By Michael Lyons
The end of the year. A time for looking ahead…but before we know where we are going, we have to remember where we’ve been, which makes this the perfect time to look back at movies that celebrated anniversaries this past year. Some of them blockbusters, some underrated, all of them worth remembering.
“The Dark Knight” (2008) 10th Anniversary
Director Christopher Nolan’s gritty, realistic take on Batman is so revolutionary and changed our perception of super heroes and super hero movies that it’s so hard to believe than an entire decade has passed since it debuted. The film’s action and underlying themes still pack a wallop and Heath Ledger’s Joker (which earned him a posthumous Oscar) is still one of film’s most haunting villains.
“A Bug’s Life” (1998) 20th Anniversary
Pixar’s follow-up to the landmark “Toy Story” was no sophomore slump, the tale of Flik the ant and a circus of bugs protecting a tiny insect village from the villainous Hopper is a stirring hero’s journey filled with some of the most gorgous animation ever to come out of the Studio.
“Schindler’s List” (1993) 25th Anniversary
Without a doubt, one of the most powerful films ever made. A quarter century has passed since the debut of Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece about the real-life Oskar Schindler, who saved the lives of more than a thousand Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories during World War II. The black and white cinematography is both brutal and beautiful, the story is emotionally draining, the film is still an unforgettable experience that stays with audiences, twenty-five years later.
“Die Hard” (1988) 30th Anniversary
Let the “it IS or it’s NOT a Christmas movie” debate rage on, there’s no debating that this is one of the best action movies ever made. The story of John McLane (Bruce Willis in the role that made him a superstar) facing off against terrorists (led by Alan Rickman, so amazing in this role no matter how many times you’ve seen it) is so masterfully assembled by Director John McTiernan that it’s no wonder why it set the standard and influenced so many movies that have followed. Yippee-Kay-Ay!
“Grease” (1978) 40th Anniversary
John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, 50’s Nostalgia as filtered through a ‘70’s lens, a hit Broadway Show adapted into a blockbuster musical. It’s all corny, kitschy, bubble gum pop and watchable and re-watchable as anything! It’s no wonder that an entire generation is so “Hopelessly Devoted” to this movie.
“2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) 50th Anniversary
Hard to believe that the movie that turned linear storytelling on its ear and ushered in an age of film as a visual event hit its golden anniversary this year. Director Stanley Kubrick’s film is everything from mesmerizing to maddening, but one can’t deny that it’s also one of film’s most original visions that, in many ways, foretold the future (was HAL the first Alexa?!?)
“Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein” (1948) 70th Anniversary
Abbott and Costello have never been funnier, the Universal Monsters have never been scarier and all of them have never been better together. Few movies are classic comedies and few are classic horror films. This is both. Add it to your Halloween movie rotation!
So, as you lounge this New Year’s Day, recovering from the revere of the night before and thinking of the twelve months ahead, consider any or all of these as a movie marathon to celebrate these milestones.
Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe New Year!
Sources:
Wikipedia
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