Every Movie Nerds Collection Should Include...
From the unmissable to the completely forgetful, passing fads to long forgotten conversation starters, these movies should awaken distant memories!
List activity
2.8K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
44 titles
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsEminemBrittany MurphyKim BasingerFollows a young rapper in the Detroit area, struggling with every aspect of his life; he wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.An unknown young white rapper (Eminem) climbs the local scene dominated by hard-hitting established mike-slayers... and beats the pants off of every one of 'em!
- DirectorCole S. McKayStarsJaz MartinHennely JimenezAnnaMaria DemaraAn amateur racer gets involved in illegal street racing after the death of his brother.Low budget ripoff of the Fast & Furious franchise. Fast cars, plenty of neon but not nearly as much fun.
- DirectorZack SnyderStarsGerard ButlerLena HeadeyDavid WenhamIn the ancient battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fight against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. They face insurmountable odds when they are betrayed by a Spartan reject.Meet The Spartans writ serious.
- DirectorLes BlairStarsTracey UllmanMichael PalinTimothy SpallA short series of fifteen-minute sketches, in which Tracey Ullman and Sir Michael Palin played various roles satirizing the British class system.Split sketches make for one utterly hilarious movie. WARNING: must have British sense of humour to fully appreciate.
- DirectorGraham BakerStarsJames CaanMandy PatinkinTerence StampIn 1988, Earth makes the first contact with an alien civilization. In 1991, these aliens, known as Newcomers, slowly begin to be integrated into human society after three years of quarantine.What might have been had the aliens from "V" not been flesh-eating reptiles...
- DirectorTimo VuorensolaStarsJulia DietzeChristopher KirbyGötz OttoThe Nazis set up a secret base on the dark side of the moon in 1945 where they hide out and plan to return to power in 2018.The Germans were there first...
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsPeter WellerNancy AllenDan O'HerlihyIn a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.Criterion Edition or nothing!
- DirectorWinrich KolbeStarsReiner SchöneSab ShimonoJames O'SheaThe end of our world is the beginning of another.He's not top billed but he should be... Wes Studi in one of his better roles
- DirectorChris RobertsStarsFreddie Prinze Jr.Matthew LillardSaffron BurrowsBlair, a fighter pilot, joins an interstellar war to fight the evil Kilrathi who are trying to destroy the universe.Probably one of the best game-to-movie conversions ever.
- DirectorL.Q. JonesStarsDon JohnsonJason RobardsSusanne BentonA young man and his telepathic dog wander a post-apocalyptic wasteland.When the two most important things in life are food and sex (preferably with one of the opposite gender), and not necessarily in that order, you know the world is in trouble. Even more so when your only companion is a very young Don Johnson and you're the dog able to communicate with him via thought.
- DirectorW.D. HoganStarsRobert KnepperJulia BensonCameron BrightAfter dense matter from an imploded white hole hits Earth, the planet's rotation is devastated. A group of government agents must locate a lost satellite network that is the world's only hope for survival.Yep, probably a good thing this was a made-for-TV affair, it fails to deliver on its titular promise. SPOILER ALERT: Earth survives.
- DirectorGeoff MurphyStarsBruno LawrenceAlison RoutledgePete SmithA scientist awakens to find himself alone in the world. In a desperate attempt to search for others, he finds only two who have their own agenda.Surreal, original and engaging science fiction from the pen of Craig Harrison - with not a single BEM or laser pistol in sight.
- 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.One word: Kubrick.
- DirectorVictor FlemingKing VidorStarsJudy GarlandFrank MorganRay BolgerYoung Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.The movie against which all modern movies, musical or not, should measure themselves.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsAudrey HepburnGeorge PeppardPatricia NealA young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.Beautiful story about a socialite, a struggling writer and a nameless cat.
- DirectorWalter LangStarsYul BrynnerDeborah KerrRita MorenoA widow accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam's children."You think you teach King lesson, but this is one lesson you do not get paid for teaching! In the future, you will stop instructing wives and children in silly English song 'Home Sweet House' to remind me of breaking promises I never make, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!"
Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. Forget Fred & Ginger, this is *the* movie pairing to beat all. - DirectorRuben FleischerStarsJesse EisenbergEmma StoneWoody HarrelsonA shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting bruiser in search of the last Twinkie and a pair of sisters striving to get to an amusement park join forces in a trek across a zombie-filled America.OK. Give me a continuous fourth wall violation, Bill Murray, Woody Harrelson and a smattering of other out of work Hollywood A-Listers, turn most of them into zombies and let 'em slug it out for a couple hours. Fun!
- DirectorPeter MervisStarsA.J. CastroJulia RuizGiovanni BejaranoA Zombie curse is placed upon a woman, which causes her to have living snakes inside her. Brujo, who is looking after her, attempts to take her to Los Angeles on the train. After several confrontations on the train, Brujo's collection of snakes manage to separate themselves from their owner and go on the hunt. Whilst all this is happening, normal, everyday passengers are relaxing, what is unknown to them is that something deadly is heading their way, and that there is no way out.Three words:
What.
The.
NO. - DirectorSteve OedekerkStarsJim CarreyIan McNeiceSimon CallowAce Ventura, Pet Detective, returns from a spiritual quest to investigate the disappearance of a rare white bat, the sacred animal of a tribe in Africa.The better of the two. Only because you get to see Carrey's range of pained facial contortions in this one.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsNoomi RapaceLogan Marshall-GreenMichael FassbenderFollowing clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.Apparently this is meant to be (and was written as) a standalone from the Alien franchise, but it does slot in pretty well. Watch in production order for a Lucas experience, for full sense watch in the following order, with crossovers (I won't bother listing any of these elsewhere on this list): Predator, Predator II, AvP (Alien Vs. Predator), AvP: Requiem, Predators, Prometheus, Alien, Aliens, Alien3, Alien: Resurrection. Get the unrated editions if you can, they add a *lot* to the story.
- 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.I've seen the discussions about what order to watch the Star Wars movies in, so here's mine: IV, V, II, III, VI. Yes, there's no episode I in there because it adds nothing to the story and it has that annoying Binks character in it.
- DirectorVal GuestKen HughesJohn HustonStarsDavid NivenPeter SellersUrsula AndressIn an early spy spoof, aging Sir James Bond comes out of retirement to take on SMERSH.Great Bond parody; watch for Anjelica Huston's movie debut and the guy under the Vader mask is in there, too!
- DirectorLeslie H. MartinsonStarsCliff RobertsonRobert CulpTy HardinPresident John F. Kennedy kept a unique inauguration gift on his desk: a plastic-encased coconut. The tale of that coconut is the heroic story of PT 109.fact-based story about the early military career of the late, great John F. Kennedy, as he undertook duty in the Pacific theatre starting with the reconditioning of a decrepit motor torpedo boat.
- DirectorIvan NagyStarsTed DansonMary Louise WellerChristopher LeeTed Danson plays a computer genius who gets involved in the theft of an important N.A.S.A. computer, then thrust into the world of espionage with Sir Christopher Lee.Ted Danson is a reluctant spy, Mary Louise Parker his gorgeous pro sidekick, and Christopher Lee a wheelchair-bound villain in this salute to Sixties camp thrillers.
- DirectorMike HodgesStarsSam J. JonesMelody AndersonMax von SydowA football player and his friends travel to the planet Mongo and find themselves fighting the tyranny of Ming the Merciless to save Earth.Rockin' movie with a rockin' soundtrack.
"Do you want to live forever. Hawkmen... DIIIIIIVVE!" - DirectorFred M. WilcoxStarsWalter PidgeonAnne FrancisLeslie NielsenA starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet's colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization.Robots, invisible aliens, Leslie Nielson and millennia-old contraptions. Sublime sci-fi epic that created a genre.
- DirectorKurt NeumannStarsDavid HedisonPatricia OwensVincent PriceA scientist has a horrific accident when he tries to use his newly invented teleportation device.The original and better version. Hedison's final words in the movie still gives me the chills.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsChristopher ReeveKirstie AlleyLinda KozlowskiA small town's women give birth to unfriendly alien children posing as humans.Lindsey Haun being absolutely terrifying as an alien hybrid child who, along with her brethren, murder their way through a village in one of the most underrated movies ever made.
- DirectorRobert DykeStarsWalter KoenigBruce CampbellLeigh LombardiNASA finds remains of an ancient humanoid race on the Moon that left behind deadly robots.Walter Koenig typecast as a shuttle commander turned little-acknowledged hero of the day as an alien robot chews its way through flesh and uses odd bits of machinery to build itself. Oh, and watch out for that headgear.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJennifer O'NeillStephen LackPatrick McGoohanA scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called "scanning" to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non scanners.A true Cronenberg masterpiece of horror and exploding heads.
- DirectorYoshikazu YasuhikoStarsKatsuhide UekusaYûko MizutaniEriko HaraTwo thriving colonies, Ishtar and Aphrodia, exist on the planet Venus in the year 2089. War breaks out, and Ishtar invades Aphrodia, sweeping its residents, including motorcycle rider Hiro and his teammates, into the chaos of the conflict.One of many dystopian fantasies to emerge from the Japanese studios of Bandai. This one involves a fresh faced reporter flung into the rising civil war on the new Venusian frontier, a gang of monocycle-loving petrolheads, and lots of interesting ways to get blown up.
- DirectorOsamu DezakiStarsTetsurô SagawaGorô NayaToshiko FujitaAfter killing the son of a powerful oil tycoon, an infamous hit-man is targeted by American governmental forces and superhuman killers.Duke Togo. Professional assassin. Makes James Bond look like Maxwell Smart.
- DirectorShûichi HirokawaYoshiaki KawajiriStarsToshio FurukawaMami KoyamaChikao ÔtsukaA farmboy stumbles upon the Lens, an artifact which grants him fantastic powers and contains vital information that may allow the Galactic Fleet to defeat the evil Boskone Empire.CGI-heavy animation about a farmboy thrown into a struggle for galactic domination against a dark foe.
Sound familiar? - DirectorIsao TakahataStarsTsutomu TatsumiAyano ShiraishiAkemi YamaguchiA young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.Shocking tragedy about a brother and sister struggling to survive World War II Japan. Starvation, bombing and sheer desperation add to the dark theme of this masterpiece.
- 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.If you're a hardcore science fiction fan who is drawn by compelling storylines, cutting-edge effects (hello, Bullet Time!), and interesting characters, then this is the movie for you.
That said, forget the sequels, they're utter rubbish. - DirectorDon BluthGary GoldmanStarsMatt DamonDrew BarrymoreBill PullmanA young man learns that he has to find a hidden Earth ship before an enemy alien species does in order to secure the survival of humanity.Formular post apocalyptic space action with aliens and several locations but extremely well executed and pretty much perfectly cast.
- 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.Disney's best picture, by far. And not a single bloody talking duck to be seen!
- DirectorNick CastleStarsLance GuestRobert PrestonKay E. KuterHigh schooler Alex Rogan conquers the Starfighter video game, only to find out it was just a test, and is transported to another planet. He has been recruited to join a team of the best starfighters to defend their world from the attack.Yet another Star Wars rip-off, but this time with something extra: engaging main character who you wouldn't mind swapping places with!
- StarsZooey DeschanelAlan CummingNeal McDonoughA re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's classic "The Wizard of Oz."Zooey Deschanel is DG, a girl drawn into the land of Oz in this reimagining of the 1939 classic. Odd at times, annoying at others, but the performances of Deschanel and McDonough are always engaging.
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsKurt RussellJames SpaderJaye DavidsonAn interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra.The movie that spawned three live-action series, one cartoon series, several made-for-TV movies and an immense fanbase complete with crossover, slash and season-extra fanfiction. If you've seen SG-1, and fancy a rewatch, then start with this.
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsDennis QuaidLouis Gossett Jr.Brion JamesDuring a long space war, the lives of two wounded enemies become dependent on their ability to forgive and to trust.The first time I ever saw this it instantly reminded me of the final episode of Battlestar Galactica 1980, "The Return of Starbuck". The plot is the same, the character interactions are the same. Two enemy pilots crash on a desolate planet and need to work together to survive.
That's... pretty much it. - DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsCharlton HestonRoddy McDowallKim HunterAn astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.The best (by a WIDE MARGIN) adaptation of the Pierre Boulle novel.
"Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty APE!" - DirectorScott StewartStarsPaul BettanyCam GigandetMaggie QA warrior priest disobeys church law to track down a pact of vampires who have kidnapped his niece.The best vampire flick since Interview.
- DirectorSamantha MortonStarsMolly WindsorRobert CarlyleSusan LynchA film that gives a child's eye view of the U.K.'s government-run care system for orphans and children in danger.This movie means a lot to me, but I can't tell you why.