Movies have been a popular form of entertainment for decades. Over the years, action, sci-fi, horror and comedy films have led millions to flock to the nearest theater to immerse themselves in hours of entertainment. Any true movie buff shouldn’t have any problem guessing the names of these movies by just their posters…
Movies have been a popular form of entertainment for decades. Over the years, action, sci-fi, horror and comedy films have led millions to flock to the nearest theater to immerse themselves in hours of entertainment. Any true movie buff shouldn’t have any problem guessing the names of these movies by just their posters…
In the 1985 film, Marty McFly accidentally goes back in time to 1955 using a time-traveling DeLorean and he has to find a way back to the future before time runs out. Ironically the concept for this film was rejected four times before Universal Pictures turned it into a film.
In this 1988 comedy sci-fi film, an alien named Celeste unintentionally falls in love with physicist Steven Mills while trying to steal his research after a radio wave he sent out into the galaxy caused disruptions to her planet’s gravity.
The original budget of this 1984 film was about $30 million and involved several teams of Ghostbusters hunting ghosts through time and space, including the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
In the 1993 film, a paleontologist and his family find themselves in big trouble after a power failure releases a bunch of cloned dinosaurs inside what’s supposed to be a safe up and coming family theme park.
The 1997 film saw Tommy Lee Jones, aka Agent K, and Will Smith, aka Agent J, on a mission to save the world from aliens. The characters wear Ray-Ban sunglasses, which unsurprisingly increased Ray-Ban sales by 300 percent after the film's release.
Arnold Schwarzenegger played the cyborg sent by Skynet in 2029 to kill Sarah Connor in 1984 so that she’ll never give birth to John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance. Schwarzenegger reprised his role in all the other sequels, albeit he had more of a digital cameo in “Terminator Salvation.”
An alien gets left behind on Earth in this 1982 classic. He befriends a boy named Elliot who keeps him hidden while a task force of government agents goes looking for him.
In the 1984 romantic sci-fi film, an alien takes the form of a young woman’s dead husband and forces her to drive him to Arizona where a rescue ship will pick him up, but during the journey they have government agents on their tail.
In the 1984 horror flick, a young woman discovers that she and her friends are being stalked and murdered through their dreams by Freddy Krueger and she must find a way to stop him before he gets her too.
In the 1990 film, Sam Wheat’s spirit uses a psychic to try to convince his girlfriend that she’s in danger from the same man who killed him. Sam was played by the late Patrick Swayze and the reluctant psychic was played by none other than Whoopi Goldberg.
In the 1989 comedy, Roseanne Barr played a housewife who sets out to get revenge on her cheating husband and his mistress by ruining their lives. In the process, she discovers what it’s like to love herself and become a strong, independent woman.
In this 2001 fantasy mystery film, David Aimes's life gets turned upside down after a car accident unleashes a chain of events that has him convinced that members of his own company have set him up to take the fall for a murder, but in the end, he discovers that his life is nothing more than a lucid dream turned nightmare.
In the 2019 film, Sarah Connor must ally herself with the aging Terminator who murdered her son in order to help a young woman being targeted by a more advanced liquid mental Terminator.
In the 2002 horror flick, a woman named Alice and an Umbrella military unit go underground to deal with a rogue AI and a horde of zombies who have been reanimated by the T-Virus.
The 2009 film was originally intended for the late 1990s, but no studio wanted to produce James Cameron’s film because it was so expensive. But in the 21st century, the cost of the special effects became more feasible thanks to modern technology.
In the 1999 romantic film, a bookstore owner named William falls for a Hollywood actress named Anna Scott. They seem perfect for each other until he learns she has a boyfriend. But even after she chooses William, he sees warning signs that indicate that he may never fit into her celebrity life.
In the 2000 action film, a former Roman General decides to avenge his family and make the corrupt emperor who sent him into slavery pay for his suffering. The film won Best Picture at the 73rd Academy Awards.
In the 1999 film, the scenes where the characters are in the Matrix all have green overtones to make viewers feel like they’re watching the movie from an old-fashioned computer monitor. Scenes in the real world have natural colors.
In the 1999 rom-com, Adam, played by Brendan Fraser, falls in love with Eve, played by Alicia Silverstone, shortly after coming out of a nuclear bunker. But things get really complicated for Adam after he tells her where he’s been living for the last 35 years.
In the 2002 film, Cillian Murphy plays Jim, a man who must band together with other survivors to stay alive after everyone in the country becomes zombies. But things get really complicated when they find refuge alongside a military safehouse that’s not quite so safe.
In the 1992 comedy, Whoopi Goldberg plays Dolores, who must pose as a nun in a convent to stay alive. But in the process, she forms a special bond with the sisters and discovers an opportunity to give the church’s choir a much-needed boost.
In the 1979 film, Ripley and her crew are in for the fight of their lives after a member of her crew comes into contact with an alien that breeds a xenomorph inside of him. The film did so well that it spawned three other sequels plus two prequel films, “Prometheus” and “Prometheus Covenant.”
In the 1999 thriller, a therapist named Malcolm struggles to help a boy named Cole who claims to see dead people. In the process, he guides Cole into helping the ghosts with their unfinished business. But in the end, Malcolm discovers a shocking secret of his own—he's a ghost, too.
In the 1999 film, Libby Parsons gets sent to prison for her husband’s murder, but after finding out that he’s alive, she learns that she can kill him for real and get away with it legally thanks to the Double Jeopardy law that states that you can’t be tried for the same crime twice.
In this 2001 thriller, Lewis, played by the late Paul Walker, and his brother Fuller, played by Steve Zahn, must find a way to outwit a trucker named Rusty Nail who’s seriously peeved about a prank they pulled on him. But things take a turn for the worse when the trucker kidnaps their friend Venna.
“Pulp Fiction” earned seven Oscar nominations and was also awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. But, TriStar Pictures originally turned down the script because it was “too demented.”
“The Silence of the Lambs” was the first horror film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins also won acting Oscars for their roles in the film.
“Poltergeist” was originally envisioned by Steven Spielberg as a sequel to “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” but when director Tobe Hooper was brought onto the project, he suggested turning it into a ghost story.
“A View to a Kill” starred Roger Moore as James Bond, and it was his last time in the role before Timothy Dalton took over the character in 1987.
Tim Burton’s original choice to play Beetlejuice was entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., but producer David Geffen suggested Michael Keaton, who ultimately got the famous role.
Jake Gyllenhaal lost nearly 30 pounds to play the role of Lou Bloom in “Nightcrawler” by eating only kale salads and bubble gum, and running fifteen miles every day.
Tim Curry played the Lord of Darkness in “Legend” and his extensive makeup for the film took five and a half hours to apply each day. After filming, it would take over an hour to remove the makeup and prosthetics.
When “The Bodyguard” was released, it grossed $411 million worldwide, becoming the tenth-highest-grossing film of all time. But the movie was panned by critics and the acting performances in the movie were scrutinized.
The star-studded cast of “The Grand Budapest Hotel” included Oscar winners F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody, and Tilda Swinton. The film itself received four Oscars: Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design.
This film was imagined by writer and director David Robert Mitchell based on recurring dreams he had as a kid about being followed. He said, “I didn’t use those images for the film, but the basic idea and the feeling I used.”
Director Richard Donner later expressed the difficulties of making a film with so many children. He praised them for their energy and excitement, but he said that they were “unruly” when brought together.
“Interstellar” employed many people who are experts on the science behind the plot points that make up the film. Among them is Kip Thorne, the film’s scientific consultant.
“Dirty Harry” set the style for many police films of the ‘70s and ‘80s and it was followed by four sequels, including 1983’s “Sudden Impact,” which was also directed by Clint Eastwood.
“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” is a remake of the 1964 film “Bedtime Story,” which starred Marlon Brando and David Niven. The film was remade again in 2019 as “The Hustle,” which starred Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson.
“The Thing” was based on the 1938 novella “Who Goes There?” which was written by John W. Campbell Jr. It was first adapted to film in 1951, when it was titled, “The Thing from Another World.”
Martin Scorsese directed “Goodfellas” and he initially titled the film “Wise Guy,” like the book it was based on. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.
“Little Miss Sunshine” was an impressive box office success, grossing $101 million off of its just $8 million budget. It was also one of the first dramatic film roles for actor Steve Carell, who played Uncle Frank in the film.
“Independence Day” is considered a turning point in the history of Hollywood blockbuster films because it was a high budget action film with an impressive cast that grossed nearly $1 billion at the box office. This lead the film to become the second highest-grossing film ever at the time it was released, just behind “Jurassic Park.”
Directed by Danny Boyle, “Trainspotting” is considered one of the best films of the 1990s. John Hodge was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on the film. The film was also a breakout role for actor Ewan McGregor, who also appeared in the film’s 2017 sequel “T2 Trainspotting.”
When “Analyze This” was released in 1999, it was a huge box office hit, so it was followed by the sequel “Analyze That” in 2002. But the sequel wasn’t as well received as the original, and film critic Roger Ebert said of the film, “it feels exactly like a facile, superficial recycling job.”
“Platoon” was the first in a trilogy of war films by director Oliver Stone, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. He wrote the movie based on his own experiences as an infantryman during the Vietnam War. The film was coincidentally also the first Hollywood film to be written and directed by a veteran of the Vietnam War.
“Bladerunner” influenced many other science fiction films including other Philip K. Dick inspired movies like “Total Recall,” “Minority Report,” and “A Scanner Darkly.” A sequel to the film titled “Blade Runner 2049” was released in 2017 and won two Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.
In 2020, some of the props and costumes from this film were auctioned off by the production studio A24 to raise money for the Fire Department of New York City. The May Queen dress with 10,000 silk flowers that was worn by Pugh in the film was purchased for $65,000.
Often called the best film of 1983, “Risky Business” is also thought of as one of the best high school movies of all time. The coming-of-age flick was a commercial success, making $63 million against its $6 million budget. It was also the directorial debut of Paul Brickman.
The author of the book this film was based on sold the film rights for just $500 shortly after its publication in 1962. The film was originally going to star the band The Rolling Stones, with Mick Jagger playing the lead role of Alex, but when Kubrick came on to direct the film, this idea was scrapped.
When Disney’s “The Lion King” was in production, many people confused it for the Japanese anime series “Kimba the White Lion.” Actor Matthew Broderick, who voiced Simba in the film, even believed initially that he was going to be working on an American version of “Kimba.”
The title of this film refers to the number of hours that outdoorsman Aron Ralston was awake during the harrowing journey when he lost his arm after being trapped by a boulder. At the start of his journey, he did not alert any of his friends or family where he was going, which he vowed to never do again.
“Annabelle” was based on a real doll with the same name who was owned by a student nurse in the ‘70s. A psychic medium told the student that the doll was inhabited by a spirit, which caused its frightening behavior. The doll now resides in the Occult Museum of Ed and Lorrain Warren in Monroe, Connecticut.
The other Western films that had previously won Best Picture at the Oscars included “Cimarron” from 1931 and “Dances with Wolves” from 1990. “Unforgiven” not only starred Clint Eastwood, but he also directed and produced the film before vowing that it would be his last Western.
“The Exorcist” went over budget during production and Warner Bros. Studios spent $12 million making the film, even though they didn’t have high expectations for its release. But the film was a surprising box office success, grossing $441.3 million during its initial release and becoming the top-grossing R-rated film of all time.
“The Devil Wears Prada” starred Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, a fashion magazine editor who closely resembles the real life editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour. Wintour was at first skeptical of the film and how she was portrayed, but she later said that she liked Streep’s performance as Priestly.
Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win Best Director at the Academy Awards in 2010, following the release of her film “The Hurt Locker.” The film followed an Iraq War Explosive Ordnance Disposal team in 2004 and documented the psychological effects of the stress of combat.
“The Hangover” was a surprising success and during its initial release it earned $467 million at the box office, which made it the highest-grossing R-rated comedy in the United States to date. The success of the movie also lead to the creation of some “Hangover” themed slot machines at popular Las Vegas casinos.
For the film’s 20th anniversary in 2020, a recut version of the film titled “Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone” was released. Some changes to the original movie that were included in the recut were re-edited scenes, changed musical cues and a different ending to the movie.
“Happy Feet” was such a huge box office success during its opening weekend that it beat out the James Bond film “Casino Royale” for the top spot. It was the top grossing film in theaters for three weeks after its premiere and it became the third highest grossing animated film of 2006, behind “Cars” and “Ice Age: The Meltdown.”
Colin Firth played King George VI in “The King’s Speech” and the role won him his first Oscar for Best Actor in 2011. The film also won the Oscar for Best Picture that year. But the film wasn’t entirely truthful as far as historical dramas go, because some of the events in the film didn’t happen at all or were exaggerated.
The “Twilight” film series included five films that grossed over $3 billion worldwide. The films were memorable moments in pop culture history, even though they weren’t the most critically acclaimed movies of that time. Today fans can visit or even stay at the home that was used as Bella Swan’s home in the films because the filming location has been converted into an Airbnb.
This cult classic might have received some negative reviews, but audiences loved “Anaconda” so much that four sequels followed the original film that was released in 1997. There is even a modern reboot of the original film in development at Sony Pictures.
“Poseidon” was a loose remake of the 1972 film of the same name, which starred Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine. Both of these films based many of its sets on rooms aboard the RMS Queen Mary, a retired ocean liner that has been permanently moored as a tourist attraction and hotel in Long Beach, California since 1968.
Clint Eastwood didn’t just star in this sports drama, he also directed, produced and scored the film. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards in 2004 and won two for Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman’s performances in the film.