Movie Rankings: 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981

1984.

5. DUNE. This ridiculously expository and ponderous adaptation is the definitive version for me and a stone cold classic.  It’s full of interesting visuals and performances and oddities.

4. STAR TREK SEARCH FOR SPOCK. An underappreciated Trek film!  The quest to resurrect Spock is a great story, stealing the Enterprise is a classic set piece, as is its destruction.  The Klingon villain is so-so but this is a logical sequel to Khan.

3. THE TERMINATOR. The first one feels small and dated to me, but it’s a classic for a reason.

2. TEMPLE OF DOOM. The weakest of the original Indy movies but still enjoyable and chock full of iconic sequences.

1. GHOSTBUSTERS. One of the greatest comedy/horror classics of all time.  It walks a perfect line between being funny and legitimately scary.

1983.

5. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. I struggled to find five here.  Connery’s return as Bond is a big deal but the movie is too long and too slow.

4. OCTOPUSSY. The dueling Roger Moore movie that year was much better.

3. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION. I haven’t seen this since I was a kid but it’s a classic.

2. JAWS 3. I was obsessed with this movie as a kid just because it was set in Sea World.  Setting an action/horror movie in a theme park is a combination of my two favorite things.

1. RETURN OF THE JEDI.

1982.

5. POLTERGEIST. One of the best in horror with some iconic scares.

4. BLADE RUNNER. An atmospheric classic with perfect production designs, but a plodding story and a leaden lead.

3. THE THING. One of the greatest horror stories of all time with to-this-day incredibly realistic and gory animatronic monsters.

2. TRON. I loved this movie as a kid and the production values hold up surprisingly well.

1. STAR TREK WRATH OF KHAN. The second best Trek movie with its greatest villain.  A massive improvement over the plodding first film.

1981.

5. SUPERMAN 2. I never appreciated this movie as a kid but at least it had actual villains.

4. EVIL DEAD. A horror classic done a shoestring budget.

3. TIME BANDITS. One of my favorite Terry Gilliam movies chock full of ideas, characters, and humor.

2. EXCALIBUR. I just watched this again and it totally holds up.  A perfect mythic telling of the King Arthur myth with the greatest portrayal of Merlin ever.

1. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Probably the best action/adventure movie of all time.  Perfection.

That’s it! Hit my birth year! I am Raiders Years Old!

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Spring 2022 Television

KENOBI: Those first two episodes exceeded my already high expectations. Amazing show! Everything I hoped it would be… and we still have Hayden as Vader to look forward to! I had no idea Little Leia was going to be in this, so that was a huge surprise. The actress is perfect and her interactions with Ben are hilariously adorable. As much as I love Mando…. this looks like it’s going to be the best SW tv series!

STRANGER THINGS 4: While the show is always over-long and takes too long to get going, I am still completely hooked on the characters and story. I did not enjoy the teen drama going on between Eleven and Mike and Will though! These kids should be closer and inseparable after all they’ve been through! I don’t want to spoil the ending but I thought it was excellent with an excellent plot twist I did not see coming. Can’t wait for the conclusion in a month!

STRANGE NEW WORLDS: Another pleasant surprise. I’m really enjoying the show thus far. After everything being so serialized lately, it is refreshing to just get standalone adventures. The characters and actors are great and the production values are astounding.

HALO: I’m afraid my initial excitement for this show wore off rather quickly. I have so many fundamental problems with the creative choices made in this show and the changes from the source material. Cortana was great but I just did not like anything they did with the Master Chief and his arc at all. I had zero interest in all the new side characters. I just wanted a fleshed out version of the Fall of Reach and the discovery of Halo and I did not get that at all.

MOON KNIGHT: While I enjoyed the show, this is definitely my least favorite MCU series thus far. It was fine and had some great bits in it, but the complete lack of connection to the MCU and the barely-there use of Moon Knight actually being in costume made this feel more like a disposable Netflix show than a proper MCU entry. Harrow was also a completely forgettable villain.

PICARD: I definitely enjoyed it more than the first season, but the initial excitement over the Borg Queen AND Q being involved wore off with time. There was too much time-wasting going on in present day Earth and not enough Q.

THE FLASH: I enjoyed the Armageddon 5 parter, but the Deathstorm arc did not impress me and I’m just going to wait until the Netflix drop for the rest of the season. This is the only show I have to watch with ads online and that is just so annoying at this point haha.

In other news… the Sci-Fi Pubcast isn’t dead, just on prolonged hiatus while Joel is busy with law school. We’ll try to squeeze in an episode here and there! I’ve also been slacking on my writing duties, but I did recently write some scenes for the sixth book in the fantasy trilogy. Boy, that book three epilogue just kept getting longer and longer!

Movie Rankings: 1987, 1986, 1985

1987.

5. SPACEBALLS. The classic Star Wars parody.  Haven’t seen it in decades.

4. PRINCESS BRIDE. Shockingly I didn’t see this until college, so I have no childhood nostalgia for it, but I appreciate that it is a classic children’s adventure.

3. LETHAL WEAPON. The first movie is too long, slow, and serious, but the germs of greatness are in there.  Riggs and Murtaugh are the greatest buddy cop duo ever.

2. EVIL DEAD 2.  One of the greatest horror/comedies of all time.  The first movie is an indie classic but this improves it on every level.  It’s funnier and more disturbing at the same time.

1. PREDATOR. One of the all time Ahnuld classics.

1986.

5. IRON EAGLE. I don’t know how it holds up but I loved this movie as a kid.

4. HIGHLANDER. Not exactly a classic but it’s withstood the test of time.

3. LABYRINTH.  Another movie I didn’t see until college but I appreciate it.

2. STAR TREK VOYAGE HOME. I think it’s overrated but it is the best Trek movie for comedy.

1. ALIENS. One of the greatest action or sci-fi or horror movies ever made.  A Cameron classic.  The Special Edition is even better and gives Ripley a better storyarc.

1985.

5. THE GOONIES. Didn’t see it until college but it’s the definitive 80s children’s adventure.

4. LEGEND. Haven’t seen it in decades but I remember the producton design being astounding.

3. BACK TO THE FUTURE. The 50s storyline doesn’t do much for me but it’s still a comedy classic.

2. BRAZIL. One of my all time favorite artsy films.

1. MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME. My favorite of the originals and one of my favorite movies as a kid.  Bartertown and Thunderdome are cinematic classics and the action scenes are incredible.

Movie Rankings: 1990, 1989, 1988

1990.

5. NINJA TURTLES. Too dark for a kids movie but oh man this was my obsession as a kid.  I think it was the first VHS I ever bought because they were fifty bucks back then or something!

4. GREMLINS 2.  Another childhood classic full of very adult commentary on society.  I also love that it’s set trapped in a high tech skyscraper… like Die Hard!

3. HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER.  This is a perfect movie and an adaptation of one of my favorite books as a kid.  Best thing Alec Baldwin has ever done.

2. TOTAL RECALL.  Peak Ahnuld and a great sci-fi story to boot.  Completely iconic!

1. DIE HARD 2. I dearly love the first three Die Hard movies and this one is underappreciated.  It takes the first movie and lets it loose, set across a sprawling major airport in the middle of a snowstorm.  It ups the ante of the first movie.

1989.

5. THE ABYSS.  Cameron creates an astonishly tense thriller that absolutely feels like it’s set at the bottom of the ocean.  Be sure to watch the Special Edition which actually explains why the aliens are there and features a major new set piece.

4. LETHAL WEAPON 2.  A vast improvement on the original with a lot more action and humor.  A great villain and the introduction of Joe Pesci!

3. BACK TO THE FUTURE 2. My favorite of the trilogy just for the future half.  Absolute classic.

2. BATMAN.  I’m too young to remember the insane hype over this movie, but this is still an incredible achievement of making a dark (for the time) realistic comic book movie.

1. INDIANA JONES LAST CRUSADE.  A perfect movie.  As a kid this was my favorite Indy movie.  As an adult I favor Raiders, but Indy and his dad remains the perfect comedy team.

1988.

5. SCROOGED. Haven’t seen it in forever but I remember it being a great blend of funny and creepy.

4. BEETLEJUICE.  Haven’t seen it since childhood but it was a hilariously dark comedy.

3. WILLOW.  George Lucas rips off Lord of the Rings, what’s not to love?

2. DIE HARD. The invention of the modern action movie.  Classic for a reason.

1. ROGER RABBIT. An astonishing blend of live action, animation, and a murder’s row of different franchises.  It’s a miracle this movie exists and it is perfection.

Movie Rankings: 1993, 1992, 1991

1993.

5. THE FUGITIVE. I recall this being a great action thriller.

4. LAST ACTION HERO. I actually hated this movie as a kid, but as an adult I appreciate how it is a parody of action movies.

3. DEMOLITION MAN. Classically ridiculous sci-fi action.

2. ARMY OF DARKNESS. This movie holds a special place in my heart.  It is so hilarious and intentionally ridiculous while also being an epic period piece war film.  Bruce Campbell’s greatest showing in anything.

1. JURASSIC PARK.  One of the greatest movies ever made.

1992.

5. RESERVOIR DOGS. Tarentino’s first film is low budget but still engrossing.

4. ALIEN 3. A massive disappointment after Aliens on every level, but technically impressive.

3. LETHAL WEAPON 3. The weakest of the series but still hilarious.

2. ALADDIN. The second greatest Disney cartoon ever!

1. BATMAN RETURNS.  This movie was huge when I was a kid, particularly since I don’t remember the original movie’s release.  It’s full of classic Burton weirdness.

1991.

5. ROBIN HOOD. I loved this movie as a kid.  Tons of great humor and action.

4. NINJA TURTLES 2.  This was my all time favorite movie as a kid.  The nostalgia is overpowering.

3. HOOK.  A vastly underappreciated movie.  Peak Spielberg with gorgeous production design, humor, and action.  Dustin Hoffman was a fascinatingly ridiculous Captain Hook but I also found the abduction scene terrifying as a kid.

2. STAR TREK 6.  My favorite Trek movie.  Love the Cold War parallel.  In addition to telling a vitally important turning point in Trek history, it also looks incredible and has great humor and character work.

1. TERMINATOR 2.  One of the greatest action movies ever made.  Perfection.

Movie Rankings: 1996, 1995, 1994

1996.

10. EXECUTIVE DECISION. I vaguely recall enjoying this.

9. ERASER. Same.

8. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. I think this is overrated but there are some classic bits in it.

7. MARS ATTACKS. A legitimately hilarious parody of alien invasion movies full of so many stars.

6. SCREAM. The classic that redefined horror.

5. LONG KISS GOODNIGHT. I remember this being a really funny movie with great action.

4. FRIGHTENERS. Peter Jackson makes a classic horror comedy action adventure full of great characters and action scenes.

3. STAR TREK FIRST CONTACT. The best TNG movie.  Seeing the Borg on screen was great.

2. THE ROCK. Classic Michael Bay!

1. INDEPENDENCE DAY. This movie was as big as Star Wars for me as a teenager.  The ultimate popcorn thriller, even if it’s ridiculous and silly at times.

1995.

10. BAD BOYS. Pretty forgettable Michael Bay movie.

9. ACE VENTURA 2. This was the funniest movie ever made for teenage me.

8. OUTBREAK. I just saw this again and it’s a great medical thriller.

7. USUAL SUSPECTS. I recall this being an exceptionally great mystery thriller.

6. 12 MONKEYS. Dark and disturbing but classic time travel sci-fi.

5. JUDGE DREDD. I adore this ridiculous comic book hamfest.

4. BATMAN FOREVER. Too cartoony but still a good Batman adventure.

3. GOLDENEYE. I did not like this movie as a kid but I appreciate it now as an expert reboot with a great hero, villain, and set pieces.

2. WATERWORLD. I legitimately loved this movie as a kid.  The on-water filming remains an incredible achievement and Dennis Hopper was a hilarious bad guy.

1. DIE HARD 3. I absolutely love this movie.  One of my all time favorite action movies.  Great story and villain and full of amazing on location NYC filming.

1994.

10. LEON THE PROFESSIONAL. I’m afraid to watch this movie under a modern lens but it was a really moving action thriller as a teenager with a star-making role for Natalie Portman.

9. THE SHADOW. I’m a sucker for 30s era action adventure and this is a great one.

8. STAR TREK GENERATIONS. Not a very strong Star Trek movie but it’s cool to see the TNG cast in a movie for the first time.

7. PULP FICTION. A ground breaking classic that in addition to an arthouse film manages to be funny and entertaining at the same time.

6. CLERKS. Kevin Smith’s greatest film and another paradigm shift for movies.  Plus, it’s hilarious.

5. MAVERICK. Pure fun.  Mel Gibson at his most charming.

4. TRUE LIES. Not my favorite James Cameron movie by far but still a Cameron movie.

3. STARGATE. Loved this as a kid.

2. LION KING. Disney’s best animated feature.

1. SPEED. One of the great action movies of all time.