Movies celebrating 25-year anniversaries in 2018

It turns out that 1993 was one of the best, if not the very best, years in cinema. Most of the classics we love today came out during ‘93, and the list of top hits is so long, that it seems like this countdown will have to be a two parter.

So, strap yourself in for a nostalgia overload as we look over 10 films that are celebrating their 25th anniversary over the next two issues of Nick’s Flick Picks. 

Groundhog Day– Feb. 12. Directed by Harold Ramins, written by Harold Ramis and Danny Rubin. Starring Bill Murray and Andie Macdowell. 

What would you do if you were trapped inside the same day over and over? Well that is exactly what Phil (Murray) finds out when his job as a weatherman takes him to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the annual Groundhog Day festival. 

There is no magic wish, shooting star, or real rhyme or reason why this happens to Phil, other than the possibility that he was just the one person who needed to learn the value of life the most. 

Ramis once said Phil was trapped in Groundhog Day for 10 years, but an astute observer did the math to find out that he actually spent eight years, eight months, and 12 days stuck reliving the same day over and over. 

This movie really makes you think about the value a day can offer while also showcasing Murray’s ability to make anything funny. 

Don’t own it, or can’t find it for rent? Just be patient, for AMC replays it, over and over, on February 2nd every year, just for the special holiday. 

The Sandlot – Apr. 8. Directed by David Mickey Adams, written by David Mickey Adams and Robert Gunter. Starring Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York, Brandon Quinton Adams, Grant Gelt, Shane Obedzinski, Victor, DiMatta, Dennis Leary and James Earl Jones.

The mere mentioning of this film is going to have certain adults reading this, feel like a little kid again. Since it’s release, it has become an instant classic among, baseball fans, kids, and the young at heart.

The Sandlot perfectly romanticizes the most perfect summer, even if you never played a game of baseball. The story follows a group of friends over the course of a summer, who get themselves into the deepest pickle of their lives, forcing them to do the one thing they do not want to do, mess with the beast who lives next door to their beloved baseball diamond. 

No matter how old you get, watching the Sandlot makes you a kid again. The movie is a perfect metaphor for the simple times that every non-child reminisces about while facing the duties of adulthood. That amazing feeling of having your very best friends right at your side ready to follow you into greatness, or talk you into the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. 

This movie is so good, it’s a guarantee that it will be one of the greatest movies around for-ev-er.

Jurassic Park- June 11. Directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Michael Crichton and David Koepp, based on the novel written by Michael Crichton. Starring Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Samuel L. Jackson, Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards. 

What could very much be one of the most important movies of the 90’s, Jurassic Park is also turning 25 this year.

Why the importance you might ask? Well this film is one of the pioneer flicks to say “maybe these computer graphics could work”, and they did, maybe too well in fact. Nowadays, if you see behind the scenes photos from movies, there are lots of green screens everywhere, or people with dots all on their faces for motion capture. In the past two decades the film industry has taken computer graphics to the max, over using it sometimes to help filmmakers bring their life to art.

Jurassic Park is so amazing because it used computer graphics to do what practical effects could not get done. Before turning to computers to help though, all routes were exhausted in trying to make certain scenes work practically. It is the melding of the two styles that make this movie look good, even 25 years later. 

If you have somehow gone this long without seeing it, or its four sequels, Jurassic Park is the story of John Hammond (Attenborough) who invites archaeologists and other science professionals to a preview tour of his new amusement park/ zoo. The twist here being, the exhibits are filled with “extinct” predatory creatures from the past, dinosaurs.

As for the aforementioned sequels, if you get done watching the original, and need some more dino-action, “Jurassic World” would be a good follow up; the other sequels fall a little short, though. 

Hocus Pocus- July 16. Directed by Kenny Ortega, screenplay written by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, story by David Kirschner and Mick Garris. Starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch and Vanessa Shaw. 

Though it may seem weird to celebrate this films “birthday” in the middle of the summer, by the time you are reading this, it will be the perfect reminder on how to start your October. This movie may very well be this writers favorite Halloween movie of all time, and Hocus Pocus is still as good as it was back in 1993. 

At this point in time, it’s safe to say that it is a Halloween staple, becoming just as important to the holiday as candy and costumes. Would it really be Halloween without at least one viewing of this classic? 

The horrific trio of witches, The Sanderson SIsters (Midler, Parker and Najimy), have returned from the beyond, to finish what they started in the late 17th century, draining the life force from the youth of Salem, to ensure they can stay young forever.  

Though it sounds pretty hard-core, it’s still a Walt Disney Films production, so it’s safe for kids to enjoy. On the flipside of that, being a 90’s Disney film, there is enough adult humor, which flies like a witch on a broom, right over the kids heads, making it enjoyable for adults, too. 

Robin Hood: Men in Tights– July 30. Directed by Mel Brooks, screenplay written by Mel Brooks & Evan Chandler & J.D. Shapiro, story by J.D Shapiro & Evan Chandler. Starring, Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, Roger Rees, Amy Yasbeck, Mark Blankfield, Dave Chappelle and Megan Cavanagh.   

Mel Brooks has taken comedy to a new level for the better part of 51 years. Since his directorial debut of The Producers in 1967, Brooks has gone on to popularize the “spoof movie” genre by taking whatever current hot Hollywood genre is, and poking fun at it in a way only he could. 

When westerns were hot again in Hollywood, Brooks gave us Blazing Saddles. He next tackled horror with Young Frankenstein, and then moved on to thumbing his nose (respectfully) to space operas, with Spaceballs. His second to last time in the directors chair, Brooks delivered a masterpiece with Robin Hood: Men in Tights, giving the world one of the absolute funniest films it will ever see.  

Though this classic takes swings at all the previous incarnations of the man who robs from the rich to give to the poor, the movie takes its biggest swing at 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. This is all done with love though, for Brooks does not mean to insult anyone with his spoofs. 

After returning home from the crusades, Robin of Locksley (Elwes) must fight the tyranny of Prince John (Lewis) to save the people from being overtaxed and over ruled while the King is away. 

Pro tip: Watch Prince John’s mole during the movie, and watch it move from scene to scene.

The movie has more one liners, gags, and just over all silliness that still plays well for today’s audience, and is sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face.

Be sure to pick up the next issue of The Beacon to continue the list of ten awesome movies celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2018.