Little Monsters (1989)

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The 1989 horror comedy from Richard Greenberg is definitely one of the best buddy comedies from the late eighties. While nostalgia is very kind to it, many years later it’s just a very good movie that hasn’t aged all that well. In either case, “Little Monsters” is a childhood classic I recall watching about three times a day for a month, and still loving. I was a seven year old horror fan and couldn’t get enough of this world presented to us on-screen. It also helped that the movie starred Fred Savage who, at the time, was the big name as a child star.

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Hotel Transylvania (2012)

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Even with the great Genndy Tartakovsky behind the screen, I held out almost no hope for “Hotel Transylvania,” because even in an animated film for kids, Adam Sandler is never above casting his slew of pseudo talented friends as the supporting cast. Like most Sandler productions, “Hotel Transylvania” can occasionally be loud and silly, but when it reaches down for a heart, it manages to be a sweet bit of family fare.

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Mad Monster Party (1967)

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Rankin Bass’s “Mad Monster Party” (or “Mad Monster Party?”) is a monster bash of animated proportions that brings the great Boris Karloff aboard to lend credibility to an already fun animated film. Comprised of some excellent voice work and some classic stop motion animation from the Rankin Bass studio, “Mad Monster Party” sets down on the geeky and lovable Felix Flankin, a pharmacist with an allergy problem who is called to his old uncle Baron Boris von Frankenstein’s island for a party where he plans to announce to his monster community that he’s giving up the life of monster making and plans to hand over the business to his nephew.

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Creature Crypt, Week 1: “The Last Halloween” Aliens; Gizmo

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“Creature Crypt” is a four part weekly column that spotlights two creatures from our childhood that made us in to rabid horror fans. These are the creatures that scared us, wowed us, made us cry, and made us hope they weren’t under our bed.

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The Little Mermaid (1989)

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Though it’s often thought of as the film that helped revive the animated film boom from Disney in the nineties, predating a string of hit films from the studio, “The Little Mermaid” is much like “Bambi.” It has amazing animation, and a wonderful soundtrack, but in the narrative frame, it’s unspectacular. While the former film garnered a nearly non-existent storyline with a simple resolution stretched in to ninety minutes, “The Little Mermaid” has almost nothing in the way of reasoning or logic for its heroine’s motives toward happiness.

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5 Shows We're Not Afraid to Admit We're Nerdy About

TMNTI often get the “Really? You like this?!” response whenever I speak about my enjoyment for Disney shows. You know what? Some people watch reality shows to pass the time, I watch Disney sitcoms and cartoons to escape from reality, and it offers some genuinely good laughs and entertainment. You’re only as old as you feel, and I am very experimental when it comes to kids’ shows. They’re not always winners, but when I hit one that entertains me, I tune in regularly. These are five we love without shame.

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Marvel's Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.

hulk-agents-of-smashDisney and Marvel presents “Hulk and the Agents of Merchandising Possibilities”! Demonstrating the same business model as their rivals at the Cartoon Network, Disney and Marvel’s fusion has guaranteed all the former Marvel shows scrapped in favor of more juvenile and louder action shows. ‘”Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” was taken off in favor of the less complex and more action friendly “Avengers Assemble,” and now Marvel has given Hulk his own vehicle.

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