Movies That Made A difference #1
Movie is one of the most popular entertainments in the world. It is easily affordable for the whole family for a 2-hour escapism to a fantasy realm of make-believe where anything is possible. The movie business brought in around 32 billion dollars worldwide in 2010. United States was the biggest movie making country with a third of the world's box office receipts. Movie making has evolved from:
- the silent films of the 1900s
- the talkies of the 1920s
- the first color film of the 1930s
- the post-war films of the 1940s
- the epic films of the 1950s
- the emergence of the independent films of the 1960s
- the new-wave films of the 1970s
- the teen-oriented films of the 1980s
- the computer generated and enhanced films of the 1990s
- the mega-budget films of the 2000s
- the 3D and performance-captured films of the 2010
Along the path, there were movies that shocked, scared, informed, mesmerized, enlightened, and delighted the audiences. I am here to write about the movies that made a difference.
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
An adult-themed animation film from Japan with sophistication and realistic action sequences that make you forget that it is merely a cartoon. A camouflaged-fighting scene between the female cyborg cop and the criminal is especially memorable. The original high jump landing posture has been copied by numerous other movies including the Matrix.
The Infernal Affairs (2002)
This phenomenally suspenseful, well-acted and crafted crime drama revived the Hong Kong movie industry. The film bares the soul of an undercover cop who lives on the edge of undoing a criminal organization and being exposed by an undercover gangster in the police department. It was re-made by Martin Scorsese in the US as The Departed in 2006.
Star Wars (1977)
A SciFi movie that is not about the Earth’s future but the time immemorial conflict between good and evil happening in a galaxy far, far away. It is a fairy tale told with the sophisticated blue screens blended with computer animation technology that influenced greatly the future movie making process. The movie made for 13 million dollars and took in 775 million dollars worldwide and went on to be the highest gross movie ever at that time. The creator of the film, George Lucas, had to come up with all the new computer hardwares which were not available then. After the completion of the films (3 in a series), he sold off some of the computer generated imagery tools. One of them was bought by Steve Jobs for 10 million dollars in 1986. Steve named the new outfit, Pixar Animation Studios and was sold to Disney for 7.6 billion dollars in 2006.
Yojimpo (1961)
A Japanese samurai movie made by the renowned director, Akira Kurosawa. It starred the equally internationally well-known actor, Toshiro Mifune, as the wandering, unkempt, and cunning master-less swordman. Employing his swordplay skill and street smart, he played the town’s two warring sinister clans against each other as the hired gun (Yojimpo). The movie was made in black and white with incredible imagery and savage splashing blades. It was re-made by Sergio Leone in 1964 as A Fistful of Dollars with Clint Eastwood.
The Exorcist (1973)
Arguably, It is the scariest movie of all time. It was well-made and contained demonic possession scenes that were so real and convincing that the audiences not only felt the chills but also walked away believing in God and the Devil. It was directed by the capable William Friedkin who also made the French Connection in 1971. Two huge hits in a row, a phenomenon seldom happened in Hollywood.
