15 Movie And TV Retrospectives From 2015 That Will Make You Nostalgic

In 2015, BuzzFeed News talked to disappearing '00s star Susan May Pratt, found out the story behind Love and Basketball, and had Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg talk to each other about their career highlights. Here are our best retrospectives of the year, in the order they were published.

1. The Wachowskis Refuse To Take No For An Answer — Adam B. Vary

Alice Mongkongllite for BuzzFeed; Joe Klamar / AFP / Getty Images; Warner Bros.

The iconoclastic filmmakers look back at their uncommon career, from Bound to The Matrix to their latest film, Jupiter Ascending. “Everybody wanted us to blow the Matrix up,” Andy Wachowski told BuzzFeed News.

2. Why Matthew Perry Can’t Quit — Kate Aurthur

Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed News

After 10 years on Friends, Perry could have chosen to do whatever he wanted — but what he’s always wanted is to work, he told BuzzFeed News. With his reboot of The Odd Couple, the actor seems finally to have found the right role.

3. After 20 Years, “Friday” Is (Still) The Most Important Film Ever Made About The Hood — Kelley L. Carter

New Line Cinema

The stars and the director of this genre-busting sleeper hit — which is returning to theaters for one day to celebrate its 20th anniversary — talked to BuzzFeed News about why it still resonates.

4. Arnold Schwarzenegger Looks Back At The Roles That Redefined His Career — Alison Willmore

Universal Studios Home Video

The action icon has broken into acting, then stardom, then comedy, then politics, and back again. He talked to BuzzFeed News about rebranding himself as a dramatic leading man in Maggie.

5. How “Love & Basketball” Changed The Way Black Audiences Saw Themselves Onscreen — Kelley L. Carter

New Line Cinema

In 2000, this romantic drama about two young black basketball stars in love broke ground by daring to not make itself about race. Fifteen years later, the cast and director talked to BuzzFeed News about the movie’s legacy of promoting gender equality, black affluence, and the fine art of faking a layup.

6. How “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead” Went From D.O.A. To Beloved Cult Classic — Jarett Wieselman

HBO Films; Photo Illustration Courtesy of Justine Zwiebel / BuzzFeed

Nearly 25 years after its unceremonious release, the stars and the creative minds behind the dark comedy talked to BuzzFeed News about hating the title, the stars who backed out (like Jennifer Love Hewitt), the franchise that almost was, and the loss of one of their own.

7. The Curious Case Of Susan May Pratt — Jarett Wieselman

Touchstone Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Columbia Pictures

“It’s kind of disappointing to have one’s career peak in your mid-twenties and have it be a downhill slide since,” the star of 10 Things I Hate About You, Drive Me Crazy, and Center Stage told BuzzFeed News.

8. 13 Things You Didn’t Know About “Bring It On” — Jarett Wieselman

Universal Pictures

From James Franco’s audition to secret arrests, director Peyton Reed told BuzzFeed News what really went into creating the beloved cheerleading comedy.

9. Behind-The-Scenes Casting Secrets From “Gossip Girl,” “Arrow,” And More — Jarett Wieselman

The CW

David Rapaport has helped cast Gossip Girl, 90210, Arrow, and The Flash. For the first time, he talked to BuzzFeed News about auditioning the actors who became iconic faces of The CW.

10. How Ethan Embry Staged His Unlikely Comeback — Jarett Wieselman

Bobby Quillard

With a hit TV show, a role on his favorite drama, and a new outlook on life, the star of Can’t Hardly Wait and Empire Records told BuzzFeed News how he is reviving his career.

11. Tom Hanks Reveals The Movies That Have Meant The Most To Him — Jaimie Etkin

Touchstone Films

Before his latest movie Bridge of Spies hit theaters, Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg sat down with BuzzFeed News to look back on the roles that got him there, from Splash to Saving Private Ryan.

12. Steven Spielberg Reveals The Movies That’ve Meant The Most To Him — Jaimie Etkin

Universal Pictures

Just before the release of his latest movie Bridge of Spies, the prolific director looked back on his first movie, how he changed filmmaking with one mechanical shark, and the films he made with his frequent collaborator, Tom Hanks, for BuzzFeed News.

13. The Movie That Taught A Generation Of Misfits To Let Their Freak Flags Fly — Louis Peitzman

Photo illustration by Jared Harrell / BuzzFeed News; Photos: Courtesy IFC Films; Everett Collection (4)

The 2003 movie musical Camp showed theater geeks how to own their outcast status. Director and writer Todd Graff, the cast, and Stephen Sondheim told BuzzFeed News how the film no one wanted to make turned into a queer cult classic.

14. The Director Of “Twilight” Reveals Some Things You Probably Never Knew – Kate Aurthur

Summit Entertainment

In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke shared its secrets.

15. The Triumphs And Mistakes That Got J.J. Abrams Ready For “Star Wars” — Kate Aurthur

Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed News

With the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Abrams looked back at the movies that got him here with BuzzFeed News — from the scale of Mission: Impossible III to his frustrations with Star Trek Into Darkness.