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Scoot Over, Skeeter...It's Getting Crowded in Here!!May 04 '03 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line The name's the game.... We all know that certain names can draw our attention. Names are something like magnets. A Name can give us an image. For instance, if I were to mention the name Elvis, we would instantly get a visual of a good-looking fellow wearing a sequined outfit and shaking his hips. How about Hitler? Would we not all see that face with its' cold stare and tiny mustache? When I want to tease Bobby, I simply wait until he's almost asleep, then whisper "Lorena Bobbitt" in his ear just to see how fast he can flip over onto his belly. Names can be powerful, they can influence people. One of the greatest advantages that any movie can have is to boast a well-known name. Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Meg Ryan, Liam Neeson and Sally Field are all names that will make me want to see a film, even if I know nothing about the story. Over the years movie-makers have sometimes attempted to gather as many big names together as possible in one joint venture. They would use terms such as "Star Studded"...or "A Cast of 1000's"...or "All Star Cast" to promote their project. I thought it might be interesting to find 10 films that have used one of these, or other similar terms to draw audiences into the theater. My List of "ALL STAR STUDDED" Favorite Films ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10. The Godfather 1972 The Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Richard Castellano, Talia Shire, Sterling Hayden, Abe Vigoda, Rudy Bond, John Marley, Richard Conte, Morgana King, Al Martino Francis Coppola's story of the Corleone family. At the helm is Don Vito Corleone along with his sons Sonny and Michael, and adopted son, Tom. It is a story of organized crime, murder and politics, and it is told from a different perspective than most Mafia movies. Usually we see through the eyes of the "good guys", but in the Godfather we see from inside the family. We see their loyalty to each other and the shifting of family responsibilities as time goes by. Marlon Brando received the Best Actor Oscar in his infamous "no-show" protest at the Award ceremonies. Two other Oscars were won that evening, one for Best Picture, and one for Best Writing (Screenplay). There were also 8 other nominations, ranging from Best Supporting Actor (3 of the stars were vying...Caan, Pacino and Duvall) to Best Director (Coppola). A masterpiece, to say the least. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9. The Towering Inferno 1974 The Cast: Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Fred Astaire, Faye Dunaway, Richard Chamberlain, Susan Blakely, Robert Vaughn, Jennifer Jones, Robert Wagner and O.J. Simpson Produced by Irwin Allen, this is an epic disaster film about a newly-built skyscraper that is engulfed in flames. A group of firefighters attempt to save a party of people that are trapped on the top floor. The firefighters are lead by McQueen, and the architect of the building, Newman, both give wonderful performances. They are one of the factors that made this film so successful. They have exactly the same number of lines of dialog, which was something that McQueen insisted on. Dashing, handsome Richard Chamberlain plays a snively type, egads!! The film won 3 Oscars, one for Best Cinematography, one for Best Film Editing and one for Best Music (for the song "We May Never Love Like This Again"). It was also nominated in 5 other categories. This film isn't just about the disaster, it's also about the people involved and some of the moral issues that they are facing. It's a riveting drama much more than many other films that are considered "disaster movies". ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. Midway (1976) The Cast: Charlton Heston, Edward Albert, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Hal Holbrook, Glenn Ford, Cliff Robertson, Robert Mitchum, Robert Wagner, Ed Nelson, Erik Estrada, Dabney Coleman, and Tom Selleck This is a film is based on the decisive battle between American Naval fleets and the Japanese back in 1942 during the Pacific War. It was the first battle to ever use air attacks so successfully. There are some clips of actual battle footage included. This film is as close to accurate in its' depiction of the actual battle as you'll find. There is an aspect of drama, purely fictional, between father (Heston) and son, (Albert), when the son confesses that he has fallen in love with a girl from Hawaii...whose family is of Japanese descent. This one is a classic. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7. How to Make An American Quilt 1995 The Cast: Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Alfre Woodard, Kate Nelligan, Kate Capshaw, Adam Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Dermot Mulroney, Jean Simmons, Lois Smith and Rip Torn I would venture to say that this film is enjoyed more by those of us in the female gender. It's a loving and touching story of a bride-to-be that goes to spend a summer visit with her Grandmother before her wedding. While attempting to write her masters thesis, she listens to the stories of the women that are gathered together, making a quilt for her wedding gift. The entire cast was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. Ryder and Mulroney were also nominated for "Best Kiss" by the MTV Movie Awards. As the summer goes by, this young bride begins to question her choices for life and for the upcoming wedding. This is definitely a "chick flick", but hey, guys, watch this one with your favorite gal and you might just discover that you'll enjoy it, too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. Mars Attacks 1996 The Cast: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Danny DeVito, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Jim Brown, Lukas Haas, Natalie Portman and Pam Grier. This is actually not what I'd refer to as a "favorite" of mine. But it did make me laugh and it does have quite an impressive cast, so I thought it best to include it on this list. This is a goofy spoof/parody of science fiction films that finds our planet being invaded by Martians. Danny Elfman won the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films' Saturn Award for Best Music in this film. The next year (1997) he was nominated for the Oscar for Best Music (Original Dramatic Score) for Good Will Hunting, and also for Best Music, (Original Musical or Comedy Score) for his work in Men in Black. This is a silly and corny film, but again, it did make me laugh. It's fun for a Saturday afternoon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. Superman 1978 The Cast: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Trevor Howard, Valerie Perrine, Terence Stamp, and Susannah York.... and cameo appearances by Larry Hagman, Rex Reed, Noel Neill and Kirk Alyn. A quiet, bashful reporter for the Daily Planet, Clark Kent, becomes The Man of Steel when he sees that someone needs help. This happens often with the likes of the devious criminal, Lex Luther creating havoc. After being sent to Earth as an infant by his father, Clark grows up in a normal family setting, well, somewhat normal anyway. He uses his unusual strength for good, with his goal being to bring about justice and truth. Bringing a big name to a film also brings big bucks. Marlon Brandon only has about 10 minutes of screen time, yet received $4 million for his appearance. This film was so successful, it spawned 3 sequels. It received an Special Achievement award at the Oscars for Visual Effects. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World 1963 The Cast: Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett, Phil Silvers, Ethel Merman, Dick Shawn, Jonathan Winters, Edie Adams, Terry Thomas, Jim Backus, William Demarest, Peter Falk, Norman Fell, Sterling Holloway, Buster Keaton, Don Knotts, Carl Reiner, Jimmy Durante, Jack Benny, to name a few... Producer, Stanley Kramer, brought together a huge impressive cast for this hilarious film. When it is discovered that there is $350,000 (which was quite a fortune in those days) hidden in a park in California, a crazy race to find the money is underway. The participants in this wild pursuit have been told that the money is buried under a huge "W".....Spoiler ahead....that "W" turns out to be 4 palm trees, tilted to form the letter "W".....end of Spoiler. Just read the list of cast members above and you can imagine the antics and fun to be seen here. It should also be mentioned that Walter Elliott won the Oscar in 1964 for Best Effects, Sound Effects for his work in this movie. After 40 years, this one still makes me laugh. The whole family can watch and enjoy this very entertaining timeless comedy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. Gone With The Wind 1939 The Cast: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Thomas Mitchell, Ona Munson, Hattie McDaniel, Laura Hope Crews, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Rutherford, Butterfly McQueen, George Reeves, Victor Jory, and that's just the beginning... This is my favorite movie (watched more times than I can keep track of) and book (read 5 times) of all. It has been referred to in many ways...from a war film to a melodrama to a romance. And all of these are correct. But to me it is the story of a young woman, Scarlett O'Hara, who simply goes after what she wants in life. She will step on toes, make enemies, face childbirth (both her own and Melanies'), endure starvation and helplessness, til the soil with her bare hands, fight and kill, and yet still survive. Her story spans the pre-Civil War days of opulence and grandeur, to the devastation that war brings, to a rebuilding of everything she lost. The story on film lasts about 4 hours, and yet does not cover the entire story that can be found in the novel. It gathered many Oscars, including Best Picture (David O. Selznick), Best Director (Victor Fleming), Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Hattie McDaniel), just to name a few. This story of a civilization, a life-style "Gone With the Wind" is one that has lasted for generations, continuing to gather fans, even today, over 60 years later. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. The Big Chill 1983 The Cast: Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, JoBeth Williams, Don Galloway, and a cameo of Kevin Costner (look in the casket and you'll see him) The story begins with an ending...a funeral. Friends gather together to pay their last respects to one of their own. These friends were bound together in the idealistic 60's and spend this weekend together at one members' home, reminiscing and recalling their college days. One particular line says it all "How much love, sex, fun and friendship can a person take?" as they look back on the relationships that began many years earlier. The setting is wonderful, with huge magnolia trees and moss swaying and a beautiful white house, with an enormous front porch. It was nominated for 3 Academy Awards, Best Actress (Glenn Close), Best Picture (Michael Shamberg) and Best Writing for a Screenplay (Lawrence Kasdan, who is also Director of this film). The soundtrack is outstanding, including Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harem), I Heard it Through the Grapevine (Marvin Gaye), Tracks of My Tears and I Second that Emotion (Smokey Robinson), You Can't Always Get What You Want (Rolling Stones), and Good Lovin (The Rascals), just to name a few. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. The Outsiders 1983 The Cast: C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, Leif Garrett, Glenn Withrow, Darren Dalton, Michelle Meyrink, Tom Waits and Gailard Sartain. This is a wonderful film to watch some now very successful actors in one of their earliest performances. It is similar to West Side Story", in its' tale of gangs, turf, and fighting between 2 groups of young men....the Greasers and the Socs, rather than the Jets and Sharks. But The Outsiders is more of a poignant story of growing up and becoming a man. Director, Francis Ford Coppola, brings us another memorable story dealing with the rite of passage that every young man must make. The Young Artists Awards honored C. Thomas Howell with the award for Best Young Motion Picture Actor in a Feature Film. Diane Lane, also, was nominated for Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. These young actors performed brilliantly in this film. It was just the beginning of many good things to come. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Final Thoughts There you have it...My List of "ALL STAR STUDDED" Favorite Films. With a bit of research, you'll probably find quite a few films that fit this category. As a matter of fact, Bobby really wanted me to include "Ben" (1972) with its' cast of thousands...rats, that is. And Skeeter is mad at me for not mentioning "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961). Oh, well, you can only please part of the people part of the time....  |
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by Stephen_Murray by jeff_wilder78
