Al's Top UNDERRATED Films of All Time

Extremely underrated and hysterical sci-fi comedy, and my all-time favorite Saturday Night Live film. The story follows Beldar and his wife Prymatt, who are aliens from the planet Remulak. When the National Guard discovers their spaceship on their radar, they send fighter jets to take it down, and it crashes into the Atlantic ocean. They survive and learn it will take several years before Remulak will be able to send a rescue vessel to bring them home, and realize they must adapt to life on Earth. However, a determined agent from the immigration department named Gorman Seedling is hot on their heels for working in the country illegally, and exhausts his resources trying to track them down until they conceal their identities, have a daughter, and find a place to live a normal American life. But just as they feel life on Earth is perfect, they are summoned back to their home planet of Remulak while Seedling simultaneously locates where they've been hiding, which builds up to an explosive ending. I have no idea why this film is rated so low. It lived up to all the magic of the original SNL skits, and more. Excellent story with a perfect cast. Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin both deliver the best lead performances I've seen from either of them. They were both superb and had great chemistry. Michelle Burke, Chris Farley, and Michael McKean also had fantastic starring roles. David Spade, Sinbad, Michael Richards, Eddie Griffin, Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler, Jason Alexander, Lisa Jane Persky, Jan Hooks, Dave Thomas, and several others had excellent supporting roles.

The Broken Lizard crew makes some of my all-time favorite comedies. Super Troopers may be their best, but this is my personal favorite. Great story about how two brothers travel to Germany for Oktoberfest to honor their grandfather by spreading his ashes among the remains of his elders, when they stumble upon a secret underground beer drinking competition called "Beerfest". After some choice words and family squabbles about their grandfather with the German beer drinking team, they return to the United States to form the ultimate team of beer drinkers and gamers to beat the Germans and the rest of the world in "Beerfest" the following yer. The Broken Lizard crew (Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Kevin Heffernan, Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme) are at their absolute best. The entire German beer drinking team (Will Forte, Nat Faxon, Eric Christian Olsen, Ralf Moeller, Gunter Schlierkamp) was also beyond hilarious. Other small roles from Jürgen Prochnow (especially considering is role in the epic WWII film "Das Boot"), Cloris Leachman, M.C. Gainey, Philippe Brenninkmeyer, Bjorn Johnson, and Mo'Nique really add to the hilarity. Underrated classic.

The most severely underrated comedy from 2000, and the last great golden-era film from Bobby Farrelly & Peter Farrelly (The Farrelly Brothers). Hilarious story about a wholesome Rhode Island state trooper (Charlie) who has 3 black sons that he accepts and loves after his wife cheated on him and left their lives. He's eventually diagnosed with multiple personalities because he hasn't confronted the issues with his wife and all the other townspeople who have no respect for him. Sometimes Charlie is charge, and sometimes "Hank" is in charge; which proves to be a hysterical challenge when he's tasked to protect an innocent woman who's on the run from her criminal ex-boyfriend, his associates, and crooked cops. Easily one of my favorite roles from Jim Carrey, as he expanded the range of his character beyond a lot of earlier slapstick comedy his was famous for (even though there's still plenty involved here). Renée Zellweger also delivered my favorite role of hers. Anthony Anderson, Mongo Brownlee, and Jerod Mixon were all absolutely hilarious as the kids. Robert Forster was great as Colonel Partington. Tony Cox had a short, but hilarious cameo. Chris Cooper, and Richard Jenkins played nice antagonists.

One of my most watched and beloved comedies, and also the best marijuana inspired film ever in my book. Hilarious story about 3 buddies who try several comical tactics to raise enough money to get their friend out of jail after he fed all their nighty munchies to a cop's diabetic horse; accidentally killing him. Eventually they start stealing medical marijuana from the hospital and making big money off the sales, until a distinguished drug kingpin named Samson Simpson gets involved in their business. This was Dave Chappelle's very first lead movie role, and he hit star-status with it. He was phenomenal as Thurgood Jenkins and also the hilarious weed-smoking rapper, Sir Smoke-a-Lot. Guillermo Díaz, Jim Breuer, and Harland Williams also deliver the best and funniest lead performances of their careers. Rachel True, Clarence Williams III, Laura Silverman, and Tommy Chong all had nice supporting roles.

Extraordinary sports drama from Hal Needham set in a small town during the engrossing boom of BMX and freestyle bicycles that influenced a whole generation of kids like myself. The story follows a teen named Cru Jones who loves nothing more than riding BMX bikes and attempting daring stunts with his best friends. When news hits that a massive professional BMX race sponsored by Mongoose Bicycles named "Helltrack" is coming to their small town, Cru decides he must find a way to compete at a chance to win $100,000, a new Chevrolet Corvette, and a career in BMX. With the help of his new girlfriend Christian and the support of the entire school, Cru must prove that he possesses the raw determination and talent to take down all the top pros at the Super Bowl of all BMX races. I was way into BMX bikes in the 90s, so this ended up being my most-watched film of all-time as a kid. It's literally the very best and most unique film of its kind, and there has never been anything that has come close to a BMX/Freestyle anthem like this. World famous stuntman Hal Needham handled the directing duties, and it's pure gold. I've never seen Bill Allen in any other roles besides this, and he delivered a fantastic lead performance as Cru. Bart Conner, Lori Loughlin, Jack Weston, Ray Walston, Alfie Wise, Marta Kober, Jamie Clarke, Laura Jacoby, H.B. Haggerty, Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes, Kellie McQuiggin, Beverley Hendry, Nancy MacDonald, and all the totally RAD BMX racers in this film were absolutely fantastic. It also has one of the best soundtracks of all time. Still a movie I watch and love today.

This is my all-time favorite film from Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly (The Farrelly Brothers). I'd also have say it's the all-time greatest bowling movie. Excellent story about Roy Munson, who was raised to be a great bowler by his father. After some early success, his career is "cut short" after gambling with the wrong bowlers. 17 years later, he's trying to make a living as a washed-up bowling supplies salesman when he meets a promising Amish bowler named Ishmael, and convinces him to enter the $1 million winner-take-all bowling tournament in Reno, Nevada, as he trains him and runs into plenty of comical characters and situations along the journey. Woody Harrelson delivers my all-time favorite character of his as Roy Munson. I'd have to say the same about Randy Quaid playing the Amish blowing prodigy, Ishmael, and Bill Murray's hilarious role as the crooked superstar bowling sensation, Ernie McCracken. Vanessa Angel, Lin Shaye, and Rob Moran all had great supporting roles.

Bodacious music-inspired comedy adventure from Stephen Herek set in 1988 San Dimas, California, and follows two underachieving heavy metal loving high school seniors named Ted 'Theodore' Logan and Bill S. Preston 'Esquire', who must pass their oral history exam or else they won't graduate high-school. While cramming for their exam the night before, a phone booth-shaped time machine lands from the sky and a man named Rufus informs them that they are extremely important to the survival and well-being of the future as long as they graduate high school and aren't separated, and that he's there to help them complete their history report with the help of the time machine. Bill & Ted embark on a most excellent adventure as they travel throughout time and collect important historical figures to help them pass their exam and save the future. Bill & Ted are one of my favorite duos in cinema history. They just have those fun, kind, innocent personalities, and have great comedic chemistry together. I'd have to say it's my favorite film from Keanu Reeves (Ted), Alex Winter (Bill), and the great George Carlin (Rufus). And don't get me started on the soundtrack—one of my all-time favorites with cuts from Robbie Robb, Big Pig, and Shark Island (among others). The historical figures also all put on great performances: Terry Camilleri (Napoleon), Dan Shor (Billy the Kid), Tony Steedman (Socrates), Rod Loomis (Sigmund Freud), Al Leong (Genghis Khan), Jane Wiedlin (Joan of Arc), Robert V. Barron (Abraham Lincoln), Clifford David (Beethoven) were all great. Hal Landon Jr., Bernie Casey, Amy Stoch, J. Patrick McNamara, Diane Franklin, Kimberley Kates, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Outstanding sports drama and Martin Scorsese's most underrated picture. It's also my favorite in his his entire filmography. Scorsese resurrects Paul Newman's quintessential pool hall hustling performance as "Fast Eddie Felson" from the timeless billiard inspired 1961 classic, "The Hustler". Now middle-aged and a successful liquor salesman, Eddie recruits a young, cocky and extremely talented pool player named Vincent to hit the road and score huge dough in different pool halls across the country as they work their way to a big money tournament in Atlantic City. They encounter many dramatic and comical situations along the way as Eddie teaches Vincent and his girlfriend/manager Carmen the art of the hustle. But as time moves on, Eddie starts to remember that "money won is twice as sweet as money earned," and decides to pursue his own path as a competitor. Fantastic sequel and easily Newman's best later career lead performance. I'd also have to say this is one of my favorite Tom Cruise roles as well. His innocent turned arrogant personality fit the role beautifully. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was also excellent as his girlfriend, Carmen. Helen Shaver, John Turturro, and Forest Whitaker have smaller, but excellent and memorable supporting roles. The score and soundtrack is also absolutely superb.

Bobby Farrelly & Peter Farrelly (The Farrelly Brothers) are couple of my all-time favorite movie makers. This is their 2nd best film in my book (behind Kingpin). Excellent story about a man who tracks down his dream girl from high-school 13 years after a hilariously unfortunate accident that occurred the day they were supposed to go to prom. Things seem to be going great as they rekindle their relationship, until he finds out the private investigator, a pizza boy, his best friend, and Brett Favre are all in love and completely obsessed with Mary as well. I had a huge crush on Cameron Diaz upon this film's release, and I still love her as Mary to this day. Definitely the finest lead role of her career. I'd also have to say Ben Stiller and Matt Dillon fit their roles perfectly, and also deliver their best roles. Lee Evans, Chris Elliott, Lin Shaye, Jeffrey Tambor, Markie Post, and Keith David all had nice roles among the supporting cast. Also another great soundtrack, like all The Farrelly Brothers films.

The whole Broken Lizard comedy team is on fire in this hilarious crime comedy. They are easily one of my favorite comedy collectives, and I hope they keep making movies. Excellent story about a bunch of Vermont state troopers who are hilariously bad at their jobs, and must resort to doing some actual police work to save their jobs when budget cuts threaten to wipe out the whole department, and from a team of cold-hearted local cops that are sabotaging them at every turn. When they find the local cops are actually involved in crime involving drugs and a couple murders, they spring into action to serve justice and save their jobs. Erik Stolhanske, Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter, Marisa Coughlan, Daniel von Bargen, and Brian Cox all deliver excellent lead performances. Marisa Coughlan, Daniel von Bargen, Michael Weaver, Philippe Brenninkmeyer, Maria Tornberg, and plenty others had great supporting roles.

Hysterical coming-of-age comedy from Amy Heckerling and Cameron Crowe that ranks as my all-time favorite high-school film. The story revolves around several characters; including a sexually curious 15-year-old girl named Stacy Hamilton who's torn between the nerdy and kind Mark Ratner or his wise cracking best friend Mike Damone; a carefree and fun-loving stoner named Jeff Spicoli who battles with his hilariously intolerant history teacher Mr. Hand; and Brad Hamilton's fast-food career driven mishaps as he tries to finish high-school with a bang. There are several other memorable and correlating stories that revolve around these main plot points. The cast may be one of the best I've ever seen constructed in any film, and they all have so much great chemistry together, and all deliver incredibly strong performances. Sean Penn (Jeff Spicoli), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Stacy Hamilton), Brian Backer (Mark 'Rat' Ratner), Robert Romanus (Mike Damone), Judge Reinhold (Brad Hamilton), and Phoebe Cates (Linda Barrett) all deliver superb lead performances. Ray Walston (Mr. Hand), Forest Whitaker (Charles Jefferson), Scott Thomson, Vincent Schiavelli, Amanda Wyss, D.W. Brown, Tom Nolan, Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards, Nicolas Cage, Stuart Cornfeld, and others also had excellent roles among the supporting cast.

Severely Underrated fantasy-driven family comedy that follows a young teenager named Jack Simmons who lives with his working class single mother and is obsessed with motocross and dirt bikes. One day his mom gives him their last $50 to buy the groceries while she goes out for a job interview. Jack takes the money and heads out to the local motocross track, where he ends up trading his BMX bike and the $50 for a beat-up dirt bike. While his mom is very upset, he soon discovers the dirt bike possesses a mind of its own, along with magical powers that include flying. When he and his friends learn that a greedy bank executive named Mr. Hodgkins plans to build his new bank branch on the location of a local hotdog shop and hangout their baseball coach and friend Mike owns, they do everything they can to save the shop; and the dirt bike proves to be a handy tool in the process. This is one of my most watched films growing up since I was so big into BMX bikes and extreme sports. Surprisingly, I still really love this film today, and am quite happy they released it on a remastered blu-ray. Peter Billingsley arguably delivers his best lead performance of his young career (A Christmas Story is also one of my favorites). Stuart Pankin (Mr. Hodgkins) also had an excellent starring role. Patrick Collins, Anne Bloom, Patrick Collins, Sage Parker, Chad Sheets, Gavin Allen, Danny Breen, Weasel Forshaw, John William Galt, and others also had great supporting roles.

Being a huge fan of Bill & Ted since 1989, this movie is everything I hoped it would be. Excellent story which finds Bill & Ted all grown up with teenage daughters of their own, and they are still struggling to write the song that will unite the world, which future beings said they would do 30 years earlier. When it seems they will never accomplish their dreams, an egg-shaped time machine appears out of nowhere, and Rufus' daughter Kelly steps out, and they travel to the future where they find out they must write their world-changing song in less than 80 minutes, or reality is doomed forever. Struggling to do so, they decide to travel into the future in the classic phone booth to obtain the song from their future selves, while their daughters hijack the egg-shaped time machine to collect historical figures with musical backgrounds, to help create the song. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves bring Bill & Ted to life just as we've always known them. They were both superb. Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine also delivered excellent lead performances as their daughters. William Sadler was great as Death once again. Anthony Carrigan playing the Dennis Caleb McCoy was hilarious. Kristen Schaal, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Hal Landon Jr., Jillian Bell, Jeremiah Craft, and DazMann Still all delivered great supporting roles. Overall, no characters or historical figures seemed out of place at all. This is a most non-heinous finale to the Bill & Ted trilogy.

This has always been an underrated sequel to John G. Avildsen's classic 1986 coming-of-age underdog tale. The story follows Mr. Miyagi after receiving a letter from Okinawa informing him that his father had passed away, and that he needs to return to settle his family affairs. Daniel decides to join Mr. Miyagi to learn about Okinawa and his upbringing. Upon arriving, they run into his old friend and former karate student of his father's, Sato, and his nephew Chozen. Sato immediately threatens to kill Miyagi due to the way he left Okinawa decades ago, which sets off a boiling conflict between the two, and also between Daniel and Chozen. Meanwhile, Miyagi rekindles his relationship with a former sweetheart Yukie, and things heat up with Daniel and beautiful young woman named Kumiko. Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita prove to be a fantastic duo once again, and both deliver excellent lead performances. Danny Kamekona, Yuji Okumoto, Tamlyn Tomita, and Nobu McCarthy also have excellent starring roles. Martin Kove, William Zabka, Charlie Tanimoto, BD Wong, Traci Toguchi, and others also had great supporting roles.

Hilarious sports comedy about a simple and socially inept waterboy who's constantly being bullied by the University of Louisiana Cougars football team, and gets fired for "distracting" the players. When he starts working as waterboy for the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs, they discover he is a savagely fierce tackler, and becomes the star player of the worst college team in the league. Along with Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, this rounds out my favorite trio of Adam Sandler movies. He was superb throughout. I'd have to say it's probably my favorite football movie as well. Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, and Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reed, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Blake Clark, Jonathan Loughran, and Peter Dante all had great supporting roles.

Fantastic sequel to the bodacious music-inspired comedy adventure classic, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon are back writing the story, which has a totally unique vibe and plot compared to the first film, making it a most triumphant follow-up. The story follows a most heinous and oppressive leader from the the year 2691 named Chuck De Nomolos who creates evil robot replicas of Bill and Ted to travel back in time to 1991 and kill the real Bill and Ted and take their places, and intend to carry out evil plans laid out by De Nomolos. When the evil robots complete their initial mission, Bill and Ted are sent to Hell where they must duel the Grim Reaper to a contest of board games to get to heaven, then eventually back to earth where they work to destroy the evil Bill and Ted robots, save the babes, and perform a most spectacular set at the Battle of the Bands contest to secure their future legacy. Fantastic film all around, and a great change of pace from the first film. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter both deliver excellent lead performances and have the same great chemistry from the first film. William Sadler (Death/Grim Reaper) also delivered a great starring role. Joss Ackland, George Carlin, Annette Azcuy, Sarah Trigger, Chelcie Ross, Pam Grier, Hal Landon Jr., Amy Stoch, Brendan Ryan, William Thorne, Frank Welker, and others also had great supporting roles.

The Broken Lizard crew is back! Hilarious comedy that follows the former boxing heavyweight and owner of a high-end seafood restaurant, "The Slammin' Salmon". When he loses a bet, he needs to restaurant to earn $20,000 in one night to cover his bets, otherwise he'll lose the restaurant. At the same time, he promises a $10,000 bonus to the top waiter of the evening, and the loser will have their spine used as a jump rope by the champ. It's a silly premise, but the hysterical dialogue and development of all the characters makes this film a personal classic for myself. Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Jay Chandrasekhar, April Bowlby, Cobie Smulders, Steve Lemme, and Michael Clarke Duncan all deliver excellent lead performances. Will Forte, Nat Faxon, Jeff Chase, Carla Gallo, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Olivia Munn, Vivica A. Fox, Morgan Fairchild, Lance Henriksen, and others had great supporting roles.

Hilarious comedy from Tamra Davis. While this may be the goofiest of the trio, this is probably my favorite Adam Sandler flick alongside Happy Gilmore (1996) and The Waterboy (1998). My love for 90s Saturday Night Live humor wins me over every time. Hysterical story about a 27-year-old man (boy, actually) that must repeat grades 1–12 all over again to prove to his father he isn't an idiot, and is capable of running his Madison Hotel empire when he retires. Adam Sandler delivered an excellent lead performance. Darren McGavin, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Bradley Whitford, Norm MacDonald, Mark Beltzman, Josh Mostel, Larry Hankin, and Chris Farley all had great roles among the great supporting cast.

Hilarious and underrated sports comedy from hysterical film director David Zucker and South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Great story about two best friends and slackers who invent a sport that's a hybrid of baseball and basketball, called "BASEketball". When the sport goes national and there is serious money to be made, a greedy businessman tries to take control and make changes to the sport for his and the stockholders' benefit. Trey Parker and Matt Stone both deliver hilarious and excellent lead performances. Dian Bachar, Ernest Borgnine, Yasmine Bleeth, Robert Vaughn, Jenny McCarthy, Trevor Einhorn, and many others had great supporting roles.

Hilariously underrated action-packed comedy from Jim Abrahams, and even better than the first Hot Shots film from 1991. This time the story sets up a "Rambo" parody which follows retired Navy pilot Topper Harley jumping back into active duty, and leading a rescue mission into Iraq to rescue the last rescue team, who went in to rescue the rescue team before that, who who went in to rescue hostages left behind after Desert Storm. One of the hostages he must rescue is the husband of his past love, Ramada, who he's never gotten over. Excellent story, and fantastic satire and spoof comedy for similarly clichéd 80s action flicks. Superbly done from start to finish, and it is still a hysterical film today. This is my all-time favorite lead performance from Charlie Sheen. He was phenomenal throughout. Lloyd Bridges, Valeria Golino, Richard Crenna, Brenda Bakke, Miguel Ferrer, Jerry Haleva, Jerry Haleva, Rowan Atkinson, David Wohl, Ryan Stiles, Martin Sheen, and so many others has great roles among the supporting cast.

I loved this first Harold & Kumar film and this one may be even better! John Cho & Kal Penn are a great duo just like Bill & Ted or Jay & Silent Bob. Neil Patrick Harris was great again, as was Danneel Ackles, and Roger Bart. Rob Corddry was one of my favorites as the lead police investigator.

Hysterical comedy from Alan Metter that follows a wealthy and heavyset middle-aged businessman named Thorton Melon who owns a large chain of clothing stores for overweight people. When his son Jason informs him that he wants to drop out of the prestigious college he attends because he doesn't fit in, Thorton informs his nasty and cheating wife that he wants a divorce, and decides it's a great time for a life change, and heads out to attend college alongside his son Jason to help him succeed. And many things hilariously go wrong. Rodney Dangerfield was absolutely fantastic. I'd have to say it's his best lead performance of all time. Hilarious writing and a great story keeps this film in rotation at least once per year for me. It never fails to deliver laughs. Keith Gordon, Sally Kellerman, and Paxton Whitehead also have excellent starring roles. Burt Young, Terry Farrell, Robert Downey Jr., M. Emmet Walsh, Adrienne Barbeau, William Zabka, Ned Beatty, Sam Kinison, and many others had excellent supporting roles.

Fantastic family adventure from Walter Murch. The original Wizard of Oz (1939) is clearly the best in the franchise, but I've always enjoyed this movie a bit more for its thrilling horror appeal, and also because it's not a musical. The story is set in 1899 rural Kansas, and follows Dorothy being admitted to a mental hospital to electronically remove her past troubling memories of Oz, which has given her a severe case of insomnia. After arriving in the hospital, she learns they want to perform dangerous and experimental electroshock treatment to remove her memories. Thanks to a power outage, she escapes from the hospital with help from a mysterious ghostly girl, and is magically swept away to the land of Oz once again. But when she gets there, Oz looks like a wasteland, and she soon learns that the evil woman named Mombi and the Nome King have destroyed the otherworldly land. Dorothy teams up an army robot named Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead, and Gump, and they travel to the Nome King's palace to reverse their actions, and restore her friends Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man to their normal selves, along with the rest of Oz. This was Fairuza Balk's first movie, and she delivered a fantastic lead performance as Dorothy. Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie, Sean Barrett, Denise Bryer, Brian Henson, Lyle Conway, Justin Case, Emma Ridley, Sophie Ward, Fiona Victory, Pons Maar, and others also had great supporting roles.

Overlooked and underrated jazz-inspired war drama that follows a group of best friends that love swing music—which is forbidden in Nazi Germany at the time of World War II. When one of them is caught stealing a radio, he's forced to join a pro-Nazi youth league, and his best friend does the same to support him. Soon the Nazi brainwashing and special privileges exceptional Nazi youths receive put the group of young friends add serious odds that has them all questioning what's right and wrong. Robert Sean Leonard delivers one of his all-time best performances, and Christian Bale also has a superb lead role. Frank Whaley, Barbara Hershey, Tushka Bergen, David Tom, Jayce Bartok, and plenty others have great supporting roles. Superb swinging jazz soundtrack/score included as well.

Severely underrated coming-of-age comedy from Amy Heckerling. Great 90s time capsule about a rich, popular, and beautiful high-school girl who's trying to make the best of her adolescent life. From leading her clique of friends, to transforming the new girl into an admired addition to the school, to playing matchmaker with her teachers to improve her grades, to fashion, boys, partying, drugs, and other typical challenges teenagers face. I had a huge crush on Alicia Silverstone back in the day, and she is absolutely perfect in for this role. Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, and Dan Hedaya all had great roles among the supporting cast.

Hilarious comedy about a totally weird and screwy detective who specialized in finding a rescuing lost pets. He's in for the case of his life when the Miami Dolphins mascot "Snowflake" has been stolen to plague the team with superstition to ensure they'll lose the Super Bowl. Things get even hairier when Dan Marino is kidnapped. This is my favorite performance and character in Jim Carrey's entire filmography. It fits his animated personality perfectly. Courteney Cox, Sean Young, Tone Loc, Dan Marino, Troy Evans, and plenty others had great supporting roles.

Fantastic fantasy adventure from Randal Kleiser that follows a 12-year-old boy named David Freeman who mysteriously goes missing in 1978 when he's walking through the woods and accidentally knocks himself out by falling into a ravine. When he wakes up to walk out of the ravine, the year is 1986. He hasn't aged, nor does he have any memories from the past 8 years. NASA scientists work tirelessly to figure out a link between David and a mysterious spaceship they know very little about. When the spaceship starts to communicate with David telepathically, David is drawn to board the ship that's run by an alien robot, and decides to escape and take the magical ship on an adventure back home. Big nostalgic pick for me, and it's still a great film today. Joey Cramer delivered an excellent lead performance as David, and Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) was superb as the ship's intelligent alien pilot, Max. One of the better of its genre in the 80s. I still enjoy this movie to this day. Cliff De Young, Veronica Cartwright, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matt Adler, and Howard Hesseman all had very nice supporting roles.

I enjoyed the original Jumanji film (1995), but never thought a sequel was in the cards. Fast forward to 2017, and I'd have to say it's better than the original, while being very unique. Definitely my favorite Dwayne Johnson flick. Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan are all presented at their best as well. Great movie and worthy of multiple viewings.

Excellent action-packed drama from Tony Scott that follows US Navy Lieutenant and skilled fighter pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and his RIO Lieutenant Nicholas "Goose" Bradshaw after earning a spot at the prestigious elite flying school "Top Gun" to be trained as the best of the best aviators in the world. Maverick is known for his cocky and daring brand of flying, which catches the attention and concern of his peers and superiors. When tragedy strikes during a dogfighting training exercise, it derails Maverick's life as he attempts pick up the pieces and pursue his dream as a top pilot in his class. I loved this movie growing up, and still do. It absolutely screams "1980s" and has a charm and flair that still makes it wildly entertaining today. Also notable is the soundtrack, which I is arguably the best movie soundtrack ever created. From the opening anthem, to Kenny Loggins, Cheap Trick, Teena Marie, Berlin, Miami Sound Machine, Otis Redding, The Righteous Brothers...it's perfection through and through. Tom Cruise delivers my all-time favorite performance of his. Even if it isn't critically his best, he was perfect for the role. Anthony Edwards, Kelly McGillis, Tom Skerritt, and Val Kilmer also had great starring roles. Meg Ryan, James Tolkan, Michael Ironside, Barry Tubb, Rick Rossovich, John Stockwell, Tim Robbins, Whip Hubley, and others also had great supporting roles.

Contrary to many Star Wars fanatics, I really enjoyed this film. I like it almost as much as The Force Awakens. I'm a sucker for the original characters, and I'm liking the new generation in this series as well. Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac were all great, among others.

Hilarious action-packed comedy adventure/western from Richard Donner loosely based on the 1950s TV show, which follows a charming and quick-witted gambler named Maverick who's traveling across country to enter a winner-take-all poker tournament, and comically runs into many obstacles as he gambles his way to his destination to earn enough money for his entry fee. Mel Gibson as Maverick is one of my favorite characters in cinema. He was superb. Jodie Foster delivers a similarly breath-taking performance as Annabelle Bransford. James Garner (Maverick from the original 1950s TV show) was also excellent. Graham Greene, Alfred Molina, James Coburn, and Max Perlich all had excellent supporting roles.

Unique, action-packed, and underrated Quentin Tarantino crime thriller that sets up two very different correlating stories in which a group of beautiful young women are stalked by a former Hollywood stuntman, who uses his reinforced 1969 Dodge Charger to lure, frighten, and kill his victims. I Love the low budget Grindhouse feel. The dialogue and feel of the film is very different, with lots of unexpected turns and an absolutely superb ending. Kurt Russell delivers one of his best performances in my book. He was awesome. Zoë Bell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Tracie Thoms, and Rose McGowan all has great roles among a solid supporting cast.