Ever wonder what the greatest movies of all-time are? What about actors and actresses? The Circuit has decided to create our own Hollywood Hall of Fame, where we honor the greatest films, shows, actors, actresses & directors of all-time!
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Sports have a Hall of Fame. Music has a Hall of Fame. Movies don’t. How can an industry that is so prominent in pop culture, and so obsessed with its own history, not have a Hall of Fame? We are changing that here at The Circuit by creating the Hollywood Hall of Fame!
Because we have about a century of movies and television shows to catch up to, we are going to induct a new class to the Hollywood Hall of Fame each month. Each class will include:
Five films
Three television shows
Three actors
Three actresses
One director
Here at The Circuit, we are obsessed with history and context. We like to categorize everything and rank everything. Sports have a Hall of Fame dedicated to celebrating history and enshrining the best of the best.
Here are the 8th ballot entrants to the Hollywood Hall of Fame!
The Lion King (1994)
The animated movie that changed everything. It produced maybe the most iconic soundtrack of all-time, spawned a Broadway musical and countless high school productions and brought children and grown men alike to their knees when Mufasa wouldn’t get up. The Lion King may not have been the first Disney film, but it might be their most iconic.
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Kids today wouldn’t even understand this movie; “why are they stealing DVD players? What even is a DVD player?” I still posit that the first movie is one of the better in the franchise, but despite it not being the best one it still kicked off one of the biggest film franchises of all-time, so it gets in.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
You probably saw this movie with your dad, and Javier Bardem probably scared the shit out of you more so than Michael Myers. A great western-that-isn’t-a-western film with some iconic performances, this movie deserves to be recognized as one of the best films ever made.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Do I love Marvel films? Yes. Do I think that people who look down on people for liking those movies suck and they should just stick to their John Wayne 1940’s films? Also, yes. Marvel movies are just as much cinema as anything else, and this particular film saved movie theaters. People weren’t going back into theaters until Peter 1 met Peter 2 met Peter 3. It was one of the biggest box office films of all-time in a pandemic, and it brought together three generations of film making. You can say you don’t think this movie is good, but if you disagree with the impact of this movie, then you don’t understand movies.
Forrest Gump (1994)
This is a really good movie, but let’s be honest… It's here because of Tom Bleeping Hanks. Hanks is one of the greatest actors ever, maybe the best. If you asked me, this is his most iconic performance, the way he transforms into something almost unrecognizable is awe-inspiring. Plus, this movie has left such a footprint on our pop culture that it has to be inducted.
The Golden Girls (1985-92)
One of the greatest losses we as a people suffered in the last few years was losing Betty White. She became a national treasure in the last decade or so, but she’s been in our lives for a long time as part of the most iconic girl group ever. More so than the Spice Girls or Charlie’s Angels, we’ve been thanking the Golden Girls for being friends for nearly 40 years now, with no signs of stopping.
The Walking Dead (2010-22)
I used to watch this show. In fact, I used to love this show. Right up until season 7 I believe, I was locked in. It started to fall off for me personally, but people still really love it to this day, and there is no denying the impact the show has had on our culture. It took advantage of a zombie craze here in the U.S. at the exact right moment and became a really successful show for more than a decade.
The Wire (2002-08)
A great cast, a great following and a great reputation. This show is often brought up in the greatest show ever debate, and for good reason. While I question the impact the show had compared to others inducted earlier, I can’t argue based on merit. This show deserves to be here.
Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore, Grown Ups, Uncut Gems)
If you listened to our podcast on Just Go With It, then you know how I feel about Sandler (if you didn’t, go check it out here). I find his comedy to be more annoying than funny, but there are some films that I think he is truly brilliant; Happy Gilmore is in the greatest sports movie of all-time discussion for me, Grown Ups is one of my favorite comedies ever, and Uncut Gems offers a different side of Sandler that I love. But even if I don’t love his comedic style, he is inarguably one of the most successful comedic actors ever.
Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland)
Depp has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, but you cannot deny his talent, which is what this Hall of Fame is about (what it isn’t about is judging people, so if that’s why you’re here sorry to disappoint you). Depp made pirates cool and sexy again, and he made chocolate factories and wonderlands weird again… but, in a good way? Depp is a mystifying talent, and has given many people many great memories.
Sir Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Hamlet, Star Trek)
Sir Patrick Stewart has had an incredible career; he has taken on two of the most iconic roles in science fiction in Picard and Charles Xavier, he’s been in some incredible Shakespeare adaptations, and somehow has never been nominated for an Oscar… WHAT? Another reason the Academy is a complete joke (and you can quote me on that shit). But we recognize you Sir Patrick Stewart, so welcome to the hall!
Jennifer Aniston (Friends, We’re the Millers, Horrible Bosses)
If you are a male age 20-50, there is roughly an 83% chance your first celebrity crush was Rachel from Friends. She was the girl across the hall for so many people, even though she was wrong… they were on a break. But not only did Aniston have a meteoric rise to fame at Central Perk, but she also went on to be the most successful of the group after the show. I would argue she has become the queen of comedy, starring in countless great comedies the last 20 years. Aniston has somehow become underrated, but not in our eyes.
Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side, Gravity, Miss Congeniality)
Bullock has mastered romantic comedies, science fiction, action, sports, etc… She’s done it all! Sandy B has made such an impact in movies that television shows consistently reference her greatness (specifically Raj in Big Bang Theory). On top of her impressive resume as a badass female movie star, she delivered maybe the greatest acting performance in the history of sports movies in The Blind Side.
Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos, Moulin Rouge!, The Hours)
I LIKED BEING THE RICARDOS. I know almost no one else did, but I thought Kidman should have won Best Actress for that role. She was incredible in that, but has also had a career that is really fascinating; she’s done countless award-worthy roles, but she also does movies like Bewitched and Aquaman, which are both fun movies where she delivers an awesome performance. Kidman is one of my favorite actresses ever, and I’m excited to finally induct her.
Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, Kill Bill)
I am admittedly not a huge fan of Tarantino films. I love Once Upon a Time, but Pulp Fiction is, to me, the most overrated film ever made. But despite my feelings about his work, there is no denying his impact on cinema. He has made great films, and the notion of the “ten Tarantino films” has become damn near mythical at this point.
There you have it! The 8th Ballot inductees to the Hollywood Hall of Fame! Here is a comprehensive list of the Hall of Famers, which we will update with each class:
Films:
The Wizard of Oz
The Godfather
Shawshank Redemption
Citizen Kane
Lawrence of Arabia
Jaws
Avatar
Schindler’s List
Casablanca
Star Wars: A New Hope
Silence of the Lambs
Pulp Fiction
Avengers: Endgame
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Gone With the wind
Titanic
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
The Matrix
Psycho
Toy Story
West Side Story
Rocky
Unforgiven
Ben-Hur
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
The Godfather II
The Dark Knight
Back to the Future
The Departed
La La Land
The Sound of Music
The Shining
Top Gun
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Star Wars: the Force Awakens
The Lion King
The Fast and the Furious
No Country for Old Men
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Forrest Gump
Shows:
M*A*S*H*
The Simpsons
The Sopranos
F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Saturday Night Live
I Love Lucy
The Office
Lost
Breaking Bad
The Twilight Zone
Grey’s Anatomy
Sesame Street
Game of Thrones
Seinfeld
General Hospital
Stranger Things
Mad Men
Late Night with David Letterman
The Brady Bunch
Cheers
Arrow
The Golden Girls
The Walking Dead
The Wire
Actors:
Tom Hanks
Marlon Brando
Jack Nicholson
Leonardo DiCaprio
Daniel Day-Lewis
Charlie Chaplin
Peter O’Toole
Anthony Hopkins
Paul Newman
Denzel Washington
Sidney Poitier
Robin Williams
Will Smith
Laurence Olivier
Sean Penn
Robert de Niro
Al Pacino
Eddie Murphy
Tom Cruise
Morgan Freeman
Will Ferrell
Adam Sandler
Johnny Depp
Sir Patrick Stewart
Actresses:
Katherine Hepburn
Frances McDormand
Meryl Streep
Jennifer Lawerence
Marilyn Monroe
Sally Field
Uma Thurman
Jane Fonda
Ingrid Bregman
Bette Davis
Angelina Jolie
Judy Garland
Judi Dench
Natalie Portman
Halle Berry
Maggie Smith
Cate Blanchett
Viola Davis
Helen Mirren
Sigourney Weaver
Lucille Ball
Jennifer Aniston
Sandra Bullock
Nicole Kidman
Directors:
Steven Spielberg
Francis Ford-Coppola
Alfred Hitchcock
James Cameron
Clint Eastwood
Martin Scorcese
Stanley Kubrick
Quentin Tarantino