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HARVEY (1950)
James Steward stars as Elwood P. Dowd in the delightful story of a middle-aged man whose best friend is a giant rabbit who is over 6 feet tall. Elwood spends his time walking around the city, meeting new people, handing them his card, and introducing them to his friend. Most believe he is alcoholic, mentally ill, or both. His family tries to get him committed. This is where the fantasy truly begins. While going through the commitment process, Elwood begins doing a better job of convincing others of Harvey's reality. By the end of the film, we all believe and win out over reality right alongside Mr. Dowd.

THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T (1953)
Almost every book written by Dr. Seuss was well received and famous, however "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T" was an exception to every Seuss rule. There are no rhymes, no catchy lines; it was a very dark and disturbing story and not very child friendly. Adapting it to film was extraordinarily difficult and met with strong Resistance. The result, however, was a masterpiece of film-making. The film centers around a child's Resistance to taking piano lessons from his masochistic teacher, Dr. T. The teacher is abusive and slave-driving. All this being said, however, the journey to freedom from his clutches becomes a delightful one. The fear induced by Dr. T (and the dark world in general, which is created in the film) is as genuinely frightening as that of the Wicked Witch of the West or anything that takes place in the Emerald City in "The Wizard of Oz". While, on a whole, certainly not as great as "Oz," its boldness and audaciousness make it an indisputable (though widely under-viewed) fantasy classic.

THEM (1954)
The shocking horror classic, "Them!" follows a scientist trying to prove in biological terms why some people were disappearing and others were suddenly going insane (and experiencing many other strange physical and mental symptoms). The study, however, leads to no natural explanation as he expected. Giant ants have mutated as the results of atomic bombs; they are the cause of the disease. The film's ants may appear a bit goofy at first, but the closer they are shown, the more frightening they become. Most impressive about "Them!" is the sound effects and music score that make the suspension of belief surprisingly easy. They are certainly comparable to today's standards for strong special effects. The ants cause at least as much fear as the shark of "Jaws." The story is allegory for environmental preservation themes, but great balance is found so the allegory's message comes across powerfully without compromising the value of the adventure and the horror.

FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956)
"Forbidden Planet" has one of the most bold and audacious premises of film history-a science fiction retelling of Shakespeare's "The Tempest." Three scientists from earth are sent to the "forbidden planet" to offer help as it looked to be in great trouble. The planet has many different dimensions to its physical look, some incredibly beautiful, and some dark and drear. The visual effects were the best possible at the time. The film's influence is seen through almost every sci-fi film to follow. This is especially true of the film's comic relief, a robot named Robby who was an obvious inspiration for the "Star Wars" duo R2D2 and C3PO as well as Rosie the Maid from TV's "The Jetsons." "Forbidden Planet" is an all-around experience of great enjoyment.

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