1. The Sandlot (1993)
   Police Academy (1984)
2. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
   10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Before "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" was released, "Rambo III" had the distinction of being the most expensive movie ever made. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" took that title but later lost it to "Terminator 2: Judgment Day."

1. The Princess Bride (1987)
   Stand by Me (1986)
2. The Shining (1980)
   Titanic (1997)

Danny Lloyd, who plays the role of Danny Torrance was only 6 years old at the time. The Shining is just one of two films in which he has appeared. The other is the 1982 TV movie "Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy."

1. Silence of the Lambs (1991)
   Dumb and Dumber (1994)
2. The Matrix (1999)
   Jurassic Park (1993)

The names of the streets you see in the movie are all taken from areas in Chicago, where the directors, the Waschowskis, grew up. The actual locations, however, are in Sydney, Australia, where the film was shot.

1. Forrest Gump (1994)
   Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
   Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Indian actor Amrish Puri, who portrayed the villain Mola Ram in the movie, was a major Bollywood star. It is said that he had up to 18 films in the works at the time he acted in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."

1. Clueless (1995)
   Top Gun (1986)
2. Good Will Hunting (1997)
   Dances with Wolves (1990)

One year after "Clueless" was released, it was re-created as a TV series that ran for 3 seasons. Stacey Dash, Elisa Donovan and Donald Faison reprised their roles from the movie as Dionne, Amber and Murray respectively. Rachel Blanchard played Cher, since Alicia Silverstone did not return for the series.

1. The Breakfast Club (1985)
   Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
2. The Big Lebowski (1998)
   The Sandlot (1993)

The term “The Brat Pack” is said to have originated with "The Breakfast Club." It refers to a group of young actors who appeared together in that movie, "St. Elmo’s Fire" (1985) and several others throughout the 1980’s. The Brat Pack included Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez and Rob Lowe, among others.

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
   Back to the Future (1985)
2. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
   The Princess Bride (1987)

Wes Craven, writer/director of "A Nightmare on Elm Street," based the Freddy character on events in his life. The name belongs to a school bully who once beat up Craven. Freddy’s hat is like one worn by a scary drunk in the neighborhood where Craven grew up.

1. Independence Day (1996)
   The Blues Brothers (1980)
2. Clueless (1995)
   Goodfellas (1990)

Movie critic Roger Ebert rated "Goodfellas" a full four stars out of four when he reviewed it in 1990. In 2000, he named Goodfellas as the third best movie of the 1990s, after "Hoop Dreams" and "Pulp Fiction."

1. Die Hard (1988)
   The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
   The Lion King (1994)

Bruce Willis was not the first choice to play John McClane in the first "Die Hard" movie since, at the time, he was considered more of a comedy actor. Actors who turned down the role include Sylvester Stallone, Charles Bronson, Mel Gibson and Richard Dean Anderson.

1. Boyz n the Hood (1991)
   Return of the Jedi (1983)
2. Silence of the Lambs (1991)
   Stand by Me (1986)

One famous misquote from the film is that of Hannibal Lecter, saying, “Hello, Clarice.” What he actually says is "Good evening, Clarice."

1. Airplane! (1980)
   The Shining (1980)
2. The Blues Brothers (1980)
   Aliens (1986)

Within months of being released in July 1980, "Airplane!" gained the distinction of being the highest-grossing comedy film in box-office history. It wasn’t until four years later that it would have to relinquish that title to "Ghostbusters."

1. Toy Story (1995)
   The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
2. Home Alone (1990)
   Jurassic Park (1993)

"Jurassic Park" filmmakers used a combination of animal sounds to create the roar of the dinosaurs. For the T-Rex, it was a mix of alligator, baby elephant and tiger sounds. In the case of the Dilophosaurus, they used hawk screeches and egret calls, mixed with rattlesnake hisses and insects.

1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
   Forrest Gump (1994)
2. Clueless (1995)
   Ghostbusters (1984)

When Tom Hanks won the Oscar for his role as Forrest Gump, it was his second Best Actor Oscar in two years. Only Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, Katharine Hepburn and Jason Robards had accomplished a similar feat.

1. Back to the Future (1985)
   The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
2. Dirty Dancing (1987)
   Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

The original "Back to the Future" film has spawned two sequels, an animated series and video games. It had a rocky start, however, with most major studios rejecting the proposal for the movie – reportedly, over 40 times!

1. Toy Story (1995)
   The Big Lebowski (1998)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
   The Sixth Sense (1999)

In 2014, "The Big Lebowski" was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. Other films which received a similar honor in 2014 include "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off," "Saving Private Ryan" and "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

1. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
   Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. Dirty Dancing (1987)
   Blade Runner (1982)

Uma Thurman plays Mia Wallace wife of Marsellus Wallace played by Ving Rhames. Despite being married, however, Mia and Marsellus never actually speak to each other on-screen in the film.

1. Good Will Hunting (1997)
   Stand by Me (1986)
2. Independence Day (1996)
   Return of the Jedi (1983)

"Stand by Me" and "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994) share a common origin. Both are based on entries in Stephen King’s 1982 collection of stories, called "Different Seasons."

1. The Mask (1994)
   RoboCop (1987)
2. The Lion King (1994)
   Toy Story (1995)

"Toy Story" was a debut film for its director, John Lasseter, and for Pixar Animation Studios as their feature film. "Toy Story" also holds the distinction of being the first ever feature-length computer-animated film.

1. The Terminator (1984)
   The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
2. Dirty Dancing (1987)
   Die Hard (1988)

"Dirty Dancing" was a smash hit, thanks mostly to the on-screen chemistry between its leads, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. The pair did not go on to star in the 2004 prequel to the film, titled "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights." Swayze did, however, make a cameo appearance as a dance teacher.

1. Police Academy (1984)
   Titanic (1997)
2. The Mask (1994)
   Schindler's List (1993)

Both Matthew McConaughey and Reba McEntire could have had parts in the film. While the studios wanted McConaughey to play Jack, director James Cameron chose Leonardo DiCaprio instead. McEntire had to turn down the role of Molly Brown because of conflicts in her schedule.

1. Blade Runner (1982)
   Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
2. Silence of the Lambs (1991)
   The Lion King (1994)

The original script for "The Lion King" is in some ways very different from the final production. One variation is the title, which was “King of Beasts” and later “King of the Jungle.” Another is that in the original script Scar is not related to Simba, but is the leader of a pack of vicious baboons.

1. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
   Return of the Jedi (1983)
2. Police Academy (1984)
   Aliens (1986)

After the first "Police Academy" movie was released in 1984, five more films would follow before the decade came to an end. The seventh and last movie, thus far, "Police Academy: Mission to Moscow," was released in 1994.

1. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
   Saving Private Ryan (1998)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
   The Sixth Sense (1999)

There is a famous scene in the movie where Indy finds the ark covered in snakes (of which he is deathly afraid). The original scene had ONLY 2,000 snakes in it, but director Steven Spielberg upped that number to 10,000 to make it more believable!

1. Home Alone (1990)
   Goodfellas (1990)
2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
   The Blues Brothers (1980)

While most people might only remember its first sequel, "Home Alone" actually had four. They were Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992); Home Alone 3 (1997); Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House (2002); and Home Alone 5: The Holiday Heist (2012).

1. RoboCop (1987)
   The Mask (1994)
2. Silence of the Lambs (1991)
   The Princess Bride (1987)

"The Princess Bride" is based on a 1973 fantasy romance novel by William Goldman, who also wrote the film’s screenplay. He has revealed that the original story was written for his young daughters, who wanted to hear a story about a princess and a bride.

1. The Matrix (1999)
   The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
2. Blade Runner (1982)
   Airplane! (1980)

The film stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, both prison inmates. In the movie, there is a mug shot of Red as a much younger man. That photo is not one of Morgan Freeman, but actually shows his son.

1. The Sandlot (1993)
   The Blues Brothers (1980)
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
   The Big Lebowski (1998)

"The Blues Brothers" can boast that no CGI was used to create its car chases and stunts - they were all real. One of the stuntmen was actually Ethan Wayne, the son of famous actor John Wayne.

1. Schindler's List (1993)
   Titanic (1997)
2. Police Academy (1984)
   10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Steve Spielberg refused to accept pay of any kind for his work as director of the film. His proceeds were used to found the Shoah Foundation, which honors and remembers Holocaust survivors

1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
   The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
   Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Ferris Bueller’s parents are portrayed by Cindy Pickett and Lyman Ward, who met on the set of the movie and got married that same year. They later played parents to another teenager in "Sleepwalkers" (1992). They have two children together, but divorced in 1992.

1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
   The Sixth Sense (1999)
2. Ghostbusters (1984)
   Jurassic Park (1993)

Haley Joel Osment was 11 years old when he portrayed Cole Sear opposite Bruce Willis’s portrayal of Malcolm Crowe. Among the six Academy Award nominations the film received was one for Osment in the Best Supporting Actor category.

1. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
   Home Alone (1990)
2. The Shining (1980)
   A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Bronson Pinchot’s very memorable portrayal of Serge the gallerist was just his second film role, his debut being in "Risky Business" a year earlier. His work as Serge would help him land the role for which he is best known – Balki Bartokomous on "Perfect Strangers."

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
   Forrest Gump (1994)
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
   Top Gun (1986)

Steven Spielberg was both director and writer on "Saving Private Ryan." There were actually three other films released that year that Spielberg was involved with (as executive producer). They are "The Last Days," "The Mask of Zorro" and "Deep Impact."

1. Aliens (1986)
   Dumb and Dumber (1994)
2. The Breakfast Club (1985)
   The Terminator (1984)

Jim Carrey appeared in three films that were released in 1994. They were "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" as Ace Ventura, "The Mask" as Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask, and "Dumb and Dumber" as Lloyd Christmas.

1. Die Hard (1988)
   Toy Story (1995)
2. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
   The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Darth Vader is portrayed by English actor David Prowse, with American actor James Earl Jones supplying the voice. "Star Wars" creator George Lucas has explained that the name “Darth Vader” is meant as a variation of “Dark Father.”

1. Boyz n the Hood (1991)
   Airplane! (1980)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
   Independence Day (1996)

"Boyz n the Hood" was 23-year-old John Singleton’s debut film as director. He holds the distinction of being the youngest ever Academy Award Best Director nominee and first African-American to be nominated in the category.

1. Dumb and Dumber (1994)
   Back to the Future (1985)
2. The Breakfast Club (1985)
   Good Will Hunting (1997)

"Good Will Hunting" was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The pair also starred in the film opposite Stellan Skarsgard and Robin Williams. Williams won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
   Saving Private Ryan (1998)
2. Top Gun (1986)
   The Terminator (1984)

Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed that he almost turned down the original role of the Terminator. At the time, he was only interested in playing heroes and had to be convinced that the Terminator character would end up being a kind of hero.

1. Dances with Wolves (1990)
   RoboCop (1987)
2. The Matrix (1999)
   The Lion King (1994)

Upon submission, "RoboCop" was given an X rating, due to the level of violence in some scenes. Director Paul Verhoeven had to edit and resubmit the film 11 times before it received the R rating he wanted.

1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
   Dirty Dancing (1987)
2. Schindler's List (1993)
   Dances with Wolves (1990)

Kevin Costner was director, producer and star of "Dances with Wolves." The movie was nominated for twelve Academy Awards and won seven of them, including the awards for Best Picture and Best Director for Costner. He was also nominated for Best Actor, but did not win.

1. Clueless (1995)
   E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
2. Goodfellas (1990)
   Pulp Fiction (1994)

Four actors were responsible for E.T.’s movement on-screen. His hand movements were provided by mime Caprice Rothe, while Tamara de Treaux and Pat Bilon (two little people) wore E.T. suits for full body shots. 12-year-old Matthew DeMeritt, who was born without legs, portrayed E.T. in some other scenes.

1. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
   Back to the Future (1985)
2. The Princess Bride (1987)
   Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Australian actor Heath Ledger stars as Patrick Verona in his first role in a Hollywood movie. Ledger would appear in a total of 19 films before his death. He died shortly before the release of the Batman film "The Dark Knight," in which he portrayed The Joker.

1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
   Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
2. Top Gun (1986)
   Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

While Tom Cruise’s portrayal of Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell has become an iconic role for him, several other actors were considered for the job. They included Sean Penn, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage and Michael J. Fox.

1. Airplane! (1980)
   Independence Day (1996)
2. Dumb and Dumber (1994)
   Dances with Wolves (1990)

A sequel, "Independence Day: Resurgence," was released in 2016, twenty years after the original film. Although Will Smith does not reprise his role in the sequel, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and Judd Hirsch all do.

1. Goodfellas (1990)
   Stand by Me (1986)
2. Mask (1994)
   Schindler's List (1993)

"Mask" is Cameron Diaz’s debut film. Jim Carrey, however, was already well on his way to superstardom. Whereas he was paid just under half a million dollars to appear in "Mask," for his next movie, "Dumb and Dumber," he was paid $7 million.

1. Ghostbusters (1984)
   Forrest Gump (1994)
2. The Breakfast Club (1985)
   Good Will Hunting (1997)

"Ghostbusters" was written by two of its stars, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The original script had a futuristic space theme and, according to "Ghostbusters" director/producer Ivan Reitman, it would have cost $300 million to make.

1. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
   Titanic (1997)
2. The Big Lebowski (1998)
   The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The film is also known as "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas," causing many people to assume it was directed by him. Burton, in fact, was the film’s producer, story and character creator, and designer of the film’s look. The film was the directorial debut of Henry Selick.

1. Blade Runner (1982)
   A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
   Ghostbusters (1984)

There are at least seven versions of the "Blade Runner" movie, due, in part, to changes studio executives made to the film. The 5 better-known versions were released in 2007 as a five-disc set called the Ultimate Collectors Edition.

1. The Terminator (1984)
   Die Hard (1988)
2. RoboCop (1987)
   Return of the Jedi (1983)

"Star Wars" was the debut film for Warwick Davis, who portrayed the Ewok Wicket. Davis would go on to appear as the title character in both "Willow" and "Leprechaun" film franchises He was also Professor Filius Flitwick and Griphook in the Harry Potter films.

1. Home Alone (1990)
   The Matrix (1999)
2. The Sandlot (1993)
   The Shining (1980)

The original title for the movie was "The Boys of Summer." It had to be changed, however, as there was already a famous baseball book with that name.

1. The Sixth Sense (1999)
   Aliens (1986)
2. Jurassic Park (1993)
   Pulp Fiction (1994)

The release dates for the six films (so far) in the "Alien" franchise span 38 years. Sigourney Weaver appears in the first four films as Ellen Louise Ripley and Ripley Clone 8.