My top 10 Favorite Giant Movie Monsters

What are some of the biggest things to capture your imagination at a young age? Well, there’s plenty of things from Dinosaurs to outer space but one of my biggest fascinations from child hood that are still just as great today are giant movie monsters. Oh yea, from “20 Million Miles to Earth” to “King Kong”, to “Godzilla” to “Clover field”, I’ve seen all kinds of memorable giant movie monsters and here are my own personal top 10 favorites.   

 

#10 Gigan (Godzilla series)

I’ve seen just about every Godzilla movie and you can expect a lot of of his enemies to be on this list. One of my favorites is Gigan (who was seen in “Godzilla vs. Gigan”, “Godzilla vs. Megalon” and “Godzilla Final Wars”). He’s certainly one of the most unique looking monsters, almost like a duke in full body armor. He has a Cyclops like eye beam, a buzz saw on his chest and hooks for hands, it’s crazy but an awesome opponent to go up against Godzilla.

#9 The Cockroach (Men in Black)

Definitely the smallest monster to make the list but never the less, this bug from outer space is still one of the coolest visual effects I’ve ever seen and more than worthy for a spot on the list.

#8 King Geedorah (Godzilla series)

Another monster from the Godzilla series, this time it’s a three headed dragon from outer space that shoots lightning bolts from his jaw. Aside from being such an awesome looking creature, he’s also kind of interesting because we see him take on different forms and appearances throughout the series, that’s awesome.

#7 The Beast (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms)

This is one of my favorite monster movies from the 50’s, it has some good acting, a nicely paced story and our leading monster (simply regarded as the best) is one of the greatest stop-motion monster effects of all time. The creature effects were done by Ray Harryhausen, the great grand father of monster movie effects. He’s done all kinds of creature effects in several other films and I can guaranty there’s going to be another Ray Harryhausen monster on this list.

#6 The Rancor (Star Wars 6: Retun of the Jedi)

My favorite creature from the Star Wars series and probably the greatest puppet monster ever seen on screen, seriously, this creature is an electronic puppet, that’s very impressive and it all goes to show how awesome you can make a creature look without the use of CG.  

#5 The Basilisk (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

It’s interesting that so many people think this giant snake was an original monster from the Harry Potter, yet it’s based off of a famous mythical creature of the same name. Basically, it’s this awesome looking giant snake that has venomous fangs and can kill with a single look. That alone makes him worth to be on the list but it’s the films premise about the creature that makes him so memorable. He’s an ancient monster that has been awaken after several years and now has been set lose to wreak havoc on a school of unsuspecting students, this makes his a frightening yet thrilling addition to our this giant monster list.   

#4 The Kracan (Clash of the Titans)   

Another one of Ray Harryhausen’s monsters, this was such a spectacle from my child hood. Most people today prefer CG creatures and I can understand why but I still love classic stop-motion and this creature was brought up on a grand scale, with a fool orchestra boasting its size. It honestly doesn’t look at all like the original Kracan of Greek mythology but who cares, this was so cool to see as a kid and it’s still far more impressive then the CG Kracan seen in the 2010 “Clash of the Titans” remake.

 

#3 The T-Rex (Jurassic Park)

Dinosaurs have always been awesome but this was the dinosaur that blew everyone’s mind, it looked real, threatening and it left a huge impact on cinema.

#2 The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (Ghostbusters)

This was always the best thing about Ghostbusters, a giant marshmallow mascot that’s now one massive behemoth of destruction. Easily the cutest giant monster ever and it changed the way I would look at mascots. Wouldn't the Pillsbury dough boy be so much cooler if he was a giant monster wrecking havoc on a city?

#1 Godzilla (Godzilla series)

Oh hell yeah, there’s no other monster in the history of cinema to rival Godzilla. From 1954 through 2004 Godzilla’s stared in 29 movies, he really is the great king of the monsters. Throughout his film series we see him as a hero, a villain, a father, a vengeful beast and all kinds of things. I first got hooked onto Godzilla as a child when I saw the 1998 American Godzilla remake, to me that will always be the classic Godzilla. But I also enjoy the original Japanese Godzilla and his countless, silly, B monster movies. Weather he’s American or Japanese, hero or villain, Godzilla will always stand as my favorite monster of all time.

Okay, you’re probably wondering why I don’t have King Kong on this list, well I like him too but there’s tones of other great monsters I wanted on this list that just didn’t make it. However, King Kong is a pretty big deal and I’ll be sure to make up for it with another post in the future.

The End  

  

  

My Favorite Nintendo 64 games

      If you were a kid growing up in the 90’s, you had to love the Nintendo 64 entertainment system. Not only was this one of my favorite pastimes as a kid, it’s the very first video game system I ever played, the one that started it all, and even though it’s out dated, I still love it. It’s like a museum relock, I just can’t get rid of it, those games captured my imagination in a way that no-other gaming council has ever done before, no matter how updated they are. So taking a break from movie or TV related topics, here’s a list of my favorite Nintendo 64 games.      

11. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 

   I’m actually ashamed to admit that I never owned any of the Legend of Zelda games (not including Super Smash Bros.). However I played several of them with cozens and friends at their own Nintendo sanctuaries. Of all the different Zelda games I played, the one I loved the most was Majora’s Mask. Just like with Super Mario 64, this was the game that introduced me to Link, Zelda and it’s always the first one to come to mind when I think of a classic Zelda game.   

10. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire 

   When you have a combination of both Nintendo and Star Wars, your child hood pass time is set for life. This is where Star Wars video games got really good and proved that they don’t always have to follow the linier stories from the films. Instead it just takes place in the Star wars universe, further expanding on it, fighting classic enemies and occasionally reliving some of the famous battles from the films. The best example by far was the battle on Hoth, it was amazing and it was a rare feeling that one of my favorite scenes from a movie came to life and allowed me to experience it. I grew up with many good Star Wars games, and this one still stands as one of the best.    

9. Disney’s Tarzan 

    I played a few Disney themed games on the Nintendo and owned several including “A Bugs Life” and plenty others. But the most exciting by far was Disney’s “Tarzan” on N64. I was already of fan of the film (in fact it’s one of my favorite Disney movies) but the game took it to all new heights. It’s very unique because it’s the only N64 game (that I can think of) that would be played in a traditional side scrolling style, kind of like playing a classic Nintendo game just with better graphics. No problems with adjusting the camera, no worry about getting too lost (because there were times where you might miss something) and it was still plenty challenging but very rich and exciting all at once. Each level had its own unique style and difficulty setting but best of all is that it brought one of my favorite child hood movies to life in all new and exciting ways.       

8. Mario Kart 64 

   Oh yea, nothing like a fast paced racing game themed around Mario characters, really there’s not much to explain, it’s just fun racing with cool race tracks and a nice aroma of special items.

7. Star Fox 64 

    Sci-Fi space shootouts were huge on the world of video games and Star Fox was my personal favorite. There’s some cool back story to this game, great characters and an awesome variety of different worlds, space quadrants and different vehicles. The enemy bosses were awesome, every time I played a level I would always be getting excited when I reach the end, knowing that I’d be seeing some kind of giant monster, super powered space ship or massive robot. It’s just a classy Sci-Fi adventure on your home Nintendo system, I dig it.      

6. Super Mario 64 

     The legendary N64 game that always comes to mind when we think of Nintendo. Mario has always been my favorite video game icon and it all began here, this was my very first game I played on this system (the first I owned) and as far as I remember, it was the very first video game I ever played. The worlds were unforgettable, the castle setting with the different rooms that leed to different kingdoms was brilliant, the battles with Bowser were awesome, it’s just the classic Nintendo game that we all remember growing up with.

5 -3. The Mario Party Trilogy

   It seemed silly to just spread these three throughout a list, especially when there so equally great, so I just decided to put games 5 through 3 together on one spot. As you probably figured out, I’m crazy about different Mario games, but the three N64 “Mario Party” games just knocked my socks off. It wasn’t like “Mario Golf” or “Mario Tennis” where your just stuck with one variety of game play, no this was a calash of different varieties of games to play, with a central game board setting (that you had the option of changing to something different or special), we also had bones games, items, different ways of playing select games, it was haven for a child’s gaming mind. With so many different characters, so many different things to play and so many different ways to play them, this is one collection of games that held my attention for years to come.            

2. Super Smash Bros. 

   Tournament battle games will always be awesome and anything with Mario and company involved is always great, however this was more than just another Super Mario game, it was the Nintendo crossover game of my dreams that brought together just about every classic Nintendo character. It had Mario themed characters, Pokémon themed, Link, Kirby, Star Fox, Samus and many others (the only one missing is Banjo Kazooie). We have some great battle platforms, an awesome variety of weapons and special items. Team battle modes, free for all battle modes, linier one player games and so much more, as far as tournament variety games go, this was the best by far.  

1. Banjo Kazooie 

    Wow, not a Zelda, Castlevania, Donkey Kong or even a Mario themed game but a completely original idea that grew as the most cherished video gaming pass-time of my youth. It fallowed a very similar look and feel to the classic “Super Mario 64” game with the center of it being a big castile full of rooms that lead you to different kingdoms, as well as various levels and treasures to obtain. The only difference is that this one was a million, bazillion times more exciting and fun. We get to play as two characters as opposed to just one, you have a wide variety of different moves that you learn over the cores of the game, the worlds were unique, colorful and very creative, you could transform into other animals, the obstacles were a lot of fun and it was far more challenging (but never too challenging like the sequel “Banjo Tooie”, boy that was relentlessly hard back then). This game took me the longest to beat (2 years) but I loved every moment of it and still to this day, “Banjo Kazooie” packs plenty of charms, exciting game play and it’ll always be my favorite of the Nintendo 64 games.

         The End

My top 10 Favorite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

   Star Trek, the best example of space exploration... These are the episodes from the greatest TV series to ever air on TV ... It’s continuing mission, to excite and engage it's viewers ... to inspire with thought provoking ideas of space and science ... To Boldly go Above and Beyond any and all TV shows to ever air before or after it!  

    I freaking love Star Trek, I’ve seen every episode of every season of all 5 TV different shows (not including the cartoon), and I proudly own all Thirteen theatrical movies. However, of things Star Trek, nothing excites me more than the second TV series “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. This show was to my teenage years what the original “Star Wars” trilogy was to my child hood. For seven seasons, this show turned out one excellent episode after the next, the stories were great,and the characters were unforgettable. For those of you not familiar with "Star Trek: TNG", it revolves around a group of outer-space, and every episode lead to another fascinating, alien race or mysterious anomaly. There's 178 episodes in total, but for this post, I'll only be highlighting my personal favorites. To be honest, it's challenging to single out my top 10 favorite episodes as there's so many to choose from. However, if you have some interest in this show and don't know where to begin, these are the episodes I'd personally recommend starting with. Set cores for my top ten favorite episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” ... Engage!


10. The Defector (Season 3 - Episode 10)

    Of all the re-occurring adversaries to appear on this show, my personally favorites by far have always been the Romulans. Their powerful and imposing, but because there also the most device and unpredictable. As Picard state's “It’s always a game of chess with them”. This particular story is quiet complex, with some compelling character depth, great acting and honest drama. The Enterprise encounters a Romulan defector, who claims to have urgent information regarding preparations for an imminent Romulan attack on the Federation. The interactions between this Romulan defector and the Enterprise crew are very engaging, there's a great mystery that slowly unfolds, and further emphasizes why the Romulans make for such great villains. This episode frequently references Shakespeare's “Henry V”, which is an affectionate touch. Plus there’s plenty cool space battles and constant tension that just keeps building up to a thrilling climax.  


 9. Timescape (Season 6 - Episode 25)

On their way back from a mission, Captain Picard and three other officers find that the Enterprise is frozen in time during what appears to be a battle with a Romulan war bird. With everything caught in temporal stasis, our hero's find themselves racing against the clock as a second party of aliens plan to destroy both vessels while frozen. This is a really exciting episode, the premise is awesome, there’s some nice twists and of cores it’s always great to have the Romulans involved. I’ll admit that the final scene is pretty stupid but who cares, this is still an awesome episode and definitely one to look at.  

8. Cause and Effect (Season 5 - Episode 18) 

This episode is the “Star Trek” equivalent of the movie “Ground Hog Day”, best of all is that it actually premiered a full year before “Ground Hog Day", so you really couldn't call this a rip-off. Just like how Bill Murray was trapped in repeating the same day over and over again, the Enterprise becomes stuck in a causality loop repeating the same events over and over. The crew retains some memory of previous instances and it all works like one big puzzle slowly coming together in the end. It makes for a very clever, well executed story and one of the stand out "TNG" episodes.

7. Redemption (Season 4 - Episode 26, Season 5 - Episode 1)

Here's one of the more epic, character driven story arch's of the series. When a Klingon Civil war engulfs commander Worf's home planet, he leaves the Enterprise to fight for honor of what his family represents. Meanwhile a fleet of 23 Federation star ships form a blockade to prevent a Romulan fleet from delivering supplies to the opposing factions. In short, it's about as awesome as two part episodes of  the series get. We  have a member leaving the crew, fleets of ships going into battle with the Romulans, and a surprise villain appearance that has a connection to one of the deceased main characters of the show. Yeah, this episode introduces us to the sinister commander Sela, which includes one of the most spectacular cliff hangers ever happen on this show.

6. The Inner Light (Season 5 - Episode 25) 

 A space probe creates a telepathic tether and in the span of twenty-five minutes causes Picard to experience, a full lifetime as a married man on a world that was destroyed a millennium ago. This episode couldn’t be simpler, it’s just Picard living this man’s life and it’s done so well. The acting is great, the musical score is beautiful, and the conversations between characters are so powerful that they go as fare to touch upon the meaning of life. It’s just a very well done episode, and I feel so touched by it every time I see it.
   

5. The Next Phase (Season 5 - Episode 24)

 Here's yet another creative oddity episode that's always been a personal favorite of mine. A transporter accident traps Geordi and Ensign Ro out of phase, they try to reverse the process and get the attention of everyone else who are planning their funeral. They have to do it quickly because the Romulans have planted a booby trap in the ship that will cause it to explode when they go to warp. As if there weren't enough problems, a Romulan is also phased and is hunting down our two hero's. This is just an awesome episode that keeps building and building. The action is great, the premise is very engaging and the Romulans make for such fun villains in this episode. It’s everything you could want from an exciting Sci-Fi TV show and it delivers all the way.   

4. Yesterday's Enterprise (Season 3 - Episode 14)

Before I talk about this episode, I should briefly mention the character Tasha Yar, who was a main player in season 1, but died at hands of an evil creature. While the death made for good drama, it was also very empty, and made the character feel wasteful. Now we come to a stand out episode that makes up for that. The Enterprise-C arrives from the past, causing a shift in reality in which the federation is at war and Tasha Yar is still alive. The catch is that the new reality is worse and in order to set things right, the Enterprise-C would have to go back in time into a battle that will claim their lives. There are some great conflicts, exciting action scenes and big decisions in this episode. It's a riveting story, and it brings a satisfying conclusion to the character Tasha Yar. It also features one of the biggest shining moments of the Enterprise crew as they stand up in battle, and make sure that history never forgets the name "Enterprise". It’s simply classic “Star Trek” at its finest.   

3. Tapestry (Season 6 - Episode 15)

 

 An accident kills Picard, and he finds himself in an afterlife with with his old adversary the Q entity analyzing his past choices. The episodes revolving around the character Q have always been a real treat, and the two actors just work off each other so perfectly. What makes this episode stand out is that while it has a fascinating premise, it also conveys such a simple message in a very human way. In this episode Picard tries to change some negative events from his past, but he learns that the man who he’s become in the future no longer exists due to his changes. It’s all about excepting the mistakes we’ve made because they help shape us into the people we are now. There’s a lot of strong performances in this episode, great writing and as I said before, the interactions between Picard and Q are just fantastic. For me personally, when “Star Trek” is at it's best, it’s more than just conveying a simple message for a good quality episode ... it’s something to live by.

2. All Good Things ... (Season 7, Episodes 25-26)

   It’s the very last episode of the whole series, and it’s just the perfect cherry to put on top of the cake. Picard finds himself alternating between three time periods thanks to the Q entity, with a spacetime distortion that threatens to destroy reality growing larger in the past, and smaller in the future. This episode works as a clever book end to the series premier episode, has some big events going down, and an especially nice touch are the appearances of favored reoccurring characters like Q, Chief O’ Brian, the Romulan commander Tomalak and the return of Tasha Yar. It's hard to explain why, but this two-prater has always been my favorite series finally for any TV show I've ever seen. It's a finally that gave a strong send off to this excellent cast of characters, and it always leaves me with a great feeling that while all good things certainly come to an end, it was still a worthwhile experience that will stick with me for a long time.   

Before I reveal my #1 favorite, here are some quick honorable mentions ... "Night Terrors" (Season 4 - Episode 17) "Devils Due" (Season 4 - Episode 13) "Sins of the Father" (Season 3 - Episode 17) "The Measure of a Man" (Season 2 - Episode 9)

1. The Best of Both Worlds (Season 3 - Episode 26 & Season 4 - Episode 1)

Here it is, the classic Star Trek episode that always seems to make #1 on every fans list, but can you blame them? In this deeply thrilling two-part finally, Captain Picard is kidnapped by the Borg, is transformed into a villeins cyborg, and they begin their invasion of Federation space. Along the way countless Starfleet ships are destroyed by the lone Borg ship, and several events are set into play for both the "Deep Space 9" TV series and the movie "First Contact". This is just an iconic episode that launched “Star Trek: The Next Generation” into absolute greatness. It’s like a small motion picture that was hidden away in a causal TV series. The Borg quickly became the shows most popular villains after this, and for good reason. For as much as I love the Romulan's, the Borg still remain their greatest foes. The character interactions in this episode are very strong, the story is rich, the tension is high, and it’s all boasted with a stellar musical score. It’s one of the most famous episodes in all of “Star Trek” .. and for a reason.     

     The End