About the Movies water
Movie prompts separate the casual viewer from the person who reads credits. The obvious answers are the highest-grossing films of all time; the deep answers are the directors' early work, the losing Oscar nominees, the sequel nobody admits to liking. Noillirk's movie bank is built to reward range, not just fandom. It is also the pack players ask for most — 'at the movies' is where the rarity idea clicks for film people, because every cinephile already keeps a private list of the films the room hasn't seen. Bring that list. The bank was stocked by people who keep one too, and it grades the difference between having watched a lot and having watched widely: eras, countries, and the credits after the credits.
The mirror angle
Run the film backwards: start from the end credits. The composer, the cinematographer, the forgotten co-star — the mirror side of a famous film is full of answers the front side never shows.
Example ladders
Three real shapes from this pack's bank — the crowd's answer, and the answer that leaves the crowd at the surface:
| Prompt | The crowd (10) | The deep water (85–100) |
|---|---|---|
| Name a film directed by Steven Spielberg | Jurassic Park | The Sugarland Express |
| Name a movie set largely on a train | Murder on the Orient Express | Snowpiercer |
| Name an animated film not made by Disney or Pixar | Shrek | The Iron Giant |
Movies tips
- Award-season losers are gold: everyone remembers the winner, few remember the other nominees.
- Directors' first films and actors' early roles sit in Rare and Deep Cut territory.
- Foreign-language classics (Kurosawa, Varda, Tarkovsky) are deep but fair — the bank knows them.
- Train with award shortlists, not winners' reels: the five nominees nobody picked are a season of Deep Cuts.
Every movies prompt in the bank
38 prompts — each with its own rarity ladder published:
- Name a movie starring Tom Hanks — gem: Captain Phillips
- Name an animated Disney movie — gem: The Black Cauldron
- Name a movie about space — gem: The Right Stuff
- Name a horror movie — gem: The Babadook
- Name a movie directed by Steven Spielberg — gem: The Post
- Name a superhero movie — gem: Kick-Ass
- Name a movie that won Best Picture — gem: Spotlight
- Name a romantic comedy — gem: The Big Sick
- Name a movie set in New York City — gem: Do the Right Thing
- Name a Pixar movie — gem: Ratatouille
- Name a movie with dinosaurs — gem: The Land Before Time
- Name a war movie — gem: Hacksaw Ridge
- Name a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio — gem: The Aviator
- Name a movie about time travel — gem: Primer
- Name a musical movie — gem: Chicago
- Name a movie set in London — gem: About Time
- Name a movie directed by Christopher Nolan — gem: Memento
- Name a sports movie — gem: Hoosiers
- Name a movie about robots — gem: Blade Runner
- Name a movie starring Meryl Streep — gem: Sophie's Choice
- Name a movie set in Paris — gem: Midnight in Paris
- Name a heist movie — gem: Inside Man
- Name a movie about the ocean — gem: Master and Commander
- Name a movie with a dog as a main character — gem: Turner & Hooch
- Name a Christmas movie — gem: Love Actually
- Name a movie starring Denzel Washington — gem: Fences
- Name a movie about vampires — gem: What We Do in the Shadows
- Name a zombie movie — gem: Train to Busan
- Name a movie set in ancient Rome — gem: Quo Vadis
- Name a movie directed by Quentin Tarantino — gem: Death Proof
- Name a movie about boxing — gem: Raging Bull
- Name a movie starring Will Smith — gem: Seven Pounds
- Name a movie set on an island — gem: The Beach
- Name a spy movie — gem: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Name a movie about aliens — gem: Arrival
- Name a movie starring Julia Roberts — gem: Closer
- Name a movie about high school — gem: The Breakfast Club
- Name a movie with 'Star' in the title — gem: Lone Star