Film Series...Day 7

Today's film is "The Others" starring Nicole Kidman. I don't want to give anything away here, so if you haven't seen it, rush out and do so!

--The disease the children have is an actual disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum. It is very rare with roughly a thousand people in the world that have it.

--Being a Spanish co-production, this film went on after its release on September 7, 2001, to become Spain's biggest grossing domestic film of all time after less than two months of release.

--The ghostly image appearing over Grace's shoulder resolves itself into a somber face in a painting on the wall. This image is actually a detail (specifically, a close-up of the Puritan man's face) of the 1855 Pre-Raphaelite painting "The Wounded Cavalier" by William Shakespeare Burton. The face of the painting is that of Eduardo Noriega.

--Executive produced by Tom Cruise, this marked the last collaboration between him and Nicole Kidman prior to their divorce.

--Nicole Kidman originally tried to persuade Alejandro Amenábar and the Weinstein brothers to find another actress for the part. Coming off the bright and exuberant Moulin Rouge! (2001), the actress was initially reluctant to do a film that explored such dark places.

Film Series...Day 6

Today's film is "The Shining" starring Jack Nicholson. This film scared the crap out of me when I had to watch it in my film class years ago. Who could forget the music, the twins, and REDRUM? Here are some fun facts about the film. What do you think of the series?

--During the making of the movie, Stanley Kubrick would occasionally call Stephen King at 3:00 a.m. and ask him questions like "Do you believe in God?"

--Stephen King was first approached by Stanley Kubrick about making a film version of 'The Shining' via an early morning phone call (England is five hours ahead of Maine in time zones). King, suffering from a hangover, shaving and at first thinking one of his kids was injured, was shocked when his wife told him Kubrick was really on the phone. King recalled that the first thing Kubrick did was to immediately start talking about how optimistic ghost stories are, because they suggest that humans survive death. "What about hell?" King asked. Kubrick paused for several moments before finally replying, "I don't believe in hell."

--The Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood in Oregon was used for the front exterior, but all the interiors as well as the back of the hotel were specially built at Elstree Studios in London, England. The management of the Timberline requested that Stanley Kubrick not use 217 for a room number (as specified in the book), fearing that nobody would want to stay in that room ever again. Kubrick changed the script to use the nonexistent room number 237.

--The book that Jack was writing contained the one sentence ("All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy") repeated over and over. Stanley Kubrick had each page individually typed. For the Italian version of the film, Kubrick used the phrase "Il mattino ha l' oro in bocca" ("He who wakes up early meets a golden day"). For the German version, it was "Was Du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf Morgen" ("Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today"). For the Spanish version, it was "No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano" ("Rising early will not make dawn sooner."). For the French version, it was "Un 'Tiens' vaut mieux que deux 'Tu l'auras'" ("A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush").

--Stanley Kubrick decided that having the hedge animals come alive (as they do in the book) was unworkable due to restrictions in special effects, so he opted for a hedge maze instead.

--When first released, the film had an alternate ending: after the shot of Jack's body, the film dissolves to a scene of policemen outside the hotel. It then cuts to a scene in a hospital, where Wendy is resting in a bed and Danny is playing in a waiting room. Ullman arrives and tells her that they have been unable to locate her husband's body anywhere on the property. On his way out, Ullman gives Danny a ball - the same one that mysteriously rolled into a hallway earlier in the film, before Danny was attacked in room 237. Ullman laughs and walks away and the film dissolves to the move through the corridors towards the photo. Stanley Kubrick had the scene removed a week after the film was released.

--Stanley Kubrick considered both Robert De Niro and Robin Williams for the role of Jack Torrance but decided against both of them. Kubrick didn't think De Niro would suit the part after watching his performance in Taxi Driver (1976), as he deemed De Niro not psychotic enough for the role. He didn't think Williams would suit the part after watching his performance in "Mork & Mindy" (1978), as he deemed him too psychotic for the role. According to Stephen King, Kubrick also briefly considered Harrison Ford.

--Jack Nicholson ad-libbed the line "Here's Johnny!" in imitation of announcer Ed McMahon's famous introduction of Johnny Carson on U.S. network NBC-TV's long-running late night television program "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962). Stanley Kubrick, who had been living in England since before Carson took over "The Tonight Show," had no clue what "Here's Johnny!" meant. Carson once used the clip of Nicholson as the introduction to one of his annual anniversary specials.

--Because Danny Lloyd was so young and since it was his first acting job, Stanley Kubrick was highly protective of the child. During the shooting of the movie, Lloyd was under the impression that the film he was making was a drama, not a horror movie. He only realized the truth seven years later, when, aged 13, he was shown a heavily edited version of the film. He didn't see the uncut version of the film until he was 17 - eleven years after he'd made it.

--The 1921 photograph at the end of the film was a genuine 1920s photo, with Jack Nicholson's head airbrushed onto the body of another man. Stanley Kubrick originally planned to use extras and shoot the photo himself, but he realized he couldn't make it look any better than the real thing.

Film Series...Day 5

One of my favorites is "Scream" by Wes Craven. I remember when it came out in 1996, I was so excited because I thought, "finally, some horror movies again!" Here are some fun facts about the film:

--Cameo: [Linda Blair] the reporter who says, "People want to know, they have a right to know."

--To keep Drew Barrymore looking scared and crying, director Wes Craven kept telling her real life stories about animal cruelty. She is a keen animal lover in real life.

--Wes Craven found the mask in a store while location-scouting in California.

--When the killer smashes his head through a window and Casey hits him in the face with the phone, Wes Craven is actually wearing the costume and was really hit in the face.

--Rose McGowan discovered that she could actually fit through a pet flap.

--Drew Barrymore was originally cast as Sidney Prescott (eventually played by Neve Campbell). But Drew Barrymore insisted that if she played Casey then it would make the audience think anything could happen.

--The film was originally to be shot at a high school in Santa Rosa, CA, but after the school board read the script they objected to the violent nature and production was moved to Healdsburg, CA.

--The special effects artists used about 50 gallons of blood.

--Tatum's house is right across the street from the house in Santa Rosa, California used in Pollyanna (1960). It is also across the street from the house used in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943). The house in the opening scene was next door to the house used in Cujo (1983).

--Being a favorite of the writer Kevin Williamson, Molly Ringwald was offered the role of Sydney Prescott, but turned it down, saying she'd rather not be playing a high school student at the age of 27.

--These are the horror film rules as stated in the movie:
- 1. You will not survive if you have sex
- 2. You will not survive if you drink or do drugs
- 3. You will not survive if you say "I'll be right back"
- 4. Everyone is a suspect.
Two additional rules come from the killer:
- 5. You will not survive if you ask "Who's there?"
- 6. You will not survive if you go out to investigate a strange noise.

--Reese Witherspoon turned down the lead role.

--The MPAA wanted to cut out the graphic shot of the killer stabbing Casey Becker at the beginning, but director Wes Craven claimed it was the only take of it they had filmed (which wasn't true). The shot remained intact.

Film Series...Day 4

Today's film is "The Blair Witch Project." This film from 1999 was a controversial one, kind of like last year's "Paranormal Activity." Although it was thought of as "ridiculous" or "fake," it still scared the crap out of many as we watched it. We couldn't wait to actually see the witch. What are your thoughts on the film? Here is some fun trivia about it. Enjoy!

--The three principal actors, Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams, shot nearly all of the completed film.

--The actors were requested to interview the townspeople, who often, unbeknownst to the actors, were planted by the directors. As a result, the expressions on the actors' faces were unrehearsed.

--The actors were given no more than a 35-page outline of the mythology behind the plot before shooting began. All lines were improvised and nearly all the events in the film were unknown to the three actors beforehand, and were often on-camera surprises to them all.

--Some theatergoers experienced nausea from the handheld camera movements and actually had to leave to vomit. In some Toronto theatres, ushers asked patrons who where prone to motion sickness to sit in the aisle seat and to try not to "throw up on other people."

--The house that Heather is in during the opening shot is owned by Lonnie Glerum, the film's key production assistant. He is also operating the camera during the opening shot.

--When promoting the film, the producers claimed it was real footage. Some people still believe it.

--This film was in the Guinness Book Of World Records for "Top Budget:Box Office Ratio" (for a mainstream feature film). The film cost $22,000 to make and made back $240.5 million, a ratio of $1 spent for every $10,931 made.

--The sign for Burkittsville at the beginning of the movie has been stolen three times, and was stolen opening night of the movie.

--The three leads believed the Blair Witch was a real legend during filming, though of course they knew the film was going to be fake. Only after the film's release did they discover that the entire mythology was made up by the film's creators.

--The filmmakers placed flyers around Cannes for the film festival that were "Missing" posters, stating that the cast was missing. All the flyers were taken down by the next day. It turns out that a television executive had been kidnapped just prior, and they were taken down out of respect. The executive was since recovered safely.

--It took a mere 8 days to shoot this film.

--Apparently, Heather Donahue brought a knife into the forest while filming was taking place because she didn't like the idea of sleeping with two guys.

--To promote discord between actors, the directors deliberately gave them less food each day of shooting.

--The 1999-2000 hunting season suffered badly due to this film. The movie was so popular that fans all over the country were hiking into the wilderness to shoot their own Blair Witch-style documentaries. As a result they kept most of the wildlife scared away from hunting areas.

-- Before the film was released, the three main actors were listed as "missing, presumed dead" on the IMDb.

--Heather Donahue's discovery of Joshua Leonard's (presumed) tongue and teeth wrapped in his handkerchief bears a striking similarity to Washington Irving's story "The Devil and Tom Walker". Tom's wife goes to find the devil in the swamp, and never returns home. When Tom goes to find her, he discovers her apron with her heart and liver inside.

Film Series...Day 3

Today's film is the classic Hitchcock film, "Psycho." This is truly my favorite Halloween movie. It still scares me to death. What do you think of it? How do you like the series so far? Here's some trivia for you:

Oh, by the way, thanks so much to Closer to Lucy for my fabulous award!!!

--Considered for the role of Marion were: Eva Marie Saint, Piper Laurie, Martha Hyer, Hope Lange, Shirley Jones, and Lana Turner.

--Alfred Hitchcock bought the rights to the novel anonymously from Robert Bloch for only US$9,000. He then bought up as many copies of the novel as he could to keep the ending a secret.

--One of the reasons Alfred Hitchcock shot the movie in black and white was he thought it would be too gory in color. But the main reason was that he wanted to make the film as inexpensively as possible (under $1 million). He also wondered if so many bad, inexpensively made, b/w "B" movies did so well at the box office, what would happen if a really good, inexpensively made, b/w movie was made.

--This was Alfred Hitchcock's last feature film in black and white, filmed November 30 1959-March 1 1960.

--During filming, this movie was referred to as "Production 9401" or "Wimpy". The latter name came from the second-unit cameraman on the picture Rex Wimpy who appeared on clapboards and production sheets, and some on-the-set stills for Psycho.

--Janet Leigh has said that when he cast her, Alfred Hitchcock gave her the following charter: "I hired you because you are an actress! I will only direct you if A: you attempt to take more than your share of the pie, B: you don't take enough, or C: if you are having trouble motivating the necessary timed movement."

--The license plate on Marion's first car is ANL-709. The license plate on Marion's second car is NFB-418. The latter could be a Québec reference. NFB stands for National Film Board of Canada, the famous office in which Norman McLaren, Claude Jutra, Michel Brault and many others worked, and 418 is the regional phone code for the region of Québec city. Although the real regional code of the NFB is 514 and not 418, this could have been mistaken by Hitchcock, as he shot I Confess (1953) in Québec years earlier in the effective 418 area.

--The film only cost US$800,000 to make and has earned more than US$40 million. Alfred Hitchcock used the crew from his TV series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955) to save time and money. In 1962 he exchanged the rights to the film and his TV series for a huge block of MCA's stock, becoming its third-largest stockholder).

--Director Cameo: [Alfred Hitchcock] about four minutes in wearing a cowboy hat outside Marion's office.

--Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because Hitchcock had made "that disgusting movie, 'Psycho'."

--This was Alfred Hitchcock's last film for Paramount. By the time principal photography started, Hitchcock had moved his offices to Universal and the film was actually shot on Universal's back lot. Universal owns the film today as well, even though the Paramount Pictures logo is still on the film.

--In the opening scene, Marion Crane is wearing a white bra because Alfred Hitchcock wanted to show her as being "angelic". After she has taken the money, the following scene has her in a black bra because now she has done something wrong and evil. Similarly, before she steals the money, she has a white purse; after she's stolen the money, her purse is black.

--First American film ever to show a toilet flushing on screen.

--According to Janet Leigh, wardrobe worn by her character Marion Crane was not custom made for her, but rather purchased "off the rack" from ordinary clothing stores. Alfred Hitchcock wanted women viewers to identify with the character by having her wear clothes that an ordinary secretary could afford, and thus add to the mystique of realism.

--If you look attentively you can notice that nearly every time a driver gets out of his car he does so through the passenger side, a seemingly odd behavior. This is due to the bench seating in older cars, and Alfred Hitchcock's desire to continue the shot without either moving the camera to follow the actor or having the actor walk between the car and the camera.

Films to Watch...Day 2

Today's film is What Lies Beneath, starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. I can't get enough of this one. It never gets old. Check out the trivia:

--Director Robert Zemeckis filmed this while production on Cast Away (2000) was shut down (so Tom Hanks could lose weight for his character).

--The date of birth on Madison Frank's missing persons' report is the birthday of Amber Valletta.

--There is a scene in the trailer in which Claire is looking at a photograph and notices a ghost face in the window. This scene never appears in the movie.

--Claire and Norman's sailboat is called "Good Genes".

--The house depicted in the film was used for day scenes only. It was torn down after filming because it didn't meet local building codes. The rooms were duplicated on an L.A. sound stage for night scenes.

--The Crown Point Bridge appears throughout the film. It was located in Addison, Vermont, near D.A.R. State Park, very close to where the house was built. Filming closed the bridge for several days, causing problems for locals on both sides of Lake Champlain. The bridge closed permanently in October 2009, after an inspection revealed serious deterioration. It was demolished December 28, 2009, and is scheduled to be replaced by 2011.

--Many people claim that a face appears in the snow just before the final scene fades out.

--When Michelle Pfeiffer lies stunned on the floor and the murderer leans over her face, the camera seemingly cranes down underneath the floor to look directly up at her face. The effect was created by using a glass floor. The solid floor at the start of the shot is drawn in by computer. A glass floor is also used when she drops the keys later on.

New Series...Films to Watch in October

I'm trying to get back on track with blogging. I can't believe it's been a year that I have been blogging now! I have met so many wonderful friends and really love hearing from everyone. I am terrible though lately with responding to comments. Does anyone have any ideas for a quick way to respond to everyone? I am a little swamped!

Today, I am starting a new series for the month of October. As you know, I like to provide movie trivia in many posts. I will choose a different movie each day for the month of October and provide trivia on it. The movies are going to be thrillers of course, in honor of Halloween! So, here goes:

Today's film is The Sixth Sense from 1999

--M. Night Shyamalan pitched the film as a cross between The Exorcist (1973) and Ordinary People (1980).

--The movie's line "I see dead people" was voted as the #100 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.

--The movie was rented by 80 million people in 2000 - making it the year's top-rated tape and DVD title.

--The voice on the tape of Vincent's session is speaking Spanish, the person is saying: "Please, I don't want to die Lord, save me, save me."

--Is one of only four horror films to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture; the other three were The Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

--When Cole and his mother are sitting in the kitchen, there is a glass on the table that you can only get in Philadelphia. It originally comes filled with Penn Maid sour cream which is not readily available anywhere else.

--Reputedly, Haley Joel Osment got the role of Cole Sear for one of three reasons: First, he was best for it. Second, he was the only boy at auditions who wore a tie. Third, M. Night Shyamalan was surprised when he asked Haley Joel Osment if he read his part. Osment replied, "I read it three times last night." Shyamalan was impressed saying, "Wow, you read your part three times?" To which Osment replied, "No, I read *the script* three times."

--According to M. Night Shyamalan, Donnie Wahlberg lost 43 pounds for the role.

--Toni Collette has said that she was so moved by the emotional resonance of the story whilst filming, she didn't even realize it was a horror film until after its release.

--While circling a passage in the notes, Bruce Willis does so with his right hand. Willis is actually left-handed; he learned how to write right-handed so that viewers wouldn't notice that his wedding band was no longer on his hand. Willis also draws the circle clockwise (like a left-handed person would), while most right-handed people would draw it counter-clockwise.

--M. Night Shyamalan deliberately used the color red to depict when the world of the living and the world of the dead would crossover. If red was in a scene where that was not the case, he would change it. The scenes where he used this are: Lynn Sear's nail polish is red when she is pointing out the "white spots" on all the pictures of Cole in the hallway. We are led to believe those spots are the dead people that are always seeking his help; At the birthday party when Cole is put into the closet, he is wearing a red sweater. Cole is attacked by the spirit in the closet; The blanket covering Cole's fort is red. Kyra Collins comes to him because she wants him to save her sister from her own fate; The doorknob to Malcolm's basement is red. His wife keeps on locking it but he just unlocks it; The blanket that Anna Crowe covers herself with while watching the wedding video is red. Malcolm sits next to her and tries talking to her but she is sleeping and unconsciously speaking aloud; Cole's school uniform jacket is red(maroon). He is usually approached by the dead people while at school and/or wearing his uniform. Also, the outfit worn by Mrs. Collins at Kyra's wake is red. She is also the only person there who is wearing bright red.