Many theaters may be closed for now, but you can still recapture that magical feeling with this eclectic collection of films about a memorable trip to the movies.

Image
Bowfinger (1999)

In this ode to the scrappy dreamers in Hollywood, Honorary Oscar recipient Steve Martin and Oscar nominee Eddie Murphy (in a dual role) head a ragtag movie crew intent on creating a sci-fi epic—whose star doesn’t even know he’s in it. Gotcha, suckas!

Image
Cinema Paradiso (1988)

No film captures the moviegoing experience quite like Giuseppe Tornatore’s classic Italian film (which took home the Oscar for Foreign Language Film) about a young boy coming of age through the movies and his special friendship with his town’s projectionist. Keep some tissues handy for the last five minutes.

Image
Ed Wood (1994)

A two-time Oscar winner for Makeup and for Martin Landau’s Supporting Actor performance as Bela Lugosi, Tim Burton’s unforgettable biopic charts the early days of ultra-ultra-low-budget filmmaker Ed Wood on his path to creating his immortal anti-masterpiece, Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Image
Get Shorty (1995)

Long before the TV show of the same name, this ultra-cool comic crime film based on Elmore Leonard’s bestseller shows what happens when a mobster finds out that his world and Hollywood aren’t quite as different as they might appear.

Image
Hail, Caesar! (2016)

From cowboy cheapies to biblical epics, this Oscar-nominated snapshot of early 1950s Tinseltown captures the movie biz in all its madcap glory. And don’t miss Channing Tatum’s showstopping “No Dams!” musical number.

Image
Inglourious Basterds (2009)

If you’ve seen it, you know exactly why this one’s on the list. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? We wouldn’t dream of spoiling it.

Image
The Majestic (2001)

In Frank Darabont’s uplifting drama, Jim Carrey stars as a blacklisted writer who ends up in a California town and, thanks to amnesia, takes on a new identity that plays a pivotal role involving the local movie theatre.

Image
Matinee (1993)

At the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a huckster filmmaker (John Goodman) brings a blast of entertainment to a Florida community’s kids with his latest giant ant epic – which delivers an explosive movie theatre climax that’ll blow the roof off.

Image
The Player (1992)

Nominated for three Oscars, this comeback film for director Robert Altman dazzled audiences with its pitch-black comic portrayal of Hollywood through the eyes of murderous producer Tim Robbins. Don’t miss that eye-popping opening shot across a studio lot.

Image
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

The process of bringing a book to the screen takes on a whole new spin in this Oscar-nominated look at the making of Mary Poppins involving author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) and Walt Disney (Tom Hanks). 

Image
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

The switch from silent films to talkies provides the backdrops for one of the greatest of all movie musicals, as well as a hilarious depiction of the pitfalls when an actor with a problematic voice ended up in front of millions of people. 

Image
The Tingler (1959)

The most famous gimmick movie ever made features Vincent Price as a doctor who isolates the primal creature that causes human fear… and when it gets loose in a packed movie theatre, look out!