Movie: As Good As It Gets Release Date: December 23, 1997 Director: James L. Brooks Starring: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich, Shirley Knight. Tag Lines: “Brace yourself for Melvin.” “A comedy from the heart that goes for the throat.” Relevance: “What if this is as good as it gets?”…

Movie: Broadcast News Release Date: December 16, 1987 Director: James L. Brooks Starring: William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter. Tag Lines: “It’s the story of their lives.” Relevance: In 1988, the year that I watched ‘Broadcast News’ when it aired on HBO, I was beginning my senior year in High School. As every human in…

Movie: Twister Release Date: May 10, 1996 Director: Jan de Bont Starring: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Cary Elwes. Tag Lines: “The Dark Side of Nature.” “Don’t Breathe. Don’t Look Back.” “Go for a ride you’ll never forget!” “The Beautiful yet Destructive side to life.” Relevance: ‘Twister’ was one of those…

Movie: Spaceballs Release Date: June 24, 1987 Director: Mel Brooks Starring: Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, Joan Rivers. Tag Lines: “May The Farce Be With You.” “May the Schwartz be with you!” “Once upon a time warp in deep space, the struggle between the nice…

Movie: Beverly Hills Cop II Release Date: May 20, 1987 Director: Tony Scott Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Jürgen Prochnow, Ronny Cox, John Ashton, Brigitte Nielsen, Allen Garfield, Dean Stockwell, Paul Reiser. Tag Lines: “The Heat’s Back On!” “Axel Foley’s back… where he doesn’t belong!” Relevance: ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ was a movie that my family…

Movie: The War of the Roses Release Date: December 8, 1989 Director: Danny DeVito Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito. Tag Lines: “Once in a lifetime comes a motion picture that makes you feel like falling in love all over again. This is not that movie.” Relevance: Over the holiday break of 1989, after…

Movie: Apollo 13 Release Date: June 30, 1995 Director: Ron Howard Starring: Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan. Tag Lines: “Failure is not an option.” “Houston, we have a problem.” Relevance: If you read yesterday’s post (see 276. While You Were Sleeping), you know that the Spring and Summer…

Movie: While You Were Sleeping Release Date: April 21, 1995 Director: Jon Turtletaub Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Glynis Johns, Jack Warden. Tag Lines: “A story about love at second sight.” Awards: Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, Sandra Bullock…

Movie: Agnes of God Release Date: August 21, 1985 Director: Norman Jewison Starring: Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Meg Tilly. Tag Lines: “That night, murder wasn’t the only sin.” “What unspeakable crime took place behind the third floor window? Only Agnes knows. And Dr. Martha Livingston is the one person who can unravel the mystery.” Awards:…

Movie: 10 Release Date: October 5, 1979 Director: Blake Edwards Starring: Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Bo Derek, Robert Webber. Tag Lines: “A temptingly tasteful comedy for adults who can count.” “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…” Awards: Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song, “Song From 10 (It’s…