3. Forrest Gump

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Year: 1993
Actors: Tom Hanks, Sally Fields, Gary Sinise
Plot: Tells the story of Forrest Gump, a slow yet good-hearted person from Alabama who has an epic journey through life. This includes many firsthand encounters of historical events such as the Vietnam War, the Counter-Culture revolution, the Watergate Scandal, and a pivotal role in the ping-pong diplomacy with China... He also has many influences on American pop culture such as teaching Elvis Presley how to dance, inspiring John Lennon to write "Imagine", and coming up with catchy slogans... In the midst of all this he makes good friends with Bubba and Lt. Dan, and falls in love with his childhood friend, Jenny...
Music: Great score by Alan Silvestri, with an outstanding theme-piece... Incredible soundtrack of classic hits from the 60s and 70s... Includes Aretha Franklin, CCR, Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Three Dog Night, The Byrds, and many more...
Why:

• Great artistic and dramatic filming by Robert Zemeckis
• Ground-breaking special effects that put Forrest Gump in the midst of real historical footage, such as shaking president's hands, standing through press conferences, or sitting next to John Lennon...
• Incredible story full of rich American culture
• Great acting performance by Tom Hanks
• Great soundtrack that really captures the time period

Key Moment: When the young Forrest Gump breaks out of his leg-braces to escape a group of bullies chasing after him... the scene is captured in slow-motion with perfect framing and an inspiring score, to make it the ultimate dramatic scene of the movie...