MINI-LIST: iPhone Games That Are Actually Fun

As I return from a four month hiatus where I inexplicably dropped off the radar, I come to you with a format that I hope my listing brethren will approve of - the Mini-List!

For each entry in the Mini-List five quick questions will be answered to get across the essential information for a topic that doesn't really require excessive coverage. It's for the list enthusiast on the go! So I guess it'll be like Go-gurt but cooler.

Since getting my iPhone late last year, I've tried out a ridiculous amount of games for it. As one would assume, a cellphone isn't really the best platform for gaming, but there were a handful that kept my attention and brought me back again and again. Only games unique to the iPhone allowed for this list, so nothing like Pac-Man or Plants vs. Zombies, for example. Here are the games that I didn't delete immediately, and can actually recommend.

5. Boost
How do I play? The objective is simple, race down an ever-changing course as far as possible avoiding obstacles. Does it look good? It's surprisingly crisp and appealing for having such simple graphics. I just drank eight beer, can I still play? No complicated controls here, just tilt the phone side to side to steer. Why is it so addictive? Because you're constantly trying to beat your own high score. It's easy enough for anyone to pick up and play, but difficult enough to offer a challenge. Any extra features? Yeah, hand it to someone on shrooms.

4. Medieval
How do I play? Protect your castle against the invading hordes, and take out the opposing castle post haste. God help us, another tower defense game? Not quite. It's all about deciding how to take out the enemy. Knock down the castle with trebuchets, or arrows, or simply steal their flag. Can I upgrade stuff? You bet your ass you can. How many levels? Unlimited, and they keep getting harder. Why is it so addictive? Hurling boulders at soldiers just never gets old.

3. Skee-Ball
How do I play? It's skee-ball. Is there any strategy involved? Tilting the phone while the ball is in the air gives it some spin. And aiming for the glowing holes can earn you precious multipliers. Did you just say 'glowing holes'? Yes. Let's move on. Why is it so addictive? Not only is it skee-ball in your pocket, but as you play you earn tickets to spend on shitty prizes, just like in real life! Can I try? Sure. But if you beat my high score, I'll stab you in the lung.

2. Space Miner: Space Ore Bust
How do I play? Explore zones of space in pursuit of riches by blasting everything in your path. What's it like? It's like Asteroids with a story and RPG elements. How are the controls? Like I said ... it's like asteroids, but that's all part of the fun. Why is it so addictive? Upgrading your ship, hidden items, in-game achievements. The list goes on. Aren't you ashamed you spent 10 hours on a cellphone game? Not nearly as ashamed as the 8 of those hours probably spent playing on the toilet.

1. Angry Birds
How do I play? Use a giant slingshot to hurl kamikaze birds into frail structures to kill all the pigs that have wronged bird-kind. Is this a puzzle game? Sort of. It's more like a physics simulation combined with crack. Are there different angry birds? Yes, and they all have special abilities to help bash your way to the swine. Angle your shots well and make sure not a bird-soul is wasted. Why is it so addictive? Probably because even when you fail a level you're having fun, and trying again takes half a second. What's the best part? The hilarious sounds each bird makes as it's launched to its glorious death.

Elm Street's Deadliest Nightmares

With A Nightmare on Elm Street’s remake just released in theatres, and all the hoopla that it’s generated between long time fans of the Elm Street film series and newcomers to the franchise, I figured this was the appropriate time to put together an Elm Street-related list for the site.

This is a list of some of my favourite nightmare/kill sequences from the ANOES series, thus far.

5. Will – A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors (1987)

Okay, this one is kind of goofy, so I placed it low on the list - although you shouldn’t think of my lists as ranked, usually. I get a kick of out this scene, personally, so I had to add it.

In The Dream Warriors, which is probably my favourite sequel in the ANOES franchise, we meet several different kids that have these abilities they can use when in their dreams. As they start to learn about their different powers they attempt to fight back against Freddy, who is trying to kill them all off in their sleep. One kid in particular, Will, is confined to his wheelchair in the real world. In his dreams, however, Will takes on the persona of the Wizard Master, a character from a strategy game he plays in waking life. Not only is he able to walk, but he uses magic powers to fight off Freddy.

The whole thing looks pretty silly in the film, honestly, but I’ve always gotten a kick out of this sequence, and you can’t help but feel Freddy’s that much more evil for wanting to kill this poor kid. Things turn sour for Will, The Wizard Master, pretty quickly in his battle with Freddy, who turns his wheelchair into a death machine that chases Will down, before Freddy dispatches Will himself with his trusty razor glove.

It’s not a spectacular dream sequence by any means, but one I’ve always enjoyed.

4. Debbie – A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

This scene is often remembered by fans of the franchise for its really cool visual special effects.

Debbie, a tough chick, is attacked by Freddy in her sleep. As is his usual modus operandi, Freddy incorporates aspects of his victim’s lives - and fears - into their deaths. Poor Debbie gets a double-dose in this sequence, for good measure.

In an attempt to stay awake Debbie is doing what she usually does…pumping some iron. In a cringe-inducing moment the weights become too much for her to handle and her arms break at the elbows. The skin cracks open to reveal a yellow, gooey centre. As the scene progresses the wounds on her arms reveal a transformation. In a matter of moments Debbie turns into her greatest fear, a cockroach and is then dispatched in hilarious, MTV Freddy fashion: crushing her in a roach motel.

3. Glen – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Here’s a doozy: the death of Glen from the original ANOES. Everyone remembers Glen as this was the breakout role for arguably one of the most-liked actors for our time, Johnny Depp.

Glen was the lovable boyfriend to the heroine of the film, Nancy. The poor guy just couldn’t catch a break with Nancy and in the end he was dispatched in possibly one of the bloodiest scenes ever witnessed in a horror film.

Nancy is attempting to pull Freddy out of her nightmare and asks that Glen call and wake her up so she isn’t stuck in her dreams with our fedora-wearing mass murderer. Unfortunately, apparently the simple task of staying awake is a bit much for Glen and he manages to fall asleep while listening to records and watching his little TV – you’ve got to love the 80s, man.

Before he knows it he’s in Freddy’s murderous hands and is dragged into his bed. We don’t know exactly what happens to Glen, but we certainly do know the aftermath. A torrent of blood rushes from inside the bedsheets and sprays upward, covering the ceiling. It’s an amazing sequence and just one taste of the awesome imagery put forth in Wes Craven’s original classic.

2. Philip – A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors (1987)

When you ask people about the kills they remember most from the Nightmare franchise - which is an odd question when you think about - I find this one comes up an awful lot. That’s because it is a great visual effect and even in a really cool film like The Dream Warriors it stands out.

I didn’t mention it before when I was talking about Will: The Wizard Master, but the story of this flick revolves around a group of kids in a sort of hospital. They all have different issues they’re sorting out. Philip, for instance, is having problems with sleepwalking, amongst other concerns. This is incorporated really well into his death sequence in the film.

Philip is the first to go in the movie. While sleeping, Philip is attacked by Freddy who pulls the veins out of his hands and feet. He uses those veins like a puppet master, and marionettes - did I just use that as a verb? - down the hallway of the hospital and out the nearest window. The scene is memorable because it makes everyone cringe as Phil’s arteries are ripped out and watch as he’s forced to march to Freddy’s tune.

1. Tina – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

I saved the best for last. This kill is one of the most memorable of the whole franchise and has now appeared in three films: A Nightmare on Elm Street, New Nightmare and the Nightmare remake, although it was poorly redone in the remake. I would say it comes to mind second after Glen’s bloody death nearing the end of the film, but I always found this one had more of an impact.

The kill I speak of is, of course, Tina’s death in the original ANOES. After a night of raunchy sex with her boyfriend, Tina drifts to sleep. She awakens to sounds outside her bedroom window. She gets up to investigate and is stalked by our favourite villain in a striped sweater, Fred Krueger.

As Freddy kills Tina in the nightmare we also see it occur in the real world, while Tina’s boyfriend looks on in horror as she’s slashed by invisible blades and dragged up the wall and ceiling of her bedroom.

This is the first time we see Freddy do his thing on screen. He stalks Tina, playing with her, and then we watch in the real world as he kills her. You have to imagine some of what Freddy is doing to her in the nightmare, which makes it that much more effective.

It’s a great way to start this film, and the whole franchise, and I think deserves the top spot on this list.

Alien Abduction Films

Okay, so this list has been a long time in the making.

In writing this list I thought that five films of this nature would easily come to mind. I then realized that the list I wanted to make was of movies that were truly about alien abduction. No, not because I'm some screw-loose believer, but because this sort of film truly scares the ever-lovin' urine out of my bladder.

I can't really explain it, but I think it goes back to the traumatizing event of my mother having me watch ET: The Extraterrestrial as a child. Yes, I was the only child you know that was petrified of that cute, grey little bastard.

In short, this list is comprised specifically of films that feature alien abduction as their theme, not just aliens, so you won't see flicks like Signs or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I'd like to add that these were the only five films of this precise type that I could find. As you know, we here at Five-O-Rama are professional listers, not your garden variety mouth-breather with a computer, and I've thoroughly researched this topic. If you can find any more films that fit this bill please feel free to let me know.

5. Altered (2006)

The first film on this list borderline doesn't even meet my criteria, but I've decided to include it. The main reason is that the entire film predicates itself on the fact that the main characters in the film have been abducted by aliens, and because this is Five-O-Rama, not Four-O-Rama, and there were no others movies to place in the fifth position.

Years before five men were abducted in a hick, backwoods town in the US. One of the men died from the excursion, and when they were returned to Earth it was decided that the group would cover up the event, because no one would believe them. Now, several years later, three of the survivors have decided to take revenge into their own hands and capture one of the creatures that abducted and experimented on them years before. They drag the fourth survivor into the mix, and with his strange connection to the aliens they fight to stay alive as their captive's friends come to retrieve it.

This 2006 flick was produced by Haxan films and directed by Eduardo Sanchez, whom if you don't know created the insanely popular indie film The Blair Witch Project. This film plays out more like a slasher than anything else. They capture this alien and try to keep him quietly tucked away for the night, because the rest of the aliens will hunt the rednecks down and they will be slaughtered for what they've done. Of course they all end up fighting amongst themselves and their situation goes south from there.

It has some funny moments and the better part of the film is actually done in practical make-up effects, which is nice to see these days. Still, though, I found the alien creatures looked pretty silly. Usually when they finally reveal the aliens in these films I can barely look at the screen, but these things looked like little green monsters more than anything else. I guess I found it sort of anti-climactic, but it had its moments.

4. Night Skies (2007)

It's been a long while since I've seen this film. When I'd first heard about in 2007, I didn't think that much of it. I knew, however, this sort of thing would scare me sideways, and it's not often a movie like this comes around, so I had to check it out.

It follows the story of several individuals that happen to be out in a lost, dirt road during what has been called one of the largest mass sightings of UFOs ever. You can look into it yourself by googling "Phoenix Lights", but in short there were several lights seen over the skies of Phoenix, Arizona in 1997, shaped like a triangular ship. It was reported by police, citizens, airport officials... just about everyone saw whatever this unidentified flyer was floating in the skies that night. It was even videotaped by multiple people from many different angles.

The idea here is that our cast, driving out in a camper in the wild Arizona country that night, saw more than just lights in the sky.

This film has many things in common with Altered. It is an attempt, in many ways, to make a monster film out of aliens. The unfortunate souls that end up lost in the dark that night are bombarded by the creatures, as they try to break into their camper and abduct them. These creatures don't look nearly as silly as they did in Altered, though, and the atmosphere is much creepier. Also, unlike Altered, there is a full blown alien abduction scene in the film and I, personally, found it much scarier.

3. The Fourth Kind (2009)

This film is interesting. It has been the subject of a lot of debate, if you've heard anything about it, but I won't go into that too much. The film, allegedly, follows the story of Dr. Abigail Tyler, a resident of Nome, Alaska and psychologist.

After a traumatic event in her life - the murder of her husband - Abby tries to pick up the pieces and raise her two children. The mystery behind several of her husband's cases - who was also a psychologist - nag at her and she becomes obsessed with finding out the truth behind what is going on to the resident's of Nome at night.

This movie uses some different filming techniques. It splices "real footage" of certain events with the scenes acted out by the cast, as well as videotaped footage in an attempt to mimic some sort of realism. We follow Abby Tyler as she gets too close to the truth, not only about possible abductions in Nome, but of many of the mysteries of mankind, and where this takes her life.

This was by no means a great film. I want so badly to ruin it for you all, but I won't. The story aside, this film scared the bejeezus out of me. Seriously. It probably wouldn't even be that scary for anyone else watching the film, but for me I was constantly on the edge of my seat, petrified at the possibility one of the alien beings would pop into frame at any moment. It does atmosphere well, if you ask me, and often draws on the imagery of a white owl. It might be hard to imagine, but white owl's face can resemble very closely to what you would imagine a (typical?) grey alien's face to look like, so every time an owl hit the screen I scurried under the blankets.

I can't recommend the movie to everyone, but I think it is an interesting little project and does something that a film has never done to me before, and I certainly don't mean scare me. No, something much more nefarious than that. I can't say what without ruining the story, so you'll just have to watch for yourself to see what I mean. Oh, and don't send me hate mail after, okay?

2. Communion (1989)

Before I began writing the Communion portion of this list, I decided to look up the poster. As it came up in my web browser I was shocked by the image of an alien. At that exact moment I received a text message on my cell phone and had a heart attack.

No more list.

Okay, I'm still alive, but you'd better appreciate me more for finishing this off, alright? Okay, moving on.

Communion is based on a novel, which supposedly chronicles the real events that happened to a man by the name of Whitley Strieber. Written by Strieber, the novel actually never makes any indication to what he calls his "visitors" as being extraterrestrials, but the film certainly doesn't leave any grey areas.

The film is the story of Strieber as he realizes that he and his family are having the same weird nightmares. As he delves into their mass psychosis he comes to the realization that they are being visited by unearthly beings in the night and experimented on.

The cover of the novel, which was adapted for the film's poster and promotional images, is the face of what would definitely be called a grey alien, and contrary to what Strieber says, the film and the novel are clearly about alien abduction.

The man would go on to write many different novels about his visitations, as well as other odd tales of meeting clandestine individuals that apparently hold the key to our survival, and is also the host of a podcast called "Dreamland" - the name taken from the nickname given to Area 51 - which is most definitely about paranormal activity.

Communion petrified me as a child before I ever witnessed it. I saw a story about Strieber on, I believe, Unsolved Mysteries, which is where I first saw the image of Strieber's "visitor" on the cover of his book. From that day on I was terrified to watch the film, due in part to the fact that I knew the subject matter would scare me, and partially because Chris Walken played the lead role. Ha, I made a funny.

Honestly, anyone watching this today would probably just laugh their hole off at the special effects. There are these little-people creatures and the main alien is one weird puppet. For me, however, this stuff was nightmare fuel, and I'm sure I slept with a nightlight on for a few years after I finally saw the film.

1. Fire in the Sky (1993)

This is another alleged "true" case of alien abduction, and a film based on the writings of said abductee. The story is based on the novel The Walton Experience, written by Travis Walton about his supposed abduction in 1975, while logging in Arizona (Arizona, again? I smell a conspiracy!). Walton's abduction is one of the world's most famous, but not so much due to the abduction tale itself - although three of his logger friends witnessed and corroborated the event - but because of the rescue search that went on for Walton for five days, before he was rediscovered.

The film follows the tale of Walton, mostly through the eyes of his best friend - and soon to be brother-in-law - Mike Rogers. Much like the true story, the abduction event really takes a backseat to the impact it had on these men's lives after the fact.

The film is, however, about alien abduction, and the climax of the film finally gives a taste of what Walton claims he went through, which was enough to keep me sleepless for many moons to come.

If you haven't seen Fire in the Sky, I definitely recommend it to you. I can't really suggest any of the other films on this list, honestly. I think you'd either have to be some enthusiast, or curiosity-seeker like myself, to find anything entertaining in some of these movies. Fire in the Sky, though, is a very well-acted film and its alien abduction theme aside is a very dramatic story.

Olympics Wrap Up: Surprise Performers

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games are over now and they couldn't have been a much bigger success for Canada. We did more than just not embarrass ourselves, we led the way finishing third overall in the medal standings and first in Golds. Oh, we also set the record for most by Golds by the host country as well as most Golds at the Winter Games PERIOD.

But that last Gold we won to set the record was the big one: men's ice hockey (it always feels so stupid saying ice hockey but I have to stick to Olympic Speak here). Nova Scotia phenom Sidney Crosby scored at 7:40 of overtime to send the nation into celebration and I guess it's only fitting that he was the guy to do it (I called it by the way - picking him for Canada and Patrick Kane for the yanks).

Here I'll just point out five players (plus one extra) who really surprised me with how they performed at the Olympics, whether by really stepping up or completely disappearing. Apparently there were also some other events going on at these games but I didn't really notice.

5. Alex Ovechkin - Russia
Aside from a huge hit on Jaromir Jagr that led directly to a goal by Malkin, The Great Eight was essentially invisible in this tournament, particularly in the game against Canada. Really, the top two lines for the Russians, consisting of notable NHLers Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk (more invisible than Ovie but less surprising), Evgeni Malkin, Ovechkin, Maxim Afinogenov and Alex Semin were consistently outperformed by the bottom two made up of KHLers.

The knock on Russian teams of the past fifteen years is that for all their explosive talent, they never come together as a team and this leads to poor finishes in international tournaments. I personally believed that Ovechkin, with his wild passion and enthusiasm, would galvanize the Russians and they'd finally gel as they needed to. But nope.

4. Sergei Kostitsyn - Belarus
Just because a player doesn't play for a country in the Big Six doesn't mean he can't surprise you. Coming into these Olympics, no one expected much of the Belarussians and really, why would you? And because of injuries to two of their three top offensive players and two of the four NHLers on their roster, expectations were lowered even more. Not only were they without Mikhail Grabovski and short one Kostitsyn brother, it was the lesser Kostitsyn - Sergei - that they were left with.

Older brother Andrei is coming off a 23 goal season for the Montreal Canadiens and actually had 26 the year before so he was the one proven scorer Belarus had. Sergei is younger, smaller and less of a goal scorer. He has great stickhandling and playmaking skills but he's often overmatched by strong, physical players who take away his time and space. So once he became the undisputed number one offensive threat for Belarus, I figured he'd crumble under the pressure. But I was wrong. He led the team in scoring with 2 goals, 3 assists for 5 points in four games. Not overwhelming but still damned impressive when you factor in that he always saw the opposition's best players matching up against him in a tournament that featured the best players in the world. Bravo, Sergei. Grabovski still hates your guts though.

3. Brian Rafalski - USA
Obviously the entire US team's performance at these Olympics was a surprise. Many, including myself, picked them to not even earn a medal. And while the Silver they took home is more due to Ryan Miller's completely unsurprising dominant play than anything else, the fact is that lots of players upped their game. Rafalski is one of those players.

Unlike most of the roster, Rafalski is not young and unproven. In fact he was the oldest player on the team and oldest defenceman by a mile. He's had a great career as a mostly offensive defenceman, averaging close to 50 points a season and winning three Stanley Cups - two with New Jersey and one with Detroit. He played for the US at the last Olympics. And the Olympics before that. But in Torino, he didn't even score a goal. In Vancouver he got 4, 2 in the first game against Canada.

The diminutive, smooth skating native of Dearborn, Michigan, who was never drafted by an NHL team, finished the Olympics with 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points in six games, along with a plus seven. He was selected as one of the defenceman for the tournament all star team (along with Canada's Shea Weber) and named top defenceman overall. He'll be forty by the time the next Olympics roll around and I highly doubt we'll see him there but that's ok given his amazing farewell performance on the international stage.

2. Pavol Demitra - Slovakia
Another tournament all star I don't think anyone saw coming. As I stated in my earlier Olympic list, the story on the Slovakians going into Vancouver is that they're friggin' old. Demitra is one of those players. Even more troubling is his injury history which has severely limited his effectiveness in the NHL for the past few seasons. He'd only played a handful of games for the Canucks this year so predicting how he'd play at the Olympics was tough.

Well, how he played was fantastic, finishing with 3 goals and 7 assists for a tournament leading ten points in seven games. He's easily the most surprising member of the all star team (Canada's Jonathan Toews and USA's Zach Parise were the other forwards with Toews named top forward) and helped Slovakia to a surprise appearance in the Bronze medal game. They were leading that game 3-1 (against the Finns) going into the third period but just couldn't hold it. I know the Slovaks are disappointed that they lost out on a medal but after beating the Russians and Swedes and almost coming back against the Canadians, they should hold their heads up high. Demitra highest of all.

1. Tore Vikingstad - Norway
It's only fitting that the Norwegians' most dynamic player at the Olympics is named Vikingstad. Perhaps his 4 goals in four games don't seem so impressive at first but let's put them into perspective. Firstly, in case you didn't know, Norway is pretty damn far from a power in the world of hockey (something that always surprised me a bit by virtue of geography, really) and they were definitely whipping boys in this tournament. Their number two goalie wasn't even a professional - he was a freaking carpenter. Canada smoked them 8-0 and the Americans easily handled them 6-1. How many goals did Norway even score at the Olympics? I'll tell you - 8. That's right, EIGHT. So Vikingstad accounted for half of his team's entire goal output. Even over a short stretch like four games, that's still pretty amazing. He was also the only Norwegian player to score more than one goal. Patrick Thoresen, their only player with any NHL experience, actually led the team with 5 points but they were all assists.

Vikingstad's offensive outburst came mostly in the form of a hat trick in a game against Latvia. You can say it's only Latvia but you should keep two things in mind: Latvia are technically stronger than Norway (ok, who isn't?) and a hat trick at the Olympics is still a freaking hat trick at the Olympics.

The thirty-three year old was actually a late pick of the St. Louis Blues back in 1999 (180th overall) after showing some promise playing in the Swedish Elite League. His 6'4, 204 pound frame probably was a pretty big factor too. But he never played a game in a North American league let alone the NHL. It's a safe bet this is the last we'll ever hear of him. But then again, he'll only be thirty-seven in four years and Norway isn't exactly stacked with talent...

Honourable Mention: Mats Zuccarello-Aasen - Norway
Norway's other best player doesn't have as kickass a name as Tore Vikingstad but that's ok considering his nickname which I am not making up: The Hobbit Wizard! That's right! In fact, how COULD I make that up?

While the tiny (seriously - 5'7, 154) Norwegian dynamo only managed one goal, he also had two assists for 3 points in the four games played. He also was somehow a plus one which, on that team, is outstanding, trust me. But even though he didn't pile up the points, The Hobbit Wizard made things happen almost every time he was on the ice, using his speed and creativity. He pinballed around the rink fearlessly and showed off some spectacular moves at times. He had 11 shots in the tournament, second only to Vikingstad (who had 12).

He's only twenty-two and currently leading Modo of the Swedish Elite League in scoring with 60 points in fifty-one games. That's a league full of skilled players but it is less physical than say, the AHL. Still, during these Olympics I think it's fair to say he caught the attention of some NHL scouts and gm's. Maybe the NHL is just too physically demanding for such a small player to succeed in but I'd love to see him give it a shot.

Big CGI Films of the 90s

Computer-generated imagery has been used in film since the early 70s. Being a child of the 90s, though, I remember how big of a role CGI played in film. With computers becoming a household item, and the Internet changing how we lived, the use of computer technologies in film left us in awe. These are a few of the big CGI films that were released in the 1990s.

5. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

In the late 90s Star Wars geeks the world over were in a state of euphoria. Although nowadays nerds cry about it constantly on Internet forums all over the web, when George Lucas decided to re-release the original Star Wars trilogy in 1997, the theatres were packed to see his updated versions of these classic films. Amidst the cries of “Han shot first!” and “I rather the cantina scene with the muppets”, we also caught wind of Lucas’ newest project. In 1999, 16 years since the last Star Wars film, and 22 years since he left the director’s chair, Lucas would return with an all new film, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

What can I really say that hasn’t been said? The Jar Jar Binks fiasco has come and gone, but when that film came out, you gotta admit, it was pretty damned cool. I remember the film somewhat fondly, as painful as some of the storyline can be. There was a bitchin’ new Sith, Darth Maul and the introduction of Pod Racing. Qui-Gon and the young Obi-Wan were pretty cool as well. I mean, there were tons of Jedi!

Regardless of your feelings about the film, it was a special effects masterpiece in its time. The battle with the Gungan, the landscapes, it expanded the Star Wars Universe exponentially. As much as I love the original trilogy, and I find a real “character” in the use of puppets and animatronics, The Phantom Menace was a visually epic film from the 90s.

4. The Matrix (1999)

This is a film I hold near and dear to my heart. Although I find it hard to say, “This is my favourite film of all time”, with changing tastes and new films coming out all the time, I have called this movie my favourite, and I still love it. I’m a huge cyber/steam punk fan, and this film is like an action/kung fu/cyberpunk enthusiast’s wet dream. Another 1999 delight, this was essentially a Western, feature film anime, with real friggin’ people. There was awesome hand-to-hand combat, amazing gun fighting and giant freakin’ robots.

The marketing behind the film was one of the major keys to its success. “What is the Matrix?” was on everyone’s mind that year. The viral marketing, along with intriguing storyline and geektastic background made this film and instant win, without any of the great aspects I’ve listed above. This film also single-handedly redefined the term slow-motion. No one calls it slo-mo anymore. It’s “bullet time”. The effect took a combination of wire-work, CGI and a series of still-frame cameras taking hundreds of images in a swooping arc to pull off, and man, did it look awesome.

After this film, movies of the early 2000s struggled to do what they could to keep up with its technological feats. The sequels would continue on this trend, raising the bar each time, but would never touch the original film.

3. Jurassic Park (1993)

Here’s another film that made a huge impact on my youth and I still consider one of my favourite of all time. Stephen Spielberg, the big adventure film king, was taking a Michael Crichton novel to the big screen. That’s like having pizza and Coca-Cola… a winning combination.

With the leaps in CGI-related technologies coming out in the early 90s, Spielberg took on the task of pushing the technologies further than anyone had done before. Even though CG was still in its infancy, he seamlessly blended animatronics, stop motion, puppetry and computer-generated imagery to the point that even today it looks amazing.

The dinosaurs were the big ticket and did they ever look good: the flocking group of Gallimimus, the thundering Brachiosaurs, the Velociraptors and of course, the big daddy of them all, T-Rex. Even though a good portion of the film was actually animatronics, there are scenes where you can’t tell the difference, and you know it. In 1993, there was nothing like it.

2. Toy Story (1995)

Pixar is a household name these days, but in 1995 no one expected such a leap in animation. Pixar had been around for years, using their advanced computer technologies in conjunction with companies like Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) as well as the team behind Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan. It wasn’t until the company was facing some hard times and signed a three picture deal with Disney that it would take off in ways that no one would ever imagine.

The first film they released was Toy Story, a full CGI “cartoon” with big name actors voicing the characters, such as Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Jim Varney and John Ratzenberger. That’s right, I just put the guy from Cheers, Tim the Tool Man Taylor and Ernest in the same sentence with Tom Hanks.

The effects were stunning. The film opened the same year as the newest Batman film (Batman Forever) as well as Apollo 13 (which also featured Hanks), another film that would be somewhat suitable for this list, and pounded the two of them, the highest grossing Disney film since The Lion King. [To be fair, that's only one year - it basically outgrossed the woeful Pocahontas - cole*]

It had a fantastic cast of toy characters, a great storyline and an award-winning soundtrack. In a lot of ways, the CGI in the film was a secondary element, but most certainly helped to catapult Toy Story into the realm of instant classic.

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

You saw this coming, right? No one has pushed film technologies like James Cameron, and his seminal masterpiece, often called the greatest action film of all time, T2 was like a beacon for CGI-related filmmakers.

Using CGI to push his 1989 film, The Abyss, Cameron began his love affair with computer generated effects, and would continue to be the pioneer of these technologies, even to this day. He made the (now) second highest grossing film of all time, the phenomenon that was Titanic in 1997 (another film that could have fit this list, if I cared about it), which was only recently topped by his latest blockbuster, Avatar, which expanded the use of IMAX and 3D into realms no one has ever experienced.

In T2, Cameron paved the way for Spielberg, Lucas and the Wachowskis by creating one of the most memorable villains in cinema, the T-1000; a liquid-metal harbinger of death from the future, bent on destroying humanity's greatest hope.

The visuals of T-1000 were jaw-dropping in their time. Even though the technologies of today have grown exponentially, I think T2’s effects still stand up. Even the CG used to create a Terminator exoskeleton was amazing.

Computer effects continue to evolve, and with virtuosos like Cameron at the helm, we can only expect bigger and better things in the future. Although I think cheaply used computer effects have ruined a lot of films in the last 15 years, and there is still a place for conventional special effects, the big CGI blockbusters will still come and knock our socks off, and I for one can’t wait.