If you ever want a real film history trip, go back and look at what the all-time top-grossing movies were on a particular date. This one is from the First of January, 1990. Forty-five percent of it is Lucas/Spielberg, one of the films is fifty years old, and, at that point, Crocodile Dundee is one of the most successful movies ever made. Keep in mind that the average ticket price at this point hovered around four bucks, and when E.T. rampaged to the top it cost less than three dollars per ticket. Exactly two of these films continue to appear in the top range of all-time winners, while fourteen of the movies come from the last ten years. No disrespect to the various facets of The Lord of the Rings, of course, but the huge numbers at the top of the list seem less impressive when the ticket prices hit sixteen bucks in some parts of New York and Los Angeles.

This can also lead to an amazing self-curated film fest. Pick a date, like say the day you were born, and watch the most successful movies at that point. (Mine would include not only Animal House, but also Smokey and the Bandit. That’s a power duo if I’ve ever seen one.) You might just stumble upon a forgotten popular classic, something that still resonates with an audience. Because really, when was the last time you watched Rain Man?