting performances here are excellent, including Lindsay Lohan, who definitely copied Hayley Mills' original Parent Trap child star performance well with her more cute red-haired, freckle-faced looks added in. I thought of her as a future Julia Roberts/Meg Ryan/Jodie Foster, though not aware of her being a paparazzi/tabloid target. Plus, I once thought Lindsay had a twin sister but later learned that special effects (SFX) cloned her! Including it within the family film, comedy drama, and romantic comedy lists, I also ranked The Parent Trap as my third favorite LL film after Freaky Friday (#2) and Mean Girls (#1). I know that siblings could never stay apart forever and thus have the family they longed for.

"There's nothing you can't get from a book that you can't get from a television faster."
- Harry Wormwood

Born to completely unsuitable parents, Matilda Wormwood discovers her true destiny as a gifted girl who is anxious to go to school and read books above the elementary school level. She was often ignored by her parents. When Matilda was sent to Crunchem Hall, where Ms. Trunchbull severely punishes schoolchildren through her javelin and hammer-throwing skills and a detention chamber called the "chokey", she befriends the very sweet Ms. Honey. Hoping to put up with the cruelty of her parents and the principal, she exhibits telekinetic/psychic powers that could move objects.

Directed by Danny DeVito, Matilda features very good acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Danny DeVito (Harry Wormwood)
2.) Rhea Pearlman (Zinnia Wormwood)
3.) Pam Ferris (Agatha Trunchbull)
4.) Embeth Davidtz (Jennifer "Jenny" Honey)
5.) Mara Wilson (Matilda)
6.) Brian Levinson (Michael Wormwood)
7.) Paul Reubens (FBI Agent Bob)
8.) Tracey Walter (FBI Agent Bill)

One of my top favorite films that I frequently watching during my childhood years, I find Matilda as a good film adaptation of the children's novel by Roald Dahl (Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, James And The Giant Peach). The subplot with our titular character gaining telekinesis as a result of bad authority reminds me of Carrie, although no bloody horror acts are involved, thank goodness. While I find her punishments insane, the discipline of the Trunchbull is too rigid, too Nazi in fashion. I got surprised when I saw that Pee-Wee Herman guy spying at the Wormwood residence and Jon Lovitz hosting the Million Dollar Sticky; after viewing Matilda, I found it interesting that Mr. DeVito and Ms. Perlman are married in real life. As for Mara Wilson's appearance, she was sweet and cute in this memorable film role, and I'll never forget that. As a notable '90s family-friendly release, Matilda is worth viewing for entertainment.

"When a person is bad, that person has to be taught a lesson."
- Harry Wormwood

That is the most notable role that I saw Eddie Murphy act in this movie...."The Nutty Professor". He plays two characters- the obese Sherman Klump and the normal-weight Buddy Love- who are the same person who tried to lose weight through a variety of methods- diet, exercise, and weight-loss experts- to get his life going. In this movie, I like Sherman Klump being 400 pounds to make him very nutty and funny, but Buddy Love's also fine, as he's the real EM. Oh yeah...."The Nutty Professor" is funny entertainment for anyone who's been heavy-weighted (not to be meant as to offend the nation's obese) and has to get in shape so that they would shed extra pounds.

The story in the movie "Babe" is okay, and so are the characters. It's cool that the farm animals talked because they need dialogue to get the story going.

This is a Japanese anime film that I used to enjoy watching during my early childhood. "Little Nemo: Adventures In Slumberland" tells the tale of Nemo, who receives an invitation- and cookies (mmmm)- to go to Slumberland and play with King Morpheus' princess daughter Camille. Nemo is crowned as a Slumberland prince, and meanwhile, a Nightmare King kidnaps Morpheus, so Nemo and his friends attempt a rescue at Nightmareland. Now this is an animated title that would never get old for years to come...."Little Nemo" is all about song and dreams!

In 1997, I saw two jungle-man movies that are memorable- and similar- to me: "George Of The Jungle" and "Jungle 2 Jungle". The latter, starring Tim Allen, is about a commodities broker named Michael Cromwell who travels to the Amazon, where he meets his blowdart-shooting and spider-carrying son Mimi-Siku. This meeting results in a clash of cultures- the city one and the jungle one- that results in humor that made me laugh: Mimi is entrusted by his tribal chief that he must bring home the fire from the Statue Of Liberty and he even chases people with his spider. Oh, as what Michael told Mimi, pets are not for eating. "Jungle 2 Jungle" is one funny jungle movie that I really enjoyed!

A father-and-son cross-country vacation culminating with a rock concert makes "A Goofy Movie" a good and an allright story!

Welcome to the spy-house: Harriet M. Welsch writes private thoughts on her notebook while sneakingly spying on other people, all encouraged by her nanny and friend Ole Golly. She's hoping that she would be an aspiring writer someday. But one day at a park, Harriet's notebook was taken by a clique - headed by Marion Hawthorne - who reads all of Harriet's secrets. Such comments were hurtful for Harriet's best friends, science geek Janie and the sport-loving Sport, so her classmates shun her. The film's fine, but when I read the original Harriet The Spy from Louise Fitzhugh, I knew there are some differences between this and the novel; the story order and the racially diverse class are a few of these. Is it because the original novel was too long? Fitzhugh wrote a few other books about the titular character so I thought Harriet The Spy could have been a TV show with all the chapters to follow along.

Directed by Bronwen Hughes, Harriet The Spy has good acting from the following cast:
1.) Michelle Trachtenberg (Harriet M. Welsch)
2.) Gregory Smith (Simon "Sport" Roque)
3.) Vanessa Lee Chester (Janie Gibbs)
4.) Rosie O'Donnell (Ole Golly)
5.) J. Smith-Cameron (Mrs. Welsch)
6.) Robert Joy (Mr. Welsch)
7.) Charlotte Sullivan (Marion Hawthorne)
8.) Eartha Kitt (Agatha K. Plummer)

The film version of Harriet The Spy may be too short - and I therefore stick to the novel - but at least it's fun to watch. A treasure from the '90s golden heyday of Nickelodeon (their first film feature), it gave me the real definition of "spy" trained for espionage, not to mention learning secrets from others.

I remember this superhero flick from my '90s childhood, a story that I'll never forget. In Batman Forever our titular dark caped hero must battle villains Two-Face and the green-suited The Riddler, all with the help of Dr. Chase Meridian and Robin. Meridian is a psychologist who expresses an amorous interest in Batman, while Robin (real name: Dick Grayson) was sent to live with Bruce Wayne after his circus acrobatic family was killed by Two-Face. Having watched Tim Burton's first two Batman movies as well as the animated series, I see that this has good comic book action and is still dark but is less edgier. There's good fighting scenes, too. The Riddler may be a bad guy yet at least he's good in riddles - I find that one with "you won't find 13 anyplace in my face" very amusing. :)



Directed by Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever has good acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Val Kilmer (Batman/Bruce Wayne)
2.) Chris O'Donnell (Robin/Dick Grayson)
3.) Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face/Harvey Dent)
4.) Jim Carrey (The Riddler/Ed Nigma)
5.) Nicole Kidman (Dr. Chase Meridian)
6.) Michael Gough (Alfred Pennyworth)

The short Tim Burton cameo at the Arkham Asylum amused me...nice to see him there.



Overall, I find Batman Forever good viewing entertainment to keep you awake at night. I'm sure that, by watching the film, you'll never get your mind manipulated by The Riddler's TV box - it's not real.

Okay....here's another talking pig movie that I used to watch when I was a kid. First comes "Babe" and now comes "Gordy". From what I saw in "Gordy", I guess the story's fine, and so are the talking animals.

A movie based on a Roald Dahl book is a good adaptation (is that how I spell the word for turning a book into a movie)....

There's an animated movie that I used to watch when I was a little kid, and I can remember it well. It's called "The Great Valley Adventure - The Land Before Time II", which introduces the baby T-rex called Chomper, whose egg was found by Littlefoot and his friends while traveling in the Mysterious Beyond while chasing egg stealers. I think this direct-to-video sequel to the original "The Land Before Time" is a good movie since I used to watch it during my childhood.

In a comedy that reminds me a lot of The Naked Gun, the myopic Mr. Magoo defeats jewel smugglers in a usual bumbling manner. Leslie Nielsen's real funny in his acting performance here. Definitely one of my childhood film favorites!

It's cool when a jungle man who vine-swings through trees and raised by elephants and apes enters the city once a lovely jungle explorer meets him while calling off the engagement to a wealthy snob. "George Of The Jungle" is a jungle movie that no one's ever going to miss! Hey George, when you're swinging vines through trees, watch out for that tree!

Professor Brainard delivers us the gooey yet cute experiment of the lifetime: "Flubber". Good film! :-)

Yum! I got to remember "Good Burger", the Nickelodeon movie about Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell working at a small fast food restauraunt, like it was almost 10 years ago! I got to remember one memorable quote from Kel: "Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?"

I happened to have come across this animated film title that I used to watch on video many times when I was a little kid. In "The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones", two of the world-famous cartoon families crossover in a clash of time periods with unimaginable results. Interestingly, Elroy's time machine was where I was first attracted to the subject time travel. Even after 20+ years of its release, this Jetsons/Flintstones feature still has animated magic for me to watch.

"Mulan" is a great animated movie taken from a historical Chinese tale. As the story goes, a peasant girl must take her father's place by disguising herself as a boy and joining the emperor's army that would fight off the invading Huns. While there's drama, there's also some comedy, which I can point that out to the comic actions of characters such as Mushu the lizard....I mean, dragon.

Was "Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves" a great film or what? Yeah, it is. The shrink ray shrunk Wayne, his brother, and his wife into tiny size!

Here is another good direct-to-video sequel to the original "The Land Before Time" that I used to watch when I was a little kid. Called "The Land Before Time III - The Time Of Great Giving", this story focuses on how water became scarce in the Great Valley, causing Littlefoot and his friends to search for more water. I'm glad I remembered this movie well!

Hey....it's that movie featuring a small town soccer team battling against rival teams! It's called "The Big Green", which I have no idea what this means. Maybe "The Big Green" means everybody in the soccer team wears green? Probably. Anyway....it was a great sports movie!

In 1994, I first heard of "The Little Rascals" through this movie, and it would be several years later when I learned that this was based on old 1930s or 1940s movies featuring the rascal characters. I can only remember a few character names: Alfalfa, Spanky, Buckwheat....these are all of the movie's characters names that I can only remember. After several viewings of "The Little Rascals" in the past 10+ years I'm going to see what kind of comedy that mischief within the company showed, which will help me remember about this movie.

I got to remember this sports movie. It's called "The Sandlot", which takes place in the 1960s and is about new boy who just moved into town and joins a baseball team. Every time a player scores his strike, the baseball makes a home run....or it accidentally lands in a neighbor's backyard where the dog lives. Yeah, that's the best part of movie - the team attempts to rescue their ball from the neighbor's dog. I give "The Sandlot" a good score: four stars!

The live-action version of "Dennis The Menace" packs in a lot of fun as the original comic strip! I can point this out to Dennis's menacing antics to cause in the world, especially in Mr. Wilson's home. Four stars!

Every ant has his day. Life is no picnic for Z, a small worker ant with some very big ideas whose chances of impressing the beautiful Princess Bala are literally one in a billion. But when Z convinces his soldier ant buddy to switch places with him, his simple life takes a wild turn. From his battles in the termite war to his quest for "Insectopia", Z's adventures put him in a revolution against the ruthless General Mandible who has planned to liquidate the colony. Once the significant of workers, Z may just turn out to be the biggest hero of them all.

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Directed by Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson, Antz features good voice-acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Woody Allen (Z)
2.) Sharon Stone (Princess Bala)
3.) Sylvester Stallone (Weaver)
4.) Gene Hackman (General Mandible)
5.) Anne Bancroft (Queen)
6.) Jennifer Lopez (Azteca)
7.) Christopher Walken (Cutter)

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Antz is definitely the ant with a Z at the end of this movie title, with Dreamworks doing their excellent work in the action and animation, both of which I enjoyed. Even with the family-friendly PG rating the film has some of its grown-up humor, and the battle scenes with the termites were so intense. Which, of course, is why a similar film called A Bug's Life theatrically performed better with audiences. But most importantly it's the subplot, which fascinated me the most, revolving around a rigid collectivist society whilst Z aims for individuality and questioning the absolute authority - including, for example, dancing creatively. And it's a good thing. :)

A man cross-dressing as a nanny is the funniest thing that I saw in a movie like "Mrs. Doubtfire". Great comedy!

From my several viewings of this movie, Mewtwo and Mew really made an important role in getting the "Pokemon The First Movie - Mewtwo Vs. Mew" story going.

When an evil Digimon attempts to delete the digital world, I must watch "Digimon The Movie" while imagining myself with the Digidestined!

"Inspector Gadget" is a good live-action adaptation of the popular 1980s animated series. I saw this movie a number of times and I thought it was all-right movie! Go-gadget-go!

Yay....I saw "The Lion King 2 - Simba's Pride", the direct-to-video sequel to the original "The Lion King". That was a great animated sequel! It's been years after the first movie, and Simba's the ruler of Pride Rock. That's all I can say in my review, but I'm still giving it four stars.

"The Wizard Of Oz" is a great storybook fantasy movie from the 1930s, and, from my viewings of this movie, it's a great story. In "The Wizard Of Oz", Dorothy and her dog Toto were taken to Oz by a tornado and, as part of a quest to meet the Wizard who would help her go back home, walk on the Yellow Brick Road with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Meanwhile, the quintet would have to battle the Wicked Witch Of The West. Well, as what Dorothy quotes, there is no place like home....

In "First Kid", Sinbad, as a Secret Service agent, watches over the president's bratty son at many times, such as school and even at parties. To me, I liked this movie and thought of it as dramatic yet comedic entertainment from the White House! Four white stars in a blue field (of the American flag, of course) forever!

Being a good friend can be difficult, but the rewards are great. And no ordinary adventure is gonna do. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn promise their friendship to one another in anticipation of days filled with fun and laughter. Instead, the two witness a graveyard murder and swear an oath of silence to protect their own lives. Treasure hunting and Tom's budding friendship with his classmate Becky pale when the boys' silence threatens to allow an innocent man to hang for the crime, and Tom must choose between keeping his pact with Huck and justice for his friend Muff Potter.

Directed by Peter Hewitt, Tom And Huck features very good acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Tom Sawyer)
2.) Brad Renfro (Huckleberry Finn)
3.) Eric Schweig (Injun Joe)
4.) Charles Rocket (Judge Thatcher)
5.) Amy Wright (Aunt Polly)
6.) Marian Seldes (Widow Douglas)
7.) Rachel Leigh Cook (Becky Thatcher)

As a very good film adaptation of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer, Tom And Huck keeps its adventure of our leading character and his friend as if the book reads itself. And yes, I did enjoy it; I saw the film a few times back in my mostly Disney film childhood. Having watched the Huck Finn film earlier, I knew the late Brad Renfro played this role well although I liked Elijah Wood's better; I thought the former wanted to take that as a mature character as Huck aged. But most importantly, I don't want to forget JTT since he finely played the Tom character as a former child star. Let this quote be a lesson for every friendship we always believe in: "When a friend's in trouble, you don't run away. And heck yeah, I knew Huck was right!

I remember seeing this movie for the first time- on TV's "The Wonderful World Of Disney"- and I remember it well. It's a movie adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist", which I used to read back in elementary school. I know what the story is about: Oliver runs away from a sweat shop (correct?) to London, where he meets Fagin and the Artful Dodger. Three years after my first viewing, I saw "Oliver Twist" again, but this time, I was with my 7th grade English class, and it was all part of our assignment of reading the Dickens' novel. This movie version of the Dickens' novel is so great, and I give it four stars!

Having an oddball scientist as an astronaut for the Mars mission is what makes "RocketMan" funny!

After watching the first Short Circuit, I'd be glad to continue with the sequel so I can see them connected together. Ben Jahveri and Fred Ritter are working in a electronics business selling toy models of their Number 5 robot. So when Number 5 (renamed as Johnny 5) is sent from Newton and Stephanie's ranch to the big city, he helps Ben. But he finds that his robotic talents - reading a book very fast to get "more input", for example - are wanted by city low-lifes who want to turned Johnny 5 into profits. Can Johnny 5 make it in the big bad city? Keep your eyes - I mean, wires - crossed to find out. Another exciting sci-fi/comedy/adventure from the '80s, I find Short Circuit 2 as good as the original even if that meant to electrify the family-friendly audience. It also kept the human/nonhuman friendship element intact. And yes, it's still fun, and I like it. :)

Directed by Kenneth Johnson, Short Circuit 2 has its good acting from the following cast:
1.) Fisher Stevens (Ben Jahveri)
2.) Cynthia Gibb (Sandy Banatoni)
3.) Michael McKean (Fred Ritter)
4.) Jack Weston (Oscar Baldwin)
5.) Tim Blaney (Johnny 5's voice)

I like the Ben character and his Indian-sounding accent, but I have no idea with the last name change from Jabituya to Jahveri back in the original film. Anyways, that's still the same Ben, and the same actor (Fisher Stevens).

Like the original predecessor, Short Circuit 2 is as alive as ever. And okay film, too. I'm hoping that a Short Circuit will be rebooted as a remake, perhaps with a better look and more action. And I'm waiting now...

Yeah, I do remember this movie. Talking animals....that was cool.

I saw "Space Camp" only once about ten years ago, back in the day when my original dream was to become an astronaut who would one day fly in space, and I thought watching it would get me into a real space camp. So what do I remember about this movie? Well....a group of teenagers and their instructor fly in a space shuttle to space, and that's all I can remember. After seeing it I would still hold on to my astronaut dream until two years later, when I chose to do science fiction (which would mean watching space travel in movies) instead of science fact (which would mean experiencing space travel in real life). I only saw "Space Camp" once; if I were to make a second viewing, then I'll see how much I remember the movie's summarizing plot.

When I watched "The Kid", I had to take a peek how an 8-year-old boy sees his grown-up self. I can't believe that the main character whose name is Russ Duritz is not only a rich 40-year-old image consultant, but he is also single, doesn't fly planes, and doesn't have a dog?! Darn....what a loser, and I mean to Russ himself. But there's no need to feel bad about all of what Russ doesn't have as he had to define who he is. Flashbacks of Russ's childhood appear in some scenes that would later shape his life. What a great story!

"The Kid" is directed by Jon Turteltaub. Spencer Breslin (yes, that's Abigail's brother) plays the 8-year-old Russ- or his real name Russell- as the titular character. Playing the grown-up kid is Bruce Willis; out of the action genre, he did a nice acting performance in a family film. Also in the film include Russ's boss Janet (by Lily Tomlin) and his love interest Amy (by Emily Mortimer). The film's spoken dialogue is very good- the "Holy Smokes!" line is very memorable!

In conclusion, "The Kid" is an enjoyable film intended for the whole family.

"Home Alone" shows the best depiction in a movie of what it's like for a young boy whose parents accidentally left him home alone during Christmas and then face two intruding burglars. It's Macaulay Culkin's first big movie role (if it is his first, I think), so nobody should miss the best acting performance from a former child star.

Fore! The tempered and angered "Happy Gilmore" not only plays golf for fun....he also destroys golf for fun. From the ice hockey rink to the golfing tournament, Happy plays it as a way to earn prize money just to buy his grandma's house back from the IRS. And even he's out of the rink, Happy still acts like a hockey player when he hits other players, all in humorous moments that made me laugh! :-) All of these funny moments make a really great sports comedy.

Directed by Dennis Dugan, "Happy Gilmore" has very good acting performances. Adam Sandler plays the titular character, responsible for creating his own media sensation among fans. Other featured stars include Frances Bay as Happy's grandma, Julie Bowen as Happy's love interest Virginia, Carl Weathers as Happy's trainer Chubbs, and Christopher McDonald as Happy's annoying opponent Shooter McGavin. Even former "The Price Is Right" host Bob Barker stars himself playing at the golf tour as well!

I give four stars for this Adam Sandler comedy. Check out "Happy Gilmore" today.

Oh my, this "Ever After" Cinderella story is way too dramatic and emotional, but it's a good film, nevertheless.

The half-literate son of a drunk, Huckleberry Finn runs away from home and travels with escaped slave Jim along the Mississippi River with an escaped slave named Jim. On their long journey the two encounter adventures with colorful people such as con men King and Duke, who impersonate British visitors in order to swindle two sisters out of their fortune, and the spunky 12-year-old Susan Wilks, who gives Huck his first kiss. Jim also re-educates Huck away from the racist views that he has grown up with.

Directed by Stephen Sommers, The Adventures Of Huck Finn features great acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Elijah Wood (Huckleberry Finn)
2.) Courtney B. Vance (Jim)
3.) Robbie Coltrane (Duke)
4.) Jason Robards (King)
5.) Ron Perlman (Pap)
6.) Dana Ivey (Widow Douglas)
7.) Anne Heche (Mary Jane Wliks)

I read Mark Twain's original Huckleberry Finn novel back in 7th grade English class and also watched this film. It is an excellent novel-based film adaptation that keeps the exciting adventures of two leading characters who escape from their troubled lives and enjoy the lives that they longed for. Nice for me to see the great acting performances here; after watching this I had no idea that the future Hellboy actor (Ron Perlman) was playing Huck's Pap - he was so maddening here! But the most important performance I won't forget is from the former child star Elijah Wood, since he really fits into the leading role perfectly as a boy.

Hey....I think I saw this movie on cable TV only once about nine years ago. It's called "Explorers", which is about three kids building their own spaceship so they could meet aliens. When I first saw this movie, I noticed that a young Ethan Hawke and the late River Phoenix were in it. I saw "Explorers" only once; if I were to make a second viewing, then I must find it on DVD.

Around seven years ago I made my first and only viewing of "Bicentennial Man"- a tale of the future- and saw a robot that I thought of it as the perfect android. The android looks human, and it talks. His name's Andrew Martin (played by Robin Williams). What a great movie! My trivial fact: I once knew a high school friend/acquaintance named Andrew Martin (no lie).

"Jack is dead. You can call me the Joker. And as you can see, I'm a lot happier."
- The Joker

The personality of Jack Napier remains as the face of the Joker replaced him through toxic chemicals. In Gotham City the mayor announces a festival that he claims will solve its economic and social ills, while its owner, Carl Grissom, runs a mob operation with the help of crooked police. What it gets is a festival and Bruce Wayne, a disturbed multimillionaire and vigilante. The Joker plots to poison the city's hygiene products and pursues Vicki Vale, whom Batman rescues several times.

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Directed by Tim Burton, Batman features very excellent acting performances from the following cast members:
1.) Jack Nicholson (The Joker/Jack Napier)
2.) Michael Keaton (Batman/Bruce Wayne)
3.) Kim Basinger (Vicki Vale)
4.) Pat Hingle (Commissioner Gordon)
5.) Billy Dee Williams (Harvey Dent)
6.) Michael Gough (Alfred)
7.) Jack Palance (Carl Grissom)

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I find the first installment of Tim Burton's Batman series edgy, dark, and Gothic, definitely like Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel and definitely unlike the campy original 1966 TV series with Adam West. It very well focused on the adventure of the caped crusader and the relationship between Batman and his adversary The Joker, an element also found in the original DC comics, TV, and The Dark Knight. Which, speaking of, reminds me to the fact that Jack Nicholson was so good in playing The Joker - a role that Heath Ledger would outperform almost two decades later. If I ever look at Michael Keaton's Batman, I know that his black suit and cape made him dress like a Cure fan. And even without the cool superpowers (what, no flying?), the Dark Knight is still skilled in fighting crime and the corruption of the urban system.

"You don't mess with the Sly Man."
- Sly

They may look innocent, but if you think babies don't know what's going on, they're going to give you an education. Dr. Kinder and her partner in crime, Dr. Heep, are set to rule the world by running a lab to crack the code to a hidden baby language. The two-year-old Sly escapes from the labs and, with his twin brother Whit, fights to expose the nefarious plot. Mistaken for his twin, he is taken back to his uncle and calls the other babies to invade the secret lab and thwart the evil plot as a commando rescue.

Directed by Bob Clark, Baby Geniuses features very good acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Kathleen Turner (Dr. Elena Kinder)
2.) Christopher Lloyd (Dr. Heep)
3.) Kim Cattrall (Robin)
4.) Peter MacNicol (Dan)
5.) Dom DeLuise (Lenny)

With its maturity and intelligence expressed by the infants, Baby Geniuses is like a cute, live-action version of Rugrats. And as I was watching this, I asked myself: how did the babies talk grown-up? They're probably preschool kids who could really act, as I never heard of a two-year-old speak at a 30-year-old level. Aside from their language abilities, they even fight bad guys and save people...for real! I can think of them as some of Super Commando Diaper Babies, really, and they were really good. For these elements I can say that Baby Geniuses is very good and worth a watch.

"Hang on to your diapies, babies! We're goin' in!"
- Tommy Pickles

Expect adventure. Expect mystery. Expect attitude. Tommy faces responsibility once his new baby brother, Dil, is born and becomes an annoying pain to him and the rest of the gang. Riding in Stu's latest invention, the Reptar Wagon, they are all not happy with Dil and choose to return him back to the hospital but find themselves missing in the forest whey they run into a horde of runaway circus monkeys. With their parents now looking for their kids, can the Rugrats find their way home and can Tommy and Dil just get along?

Directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgien, The Rugrats Movie features great voice-acting performances from the following cast:
1.) Cheryl Chase (Angelica Pickles)
2.) Christine Cavanaugh (Chuckie Finster)
3.) Elizabeth Daily (Tommy Pickles)
4.) Jack Riley (Stu Pickles)
5.) Melanie Chartoff (Didi Pickles)
6.) Busta Rhymes (Reptar Wagon)
7.) David Spade (Ranger Frank)
8.) Whoopi Goldberg (Ranger Margaret)

At the time of the theatrical release of The Rugrats Movie in 1998, I've been watching episodes of the original animated series aired on Nickelodeon. As with the show, the film is in good cel-animated quality and watchable. Although they're babies, the Rugrats are indeed like the Peanuts for their maturity, and Spike is their Snoopy. Plus, their use of language is infantile yet I find it understandable (i.e., "hopsicle" instead of "hospital"). What a cute cartoon movie, not to mention this is a treasure from the classic '90s Nick era in which I grew up in.

"October Sky" is a good retelling of actual events of how a team of boys who want to escape life underground in Coalwood, West Virginia, where coal mining is king. But by October 4, 1957, when the Soviet satellite Sputnik flies overhead in the night sky, Homer Hickam Jr.'s life is changed forever. So with the help of his teacher, he and his three buddies start an amateur rocket program way out of the town limits. Even with his father's disapproval, a limited education, and a series of misfires that threaten his dreams and the town, Homer overcomes seemingly impossible odds to achieve his vision of earning his college scholarship and working in rocket science later in his lifetime. And he brought us this inspiring drama of his life, all immortalized on the screen.

Based on the real Homer Hickam Jr.'s book "Rocket Boys" and directed by Joe Johnston, "October Sky" has good acting performances. I liked Jake Gyllenhaal's young Hickam character as well as his sense of individuality. Supporting Gyllenhaal includes Laura Dern (Ms. Riley) and Chris Cooper (John Hickam), both of which were very interesting characters. The film soundtrack is so inspiring for the 1950s setting; Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day" and sometimes the background instrumentals really sets me in a good mood.

What can I say about "October Sky"? It's a great historical drama for all audiences to enjoy, including the 1950s-era fans and the rocket scientists of the world.