Most Influential Films in History
This is a list of films that had a cinematic, cultural, monetary, or political impact throughout the history of film. Feel free to voice your opinion. I am an American citizen with limited knowledge of foreign films and their historical impacts, so if a non-American influential film is not listed here, you know why.
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- DirectorEadweard MuybridgeStarsGilbert DommSallie GardnerThe clip shows a jockey, Gilbert Domm, riding a horse, Sallie Gardner. The clip is not filmed; instead, it consists of 24 individual photographs shot in rapid succession, making a moving picture when using a zoopraxiscope.The oldest motion-picture to date. It's a 12 second shot of a horse running, and the purpose was to see if there was a point where all four hooves left the ground. No spoilers here.
- DirectorLouis LumièreWorkers leaving the Lumière factory for lunch in Lyon, France in 1895; a place of great photographic innovation and one of the birth places of cinema.First actual 'film' shown on a projector to an audience. Before this, films were restricted to peep-show booths and were struggling to assume a role in high-brow entertainment. (There will be a lot of firsts on this list)
- DirectorGeorges MélièsStarsGeorges MélièsVictor AndréBleuette BernonA group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.A magician by the name of Georges Méliès was tinkering around with film strips and footage and found out that through the use of editing, he could manipulate what you see on the strip of film. It also created the famous shot of the the Rocket in the Moon's eye. Méliès had made film before and after this, another equally impressive one being 'The Impossible Voyage,' but this remains the most well known. Brought up the concept of 'Fantasy' in film.
- DirectorEdwin S. PorterStarsGilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' AndersonA.C. AbadieGeorge BarnesA group of bandits stage a brazen train hold-up, only to find a determined posse hot on their heels.What many consider the first true Film, The Great Train Robbery sparked the dramatic increase in popularity and recognition of cinema. It had a definitive plot, a beginning, middle, & end, and also amused audiences of a final shot of a gunman aiming directly at the camera.
- DirectorAndré CalmettesCharles Le BargyStarsCharles Le BargyAlbert LambertGabrielle RobinneFrance, at the end of the sixteenth century. Henry III decided to eliminate his rival, the Duke of Guise, and, therefore, calls him in the castle of Blois. The mistress of the duke, warned of the King's intentions, informs him, but the noble, sure of his own authority, went there anyway. In Cabinet-Vieux castle Duke is stabbed by guards of the King, while he attends the murder hidden behind the curtains. Eventually, Henry III does burn the duke body to discard.First film with music. No one did it before, but everyone did after. Also an epic by 1908 standards at 15 minutes.
- DirectorWinsor McCayStarsWinsor McCayGeorge McManusRoy L. McCardellThe cartoonist, Winsor McCay, brings the Dinosaurs back to life in the figure of his latest creation, Gertie the Dinosaur.Brought animation to light. There were several animated film prior to Gertie, but this film was shown around the world and caught the attention of every soon-to-be aspiring animator. It also created the first cartoon character (Gertie), which eventually led to more well known characters like Mickey Mouse.
- DirectorGiovanni PastroneStarsItalia Almirante-ManziniLidia QuarantaBartolomeo PaganoCabiria is a Roman child when her home is destroyed by a volcano. Sold in Carthage to be sacrificed in a temple, she is saved by Fulvio, a Roman spy. But danger lurks, and hatred between Rome and Carthage can only lead to war.First epic. The next film probably made a bigger impact on history, but it's important to know that America and Europe were making big strides at about the same pace. Some film schools may mention “Cabiria movements,” which are moving shots over a large set, concieved first in Cabiria
- DirectorD.W. GriffithStarsLillian GishMae MarshHenry B. WalthallThe Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.This is the big turning point in American Cinema. D.W. Griffith defined the Narrative, using sequences of shots, story, close-ups, battle scenes, and iris shots. The only downside? It's pro-KKK.
- DirectorRobert WieneStarsWerner KraussConrad VeidtFriedrich FeherHypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.Brought on German Expressionism, the Horror genre, and custom sets.
- DirectorRobert J. FlahertyStarsAllakariallakAlice NevalingaCunayouIn this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.Birth of the Documentary. Also, it is still widely debated as to whether or not some of the film was staged.
- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsEmil JanningsMaly DelschaftMax HillerAn aging doorman is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbors and society after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious hotel.A big advancement in storytelling, this silent film has no subtitles or dialogue, and relies on visuals only. Also brought on some unique techniques, like using a free-moving camera.
- DirectorSergei EisensteinStarsAleksandr AntonovVladimir BarskiyGrigoriy AleksandrovIn the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel's officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre.First use of the Montage to convey a message. Also a very controversial propaganda film banned throughout most of Eurasia during it's release.
- DirectorAlan CroslandStarsAl JolsonMay McAvoyWarner OlandThe son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.Began the grueling transition to 'Talkies.' There was sound in film before, but again, not as widely anticipated as in the Jazz Singer.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsBrigitte HelmAlfred AbelGustav FröhlichIn a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.Sparked the Sci-Fi genre, as well as the setting for every 'dis-Utopian future' film ever, as well the birth of the man-like Machine. Lead to other staples on Sci-fi like Blade Runner's sets.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsPierre BatcheffSimone MareuilLuis BuñuelLuis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 16 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.Popularized Surrealist films with it's metaphor between the cloud cutting the moon and a woman's eye being split open.
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsLew AyresLouis WolheimJohn WrayA German youth eagerly enters World War I, but his enthusiasm wanes as he gets a firsthand view of the horror.Cinema and War go hand and hand, and this is the first instance of what an impact it can have. Really helped to polarize the look of WW1.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsColin CliveMae ClarkeBoris KarloffDr Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with assembling a living being from parts of several exhumed corpses.Added one of the many Horror sub-genres, the Monster Movie. Alongside this was Dracula (which came out the same year.)
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsClark GableClaudette ColbertWalter ConnollyA rogue reporter trailing a runaway heiress for a big story joins her on a bus heading from Florida to New York and they end up stuck with each other when the bus leaves them behind at one of the stops along the way.the quintessential Romantic Comedy, also the first.
- DirectorLeni RiefenstahlStarsAdolf HitlerHermann GöringMax AmannThe infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.This is one of several films that only made a big impact at it's time of release, but this film definitely changed a lot. A propaganda film advertising the Nazi Party. It worked, as the Nazi Party grew from dozens in 1933 to a steady increase to onmillion starting in 1935. Like Birth of a Nation, the film is good in it's technical aspects, but is not one that many enjoy.
- DirectorWilliam CottrellDavid HandWilfred JacksonStarsAdriana CaselottiHarry StockwellLucille La VerneExiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.People started taking animation seriously after this came out, and it set the standards high.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartJean ArthurClaude RainsA naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. His idealistic plans promptly collide with corruption at home and subterfuge from his hero in Washington, but he tries to forge ahead despite attacks on his character.A challenge to the U.S. government, and the first American political propaganda film.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneClaire TrevorAndy DevineA group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.The long-standing formula for most Westerns.
- DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.Shattered conventional movie budgets, run time, and revenue for a film. Allowed American cinema to re-popularize epic films.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'No commentary needed.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.A significant aid in the American movement from isolation to wartime. Based on a play written very shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack, this film was re-written for the screen, produced, and released in a span of 7 months. It is a propaganda film designed to get America involved in WW2. On top of that, it has remained influential in film schools ever since and demonstrates every film cliche done right.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsTallulah BankheadJohn HodiakWalter SlezakSeveral survivors of a torpedoed merchant ship in World War II find themselves in the same lifeboat with one of the crew members of the U-boat that sank their ship.Not Alfred Hitchcock's best known film, but it was a pioneer in a very unique sub-genre of films: One set throughout the entire film. Hitchcock did this several times later in his career, and also inspired many other one-set films like 12 Angry Men, Phone Booth, & Rear Window.
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsJudy GarlandMargaret O'BrienMary AstorYoung love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.Changed the way musicals were done, from musical numbers completely separate from the film to songs integrated into the plot.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMachiko KyôMasayuki MoriThe rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.Introduced Japanese cinema to the Western World. Also helped increase the status of Akira Kurosawa.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsVivien LeighMarlon BrandoKim HunterDisturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.Not so much the film, but more of a tribute to the significance of a great acting performance, which also established Marlon Brando as an icon among actors.
- DirectorArch ObolerRobert ClampettStarsRobert StackBarbara BrittonNigel BruceBritish railway workers in Kenya are becoming the favorite snack of two man-eating lions. Head engineer Bob Hayward becomes obsessed with trying to kill the beasts before they maul everyone on his crew.3-D got popular with film's release, and started the wave of 3-D films during the 50's, 80's, and the increasingly frequent re-emergence of 3-D in the 21st century.
- DirectorByron HaskinStarsGene BarryAnn RobinsonLes TremayneA small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.With advertising done on radio, many people thought that the broadcast was true and real events were happening.
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsRichard BurtonJean SimmonsVictor MatureIn the Roman province of Judea during the 1st century, Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio is ordered to crucify Jesus of Nazareth but is tormented by his guilty conscience afterwards.First use of Widescreen (2:55:1)
- DirectorNicholas RayStarsJames DeanNatalie WoodSal MineoA rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.Immortalized James Dean, and helped alongside to kickstart the Rock 'n Roll movement.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsFrank SinatraKim NovakEleanor ParkerA junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction.Rid the world of the censor's Production Code established back in the early 30's.
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsKanu BannerjeeKaruna BannerjeeSubir BanerjeeImpoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work.Introduced the world to Indian Cinema and heavily boosted the popularity of Bollywood.
- DirectorJohn CassavetesStarsBen CarruthersLelia GoldoniHugh HurdCassavetes' jazz-scored improvisational film explores interracial friendships and relationships in Beat-Era (1950s) New York City.Birth of the Indie Film Genre.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsJean-Paul BelmondoJean SebergVan DoudeA small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.Another advancement in storytelling techniques. Cinema became more personal and self-aware, letting audiences interpret the film and introduced more casual scenes, dialogue, and action.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.Another sub-genre of Horror films where it utilizes the safety and innocence of someone's home as a place of terror. Many Horror films utilize this concept, maybe not always with a setting, but a different innocent figure, like a small child or a toy. The shower scene also eventually transformed into another sub-genre, the 'Slasher Flick.'
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaWalter MatthauFritz WeaverA technical malfunction sends American planes to Moscow to deliver a nuclear attack. Can all-out war be averted?A film that capitalized the height of the Cold War and the paranoia of American citizens at the time, this film became a cultural hit for many years.
- DirectorGillo PontecorvoStarsBrahim HadjadjJean MartinYacef SaadiIn the 1950s, fear and violence escalate as the people of Algiers fight for independence from the French government.Another version of documentaries except with no archive footage: Everything is recreated and dramatized.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsDustin HoffmanAnne BancroftKatharine RossA disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.A film who's entertainment value has been ruined by film school...
An achievement in utilizing symbolism in film and a re-think by casting departments to not rely solely on big-name actors. - DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsDuane JonesJudith O'DeaKarl HardmanA ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.Re-invigorated the low-budget horror movie, and strayed away from suspense and silly monster costumes to lead yet another sub-genre in Horror.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterAfter uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.A film way ahead of it's time in the Special Effects department. Also relied on philosophy more so than plot.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsWilliam HoldenErnest BorgnineRobert RyanAn aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.Hollywood's first X-Rated film really stepped up the level of violence in future cinema.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsMalcolm McDowellPatrick MageeMichael BatesIn the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.Widely considered the most controversial film in history.
- DirectorMelvin Van PeeblesStarsMelvin Van PeeblesHubert ScalesJohn DullaghanAfter saving a Black Panther from some racist cops, a black male prostitute goes on the run from "the man" with the help of the ghetto community and some disillusioned Hells Angels.Blaxpliotation films and black comedies were first conceived in this film, and was a contributor in capping off the Civil Rights movement.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.Re-vitalized the concept of Citizen Kane in that the director assumes creative control. One of the most technically flawless films in history.
- DirectorJoseph W. SarnoStarsLinda LovelaceHarry ReemsLevi RichardsWhen one of sex therapist extraordinaire Linda's patients turns out to be harboring the plans to a top-secret government computer, both the KGB and the CIA attempt to enlist Linda in their efforts to steal the data.(For some reason, IMDb does not appear to have any information about the 1972 film 'Deep Throat', so this is merely a substitute.)
Taboos became virtually non-existent during the release of Deep Throat, which turned Porn into an everyday topic. - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroHarvey KeitelDavid ProvalIn New York City's Little Italy, a devoutly Catholic mobster must reconcile his desire for power, his feelings for his epileptic lover, and his devotion to his troublesome friend.A turning point in cinematic history where contemporary songs were used in place of classical scores.
- DirectorRobert ClouseStarsBruce LeeJohn SaxonJim KellyA Shaolin martial artist travels to an island fortress to spy on an opium lord - who is also a former monk from his temple - under the guise of attending a fighting tournament.Started the 70's Kung Fu era, and brought Chinese in to the western world of cinema.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsCleavon LittleGene WilderSlim PickensIn order to ruin a western town, a corrupt politician appoints a black Sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.Revolutionized Satires and Parodies (As well as Young Frankenstein, which came out years later.)
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroRobert DuvallThe early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.First sequel without opening credits, and is widely regarded as the greatest sequel of all time for any franchise.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsKeith CarradineKaren BlackRonee BlakleyOver the course of a few hectic days, numerous interrelated people prepare for a political convention.A risky move for production studios in having over 20 'main characters' in one film.
- DirectorJim SharmanStarsTim CurrySusan SarandonBarry BostwickA newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.The most popular cult-film of all time, and it is still shown every midnight at some U.S. theaters.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsRoy ScheiderRobert ShawRichard DreyfussWhen a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.Changed movies from a film to a summer event, or 'blockbuster', with a record-breaking release in 409 American theaters and $700,000 spent on marketing alone.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsSissy SpacekPiper LaurieAmy IrvingCarrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.Another sub-genre of Horror brings the shock ending. "Friday the 13th" clearly took note of this tactic and made an entire franchise out of it.
- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherLuke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.This and Star Trek make the first to attempt to spread the value of a film as far as it can go. Not just a film, or sequel, but a franchise. And not just in theaters, but toys, amusement parks, conventions, commercials, and every other medium. Also made advanced in the viewer's theater experience, with Dolby Surround Sound and a new incentive to go to the movies.
- DirectorMichael CiminoStarsKris KristoffersonChristopher WalkenJohn HurtDuring the Johnson County War in 1890 Wyoming, a sheriff born into wealth does his best to protect immigrant farmers from rich cattle interests.A fear in the back of studio's minds that became real for United Artists, causing them to go bankrupt after harsh criticism of the film and the monstrous budget and time put into it.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellEllen SandweissRichard DeManincorFive friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.ANOTHER SUB-GENRE FOR HORROR FILMS!!!!! This one goes specifically for shock value and attempts to challenge the viewer's tolerance level.
- DirectorSteven LisbergerStarsJeff BridgesBruce BoxleitnerDavid WarnerA computer hacker is abducted into the digital world and forced to participate in gladiatorial games where his only chance of escape is with the help of a heroic security program.CGI Began to take shape. The Academy actually refused to nominate this film for an Oscar on the grounds that they were cheating.
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsJennifer BealsMichael NouriLilia SkalaAn 18-year-old female amateur dancer who performs nightly at a dancing bar, and works as a welder during the day, dreams of joining the Pittsburgh ballet school.Peaked in popularity in both cinema and the music charts due to heavy re-runs by MTV, which in turn became it's own channel thanks largely in part to Flashdance.
- DirectorNicholas MeyerStarsJason RobardsJoBeth WilliamsSteve GuttenbergThe effects of a devastating nuclear holocaust on small-town residents of eastern Kansas.After another Cold War film, American citizens once again became weary of foreign threats.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsEd HarrisMary Elizabeth MastrantonioMichael BiehnA civilian diving team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species.The first CG character comes onscreen, if only for a little more than a minute.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDanny AielloOssie DavisRuby DeeOn the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.The big push for racial equality after the height of the Civil Rights movement.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsJames SpaderAndie MacDowellPeter GallagherA sexually repressed woman's husband is having an affair with her sister. The arrival of a visitor with a rather unusual fetish changes everything.Secured Miramax financially and re-popularized the indie-genre.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsMichael KeatonJack NicholsonKim BasingerThe Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.Turned Comic Books into modern legends for all demographics.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonEdward FurlongA cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.On top of stretching the budget of any film in history, this is the first time an actor was CG generated.
- DirectorBill KroyerStarsSamantha MathisChristian SlaterRobin WilliamsThe magical inhabitants of a rainforest fight to save their home, which is threatened by logging and a polluting force of destruction called Hexxus.Sparked the string of Environmentally aware movies spanning across the 90's
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsTom HanksDenzel WashingtonRoberta MaxwellWhen a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic-small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.The first attempt in cinema to tackle this uprising issue of AIDS.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.First serious look at the Holocaust in great detail.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.Combined pop culture and staples of cinema into the quintessential homage film.
- DirectorJohn LasseterStarsTom HanksTim AllenDon RicklesA cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.First entirely CG film, as well as the start of Pixar.
- DirectorJan de BontStarsHelen HuntBill PaxtonCary ElwesTwo storm chasers on the brink of divorce must work together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes.First film made available by DVD.
- DirectorBen StillerStarsJim CarreyMatthew BroderickLeslie MannA designer makes a grievious mistake when he rejects the friendship of a borderline cable guy.Made Jim Carrey an immediate millionaire and started the ongoing trend of big bucks going to the actors.
- DirectorDaniel MyrickEduardo SánchezStarsHeather DonahueMichael C. WilliamsJoshua LeonardThree film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.Revolutionary in it's marketing scheme, it was a no-budget film that relied on the internet to do it's advertising, claiming that it actually was 'found footage' (yet another sub-genre for horror!)
It is still the most profitable film in history in terms of the ratio between budget and revenue. - DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne MossWhen a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.Influential for no other reason than it made real people able to leap across buildings, and of course, there's the rotating shot of Neo dodging bullets.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsMichael DouglasBenicio Del ToroCatherine Zeta-JonesA conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is a crack addict. Two DEA agents protect an informant. A jailed drug baron's wife attempts to carry on the family business.A bleak look on America's illegal drug trade and the futile efforts of the Government to stop it. Really made people question their own security and the balance of power.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.Tackles America's mass panic regarding school shootings, terrorist attacks, and other means of domestic violence, specifically with guns.
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsJim CaviezelMonica BellucciMaia MorgensternDepicts the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.Re-invigorated a lot of racial and religious tensions between Christianity and Jewish people.
- DirectorOliver HirschbiegelStarsBruno GanzAlexandra Maria LaraUlrich MatthesTraudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.The most well-known and detailed biography of Adolf Hitler (Even if it's only 12 days of his life.)
- DirectorMichael BayStarsShia LaBeoufMegan FoxJosh DuhamelAn ancient struggle between two Cybertronian races, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, comes to Earth, with a clue to the ultimate power held by a teenager.Created the now modern-day formula for big-budget blockbusters with sex appeal, CGI and heavy stimulus.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsSam WorthingtonZoe SaldanaSigourney WeaverA paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.Currently the highest grossing movie of all time at over $2 billion, as well as the first $200 million budget, and the longest production time of a CG film from 1996 to 2009.