Welcome to The Dragon’s Reel! These are some of the movies I love, the ones I can watch again and again and still enjoy every minute. You’ll find science fiction, fantasy, comedy, and a few that don’t fit neatly into any category.

Some made me laugh, some made me think, and some simply swept me away for a couple of hours. A few have been favorites for decades.

Top Gun – Cold War posturing, forbidden love, male bonding and a killer sound track. “I feel the need-the needs for speed.” THE quintessential 80s feel good movie.

Chocolat – Vianne, a single mother who has never married, disrupts the tranquillité of a small French Catholic village when she opens a chocolaterie during Lent. Reuniting a grandson with his grandmother, befriending a group of traveling Romani, and interfering in a troubled marriage do little to endear her to the village’s more conservative residents. As Easter approaches, Vianne’s unconventional ways threaten to upset more than the village’s traditions.

Forbidden Planet – Robby the Robot nearly steals the show in this 1956 sci-fi classic. A mysterious monster is killing people on a distant planet. The Krell, an ancient civilization with incredible technology, vanished long ago. What the hell happened to them? And what’s killing people now? “Monsters, John. Monsters from the Id!”

The Rocky Horror Picture Show – A young couple, stranded on a stormy night, find themselves at a creepy castle where mayhem ensues in the form of a crazy musical. Throw in some mad science, sexual experimentation, and a collection of thoroughly bizarre characters, and you’re in for one very strange night.

Star Trek: First Contact – The Borg, the Vulcans, time travel, a race against time—First Contact checks all the Star Trek boxes. Follow Zefram Cochrane’s journey to Warp 1. It’s my favorite of the Star Trek movies, but I can recommend any of them.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – Ferris Bueller takes a day off from school, and he’s not about to waste it. With his girlfriend and reluctant best friend in tow, he heads into Chicago for a day of fun, while his principal is determined to catch him in the act. Who knew skipping school could be so complicated?

Apollo 13 – Watch the story of the Apollo 13 mission, from takeoff to the damaged spacecraft and the desperate journey back to Earth. My dad told me it was just like he remembered from the news. The suspense is real, even when you know the ending.

Project Hail Mary – Ryland Grace, an ordinary science teacher, finds himself light-years from Earth on a mission to save the Sun and humanity. He is alone in the emptiness of space, until he isn’t. He meets an alien scientist on a mission to save his own planet from the same threat. What follows is the story of two friends working together to find the answer.