E.T.
This week sees movie giants Universal Pictures celebrate 100 years of making and distributing films.
Over the years they have brought us films that have made us laugh and made us cry as well as movies that were milestones that paved the way for the future of the industry.
To celebrate their 100th birthday was take a look at some of their best movie projects down the years.
- E.T.
There is no greater children's movie that E.T. it remains one of Steven Spielberg's greatest triumphs and is has never bee equalled let alone surpassed.
Spielberg has created a timeless piece of cinema as friendship and the risks that we take for that friendship are themes that will never die and will always resonate with an audience no matter what the age.
The movie celebrates it's thirtieth anniversary this year, yes it really was released back in 1982, and yet it is still as powerful and emotional now as it was back then.
- To Kill a Mockingbird
Gregory Peck is one of the greatest actors that ever graced the big screen and his role as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird is perhaps his most famous role.
The Harper Lee novel is highly regarded and yet it has been adapted onto the big screen so delicately that is really captures the essence of this book.
Peck is magnificent in the central role, not hard to see why the Best Actor Oscar came his way that year, as it is a role her delivers with heart and intelligence.
This is one of those movies were you can say that it is truly timeless.
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Jaws
Spielberg has created some iconic movies in his time and Jaws is right up there with them as one of the best thriller/horror movies of all time.
Released back in 1975 the movie really did kick off the blockbuster genre that we all love. What is so great about this movie that relies on just one simple thing... fear!
Spielberg showed that you could make films on a massive scale and use special effects that had a huge impact.
The blockbuster was born and it was kicked off in fine style as he showed just how great movies in this genre could be.
- Bourne Series
Jason Bourne is one of the greatest literary action heroes of all time and he is now one of the greatest big screen action heroes as well.
Jason Bourne was the franchise that really made Matt Damon as the movies got better and better as they went along, which is almost unheard of.
We saw the Matt Damon/Paul Greengrass partnership deliver something very special with The Bourne Ultimatum, the third and final movie in the franchise, as it was a fast paced thriller that was greater than anything that had come before.
- Jurassic Park
It's hard to believe that Jurassic Park was released almost twenty years ago, it will celebrate it's 20th anniversary next year, as it is still as great a movie today as it was back then.
The special/visual effects really have stood the test of time, these were effects that had never been seen before on the big screen when the movie was released.
But Jurassic Park is a tense and thrilling ride from the opening scene to the final credits no matter how many times you watch it.
It was one of the most iconic movies of the nineties as well as being one of the most financially successful movies of all time.
- The Birds
Alfred Hitchcock is one of the greatest filmmaker of all time and The Bird is just one of his many great movies.
Released in 1963 the movie was loosely based on the Daphne du Maurier story of the same name, which was released back in 1952.
Hitchcock has always been a master of suspense and this is a horror movie that really can still give you the chills.
He once again tortured his lading lady, this time Tippi Hedren in this complex and fascinating movie.
- Atonement
Atonement is perhaps one of the most love novels by Ian McEwan and director Joe Wright really has lovingly adapted it for the big screen.
It's hard to believe that this was just the filmmaker's second outing as director as he produced a complex and devastating story which combines the literary qualities of the novel with the highly polished acting and production values.
The cinematography is outstanding in particular the harrowing scenes at Dunkirk. Wright's long tracking shot packing a great punch of pain and suffering on the beaches.
The central performances from Keira Knightley, James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan are also unforgettable.
- The Sting
Four years after starring in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid actors Paul Newman and Robert Redford reunited for The Sting.
This is a smart and stylish caper movie but it is the central performances from Newman and Redford that really make it tick.
They have such an easy on-screen relationship that is both charming as well as great entertainment.
The movie was nominated for ten Oscars, winning seven including Best Picture and Best Director.
- United 93
Paul Greengrass makes another appearance on our list for his work on 2006 movie United 93, a drama that looked at events aboard United Airlines Flight 93 which was hijacked on September 11th.
This is a movie that is cinema at it's very best as it is intelligent and emotional and yet not sentimental.
There have been a whole host of movies that have looked at the September 11th attacks but this is by far the best and the most powerful. This is by no means an easy watch but it is a movie that you must see.
- All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
All Quiet on the Western Front is a movie that has been remade since 1930 but this original movie is still held in such high regard.
The movie is back on the Erich Maria Remarque novel of the same name and is set during World War I.
This movie is considered one of the most realistic and harrowing accounts of the war but also captures the heart and the heroism of the men who served there.
In celebration of Universal’s 100th Anniversary, a range of 15 DVD and Blu-ray titles including Mamma Mia! The Movie, Back to the Future and King Kong are available in stores now, with Augmented Reality technology, which brings the physical and virtual worlds together in your very own hands.
For a lifetime of Universal memories, prizes and opportunities visit www.facebook.com/universalpicturesuk
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw