Back when I was a kid, there were a handful of movies that I loved. We all have those and while some have lost their luster as we entered adulthood others are so timeless they still hold the very same magic we all remember. As a father to a beautiful little girl, I often day dream about sitting in the home theater with her when she gets older watching these classics and hope that she enjoys them at least half as much as I did. If you haven’t seen any of these, I highly recommend you check them out.

1) The Goonies – This movie ranks very high in my list of all time favorites. This movie had it all; great characters, hilarious dialogue, pirates, robbers, and the biggest adventure a gang of kids could have. Hell my friends and I used to pretend to be characters from The Goonies and we’d set out on our own adventures in the forest near our neighborhood. This movie truly inspired our imaginations.

2) A Christmas Story – We all know and love this classic Christmas movie about a round faced boy who dreams of a Red Ryder BB Gun. The great thing about that movie is we’ve all been there before. Dreaming about the holy grail of Christmas presents and hoping that we behaved just enough all year long to get it. Whenever this movie was on in our house, the anticipation really ramped up.

3) E.T. – I’m talking the original cut. Not the castrated re-release to appease all the parent groups who protested the guns and the expression “penis breath”. E.T. is still just as much fun today as it was back in the 80s when I saw it in theaters with my dad.

4) Ghostbusters – Another movie I saw in theaters that I thought was hilarious. The entire cast is brilliant (special props to oft forgotten Rick Moranis) and a great deal of fun. This is the very first movie that got me interested in the supernatural and was the gateway into becoming a horror movie junkie (Those dogs scared the shit out of me).

5) Monster Squad – Another great movie for the family. Monster Squad was so much fun to watch that the hour and a half run-time feels like 45 minutes. This movie resonated with myself and my buddies because we were all horror junkies and so were the kids in this movie. We found it really easy to relate to the characters. Recent rumblings suggest they’re poised to reboot Monster Squad with hopes of launching it as a franchise but I really hope it never sees the light of day.