Curated playlist

Films shot in Los Angeles

Blade RunnerBlade Runner exists in seven versions, but Ridley Scott controls only one.
The Avengers (2012 film)Joss Whedon read the first Avengers script and said to pretend it never happened.
Spider-Man: HomecomingSpider-Man: Homecoming, the 2017 superhero film, hinges on one very awkward car ride. On the night of the school dance, teenager Peter Parker learns that the father of the girl he is taking is the man he has been chasing across the city.…
The TerminatorThe Terminator began as a fever dream in Rome. Director James Cameron, ill, dreamed of a metal torso crawling from fire.
The Dark KnightThe Dark Knight, a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, begins with a bank robbery that turns on its own crew. The bank belongs to the mafia in Gotham City. The masked robbers betray and kill one another until a single man…
Jaws (film)The broken shark in Jaws made the film scarier. Spielberg had to suggest it with barrels and a fin.
Deadpool & WolverineDeadpool & Wolverine almost went by the title Deadpool & Friend. The name leaked online in February 2024.
Transformers: Dark of the MoonMichael Bay bet $25,000 that two robots would not appear in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
Once Upon a Time in HollywoodOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood is a 2019 film by Quentin Tarantino, and its ending was guarded like a state secret. Tarantino kept the only copy of the third act locked in a safe. Besides Tarantino himself, only Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot…
A.I. Artificial IntelligenceStanley Kubrick kept calling his robot-boy film "Pinocchio" instead of A.I. Spielberg finished it.
Thor (film)Chris Hemsworth gained 20 lb for Thor and then outgrew his costume.
Oppenheimer (film)The teaser for the film Oppenheimer, released on the 28th of July 2022, carried a live countdown to 5:29 a.m. Mountain time on the 16th of July 2023. That hour marked the 78th anniversary of the first detonation of an atomic weapon.…
Fight ClubFight Club hid its twist by never filming Tyler Durden in two-shots with groups of people.
Avatar (2009 film)Avatar, the 2009 science fiction film from director James Cameron, began with a dream he had when he was 19 years old. In the dream, he saw a bioluminescent forest. Its trees were made of fiber-optic strands, fan lizards moved through the…
Interstellar (film)Interstellar, the 2014 science fiction epic directed by Christopher Nolan, was filmed under a decoy name: Flora's Letter. Flora is one of Nolan's four children with producer Emma Thomas. Nolan is famous for guarding his productions, and…
Avatar: The Way of WaterAvatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron's 2022 science fiction sequel, contains an underwater scene for which Kate Winslet held her breath for more than seven minutes. That broke the record for a breath hold during a filmed scene, which…
Superman (2025 film)Superman, the 2025 film written and directed by James Gunn, has a private detail hidden in its release calendar. The date was chosen because it matches the birthday of Gunn's late father. That personal thread runs through a project that…
Everything Everywhere All at OnceEverything Everywhere All at Once began as a script for a male lead, written with Jackie Chan in mind.
Men in Black 3Will Smith pitched Men in Black 3 in 2002: send Agent J back in time to save Agent K.
Groundhog Day (film)A wild groundhog bit Bill Murray twice on the same knuckle while making Groundhog Day. Its name was Scooter.
Barbie (film)The film Barbie used up the world's remaining supply of one shade of pink paint. The shade was Pantone 219.
I Heart HuckabeesI Heart Huckabees began as a film about secret fortune cookies. A dream about a spiritual detective changed it.
The Hitcher (1986 film)Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel each gave The Hitcher zero stars. Christopher Nolan later named it a favorite film.
The Odyssey (2026 film)The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's film of Homer's ancient epic, went on sale to ticket buyers on the 17th of July 2025, exactly one year before its release. That was considered an unprecedented move for a major distributor, and audiences…