Andrea Frainier

While the natural beauty of the Hawaiian islands has triggered a love affair for millions of visitors each year, Hawaii has also found itself in a starring role for many Hollywood blockbuster films, including Elvis Presley’s 1961 film “Blue Hawaii,” James Michener’s “South Pacific,” Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones” and the movie-within-a-movie “Tropic Thunder.”

And with the Oscars just around a corner, I thought I’d give a rundown of my favorite movies filmed in Hawaii.

“50 First Dates”

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore star in this romantic comedy about Henry Roth, a playboy veterinarian (Sandler), who falls for Lucy, an art teacher that suffers from short-term memory loss (Barrymore). The film includes sweeping views of Oahu’s windward side, including Moli’i Gardens, the site where Henry and Lucy first meet. Rob Schneider’s character, Ula, was inspired by a middle-aged Tongan who works as a concierge at the Paul Mitchell Estate, which both Sandler and Barrymore have frequented for years.

“Indiana Jones”

The wildly-successful “Indiana Jones” franchise has filmed on multiple Hawaiian Islands, including Kauai and the Big Island. The opening scene of 1981’s ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark” follows the archeologies-adventurer navigate a lush, tropical jungle as he barely escapes via seaplane, which was shot along Kauai’s Wailua River valley. Visitors headed to the Fern Grotto pass right by this secluded area.

“Jurassic Park”

It’s a fight for survival as visitors to a pre-historic amusements park is left to fend for themselves when genetically cloned dinosaurs are let loose. Based on Michael Crichton’s 1990 science fiction novel of the same name, many of  ”Jurassic Park” jungle scenes were shot on the island of Kauai. When Hurricane Iniki hit land in September of 1992, the film crew adapted to this natural disaster by filming the mayhem caused by the massive winds.

“Tropic Thunder”

As a band of misfit actors begin filming the greatest war story ever told, they unknowingly become the targets of poppy-growing, drug dealers. The cast and crew of “Tropic Thunder,” including Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr. and Ben Stiller, who directed and starred in the film, spent almost four months in Kauai, filming extensively on the east side of Kauai. Other locations filmed around the island include Hanalei, Lumahai Valley, Bishop Estate, Kilauea, Guava Kai property and Kauai Ranch. The film also featured hundreds of locals in extra roles.

“Honeymoon in Vegas”

“Is it Kapaa or Kapaa-a?” Nicolas Cage shouts into a pay phone in the 1992 film “Honeymoon in Vegas.” That line always gives me a chuckle, because I find that most tourists prefer to call the eastern town “Cap-a.” In this romantic comedy, Cage allows his fiance (Sarah Jessica Parker) to spend a weekend with a wealthy man (Janes Caan) in return for clearing a $64,000 debt. Consumed with jealously, Cage follows the two to the lush, tropical island. Viewers may recognize the sweeping, white sands of Anini Beach and the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club as the scene of Cage and Caan’s fight.

“Riding Giants”

The 2004 documentary, which explores the culture of surfing, showcases its humble beginnings on the Hawaiian islands, to the giant waves (some can reach up to 70 feet) at Peahi, located off of Maui. The documentary focuses on the evolution of surfing, from Greg Noll, the big wave surfer of the 1960s and ’70s, Jeff Clark, the man who discovered Mavericks off the coast of Northern California, and Laird Hamilton, who continues to reinvent the sport.

An honorable mention goes out to the T.V. series “Lost,” which has showcased the lush, tropical scenery of Oahu for the last six years. Locals get a kick to see how they transform the city of Honolulu into far-off locations including Southern California, New York, Iowa, Miami, South Korea, Iraq, the United Kingdom and Australia.