I've Totally Seen That Movie Before

Jurassic Park (1993) Director: Steven Spielberg Writers:  Michael Crichton (novel), David Koepp (screenplay) Cast:  Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, B.D. Wong, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight Synopsis: With the help of advancements in genetic engineering, theme park mogul John Hammond (Attenborough) has created an island populated with living dinosaurs for the public's enjoyment. However, an accident at the park causes some concerns from his investors and they want Hammond to get a group of experts to sign off on the park or they'll pull funding from the project. Hammond invites Dr. Allan Grant (Neill), Dr. Ellie Sadler (Dern) and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Goldblum), along with his grandchildren Lex (Richards) and Tim (Mazzello) to tour the park for a weekend. Unfortunately, disgruntled employee Nedry (Knight) chooses that weekend to enact a plan to steal the dinosaur embryos stored at the park to se...

Willow (1988) Director: Ron Howard Writers:  George Lucas (story), Bob Dolman (screenplay) Cast:  Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh, Patricia Hayes, Billy Barty, Pat Roach, Gavan O'Herlihy, Mark Northover, Kevin Pollack, Rick Overton Synopsis: One morning while tilling his fields, Willow Ufgood's (Davis) children discover a baby girl floating in the river. His family decides to take the child in but things go awry when a terrifying dog-like creature attacks Willow's village. The village council and the wizard The High Aldwin (Barty) decide that its too dangerous for the baby to stay in the village and task Willow with returning her to her own people. On his journey Willow learns that the baby is Elora Danan, a child of prophecy who is destined to bring about the end of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Marsh). It is Bavmorda who is searching for the baby and has dispatched her daughter Sorsha (Whalley) and the commander of her armies, General Kael (Roac...

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985) Director:  Guy Hamilton Writers: Richard Sapir (novel), Warren Murphy (novel), Christopher Wood (screenplay) Cast:  Fred Ward, Joel Gray, Wilford Brimley, J.A. Preston, George Coe, Charles Cioffi, Kate Mulgrew, Patrick Kilpatrick, Michael Pataki Synopsis:   NYPD officer Sam Macon (Ward) is ambushed while responding to a call and is seemingly killed in the line of duty. However, his death was just a ruse and part of a plan to recruit him into a clandestine organization known as CURE, dedicated to rooting out the corruption plaguing the U.S. government. Macon undergoes extensive plastic surgery to hide his identity and is even given a new name, Remo Williams. Harold W. Smith (Brimley), the organization's leader, and MacCleary, Remo's handler, send him to train with Chiun (Gray), the master of a mysterious martial art called Shinanju. Soon, Remo is sent to kill George Grove, a weapons contractor who is defrauding the government out ...

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Director:  Steven Spielberg Writers:  Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay), George Lucas (story), Phillip Kaufman (story) Cast:  Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Ronald Lacey, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina, Wolf Kahler Synopsis: In 1936, renowned archaeologist Indiana Jones (Ford) is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do. Unfortunately, the Nazis have enlisted the help of Indy's rival, Belloq (Freeman), who usually manages to best our hero at every turn. But Indy has the help of former flame Marion (Allen), who holds a key piece to the puzzle, and his friend Sallah (Rhys-Davies), the best digger in Egypt. Will Indy secure one of the greatest artifacts in history, or will the Nazis unleash its power upon mankind? Cinematic history ensues. First Impressions: I was 5 years old when this movie hit theaters and, thus, could not see it on the big screen. However, I was able to view it ...

Robin Hood (2010) Director:  Ridley Scott Writers:  Brian Helgeland (screenplay), Ethan Reiff (story), Cyrus Voris (story) Cast:  Russel Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Mcfadyen, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins, Mark Addy, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes, Alan Doyle, Douglas Hodge, Léa Seydoux, Johnathan Zaccaï, Robert Pugh, Gerard McSorely Synopsis: Following the death of Richard the Lionheart (Huston), archer Robin Longstride (Crowe) and his companions - Allan A'Dayle (Doyle), Will Scarlett (Grimes) and Little John (Durand) - travel home to England from France. On the way, they foil a French ambush of a caravan carrying the deceased king's crown back to England. One of the knights killed in the trap, Robert Loxley (Hodge), begs Robin to return both the crown to Richard's heir, Prince John (Isaac), as well as Loxley's sword back to his home in Nottingham. When they arrive, they meet Loxley's elderly and blind father, Sir...

Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) Director:  Berry Levinson Writers:  Arthur Conan Doyle (characters), Chris Columbus (screenplay) Cast:  Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward, Anthony Higgins, Susan Fleetwood, Freddie Jones, Nigel Stock, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Earl Rhodes Synopsis: A prequel examining the first meeting between famous detective Sherlock Holmes (Rowe) and his sidekick John Watson (Cox), while they were in boarding school together. The pair are soon thrust from their normal academic duties into investigating a series of murders which seem to be targeting prominent London businessmen. They soon uncover that the murders are being perpetrated by a mysterious Egyptian cult called the Rame-tep. With the help of their fencing instructor Mr. Rathe (Higgins), Holmes and Watson discover not only is the cult responsible for the murders but also for the disappearances of several young women around London.  First Impression: I didn't see this one in theaters, not becau...

The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) Director: Stephen Hopkins Writer:  William Goldman Cast:  Val Kilmer, Michael Douglas, Tom Wilkinson, John Kani, Bernard Hill, Brian McCardie, Emily Mortimer, Om Puri, Henry Cele Synopsis: In 1896 Lt. Col. John Patterson (Kilmer) was hired by Robert Beaumont (Wilkinson) to build a railway bridge across the River Tsavo in East Africa. Soon after he arrives, workers start to go missing from the work camp. Patterson discovers that the disappearances are being caused by a pair of man-eating lions. After several unsuccessful attempts to kill the beasts, which the workers have named "The Ghost and the Darkness," Patterson falls behind schedule on building the bridge. To get things back on track, Beaumont calls in the professional hunter, Remington (Douglas), to assist Patterson in his efforts to hunt the lions. However, the lions continue to kill and eat workers despite the hunter's presence, causing most of them to flee the camp, forcing Remin...

Romancing the Stone (1984) Director: Robert Zemeckis Writer:  Diane Thomas Cast:  Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda, Holland Taylor, Mary Ellen Trainor Synopsis: Mousy romance novelist Joan Wilder (Turner) is sent a treasure map in the mail from her recently deceased brother-in-law. She is told by criminals Ira (Norman) and Ralph (DeVito) that she must travel to Colombia to give the map to them in exchange for her sister Elaine (Trainor), who they had kidnapped. Joan complies with the demands, and upon arriving in Colombia, she becomes lost in the jungle after being waylaid by the mysterious Colonel Zolo (Ojeda), who also wants the map. She is rescued by Jack Colton (Douglas), who agrees to bring her back to civilization and eventually convinces her to seek the treasure as leverage for her sister's life.  First Impressions: I know; this seems like the last movie that I would watch, let alone review. However, this film ...