I was a huge Pee-Wee fan growing up. Watched the show, had the toys and T-shirts. I laughed like him on purpose. How could you get a better tandem then Pee-Wee and Tim Burton(His 1st movie and before he sucked)? They meshed well and created a very good movie(92% on RT!).

I wanted that bike so bad. It had Knight Rider like abilities. The movie even has some really dark and odd characters. From the rich boy Frances to Large Marge! It was adventure for sure. You even get to visit the Alamo's basement!!

The movie has some terrible moments of seeing things I don't think we are suppose to see like when Pee-Wee is pulling a long chain out of his bike. You can can see the chain going up from under the bike. Or when he is driving on the road at night and sees all the different road signs. You can see the track they are running on. Not sure if Burton does this on purpose to add cheese or they are just bad misses.

The DVD has a commentary with Pee-Wee and Burton which is really good.
COOL FACT: The dinosaur rest stop has sadly been torn down

6. Flight of the Navigator
I love time travel movies. I even loved them more as a kid when its in a shiny UFO with a ton of buttons. Its a pretty cool story for a kids movie. Kid falls into hole in the woods. Kid wakes up and walks back home to only find a different family living there. He finds out he has been missing for 8 years. His younger brother is older then him!
He goes to NASA for testing where young hot Jessica Sarah Parker helps him sneak out in this cool robot..thing. He meets Max the UFO space ship that took him on this adventure. I never owned it but rented it from the video store countless times. Like "oh nothing looks good... I'll rent FOTN". There are some really cool scenes where he learns to fly the ship, meets more aliens and the ship transforms to fly faster.

Pee-Wee/Paul Reubens voices Max and maybe a bit annoying to grownups but to us kids it was a great touch that made us love the movie even more. He only goes full Pee-Wee after he scans the kids brain.. So it isn't that bad. I am always hoping for a good Blu-Ray release but won't hold my breath.
COOL FACT: Had a hard time finding anything really interesting so here is a cool look at David's NASA room.

5. Never Ending Story
I remember being at the baby sitters when I first saw this. It was amazing. Its fun, emotional and scary all at the same time. The kid actors are some of the best I've seen. Barret Oliver(Bastian) and Noah Hathaway(Atreyu) both bring out a lot of emotion making the movie so memorable.
I put the death of Artex the horse up there with Rufio from hook. I was shocked and sad. I was only about 5 or 6 when I saw it. I was also scared with that crazy ass wolf, Gmork(spelling?) chasing down Atreyu. His death is a good one and even has some blood. Pretty freaky stuff for kids. As the nothing rips through Fantasia you really wonder what could stop this thing? I really enjoyed how the movie wrapped up and had the happy ending that it did. Seeing the horse back and the bullies getting what they deserved was pretty satisfying.
Of course there is part 2 and 3 which are just terrible. I was so geeked for 2 and I remember the pure disappointment after leaving the theater. It was cool seeing the same characters again but Jonathan Brandis(RIP) was terrible and the plot was just boring.  3 sucks balls big time and... Ahh it has Jack Black in it? I really need to read the book. People who like the book hate on the movie. I liked it so much as a kid that I doubt that could happen.

I even did two themed Michigan Never Ending story Michigan MS Paints. One is Roh's eyebrow and the other is Tate fly on Falcor with "Fetuatitus" which was banned from MGBLOG since I made it up.
COOL FACT: Author Michael Ende was unhappy with the film and didn't want his name on the opening credits. A small credit is given to him at the end.

4.Goonies
The ultimate adventure kid movie. Every kid wants to take off and go find treasure, pirates and a giant special ed friend. Its a movie that is a blast and never stops. This is another great acting kid movie where the kids sell their roles so well. Every line Chunk delivers is gold.
If this movie came out today it would be PG-13 easy. The cussing in this thing is great but it is a major reason I can't show it to the kids in my class. Back in the 1980s I don't think parents were so sensitive plus the rating system was just more lax.

Some of my favorite scenes were Chunk spilling his life story at the blender, Kids breaking the dick off the statue and Chunk flagging down the car. The Nintendo games sucked but the commentary on the DVD is very good as it has pretty much everyone from the cast.
COOL FACT: The pirate ship was in fact a real ship the studio built for the movie. Once the filming was done the studio tried to sell it off to anyone and everyone. They had no takers and so it was dismantled.. ):

3.Karate Kid
I got so hooked into this movie(watched the cartoon and had the toys). I was never even in Karate but this movie made me beg my mom for lesson in which I was denied. I made my own bandana and Karate suit. I would watch the final fight with Daniel vs Johnny and mimic the moves and do the crane kick. I also rented the video game and hid it from my mom so she wouldn't take it back since I liked it so much.
This movie has so many memorable lines. Wax on wax off has become a house hold phrase. One of the best is "GET EM A BODY BAG!!!!11" followed by a weasel laugh. "mercy is for the weak!" "Sweep the Leg..." I could go on all day.
The movie grabs every kids attention since every kid has dealt with a bully at one point or another. Johnny plays the perfect bully. We have all had to fight off a Johnny in our lives so it easy for kids to get sucked into this plot. We also can't forget the fucking awesome tournament montage of "the best around". Might be one of the best of the 80s.
When I got the dvd set(full of great interviews BTW) and watched it, I realized how much I missed as a kid since the only copy I had was a recorded version off TV. I would always pause during the commercials and then forget to hit pause again when the movie would come back on so my Karate Kid was all chopped up. Like I missed the whole soccer fight at school, lunch with his GF and the punch training. So that was a nice bonus.

The 2nd one I thought was good. More adult tone, serious threat. 3rd one is just garbage and Ralph is like 32 years old and the acting is awful.
COOL FACT: Ralph was 23 years old and playing a 16 or 17 year old! He also got to keep the yellow car and still has it. Oh and his kids name is "Daniel".

2.Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves
Some how Kevin Costner made Robin Hood a lot of fun. I am not one to like time period movies but after seeing Robin Hood at nine I was hooked. I bought almost all the toys and even had the cassette tape with all the music. I even ran around calling myself "Ryan Hood". I never did use a English accent since Kevin never bothered to.
This is another movie where the villain steals the show. Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham was amazing. He was more funny then anything. "I'll rip you're heart out with a spoon!" Really the movie is full of funny moments. All of Azeem's fish out of water moments to Azeems interactions with a blind Duncan are pretty hilarious.
COOL FACT: The movie was nominated for two Razzie Awards. Worst supporting actor in Slater and Costner won for worst male lead which I don't think he is Razzie bad by any means.

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Of course "Shredder's" number 1 movie as a child is Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles from 1990. When I saw the teasers and trailers for this movie I could barley contain myself. I would jump up and down at the TV and foam at the mouth. It was one of the first movies I saw on opening day. Not only did I see it on opening day I saw it three times in the first three days of its release. Every friend was calling me asking if I could watch it. It was no doubt the biggest movie release of our young lives. I would only put such movies as Ghostbusters 2, Indiana Jones TLC and BTTF 3 in the such company.
I can still remember sitting in the theater with my mom with a turtle doll that the theater was giving to the first 100 kids. The theater was a buzz. The lights went down and you can feel every kid on the edge of their seat. Hey its foot soldiers! Oh my god there is April O' Neal! She is wearing a yellow rain coat! Then the Turtles save April and you see Raph's eyes as he watches his weapon being picked up April. He mutters "Damn".. SHOCKING! A cuss word right off the bat. Not a big one but wow. Then all you hear is Turtle chatter as they walk down  the sewer. The theater at this point was about to burst. Then this title flashes on the screen with Leo jumping into frame!
The theater goes fucking nuts! Kids screaming and cheering. I still haven't experienced anything like that at a movie since. It was like TMNT had hit its peak and we couldn't get enough.
After reading the comic I will say this movie does a pretty damn good job of sticking to elements in the comic. It isn't spot on(April is still a reporter here and no Baxter Stockmen) but it hits the tone pretty well. I remember hearing how pissed parents were at the dark tone and language in the movie but it was really just being faithful to the source the best it could while maintaining a PG rating. I guess showing kids smoking,drinking and playing a NARC arcade was a bit much but they need to show the kind of kids the Shredder attracts.
Jim Hanson knocked it out of the park again with the turtle suits. The faces moved great, they were believable and the actors could still do all the ninja work without any hold ups. In part 2 and 3 the suits got worse and worse. In 3 they look almost comical they are so bad.



Five Top Scenes

5.Splinters heart to heart with Raphael
Raph comes home after watching "Critters" at the theater and his rough run in with Casey Jones and he is no mood to chat but Splinter isn't having it. Its a good heart felt scene that shows the father like connection. He also says "hey we know you are like the Lebron James of TMNT but your anger holds you back". Something like that.

4.When April meets the Turtles/Splinters talk with Daniel
This scene does a good job of selling the origin of the turtles without it being the whole movie. When I was a kid I thought the story was all wrong here. But like a lot of kids we had no idea that the Turtles were born in comics. In the movie you hear that Splinters master Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki were fighting over this babe named Tang Shen but she only loved Yoshi and so Saki killed them both and left Splinter without his master(and the rat scarred his face so he hides it). Comic goes a little deeper with that. Yoshi and a man named Oroku Nagi were apart the most feared assassins group in Japan called the Foot Clan(origin of the foot). Nagi loved Shen but she only loved Yoshi. When Yoshi comes home to find Nagi beating Shen within a inch of her life "Yoshi's world vanished in a red haze". Yoshi ends up beating Nogi to death.
Since Yoshi killed another clan member he was to end his own life or run from Japan. So Yoshi and Shen run to NYC. Nogi's younger brother Oroku Saki who was 7 at the time(intense 7 year old) vowed Vengeance on Yoshi. Over time Saki became the best foot clan member and was even better then his teachers. Saki was sent to NYC to start the Foot on US soil. Saki also knew that his revenge would come full circle now. Once in the USA he became the Shredder(no reason is given to why he goes with Shredder) and went to Yoshi's home and held his wife until Yoshi came home. Once home he killed Tang Shen in front of Yoshi and then killed Yoshi as well. The movie just cut some of the fat and saw no reason for Nagi. Either way you go its some pretty edgy shit for a kids movie. The flash backs in the movie are all grainy and dark. You still see Yoshi and Shen murdered. Its real heavy stuff and can't believe it wasn't cut or pushed to a PG-13 but god damn its good and faithful.

Now the rest of the movie just does it own thing. Splinter is never captured by the Shredder and in the comic its pretty clear the Turtles are used for his revenge on Shredder. But the movie stays true to the tone and that counts for something.

3.April's apartment fight
This was always one of my favorite parts of the movie. Raph is almost beaten to death and the turtles have this long fight that leads to the basement where Casey Jones shows up to help kick some ass. The Turtles also struggle at times and the foot get their shots in which makes it feel different because in the cartoon the foot are about as dangerous as a infant to the turtles. They never got punches in. The turtles have to retreat which is also just bizarre when they never had to. My only complaint is that at times in can venture off with "funny" stuff during the fight when its a pretty serious situation.

2.Shredder's Entrance
At this point all we have of the Shredder is his voice so they do a good job of building this moment up. You also gotta love the music and the wrap around camera shot. The scene builds him up as one big bad mother fucker. There isn't a whole lot to say about the scene other then its just gives you chills.

1.Final Fight
I loved this final act as a kid and I love it even more after reading the comic. A lot of elements are there. Shredder on a building taking on the Turtles to the death(or so we think). The turtles are of course are cocky at this point and Shredder wipes the floor with them one at a time.
Shredder then pokes the bear a bit by hinting at Splinter possibly being dead. All of a sudden the jokes are over. Every Turtle giving their best shot at Shredder. Leo gets the best shots in as he slices Shredders arm but Leo loses his cool and gets owned by the Shredder and is put on his back with a spear at his neck. Splinter shows up to save the day and Shredder is thrown off a building and smashed in a garbage truck(Casey does "whoops" as he pulls the leaver... Like no big deal...JUST MURDERING)
Now in the comic, Shredder gets some shots in but the Turtles really mess him up. He is stabbed, catches a few throwing stars and once defeated is told to SEPPUKU for honor. Yes it fucked up and awesome all at the same time.
While the movie isn't as gory or follow everything to heart it still feels like a great adaptation to the comic and for a PG "kids" movie it pushes the envelop. As a kid it was the best thing I've seen since Ghostbusters and watched it everyday for about a month once I got my VHS copy. In fact I still have a sealed VHS copy that I found in a bargain bin for 50 cents.
I hope one day a proper Blu-ray is released that is cleaned up and with some extras for the fans. The current BR is just terrible. Tons of grain and hasn't be touched at all. The latest movie coming out from Michael Bay sounds like a joke. Call me a hater but I am not at all looking forward to it. I expect pure shit with Meagan Fox's bizarre thumbs mixed in. Bay might find a way to to top the giant dump that was Turtles 3 but I doubt it.

Thanks for reliving my movie childhood!

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