Curated playlist

Films that won the Best Visual Effects Academy Award

Aliens (film)Aliens opens with a woman who has been asleep for 57 years. James Cameron's 1986 film sends Ellen Ripley back to danger.
Alien (film)In the 1979 film Alien, the chestburster scene was shot in one take.
First Man (film)First Man opens with Neil Armstrong's X-15 bouncing off the atmosphere. His daughter Karen was dying of a brain tumor.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingMany stars turned down Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring. Sean Connery said he did not understand the plot.
Star Wars (film)George Lucas forgot Star Wars was opening the day it came out. That night, he saw crowds lined up outside a theater.
2001: A Space OdysseyAt the New York premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey, 250 people walked out. The poster later said "the ultimate trip."
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Return of the King won all eleven Oscars it was nominated for. No fantasy film had won Best Picture before it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersGollum was first planned as a voice only, played by Andy Serkis. Actors did better with him on set.
Avatar: Fire and AshAvatar: Fire and Ash is the third film in James Cameron's Avatar series. In December 2022, word spread that its first cut ran nine hours. Cameron later clarified the figure. The nine hours covered three films of about three hours each:…
Ben-Hur (1959 film)MGM bet its future on Ben-Hur, a 1959 epic whose budget more than doubled to $15.175 million.
Return of the JediReturn of the Jedi was briefly renamed Revenge of the Jedi. Lucas reverted it after posters were printed.
Mary Poppins (film)At the 1964 Mary Poppins premiere, the author demanded a cut and Walt Disney said the ship had sailed.
InceptionInception's crew built a hotel corridor that rotated a full 360 degrees. It was planned at 40 feet, then grew to 100.
The Empire Strikes BackOn the set of The Empire Strikes Back, the actor playing Vader was given a fake line.
Dune (2021 film)Dune, the 2021 film directed by Denis Villeneuve, began with a filmmaker who doubted he would ever get to make it. In September 2016 the Canadian director said, "a longstanding dream of mine is to adapt Dune, but it's a long process to get…
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…
Titanic (1997 film)Rather than cut Titanic, James Cameron gave up his $8 million director's salary.
Jurassic ParkJurassic Park, the 1993 film directed by Steven Spielberg, came with an unusual house rule. On set, Spielberg banned the words "monster" and "creature" and told the crew to call the dinosaurs "animals" instead. The story takes place on…
Dune: Part TwoDune: Part Two had its first screening on the 16th of January 2024, in a palliative care home in Saguenay, Quebec, weeks before any red carpet. The audience was one dying man who had said he wanted to see the film. His wish traveled…
Ex Machina (film)In Ex Machina, an office contest prize turns out to be a test of a robot.