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The transformative powers of LSD are on full display in The Trip, a psychedelic movie written by Jack Nicholson and directed by Roger Corman. The film stars Peter Fonda as Paul Groves, a newly divorced and heartbroken commercial director who imbibes the psychedelic to expand his consciousness and heal from the pain that his unfaithful wife inflicted upon him. When his trip takes a terrifying turn, Groves escapes his "trip guide" and begins wandering around the Sunset Strip where he meets a coterie of weirdo characters who are also interested in LSD, which include a far-out Dennis Hopper and a young Bruce Dern. Driven by mysterious visions of hooded figures, Groves wanders through the 1960s California counterculture and is profoundly changed by the experience following the film's conclusion. Released during the Summer of Love, The Trip struck a chord with young audiences now enamored with the hippie lifestyle and counter-cultural movement,...

When "Easy Rider" was released into theaters in the summer of 1969, popular culture had already shifted significantly to reflect the spirit of rebellion swelling up among teenagers across the country. Signifying a real change, it was time for the box office and Hollywood to catch up with the tides; "Easy Rider" would go on to gross 60 million around the world. Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda starred as two free-wheeling bikers from L.A. heading to New Orleans, and "Easy Rider" represented the beginning of counterculture and the death of the sixties, simultaneously. The soundtrack featuring Steppenwolf and The Band was instantly iconic, and the sweeping vistas that Hopper and Fonda rode through helped to define a road trip movie for a new generation. Then, the film's tragic ending served as a reminder that America wasn't really the land of the free, after all. 

The surprise success of "Easy Rider" resulted...