1. Titanic James Cameron, 1997
This is a classic film that shows a historic event that everyone should know about. It teaches a lesson about being cautious and not letting our egos stop us from double-checking important things like safety. It’s dangerous to get too cocky like the planners did, as they didn’t even bring enough lifeboats or life jackets for everyone. The acting from both leads is on point, and everyone should see it.
2. Police Academy Hugh Wilson, 1984
This movie is hilarious. Larvell Jones is the most memorable actor for his funny sound effects but it has a lot of funny moments while teaching about coming together as a group to make a community better.
3. Ghostbusters Ivan Reitman, 1984
This is another classic comedy. It makes you think about outside the box things like spirits that we don’t always consider. The special effects still look good today, largely because they used practical effects whenever they could. Not everything was just programmed in a computer.
4. The Incredible Hulk Returns Nicholas Corea, 1988
This movie is a great introduction to the superhero genre. We can appreciate that the lead actor, Lou Ferrigno actually had to work out to look big and strong. I appreciate the work that went into makeup and other effects.
5. Lilo & Stich Chris Sanders & Dean Deblois, 2002
As a kid I enjoyed the humor of a movie with a crazy cartoon alien. I could relate to the alien running all over the place because I had ADHD. As a young adult, I understand that the movie is about making a bond and valuing friendship, which are lessons everyone should learn.
6. Rocky John G. Avildsen, 1976
This film was made on a budget of $1.1 million. It grossed $225 million. It grabbed people's attention, not with expensive special effects, but with action. The actors had to train seriously and several of the shots involved actors really hitting and getting hit. I appreciate the sacrifices it took to make this movie on a small budget, relying on
7. A-Team Joe Carnahan, 2010
This film shows important lessons about friendship and leadership. The action looks great and everything comes together for a fun movie.
8. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
Mel Stuart, 1971
The setting and characters in this movie are fun. There are several characters that each have an important part. Each child teaches us a lesson such as the girl named Veruca Salt. Veruca wanted a golden egg. She was spoiled and demanding and it got her kicked out of the factory through the "bad egg" shaft. The lesson we learned from her is to not be too greedy.
Kids a can learn a lot of moral lessons from the bad kids and the songs the Oompa Lumpas sing to make the lessons clear.
9. Toy Story John Lasseter, 1995
People should see this because the movie is a learning opportunity. It's entertaining but teaches us things like to not judge a book by its cover or to judge someone too harshly from first impressions. Woody didn't like Buzz at first, but they became close friends throughout the movie from spending time together and getting to know each other better.
10. Planet of the Apes Franklin J. Schaffner, 1968
People should see this movie because of the attention to detail that went into the filming. The makeup on the artists to make them look like apes still looks pretty good today. The twist at the end of the movie is still good if you don't know it's coming.