Last week I started recounting the last 20 years of movie magic called the summer blockbuster. This summer is expected to have its share of blockbusters as well, even though a few have already been released including "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," "Million Dollar Arm" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past." A couple upcoming films that I am looking forward to seeing are "Transformers: Age of Extinction" and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes." There are other films that may achieve blockbuster status as well this summer including "Edge of Tomorrow" and "Deliver Us From Evil," but only time will tell. That legend status can be quite elusive. Here are some more of the top summer blockbusters from years past.

1995: "Batman Forever." I have to be honest. I had to look this film up to remember what it was about because even though it rode on the heels of the first two films in this reboot of the series, I only vaguely recalled it as the turning point that led to one final film. This one had Jim Carrey as Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face. It was the last summer hit for this franchise until the second film of the Nolan trilogy became the largest hit in the history of Batman films.1996: "Independence Day." This is one of my favorite summer blockbusters of all time. It had it all, over-the-top action, aliens, the world under attack and real heroes. This was a great film, in my opinion, for the summer blockbuster genre.1997: "Men In Black." Science fiction action films are always fun to watch, but this one had a great deal of cool humor as well. This campy blockbuster is chock-full of aliens and the men in black who keep them in check. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith made one of the best buddy teams in summer blockbuster history.1998: "Saving Private Ryan." The blockbuster shifted gears in the summer of '98 from sci-fi to drama as yet another Steven Spielberg hit depicts soldiers in World War II desperately trying to locate a paratrooper whose brothers were all killed in action to bring him home safely.1999: "The Sixth Sense." M. Night Shyamalan's first blockbuster was also the summer's hit. This is one of those movies you watch the first time for sheer entertainment and then several more times to really appreciate how the illusion was created that you take for granted in the first viewing.2000: "Mission: Impossible 2." This second entry in the film adaptation of the hit television series took the millennium summer by storm as the "Blockbuster of 2000."2001: "Rush Hour 2. "This Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker sequel returned the blockbuster from action to comedy for one summer. Definitely an entertaining entry into that series.2002: "Signs." This summer hit combines mystery and aliens into an interesting blockbuster by Shyamalan. Mel Gibson starred in this second film by Shyamalan which achieved blockbuster status but also showed that the director peaked with the "Sixth Sense," and afterward it was all downhill.2003: "Finding Nemo." This film about a fish trying to find his way home is the first animated family film to achieve summer blockbuster status. An entertaining movie in which I think some seagulls steal the show.2004: "Spider-Man 2." This Tobey Maguire version of the webslinger featured a menacing nemesis portrayed by Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus. It was the best of the three films in this version of the webslinger's adventures.2005: "The War of the Worlds." Not a big Tom Cruise fan here, but I liked his heroic turn in this film as the Martians attack Earth and no one is safe.2006: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" This second Pirates film was as entertaining as the others, and Johnny Depp returns to his role of Jack Sparrow, one of the most memorable pirates of all time.2007: "Transformers." The original Transformers movie by Michael Bay was a great action film packed with the warring giant robots of our youth.2008: "The Dark Knight." Christopher Nolan resurrected Batman from the ashes in his first entry in the trilogy "Batman Begins," but this dark, disturbed movie brings Two-Face and the Joker together to test the Caped Crusader's limits, and it delivers big time.2009: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." The second Transformers film entry into the summer blockbusters genre outpaced its first film and delivered on the action. The opening sequence in this film was filmed in Bethlehem at the former Bethlehem Steel property.2010: "Toy Story 3." Pixar's "Toy Story" franchise hits the top as a blockbuster in the summer of 2010 and brings back Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Barbie, Mr. Potato Head and friends for this second sequel that was one of the best Toy Story movies of all time.2011: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." The final entry in the Harry Potter series delivers a fitting conclusion to this spectacular series of magic, witchcraft, adventure and war between good and evil.2012: "The Avengers." Thor, Captain America, The Hulk and Iron Man team up for the first time on one screen, and it really works as these superheroes from separate film franchises team up for this heroes vs. aliens war with the latter side being led by Thor's brother Loki. A great film.And last but not least, 2013: "Despicable Me 2." This second film in the Despicable Me series outpaced the first one for campiness and great fun and rocketed its way to being the most memorable film of last summer. Who doesn't want a minion for their very own.Enjoy one, two or all of them. What a great way to spend a rainy summer afternoon than to watch one of these classic blockbusters as we wait for this year's entry to return.Till next time …