Popular Movies and Television Shows Set in USA

USA's tropical weather, beautiful locations and vibrant culture have made the area an extremely popular setting for many movies and television shows. USA itself is one of the largest film production and distribution centres, not just in the USA, but the entire world. Some truly memorable scenes from many classic productions have been shot in and around USA, so it's likely for visitors to spot a familiar location when travelling through the area.

When thinking of famous USA-based movies one tends to spring to mind - the Brian De Palma classic, Scarface. The movie was shot almost entirely in USA and features a number of hotels and buildings that remain instantly recognisable to fans of the film. The De Palma and Pacino love affair with USA continued in 1993, when they reunited to shoot Carlito's Way, a movie which has gone on to achieve cult status.

Some other world-renowned movies that have been shot in USA include The Bodyguard, Donnie Brasco, Blow, True Lies, Any Given Sunday, Casino Royale, Ali and Bad Boys & Bad Boys II, to name but a few.

Many popular television shows have also been shot in USA over the years; including Dexter, Charlie's Angels and Burn Notice. Arguably the TV series most synonymous with the Magic City is USA Vice. This popular crime drama ran from 1986-1990 and set the tone for many shows that followed.

As a filming location, USA also has big international appeal. Due to the high Hispanic population, numerous Spanish-speaking shows are created in USA every year. In fact, 55% of USA citizens list Spanish as their first language.

One of the first Bollywood movies to be produced entirely outside of India, Dostana (translated as 'friendship') was filmed in USA in 2008. Incidentally the movie went on to become one of the highest grossing Bollywood movies of that year.

USA has also been an influence for a number of high-profile video game developers. Perhaps the best example being Rockstar Games' GTA Vice City, which is set in a city heavily based on 1980s USA. The game is widely considered the best of the extremely successful GTA franchise and was the bestselling PlayStation 2 game of all time.

Some typical sights may include the Sun Life Stadium, the home of NFL team USA Dolphins that was featured in the movie Ace Ventura; or even the cemetery where Michael's Jackson revolutionary Thriller video was shot.

With so much to offer, it's easy to see why USA is such a popular destination for film makers and fans alike.

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Biggest and Top Bollywood Movie Hits of 2008

All ye' Bollywood fans and Bollywood lovers are interested in knowing which indeed was the most successful Bollywood movie of 2008. Is it Ghajini or Golmaal Returns? Or is there other clear winner? What do trade guides show? Which Bollywood movie truly rocked 2008? Is the most successful Bollywood movie of 2008, also your favorite movie?.
Presenting here are the hits, superhits and blockbusters Bollywood movies of 2008, including a brief review. The movies are arranged according to their time of release.

1. Jodhaa Akbar : Released on February 15' 2008, Jodhaa Akbar, directed by Bollywood most prolific director Ashutosh Gowariker, was a semi hit. It went on to do a business of Rs. 62 crores. Hrithik Roshan was the USP of the film, he played Akbar so well that the historic figure is now synonymous with the actor.
2. Race: Released on March 21' 2008, Race was the first big hit of 2008. An edge of the seat thriller, the movie directed by Abbas-Mustan was full of twists and turns. As of May 30, it grossed Rs.63,67,00,000 ($14,886,600) in India, and $9,505,321 in other parts bringing a worldwide total of $24,391,921. Race is actually the fifth biggest hit of 2008.
3. Jannat: Jannat, directed by Kunal Deshmukh, was a Mukesh Bhatt film, released on May 16. Based on cricket betting, the movie extracted the career best performance of Emran Hashmi. Debutante Sonal Chauhan made a pretty picture in the movie. Jannat grossed 32,47,00,000 in 5 weeks, quite higher than its cost of production.
4. Aamir: One of the dark horse hits of 2008, Aamir directed by Raj Kumar Gupta released on June 6. The movie starring Rajeev Khandelwal was a story about how an innocent man gets trapped in the hands of religious extremists who want to bomb the city. An interesting premise, the movie did good business.
5. Sarkar Raj: Sarkar Raj, directed by Ram Gopal Verma released on June 6 2008. The movie was a semi-hit; people compared Sarkar Raj to its prequel Sarkar, and found that the sequel was not as effective as the first one. Nevertheless, it grossed 34 crores in India in its first two weeks and over $1 million in the USA.
6. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, released on July 4 2008; directed by Abbas Tyrewala and produced by Aamir Khan, was the iconic movie of 2008. The movie was a blazing hit and it is still the favorites of the youth segment, which forms a major part of the movie going audience. The youthful movie had a cliched but entertaining story with fantastic music by A.R.Rahman. in 5 weeks, it earned approximately 52.96 crores.
7. Singh is Kinng: Singh is Kinng was a movie, all Akshay Kumar fans were waiting for. Released on August 8, 2008; the movie recorded the biggest advance booking in the history of Bollywood, second only to Ghajini. With a fantastic figure of Rs.44 crores in the first week, Singh is Kinng was the fourth biggest hit of Bollywood 2008. By September, it had already earned Rs.73 crores.
8. Bachna Ae Haseeno: Released on August 15, 2008, Bachna Ae Haseeno proved to be a solace for Yash Raj films which had only given flops before this, in 2008 like Tashan and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. Made on a budget of Rs.18 crores, this Ranbir Kapoor earned Rs.31.20 crores in its second week, and was declared a semi hit.
9. Phoonk: Phoonk directed by Ram Gopal Verma was probably the least expensive movie, which did good business. The movie based on black magic was a success because of the subject.
10. Mumbai Meri Jaan: Mumbai Meri Jaan, released on August 22' 2008 was a movie based on 7/11 bomb blasts. A slightly documentary style film, it focussed on the repercussions of the bomb blasts. The movie was an an above average hit. The USP of the film was a power packed performance by Paresh Rawal and Irrfan Khan.
11. Rock On!!: Rock On (released August 29' 2008) , directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by Farhan Akhtar, was another youth favorite, like Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Based on friendship and rock music, Rock On was treated like a sequel to the cult movie Dil Chahta Hai. It made singer-actor-producer-director (phew!) Farhan Akhtar, a household name.
12. A Wednesday: A Wednesday, released on September 5 2008, is the dark horse success of 2008. A powerful script, impeccable dialogues and a unique treatment by director Neeraj Pandey, made this probably the most watchable movie of 2008. Naseerudin Shah proved that he is inimitable when it comes to stellar performance.
13. 1920: A spooky movie directed by Vikram Bhatt (released Sep 12' 08) was high on horror around a haunted palatial house. Newbies Rajneesh Duggal and Adah Sharma gave a spirited (no pun intended!) performance. The fantastic English locales and visual effects proved to be the USP of the film.
14. Welcome to Sajjanpur: Welcome to Sajjanpur, released on September 19 2008 was director Shyam Benegal's entry to commercial cinema. The movie shot in rural set-up brought back memories of Malgudy Days and fared well at the box office.
15. Fashion: Fashion directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, gave a push to Priyanka Chopra who went down-slide with four back to back flops in 2008. It appealed to the youth and the upper crust and did good business.
16. Golmaal Returns: Released on the same date as Fashion (October 29' 2008) , Golmaal Returns was a run-away super hit. Though marred by critics, it was declared a huge success by the masses. It surpassed the first day totals of Om Shanti Om, last year, by collecting 22.03 lakhs on day one. This Rohit Shetty venture earned Rs.48 crores in the first week, making it the third biggest hit of 2008.
17. Dostana: Dostana directed by Tarun Mansukhani for Karan Johar released on November 14' 2008. The story of two men Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham, who pretend to be gays, and fall in love with eye-candy Priyanka Chopra made the box office smile. By December 12, it had already earned Rs.80 crores.
18. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: One of the much awaited movies, the Shahrukh Khan starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, released on December 12'08. Made on a modest budget of Rs.22 crores by Yash Raj standards, Aditya Chopra directed this movie to success. The movie also featured debutante Anushka Sharma. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi earned 7.5 crore net all over India and by day 1, and earned Rs.44.5 crores by week 1. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the second biggest hit of 2008.
19. Ghajini: The most awaited movie Ghajini, proved to be a record breaking success. The most successful movie of the year and perhaps one of the all time big hits, this Aamir Khan movie directed by A.Murgadoss proved recession cannot beat quality. Released on December 25, 2008, this remake of the Southern movie of the same name is running quite strong, thanks to the Aamir Khan brand power. On Day 1, Ghajini earned Rs.33 crores, (compared to Rs.18 crore of Rab Ne) worldwide, something which is unheard off. Ghajini is all set to pass Rs.100 crores in three weeks, overtaking the lines of previous two years biggies Om Shanti Om (Rs.80 crores) and Dhoom 2 (Rs.85 crores).

Conclusion 2008: Ghajini has proved to be a big money spinner for Bollywood. The year 2008 has pooled in 15 percent or Rs.900 crore more than last year. Call it the Pareto Principal, if you will but Rab Ne and Ghajini have added another 20 percent more to the box office collection of movies preceding them. Masala films and movies based on 'terror issues' dominated 2008.
So, here is the countdown of the top 5 films of Bollywood 2008:

5. Race
6. Singh is Kinng
7. Golmaal Returns
8. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
9. Ghajini     
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