Requested Review: My Guilty Pleasures

Everyone has a list of films that are seen as a guilty pleasure. It is usually consisting of films that are recognised as cult classics, ones that did not have initial success or something that has just ticked all the right things you want in a film that many others do not see.
My list has a great mix of fantasy adventures, family comedies and even an all-out action flick. If you have not seen any of these, then I highly recommend you watch it at least once just to experience them. Here they are:

Return To Oz - An important film from my childhood and for many others. This has to be my favourite of my guilty pleasures as I really want more people to encounter this magical adventure for the first time and for the next generation of movie watchers.
After not receiving that initial success, it has grown and grown into a huge cult favourite. Someone even made a documentary about it called 'The Joy That Got Away'. That title is perfect for what this film is.
Disney definitely missed a trick here, and they should be grateful for creating this epic adventure that has a bit of dark side to it. It also contains one of my favourite movie soundtracks of all-time.

Speed Racer - Anything made by The Wachowski's I seem to love (apart from Jupiter Ascending which is o.k.) and Speed Race is no exception. Despite having no knowledge of the Japanese kids TV series, this was a visual wonder and a thrilling family adventure that reminded of a racing game that I used to play called F-Zero X.
With a star studded cast, some of the most dazzling visual effects I have ever seen, some very clever editing and one of my favourite final acts of all-time, this always cheers me up whenever I am down. If you know what to expect with Japanese kids TV, then you will be fine with what you see as The Wachowski's apparently stay true to the tone of the show. Also Michael Giacchino's score is great.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Another film that is slowly growing a cult following and is now considered as one of the most underrated films ever made by Walt Disney Animation studios.
Despite the majority giving a low rating, there was a small amount of love for it, and I was certainly one of them.
It sees a young adventurer follows in his fathers foot-steps, and teams up with a group to explorers to find the mysterious lost land of Atlantis.
It is a pure fantasy adventure that I think would look great as a live-action version if it was put in the hands of the right people. The pacing really sucks you into the story and be truly invested in these characters. I never get tired watching this.

The Pagemaster - I will be amazed if people born after 2000 know about this one, then you have reliable contacts for good films.
One of Macaulay Culkin's very few successful roles outside of the Home Alone franchise. His character gets caught up in a mysterious library, and this begins his adventure on face his own fears.
Lots of great characters, beautiful soundtrack and definitely one to put in your list of ones to watch on a rainy weekend.

The Mighty Ducks trilogy - This trilogy probably made me the person that I am today. I love a good sports movie and this is probably the one that introduced me to not just the genre, but expand my love of spots in general.
This highly entertaining trilogy sees a bunch of rag-tag youths, to becoming one of the most famous Ice Hockey teams in the world. If you love your underdog sports films, then you need to add this to your list.

Bubble Boy - I remember hearing a lot of hate for this film. Not just for its silliness, but for how it covers its topics.

Well, I must have been in the right mood as I had a really fun time watching this comedic road/coming of age flick. Yes it's silly, but it's heart is in the right place and it stars a young Jake Gyllenhaal who shows the potential that he ended up showing in his most recent works.

Super Mario Bros. - I know I know, this film has so much hate. But I'm sorry, I enjoyed it. I've played many different Super Mario games. But I just saw as something separate and saw it as a pretty solid watch.

Maybe it was seeing it as a kid that gives it a nostalgic feel. Whatever it was, I am certainly one of the very few out there that sees as a perfectly fine sci-fi adventure.

Smokin' Aces - When a L:as Vegas magician snitches on the mob, a whole bunch of gangs are out to kill him.

While some see this as pointless action, I found it to be a tense, exciting and well performed action extravaganza that Quentin Tarantino would be proud of. It has a surprising stellar cast that includes an almost unrecognisable Chris Pine and Joel Edgerton, and a fantastic performance out of nowhere by Alicia Keys.