The All-Time Best College Movies

College buddies swap stories about their old college days as they grow older. Some decide their stories are good enough to be turned into movies, or come up with really good ideas for movies just by talking about their lives. Many excellent movies about college life have been made, and while this is by no means a complete list, they should be at the top of your must-watch list.

The movie "21," starring Jim Sturgess and Kevin Spacey, is about six MIT students who are chosen by a professor to become part of a card counting group because of their incredible math skills. This movie is based on a true story, which is a bit unsettling because they are essentially breaking the law by taking their card counting training to Las Vegas in order to swindle the casinos out of millions of dollars.

Tales of the Broke and Famous

"Beverly Hills is a place where you spend a lot of money you don't have to impress a lot of people you don't like!"- - Anonymous Hollywood Producer

Many times a famous person's wealth does not equal their fame. John Wayne found himself in hock after 150 movies. Three wives, seven children, investing his own money in the box office troubled The Alamo (1960) combined with an exceedingly generous nature left the Duke completely wiped out. He would often walk into bars and shout, "Drinks for everybody on me!" He would get fan letters full of wild pleas for money, from people who had tax problems to mothers who asked for help to pay for their daughter's braces. Wayne would agonize over them but send financial aid if he thought the requester was really needy. One time his second and soon to be ex-wife Chata hired a private detective to get the goods on him. Down in Mexico near where Wayne was filming the western Hondo (1953) the investigator forgot his identification one day and got locked up in a Carmargo jail. Not knowing anyone in a foreign land the desperate P.I. called Wayne himself. The cowboy hero arrived with his buddy and frequent co-star, a disbelieving Ward Bond. "Duke, this guy is trying to ruin you! Let him rot!" Wayne reached into his pocket and pulled out the necessary coin to pay the bail. "Ah come on Ward, the poor man was only doing his job."

Stars can find themselves in money trouble before they know it. While performing in Las Vegas with Dean Martin at the Flamingo hotel in 1953, twenty-seven-year old Jerry Lewis ran up $137,000 dollars in gambling debts. The mobsters who ran the casino confronted him to ask how he planned to pay it off. The nervy Lewis told them it was their fault for letting a kid run up such a large tab. How irresponsible! The gangsters, a bit bewildered, agreed, and then repeated their question. Realizing that these nice gentlemen could whack him, Jerry asked them what they suggested. After a hasty conference they told him he would work it off. The gambling addicted Lewis asked if he could win it back at the card table instead, he was told a firm no. The debt took a year and half for the comedian eliminate. He would have retired it quicker but the card games continued during train rides with former Blackjack Dealer Martin, who kept putting the volatile clown further in the red.

Another star that suffered through money trouble in the fifties was Marilyn Monroe. Tired of playing dumb blondes, she bolted from her studio Twentieth Century Fox to start Marilyn Monroe Productions. Actors are often advised not to use their own name in their personal ventures; it makes other ego-driven stars less willing to work with them. Marilyn's film output slowed down and by 1959 her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, was telling her she should accept the dumb blonde role in Some Like It Hot, they needed the money. "I can't see through Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in drag? Oh my God, I've been dumb before but never that dumb." She went to her well renowned acting teacher, Lee Strasberg, to ask how she could make the audience believe her character. Strasberg suggested that Marilyn, always a man's woman, play the part as someone so desperate for female friendship, she simply didn't pay attention to her co-star's masculine features. She took his advice and the result was a comedy classic.

The Best Films of Italian Cinema

Italian Cinema ranks among the most respected film countries in the world. The amount of great films it has produced is mind blowing. Something that demonstrates the relevance of Italian cinema is that it has received the highest amount of Oscars for foreign language films. Also when you will have a look at the major movie databases like IMDb you will find that a lot of Italian movies score extremely high.

Here I want to present to you the three very best films of Italian Cinema. With these movies you can get introduced to Italian Movies. It will also be a good indication of which directors you might like. I have chosen three films by three different great movie directors For every film I have included the IMDb rating to give you an impression of its popularity.

1. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Filmmaker: Guiseppi Tornatore

IMDb: 8.5

How to Get Your Hands on Movie Premiere Tickets

Ever wanted to watch the live performances of Kenny Chesney, Paris Hilton, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood or Britney Spears? Many of us must have speculated movie screenings or see celebrity snapshots from the fashion magazines. However, the quest to hang out with your hot celebrities enjoying complimentary drinks, food and pampering in a private VIP enclosure often remains a mystery. Here are five top tips to ensure you find movie tickets with an awesome viewing experience.

1. Know Where to Look for Coveted Seats

One of the easiest ways to get tickets to a movie premiere is to know someone connected to the movie. If you can rub shoulders with filmmakers, movie stars or their friends, you will have the winning chance to be a part of all the excitement and glamour that surrounds this major event as you socialize with celebrities and get access to all the exclusive parties.

2. Check Back Frequently

Register with websites that provide access to the world's most ultra-exclusive events and VIP movie premiere tickets. These websites are not only behind the scenes when it comes to movie premiers, but also indulge their clients with up to the minute access for attending the latest Movie Premieres, Celebrity Parties, and Red Carpet Events.

A Time in Casablanca

The movies are all about adventure and imagination. It is especially deep romantic classics like Casablanca that resemble a piece of gold in a treasure chest. The mind conjures up images of an exotic, mystical place like Casablanca - the perfect place for a romantic interlude. It is a place with plenty of history, intrigue and wonder. One minute you could be on the beach sipping a delightful mint tea and the next minute be shopping in the exotic, yet dangerous bazaars crowded with colourful spices, drinks, sweets, condiments and fashion accessories. Indulge on Turkish delight or enjoy the walk through the fruit and vegetable markets.

What a spectacular journey through a timeless and culture rich city.

The classical romance of Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart is unforgettable for those of all ages, cultures or religions. It is a romance set in a historical place rich in beauty and aura. Morocco is a country surrounded by colourful mosques and temples - the perfect symbols of religion and culture. It has also been described as one of the fashion spots of Africa with the fascinating blend of cultures forming unique designs and artwork.

It's Really A Wonderful Movie!

"It's A Wonderful Life" is the most wonderful film I have ever seen. It's most inspirational movie I have ever watched and it's very perfectly made movie in my opinion. Performances, script and dialogues are so perfectly done that you don't have enough words to appreciate them. This film by Frank Capra is a gift to the world. Strange enough it was a box office flop when it was released and it failed to win an academy award.

The performance by James Stewart who plays George Bailey is one of the greatest on big screen by anyone anytime in the history. George Bailey makes you so engrossed with his emotions that it naturally calls for your empathy and you start living moments with him and start thinking for him. Even if you don't believe in the angels and God, the part where that comely angel starts alleviating suffering of George Bailey makes a profound impression on you and instills feelings of goodness in you. The second half just emphasizes the importance of life whereas the first one underscores the great character of George Bailey right from his childhood.

Carrie The Movie Lives On

Carrie the movie is a 1976 film adaptation of the novel with the same name written by Stephen King. King wrote the novel the year prior and it was known to be the first of his books to be bought for film rights.

It starred Sissy Spacek as the main character of Carrie. This role eventually earned her an Academy Award nomination for the Best Actress Category. Her portrayal was directed by Brian de Palma who had a great heavy lending from the movies made by Alfred Hitchcock. This gave Carrie the same kind of feel and character.

As for box office standing, Carrie the movie generated a domestic gross of $33,800,000. A huge profit earned from its original budget of merely $1.8 million. In 1976, it was named one of the best films after Steven Spielberg's Jaws shown the year before.

The movie adhered to most of the characters depicted in the novel in the beginning of the draft. However, as it should be, later on became restricted due to the financial situation that surrounded it. A lot of the scenes and important details had to be taken out from the first draft. Even the principal character of Carrie the movie did not truthfully reflect how she was originally described in King's novel.

The Origins Of James Bond

Have you ever wondered where the name James Bond came from? As with so many aspects of the Bond stories there are numerous theories to its origins. Perhaps the most popular is one where Ian Flemming sits down to pen his first of many Bond titles and quite simply lifts the name from a title on his bookshelf. The book in question was "A field Guide to Birds of the West Indies" by James Bond. Flemming was fascinated with wildlife and said to have been an avid bird watcher.

There is a clever homage to the origins of the name in the film "Die Another Day" starring Pierce Brosnan. In one scene Bond is seen hiding behind a copy of the Field Guide of West Indian Birds, disguising himself as an Ornithologist or bird watcher. Flemming was said to have reported in an interview years after writing the Bond titles that he always intended the character to have a brief, unromantic, Anglo-Saxon though masculine name. He felt it suited his anonymity.

The codename 007 is thought to have had a far simpler inception. One of the greatest successes of British Naval Intelligence in the 1st World War was the breaking of the code in the famed Zimmerman telegram in 1917. This single event is thought to have been a catalyst for the United States to enter the war and seal Germany's fate.

Roman Holiday, Audrey Hepburn Enchants

'Roman Holiday' is a very unusual movie - a combination of a fairy story about a princess, a romance, a comedy and with more than a touch of intrigue and excitement thrown in as well. It does not have the traditional "happy ever after" fairy tale ending either. It was made in 1953 by William Wyler, one of Hollywood's pre-eminent directors, already well-known for other classic movies such as 'Wuthering Heights', in 1939, 'Mrs Miniver' in 194? And 'the Best Years of Our Lives' in 1946. Wyler assembled a first class cast led by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn as the romantic interest and with Eddy Albert as the perfect comic foil.

The film was a major international hit and was nominated for a total of ten Academy Awards, a remarkable number for the romantic comedy genre. It actually won three Oscars, including Best Actress for Audrey Hepburn in her first Hollywood film and, at that time, relatively unknown outside Britain where she had appeared in several movies. After 'Roman Holiday', and, indeed, because of it, she became an international superstar and a fashion icon for women across the globe. Of the movie's other two Oscars one was won by Edith Head for Best Black and White Costume design and the other by Ian McLellan Hunter for Best Original Story. The screenplay had in fact been written by Dalton Trumbo, one of the Hollywood Ten infamously blacklisted for supposed ties to the Communist party. A disgraceful wrong was partially put right when Trumbo was posthumously credited and awarded an Oscar in 1992.