THREE NEW ADDITIONS: 1) INHERIT THE WIND, 2) THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES AND 3) 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR

1) INHERIT THE WIND (1960) - Rotten Tomatoes 93% Fresh

Synopsis:

A Clarence Darrow-like attorney defends a young public school teacher in Tennessee when he is arrested for teaching the Theory of Evolution.  The prosecuting attorney is a strict evangelical, and though the two lawyers are friends, they go toe-to-toe in this legal thriller.

Thoughts:

Inherit the Wind is a fictionalized dramatization of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial.  The outcome of that trial opened the door to increased academic freedom, including the latitude to teach the theory of evolution in American public schools.  In the Scopes Monkey Trial (1925), the person arrested for teaching the theory of evolution in violation of a local statute, willingly did so, in order to bring the case to trial.  Inherit the Wind is a fictionalization of that trial.  

2) THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN AND THEIR FLYING MACHINES (1965) - Rotten tomatoes 78% Fresh

Synopsis:

A wealthy British newspaper owner offers and incredible 10,000 pound prize to the first pilot to fly from London to Paris in his paper's 1910 air race.  This enormous purse attracts pilots from all over the world.  And, during this comedic adventure, there are heroes and charlatans, as well as many adventures and misadventures along the way.  

Thoughts:

I have distinct childhood memories linked to this film.  Oh, and on a side note, the planes that fly in this movie are actually faithful  reproductions of the kinds of planes that were around in 1910, and pilots actually flew them during shooting of this picture!

3) 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975) - Rotten Tomatoes 88% Fresh

Synopsis:

Joe Turner is a CIA employee who analyzes print media for the US Government.  When he thinks he may have found an interesting link between a book and several countries, he sends his theory up the chain to Washington.  Then, one day when he returns to the office he discovers that everyone has been murdered.  Following protocol, he calls in the hit, but instead of going in, he is spooked and runs.  Completely at random, he kidnaps a woman and has her take him to her place where he is able to hide.  The big question is whether he can stay alive long enough to figure out who's trying to kill him, and why.

Thoughts:

Robert Redford was a major box office star in 1975 when this movie was released, having starred in other movies including All the President's Men, The Sting, The Way We Were, and Jeremiah Johnson during this same era.  In my opinion, this movie gained less recognition than many of his other films, perhaps because of its R-rating.  Why is it R?  Probably two things pushed it out of being PG-13: 1) There is more than one f-bomb in it; and 2) The level of violence (relatively tame by today's standards) included some shocking gunplay.

IT'S HALLOWEEN. WHAT IF YOU LIKE THE HOLIDAY, BUT YOU DON'T LIKE HORROR MOVIES? WHAT CAN YOU WATCH?

I'm not a fan of the horror movie genre and I watch very few R-rated movies, but Halloween still rolls around every year.  I still kind of like to get into the mood, so, what can I do?  Here is a list of movies that work for me for the Halloween season, listed alphabetically:

• Arsenic and Old Lace
• The Dark Crystal
• Doctor Strange
• Evolution
• The Forgotten
• Ghostbusters
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife
• Gravity Falls (TV show)
• Eureka (TV show)
• The Hunger Games I-IV
• Jaws
• King Kong
• Little Shop of Horrors
• The Mummy
• Night at the Museum
• The Lord of the Rings
• Mars Attacks!
• Maze Runner
• Monsters, Inc.
• Monsters University
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
• The Princess and the Frog
• War of the Worlds (1953)
• War of the Worlds (Cruise)

It's a start anyway :-D.

GIFT HORSE (1952) - Newest addition to the collection...I'm super excited

GIFT HORSE (1952)

Synopsis:

It's 1940 and the UK and it's empire stands alone against the German war machine, and if they don't do something, and soon, they will lose The Battle of the Atlantic.  If they lose The Battle of the Atlantic, they will lose the war.  At this critical time, Churchill and Roosevelt work out a deal where the USA will trade 50 WWI-era destroyers to the British in exchange for some Caribbean Bases.  In the movie, one of these ships is recommissioned as the fictional HMS Ballantrae, and the Royal Navy pulls once-disgraced Lieutenant-Commander Fraser out of civilian life to be her captain.  Fraser has to get his ship into shape and his inexperienced trained so they they can go to sea.  The entire storyline is based very loosely on an actual ship.

Thoughts:

I have been a fan of this movie for a long time!  I think I first saw Gift Horse  when cable channels like TBS, WGN, etc., first aired, and I recorded this movie onto a VHS tape.  The quality of that tape was decent, but when copied it onto a DVD the copy was terrible, and since I no longer had a VCR, I got rid of the original tape. I naively thought that I'd just wait and pick up a DVD someplace when it became available.  That was probably 20 years ago, and it wasn't until this week that I was able to get this on movie as a DVD from a seller on Ebay.  

Imagine my excitement when I popped it into my DVD player, and then imagine my disappointment when it wouldn't play.  Why not?  The disc I was sent is formatted for Region 2 (Europe, Africa, etc.), but NOT for North America (Region 1).  When I double-checked the listing on Ebay, I was correct that there was no indication there about it being Region 2, but as I read on into what can only be described as the fine print about the seller's site, I discovered that all the movies sold at that site are for Region 2 only!  

I sent them a note letting them know how sad I was that this happened, and that I would just keep it because I didn't want to spend the postage to return it.  Imagine my surprise when I got a message the following morning letting me know that they'd issued a full refund!!  I thought about passing it along to a local thrift shop, but then I wondered if I could find an all-region DVD player that wasn't too expensive.  I found one at Amazon for about $35, and with the refund completed, that dropped the net price of the player enough that I bought it to play, basically, just this movie!  Haha, yes, I like this movie that much.  

The interesting thing about this movie is that it's not really that good as movies, go, but it's a great sister movie to other titles coming out of England at the time, such as The Cruel Sea and We Dive at Dawn.  

Now that I have an all-region DVD player, I can look more widely for movies than I could before.  Sadly my new player can play only DVDs.  

Still, I'm smiling!

WHY I LIKE PHYSICAL MEDIA

Without laboring the point, at least too much 😁, there are multiple reasons that I like physical media (e.g., DVDs, BluRays, etc.).  Many of you are probably thinking, "Why are you STILL buying movies on disc!?"  Well, here are some reasons why - based in part on a list I saw at Movienerds4 on FB, but this doesn't make it any less true.

1) I miss the days when I could go to a video store and browse the shelves, hold movies in my hand, read the backs, etc., and then choose whatever struck my fancy at the time.  Since I have my own collection, I can do this anytime I want. 

2) There are no monthly subscription fees to access my collection.

3) There aren't any annoying commercials when I watch my movies.

4) If/when the internet goes down, I can still watch something that I enjoy.

5) My movies will always be there, they don't come and go like they do on a subscription streaming platform. 

6) Most movies include special features that aren't available when you stream.  BTW, one of my favorite sets of special features is the one that comes with A Knight's Tale.  

7) Buying discs and maintaining my own library allows me to support the film industry and, at the same time, keep at least some discs from ending up in a landfill.

8) I love movies! 

I'm not saying that everyone should feel the same way that I do about physical media, but these are some of the reasons why I'm a fan.  

Happy Watching!!

Inexpensive DIY shelving for physical media - movies, music, games, paperback books, etc.

Plans and directions for building simple DIY shelves for physical media:

I built these shelves in Spring 2025 using mainly reclaimed lumber.  The basic design is not original to me, but I was so impressed by this design that I decided to build some myself.  I think that the first place I saw the basic idea and demonstration of how to build shelves like these was at a Youtube channel called Cereal at Midnight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k7Tt8zJBkc) so I'll give them a shout-out.

These shelves are AWESOME!  Why didn't I build these sooner!?

Shelves like these can hold DVDs, BluRays, CDs, video game cases or even paperback books.  I designed my shelving unit to have a shelf to shelf vertical spacing of 8.5" to accommodate standard DVD cases as well as BluRays, CDs, video games, etc.

The way these shelves work is that the bottom of disc cases rest on the top of the cross-pieces, and the spine of the cases rest against the wall (you'll see...read on).

The plans for my shelves/space are 54" tall and 76.5" wide, and provide ~36 linear feet or ~11 meters of shelf space, including the top being used as a shelf.  When I wrote this, my shelves held mixture of 862 BluRay cases, standard and slim DVD cases and boxed sets of various widths.  I use standard bookends for discs on the top shelf.

The beauty of these shelves is that you can make yours to easily fit into any available space.  Mine, for example, are in a closet. 

Though I didn't have to deal with these for my project, make sure that any plans you draw up allow access to light switches and power outlets.

Here's how to build the shelves:

STEP 1: PLANNING  

Here are the plans I drew up for my shelves, custom-fit for the space I had available (that drafting class I had in HS came through for me :-D).  

Note: Distances between the upright posts can be any width you prefer, but be advised that once they get wider than about 3', the cross pieces will start to sag under the weight of the discs they support.  I opted for vertical posts with spacing of about 2'.  The 2' shelf widths also lined up with the shelf supports that were already in place in the closet where I built my shelves.

STEP 2: MATERIALS AND PREPARATION 

These are the materials I used to make my shelves - all the wood and the L-brackets were reclaimed from an old wooden bed frame.

MATERIALS LIST:

Wood

4 - 53" 2x4s

4 - 52" 1x2s

4 - 24.5" 1x2s

2 - 76.5" 1x4s

Hardware

8 L-brackets (two for each 2x4 upright - any size L-bracket will work, their job is to attach the 2x4s to the wall, not bear weight)

Drywall anchor sleeves and screws (for attaching the L-brackets to the wall)

1 1/2" Wood screws (for attaching 1x2 cross pieces to the 2x4 uprights)

3/8" Tapered wood plugs to cover countersunk screw heads

One 8.5" long board that I used to measure shelf heights 

Tools

Jig saw

Power drill 

Drill bits

Screwdriver bits

Level

Hammer

Clamp (you won't need this if you have someone helping you)

 

STEP 3: ASSEMBLY

1) Cut wood to length 

2) Cut a notch in one end of each 2x4 to accommodate the wall's baseboard (see the photo below)

3) Attach the L-brackets to the 2x4s (two per board)

4) Use drywall sleeves and screws to attach each 2x4 to the wall - be sure to use a level to make sure they are perfectly vertical.

Note: I ran into a problem during this step.  I thought my drywall was attached to a standard framed wall, but it was attached to the inner cement wall of my house's foundation, and my drill struck cement only about 1" in.  So, I used some side cutters to clip off the tips of the drywall sleeves to that length (see photo below).  After drilling pilot holes for them, I tapped the drywall sleeves into place, and inserted 1" screws through the L-brackets' holes, and it worked great!

5) You can see the vertical 2x4 posts attached to the wall in the photo below.  As you work, be sure to measure twice, level twice, mark once and drill once so you don't end up causing unnecessary damage to your wall.

6) Attach one end of one of the 76.5" 1"x4" boards to the base of the vertical 2x4 post at one end of the shelves, and then, after checking with a level, attach the other end.  Once that's done, insert a screw through the baseboard into the other upright 2x4 posts.  The baseboard keeps the discs off of the floor, and keeps them from picking up dirt or carpet fuzz.

7) Attach the horizontal 1x2 cross pieces as shown in the photos below.  I strongly recommend drilling pilot holes for each wood screw. If you don't do this, the 1x2s have a tendency to split.  If you are working solo (like I did) you can support one end of a 1x2 with a clamp, and keep the vertical spacing between shelves consistent by using a vertical spacer/template (mine was 8.5" tall).  After you tack one end of a 1x2 in place, go to the other end, use the vertical spacer and a level to make sure it's at the right height and then drill a pilot hole and tack it into place.  Repeat this procedure for each 1x2 cross-piece. 

8) Attach the other 76.5" 1"x4" board to the top of the shelf unit, drilling pilot holes down into the top of each vertical 2x4 post. 

At this point, if you don't mind seeing exposed screw heads, tighten all screws and you're done.  But, if you prefer a more finished look, then do the following to add wood plugs to cover the screw heads. 

9) Remove each screw connecting 1x2 cross pieces, one at a time, and use a 3/8" drill bit to counter-sink each drilled hole to a depth of no more than 1/2".  Then reinsert the screw and seat is securely.  Next, gently tap a 3/8" tapered wood plug into the countersunk space (see the photo below).  These plugs can be glued into place as well, but I didn't see a reason to do this.  Repeat for each exposed screw.  

COST:

I already had the lumber and most of the hardware, so I only needed to buy wall anchors and wood plugs, so my total cost was about $10.00.

If you need to buy everything, including lumber and hardware then, based on prices at Home Depot in Oct 2026, and for the least expensive pine board and furring strips, shelves this size would cost ABOUT $60 for the cheapest pine boards.

YOU'RE DONE!

THE FINISHED SHELVES

My plans, including using the top as an additional shelf, yield ~36 feet or 10.97 meters of shelf space.  This is enough space for about 785 regular sized DVD cases, 915 BluRay cases or 1570 slim DVD cases.

You can, of course, paint or stain your shelves, but since mine live in a closet where the doors are normally closed, I opted to leave the wood in my shelves unfinished.

I use Libib.com to curate my movie collection - it's free and it's awesome!

I thoroughly enjoy having a physical media movie collection.  It grew from a few movies that I recorded off of broadcast television onto VHS tapes back in the 1980s, then updating my collection to DVDs, BluRays, etc., since then. Interestingly, I don't consider myself to be a movie collector.  Instead, I think of myself as a movie watcher who has a library of titles who enjoys watching, and watching movies again. 

I'll tell you why I prefer physical media in a future posting, but in this one I'll tell you about how I curate and keep track of my movie library.  

How I house my movie library:

There are currently about 900 titles in my collection.  This number is constantly in flux, because I routinely add new titles and cull out titles that I no longer watch.  My library includes about 100 children's movies about 800 for grown-ups. I house these two groups of movies in separate locations.  

I keep the children's movies in the TV stand (see below).  This arrangement puts the younger crew's movies in easy reach, and makes it so they can easily see their options all at once.

I keep the rest of my library in a set of DIY shelves.  Once this shelving unit was assembled and filled, this was the first time in many years that my movie collection was together in one location instead of being housed in multiple locations.  I love it!!  This way I can there and stare at my entire collection - like a teenager standing in front of an open refrigerator, looking for their next snack 😁!

Note: I will post step-by-step instructions and a materials list about how to build these DIY shelves in a future posting.  

How I keep track of the contents of my movie library:

I know that some people have physical media collections that are MUCH larger than mine, but for me this isn't a competition.  Anyway, I shelve ALL of my discs alphabetically, regardless of format.  This makes it easy to find a title, as well as making it easy to re-shelve discs after watching them.

As for keeping track of what's in my collection, I used to rely on WORD documents to curate my collection, but in 2019 I switched to an online digital library management database called Libib (https://www.libib.com).  Libib offers a free-access version that includes all the features that I need.  It's also intuitive to use, and I like that!

Here are some of the particularly useful features of Libib:

1. It has a built-in feature that lets me easily add titles.
2. Even the free version allows me to have multiple libraries (movies, games, books, music, etc.) if I want them.
3. I can edit a movie title and description, as well as many other things within each entry.  I can also write my own reviews.
4. I can add my own tags that the database then uses to filter titles during a search. I use the list of movie genres found on Rottentomatoes.com.  Note: Tags need to be added manually.
5. It lets me add a rating for each movie.  This could be a personal rating system or something else.  I chose to use Rottentomatoes.com freshness scores, adjusted to Libib's 5-star rating scale.
6. Libib lets me view movies as a list, by movie cover art, or a summary that includes cover art and the movie summary. 
7. The entire library can be viewed alphabetically, by rating, in the order they were added to the database, as well as by movie release date or creator (assuming this info is included in the movie description).
8. It also lets me keep track of the number of times I watched a movie, and the date/s that a movie was watched. 

Another real benefit to me of using Libib is that if I'm out and about and I see a movie someplace, I can open Libib on my phone and do a quick search to see if I already have it.

 

BTW, the image below is a screen capture that shows what a Libib entry looks like after I've added a rating and search tags:

So, there you have it.  

    

MY 20 FAVORITE KIDS & FAMILY MOVIES (Listed alphabetically)

MY 20 FAVORITE KIDS & FAMILY MOVIES (Listed alphabetically)

The kids & family genre includes movies that amuse children and keep them safe, and can appeal to viewers of all ages.

As with any list, this one is in constant flux, but this is where I am as of this writing.

• A BUG'S LIFE (1998) - When the ants' payment to the grasshoppers is lost, one lone ant volunteers to leave the colony and go in search of help.
• CHICKEN RUN (2000) - A chicken is bound and determined to help her sister chickens escape from the farm before they become chicken pot pies.
• COCO (2017) - A young boy dreams of playing the guitar and singing, but his family forbids it.  
• ELLA ENCHANTED (2004) - A fairy gives baby Ella the gift of obedience, so she must do whatever she is told to do.  Then things go terribly wrong when her secret is out. 
• FINDING NEMO (2003) - A timid clownfish leaves the safety of the reef and goes on a quest to find his only child when he is captured by a SCUBA diver.
• HERCULES (1997) - Baby Hercules is kidnapped and turned mortal, so he can no longer live on Mt Olympus.  When he learns who he really is, he dreams of becoming a hero so he can go home. 
• ICE AGE (2002) - A baby is found by the unlikely duo of a mammoth and a sloth who decide to return the baby to its people.
• INSIDE OUT (2015) - The inner workings of a young girl's brain at work is revealed.
• KID, THE (2000) - The 8-year old self version of himself shows up at his house, a high-powered executive does everything he can think of to get him back to his own time.
• LEGO MOVIE, THE (2014) - Emmett learns that he may be THE SPECIAL, the only one who can  save his town and his world.
• MULAN (1998) - A young woman pretends to be a man to take her father's place in the army, and she's helped by a tiny dragon that is one of her family's guardians. 
• PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS (2012) - The Pirate Captain longs to win the coveted Pirate of the Year award, so he and is rag-tag crew set sail in search of booty only to cross paths with Charles Darwin!
• SECONDHAND LIONS (2003) - A timid teenage boy is left with his two great uncles who, rumor has it, are incredibly rich.  
• SHEEP DETECTIVES, THE (2026) - A British shepherd dies unexpectedly, and his sheep realize that it's up to them to figure out what happened.
• SURF'S UP (2007) - A spunky young penguin is invited to participate in a big surfing contest where he makes friends and solves a mystery.
• TOY STORY 1-3 (1995, 1999, 2010) - Andy loves his toys, but he has no idea than when no one else is in the room, they come alive!
• UP (2009) - A widower sets out to keep a promise he made to his wife, to go to South America. 
• WALL-E (2008) - During hundreds of years alone, Wall-E has developed a personalty of his own, and when he sees a survey robot named Eva, he is smitten!
• WALLACE AND GROMIT - 3 ADVENTURES (1990) - Inventor Wallace and his brilliant dog Gromit have adventures going to the moon, crossing paths with a thieving penguin, and running afoul of a sinister robot dog and its beautiful owner.  
• WRECK-IT RALPH (2012) - The bad guy from a classic video game finally gets fed up and jumps games to try to win a medal as a hero.

MY 25 FAVORITE BIOGRAPHICAL MOVIES

MY 25 FAVORITE BIOGRAPHICAL MOVIES

The biographical or biopic genre dramatizes a real life person or group of people.

As with all favorite lists, this one lists my favorites as of this posting.

1. MONEYBALL (2011) - Billy Beane is the General Manager of the Oakland A's MBL team.  Immediately following a successful season, his star players are lured away by other teams that have larger budgets.  Billy soon realizes that he will have to do something significantly different in order to compete in the future.  And if this works, it could change the entire game of professional baseball.
2. HIDDEN FIGURES (2016) - Three brilliant African American women work at NASA in Virginia in the 1960s, and they end up playing crucial roles in the development of America's space program.
3. THE KING'S SPEECH (2010) - The Duke of York, second in line for the throne of England, stutters horribly.  And when the King dies and his older brother appears to be shirking his royal duties, he tries yet again to find a cure for his stuttering by meeting with an Australian speech therapist.  
4. PINBALL: THE MAN WHO SAVED THE GAME (2022) - A young man who loves and is VERY good at playing pinball moves from Wisconsin to NYC where he is shocked to find that pinball is illegal in the city, and in many other cities across the county.  While is writing a book about the game, he is convinced to testify before the BYC City Council in a bid to have the ban removed.
5. 42: THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY (2013) - Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers decides to sign Jackie Robinson in 1947, breaking the race barrier in Major League Baseball.
6. Tolkien (2019) - Biopic of JRR Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, dramatizing his life and depicting places and experiences of his that helped to frame that accomplishment.
7. CREATION (2009) - A biopic of Charles Darwin, years after his return from the voyage of The Beagle, strives to balance family life, his health, and his friends and associates who pressure him to finish writing his book, On the Origin of Species.
8. ENEMY AT THE GATES (2001) - A young Soviet soldier, Vassily Zeitzev, arrives at the Battle of Stalingrad where he is promoted to sniper division, and is used as a tool for positive propaganda, only to gain the attention of the German army, who sends their best snipe to Stalingrad to kill him.
9. CHASING MAVERICKS (2012) - Biopic of Jay Moriarity, a young surfer from Santa Cruz, CA, whose goal is to ride the massive waves at Mavericks.  But he knows that he needs help and finally convinces a local surf legend/guru to train him to ride it and survive it.
10. THE IMITATION GAME (2014) - During the first few years of WWII, the German U-Boats are winning the Battle of the Atlantic.  Great Britain recruits mathematician Alan Turing who leads a team working to break the Germans' unbreakable Enigma code.
11. EDDIE THE EAGLE (2015) - A non-athletic British boy dreams of being in the Olympic games, but all avenues to that appear to be closed until he discovers ski jumping. 
12. OCTOBER SKY (1999) - In the 1950s, Homer Hickam is a teenager living in a small W Virginia mining town where young men can either hope to earn a football scholarship and get out of town or graduate from HS and then work in the coal mines.  Homer, however, dreams of rockets and space.  And he and a small group of outcasts called the Rocket Boys build and fly their own rockets and enter their work in the local science fair.
13. ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) - A single mother gets a job as a file clerk for an attorney and she discovers documents that leads to a legal decision where a major corporation is held liable for environmental contamination and the medical problems it causes.
14. CINDERELLA MAN (2005) - James J. Braddock was a heavyweight boxer in the 1930s, but during the Great Depression, he breaks right wrist hand and has to step out of the ring, finding work where he can, day-to-day, until some time later a boxer has to back out of a fight and a promoter needs someone. This fight leads to a second phase of his boxing career, and a heavy-weight title match.
15. SEABISCUIT (2003) - A successful business man faces depression when he experiences the death of his son and his wife leaves him.  He then decides to buy a racehorse named Seabiscuit that initially shows little promise, but during the Great Depression of the 1930s, he becomes an inspiration to many.
16. A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001) - Biopic of John Forbes Nash, Jr., a brilliant mathematician who's mathematical and economic insights could change their fields.  However, Nash experiences schizophrenia.
17. AMAZING GRACE (2006) William Wilberforce leads the fight to make slavery illegal in the 1800s British Empire.
18. ONE AGAINST THE WIND (1991) - An American who married into a French title, The Countess Mary Lindell, takes in a British Officer on the run from the Germans, nurses him back to health and creates her own underground pipeline for helping allied air crews to escape to freedom.
19. CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981) - The story of the 1912 British Olympic track team.
20. ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE (2007) - Queen Elizabeth must protect her country from enemies at home and abroad, and prepare it against attack and invasion from the Spanish Armada.
21. THE BLIND SIDE (2009) - Dramatization of the humble origins of Michael Oher, and the role of an affluent family helping him reach the NFL.
22. THE FABLEMANS (2022) - Quasi-autobiographical telling of the experiences of a young Steven Spielberg and his family.
23. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) - How a British officer helps the bedouins of the Middle East bond together, fight against the Ottomans and fight for their own freedom during WWI.
24. BRIAN'S SONG (1971) - The story and friendship of two rookie NFL players, Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers.
25.  SAVING MR. BANKS (2013) - The story of the making of the Disney classic, Mary Poppins.

MY 20 FAVORITE ROMCOM MOVIES

MY 20 FAVORITE ROMCOM MOVIES

The romcom genre is defined by storylines where there is a humorous/lighthearted tone as the main characters pursue romance, and there is a happy ending.

As with any favorites list, this one is subject to change, but this is where things rate with me right now.

1. DAN IN REAL LIFE (2007) - A grieving widower's life centers on his three daughters and the advice column he writes for the local newspaper, until he crosses paths with a woman and they both feel an immediate connection, but when she appears at the family's annual reunion, he discovers that she is his brother's new girlfriend.
2. BLAST FROM THE PAST (1999) - A man who was born in a bomb shelter after his parents thought that there was a nuclear war emerges for the first time when he's 30 with instructions to buy supplies and find a nice girl to bring back down with him.
3. SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (1993) - A widower and his son move from Chicago to Seattle where they start a new life, but things take a strange turn when his son calls into a radio talk show where the main theme is hope and love.
4. YOU'VE GOT MAIL (1998) - The owner of a children's bookstore in NYC doesn't know if her business can survive the opening of a new discount bookstore just around the corner.  Then, possible hope arrives in the form of an anonymous friend online who gives here encouragement and advice.
5. RETURN TO ME (2000) - A man loses his wife in an automobile accident, and her heart is used to save the life of another woman.  Later, the man and the woman who has his wife's heart met and start to fall in love.
6. ELIZABETHTOWN (2005) - A young man whose promising career has just tanked has to go to his father's small hometown to take care of the funeral arrangements.  While there, he meets a wide assortment of his father's family and friends, and a highly unusual flight attendant.
7. JUST LIKE HEAVEN (2005) - A young, ambitious doctor has an automobile accident and is in a coma.  In the meantime, the only person who can see her is the man who is now renting her apartment until the family decides what to do.
8. JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO (1990) - A hypochondriac with a terrible job and a diagnosis of a terminal condition accepts an offer from a rich tycoon to travel to the south seas and jump into a volcano in a tiny island in exchange for a wealthy lifestyle until that happens.  Everything seems to be going to plan until he meets the tycoon's two daughters. Meg Ryan plays three roles! 
9. NEW IN TOWN (2009) - A high powered Miami executive travels to Minnesota to first implement changes to a factory there, and then to close it down. In the meantime, she and the local head of the union start to get to know each other.
10. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (1995) - A lonely NYC subway token taker dreams of love with the dream man who comes through her station every day.  Then, one day, he's mugged and falls onto the tracks.  She jumps down there and saves him, but he's in a coma.  She's mistaken for his fiance and things get complicated.
11.  FREE GUY (2021) - A non-player character in a popular video game dreams of love, but has reconciled himself to the fact that it will never happen, until he spots a first-person player and feels like he must talk to her.
12. 50 FIRST DATES (2004) - The swinging vet at a Hawaiian marine animal park vows that he will never fall for a local girl, but one day he crosses paths with a woman that he finds enchanting, only to learn that she has short-term memory loss, so he has to try to make her fall in love with him every day.
13. RAISING HELEN (2004) - A free-spirited career woman is named guardian of her sister's children when her sister and her husband die tragically.  She doesn't know the first thing about rearing children, but with the help of her other sister and a handsome pastor, she starts to figure things out.
14. GROUNDHOG DAY (1993) - A self-centered weatherman finds himself trapped in a time loop and he relives the same day, Groundhog Day, over and over and over again.  Along the way, he learns to look outward and to develop himself, and to start to plan and dream of a life with his producer.
15. THE PROPOSAL (2009) - The executive assistant to a powerful book editor finds himself in a tough spot when his Canadian editor learns that her visa is expired and she will have to leave the USA, unless she marries a citizen, so she makes a proposal to him.  Things go sideways when he takes her home, to Alaska, to meet his family.
16. SWEET HOME ALABAMA (2002) - A local girl who made it big in NYC comes home to finalize the divorce from her first husband so she can marry her new love, the NYC mayor's son.  Once back home, however, she stirs things up until her husband will sign.
17. HOUSESITTER (1992) - A very unusual and free-spirited woman ends up living in a house that an architect built for another woman, but who rejected him.  When the local townsfolk and his family are led to believe that they are engaged, things get extremely interesting.
18. FLY ME TO THE MOON (2024) - The work-obsessed launch director at Cape Canaveral is thrown off of his game when a beautiful woman and her assistant are hired to sell upcoming mission to the moon to the American people.
19. ROXANNE (1987) - The chief of a small mountain town's volunteer fire department dreams of love, but he believes that his oversized nose makes this a hopeless hope, and then the beautiful Roxanne comes to town for the summer.
20. MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002) - An orthodox Greek woman dreams of a life outside of her parents' restaurant.  Then she gets permission to take night classes, and goes to work in her aunt's travel agency where she meets a handsome non-Greek man.  Sparks fly.

A LIST OF MY GUILTY PLEASURE MOVIES - TERRIBLE MOVIES THAT I WATCH AGAIN AND AGAIN!

 Haha!!  No, not THAT kind of guilty pleasure 🫣 😆!

This list includes movies that I enjoy that, at least according to the Rotten Tomatoes movie review site freshness ratings are quite rotten.  

• Movies at RT that earn a composite score below 60% from their certified reviewers are rated as ROTTEN = rotten.
• Movies at RT rated 60-74% are rated as FRESH = good.
• Movies at RT rated 75% or higher are CERTIFIED FRESH = really good!

So, for the purposes of this post, I define my guilty pleasure movies as those that are rated 50% or lower on RT and that I've watched multiple times.  Here they are, along with their RT ratings, in order, from more rotten to less rotten:

1. Down Periscope 11% - comedy, military
2. Timeline 13% - adventure, sci-fi, thriller
3. Rustler's Rhapsody 15% - comedy, western
4. Elizabethtown 27% - romcom
5. New in Town 28% - romcom
6. The Monuments Men 30% - drama, military, true story
7. Passengers 30% - adventure, drama, romance, sci-fi
8. Chasing Mavericks 32% - adventure, biography, drama, sports
9. Johnny English 33% - comedy, crime
10. Xanadu 33% - fantasy, musical/music
11. Undercover Blues 37% - comedy, crime
12. Sahara 37% - action, adventure 
13. Young Einstein 38% - comedy
14. Gunless 40% - comedy, western
15. The Big Year 41% - comedy, true story
16. Goal! 43% - drama, sports
17. Yes Man 44% - comedy
18. The A-Team 48% - action, adventure, military, mystery
19. The Kid (Bruce Willis) 49% - comedy, fantasy, romance

Are these really terrible?  You'll have to watch them and decide for yourself.  And, if they are terrible, are they still worth watching?  Best wishes!

MY 10 FAVORITE SUPERHERO MOVIES

MY 10 FAVORITE SUPERHERO MOVIES

The superhero genre is defined by stories that focus on individuals, usually who wear some sort of costume, that have extraordinary powers or technological capabilities that they use to fight evil and protect the public.  

As with any favorites list, this one is subject to change, but this is where things rate with me right now.

Note: When it comes to superhero movies, I prefer stories that don't take themselves too seriously, and often have a healthy dose of humor mixed in.

1. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014) - A man finds a valuable alien artifact, and then works with a rag-tag team to try to survive long enough to sell it. 
2. ANT-MAN (2015) - An engineer/ex-con steals a suit that has the ability to shrink the wearer, which opens up interesting possibilities.
3. FLASH GORDON (1980) - An NFL quarterback blasts into space in an attempt to save the earth.
4. CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019) - A female USAF pilot wakes up on another planet where she's been trained to be a warrior. 
5. THOR: RAGNAROK (2017) - Thor strives to save his home world of Asgard from his ambitious sister who appears after Odin dies, as well as from its apocalyptic destruction known as Ragnarok.   
6. ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018) - The Ant-Man and his new partner, The Wasp, work with Hank Pym to build a quantum tunnel to see of they can find Hank's wife who may still be alive in the quantum realm.
7. IRONMAN (2008) - A business mogul/weapons manufacturer is captured by a terrorist cell and he is forced to build them a powerful missile. Instead he builds a metal suit that he uses to escape. 
8. MEGAMIND (2010) - Super villain Megamind faces off against Superhero Metro Man for control of the city. 
9. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011) - During WWII, Howard Stark invents a formula that can convert anyone into a super soldier, and a secret Nazi group known as Hydra arises.  
10. BLACK WIDOW (2021) - Former Avenger Natasha Romonoff, comes out of hiding in an attempt to destroy the facility and the person who turned her and many other girls/women into assassins. 

MY 20 FAVORITE THRILLER MOVIES

MY 20 FAVORITE THRILLER MOVIES

The thriller genre is defined by a story that keeps the viewer on edge of their seat by generating an atmosphere of suspense, tension or anxiety.

As with any favorites list, this one is subject to change, but this is where things rate with me right now.

1. THIRTEEN DAYS (2000) - The world teeters on the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis
2. THE COURIER (2020) - a British businessman is recruited to make contact with a Russian who claims to have vital intelligence during the period leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis
3. CRIMSON TIDE (1995) - a US ballistic missile submarine sorties when a nationalist military leader attempts a coup in Russia.
   
4. ARRIVAL (2016) - UFOs appear around the world and nations scramble to determine what they are and what their intentions may be.  
5. PRESSURE (2026) - General Eisenhower and his military council must decide whether to give the order for the Normandy Invasion to proceed or not, but that depends entirely on what the weather forecast may be.
6. THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) - A Soviet admiral and his officers attempt decide to defect to the west and take their new ballistic missile submarine with them. 
7. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (2013) - A commercial ship is boarded by pirates off of the horn of Africa.
8. CONTAGION (2011) - CDC and UN medical personnel are dispatched to respond to an outbreak.
9. CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994) - A US President acts out of anger and illegally sends an elite military unit into Columbia to target the cartel.        
10. DEEP IMPACT (1998) - A large meteorite is on a collision course with earth.
11. WARGAMES (1983) - A boy hacks into a military central computer.
12. SNEAKERS (1992) - A security specialist finds himself targeted by organized crime.
13. THE FINEST HOURS (2016) - An oil tanker breaks up off of the Atlantic coast in the 1950s, and a small US Coastguard boat is dispatched to rescue the crew.
14. BRIDGE OF SPIES (2015) - A US lawyer is sent to East Germany to try to negotiate the exchange of downed spy pilot Gary Powers for a soviet agent. 
15. THE ITALIAN JOB (2003) - A group of thieves who carry out a sophisticated heist band together again to carry out a mission of revenge.
16. THE SUM OF ALL FEARS (2002) - A Neo-Nazi group detonates a nuclear weapon in the US, and the President thinks the Russians were behind it. 
17. PATRIOT GAMES (1992) - A former marine in London disrupts the kidnapping of a member of the royal family by the IRA, and as a result he and his family become a target themselves. 
18. BREACH (2007) - A young FBI agent is tasked with spying on his new boss in an attempt to catch him in the act of passing secrets to the Soviets/Russians. 
19. PAYCHECK (2003) - A tech mogul hires a brilliant engineer to back engineer a new piece of hardware, but at the same time, the engineer suspects that more is happening than meets the eye. 
20. RUNAWAY JURY (2003) - A man maneuvers himself to be named to a jury that is hearing a gun-rights case.

MY 25...ok 26 FAVORITE MILITARY/WAR MOVIES

MY 25...ok 26 FAVORITE MILITARY/WAR MOVIES

As with any favorites list, this one is subject to change, but this is where things rate with me right now.

1. ENEMY AT THE GATES (2001) - Vassili Zeitsev is a top Soviet sniper that the Red Army uses for positive propaganda, but the Germans send their top sniper to eliminate him. 
2.  MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (2003) - During the Napoleonic War, a British captain is ordered to sink or capture a large French privateer.  
3. FLYBOYS (2006) - During WWI, adventurous young Americans travel to France and join the Lafayette Escadrille, a unit of fighter pilots fighting for the French. 
4. BAND OF BROTHERS (2001) - This miniseries tracks Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division, during WWII from their training through the end of the war.
5. PLATOON (1986) - A young man drops out of college and volunteers for combat in the infantry in Vietnam.  
6. MASTERS OF THE AIR (2024) - This miniseries tracks the missions and people of the 100th Bomber Group, Eighth US Air Force from their arrival in England through the end of WWII.  
7. HORNBLOWER - The eight movie series from A&E (1998) - Young Horatio Hornblower is a new midshipman in the Royal Navy, and the series follows his adventures through his becoming a commander.
8. THE IMITATION GAME (2014) - Alan Turing heads a top secret British Army unit tasked with breaking the German Enigma code during WWII.
9. TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2022) - Pete Mitchell is ordered back to TOP GUN to train the Navy's best pilots to carry out a mission to destroy an enemy country's unsanctioned nuclear fuel enrichment facility.
10. THE MONUMENTS MEN (2014) - A group of artists, sculptures, etc., form a special unit tasked with finding and returning stolen works of art during WWII.
11. DAS BOOT (1981) - A German war correspondent is assigned to sail with the U-96 on its next patrol so he can experience life aboard a u-boat firsthand.  
12. BATTLE OF BRITAIN (1969) - After the fall of France during WWII, Great Britain is the only country opposing the Germans in the west.  Before the Germans can cross the channel and invade, however, they must first neutralize the Royal Air Force.  
13. THE CRUEL SEA (1953) - During WWII, a merchant-marine captain is called back into naval service and given command of an convoy escort ship.  He must get his ship and his inexperienced crew ready for action.  
14. GETTYSBURG (1993) - The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E Lee moves into Pennsylvania where they hope to find and destroy the Union Army of the Potomac, and end the war.  The armies clash near the town of Gettysburg, PA, and, after a 3-day battle, the southern army is forced to withdraw, thus changing the tide of the war in the east. 
15. CRIMSON TIDE (1995) - The captain of a US ballistic missile submarine and his new exec officer sail in response to rising tensions driven by an attempted coup in Russia.  
16. THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) - A soviet naval admiral and his officers plan to defect and turn their new missile submarine over to the Americans.  The Soviets will do anything to stop them.
17. THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE (2024) - Based on recently declassified personal documents of Winston Churchill, this movie portrays Britain's first military black-ops mission during WWII.
18. ONE AGAINST THE WIND (1991) - A British officer is taken in by a French woman after British arms is defeated during the early days of WWII.  She then nurses him back to health and helps him escape back to England.
19. DUNKIRK (2017) - The bulk of the British Expeditionary Force has its back against the sea at the small port of Dunkirk, France, and England needs to save their army or risk German invasion.
20. THE PATRIOT (2000) - A widowed father and veteran of the French and Indian Wars living in 1770s South Carolina initially opposes war with England, but takes up arms after his son is killed. 
21. TORA! TORA! TORA! (1970) - A the outbreak of WWII. the Imperial Japanese Navy plans and carries out a surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet in Hawaii. 
22. THE GIFT HORSE (1952) - A former Royal Navy officer is called back into duty during WWII, and is ordered to take command of one of the 50 WWI-era destroyers the US is lending to Great Britain.   
23. HACKSAW RIDGE (2016) - A conscientious objector/medic is subjected to intensive abuse by his commanding officers and NCOs, but once his unit gets to Korea, he demonstrates exemplary courage when he rescues several of the men in his unit then they come under fire. 
24. TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH (1949) - In the early days of the strategic bombing campaign during WWII, a general is assigned to take command of a bomber group that has taken terrible losses and is experiencing extremely low morale.
25. THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963) - During WWII, the German Luftwaffe builds a special camp to house the most troublesome group of downed allied aircrew POWs, but these men carry on and work out an elaborate escape plan.   
26. THE LONGEST DAY (1962) - British, American and Canadian forces land on five beaches in Normandy, during the D-Day invasion of France. 

MY 25 FAVORITE COMEDY MOVIES

MY 25 FAVORITE COMEDY MOVIES

The comedy movie genre focuses on dialog, characters or absurd situations that amuse audiences and ideally elicit laughter. 

As with any favorites list, this one is subject to change, but this is where things rate with me right now.

1. MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975) - Witless King Arthur travels across England in search of knights to join him, and they are then given a mission from God, to find the Holy Grail.
2. GALAXY QUEST (1999) - A group of has-been actors are mistaken by aliens for the characters they played on a Star Trek-like TV show, and ask them for their help. 
3. YOUNG EINSTEIN (1988) - Albert Einstein, of Tasmania, splits a beer atom and puts bubbles into beer.  His father sends him to the mainland to patent his formula, E=mc^2, where he has many adventures.
4. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (2004) - This is a glimpse into the sad and hilarious life and times of high school student Napoleon Dynamite, who goes to Preston HS, Idaho. 
5. SCHOOL OF ROCK (2003) - An out of work rock musician needs some cash, so he impersonates his roommate and accepts a job as a substitute teacher at an elite prep elementary school, where he discovers that students in his class are talented musicians that he tricks into being his band in a competition for a large cash prize.
6. ONE CRAZY SUMMER (1986) - New HS graduates spent the summer on Nantucket Island where they have misadventures and hope to find love.
7. DOWN PERISCOPE (1996) - A brilliant, but completely unorthodox US naval officer is given command of an old diesel submarine, is given a crew of complete misfits, and is ordered to carry out a series of war games against the modern US nuclear navy.
8. GUNLESS (2010) - A western gunslinger finds himself in a tiny western Canadian town, and when he has a run-in with the local blacksmith and he tries to call him out for a gunfight, he discovers to his complete amazement that no one in the entire town owns a handgun.
9. PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (1987) - Marketing executive Neal Page gets stuck with shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith when their travel plans to awry and all they want to go is get to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving.
10. A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983) - A young boy dreams and schemes to get his hands on the holy grail of Christmas presents, a Red Ryder BB gun.
11. BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (1989) - Bill and Ted get help from Rufus, someone from the future, who puts them on the right path to pass their senior history exam. 
12. HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (2000) - The Grinch HATES the Whos, and this Christmas, he decides that he's going to get them once and for all by stealing Christmas.
13. JOJO RABBIT (2019) - Jojo, a 10-year old German boy has a make-believe friend - Adolf Hitler, is excited that he's now old enough to join the Hitler Youth.  But his world turns upside down when he discovers a Jewish girl hiding in their house.  
14. FREE GUY (2021) - Guy is an non-player character in a video game, but he's also actual AI.  He feels like his life is incomplete, that is until he meets his special someone.
15. BLAST FROM THE PAST (1999) - A man is born and spends his first 30 years in a bomb shelter when his parents believe that there has been a nuclear war.  Then, when the bomb shelter's timed door locks open, he is sent up to get supplies, find a nice girl and come back down. 
16. DUCK SOUP (1933) - The Marx Brothers wreak havoc on the county of Fredonia when Groucho is named its new leader.
17. UNDERCOVER BLUES (1993) - A married couple are spies, but the have a baby and are off of the active duty roster when their boss calls the back into service to find and help capture a former Czech arms dealer.
18. REAL GENIUS (1985) - A 14-year old whiz kid is accepted to college and is assigned to help solve the power problem for a super laser only to discover that all is not as it seems.
19. BETTER OFF DEAD (1985) - A high school student is dumped by his girlfriend and he's willing to do anything to get her back.
20. THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS/IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS! (2012) - The Pirate Captain has never won the Pirate of the Year Award, but he believes that this is his year, so he sets sail with his rag-tag crew in search of bootie where they cross paths with Charles Darwin.
21. STRANGE BREW (1983) - Two witness Canadian brothers, whose who life centers on finding beer, get jobs at a brewery where they make a terrible discovery.
22. THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN (1976) - Bumbling Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau has misstep after misstep, each time accidentally finding success, to the chagrin of his insane former boss. 
23. SHAOLIN SOCCER (2001) - A group of young men who were taught Shaolin Kung Fu together get the bright idea to use Kung Fu to win a soccer tournament. 
24. TRUE STORIES (1986) - A man drives into the small town of Virgil, TX, where he plans to experience Virgil's version of Texas' 250th anniversary. 
25. GET SMART (2008) - Maxwell Smart dreams of becoming an agent in secret organization known as Control.  His dream finally comes true, and he and the beautiful Agent 99 are assigned to go on a mission together.

MY 30 FAVORITE ADVENTURE MOVIES

MY 30 FAVORITE ADVENTURE MOVIES 

The adventure genre is broadly defined as a story where there is a hero or a group that is on some sort of journey or quest.  It's sometimes associated with the fantasy genre, but doesn't have to be. 

As with any favorites list, this one is subject to change, but this is where things rate with me right now.

1. ROGUE ONE (2016) plus the original STAR WARS TRILOGY (1977, 1980, 1983) - The rebellion stands up to the evil galactic empire.
2. THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY (Extended edition, 2001, 2002, 2003) - The dark lord's ruling ring has been found, and the forces of good decide that it must be taken into the heart of the dark lord's domain, the only place where it can be destroyed, thus destroying evil forever.
3. A KNIGHT'S TALE (2001) - A young man poses as a noble so he can compete in the popular medieval sport of jousting. 
4. PROJECT HAIL MARY (2026) - The galaxy's stars, including the sun, are dying, so the nations of the world unite to mount a mission to the one star that isn't in the hope that a solution can be found. 
5. THE MARTIAN (2015) - One astronaut is lost and presumed dead when a mission to Mars has to be scrubbed and the rest of the crew evacuates to space and heads home.  But, the one they left behind isn't dead...
6. THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (2013) - When an important photographic negative can't be found, a daydreaming man embarks on quest to find it.
7. PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (1987) - An odd pairing of a business man and a salesman are stranded on their way home, and they team up in an effort to get home before Thanksgiving.
8. TRON (1982) - A brilliant software engineer becomes digitized and is transported into a computer where he has to defeat a rogue program before he can escape.
9. CHASING MAVERICKS (2012) - A young man convinces a local surfing guru to train him to surf a massive wave known as Mavericks. 
10. THE HUNGER GAMES (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) - An oppressive central government randomly selects two children ages 12-18 from each of the twelve districts to participate in an annual fight to the death in an event called The Hunger Games.
11. THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE (2024) - A small team is sent on the first British black ops mission in an attempt to cripple the German's Atlantic U-Boat fleet.
12. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) - Indiana Jones is sent to Egypt by the US government to try to find the lost Ark of the Covenant before the Germans can.
13. INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989) - Indiana Jones is roped into joining an expedition to save his father, and find the Holy Grail before the Nazis can. 
14. BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (1989) - Someone from the future provide HS students Bill and Ted a time-traveling phone booth to help them complete their history report, and by so doing, save the future of humanity.
15. THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) - A farm boy leaves to seek his fortune so he can return and marry his love, Buttercup.  When he returns, he has to fight to try to get her back.
16. BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) - A HS student travels to the past where something he does changes the future, so has to go back to try to undo what he did. 
17. DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES (2023) - Characters in a Dungeons and Dragons game have adventures and misadventures as they try to bring someone back from the dead and get rich in the process.
18. JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO (1990) - A hypochondriac is convinced to jump into the volcano on a tiny Pacific island so a business tycoon can acquire the rights to a rare mineral, and he has adventures and finds love along the way.
19. SAHARA (2005) - Marine salvage experts find themselves in the desert of Africa during their quest to find a lost Civil War era Confederate ironclad ship.  
20. CAST AWAY (2000) - A FEDEX executive is stranded alone on a tiny Pacific island when his plane crashes. Then, when his chance comes, he tries to escape to sea.
21. LADYHAWKE (1985) - An evil bishop casts a curse on two young lovers, one becomes a hawk by day and the other becomes a wolf by night.   
22. HIDALGO (2004) - A distance horseback racing champion and his horse, Hidalgo, are recruited to participate in the deadly Ocean of Fire long-distance race in the Middle East.
23. THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) - Officers of a Soviet nuclear missile sub plan to defect to the west and take their submarine with them.
24. STAR TREK (2009) - A massive alien ship emerges from a black hole and sends the universe on an alternative future.
25. UP (2009) - To fulfill his promise to his deceased wife, a retired man and a young boy uses helium balloons to fly his house to South America where they have amazing adventures. 
26. NEVER CRY WOLF (1983) - A Canadian naturalist is sent into the far north with the assignment to document the slaughter of caribou herds by wolves.
27. DUNE (2021) - The planet Arrakis, also known as DUNE, is the only place in the universe where the spice melange can be harvested, and great houses of the empire compete for the glory and riches that go along with the right to manage the planet.
28. THE LAST STARFIGHTER (1984) - A teenage boy's dream is to be accepted to college so he can escape the trailer park is dashed, but when he breaks the record on a video game, unexpected doors open for him.
29. FINDING NEMO (2003) - A young clownfish named Nemo is captured by a diver, and his father sets out on a quest to find Nemo and bring him home. 
30. THE LOST CITY (2022) - An obsessive billionaire kidnaps the author of a series of adventure books in an effort to obtain a legendary artifact.

MY 20 FAVORITE SOCIO-POLITICAL MOVIES

MY FAVORITE 20 SOCIO-POLITICAL MOVIES

Movies in this genre explore topics and storylines that focus on topics or issues arising from social or political challenges such as hate, racism and bigotry, effects of lack of corporate responsibility or government-sanctioned misbehavior, violations of personal rights, etc.  

As with any favorites list, this one is subject to change, but this is where things rate with me right now.

1. JOJO RABBIT (2019) - A10-yr old German boy whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler is finally old enough to join the Hitler Youth, but during his initiation weekend he's wounded by a hand grenade, and he then finds a Jewish girl hiding in his house and doesn't know what to do.   
2. IDIOCRACY (2006) - A completely average US Army soldier participates in a top-secret experiment and is put to sleep for a year, but he wakes up 500 years later, only to discover that he's now the smartest man in the world.
3. 42: THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY (2013) - Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey decides to break the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947 by signing Jackie Robinson.
4. HIDDEN FIGURES (2016) - Three African American women work for the fledgling NASA agency as America struggles to put their first man in space.
5. REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000) - The football team of Virginia HS TC Williams is a microcosm of the challenges and opportunities of desegregation during the Civil Rights era.
6. GLORY ROAD (2006) - A young coach recruits black players to play for the Texas Western NCAA Div I basketball team, and they make it all the way to the 1966 Final Four.
7. THE BOOK THIEF (2013) - An orphaned girl is taken in by an elderly couple who also hide a Jewish man, thus putting all of their lives in jeopardy in WWII Germany.
8. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993) - Oskar Schindler, a German war profiteer, uses Jewish slave labor in his factories, but he eventually comes to respect and protect his workers.
9. THE KILLING FIELDS (1984) - A newspaper reporter covers events in neighboring Cambodia during the Vietnam War. 
10. THE MAJESTIC (2001) - A screenwriter is blacklisted during the anti-communist witch hunt of the early 1950s, and when he has an accident and suffers amnesia he is mistaken for someone else in a small coastal California town.  
11. THE HELP (2011) - A white woman convinces black domestic workers in Mississippi in the 1960s  to tell their stories, which she weaves into a story that rocks the local community.
12. HOTEL RWANDA (2004) - The Hutus carry out a 100-day genocide targeting other ethnic groups, primarily the Tutsis, in Rwanda 
13. AMAZING GRACE (2006) - William Wilberforce is the spokesperson and leads the fight to outlaw the slave trade in the British Empire.
14. GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (2005) - Edward Murrow takes on Senator Joseph McCarthy during the anti-communist witch hunt of the1950s.
15. SELMA (2014) - Martin Luther King, Jr., along with other Civil Rights leaders go to Selma, Alabama to lead a march to the capital in Montgomery.
16. ON THE BASIS OF SEX (2018) - Ruth Bader Ginsberg takes a case to the Supreme Court regarding differences in the way the law treats people of different genders.
17. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013) - An educated free black man living in New York is kidnapped in the early 1800s and sold into slavery in the south where he experiences racial bigotry as well as compassion while he dreams of escaping to freedom.
18. DARK WATER (2002) - A corporate attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to the corporation he represents. 
19. HAIRSPRAY (2007) - A HS student dreams of being on a local rock and roll dance show, and fights for racial equity.
20. A CIVIL ACTION (1998) - Jan Schlichtmann is personal injury attorney who only takes big-money cases he can safely settle out of court. Though his latest case at first appears straightforward, he becomes entangled in a legal battle involving environmental pollution.