This page lists some other films
that I have enjoyed up to 2004 - enjoyable and entertaining, but not
in the A class.
| Harry Potter
and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) |
 It's
Harry's 3rd Year at Hogwarts, not only does he have a new "Defense
against the Dark-Arts" teacher, but there is also trouble brewing.
Convicted murderer Sirius Black has escaped the Wizards Prison, is
coming after Harry. |
| I, Robot
(2004) |
 Set
in a future Earth (2035 A.D.) where robots are common assistants and
workers for their human owners, this is the story of "robotophobic"
Chicago Police Detective John Spooner's (Smith) investigation into
the murder of Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), who works at U.S.
Robotics, in which a robot, Sonny (Tudyk), appears to be implicated,
even though that would mean the robot had violated the Three Laws of
Robotics, which is apparently impossible. It seems impossible
because.. if robots can break those laws, there's nothing to stop
them from taking over the world, as humans have grown to become
completely dependent upon their robots. Or maybe... they already
have? Aiding Spooner in his investigation is a psychologist, Dr.
Susan Calvin (Moynahan), who specializes in the psyches of robots. |
| Thunderbirds
(2004) |
 Having
narrowly averted a major disaster on an oil rig, the Thunderbirds
have just returned home to their secret base when TB5, their space
based station, is critically damaged in a suspected meteor strike.
Unbeknown to them, the attack on TB5 is a deliberate ploy by
international master criminal Aristotle Spode to get them off the
island. He takes over the island and forces Brains into submission,
using the power of his mind. But Spode has overlooked one key
factor: Alan, Fermat and Tin Tin are still on the island. |
| Shrek 2
(2004) |
 Right
after their honeymoon the newly wed couple goes to Princess Fiona's
parents for dinner. When a Fairy God Mother discovers Fiona and
Shrek are married she reminds the king about a deal they agreed on
years ago that Fiona should have married Prince Charming (her son).
The king then hires a cat named Puss-in-Boots (a sword fighting cat
and ogre slayer) to kill Shrek. |
| Peter Pan
(2003) |
 In
stifling Edwardian London, Wendy Darling mesmerizes her brothers
every night with bedtime tales of swordplay, swashbuckling and the
fearsome Captain Hook. But the children become the heroes of an even
greater story, when Peter Pan flies into their nursery one night and
leads them over moonlit rooftops through a galaxy of stars and to
the lush jungles of Neverland. Wendy and her brothers join Peter and
the Lost Boys in an exhilarating life--free of grown-up rules--while
also facing the inevitable showdown with Hook and his bloodthirsty
pirates. |
| Finding Nemo
(2003) |
 Marlin
(a clown fish) is a widower who only has his son Nemo left of his
family after a predator attack. Years later, on Nemo's first day of
school, he's captured by a scuba diver and taken to live in a
dentist office's fish tank. Marlin and his new absent-minded friend
Dory set off across the ocean to find Nemo, while Nemo and his
tankmates scheme on how to get out of the tank before he becomes the
dentist's niece's new pet. |
|
Love Actually
(2003) |
 The
characters are falling in love, falling out of love, some are with
right people, some are with the wrong people, some are looking to
have an affair, some are in the period of mourning; a capsule
summary of reality. Love begins and love ends. They flirt a lot.
They are all flirting with love. At all ages and social levels, love
is the theme. Romantic love and brotherly love is the hotchpotch
through out the movie. Most of the movie is filmed in London, during
Christmas and the characters all ended up at Heathrow airport a very
uplifting note. |
| Lord
of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) |
 While
Frodo & Sam continue to approach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring,
unaware of the path Gollum is leading them, the former Fellowship
aid Rohan & Gondor in a great battle in the Pelennor Fields, Minas
Tirith and the Black Gates as Sauron wages his last war against
Middle-Earth. |
| Harry Potter
and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) |
 Harry
Potter is in his second year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry. He is visited by a house-elf named Dobby and warned not to
go back to Hogwarts. Harry ignores his warning, and returns. He is
still famous, although still disliked by Snape, Malfoy, and the rest
of the Slytherins. But then, strange things start to happen. People
are becoming petrified, and no-one knows what is doing it. Harry
keeps hearing a voice.. a voice which seems to be coming from within
the walls. They are told the story of the Chamber of Secrets. It is
said that only Salazar Slytherin's true descendent will be able to
open it. Harry, it turns out, is a Parsel-tongue. This means that he
is able to speak/understand snakes. Everyone thinks that it's him
that has opened the Chamber of Secrets because that is what
Slytherin was famous for. |
| Ice Age
(2002) |
 Back
when the Earth was being overrun by glaciers, and animals were
scurrying to save themselves from the upcoming Ice Age, a stupid
sloth named Sid, a woolly mammoth named Manny, a saber-toothed tiger
named Diego, and an acorn-loving saber-toothed squirrel named Scrat
are forced to become unlikely heroes. The four reluctantly come
together when they have to return a human child to its father while
braving the deadly elements of the impending Ice Age. |
| Être et Avoir
(2002) |
 How
do we learn to live with others and their wishes? Director Nicolas
Philibert poses this question in a village schoolhouse in Auvergne,
where Georges Lopez teaches 13 children, ages ranging from about
four to 12. Against a landscape of mountains and farmland, from
driving snow to rain to sun, the children gather in Lopez's warm and
colorful classroom, to read, write dictation, cook, and sort things
out. At home, the older ones do homework with parents after their
chores. At year's end, they look ahead to the next, visiting the
middle school and meeting the little ones coming in the fall. As
they learn sums and adjectives, with Lopez's help, they also learn
to live side by side. |
| Lord
of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) |
 Frodo
and Sam take Gollum prisoner and continue on to Mordor on the
mission to destroy The One Ring. Whilst their former companions
Strider, Legolas, Gimli, Merry and Pippin make new allies in the
Ents, The Riders of Rohan and the Stewards of Gondor and launch an
assault on Isengard. All the while a growing Shadow falls upon
Middle-earth as the Dark Lord's Army marches on to Gondor. The War
of the Ring has begun. |
| Lord
of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) |
 An
ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through
a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named
Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of
the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of
Doom in order to destroy it! However he does not go alone. He is
joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn,
Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise.
Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains,
facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring
must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for
the end of the Dark Lords reign! |
| Shrek
(2001) |
 Shrek
is a big ogre who lives alone in the woods, feared from all the
people in the land of Duloc. When Lord Farquaad, the ruler of Duloc,
exiles all the fairy-tale beings in the woods, Shrek looses his
peaceful life and his home becomes a refugees camp. So, he sets to
find Lord Farquaad and convince him to take the fairy-tale beings
back where they belong, and leave him alone. Lord Farquaad accepts,
under one condition. Shrek must first go and find the beautiful
young princess Fiona, who will become Farquaad's bride. So, the big
Ogre begins his quest, along with his newfound donkey friend... |
| Monsters Inc
(2001) |
 In
a land of monsters, James P. Sullivan is king. He and his coworker/
friend Mike Wazowski are two of many monsters that work for Monsters
Inc. a utility company that generates power for a very paranoid and
nervous city of monsters. This power, oddly enough, is generated
from the screams of children, which is produced by scaring them in
their sleep. One night, however, Sully uncovers a devious plot to
rid Monster city of it's power problems, but in all the wrong ways.
Together, ironically, Sully and Mike will fight to protect the
innocence of the children they scare every night. |
| Toy Story 2
(1999) |
 In
"Toy Story 2," the fun and adventure continues when Andy goes off to
summer camp and the toys are left to their own devices. Things shift
into high gear when an obsessive toy collector kidnaps Woody who
unbeknownst to himself is a highly valued collectable. It's now up
to Buzz Lightyear and the gang from Andy's room - Mr. Potato Head,
Slinky Dog, Rex and Hamm - to spring into action and save their pal
from winding up as a museum piece. There's plenty of excitement and
fun as the toys get into one predicament after another in their
daring race to get home before Andy does. |
| Angela's Ashes
(1999) |
 Based
on the best selling autobiography by Irish expat Frank McCourt,
Angela's Ashes follows the experiences of young Frankie and his
family as they try against all odds to escape the poverty endemic in
the slums of pre-war Limerick. The film opens with the family in
Brooklyn, but following the death of one of Frankie's siblings, they
return home, only to find the situation there even worse. Prejudice
against Frankie's Northern Irish father makes his search for
employment in the Republic difficult despite his having fought for
the IRA, and when he does find money, he spends the money on drink. |
| Antz
(1998) |
 In
an anthill with millions of inhabitants, Z 4195 is a worker ant.
Feeling insignificant in a conformity system, he accidentally meets
beautiful Princess Bala, who has a similar problem on the other end
of the social scale. In order to meet her again, Z switches sides
with his soldier friend Weaver - only to become a hero in the course
of events. By this he unwillingly crosses the sinister plans of
ambitious General Mandible (Bala's fiancé, by the way), who wants to
divide the ant society into a superior, strong race (soldiers) and
an inferior, to-be-eliminated race (the workers). But Z and Bala,
both unaware of the dangerous situation, try to leave the oppressive
system by heading for Insectopia, a place where food paves the
streets. |
| A Bugs Life
(1998) |
 Every
year, a bunch of grasshoppers come to the anthill and eat what the
ants have gathered for them. The "offering", as the ants call the
ritual, is a part of their fate. One day in spring, when the
offering's preparation has just been finished, Flik, unliked
inventor ant, accidentally drops the whole offered seeds into the
river. The grasshoppers come and give the ants a second chance to
collect food until fall. Flik sets off to find bugs that are willing
to fight the grasshoppers (nobody expects him to succeed anyway)
and, due to a double misinterpretation, returns with a circus crew,
giving everybody new hope. When the misunderstanding finally gets
cleared out, there is only little time left for a new plan, which
has to work, or else... |
| Goodnight Mister Tom
(1998) |
 We're
in an English village shortly before Dunkirk. "Mr. Tom" Oakley still
broods over the death of his wife and small son while he was away in
the navy during WWI, and grief has made him a surly hermit. Now
children evacuated from London are overwhelming volunteers to house
them. Practically under protest, Mr. Tom takes in a painfully quiet
10-year-old, who gradually reveals big problems. William nightly
wets the bed. He can't read or write, although he is intelligent and
shows artistic talent. He constantly dreads going to hell. Scars
cover his back. Mr. Tom soon realizes that his little boarder comes
from a horribly abusive home, and determines to provide him a better
one. All goes well until William's mother persuades him to return to
London for a few days' visit. When Mr. Tom hears nothing from the
boy after two weeks, he can endure the loneliness and worry no
longer. |
| The
Mighty (1998) |
 This
is a heart warming story of a unique friendship shared by two
seventh grade boys, Kevin and Max. Kevin, afflicted with a rare
physical disability that prevents him from living a normal childhood
is an extremley intelligent boy who lives in the world of his
imagination. Max on the other hand is an over weight boy who suffers
from a learning disability and has failed the seventh grade several
times. Fate brings the boys together when Kevin is assinged to tutor
Max in his reading skills, here there magical journey begins. These
two boys who appear on the surface to have nothing in common find
they share many painful realities of being outcasts, and of being
abandoned by their Fathers early in life. Kevin's enchanting world
of knights and there quest for justice is being brought into reality
through his exciting journey with Max. Through their adventure they
find a frienship providing completeness of self and an unbreakable
bond of love. |
| Small Soldiers
(1998) |
 Alan,
son of a Toy Store owner, tries out some new action figures: The
Commando Elite vs. The Gorgonites. What he does not know, is that
both sets of toys were designed to move, talk and play back. The
Commando Elite's purpose is to destroy the Gorgonites.
Unfortunately, the toy designer who was responsible for the
programming, bought highly intelligent military computer chips that
are usually used for steering missiles - and are able to learn. Now,
the Commando Elite, led by Major Chip Hazard, is up to destroying
the Gorgonites, led by peaceful Archer, who hide in Alan's parent's
house. Now, a battle, in which the destructive ability of creative
computer chips against creative computer chips with a different
attitude comes to light, is about to begin. |
| Wilde
(1997) |
 The
story of Oscar Wilde, genius, poet, playwright and the First Modern
Man. The self-realisation of his homosexuality caused Wilde enormous
torment as he juggled marriage, fatherhood and responsibility with
his obsessive love for Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed Bosie. After
legal action instigated by Bosie's father, the mad Marquess of
Queensberry, Wilde refused to flee the country and was sentenced to
two years at hard labour by the courts of an intolerant Victorian
society. |
| The Lion King
(1994) |
 A
young lion prince is born in Africa, thus making his uncle Scar the
second in line to the throne. Scar plots with the hyenas to kill
King Mufasa and Prince Simba, thus making himself King. The King is
killed and Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault,
and so flees the kingdom in shame. After years of exile he is
persuaded to return home to overthrow the usurper and claim the
kingdom as his own thus completing the "Circle of Life". |
| The
Never Ending Story 3 (1994) |
 Hiding
in the school library, Bastian finds his favorite book of THE
NEVERENDING STORY, where it is later found by Slip, the gang leader.
The latter recognizes the power of the book and begins to form
Fantasia after his bad intentions. When the chaos becomes worse the
Child-like Empress requests Bastian to move back to the real world,
get the book back and save Fantasia. Accidentally some Fantasia
characters travel with him to reality, but get lost in different
places. Meanwhile Slip and the other Nasties spread anarchy.
Finally, Bastian gets support from Nicole, who begins to believe in
the power of Fantasia. Together they are able to solve the situation
and become friends. |
| The Adventures of Huck Finn
(1993) |
 Huckleberry
Finn, the half-literate son of a drunk, runs away from home and
follows the Mississippi River with an escaped slave named Jim. Along
the way, the duo encounter adventures with colorful characters like
The King and the Duke, two con men who impersonate British visitors
in order to swindle two sisters out of their fortune, and Susan
Wilks, the spunky 12-year-old girl who gives Huck his first kiss.
Jim also re-educates Huck away from the racist views that he has
grown up with. |
| The
Never Ending Story 2: The Next Chapter (1990) |
 Once
again, Bastion is transported to the world of Fantasia which he
recently managed to save from destruction. However, the land is now
being destroyed by an evil sorceress, Xayide, so he must join up
with Atreyu and face the Emptiness once more. |
| Clockwise
(1986) |
 Brian
Stimpson is the headmaster of a comprehensive (high) school in
England. He sets himself, his staff and pupils very high standards.
On the way to a conference at which he is to talk, all manner of
disasters strike. |
| The
Never Ending Story (1984) |
 Pursued
by bullies, dreamy Bastian, 10, flees into a used book store where a
strange leather-bound volume attracts him. The owner warns him away
from it, explaining that it is dangerous: once entering its world,
the reader cannot escape. Bastian borrows the now irresistable book
and hides in the school attic. He reads of a beautiful, doomed land
named Fantasia, and a brave boy desperately anointed by the princess
to stop its mysterious ongoing destruction. Drawn into young
Atreyu's quest as with no other book, Bastian discovers astonished
that the Fantasians hear Bastian scream and see Bastian in mirrors.
Where is Fantasia, and where is he? Can Atreyu save Fantasia, or is
the princess really summoning Bastian himself? |
|
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980) |
 Suddenly,
into the poor but happy lower-class Manhattan home of the widow
Errol and her son Cedric, aged about 9, comes an agent from Cedric's
mysterious grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, asking them to move
to England so that Cedric can learn aristocratic ways and inherit
the vast estate. Cedric's mother consents with misgivings,
especially for having to live in a house nearby rather than in the
castle with her son. The Earl proves to be a penurious misanthrope,
hated by almost everyone who knows him. But from the beginning,
Cedric sees only good in him, can't imagine that he would ever treat
his tenants and villagers poorly, and wins their hearts with
kindnesses, giving all credit to his grandfather's wishes. Soon the
dour old man finds that he loves this cheerful little boy so dearly
that he wants to live up to this new image of himself. The sudden
appearance of a vulgar, ambitious American claiming that her spoiled
brat of a son is the true heir to the title is a more grievous blow
to him than anyone would have thought possible. |
| The
Boy Who Drank Too Much (1980) |
 Scott
Baio plays a high school hockey player. He is well liked and well
respected among his coach and teammates. What they don't know is
that he is an alcoholic. His background comes from his father, who
is also an alcoholic. Baio must work to stay clean and sober so he
doesn't lose his position on the hockey team or the respect from his
friends. |
|
Forever Young, Forever Free (e'Lollipop)
(1976) |
 e'Lollipop
is the extraordinary tale of two inseparable South African children
- Tsepo (Muntu Ndebele) and his orphaned friend Jannie (Norman
Knox). They meet when Jannie's parents die tragically in a car crash
in the Lesotho mountains. Jannie is sent to a missionary station in
Tsepo's village where they become best friends. Together with their
dog Sugarball, life is full of childhood fun and antics until
tragedy strikes again: Jannie, aged 13, is seriously injured when
one of their games goes horribly wrong. Tsepo and his community pull
together so that Jannie can receive emergency medical treatment. A
daunting challenge lies ahead - and at what cost will Jannie
survive? Tsepo and Jannie's inspirational story unfolds
against the breathtaking backdrops of a dramatic African landscape
and New York City in the mid-1970s.
e'Lollipop is a life-changing story that
reminds us of the true value of friendship, family, community and
sacrifice - despite colour or creed. e'Lollipop is a true
South African classic of international stature that transcended the
Apartheid boundaries of its day. |
| Last
Moments (1974) |
 The
traumatic story of Jimmy (Renato Cestie), a small boy forced to fend
for himself in the colourful and often squalid world of small-time
showbusiness. With his mother gone he bravely struggles to
support his shattered father. Barely feeding himself he at
last manages to achieve some small success with his own puppet show.
But weeks of tiredness and malnutrition weaken this small boy's
body, and soul. He collapses. In a hospital bed his
courageous little heart breaks, revealing the torment of a small,
lonely boy desperate for the love of his lost mother. But has
he the will to survive the final struggle? |
| The Last Snows of Spring
(1973) |
 The
young star of this movie, Renato Cestie, gives a convincing
performance as Luca, a lonely boy who's father is too busy with his
own affairs to notice that his son is dying - until it is almost too
late. |
| The
Go Between (1970) |
 Summer
1900: Queen Victoria's last and the summer Leo turns 13. He's the
guest of Marcus, a wealthy classmate, at a grand home in rural
Norfolk. Leo is befriended by Marian, Marcus's twenty-something
sister, a beauty about to be engaged to Hugh, a viscount and good
fellow. Marian buys Leo a forest-green suit, takes him on walks, and
asks him to carry messages to and from their neighbor, Ted Burgess,
a bit of a rake. Leo is soon dissembling, realizes he's betraying
Hugh, but continues as the go-between nonetheless, asking adults
naive questions about the attractions of men and women. Can an
affair between neighbors stay secret for long? And how does
innocence end? |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968) |
 The
monoliths have been watching us. They gave us the "evolutionary kick
in the pants" we needed to survive at the Dawn of Time. In 1999, we
discovered a second monolith on the moon. Now, in the year 2001, the
S.S. Discovery and its crew, Captains Dave Bowman and Frank Poole,
and their onboard computer, HAL-9000, must discover what alien force
is watching us... |
|
Oliver! (1968) |
 Oliver
Twist is sold to a Dunstable undertaker after asking for more dinner
at the orphanage. Escaping to London he is taken in by Fagin to join
his gang of child pickpockets. Wrongly accused of a theft he meets a
more kindly gentleman who takes him in, to the concern of one of
Fagin's old pupils, the violent Bill Sykes. In the middle is Nancy,
Sykes' girl whom Oliver has come to trust. |
| The Sound of Music
(1965) |
 Maria
is a failure as a nun. The Mother Superior sends her off in answer
to a letter from a retired naval captain for a governess for his
seven children. She goes to their house and finds that she is the
latest in a long line of governesses run off by the children. She
teaches the children to sing and that becomes their bonding force,
of course leading her to fall in love with their father. As
this is happening Austria votes to be assumed by Germany on the eve
of World war II. |
| The
Bells of St Marys (1945) |
 Father
O'Malley the unconventional priest from 'Going My Way' continues his
work for the Catholic Church. This time he is sent to St. Mary's, a
run-down parochial school on the verge of condemnation. He and
Sister Benedict work together in an attempt to save the school,
though their differing methods often lead to good-natured
disagreements. |
| The
Cat and the Canary (1939) |
 Ten
years have passed since the death of millionaire, Cyrus Norman.
Cosby, Cyrus' attorney, has gathered Cyrus' 6 remaining relatives to
his New Orleans' mansion for Cyrus' "reading of the will". To the
others disappointment, Joyce is the sole heir, but, due to a streak
of insanity running in the family, a second will has been made in
case Joyce falls victim to it. This puts Joyce in danger. Suddenly,
Miss Lu, Cyrus' maid, appears and warns them that the spirits have
told her that one of them will die that night. Following this,
Hendrick, a prison guard, warns them that, "The Cat", a homicidal
maniac has escaped. This sets up Cyrus' relatives with a night
filled with murders, mysteries and intrigue. |
| Adventures of Tom Sawyer
(1938) |
 Sentiment
rules in this version of the Twain tale of boyhood in 1850 Missouri,
reasonably faithful except for minor details and making the
character Jim a boy instead of a man. Includes the whitewash
episode, puppy love, the graveyard murder, the boys' running away to
Jackson's Island, the salvation of Muff Potter, and the cave
adventure. |
| Get
Real (1998) |
|
|
Little Men (1997) |
|
| Bogus
(1996) |
|
| Tom
and Huck (1995) |
|
| The
War (1994) |
|
| North
(1994) |
|
| Look
Who's Talking Now (1993) |
|
| Mrs
Doubtfire (1993) |
|
| King
of the Hill (1993) |
|
| Into
the West (1992) |
|
| Home
Alone (1990) |
|
| Hope
and Glory (1987) |
|
| The
Emerald Forest (1985) |
|
|
Legend (1985) |
|
|
Misunderstood (1984) |
|
| Mary
Poppins (1964) |
|
| Rear
Window (1954) |
|