Ripe Tomatoes: The Best Narratively Movie Stories
From a Rocky impersonator and barrier-breaking stuntmen to the fresh faces of 'Kids' and 'E.T.', Hollywood's got nothing on these blockbusters.
1. Legends Never Die By Caroline Rothstein
Photo courtesy Gunars Elmuts
Two decades after a low-budget film turned Washington Square skaters into international celebrities, the kids from "Kids" struggle with lost lives, distant friendships, and the fine art of growing up in one of our most popular stories ever.
By Emon Hassan
Photos courtesy Howie Cohen and Bob Haro
The untold story of the bike broker and the fearless riders behind the Spielberg blockbuster and its legendary chase scene.
By Emily Kwong
Image by Emily Kwong
After a barn fire destroys a lifetime of master reels and priceless memories, one documentary filmmaker picks up the pieces of his career’s cruelest plot twist.
4. Snapshots from 'The Last Picture Show'
By Narratively
Photo by Danny Fulgencio
Following a literary legend to the dusty small town that gave him his fame, three budding writers learn Texas-sized lessons on love, loss and lament.
By Dena Levitz
Photo by Shira Yudkoff
How a boy named Mike Kunda grew up to become the ultimate Italian Stallion.
6. The Stuntmen Who Blacklisted Blackface
By Jocelyn Y. Stewart
Photo courtesy Black Stuntmen's Association
A number of African American actors were once outraged about working with white stunt doubles who were “painted down.” Half a century and many bumps and bruises later, a veteran crew of black stuntmen have flipped and flown their way into the annals of Hollywood.
7. The Home for Hollywood Dreamers and Dropouts
By Shawna Kenney
Illustration by Nicole Daddona
From hypodermic needles to hallway ghosts, plus-size models to rockstar hopefuls, every room and resident in one Tinseltown tenement is almost famous.
By Isaac Butler
Illustration by Keny Widjaja
Forever enraptured by the magic of Disney's darkest masterpiece, a theater director remembers his terrifying boyhood encounter with "Fantasia."