One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
The Men Who Stare At Goats is just the latest in a long line of movies that have had an animal in the title, yes there have been plenty over the years.
But what does come as a surprise is animals seem to be a bit of a lucky charm as many movies that do contain and furry little creature in the title have gone on to be very successful, granted some have been totally rubbish.
So because The Men Who Stare at Goats is released on Friday we put this theory to the test and take a look at some of the most successful films that have featured an animal in the title.
- Dances With Wolves
Released in 1990 Dances with Wolves was based on the epic novel of the same name and saw Kevin Costner step behind the camera in a project that took five years to develop, oh yeah did I mention he also stared in the movie?
In 1865, Civil War hero Lt. John Dunbar (Costner) asks to be reassigned to the western frontier before it disappears.
At his isolated post he develops a relationship with the peaceful Lakota Sioux and a white woman (Mary McDonnell) who lives among them, finding greater kinship with them than with his own people.
But his life with the Sioux is threatened when the Army appears, and Dunbar must decide where his loyalties truly lie.
A hit upon release Costner won Best Director at the Oscars for his effort, not bad for your debut movie behind the camera!
- One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
The adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975 shows Jack Nicholson at his dramatic and comic best.
R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a misbehaved con who shirks authority, finds himself in an asylum after faking insanity to get out of work detail in prison.
The vivacious troublemaker soon finds himself in a worse kind of prison, one presided over by the repressed, terrifyingly quiet Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), whose set of rules and regulations are meant to suppress patients' psychotic outbursts, and their spirits.
And it's not long before McMurphy is reaching out to his new inmates, trying desperately to bring life to an otherwise dead atmosphere.
Hollywood had always been weary of tackling mental health issues on film for fear of alienating it's audience however the film's success surprised it's producers Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas. It still remains one of the best movies in it's genre.
It was the first movie to win all five major accolades since It Happened One Night in 1934, an accomplishment not repeated until 1991, by The Silence of the Lambs.
- Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Tarantino's debut movie came in 1992 after he penned the script for Reservoir Dogs which opened at the Sundance Film Festival.
The movie gave audiences a first look at the nonlinear storylines and stylistically excessive violence that he is now so famous.
Mastermind Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) assembles a crew of top-notch criminals to pull off a jewellery store heist.
As the film opens it becomes immediately clear that the plan backfired, forcing the survivors, who have gathered at an abandoned warehouse, to figure out if one of them is, in fact, a police informer.
The crew, Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), an aged veteran; Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), a wounded newcomer; Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), a psychopathic parolee; Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), a bickering weasel; and Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn), Joe's son--begin to unravel as the pressure becomes too much for them to handle. When Joe arrives, the truth becomes clear in a vicious Mexican standoff.
The film was well received by the critics; however it did enjoy more success after the release of Pulp Fiction. However the film was criticised for it strong language and explicit violence in particular Matthew Madsen's ear cutting scene.
Despite this it Reservoir Dogs remains a classic amongst the gangster movie genre and is still one of Tarantino's finest moments.
- Raging Bull
Released in 1980 boxing movie Raging Bull, which is widely regarded as Scorsese's best movie, reunited Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro.
Middleweight boxer Jake La Motta rises through the ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown, he falls in love with Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), a gorgeous girl from his Bronx neighbourhood.
Jake's inability to express his feelings pours out in the ring and eventually takes over his life in his dealings with his brother, Joey ( Joe Pesci).
Irrational jealousy over Vickie, as well as an insatiable appetite, sends him into a downward spiral that costs him his title, his wife, and his relationship with Joey.
Upon release the film was met with mixed reviews with many concerned by the level of violence that is portrayed throughout the film. But De Niro won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance.
However over the years the film came to be regarded as a classic and was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
- The Lion King
The Lion King was one of the last truly great traditional Disney animations before it's partnership with Pixar and the CGI animation era.
The 32nd Disney movie The Lion King is the highest-grossing traditionally animated feature film in the United States. Grossing over $783 at the global box office.
Like Beauty and the Beast before it The Lion King restored Disney's supremacy as the number one animators as the film also did well critically.
The film's music also proved popular and it received four Oscar nominations in music categories, going on to win Best Original Score.
Other animal title movies that are well worth a look include Lord of the Flies, To Kill A Mockingbird, Planet of the Apes, the original not the Tim Burton remake, Dog Day Afternoon, Whale Rider and A Fish Called Wanda.
The Men Who Stare At Goats is released 6th November
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
The Men Who Stare At Goats is just the latest in a long line of movies that have had an animal in the title, yes there have been plenty over the years.
But what does come as a surprise is animals seem to be a bit of a lucky charm as many movies that do contain and furry little creature in the title have gone on to be very successful, granted some have been totally rubbish.
So because The Men Who Stare at Goats is released on Friday we put this theory to the test and take a look at some of the most successful films that have featured an animal in the title.
- Dances With Wolves
Released in 1990 Dances with Wolves was based on the epic novel of the same name and saw Kevin Costner step behind the camera in a project that took five years to develop, oh yeah did I mention he also stared in the movie?
In 1865, Civil War hero Lt. John Dunbar (Costner) asks to be reassigned to the western frontier before it disappears.
At his isolated post he develops a relationship with the peaceful Lakota Sioux and a white woman (Mary McDonnell) who lives among them, finding greater kinship with them than with his own people.
But his life with the Sioux is threatened when the Army appears, and Dunbar must decide where his loyalties truly lie.
A hit upon release Costner won Best Director at the Oscars for his effort, not bad for your debut movie behind the camera!
- One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
The adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975 shows Jack Nicholson at his dramatic and comic best.
R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a misbehaved con who shirks authority, finds himself in an asylum after faking insanity to get out of work detail in prison.
The vivacious troublemaker soon finds himself in a worse kind of prison, one presided over by the repressed, terrifyingly quiet Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), whose set of rules and regulations are meant to suppress patients' psychotic outbursts, and their spirits.
And it's not long before McMurphy is reaching out to his new inmates, trying desperately to bring life to an otherwise dead atmosphere.
Hollywood had always been weary of tackling mental health issues on film for fear of alienating it's audience however the film's success surprised it's producers Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas. It still remains one of the best movies in it's genre.
It was the first movie to win all five major accolades since It Happened One Night in 1934, an accomplishment not repeated until 1991, by The Silence of the Lambs.
- Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Tarantino's debut movie came in 1992 after he penned the script for Reservoir Dogs which opened at the Sundance Film Festival.
The movie gave audiences a first look at the nonlinear storylines and stylistically excessive violence that he is now so famous.
Mastermind Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) assembles a crew of top-notch criminals to pull off a jewellery store heist.
As the film opens it becomes immediately clear that the plan backfired, forcing the survivors, who have gathered at an abandoned warehouse, to figure out if one of them is, in fact, a police informer.
The crew, Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), an aged veteran; Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), a wounded newcomer; Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), a psychopathic parolee; Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), a bickering weasel; and Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn), Joe's son--begin to unravel as the pressure becomes too much for them to handle. When Joe arrives, the truth becomes clear in a vicious Mexican standoff.
The film was well received by the critics; however it did enjoy more success after the release of Pulp Fiction. However the film was criticised for it strong language and explicit violence in particular Matthew Madsen's ear cutting scene.
Despite this it Reservoir Dogs remains a classic amongst the gangster movie genre and is still one of Tarantino's finest moments.
- Raging Bull
Released in 1980 boxing movie Raging Bull, which is widely regarded as Scorsese's best movie, reunited Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro.
Middleweight boxer Jake La Motta rises through the ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown, he falls in love with Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), a gorgeous girl from his Bronx neighbourhood.