Porky Pig – Parkinson’s Disease

Porky Pig is a lovable hot tempered pig who first appeared as a minor character in a Warner Brothers cartoon. He has a trademark stutter that gets more pronounced as he gets agitated, which is guaranteed in any of his cartoon. Pending a medical examination, Porky would be a good candidate for a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Those stricken with Parkinson’s tend to hold their stance as slightly bent at the knees and spine, with arms often akimbo. His rapid, barely intelligible speech and bent posture are known indicators of this disease.

Olive Oyl – Anorexia

Olive Oyl is best known as the rather fickle girlfriend of Popeye the Sailor. She is a lady who is rather taken with her appearance, and tends to place a high importance on the way she looks at all times. Her most striking features are her large feet and stick thin body. While the size of her feet would be genetic, Ms. Oyl’s overly critical attitude about her appearance coupled with her dramatic lack of body fat would indicate she may be suffering from Anorexia. Those plagued by this condition are always analyzing their body weight, and try to think of new ways to be thinner, at the cost of their health.

Speedy Gonzales – Amphetamine Addiction

Speedy Gonzales is known as the fastest mouse in Mexico. Those who know about amphetamines and the addiction which plagues its users also know that Speedy exhibits some of the more well know symptoms of this drug. Rapid heartbeat, dilated pupils and overly exaggerated fast speech are this drug’s calling card. Physical agitation, such as Speedy’s need for speed, is also a well known symptom. If Speedy Gonzales were an actual human, he would be a good candidate for a drug screening and intervention for amphetamine addiction.

Daffy Duck – Attention Deficit Disorder

Although the exact symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder can vary widely among patients, some of the most diagnosed symptoms are exhibited by none other than Daffy Duck. With his explosive attitude and nonstop energy, Daffy is a prime example of a prominent symptom of ADD. In each episode, he is always on the go, and is easily distracted from his goal, whatever it may be. Daffy’s short attention span, highly agitated personality and excessive energy make him a good representative of Attention Deficit Disorder.

Popeye the Sailor – Gigantism

Gigantism is an affliction which is caused by hormonal imbalance, particularly the growth hormones, and usually is triggered during childhood. The unchecked growth hormones cause abnormal growth in height, as well as in the limbs. Although Popeye the Sailor is not a tall character, he does possess limb proportions which are visibly abnormal. The forearms and hands are definitely oversized, along with the lower legs and feet. Another symptom of gigantism is weakness, which Popeye seems to suffer from unless he eats spinach. Upon close visual inspection, most medical doctors would agree that Popeye suffers from at least a mild form of gigantism.

Yosemite Sam – Senile Agitation

Senile Agitation is a condition which will be gaining more attention in the future, as our society is slowly increasing in its elderly population. Yosemite Sam is a violently belligerent hothead who cannot control his temper. He is more than willing to lash out at any nearby individual, which puts him squarely into the Senile Agitation category. When Sam gets angry, which is more often than not, he has a tendency to forget things and become reckless in his actions. When our elderly behave in this manner, they are commonly diagnosed with this condition.

Eeyore – Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological condition which makes its sufferers prone to fall asleep throughout the day. During waking hours a narcoleptic will often appear drowsy, and will have slow speech patterns and possibly even some slurred speech. In the Winnie the Pooh series  is the depressively slow speaking donkey that always looks as if he is ready to fall asleep. Eeyore’s physical characteristics are not unlike the ones found in narcoleptic patients. With his drowsy appearance in slow speech patterns, Eeyore could reasonably be diagnosed with narcolepsy.

Pepe Le Pew – Sexual Addiction

Sexual addiction is characterized by an insatiable desire or need for sex. Some individuals reported to suffer from this malady say they cannot control their sexual impulses and are dependent upon sex, some even say addicted. Pepe Le Pew is the lovable Warner Bros. skunk who is in perpetual need of a love partner. Pepe is always on the lookout for his next love partner and pursues any possible love connections he may encounter. With mating on his mind at all times, Pepe Le Pew is the cartoon equivalent of an individual who is suffering from sex addiction.

Tasmanian Devil – Violent Mood Swings

We all have bad days which make us want to transform into raving individuals, but no one can compete with the Tasmanian Devil. This curiously hyperactive cartoon character is a good example of an individual with violent mood swings. Taz can be a complacent character for a long period of time, or until he is set off by others or by circumstances. Instantly Taz becomes the Tasmanian Devil, a stark raving mad cyclone of destruction. People who are prone to violent mood swings have a tendency to be calm individuals until they are subjected to someone who opposes or contradicts them, or a situation which poses a stressful situation. Usually the individual will make a sudden shift from calm to highly agitated and hostile.

Marvin the Martian – Napoleon Complex

When someone suffers from a Napoleon complex, they seem to deem themselves inferior to others in some way. They usually want to compensate for these feelings by making huge accomplishment in their life. In most cases, this complex is attributed to people who are short in stature physically. The most well-known animated character who seems to suffer from this condition is Marvin the Martian. Marvin is continuously trying to compensate for his size by doing something huge, which usually involves blowing up the Earth.

Silvestre – Severe Lisp

One of the most proliferate speech impediments is a lisp. Most people who talk with the list have a mild form; however some individuals have a Severe Lisp which is impossible to cover from being noticed. Sylvester the Cat is best known as the silly cat who is always trying to catch Tweety Bird. Sylvester also suffers from a severe lisp, and it plays into the comedic effect of his cartoons. In real life having a severe lisp has no comedic value, and often causes pain and humiliation for those afflicted. Some lisps are caused by psychological elements which can be treated by speech therapy, and others are caused by physical deformity within the mouth which can be treated surgically.

Inspired from Neoterama.

We’re not talking about the twenty best movies set in New York, and we’re not talking about the twenty best movies where New York comes-up in conversation.  We’re not talking about postcards or props.  These twenty movies earned their places on the list because New York contributes to their look, feel, sound, dialogue, and development.  These twenty movies show as much about The City as they show about their characters and plots.  In each film, New York deserves recognition as the best supporting actor.  You may dispute the rankings, but you cannot dispute the twenty movies’ reliance on New York for much of their distinction.

20. The Warriors

“The Warriors” depends on New York exactly as Homer’s Odyssey depends on the Mediterranean.  In “The Warriors,” the nine gang members framed for the murder of Luther, the great gang peace-maker, must make their way all the way across The City with all the rival gangs and all the law enforcement agencies gunning for them.  In the same way that all epics require their heroes to descend into hell, “The Warriors” demands its heroes work their way through hostile territories and “foreign” landscapes all the way back to the comfort and sanctuary of their home turf, Coney Island.  “The Warriors” tops the list because in it The City and movie’s plot are inseparable, indistinguishable.

19. King of New York

In screenwriters’ imaginations and on the big screen, New York wages gang warfare and intense love with equal skill, style, and grace.  Just as the Grateful Dead sang, “New York, they got the ways and means…”  Carefully considered, high-powered gangsters are New York’s royalty.  Politicians and Wall Streeters work for them—their courtiers and knights.  In his day, Al Pacino brought the intensity; now, Christopher Walken brings the style.  No surprise “King of New York” makes everybody’s top ten list of gangster movies.  Just as the Yankees dominate baseball, Walken and his crew own the crime world.  Same principle.  Same standards.

18. When Harry Met Sally

New York consistently ranks #1 among the world’s most romantic cities, but New York romance comes with a ginormous price tag.  In the 1980’s, New York probably spawned more yuppies than anywhere else on Earth.  Harry and Sally, consummate New York yuppies, represent everything characteristic of young urban professionals across America, but they show adaptations unique to New York. They can afford an upscale New York romance. If it weren’t for New York, “When Harry Met Sally” would forfeit its romance and degenerate into simple “dating.”  Where’s the drama in that?

17. The Taking of Pelham 123

A 2009 remake, despite its all-star cast, tanked at the box office.  The critical difference?  In 1974, Peter Stone’s adaptation of the novel from which the story derives managed to capture New York’s wise-cracking cynicism not only in its dialogue but also in its mood and tone.  Also characteristic of New York, the 1974 film frequently blurred the distinctions between good guys and bad guys, suggesting they share a fundamental attitude and simply were drafted by different teams.

16. West Side Story

“When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way”—not to be confused with L.A.’s vatos y chollos, not to be mistaken for any random collection of thugs and hooligans who call themselves a gang.  “Turf wars” make sense in New York, because ethnicity, culture, language, and religion defined New York’s neighborhoods in the 1960’s.  The gangs actually had turf for which to fight.  The Jets and Sharks did not invent gang violence, but they did elevate it to an art form.

15. Do the Right Thing

Characteristic of Spike Lee films, “Do the Right Thing” comes with a message…or two.  New York does gangster and romance really well; ethnic diversity and racial harmony not so much.  New York’s distinctive culture and cuisine derive from The City’s radical racial and ethnic mix; but, contrary to the textbook myth of a “great melting pot,” New York is an ethnic mosaic or patchwork quilt.  In New York, races more frequently collide than harmonize, and the black dilemma becomes every race’s dilemma: Does “doing the right thing” mean rising to Martin Luther King’s idealism, or does it mean agreeing with Malcolm X that violence may be oppressed minorities’ only self-defense?  An instant “literary” and classroom classic, Lee’s movie numbered among the first to dramatize the tension and competition not only between blacks and whites but also among all distinctive ethnic groups.  And nowhere does that tension exist and occasionally erupt in violence more than in New York.

14. Glengarry Glen Ross

Not a whole lot of action in this movie but a whole lot of powerful dialogue—no surprise Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize for the story in its play form.  Total surprise that Alec Baldwin did not win an academy award for his brilliant portrayal of the real estate firm’s consummate closer.  The movie comes in seventh on this list for thematic purposes.  The movie’s values are universally corporate; it’s slogans are deliciously trite.  But at the peak moment of his “sales talk,” Alec Baldwin reveals what distinguishes New York gangsters, New York lovers, New York entrepreneurs, and all of New York’s elite.  At the peak moment of his speech, Baldwin pulls out a pair of brass balls.  Work back up to the top of the list and see just how well the anatomical detail makes all the difference.

13. A Bronx Tale

Every unique characteristic of the Bronx determines every conflict in this movie.  Every detail of every scene is vintage Bronx—as it must be not only for authenticity but also for poignancy.  Dialect and mannerisms show characteristic Bronx aggressiveness. Racial and ethnic attitudes factionalize the neighborhood, and the main character gets trapped in his, own racism when he falls in love with a black girl.  The crime boss’s glamour and wealth contrast with the working man’s honesty and ethics.  The hero’s issues are the neighborhood’s issues—totally appropriate and wonderfully literary.  De Niro later told Larry King he always considered The City one of the main characters in his film.

12. Wall Street

Probably more relevant now than in its own time, “Wall Street” capitalized not only on Michael Douglas’s particular gift for representing all things aloof and arrogant but also The City’s capacity for serving-up all things expensive in its own distinctive style.  Could anyone proclaim the goodness of greed anywhere except New York?

11. Mean Streets

The movie that established Martin Scorsese as an official member of the movie-making elite.  Dark, brooding, intense, and frighteningly violent, the movie represents a great first draft of “Taxi Driver.”  New York streets despise poverty, anonymity, and powerlessness—everything that makes them “mean.”

10.Goodfellas

The Corleones pioneered them, and the Goodfellas perfected the strategy, tactics, and techniques of crime family business and combat.  You just cannot find sophisticated corruption and criminal activity like you find it in New York.  Nowhere else did the leading crime families gain such complete control of labor unions, politics, and government.  Nowhere else, did cocaine gain such tremendous popularity.  And nowhere else did your pedigree ultimately determine whether or not you became a “made man.”  No New York, no Goodfellas.

9. King Kong 1933

Even if they do not know the entire story, people recognize the icon: The mighty ape holds tender, fragile Faye Rey in his gigantic palm as he scales the Empire State Building.  The tallest building in the world at the time the movie debuted, The Empire State serves as the scale by which the audience measures Kong’s size and power.  Strong enough to ascend the building like a little play structure, Kong nevertheless tenderly cradles his captive.  No other building or backdrop could substitute.

8. Hannah and Her Sisters

In his review, Roger Ebert first asserts “Hannah and Her Sisters” is the best movie Woody Allen ever made.  Then, Ebert adeptly summarizes, the movie shows two years in the complicated lives of “New Yorkers who labor in Manhattan’s two sexiest industries, art and money.”  Whether or not Ebert captured the film’s essence, her certainly captured The City’s.  The oxymoron “sexy industry” says it all.

7.Serpico

C’mon, the movie derives from a true story.  You cannot move it to Sheboygan and preserve its grit, guts, sophisticated vulgarity, and exquisitely fine line between the good guys and bad guys.  That, and Al Pacino is pretty much synonymous with all things cops and robbers in New York.

6. Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Holly Gollightly goes to Tifany’s to soothe her “mean reds.”  In Holly Gollightly’s distinctive lexicon, if sadness is “the blues,” then anxiety must be “the mean reds.”  In the cool and calm of Tiffany’s, she draws peace, comfort and consolation from the nice men in their proper suits, the smell of alligator wallets, gold, silver, and platinum.  Tiffany’s provides her with sanctuary and moratorium; and she wholeheartedly believes she “belongs” there.  Hollywood gave the story a happy ending the book withheld, making the book more satisfying and plausible.  Think of the book and its film adaptation as New York’s ultimate answer to Thackeray’s caustic satire of London society in Vanity Fair.  Think of Holly as New York’s reprise of Becky Sharp.

5. The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II

Although Chicago rightfully earned its distinction as Mobster Capital USA, the second city’s bad boys have no pedigrees.  The New York crime families have style and élan characteristic of New York, but more importantly, they can trace their roots and breeding back to solid Sicilian stock.  Sicilian culture, Americanized in New York’s “Little Italy,” influences how the families do business and wage war.  Nothing in the movies more clearly shows the family’s rise to power and prestige than their move from a tenement in Little Italy to their waterfront suburban compound.

4. Manhattan

Frankly, the story would have seemed more plausible and slightly more satiric if the writers had set it in Los Angeles, where convoluted relationships and obsessions with “stuff” are the norm.  The film becomes quintessentially New York in its dedication to Gershwin’s music and its exquisite black-and-white cinematography.  Woody himself agreed the film is about New York, and few films so perfectly capture The City in their imagery. In fact, several “stills” culled from the movie have become classics of modern photographic art.

3. Rosemary’s Baby

By historical coincidence or quirk, this film, too, seems as relevant now as more than thirty years ago when it debuted.  The film goes into the record books as Roman Polanski’s first American feature and into the history books as an eerie premonition of Polanski’s wife’s murder by the Manson Family just a year after its release.  Critics agree the run-down gothic apartment building, steeped in rumors and legends about witchcraft, not only provides the setting but also becomes the catalyst for the drama’s action.  The film goes out of its way to allegorize the eternal conflict of good and evil, and dialogue constantly suggests that New York—like Heaven in Paradise Lost—is the battlefield on which angels and demons fight.

2. Annie Hall

This one is almost too simple, too painfully obvious.  Annie Hall, her character and her story, provide the perfect metaphor for New York.  Of course, Woody planned it.  Everything distinctive about Annie is everything distinctive about The City.

1. Taxi Driver

“Are you lookin’ at me?”  New York somehow reconciles diametric opposites: the world’s most powerful people share the streets with the world’s poorest, most alienated and oppressed.  One-named stars—Madonna, Britney, Cher—share the streets with people so perfectly anonymous no one could distinguish one from another in a line-up.  Cab drivers are as generic and commonplace as the yellow paint on their cabs, and nothing heinously invades their space like looking at them.  Unique to New York, the city’s cabdrivers traffic in anonymity.  In New York math, anonymity squared equals repressed rage, the negative charge in New York’s electricity.  The story simply would not happen anywhere else.

When the bros are gonna whoop some ass, nothing gets the testosterone flowing like a high energy speech- at least that’s what Hollywood thinks! Here’s some of the best ones.

10. Achilles and the myrmidons – Troy

Achilles giving one of the most inspirational speeches known to man:

“Myrmidons, my brothers of the sword. I’d rather fight beside you than any army of thousands.

9. Spartacus

8. Chamberlain’s Speech to Mutineers - Gettysburg

Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was marching with his men to Gettysburg to hold the left flank of the Union line…when 120 mutineers were given to him and told he could shoot them by a snobby guard detail officer. Chamberlain instead does the right thing and asks them to fight one more last time for the Union.

7. Alexander – Battle of Gaugamela

In the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeated Darius III of Persia. The battle is also inaccurately called the Battle of Arbela.

“You’ve all honored your country, and your ancestors. And now we come to this most distant place in Asia, where across from us Darius has at last gathered a vast army…”

6. Aragorn’s Speech at the Black Gate – Lord Of The Rings – The Return Of The King

One of the strongest lines:

“A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day.”

5. 300 – Final Speech

Spartan King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fight to the last man against Persian “God-King” Xerxes and his army of more than one million soldiers. As the battle rages, Spartan Queen Gorgo attempts to rally support in Sparta for her husband. The story is framed by a voice-over narrative by the Spartan soldier Dilios. Through this narrative technique, various fantastical creatures are introduced, placing 300 within the genre of historical fantasy. The final scene in 300 where Dilios tells the story of the brave 300.

4. Gen. George Patton – Patton

Patton was the focus of the epic 1970 Academy Award-winning film Patton, with the titular role played by George C. Scott in an iconic, Academy Award winning performance. As a result of the movie and its now-famous opening monologue in front of a gigantic American flag, which is based on portions of speeches he made at different times (including Patton’s Speech to the Third Army, made to troops shortly before the Normandy invasion), Patton has come to symbolize a warrior’s ferocity and aggressiveness.

3. Henry V

Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death. From an unassuming start his military successes in the Hundred Years’ War, culminating with his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saw him come close to uniting the realms of England and France under his rule. Henry V in the film of Kenneth Branagh (1989) before the battle of Agincourt.

2. William Walace – Braveheart

William Wallace gave his fellow country-men a freedom speech against the English(Anglo-Saxons)King’s Royal Armies. Scotts and Irishs want to have their own independence from the corrupt-brutal Royal Kindom of England.

1. Sergeant Hartman – Full Metal Jacket

Too many good line… Just sit back and enjoy in Sergeant Hartman funny and insulting lines.

Many leading movies have surprise endings. And audiences love that. The surprise ending can be tough to get right and sometimes overdone but it can be impossible to keep the secret once it’s out. Here are 10 movies that got it right – their surprises really were just that.

10. The Crying Game

The big surprise in this movie does not happen in the end but half way through. The movie has a stunning end which was talked of as a spoiler for a long time. The film was about an IRA member (Stephen Rea) whose relationship with a woman (Jaye Davidson) takes the most unexpected turn.

9. Brazil

A troubled technocrat, Sam Lowry works in a futuristic society that is inefficient. He dreams of the time when he can spend the days with the woman of his dreams away from overpowering bureaucracy and technology. In the film Lowry meets Jill Layton, the woman of his dreams. Meanwhile, he is charged by the bureaucracy for being involved in some terrorist bombings, and both his and Jill’s lives are endangered.

8. The Sting

When a mob boss kills a mutual friend, two con men try to take revenge by pulling off the big con on the mob boss. The story has several last minute alterations and unexpected twists. The young con man is Johnny Hooker who is taught by Luther. One day they pull one of their con jobs without knowing that the man they conned is the courier for a numbers runner. The boss, Doyle Lonigan, sees it as a personal attack and orders the people involved to be terminated. From here the film proceeds to have a surprising twist in the end.

7. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

The story of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and the others is not over with the destruction of the Death Star – it moves forward in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Imperial forces have made the Rebels to hide themselves in Hoth, the Ice World. However they cannot escape the wrath of Darth Vader for a long time as he devastates the Rebel base. Luke flees to Dagobah to begin Jedi Knight training with Yoda, while Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia and C-3PO run the blockade of Imperial Star Destroyers in the Millennium Falcon.

6. Identity

In this film, the first two-thirds of its showtime is spent laying the pieces of a horror movie puzzle which then moves into an ambitious and brilliant psychological murder mystery with maximum plot twists which can confuse even the best mystery movie enthusiast. Identity can also be called a mature and sleek murder mystery and not a cheap horror film.

5. Psycho

This is not a gory film exactly and contains just three big shocks. The rest of the film is devoted to setting suspense, setting scenes and playing with our minds. But those three shocks are enough to leave our heads spinning because of the thrill and excitement – Hitchcock sees to that nicely.

4. Beneath the planet of the Apes

This one is a continuation of the first film of its kind. Another space ship crashes in the forbidden area on the planet. The ship is manned by Brent (James Franciscus) and the captain Maddox (Tod Andrews) both of whom die in the crash. Nova (Linda Harrison), Taylor’s mate shows them the ape city. In the forbidden zone something dangerous is going on and the apes want to invade by being proactive. The intelligent humans mutated by radiation long ago turn to be the enemy.

3. Fight Club

This film based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk is a contemporary play giving warnings regarding the decay of society. The unnamed protagonist is Edward Norton who starts attending meetings and support groups to keep himself occupied. Though he is not suffering from any problems, he finds solace in the groups. This is destroyed after his meeting with Marla (Helena Bonham Carter). He finds that his life is changed once again, by a chance meeting with Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), whose no-nonsense style of communication appeals to our narrator. Pitt and Norton make a superb duo, and the film has some comic moments and a surprising end.

2. Usual Suspects

This film opens with a catastrophe in a shipyard and we can see the interrogation of a handicapped and a sad faced survivor Verbal Kint ( Spacey) and things that led to the killings. We will be tantalized with questions such as what really happened in the shipyard, whether Verbal is telling the truth to the investigating lawman or protecting someone and finally who is Keyser Soze throughout the film.

1. The Sixth Sense

Masterfully directed and amazingly well written and acted, “The Sixth Sense” will move, captivate, and scare you. The surprise end of the movie will leave your head spinning.This is one movie which will leave a lasting impression on your mind. Haley Joel Osment starts seeing dead people and his therapist, Bruce Willis, too many times. The true shocker comes with the twist at the end of M. Night Shyamalan’s best film.

Excerpt

All these aforesaid movies have really unexpected ends and twists and are a list of must see films for all movie enthusiasts.

There are plenty of brilliant science fiction movies that did not get the credit they truly deserved. There are the hallowed sci-fi classics such as Star wars, Star trek, 2001 Terminator etc. However there is a whole set of underrated sci-fi movies that have gone unquoted in spite of having everything to be named a classic sci-fi movie. Some such movies are enlisted below.
10. The Fifth Element

The Fifth Element is one of the most visually spectacular movies. It offers philosophical insights into human nature while capturing details of life in the future. The plot is a standard one: good conquering evil and lady luck playing her role. Though the movie has some stunning visuals, the problem is with the execution. Director Luc Besson has focused very little on the plot details and has given too much attention to visual details.

9. Terminator 2

Terminator 2 is a vastly different movie from the 1984 original version, although it has come from the same director, and has most of the same cast and writers. There is an underlying message in the movie about the value of human life so beautifully portrayed and the sequel is laced with dark humor. The shoot-outs, explosions and the liquid-metal transformations of the T-1000 all are very impressive making it a popular sci-fi movie of all times.

8. A Boy and His Dog

A Boy and His Dog is another excellent sci-fi movie based on a pure science fiction premise. With its pessimistic world view and caustic dialogue, it is a contrast in terms of ideology to movies such as the Lord of the Rings. The main character is Vic, an eighteen old boy who steals food and doesn’t understand the principles of morality or ethics. The film won the Nebula Award for Best Novella on its release in 1969.

7. Blade Runner

Director Ridley Scott’s follow-up to his hit Alien, Blade Runner (1982), is one of the most influential and popular science-fiction films of all time. It has also become a classic favorite. But the movie became a box-office financial failure and also received negative reviews from film critics who called it baffling and muddled. The detailed at the same time puzzling plot of the film has melancholic and mesmerizing musical soundtrack composed by Vangelis, a Greek composer. The movie though richly deserving was overlooked for an Oscar nomination.

6. The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still is a remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic of the same name. The movie has a superb ensemble cast impressively filled out by Smith and Connelly, along with John Cleese, Kathy Bates, and other very familiar TV actors. The movie owing to its various fantastic elements deserves true credit; however this movie failed to win the Oscar.
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey is a brilliantly captured space-based movie without explosions, laser shootouts or zooming spaceships. It is a majestic, cold motion picture which seeks to remid viewers about the expanse of space and our relatively miniscule place in it. Kubrick’s intention with 2001 is mainly to make viewers realize the extent of things that still lie beyond our understanding. The movie’s images, atmosphere and music are truly absorbing and inspiring which makes us to stop and think about the implications of what the director is saying.

4. The Matrix Trilogy

Hailed as an ultimate success story, The Matrix trilogy broke ground for weaving a rich tapestry of pop culture, religion and philosophy and for technical achievements. The film captivated audiences with thrilling battles of good versus evil while raising challenging philosophical and moral questions.

3. Alien Legacy

Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan o’ Bannon and Ronald Shusett, Alien Legacy is one of the most popular sci-fi movies of all times. The movies of the Alien series are masterpieces and demonstrate what can be achieved in the genre for creating a lasting impression> the story has a good character cast and all elements have blended perfectly to make it an excellent movie.

2.Star Wars (1977)/Empire Strikes Back (1980)

George Lucas’s excellent masterpiece, Star Wars is arguably one of the most entertaining and inventive films ever made. Its superb cast and dialogue have garnered generations of loyal fans for the movie. The Empire Strikes Back is another superb sci-fi movie which though lacking the newness of Star Wars can in many ways be called a superior motion picture. The storyline is very interesting, the special effects are mature and the tone is typically downbeat.

1. Brazil

Brazil is essentially a quintessential Terry Gilliam film which is an undeniable work of art and has been created with a lot of vision. These elements have enabled the movie to get featured in many viewers’ all-time top ten lists. However the film failed to achieve true box office success. Although the storyline is very dark, it is told with so much of panache and verve that it feels like a true adventure.

Presented annually since 1927, the Academy awards or Oscars are presented by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. The original category of the award was the most outstanding picture or best picture category. The following are the list of the top 10 movies which were hot favorites to win the Oscar but didn’t receive the Best Picture Oscars.

10. 12 Angry Men

This movie by Sidney Lumets, with writer Reginald Rose who deserved equal kudos, was robbed of the Best Picture Oscar when “The Bridge on The River Kwai” was given the Best Picture. The strongest point of “12 Angry Men” is that they have to vote for acquittal as they are not certain of guilt. The boy on trial is not necessarily innocent which is revealed in the almost unnoticeable moments of darkness within the film. The film also deserves true praise for a superb ensemble cast. Every single actor in the film deserved an award. But in spite of the hopes among several people, this hot favorite for an Oscar award did not succeed in winning one.

9. Vertigo

“Vertigo” is one of the fans’ favorite Alfred Hitchcock films. It is a psychological thriller, which got nominated for only sound and set design and not for Best Picture category. In spite of several elements in the film which made it Oscar-worthy, the film like many other films of Hitchcock never won the award.

8. Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

This is a brilliant, satirical, provocative black fantasy/comedy by producer/director Stanley Kubrick. It features an inadvertent, accidental and pre-emptive nuclear attack. This landmark film was the first political satire on nuclear war which was highly successful commercially and hence the hot favorite for an Oscar award. The film however failed to receive the award.

7. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

The makers of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” had produced nothing short of a miracle according to movie critics and reviews. The movie is a foreign language drama and considered to be one of the greatest martial arts movies of all time. The film failed to make it to the Oscars because it was thought to fall short of perfection owing to a number of inherent flaws. The flaws notwithstanding, the movie is a rare example of thoughtful and fearless experimentation by Taiwanese director, Ang Lee. Combat via martial arts has been portrayed beautifully in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.

6. M

“M” (1931) by Fritz Langs tells the story of a child killer who is unleashing terror in a small German city. “M” is an impressive movie because of its relevance even in modern times. The film was expected to win the Oscar award because of the superb depiction of the hard-pressed police, and also Lang’s portrayal of a baby-faced killer which has not been surpassed by film-makers since. Many scenes from the movie stand out. The scene where the mother of the murdered child is seen to prepare her daughter’s dinner busily and the scene where the criminals go about hunting for Becker in the office building are truly outstanding ones.

5. Citizen Kane

This movie was nominated for Oscars in nine different categories in 1941. However it won only the Best Original Screenplay by Orson Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. The movie was alleged to be based on the life of powerful newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst. It is the story of a man who gains the world and loses his soul. The cinematography of the film is truly excellent and the film was named the best film by the AFI for the right reasons.

4. Star Wars Trilogy

“Star Wars Trilogy” is one of the most influential and exhilarating trilogies in the history of motion pictures. The “Star Wars” trilogy (episodes IV-VI) is available in one glorious package. “Star Wars” by George Lucas is an absolutely stunning sci-fi masterpiece which is one of the most entertaining and inventive films ever made. The film, however, failed to win an Oscar.

3. It’s A Wonderful Life

Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life” is another extraordinary movie which failed to win an Oscar in spite of being a hot favorite. Jimmy Stewart was aptly chosen to play George Bailey. The supporting cast was perfectly matched. Donna Reed, as well as the other characters of the town, had acted wonderfully. The values of “It’s A Wonderful Life” still hold true today and it is indisputably one of the most popular movie classics.

2. The Shawshank Redemption

Despite seven nominations, “The Shawshank Redemption” never got an Oscar. “The Shawshank Redemption” shows the life of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) when he is convicted for the murder of his wife. The movie has very powerful scenes and the climax is really touching and will make viewers to think. This movie is also the highest rated film on Yahoo Movies. In a 2005 BBC poll, it was voted to be the best film never to have won the Best Picture.

1. Apocalypse Now

“Apocalypse Now” (1979) is a ground-breaking and visually beautiful masterpiece by producer/director Francis Ford Coppola. The film’s symbolic and surrealistic sequences detailing the fear, violence, confusion and nightmarish madness of the Vietnam War made it a film worthy of winning the Oscar award. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Robert Duvall), Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, but the film won only two well-deserved awards: Best Cinematography (Vittorio Storaro) and Best Sound. In August 2001, a new version of the film, titled “Apocalypse Now Redux” was released.

Being one of the most iconic cities in the world means that Manhattan is ripe for filmmakers looking to make a visceral impact. After all, what could be more gasp-inducing than torching the Empire State Building? Or flooding Grand Central Station? Or stomping all over the Brooklyn Bridge? New York has always been a prime target for disaster, and even after real disasters have toppled some of its towers, filmmakers still can’t stay away.

10. Escape from New York (1981)

In John Carpenter’s dystopian thriller, New York’s crime rate gets so uncontrollably bad the U.S. government decides to simply wall it up and let it exist as a giant prison. While this scenario doesn’t look too kindly on New York, the film’s production doesn’t look too kindly on another city: East St. Louis. Unable to find a N.Y. location suitably burned-out, run-down, and pathetic enough to convince as a city-prison, Carpenter had to film nearly all of Escape’s exteriors in the sad sack Illinois city.

9. The Siege (1998)

Taking a much more grounded tact that some of the other films listed here, The Siege preyed on our worst real life fears — rampant terror attacks in major cities — several years before 9/11, and showed us a devastated Manhattan under martial law. It kind of makes giant lizards and supervillains seem kind of cozy and safe, doesn’t it?

8. 2019: After the Fall of New York (1983)

An Italian cheapie knock-off of Escape from New York, 2019 envisions a nuclear-decimated New York inhabited by radioactive freaks and monsters. Luckily for the filmmakers, the “post-apocalypse” setting allowed for much of the action to take place in nondescript parking lots and empty patched of desert, rather than, say, having to hire the manpower to shut down large portions of Fifth Avenue. All the saved money is on the screen, folks.

7. Ghostbusters (1984)/Ghostbusters 2 (1989)

Look, having the world’s only paranormal janitors based in Tribeca is bound to bring some undesirables into your neighborhood. First, large sections of the Upper West Side get stomped on (and ultimately covered in charred marshmallow), then a river of slime underneath the city streets conjure up a vengeful spirit from the past. The Ghostbusters‘ means of disposal may not be tidy — they wreck as much of Manhattan as the ghoulies — but at least they do something. Nobody steps on a church in their town.

6. Armageddon (1998)

Michael Bay might have gone the hackneyed “New York landmark destruction” route, but give him some credit for at least picking two slightly lesser-used landmarks. In illustrating a meteor showers’ path of destruction, Bay shows the Chrysler Building and Grand Central Station getting torn apart by hunks of space rock in addition to several taxi cabs near a “53rd Street Station,” which is in that trendy N.Y. neighborhood known as “Obvious Studio Backlot.”

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Throughout my childhood I watched thousands of movies and often times dreamed that one of my teachers would be half as cool (or as sexy) as one of the many teachers you see in movies. I’ve compiled a list of some of the coolest teachers I could remember off the top of my head. There are many other teachers from movies who I’ve left out because they just didn’t leave a big enough impression on my feeble mind.

Below is my list of the nine coolest teachers, I’ve also listed my reasoning behind why they are cool. If you have any favorites or straight up think my choices were horrible, feel free to comment!

Mr. Garrison – South Park
While I probably wouldn’t have realized my teacher was gay while in Elementary school I definitely would have been able to appreciate all the dirty talk that comes out of Mr. Garrison’s mouth. I am pretty sure that my favorite subject in late elementary school was sex education so I would have been more than happy to welcome Mr. Garrison into our class.

Louanne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer) – Dangerous Minds
Michelle Pfeiffer took a lot of bad ass kids who thought they were going nowhere and motivated them into doing something positive with their lives, all the while looking ridiculously attractive for somebody trapped in the mid nineties. If I was in her class I would intentionally be getting placed in detention to spend a little after hour’s time with her. Hubba hubba.

Dewy Finn ( Jack Black) School of Rock (2003)
While Dewy wasn’t technically supposed to be a teacher, he sure pulled off faking it quite well. If my music teacher when I was growing made our class into a living breathing rock band I would probably have been a little bit more excited to attend.

Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) – 21
When was the last time your teacher involved you in a massive illegal money making scheme? Micky Rosa orchestrated his brilliant students into one of the largest gambling schemes to ever rear its face in Vegas. Micky taught his students how to count cards and how to do it in teams. Why couldn’t my teachers have taught me anything this cool?

Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) – Harry Potter
I’ve always wanted to know how to perform magic. I’m not talking about card tricks and pulling doves out of a hat; I’m talking straight up Beetlejuice head shrinking action. Remus Lupin from Harry Potter taught kids how to do real magic that you could actually use in real life. To top it off, he also just so happened to be a werewolf; when was the last time you could say that about one of your teachers?

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Detective John Kimble) – Kindergarten Cop
I don’t really have to say a lot about why it would be cool to have Arny as your teacher. But if you really need something, Arnold played John Kimble in Kindergarten cop who was a undercover cop and undercover cops are uhhhmmm, cool. “Who is your daddy, and what does he do?”

Veronica Vaughn (Bridgette Wilson) – Billy Madison
Veronica Vaughn played the hottest third grade teacher to ever step foot in a class room. She not only has a pretty face, but also a wonderful set of mammary glands (That means boobs dumbass!). She paid special attention to Billy Madison as he progressed through the grades. This teacher could pay all the special attention to me she wants! Hell, I would spend four years getting a teaching degree just so I could accidently bump into her in the hall way!

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford)
Indiana Jones was an Archeology teacher, but not an ordinary one. He taught his class that X doesn’t always mark the spot and that a regular Joe man can find ridiculous treasures all on his own. Even if this might not be feasible in real life, I would have loved to have a teacher who fed be BS stories even a tenth as cool as Indy’s.

Yoda - Star Wars
Well besides the fact that I’ve always wanted a slimy green monster as a teacher, Yoda was an excellent teacher. Yoda taught Jedi mind tricks to those strong in the force. While I would probably never make the cut in Jedi school I still would have loved to have a little monkey like Yoda on my back to give me educational instructions. Oh yea, I wouldn’t mind stealing his light saber when he wasn’t looking too!