The Blues Brothers (1980)

Fresh out of the slammer, Jake Blues, along with his brother Elwood, visit the Catholic home where they both grew up. They find out that it will soon shut down because of a lack of funds and support. One misguided spiritual revelation later, they go in search of reuniting their old blues band and raise the $5000 to pay off the home's taxes. As they go on their way to perform in the perfect big-paying gig for the group, their adventure takes many unexpected detours and encounters with zany characters ranging from, the police, revenge-seeking militant groups, angry country singers, Nazis and a psychotic former girlfriend. Furthermore, it entails endless car chases, massive explosions where ever they go, danger and destruction ensue on this mission from God. I think this movie has to be one of the craziest adventures I have ever witnessed... and I loved every second of it. One of the best aspects of this film, besides its overwhelming amount of comedy, is the music. It delivers some fantastic performances and some glorious blues certain to have you singing and dancing along. If you watch this film without even fidgeting to these overwhelmingly catchy numbers, then there is something wrong with you. I came to appreciate music through this film so much more than I had ever done so before. It displayed how meaningful and expressive music can be to people, which I found extremely interesting and captivating. There are countless pieces played throughout, but my all-time favourite song has to be 'Everybody Needs Somebody'. Not only was it such a phenomenal song that I will forever cherish and frequently listen to, but it was also part of a beautifully choreographed scene. The whole scene was full of energy with superb dance moves and cartwheels, which made the whole routine a hundred times better. You could tell they just had so much fun and with the whole audience cheering, it looked and felt magnificent, like a real concert, not only that, but I felt like I was there too. How could you not sing along? But it doesn't stop there, with so many memorable tunes to be enthralled by from 'Rawhide', 'Think', 'The Twist', 'The Jailhouse Rock' and so much more. The Blues Brothers are easily one of the greatest duos in pop culture history, played outstandingly by John Belushi and Dan Akroyd. From their incredible performances and music, their amazing dance moves, their outfits which include the iconic sunglasses that they wear all the time (even at night) and their unswerving friendship to each other. They are equally so fun and even when under all the pressure during this escapade, neither breaks their cool. This is best displayed in the scene where they survive an exploding building from a failed attack of the crazed girlfriend which they get up and walk away from carrying on with their business as if nothing happened. Sadly, they don't make comedy movies like this anymore, which generate such unbelievable amounts of laughs from its witty writing to its visual gags and pay-offs. This film is unlikely to be surpassed by modern-day comedy. Today's movie plots would never be as entertaining as the concept of an adventure that sees two blues-playing friends driving in an old police car to deliver money to pay off the Catholic Home taxes on a mission from God whilst evading the forces of darkness being cops, country singers, Nazis an ex-girlfriend and the Army. It doesn't get more hilarious than that! The action goes above and beyond, especially during the climax, which sees all the enemies they made along the way try to stop the brothers. Seeing each party's comeuppance was delightful and would display one of the world records for most cars destroyed in a film totalling at 104 cop cars! Overall, The Blues Brothers is so random and bizarre that it easily becomes one of my all-time favourites and with some of the best comedy I have ever witnessed. I love all the appreciation for music, especially the blues and how they display the effects it has on people. This is one of the all-time greats that will easily lift anyone's mood. Also, check out the sequel Blues Brothers 2000 (1998).

Runtime: 2h 13m

Director: John Landis

Genre: Action / Adventure / Comedy / Crime / Music / Musical

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Star Trek: The Animated Series (TV Series 1973-1975)

This animated series continues the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as they explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets during the end of their five-year mission. This show takes advantage of the visual freedom of animation to present stories with more unusual stories and the featuring of more alien elements. Stories that were never possible or unused during the original Star Trek (TV Series 1966-1969) were easily made thanks to this animated serial, being freer to go where no Star Trek story has gone before. This show followed the iconic Star Trek series from the 60s after its cancellation and returned all the original actors to voice their respective roles. They brought back the show due to its unparalleled success yet the sets and props of the show were long gone, destroyed or stolen so the idea arose to bring it back in the form of animation instead. I really enjoyed hearing all the actors again back in their iconic roles and just hearing each of their interactions with one another brought so many memories back to the original show. However, unfortunately not all of the cast returned, there was one exception. Chekov, who was a prominent character in the previous instalment. He wasn't present in this show apparently due to budget cuts meaning they were not able to hire all the original cast, which was such a big shame however, thankfully, he returned for the movies. He would also go on to write one of the episodes for this show, 'The Infinite Vulcan' becoming the first Star Trek actor to write a Star Trek story which is pretty cool. His character was replaced with a new alien character - Arex, which was the first ever time we saw an alien as part of the Enterprise's crew (besides Spock of course). There was also another alien character who stood in for Uhura on communications at times called M'Ress who was a feline humanoid character. The original wasn't able to have more alien characters, especially not any with unique features or looks so this show allowed them to overcome that issue with ease although not with some minor complications to work around. Personally, I much preferred the original show in contrast to this show as although most of the cast returned I just think it didn't feel quite the same as the original, which I adored. This show isn't classed as part of the canon narrative and isn't connected to the other materials so it can be enjoyed more as a 'what if this happened' kind of show. It has some very creative stories and has become much loved by fans that they deem it part of canon regardless. Some of my favourite episodes from the series were when they made connections to the original by meeting past characters and going to planets they previously visited, which was super fun and great for long-time fans to pick up on. There were two episodes which I truly enjoyed above all else: 'Yesteryear' and 'The Counter-Clock Incident'. Yesteryear had Spock go back in time to fix an incident, which resulted in his disappearance on the crew of the Enterprise and rescue his younger self. The Counter-Clock Incident had the whole crew of the Enterprise begin to shrink and have to try to return to their normal size whilst being unable to control the ship as they keep getting smaller, which is a story that wouldn't have been possible in the original show, I'm sure. There is also another notable episode, 'The Lorelei Signal', where Uhura takes command of the Enterprise with help from the female crew when the men of the crew become ill, which made for an interesting event that gave her time to shine. Overall, I do like this show and hearing all the cast return to their roles again but for me, I will always be more of a fan of the original. There were certainly a few episodes that stood out the most, however, which I thoroughly loved. This is definitely a show that Trekkies will like and appreciate with its many references and great usual interactions from the fantastic cast. Although not canon, this show offers lots for fans to rejoice in. Four years later, the first-ever live-action movie was released. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) continued the canon story and led to many more movies continuing the voyage of the starship Enterprise.

Seasons & Episodes: 2 Seasons - 22 Episodes

Creator: Gene Roddenberry

Genre: Action / Adventure / Animation / Family / Sci-fi

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Star Trek (TV Series 1966-1969)

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, a powerful interstellar spacecraft dispatched by Earth-based Starfleet Command, explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. Kirk commands a crew of 430 men and women aboard his starship, which can travel at speeds surpassing the speed of light. Kirk’s five-year mission, and his mandate from Starfleet, is to seek out new life and new civilizations and to boldly go where no man has gone before. Star Trek has to be one of the most enjoyable sci-fi shows I have ever watched and easily ranks up there with other big titles such as Star Wars. This 60s sci-fi show entails much in the ways of space exploration. It doesn't focus so much on the full-on action although, there is a fair amount present, however, the main focus is on discovery. We follow along on the journey of the 430 crew of the starship Enterprise and we spend most of that time with the characters: Captain James T. Kirk, Commander Spock, Chief Medical Officer McCoy, Lieutenant Sulu, Navigator Chekov, Communications Officer Uhura and Chief Engineer Scott. However, for the most part, we spend our time with Kirk and his best friends Spock and McCoy on these missions. The three of them are extremely enjoyable in their own way and I always enjoy seeing them all together in the countless interesting situations they are frequently put in. Their friendship and loyalty to one another are beautiful and one of the greatest trios in pop culture history. I think my favourite character of the three has to be Spock who is half human and half Vulcan. He is so cool with his vast knowledge and his logical thinking always comes in handy. He even has so many interesting abilities with being a Vulcan, which he frequently utilises that get the crew out of many difficult situations. Kirk is a great leader and his role as captain is constantly proven worthy in their most desperate predicaments. McCoy is always there to nurse those back to health after them, always keeping everyone else in check. I also love each other main member of the crew who is equally entertaining and each gets their moment to shine with their own unique set of skills. I truly adore the feel of the show and its episodes. I can't really explain it but for me, it gave off some 50s sci-fi vibes despite being a show of the 60s just with the opening music and all but I suppose that could be because it is only the decade after. My DVD boxset of the show is an updated remastered copy that features some modern graphical changes which didn't take me completely out of the experience but was a shame not to see the original effects in their entirety. I feel those original effects were amazing for their time and should be preserved rather than discarded. Some of my favourite episodes and scenarios were when the crew got sent backwards in time or to another universe, which entailed much danger. One story had Kirk, Scotty, McCoy and Uhura sent to a parallel universe where the Enterprise, and its crew, are part of an Empire and are all practically evil. Destroying life and civilisations rather than exploring and promoting peace. This show hits all of my personal 'space sci-fi' criteria, even exceeding them, by delivering what I consider to be a fantastic and perfect space action, adventure serial. Each character is enjoyable, and every story is creative and has great practical sets, with quite a high budget for its time. After the show was cancelled and had finished, years later the show continued in Star Trek: The Animated Series (TV Series 1973-1975), which brought back all of the original cast to voice their respected characters and led to more adventures with the crew of the Enterprise although is now not deemed part of the canon stories. Overall, I absolutely adore this show and I simply love every aspect of it. From the characters to the story and the effects, I was beyond entertained and would highly recommend this to all science fiction enthusiasts. Also, if you want more from the Star Trek universe, check out the continuation of the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise and its crew in their first film Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), which sprouted many phenomenal follow-ups.

Seasons & Episodes: 3 Seasons - 80 Episodes

Creator: Gene Roddenberry

Genre: Action / Adventure / Sci-fi

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Happy Gilmore (1996)

Happy Gilmore has long aspired to be a hockey player. Despite a powerful slapshot, Happy's inability to skate and his volatile behaviour exclude him from being accepted by any hockey team. Furthermore, Happy's grandma is being evicted from her home after failing to pay her taxes. After playing with some golf clubs and learning he can shoot golf balls far distances, he decides to join the PGA Tour to win money to buy back his grandma's home. Happy's bad-boy image attracts a loyal following but also attracts the attention of Shooter McGavin, the favourite to win the PGA Tour who is worried that Happy's rise to stardom will undermine his shot to win. Happy Gilmore is easily one of my favourite Adam Sandler movies. I can't believe how much fun I had with this movie and I would even go on to say it is easily one of the most hilarious comedies in the sport genre. It certainly scores a hole-in-one for side-splitting witty absurdity and outrageous slapstick. I adore the character of Happy who is played magnificently by Sandler. I love seeing Gilmore frequently become so overcome in rage both during his games and in everyday circumstances, which results in plenty of ridiculously brilliant scenes. Happy goes all out with his anger issues going from beating up members of the audience who make fun of him, to attacking well-known professional golfers and even destroying mini golf sculptures in a fit of rage. His crazy attacks began fairly quickly at his entry into the golfing community when a bystander make a small passing comment on how long it took Happy to hit the ball in the hole. This comment led to Happy casually walking up to him explaining how he wanted to get it in sooner before straight up punching him in one fell swoop in true slapstick style. He definitely has all the qualities of a hockey player with his brute force and hard-hitting slapshot but when he is denied that position year after year he finds out that he can hit a golf ball pretty far. This quickly gains the attention of Chubbs, a pro golfer who was forced to retire early when his hand was bitten off by an alligator, who sees great potential in Happy. Chubbs takes it upon himself to mentor him to win the Championship like he never could, which would reward Gilmore with the money to save his grandma's house from being sold. I like Chubbs' character because of how good of a friend he becomes to Happy, only wanting to help out with developing his experience by giving him the chance to pair up those powerful shots with skill and knowledge of the game. Chubbs is probably my second favourite character with his countless comedic moments and heartfelt sequences but most of all every scene where his prosthetic hand keeps getting broken is just really amusing. He constantly keeps breaking it thanks to Happy who only makes matters worse by continuously snapping off Chubbs' fingers when shaking his hand after he has spent so much time reattached them. Such a funny gag. Also, the antagonist of the story, Shooter McGavin, is a fantastic villain who is so snobbish and full of himself that it only makes it more enjoyable to see him fail. Although there are many parts I enjoy in this film, the biggest highlight for me was the reoccurring joke of Happy trying to find his happy place. It leads to some amusing sequences of him imagining family and friends being happy and even some random unrelated and never before seen characters are thrown in there that never get explained making it all the more farcical. The joke only gets better when Happy tries to find his happy place but it gets invaded by McGavin who takes over taking everything he loves much to Happy's anger which throws him off in the game. This is certainly one of the funniest sports movies I have seen and will be even more so to golf fans I'm sure and if you are looking for more golf-themed comedies, then you might also want to check out: Caddyshack (1980). Overall, Happy Gilmore is a comedic classic that feels very unique and all it's own. If you are a fan of Adama Sandler, why not take a look at clearly one of his best performances and films that continues to get a laugh from me, and so many others, every time without fail. 

Runtime: 1h 32m

Director: Dennis Dugan

Genre: Comedy / Sport

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Fawlty Towers (TV Series 1975-1979)

Inept, manic English hotel owner and manager, Basil Fawlty, isn't cut out for his job. He's intolerant, rude and paranoid. All hell frequently breaks loose as Basil tries to run the hotel, constantly under verbal attack (and sometimes physical) from his unhelpful wife Sybil, and hindered by the incompetent but easy target, Manuel, their Spanish waiter. Fortunately, he has an intelligent maid, Polly, who constantly helps him out of the various situations he gets into. I adore this show so much! It is most definitely up there with some of my favourite comedy shows ever made. Every episode is jam-packed full of great witty and quick-fire quips/quotes, hilarious slapstick and extremely bizarre scenarios. These qualities led to Fawlty Towers being dubbed the best British sitcom of all time in a survey by comedians and comedy writers/actors. It most certainly warrants this love and appreciation for being an absolute staple in the comedy genre, which shaped and developed most projects that followed for years to come. Written by John Cleese and his, at the time, wife Connie Booth, together they created a side-splitting comedy in which they both stared in with John as the manager, Basil Fawlty, and Connie as the maid, Polly. John Cleese is one of my favourite actors and has done so much work in the comedy genre most noticeably with the Monty Python comedy troupe, which made many iconic sketches and movies. He is no exception from his usual brilliantly hilarious performances in this series as he easily gets the most laughs with his hyper actions, crazy and exaggerated expressions alongside his many mental breakdowns. I think many can agree on Basil Fawlty being the star of the show and a wide favourite (especially mine) for his reactions to the many goings on. He seems to have a special skill at causing problems as the hotel just becomes littered with them in no time. Sometimes, however, he may not cause all the rising issues and merely tries to fix them only to make matters worse. His most iconic reactions involve him shouting, jumping around, whimpering, and throwing himself around, which he displays not only to his coworkers but even towards some of the guests. Most of the time he is fighting with Manuel when he goes into his breakdowns, which is incredibly funny as we see Fawlty flinging Manuel around to constantly attacking him and, on one occasion, bashing him over the head with a frying pan. It does however leave you feeling quite sad for Manuel as he always tries to do his best and is so kind but his main problem is not understanding English, which always gets on Fawlty's nerves. The hotel oversees some wild scenarios that only grow with each episode. From a customer dying overnight causing Fawlty to try hiding the body to Manuel's hampster, Basil (named after the manager himself), getting loose during a health inspection and failing at doing a fire drill only for there to be an actual fire. There are so many wacky situations that occur in this bed and breakfast. Alongside all the iconic scenes there are a considerable amount of quotable lines too that I love to recite, especially with my family, like: "I'm a doctor and I want my sausages!" to "Veal Substitute" and "Oh I know!" there are so many memorable quotes that you will be unable to stop quoting for days. Unfortunately, there aren't all that many episodes (only 12) which is such a big shame considering how phenomenal every single one is and how they manage to bring so much laughter to us. Having a lack of episodes, despite being unbelievably amusing, also feels quite similar to another comedy series: Police Squad! (TV Series 1982), which only had 6 episodes despite being above and beyond in its visual comedy, which again just feels baffling but the main thing to take away in both cases is that they are easily to binge through. Overall, this is one of the comedy golds, which is superb in every way and will never get old. Most definitely a show that can be enjoyed repeatedly, never losing its charm and if you haven't seen it, I'd highly recommend giving it a try.

Seasons & Episodes: 2 Seasons - 12 Episodes

Creators: John Cleese, Connie Booth

Genre: Comedy

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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Sometime in the distant past, someone or something nudged evolution by placing a monolith on Earth (presumably elsewhere throughout the universe as well). Evolution then enabled humankind to reach the moon's surface, where yet another monolith is found, one that signals to the monolith placers that humankind has evolved that far. Now mankind, assisted by artificial intelligence (such as HAL), must dare to encounter the monolith placers. If successful, we will achieve the next step in evolution, whatever that may be. 2001 has to be one of the most incredible science fiction movies ever made and is like no other. Despite releasing back in 1968, this film has some of the best visuals that I have ever witnessed, rivalling releases from today and was so ahead of its time in so many aspects. Even though later sci-fi movies like Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) managed to produce magical special effects, this feature was able to do so years ahead and they are amazing. This film is like nothing else I have ever experienced. The cinematography is out-of-this-world, all the visual details and effects are so beautiful and awe-inspiring. Even the music is so well used, making scenes feel so grand, adding so much meaning to many sequences. The most recognisable song in the whole film has to be "Also Sprach Zarathustra" which has become so associated with this product, even later being dubbed as the theme tune, and continues to be used in so many other productions. 2001's biggest achievement is of course, as previously mentioned, its visuals and the story we can infer from them. This sci-fi classic is all about evolution. It is the main theme sprinkled throughout displaying how we, as people, and the world develop and change as we see during the opening sequence. The ape-men begin the movie as being fearful, constantly preyed upon by other animals, that is, until the monolith sparks something within them. They start to use bones as clubs, fighting off their attackers, even their own kind, evolving in every aspect of how they act and live. The greatest visual that displays this portrayal of evolving is through one of my favourite transitions where one ape-man throws the club-like bone in the air which becomes a spaceship. Such a subtle yet clever way to show our evolution in tools throughout time, drastically changing. We as humans are all about survival and we accomplish this with the use of tools which may change over time greatly but they continue to be a tool nonetheless. The story shifts now to Bowman and Poole who man a spacecraft on its way to Jupiter and are accompanied by HAL, their a.i. assistant. As their travel continues, the two begin to believe HAL is malfunctioning, however, they are unaware that HAL's behaviour is due to knowledge of classified information about events at Clavius, a lunar outpost, eighteen months ago. The issue between the astronauts and HAL quickly becomes a fight for survival. The mission in its entirety has extreme consequences for the human race. One of the most iconic moments of this film, and one of my all-time favourites, is the scene with HAL when he turns on the crew. His refusal to let Bowman back aboard the vessel will forever be memorable with the line: "Open the pod bay doors, HAL!" followed by HAL's eerie response: "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that." Such a suspenseful scene that I will never forget. This is quite a trippy film too and you could easily lose yourself in this unusual experience that is unparalleled by any other as it almost hypnotises you from its visuals to its drawn-out scenes and relaxing music. Whilst watching, keep in mind that this isn't your average movie. This is an experience and one with very little dialogue focusing more on visuals and breathtaking displays with a lot to infer from. Overall, 2001 is quite literally one of a kind and revolutionary in not only the movie genre but that of science fiction too. It displays so many stunning scenes of space through its phenomenal cinematography, laced with classical music, that drives the meanings presented further in this story of human evolution and survival. A must-see for all sci-fi enthusiasts.

Runtime: 2h 29m

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Genre: Adventure / Sci-fi

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