MOV098: “May the odds be ever in your favor”

On this reel of COL Movies, the boys start off heading back to 1954 and go looking for trouble… On the Waterfront. Do the boys feel that the movie and Brando’s performance live up to expectations? Next it’s a jump to a very dystopian future in “The Hunger Games” Does the screen adaptation of the first novel in this very popular trilogy stand up to the twilight and battle royal comparisons? Finally the boys take a look at the not so distant future release of “The Rift” is there any chance this low budget sci-fi horror flick will get our interest? all this plus news about a “Carrie” remake, Kevin Smith making a Clerks play, and Mr. Bay is still defending his Ninja Turtles.All this and more on the 98th reel of COL Movies “May the odds be ever in your favor”

[display_podcast]

News:

The Past: On The Waterfront (1954)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% Fresh, 94% Audience

[asa]B00003CXBU[/asa]

Director: Elia Kazan

Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Eva Marie Saint

Trivia:

  • The idea for the film began with an expose series written for The New York Sun by reporter Malcolm Johnson. The 24 articles won him a Pulitzer Prize and were reinforced by the 1948 murder of a New York dock hiring boss which woke America to the killings, graft and extortion that were endemic on the New York waterfront. Budd Schulberg was captivated by the subject matter, devoting years of his life to absorbing everything he could about the milieu. He became a regular fixture on the waterfront, hanging out in West Side Manhattan and Long Island bars, interviewing longshore-union leaders and getting to know the outspoken priests from St Xavier’s in Hell’s Kitchen.
  • On the Waterfront is widely known to be an act of expiation on the part of Elia Kazan for naming names to HUAC during the Joseph McCarthy witch-hunts of the 1950s. What is less widely reported is that Kazan intended it as a direct attack at his former close friend Arthur Miller who had been openly critical of Kazan’s actions. Specifically, it was a direct response to Miller’s play The Crucible.
  • Elia Kazan was loath to do business with Darryl F. Zanuck who had insisted on multiple cuts on Man on a Tightrope. Fortunately when Kazan and writer Budd Schulberg met with Zanuck, he started talking about widescreen Technicolor pictures. Zanuck eventually came clean and said he didn’t like a single thing about it, stating “Who’s going to care about a bunch of sweaty longshoremen?” This led Kazan and Schulberg to meet with independent producer Sam Spiegel who set up a deal with Columbia.
  • Sam Spiegel sent the script to Marlon Brando and it came back with a refusal. Spiegel however had inserted small pieces of paper between the pages which were still in place when the script was returned to him, indicating that it hadn’t been read. While Spiegel continued to work on Brando, Frank Sinatra agreed to take on the role.
  • The original title was simply “Waterfront” until Columbia learned that there was a television series by that name.
  • The part of Terry Malloy was originally written for John Garfield who died before the film was made.
  • According to Marlon Brando’s friend, Carlo Fiore, and his reminiscences in his book “Bud: The Brando I Knew”, it was Fiore who helped make some key decisions about the famous taxi cab scene. It wasn’t working to Brando’s satisfaction, and the actor was becoming increasingly frustrated at being unable to find the truth about the scene. Fiore told him that having a gun pulled on him by his brother would hit a bullshit note with Terry, and that shocked disbelief that his brother would do such a thing would be the most appropriate response. Brando then went into a stormy conference with Elia Kazan and Sam Spiegel before nailing the scene. Afterwards Kazan drew Fiore aside and said “Next time you get an idea about a scene, bring it to me, not Marlon, okay?” There is some doubt about the veracity of this story however as one look at the original script reveals that shocked surprise was Terry’s reaction all along.
  • Sam Spiegel forgot to pay for rear-projection equipment, hence the reason why the cab where Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger play out the film’s most famous scene has blinds.
  • As part of his contract, Marlon Brando only worked till 4 every day and then he would leave to go see his analyst. Brando’s mother had recently died and the conflicted young actor was in therapy to resolve his issues with his parents. Interestingly, for the film’s classic scene between Rod Steiger and Brando in the back of the cab, all of Steiger’s close-ups were filmed after Brando had left for the day, so his lines were read by one of the crew members. Steiger remained very bitter about that for many years and often mentioned it in interviews.
  • From a budget of just under $1 million, the film went on to gross ten times its production costs in its initial release.
  • Elia Kazan later remarked that the biggest problem he encountered with his actors was getting them on set on time (the weather was so severely cold, most of the actors didn’t like to hang around the set for long).
  • Arthur Miller was approached by Elia Kazan to write the screenplay, and did so, but later pulled it when the FBI and studio bosses required him to make the gangsters Communists.
  • Film debuts of Johnny Seven, Michael V. Gazzo, Pat Hingle, Martin Balsam, and Eva Marie Saint. The last gave a debut performance that won her the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award.
  • The only film that wasn’t a musical for which Leonard Bernstein wrote the incidental music.
  • Frank Sinatra was originally considered for the role of Terry Malloy. Elia Kazan approached Sinatra about the part but producer Sam Spiegel favored Marlon Brando for his greater pulling power at the box office.
  • According to Arthur Miller in his autobiography “Timebends”, he had written a screenplay dealing with corruption on the New York waterfront called “The Hook”. Elia Kazan had agreed to direct it, and in 1951 they went to see Harry Cohn at Columbia Pictures about making the picture. Cohn agreed in principle to make “The Hook”, but his minions were troubled by the portrayal of corrupt union officials. When Cohn asked that the antagonists of the script be changed to Communists, Miller refused. Cohn sent Miller a letter telling him it was interesting that he had resisted Columbia’s desire to make the movie pro-American. This film, which did include corrupt union officials, was based on articles by Malcolm Johnson. Kazan asked Miller to write the script, but he declined due to his disenchantment with Kazan’s friendly testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Budd Schulberg, a fellow HUAC informer, developed the story and wrote the script. The movie was produced by Sam Spiegel and distributed by Columbia, which had turned down “The Hook”.
  • Marlon Brando did not initially want the role of Terry Malloy after producer Sam Spiegel offered it to him because he was disgusted with Elia Kazan’s friendly testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Spiegel, who had originally offered the role to Hoboken native Frank Sinatra, who had enthusiastically accepted, then tried to interest Montgomery Clift in the part. Spiegel wanted a bigger box-office attraction than Sinatra, who eventually filed a lawsuit against Spiegel for breach of contract when Brando did sign for the part.
  • The taxicab scene between Terry and Charlie, one of the most famous scenes in the cinema, was not improvised, as Marlon Brando claimed in his autobiography. When Brando did initially improvise during the shooting of the scene, and Rod Steiger followed his lead, Elia Kazan yelled, “Stop the shit, Buddy!” to Brando, using his nickname. The two actors stuck to Budd Schulberg’s script after that.
  • Marlon Brando objected to certain aspects in the famous taxicab scene. When filming began, Brando began to improvise some dialogue, surprising Rod Steiger. After a while, Elia Kazan told Brando to “knock it off”. The problem Brando had with the scene, as he explained to screenwriter Budd Schulberg and Kazan, was that he felt he (as Terry Malloy) would have difficulty trying to talk reasonably with his brother (played by Steiger) with a gun at his ribs. At this, Kazan agreed and told Brando to improvise. Kazan maintained that he did not direct Brando nor Steiger in this scene, he simply stood back and let the two actors direct themselves.
  • Marlon Brando was paid $100,000, Elia Kazan received $100,000 plus 25% of the box office.
  • The script was originally turned down by Darryl F. Zanuck at Twentieth Century Fox on the grounds that the gritty drama didn’t fit well with the policy at the time of creating lavish productions for the studio’s Cinemascope format.
  • Marlon Brando’s Oscar for Best Actor was either lost or stolen. The award did show up later when Brando was contacted by a London auction house, intending to sell the item.
  • Tony Galento, Tami Mauriello and Abe Simon, who play Johnny Friendly’s heavies, were all former professional boxers and opponents of Joe Louis for the heavyweight world title. Simon fought the Brown Bomber twice and was knocked out in Round 13 in the first fight and Round 6 in the second. Galento and Mauriello fought Louis once apiece and shared similar fates. Galento was kayoed in Round 4 and Mauriello in Round 1.
  • The scene where Eva Marie Saint drops her glove and Marlon Brando picks it up and puts it on his hand was unplanned. Saint dropped her glove accidentally in rehearsal and Brando improvised the rest. Elia Kazan loved the new business and asked them to repeat it for the take.
  • Grace Kelly turned down the role of Edie Doyle, deciding to make Rear Window instead.
  • Many real longshoremen from Hoboken, New Jersey were used as extras.
  • The real-life model for the film’s Johnny Friendly character (played by Lee J. Cobb) was International Longshoremen’s Association boss Michael Clemente (Johnny Friendly also has aspects of former Murder Inc. head Albert Anastasia, who was a top enforcer for the crime family that ran the Hoboken docks, the Luciano – later Genovese – family). In 1979 Clemente and other members of the Genovese family were indicted for corruption and racketeering on the New York waterfront.
  • In 1955, screenwriter Budd Schulberg – who won an Oscar for his screenplay – published his novel “Waterfront”, which focuses on the causes of waterfront corruption and elucidates the involvement of the shipping companies, the mayor’s office, police, and the church.
  • Shortly after the film’s debut in 1954, the AFL-CIO expelled the East Coast longshoremen’s union because it was still run by the mob.
  • In 1955, Anthony “Tony Mike” de Vincenzo filed a lawsuit against Columbia Pictures because Terry Malloy (the character played by Marlon Brando) seemed to have been based on him, who was known as a whistle-blower against the corrupt International Longshoremen’s Association union. He won a small out-of-court settlement.
  • When Elia Kazan and his original screenwriter Arthur Miller originally showed the script to Columbia Pictures boss Harry Cohn, Columbia executives objected to the script as being “atni-union”, as they feared union retaliation. Cohn recommended that union officials be changed to communists.
  • The leading characters were based on real people: Terry Malloy was based on longshoreman and whistle-blower Anthony De Vincenzo; Father Barry was based on waterfront priest John M. Corridan; Johnny Friendly was based on mobster Albert Anastasia.
  • Most of the solo shots of Rod Steiger during the famous taxicab scene were done after Marlon Brando had left for the day. Steiger was deeply hurt and annoyed at Brando’s apparent rudeness, but used these emotions to add to his performance.
  • The shooting schedule occasionally had to be worked around Marlon Brando’s appointments with his psychiatrist in Manhattan.
  • Was one of the first films named to the National Film Preservation Board’s National Film Registry in 1989.
  • Elia Kazan, in his autobiography “A Life”, says that the choice of an actress to play Edie Doyle was narrowed down to Elizabeth Montgomery and Eva Marie Saint. Although Montgomery was fine in her screen test, there was something well-bred about her that Kazan thought would not be becoming for Edie, who was raised on the waterfront in Hoboken, NJ. He gave the part to Saint, and she went on to win cinematic immortality, and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, in the part.
  • Although the part of Edie Doyle properly is a lead, producer Sam Spiegel listed Eva Marie Saint as a Supporting Actress in the hopes of getting her a nomination. The ploy worked, and she won the Oscar.
  • The DVD version of the film has a Special Features section which shows some of the original promotional posters which state that the film is about “the redemption of Terry Malone”. Marlon Brando’s character’s name was changed to Terry Malloy by the final draft.
  • The role of Terry’s brother Charley was originally offered to Lawrence Tierney. Tierney asked for too much money so the role went to Rod Steiger who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.
  • Selected as number 8 on AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 MOVIES
  • The Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) line, “You don’t understand. I could’ve had class. I could’ve been a contender. I could’ve been somebody instead of a bum, which I am.” was selected at No. 3 on American Film Institute’s (AFI) 100 YEARS..100 QUOTES.
  • In his biography of Elia Kazan, Richard Schickel describes how Kazan used a ploy to entice Marlon Brando to do the movie. He had Karl Malden direct a scene from the film with an up-and-coming fellow actor from the Actors Studio playing the Terry Malloy lead role. They figured the competitive Brando would not be eager to see such a major role handed to some new screen heartthrob. The ploy worked, especially since the competition had come in the form of a guy named Paul Newman.
  • In early drafts of the Budd Schulberg script, the Terry Malloy character was not an ex-pug dockworker but a cynical investigative reporter, as well as an older, divorced man.
  • Marlon Brando’s performance as Terry Malloy is ranked #2 on Premiere Magazine’s 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
  • Roger Donoghue (born 11/20/30 Yonkers, NY – died 8/20/06 Greenport, NY) was the prizefighter who Budd Schulberg credited with partly inspiring the famous line of Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), “I coulda been a contender”. He was Brando’s trainer for the film. He came up with the idea of putting little plastic tubes in Brando’s nose to represent scar tissue.
  • The movie’s line “I coulda been a contender.” was voted as the #7 of “The 100 Greatest Movie Lines” by Premiere in 2007.
  • Debut of Fred Gwynne.
  • Near the movie’s beginning, it’s amusing to see character actor James Westerfield, playing Big Mac, calling out names of men selected to work, and paying tribute to himself by yelling, “Westerfield.”
  • In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #19 Greatest Movie of All Time.
  • While preparing for the role, Marlon Brando became friendly with a young Al Lettieri, who was an acquaintance of real-life Mafiosos. Brando based much of his performance on Lettieri, who became his co-star in The Night of the Following Day and The Godfather.
  • Thomas Handley, (who played Terry Molloy’s teenage friend Tommy, was hired by the production to feed the pigeons on set. His father, a longshoreman, had been blackballed for anti-union activities, and disappeared when Hanley was 4 months old. Elia Kazan and Budd Schulberg had him audition for the role, and coaxed an angry response out of him by calling his father a rat. He was paid $500 for his role, but never really acted again. He went on to become a longshoreman, and in 2002 was elected recording secretary of his union after yet another corrupt leadership was ousted.
  • The film was shot by Elia Kazan at the aspect ratio of 1.37:1. It was originally offered to 20th Century Fox by Kazan, but was turned down by Darryl F. Zanuck because the film was shot in black & white and in the academy ratio of 1.37. Fox at the time was big into Cinemascope wide screen pictures. The film may have been exhibited in a few theaters at 1.66 or even 1.85, but was shot, and exhibited, in 1954, at 1.37:1.
  • While filming the scene in the back of the cab Marlon Brando would leave every day for a psychiatrist appointment before Rod Steiger could film his lines with a double standing in for Brando. Steiger was very hurt by Brando’s apparent disregard to a fellow colleague and was not able to forgive him until many years later.
  • Marlon Brando would improvise several different lines while filming the famous “I coulda been a contender” scene such as asking Rod Steiger “How’s mom?” or “Do you think the Yankees are going to win it this year?”. At one point director Elia Kazan said, “Buddy, cut the crap.”

Talking Points:

  • What is it about Brando and his acting (not particularly from this movie) that makes him considered one of if not “The best” actor of all time?
  • What the hell are they talking about?

What We’ve Learned:

  • Keep quiet, don’t ask no questions, don’t give no answers. You’ll live longer
  • Stoolin is when you rat on your friends.
  • Pigeons aren’t peaceful, but they are faithful
  • If your gonna scrap your whole life, might as well get paid for it.

Trailer

Recommendations:
Jeff: This was a pretty good classic movie. It’s still 1950’s style acting but I enjoyed it. I say at least give it a chance.
Ray: Honestly, this was a struggle for me to get through. I found the scenes between Brando and Saint entertaining, and the last 20 or so minutes good, but I really had a hard time getting into this film. In my mind it would have been more interesting to follow Karl Malden’s character around instead of Brando.
Steve: I definitely struggled through this movie. It was interesting, especially because I tend to like “mafia movies”, but it was so stylized and just drug along.

The Present: The Hunger Games
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% Fresh; 87% Audience

Directors: Gary Ross

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth

Trivia:

  • First part of a Trilogy series of young adult books by Suzanne Collins: ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Catching Fire’, ‘Mockingjay’.
  • Chloë Grace Moretz, Mary Mouser, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Lyndsy Fonseca, Saoirse Ronan, Emma Roberts, Kaya Scodelario, Emily Browning and Shailene Woodley were considered to play Katniss, the lead role. Jennifer Lawrence won the role.
  • Alex Pettyfer, Josh Hutcherson, Lucas Till, Nico Tortorella, Alexander Ludwig, Evan Peters and Hunter Parrish were considered to play Peeta Mellark. Hutcherson was later cast.
  • Liam Hemsworth, Chris Massoglia, David Henrie, Robbie Amell and Drew Roy were considered to play Gale. Hemsworth was ultimately cast.
  • Jennifer Lawrence was initially cast as the lead in Savages, but dropped out to do this film instead.
  • Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lawrence, both natural blondes, dyed their hair brown for their roles in the film while Josh Hutcherson, naturally dark-haired, dyed his hair blonde for his part.
  • Composer Danny Elfman left the film due to a scheduling conflict and was replaced by James Newton Howard.
  • Despite its high popularity with teenagers and adults, Lionsgate has admitted that the chances of Catching Fire and Mockingjay being converted into films all depend on the money that ‘The Hunger Games’ makes.
  • On February 22nd, four weeks before The Hunger Games’ release, Lionsgate began selling advance tickets. Not only did the ticket sales break the one-day record originally held by The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, but also accounted for 83% of the ticket sales of the day.
  • The name of the main character, Katniss, is derived from the name of a group of edible plant species, genus “Sagittaria”, commonly known as “arrowhead”. This is a reference to the character’s archery skills.
  • The fictional nation in the film is called Panem. This is derived from “Panem et Circenses,” or “Bread and Circuses,” which comes from the latter days of the Roman Empire, in which the government would keep the masses satisfied not by performing their public services well, but by providing violent and deadly entertainments for the people to watch, which is rather fitting for the subject matter of the film.
  • The director has stated that his decision to go with shaky cam work, “had a lot to do with the urgency of what’s going on and to reflect protagonist Katniss Everdeen’s point of view.”
  • The design for the Cornucopia was inspired by the work of architect Frank Gehry.
  • This is not the first time actors Jennifer Lawrence and Paula Malcomson (Katniss and Mrs Everdeen) have worked together playing mother and daughter. The previous time was in the “Cold Case”(2003)_ episode, ‘A Dollar, A Dream’ in which Malcomson plays a homeless mother struggling to support her two children. Lawrence’s character similarly had a very strained relationship with her mother, a deceased father, and blamed her surviving parent for their hardships.

Talking Points:

  • The Racism following the movie release
  • Twilight and Battle Royal comparisons
  • Books
  • Shaaaakeeycaaaaam
  • Sequel? excitement?
  • The end (last 5 mins or so)

What We Learned:

  • Nothing gets someones attention like shooting at them with an arrow.
  • Be careful what you put in your mouth it might kill you.
  • Hope tis the only thing stronger than fear
  • A spark is fine, as long as it’s contained
  • Fake romance always brings in the ratings!
  • Woody Harrelson is great at playing what we all think Woody Harrelson is like in real life.
  • Effie Trinket = frigid bitch 🙂
  • Look out for the genetically manipulated wasps!!
  • There SHOULD be only one!! (Highlander and Thunderdome got it right!)

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: I really liked this movie, despite my sinuses killing me and my need to pee, I was easily able to enjoy the entire thing, Worth seeing in the theatre, will now check out the book.
Ray: A decent film, although I found the book a lot more engaging, with more character development, and no shakeycam! It is entertaining and well done.
Steve: Totally enjoyed 2:15 of it. That last 7 minutes though…grr. Well shot and good story.

The Future: The Rift

Release: 7-7-2012 (limited)

Director: Robert Kouba

Starring: Eileen Grubba, James DiStefano, Ralph Guzzo

Summary:

For decades they have been watching us. Studying us. What are they? Nobody knows. Nobody but Ivan Petrenko Karkarov. The Russian physicist started to study a phenomenon which was occurring for several decades. In 1982 he found an answer to the strange phenomenon but before he could tell anyone he mysteriously vanished. 30 years later, in a suburb of Los Angeles, Dean Hollister seems to be a normal guy until strange radar anomalies appear throughout the world. All of a sudden something starts to happen at the sky, black rifts appear. Something is moving behind those rifts. It’s watching us.

Talking Points

  • Ok.. the budget on this thing is $20k …
  • The difference in the two teaser trailers… wtf? (agreed…Steve)
  • The Director
  • Did you read the comments on youtube? LOL

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Meh, I think I’ll pass, nothing special to me.
Ray: I guess im intrigued mainly because I want to see what a 20 year old can do with 20 grand 😀
Steve: OK…I need to see more than the teasers because I’m just way too confused. I think I have an idea of what’s going on. Looks kind of like a “made for SyFy” original though.

The Past:

[asa]B002ZD3V10[/asa]

[asa]B002ZG977Y[/asa]

The Present:

The Future:

Download Podcast

MOV097: “Roooooooooaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr”

It’s the 97th Reel of COL Movies, where the boys dig into the amber to revive DNA of Mr. Spielberg’s 1993 classic, “Jurassic Park”. In theaters, they go all eco-friendly and check out the newest adaptation of the Dr. Seuss story, “The Lorax”. In trailer-land, they head into space to see if it’s possible to save the president’s daughter from the nasty criminals who are orbiting the earth in “Lockout”. All this and news about Ninja Turtles, Prometheus, and the stupid kids – I mean, younger generation – who are lobbying theaters to allow texting during movies. Really? Why don’t we just allow them to start fires and have sex while they’re at it…but I digress… All this and who knows what else in Reel 97… “Roooooooooaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr”

[display_podcast]

News:

  • International Trailer

The Past: Jurassic Park (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% Fresh, 81% Audience

[asa]B0057RCFQS[/asa]

Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum

Trivia:

  • William Hurt was offered the role of Dr. Grant, but he turned it down without reading the book or the script.
  • Harrison Ford turned down the role of Dr. Alan Grant.
  • Richard Attenborough’s first acting role in 15 years.
  • Michael Crichton’s agents circulated the book to six studios and directors. Warner Brothers wanted it for Tim Burton to direct while Columbia was planning it for Richard Donner. Fox was also interested and was intending the project for Joe Dante, while Universal wanted ‘Steven Spielberg’ to direct. Crichton was reluctant to submit to a bidding war, He instructed his agents to put a set price on the film rights and he could decide who was more likely to actually get the film made. After interviewing all the prospective directors, he agreed to sell the rights to Universal and Steven Spielberg, who was already his first choice.
  • In Michael Crichton’s novel, John Hammond proudly says that the narrator on the prerecorded park tour is Richard Kiley. Later, Kiley was hired to play himself in that role for the movie; possibly the first instance of a celebrity appearing in a book, and then later cast as him or herself in the film version. This feat was not repeated until 2009, when boxer Paolo Roberto played himself in the film version of The Girl Who Played with Fire. He too was already previously featured as a character in the book.
  • The glass of water sitting on the dash of the Ford Explorer was made to ripple using a guitar string that was attached to the underside of the dash beneath the glass.
  • Director Steven Spielberg was worried that computer graphics meant Nintendo type cartoon quality. He originally only wanted the herd of gallimimus dinosaurs to be computer-generated, but upon seeing ILM’s demo animation of a T-rex chasing a herd of gallimimus across his ranch, he decided to shoot nearly all the dinosaur scenes using this method. The animation was first plotted on an Amiga Toaster, and rendered for the film by Silicon Graphics’ Indigo workstations.
  • Generally speaking, any shot of a full dinosaur was computer-generated, but shots of parts of dinosaurs were of animatronics.
  • The full-sized animatron of the tyrannosaurus rex weighed about 13,000 to 15,000 pounds. During the shooting of the initial T-rex attack scene that took place in a downpour and was shot on a soundstage, the latex that covered the T-rex puppet absorbed great amounts of water, making it much heavier and harder to control. Technicians worked throughout the night with blow driers trying to dry the latex out. Eventually, they suspended a platform above the T-rex, out of camera range, to keep the water off it during filming.
  • A baby triceratops was built for a scene where one of the kids rides it. Special effects technicians worked on this effect for a year but the scene was cut at the last minute as Steven Spielberg thought it would ruin the pacing of the film.
  • In the egg-hatching scene, a new-born baby triceratops was originally supposed to come out of the egg, but it was changed to a velociraptor..
  • Many errors were corrected digitally: some stunt people were made to look like the actors, and in one scene an entire Ford Explorer was digitally generated.
  • The first film to use DTS (now Datasat) digital surround sound.
  • To study the movement of the Gallimimus herd, the film’s digital artists were ordered to run along a stretch of road with some obstacles, their hands next to their chest.
  • At one point Lex is hanging from a floorboard between stories. She looks up for a moment. The stunt double looked up accidentally while filming and Ariana Richards’ face had to be superimposed in post production.
  • Fred Sorenson was the pilot who flew the crew off Kauai when the hurricane hit during production. He played Jock, the pilot who flew Indiana Jones away in the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark, also directed by Steven Spielberg.
  • In this film, Steven Spielberg directs the man who beat him to the Best Director Oscar in 1983 (Richard Attenborough, whose film Gandhi also beat Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial as Best Picture).
  • The computer in the back of the computer room with the many (65536) red LEDs is actually a real computer: The Connection Machine CM-5 made by Thinking Machines. It contained many SPARC 2 RISC processors and the LEDs were added to make the machine more aesthetically pleasing than their previous models. Unfortunately, it was not actually a very good supercomputer and the company failed not long afterward. The comment about networking eight connection machines is pretty superfluous as they were meant to be used like this. The bigger problem was writing programs that efficiently mapped onto the data parallel architecture.
  • According to Daan Sandee (Thinking Machines Corp), the CM-5 super computer used in the control room was one of only two ever built to that size (1024 nodes). The other machine was at Los Alamos. The machine used in the movie was sold as smaller segments after the scenes were complete. Mirrors were used to make it seem like more CM-5’s were present.
  • Steven Spielberg was so confident with this film that he started making his next film (Schindler’s List), placing post-production in the hands of George Lucas.
  • Steven Spielberg wanted the velociraptors to be about 10 feet tall, which was taller than they were known to be. During filming, paleontologists uncovered 10-foot-tall specimens of raptors called Utahraptors.
  • Dr. Malcolm’s quip that Sattler’s and Grant’s jobs are extinct is quoted from what puppeteer Phil Tippett said to Steven Spielberg when he decided to use CGI and not Go-Motion. Spielberg stuck it into the film.i.
  • On 11 September 1992, Hurricane Iniki hit the island of Kauai, delaying production of the film. Much of the crew helped in the clean up.
  • The scene where the T-Rex comes out of the bushes and eats the gallimimus was actually shot on the island of Oahu at Kualoa Ranch. This was the only outdoor scene not filmed on Kauai, due to Hurricane Iniki.
  • Ariana Richards was upset by the fact that an action figure of her character was not produced. (Kenner only made dolls of Grant, Sattler, Muldoon, Nedry, Tim, and eventually Malcolm.)
  • After making this movie, Ariana Richards developed a great interest in dinosaurs, and assisted Jack Horner (paleontologist advisor for the film and the inspiration for the Dr. Grant character) on an actual dinosaur dig in Montana the following summer.
  • All the merchandise (T-Shirts, stuffed dinosaurs, lunch boxes, flasks, etc.) shown in the film were, in some part, actually created to be sold with the movie.
  • Before Steven Spielberg decided to use animatronic dinosaurs and computer-generated effects, he wanted to use stop motion animation for the dinosaur effects and had Phil Tippett put together a short demo of the kitchen scene using claymation dinosaurs (Barbie dolls were substituted for the actual actors).
  • After Joseph Mazzello was turned down for a role in Steven Spielberg’s Hook for being too young, Spielberg told Mazzello that he was still impressed with his audition and would try to cast him in a future project. Mazzello was then cast as Tim in this movie. His casting led Spielberg to reverse the ages of the children, as he decided that casting a girl younger than Mazzello would be too young to be placed in danger. Lex was therefore made the older child, and the computer expert as well. In Crichton’s original novel, Tim is older, and is both the dinosaur and computer enthusiast.
  • Briefly held the box office record until it was beaten by Titanic.
  • Newspaper clippings on the fridge in Grant’s trailer read “Space Aliens Stole My Face” and “Dinosaurs On Mars!”
  • The novel was published in 1990. However, pre-production of the film began in 1989, using only Michael Crichton’s manuscript. It was widely believed that the book would be such a hit that it would make an outstanding movie. It turns out that assumption was correct.
  • The original idea for Jurassic Park, came from Michael Crichton’s attempt in 1983 to write a screenplay about a Pterodactyl being cloned from an egg. The screenplay and movie never came to fruition. Originally, Crichton’s novel was rejected by his “people”, a group of about 5 or 6 personal acquaintances who always read his drafts before he sends them off. After several rejections, Crichton finally figured out what was wrong: he had originally intended for the story to be through the eyes of a child who was at the park when the dinosaurs escaped, which his peers felt was too ridiculous, and could not identify with the character. Michael Crichton re-wrote the story as it is today, and it became a huge hit. (The story also incorporates the “amusement park run amok” element of Michael Crichton’s Westworld.)
  • In the scene where the survivors are crawling through vent spaces, the computer monitors are shining on the raptor after them. This is usually mistaken as being the shadows from the air vents. It’s the letters GATC, the four letters used to denote the components of DNA.
  • For the part where the T-Rex catches a Galliminus and shakes it in his mouth, the sound was taken from a dog shaking a toy in its mouth.
  • The release strategy was planned 15 months before the studio had the chance to see a frame of the movie.
  • In the shots of the gift shop, clearly visible is a book entitled “The Making of Jurassic Park” by Don Shay and Jody Duncan. This title was published but tells the behind the scenes story of how the film was made. Jody Duncan also wrote the “Making Of” book for The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
  • Steven Spielberg considered hiring Bob Gurr to do the full size dinosaurs because he was impressed with his apes in the “Kongfrontation” ride at Universal Studios.
  • When the T-Rex comes through the glass roof of the Explorer in the first attack, the glass was not meant to break, producing the noticeably genuine screams from the children.
  • Later in the movie, as one of the jeeps pulls up, right before they get out, the camera zooms in on the jeep door. The Jurassic Park logo is on the door, but it is covered in mud so that the only words that can be read is “ur ass Park”, perhaps a subtle joke about many of the characters getting hurt or killed in the movie.
  • Universal paid Michael Crichton $2 million for the rights to his novel before it was even published.
  • Steven Spielberg was in the very early stages of pre-production for the film “ER” (based on a Michael Crichton novel), when he heard about the “Jurassic Park” book. He subsequently dumped what he was doing to make the film. Afterwards, he returned to “ER” and helped develop it into a hit TV series (ER).
  • To give the 1993 Ford Explorer XLTs the appearance that they were driverless and were running on an electric track, the SUVs were driven by remote from the rear cargo area of the vehicle. The driver was hidden under the Ford Explorer’s cargo canvas, which was always pulled closed during filming. To see where to steer the SUV, the driver watched a small TV that was fed outside images via two cameras. One camera was mounted on the dash in front of the steering wheel, and the other was mounted on the lower center portion of the front bumper, above a black box. Both cameras can be clearly seen in the movie several times.
  • Anna Chlumsky auditioned for the role of Lex.
  • In the book, the sick animal is a Stegosaurus, said by Ian Malcolm to be sick because the Jurassic era air had more oxygen than the Holocene, part of the chaos theory.
  • The company name “InGen” is the Norwegian, Danish and Swedish word for “nobody”.
  • Director Steven Spielberg and author Michael Crichton first met over two decades earlier, when Spielberg gave Crichton a tour of Universal Studios during the production of The Andromeda Strain.
  • Was followed by two sequels. There were plans for a fourth film, but they were immediately scrapped in late 2008, after the death of Michael Crichton.
  • As the movie was released in Costa Rica, local theater owners scratched/blurred the San Jose tag during the scene when Nedry waits for his contact in what supposedly was the country’s capital, because the local audiences reacted negatively to inaccuracies in the scene’s geography.
  • There are only 15 minutes of actual dinosaur footage in the film: 9 minutes are Stan Winston’s animatronics, 6 minutes of it is ILM’s CGI.
  • The real species called Velociraptor was much smaller (about turkey-sized) than the animals in the film and were believed to have been feathered. They were part of bipedal, bird-like predators of the family Dromaeosauridae, some of which were even larger than the “velociraptors” in the film.
  • Much of the behavior seen in the film is based on modern wild animals, since little is known of the actual behavior of dinosaurs.
  • The picture that can be seen taped to programmer Dennis Nedry’s computer monitor is of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The picture is partly obscured by a post-it with an atomic bomb mushroom cloud drawn on it.
  • Years after this film wrapped, it was discovered due to fossil impressions of velociraptor skin that they were feathered, implying that Grant was indeed right that they evolved into birds.
  • Richard Attenborough plays Joseph Mazzello’s grandfather. He subsequently cast Mazzello in his next film, Shadowlands.
  • Grant and Sattler unearth a velociraptor skeleton in Montana early in the film, and later encounter live velociraptors that are about the size of a full grown human. In reality, velociraptors were only about half the size of the animals seen in the film, and their remains have mainly been found in Asia, never in Montana. The species identified as velociraptor in the film is actually more consistent with Deinonychus. When Michael Crichton was doing his research, scientific thinking was that Velociraptor and Deinonychus were variations on the same species.
  • Hammond (Richard Attenborough) creates the dinosaurs from DNA trapped in amber. He also carries around a cane capped with a mosquito in amber. Attenborough’s brother is naturalist David Attenborough, who has his own collection of animals trapped in amber. This was the focus of The Natural World: The Amber Time Machine.
  • Steven Spielberg delayed the beginning of filming by several weeks to get the cast he wanted. First he allowed Richard Attenborough to finish post-production on his own film Chaplin before committing to the film. He also waited until Sam Neill could finish filming Family Pictures. Neill ended up only having a weekend off between finishing that film and starting this one.
  • Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) dresses entirely in black in both this film and its sequel. In the book, he tells Ellie Sattler that he only ever dresses in black and gray, so that he never has to waste time thinking about what to wear. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) gives the same reason for his monotonous fashion sense in The Fly.
  • Alan Grant is modeled after Paleontologist Jack Horner who, like Grant, digs and teaches in Montana, and was also a technical advisor on this film.
  • The scene where Grant, Tim and Lex meet the heard of Gallimimuses was scheduled to be the last scene shot on location in Kauai. When Hurricane Iniki hit, filming for this scene had to be postponed. Production returned to California and then, a few weeks later, Sam Neill, Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards had to travel back to Hawaii, but this time to the island of Oahu, to shoot the scene.
  • The guest’s encounter with the sick Triceratops ends without any clear explanation as to why the animal is sick. Michael Crichton’s original novel and the screenplay, however, includes an explanation: the Stegosaur/Triceratops lacked suitable teeth for grinding food and so, like birds, would swallow rocks and use them as gizzard stones. In the digestive tract, these rocks would grind the food to aid in digestion. After six weeks, the rocks would become too smooth to be useful, and the animal would regurgitate them. When finding and eating new rocks to use, the animal would also swallow West Indian Lilac berries. The fact that the berries and stones are regurgitated explains why Ellie never finds traces of them in the animal’s excrement.
  • It was while supervising post-production on this film that George Lucas decided that technology was good enough to begin work on the Star Wars prequels. Appropriately, Samuel L. Jackson was able to appear in those films as well.
  • Jodie Foster, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ally Sheedy, Geena Davis, Daryl Hannah, Jennifer Grey, Kelly McGillis, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julia Roberts, Linda Hamilton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bridget Fonda, Joan Cusack, and Debra Winger were all considered for the role of Dr. Ellie Sattler.
  • Michael Crichton has said that his views on science and genetic engineering are largely expressed by Ian Malcolm. Steven Spielberg saw many parallels to himself in the character of John Hammond. Fittingly, he cast a fellow filmmaker in the role, who begins his tour of the park by showing a film, in which he also acts. While Malcolm is dressed entirely in black, Hammond wears all white.
  • The character played by Cameron Thor is named Lewis Dodgson. Author of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” Lewis Carroll was born with the name Charles Dodgson. Since both the first and last names of the character are written with the less common spellings which Carroll used, this is a fairly obvious nod to him, although the reason for the joke is unclear. Lewis Carroll’s novel is referenced again when Nedry names his program to sabotage the park security systems “White Rabbit.”
  • The crew were caught in a very dangerous Hurricane, Hurricane Iniki which hit the island of Kauai. The film-makers managed to capture shots from the Hurricane and use it in the movie. This incident was told in a recent episode of Storm Stories.
  • The tyrannosaur paddock set was constructed both on location and as a studio set. The former was for the daytime scene in which the creature fails to appear, and the latter for its nighttime escape, in order to accommodate Stan Winston’s robotic t-rex. This set required a soundstage much bigger than Universal had to offer, so it was filmed at Warner Bros.
  • The sounds made by the Dilophosaurus were a combination of the sounds of howler monkeys, hawks, rattlesnakes, and swans. The main cry of the Velicoraptors was a combination of the sounds of elephant seal pups, dolphins and walruses. The elephant seal sounds were recorded at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA, a marine mammal hospital that rehabilitates and releases sick and injured seals and sea lions.
  • The Tyrannosaurus’ roars were a combination of dog, penguin, tiger, alligator, and elephant sounds.
  • The sounds made by the Brachiosaurs were a combination of whale and donkey sounds.
  • Except for some very brief glimpses in the opening scene, the adult velociraptors – often cited as the most memorable dinosaurs in this film – don’t make an on-screen appearance until over 103 minutes into the movie.
  • While discussing chaos theory, Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) shamelessly flirts with Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern). After meeting on this film, the two actors began a romantic relationship, and were engaged for two years before breaking up.
  • The film cut out many species of dinosaur that were featured in the novel for budgetary and technological reasons. One of these was a small, chicken-sized dinosaur called Procompsognathids, which later made an appearance in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Dr. Wu explains their reason for having this creature: Dinosaur excrement, he presumes, would have been bio-degradable during the Cenozoic era. However, in the modern day, bacteria have evolved to the point that it is no longer able to break down dinosaur waste, and the larger dinosaurs produce quite a lot of it. “Compys,” as they are called, eat the other dinosaurs’ waste and then excrete it themselves in smaller piles which are more easily broken down by present-day bacteria. The lack of compys in the film may explain the mountain of excrement that Ellie finds.
  • Phil Tippett became quite depressed when he learned that none of the stop-motion creatures he had been developing would be used in the film. However, shortly after that decision had been made, ILM animators discovered they did actually have a use for him. While none of his stop-motion models would be seen in the film, his techniques were determined to be quite useful in animating the computer-generated dinosaurs, especially given how much research he had put into animal movement. Rather than creating the dinosaur motion using key-frame animation, it was decided to build a stop-motion armature for each computer generated dinosaur and manipulate it as they would for a stop-motion film. These armatures were specially built with motion-sensors, and linked up to the animated dinosaurs being created on the computer. Thus, the motion of the stop-motion armature was directly translated into the computer-generated version that appears in the final film.
  • Shortly after Nedry makes his first appearance in the control room, during his argument with Hammond, you can clearly see the movie Jaws playing in a small video window on one of Nedry’s computer screens. That movie was, of course, directed by Steven Speilberg.
  • When Hurricane Iniki hit, the cast and crew were all required to move into the ballroom of the hotel they were staying in. Richard Attenborough, however, stayed in his hotel room, and slept through the entire event. When asked how he could possibly have done this, Attenborough replied, “My dear boy, I survived the blitz!”

Talking Points:

  • Does it hold up? VR Display, CD Rom …
  • The Score

What We’ve Learned:

  • Fat guys eating are almost always the villain
  • Auto-erotica <> Animatronic
  • Life will not be contained, life finds a way
  • Don’t be so preoccupied with could that you don’t worry about weather you should!
  • Discovery is a vile penetrative act that scars what it explores
  • Keep your windows UP! don’t move! and stay in the dang car!
  • Animals are never out in the zoo when you WANT to see them
  • Anything all can and does happen
  • If it’s heavy it’s expensive
  • Creation is an act of force
  • Control is an illusion

Trailer

Recommendations:
Jeff: Always considered a classic in my book. This was the introduction to a new age of digital effects and was absolutely brilliantly done. If you haven’t seen this before, what is wrong with you. Buy it for your DVD or digital library NOW.
Ray: Still holds up, the score still gives me goosebumps. If you have not seen this you should. No it’s not Shakespeare but it is what I consider the perfect Spielberg action movie. Wonder, punctuated with moments of absolute terror.
Steve: Overall…amazing movie! Really pushed the boundaries at the time it was made and comes off as a classic. Scary, in a “don’t mess with nature” kind of way – without being preachy.

The Present: Dr. Seuss The Lorax
Rotten Tomatoes: 57% Rotten; 72% Audience

Directors: Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda

Starring: Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Danny DeVito

Trivia:

  • The characters of Ted and Audrey are named after Dr. Seuss (whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel) and his second wife Audrey Geisel.
  • Danny DeVito will also be the voice of The Lorax for the Spanish, Russian, Italian and German dubbed versions.
  • This is the first film to feature Universal’s 100th Anniversary logo.
  • Unlike the original book, the Once-ler is shown fully in the story as a human. Executive producer Christopher Meledandri said of the change, “The minute you make the Once-ler a monster, you allow the audience to interpret that the problem is caused by somebody who is different from me, and it ceases to be a story that is about all of us. Then it’s a story about, ‘Oh I see, the person who led us into the predicament is not a person. It’s somebody very, very different.’ And so it takes you off the hook.”
  • The film premiered on March 2, 2012 – Dr. Seuss’s 108th birthday.
  • Craig Ferguson was considered to play the Lorax.
  • Argentinian film producer Axel Kuschevatzky dubbed Mr. O’Hare on the Latin American Spanish speaking prints of the movie.
  • Despite being the two main characters of the film, The Lorax and Ted never appear in a scene together.

Talking Points:

  • The Controversy , The Message

What We Learned:

  • If you put things in plastic bottles, people will buy it.
  • If a guy does a stupid thing once, it’s because he’s a guy. If it’s twice it’s because of a girl.
  • Bears can be used as defibrillators
  • Sleep is the body’s way of telling other people to go away.
  • The Tree falls the way it leans, so be careful which way you lean

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: Very cute film and neat retelling of the Dr. Seuss story. Definitely a kids movie. Take the kids to the theater, but for yourself, could just wait for DVD or Streaming.
Ray: Cute film, even if the message is a little bit heavy handed. It was entertaining, not sure if the 3D was really worth it, but it did make the thing pop off the screen.
Steve:. I’m generally all for animation…and I’m a fan of Dr. S! However, I was just entertained by the visuals – not much at all by dialogue or overall story. So…it looked good. That’s all I can offer.

The Future: Lockout

Release: March 30, 2012

Director: James Mather, Stephen St. Leger

Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare

Summary:

A man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the U.S. is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president’s daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates.

Talking Points

  • Anyone else get an escape from new york vibe with this? rescue in a prison.. main characters name is snow instead of snake

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Looks like a fun sci-fi B-ish movie. I’ll see it, but not any sort of priority.
Ray: Looks ok, not sure I’d run out to see it, but definitely a rental or Netflix
Steve: Looks exciting, but probably saw the best of it in the trailer. Con-Air in space? Comes off as a rental to me.

Coming Attractions

The Past:

[asa]B00003CXBU[/asa]

The Present:

The Future:

Download Podcast

MOV096: “VIRGINIA!”

In this reel of COL Movies, Carlos returns. We head to the past to check out the southern woman drama “Crimes of the Heart”. In the present, we take a look at Disney’s “John Carter”. Is it a Mars Epic or an epic failure. Lastly we take a look at Intruders. Can you tell Steve picked out the movies this week? In the news we discuss reboots, remakes and sequels. It’s the 96th reel of COL Movies “VIRGINIA!”

[display_podcast]

News:

The Past: Crimes of The Heart (1986)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% Fresh, 54% Audience

[asa]B00030AZDE[/asa]

Director: Bruce Beresford

Starring: Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange

Trivia:

  • Jessica Lange was pregnant during shooting.
  • The original Broadway production of “Crimes of the Heart” opened at the John Golden Theater in New York on 2/4/1981, ran for 535 performances and was nominated for the 1982 Tony Award for the Best Play. Beth Henley wrote the original stage play and the screen play on which this movie was based.
  • The play “Crimes of the Heart” won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1981

Talking Points:

  • Identifying with the movie
  • Peanuts and coke!
  • Product Placement! Coke, Golden Griddle, Breyers Ice Cream

What We’ve Learned:

  • It’s a human need to talk about our lives
  • Having sex with a black teenager apparently makes you a liberal
  • Birthday wishes don’t count unless you have a cake
  • The more candles on a cake, the stronger the wish

Trailer
I got nothing.

Recommendations:
Jeff: This was a sweet southern chick flick. Not something I’ll probably think about watching again but if it interests you, check it out.
Ray: This is a generally enjoyable movie, although a bit dated.It feels like a lifetime movie of the week. It’s quite possible that I grew a vagina while watching it. It does do a good job of capturing a certain feel of the south, and of sisters interactions with each other which I really Identified with.
Carlos: sigh. This movie makes you sigh; it’s so exactly what it is. Revelations of the past, nosy neighbors, quirks, crying, death, love, odd moments of intimacy. It’s not that these kind of movies are bad it’s just that I’ve seen them so much I really need to be made to care. These actresses kind of made me care.

The Present: John Carter
Rotten Tomatoes: 49% Rotten; 72% Audience

Director: Andrew Stanton

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Colins, Willem Dafoe

Trivia:

  • In 2004 – when the project was still known as “A Princess of Mars” after the book on which it’s based – Robert Rodriguez had originally been signed and announced as director and had begun pre-production early that year (it would have been his largest project to date with starting budget reported at $100 million). Rodriguez’ most notable contribution was to hire fantasy painter Frank Frazetta (whose most acclaimed works have included striking illustrations of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, most notably the “John Carter on Mars” books) as production designer on the film. However, when Rodriguez resigned from the Directors’ Guild of America (DGA) the same year (due to a dispute over his film Sin City), Paramount was forced to replace him. The studio has a long-standing arrangement with the DGA in which only the organization’s members may direct Paramount films. He was replaced with director Kerry Conran, who had just finished Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. In 2005, Conran left the project and was replaced by Jon Favreau just before the release of Favreau’s movie Zathura: A Space Adventure; Favreau was on-board to direct until around August 2006. At this time Paramount chose not to renew the film rights, preferring to focus on Star Trek, and Favreau left to work on Iron Man. In January 2007 Disney regained the rights (they had rights to film the story previously: in the 1980s with director John McTiernan), and enlisted Andrew Stanton from Pixar to direct.
  • “A Princess of Mars” was originally published as “Under the Moons of Mars” by Norman Bean (Edgar Rice Burroughs’ pseudonym) in The All-Story (six pulp magazine issues February – July, 1912). Burroughs was originally afraid that he might be ridiculed for writing such a tale, so he decided to use a pen name. The pseudonym was supposed to be a pun “Normal Bean” (as in “I’m a normal being”) to reassure people, but the man who typeset the text thought it was a mistake, so he changed it to “Norman”. However, Burroughs’ fears turned out to be unfounded: the story and its sequels, collectively known as the “Barsoom series”, were almost as popular (and arguably more influential) as those of his most famous creation, Tarzan.
  • Jon Hamm and Josh Duhamel were considered for the role of John Carter.
  • Probably holds the record for having the longest period of “development hell” for any movie, at 79 years. Preproduction for a film version first started in 1931, when Robert Clampett (director of ‘Looney Tunes’) approached author Edgar Rice Burroughs to make an animated feature out of the first book in the series, “A Princess of Mars” (the same story that this film is an adaptation of). Had plans gone through, ‘John Carter’ could have become the world’s first animated feature, beating Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The film finally left development hell in January 2010 when filming officially started in London.
  • The music in the first theatrical trailer uses two instrumental arrangements of “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin. The first (starting at 0:53) was performed by Australian/British string quartet Bond, the second (starting at 1:25) was performed by Corner Stone Cues (this arrangement is called “Ten Years Kashmir Mvt II (Orch, Choir & Perc Mix))”.
  • This marks the third live-action film under the Disney banner to earn a PG-13 rating in the United States. The first being Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (not counting its sequels as they are of the same film franchise) and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
  • Taylor Kitsch claimed to have suffered liver problems due to his rigorous diet and physical training for this film, 5losing 30 pounds in the process.
  • The Teaser features the song “My Body is a Cage”, originally written by Arcade Fire. The version used in the teaser is by Peter Gabriel, released on his 2011 album of cover versions, “Scratch My Back”.
  • The first “John Carter” story by Edgar Rice Burroughs made its debut in 1912 in a magazine serial. Thus, the 2012 feature film marks the centenary (100th anniversary) of the character’s first appearance.
  • The film was originally titled and marketed as “John Carter of Mars”, but director Andrew Stanton removed “of Mars” to make it more appealing to a broader audience, stating that the film is an “origin story… It’s about a guy becoming John Carter of Mars.”
  • Dedicated to the memory of Steve Jobs.
  • When Jon Favreau learned that Andrew Stanton had picked up the film, he gave him a call congratulating him and requesting that he could play a Thark. Favreau voices a “Thark Bookie”.

Talking Points:

  • Plot Holes??
  • Inconsistent physicality (Jumping Fighting Breaking Chains)
  • He can suddenly talk and hear martian how again?
  • Martians can tell an Earth human from a Martian human (even before the jumping)
  • Woola
  • The Cost of this film (just because you have the money, does not mean you should use it)

What We Learned:

  • Being a fool is a great luxury
  • War is a shameful thing unless a noble cause is taken up by those that can make a difference
  • Everyone thinks that their cause is virtuous.

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: I liked this movie. It was a little tough to get into at the beginning but once it got to Mars I was with it. Not that great of a movie so I can understand the critics rating but it still worth seeing. DVD would probably be fine though
Ray: I feel that this should have been named John Carter and the Plot Holes of Mars, a visually interesting film that ultimately and unfortunately fell flat in the plot and action departments for me. It felt a lot longer than it already was. I hear that the source material is wonderful though. I hope this black mark is quickly and quietly erased from Andrew Stantons permanent record. The one bright star for me in this was Woola! I want a Woola!
Carlos: I want more dogs. More dogs. I also want more information. Who was that? Why was this? I normally don’t care about holes…except when all you have is holes. But pretty, decent acting, just needs to be better. It’s makes it to decent, but from decent to good or good to great, it has a lot of work to do.

The Future: Intruders

Release: Limited March 30, 2012

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadilllo

Starring: Clive Owen, Carice van Houten. Izán Corchero

Summary:

Two children living in different countries are visited nightly by a faceless being who wants to take possession of them

Talking Points

  • Not sure that the whole two different countries thing is really all that apparent in the trailer.
  • Release Date

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Oh, another scary freak me the “f” out movie. Great.
Ray: Not sure I’d go to the theater on my own to see this (not because it looks scary) but I think I’d be more scared watching this on my own at home.
Carlos: I’m confused. I just can’t decide.

Coming Attractions

The Past:

[asa]B0057RCFQS[/asa]

The Present:

The Future:

Download Podcast

MOV095: “Hut Hut Hut!”

In this reel of COL Movies, Carlos Joins us again as we journey back into the past to take a look at the 1962 movie that put the Epic in EPIC! Lawrence of Arabia. Does the Majesty of the film translate through the years. Or is the grandeur lost on today’s smaller screens and modern audiences. Next we take a slightly convoluted journey into the present by looking at Disney’s re-release of the Studio Ghibli film The Secret World of Arriety. Do the boys all fall under the warm and fuzzy spell of Mitazaki San? Finally the boys jump into the undefined future for a look at the bizzare crazy and chaotic John Dies at the End. Does this trailer grab us despite the chaos or does it intrigue us? All that plus news about Prometheus, Johnny Depp with a bird on his head, an Avengers sequel and more on this the 95th Reel of COL:Movies “Hut Hut Hut”

[display_podcast]

News:

The Past: Lawrence of Arabia
Rotten Tomatoes: 98% Fresh, 91% Audience

[asa]B0016K40KY[/asa]

Director: David Lean

Starring: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn

Trivia:

  • Although 227 minutes long, this film has no women in speaking roles. It is reportedly the longest film not to have any dialog spoken by a woman.
  • Almost all movement in the film goes from left to right. David Lean said he did this to emphasize that the film was a journey
  • While filming, Peter O’Toole referred to co-star Omar Sharif as “Fred,” stating that “no one in the world is called Omar Sharif. Your name must be Fred.”
  • To film Omar Sharif’s entrance through a mirage, Freddie Young used a special 482mm lens from Panavision. Panavision still has this lens, and it is known among cinematographers as the “David Lean lens”. It was created specifically for this shot and has not been used since.
  • During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1970s, Peter O’Toole was describing just how long the movie took to make by referring to the scene when T.E. Lawrence and Gen. Allenby, after their meeting, continue talking while walking down a staircase. According to O’Toole, part of the scene had to be reshot much later, “so in the final print, when I get to the bottom of the stairs, I’m a year older than I was when I started walking down them.”
  • Peter O’Toole claims he never viewed the completed film until nearly two decades after its original release, by which time he was highly impressed.
  • Alec Guinness had a life-long interest in T.E. Lawrence, and had played him in a production of Terence Rattigan’s play “Ross” on stage. Guinness wanted very much to play Lawrence, but David Lean and Sam Spiegel both told him he was too old. Laurence Olivier was the original choice for Prince Feisal, and Guinness was shifted to that role when Olivier turned it down.
  • In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #7 Greatest Movie of All Time.
  • June 2008 Ranked #1 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 10 greatest films in the genre “Epic”.
  • In an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Peter O’Toole confessed quite proudly that, out of fear of falling off during a big camel riding scene, he and Omar Sharif decided to get absolutely hammered and then tied themselves down on the camels before shooting. By his own admission, he was so drunk he had no idea where he was or what he was doing for the entire scene (attack on Akaba)
  • Peter O’Toole was nearly killed during the first take of the Aqaba scene. A gun (used to signal the beginning of the scene) went off prematurely, and O’Toole’s camel panicked, throwing him to the ground, while the extras on horseback began charging. Fortunately for O’Toole, his camel stayed still and stood over O’Toole, saving him from being trampled.
  • The film took longer to make than it did for the real T.E. Lawrence to go from lieutenant to colonel, to see the desert tribes united and tip the balance in the Allies’ favor against the Turks in World War I.
  • Steven Spielberg estimated that to make the film today would cost in the region of $285 million
  • When first telecast (by ABC-TV), the film was shown in two parts on two successive nights because of its four-hour length. Even so, it was edited so that Lawrence’s rape by the Turks was even less explicit (and less comprehensible) than in the original film.

Talking Points:

  • What do you think was T.E. Lawrence’s motivation?
  • The no image over music disclaimer (and Ray’s confusing iPad rip)
  • The big gay gorilla in the corner of the room
  • First Person Camel!
  • Is it possible to truly enjoy this film at home on a normal sized television?
  • Omar Sharif Quote: ”If you are the man with the money and somebody comes to you and says he wants to make a film that’s four hours long, with no stars, and no women, and no love story, and not much action either, and he wants to spend a huge amount of money to go film it in the desert–what would you say?”

What We’ve Learned:

  • Motorcycle = WEAR A HELMET
  • The Trick is not minding that it hurts!
  • Big things have small beginnings
  • Only two types of creatures have fun in the desert, Bedouins and Gods.
  • Dreaming won’t get you to Damascus
  • Young people must say their say, but wise people must decide.
  • Nothing is written.
  • Life’s a vale of troubles.
  • There may be honor among thieves, but none among politicians.

Trailer

Recommendations:
Jeff: And another long epic movie. This movie suffers alot from lag with the intent to inspire the feeling of the long journeys through the desert and such. When it gets to the point, we have some good stuff. Although at times I swear I had flashbacks to Priscilla.
Ray: So, yes it’s a long movie, and probably one of the strangest long movies I’ve ever watched. If you have an opportunity to watch this on some sort of large format screen and have the time and patience for the film.. go for it. I actually want to re-watch this again once the Blu-ray comes out in June.
Carlos: This is the protypical David Lean movie: long, intelligent, beautiful, male, well acted, long, long, long. It’s kind of a British thing. Only they will make a film about a controversial historical figure, show it all it’s depth and beauty, and then bore you to tears if you don’t buy it. Watch it when you have time, when you have a big beautiful screen and when the Blu-Ray comes out. Also, Peter O’Toole is beautiful.

The Present: The Secret World of Arrietty
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Fresh; 88% Audience

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Starring: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett

Trivia:

  • Directorial debut of animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi.
  • Hayao Miyazaki began the development stages in July of 2008. His original plans included a run time of 80 minutes and the film to be titled “Chiisana Arrietty” (Little Arrietty).
  • Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata had considered adapting the novel for the past 40 years.
  • The story takes place in 2010 in Western Tokyo’s neighborhood of Koganei. Koganei is also where Studio Ghibli is located.
  • At 36 years old Hiromasa Yonebayashi, was the youngest person to direct a film for Studio Ghibli.
  • 7.5 million people saw the film in theaters, an all-time record in Japan for a movie with a first time director.
  • The fourth feature film from Studio Ghibli to not be directed by Hayao Miyazaki or studio co-founder Isao Takahata.
  • French singer Cécile Corbel, a big fan of Studio Ghibli’s films, had sent the studio her second album as a gift back in 2009. Toshio Suzuki listened to it, was seduced and thus decided to hire her to compose the film’s score.
  • Nervous at the idea of directing the film himself, Hiromasa Yonebayashi would initially always seek Hayao Miyazaki advice and opinions. He eventually realized he was on a journey he should face alone when the time came to draw the storyboard, and Miyazaki congratulated him for it.
  • In the U.S. version, Bridgit Mendler and David Henrie play the lead characters who become best of friends. Prior, the two played boyfriend and girlfriend on the show Wizards of Waverly Place.
  • In the Borrowers’ home, they have three cups with playing card symbols (heart, diamond, and club). The only symbol they do not have is the spade, which in many cultures is considered to be bad luck.

Talking Points:

  • The Whimsical vs the sad
  • Sort of Japanese / Celtic hybrid music.
  • Why do you think we do not see films like this directly from Disney anymore?
  • The Great Anime Collapse

What We Learned:

  • Children are more vicious than grown ups
  • Borrowers only take what they need
  • You can’t live a life built on nothing but wishes.

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: What can I say? All these type of movies have such a charm to them. I can’t help myself but to enjoy the movie. Go see it in the theaters. This is the type of storytelling we need to support.
Ray: What can I say, it’s a Studio Ghibli / Miyazaki film. Miyazaki is able to take stories and breathe so much life, whimsy and emotion into the world he creates. It’s like the man ejaculates color right onto the film. It warms my heart to see animation like this in American theaters so I can do nothing but recommend that you go.
Carlos: Some folks just love Studio Ghibli no matter what they do, but it’s deserved. Unlike previous films, this one is less about a glorious wonderful world and more about the intimacies of family and friends. What does work is the beauty of the painted backgrounds, the voice acting and the idea of friendship between very different, but not so different beings.

The Future: John Dies At The End

Release: Not Announced (see it at SXSW)

Director: Don Coscarelli

Starring: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti

Summary:

It’s a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. On the street they call it Soy Sauce, and users drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly a silent otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David, a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs. Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity? No. No, they can’t.

Talking Points

  • Somehow getting a “Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas” Meets a Horror flick vibe

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Wait, what just happened? Umm, okay. Well, it could be good, with Paul Giamatti and all, but seriously, I felt like I must have been on some of this “Soy Sauce” or something. I’ll just give it a Meh.
Ray: To be honest.. It had me at Paul Giamatti and from the Creators of Phantasm and Bubba-Ho-Tep
Carlos: I love that it’s crazy and wacky, and a cracked.com writer is involved. I love the Giamatti is in it. I love the opening shot with the snow and the field and the hammer. I may hate this movie but I loved trailer.

Coming Attractions

The Past:

[asa]B00030AZDE[/asa]

The Present:

The Future:

Download Podcast

MOV094: “If you’re going to hell, I’ll just come pick you up.”

In this reel of COL Movies, Ray and Jeff head back in tme to discover what teen angst was in the 1955 classic “Rebel Without A Cause.” In the present, they check out the actiony romantic comedy “This Means War!” Where’s Steven when we’re watching a Tom Hardy flick? Then they look to the future and the new John Cusack thriller, “The Raven.” Will the boys go see it or will they nevermore? This and Oscar news on the 94th reel of COL Movies, “If you’re going to hell, I’ll just come pick you up.”

[display_podcast]

News:

The Past: Rebel Without A Cause
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% Fresh, 87% Audience

[asa]B0007US7EO[/asa]

Director: Nicholas Ray

Starring: James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo

Trivia:

  • Director Nicholas Ray researched L.A. gangs by riding around with them for several nights.
  • For the knife fight between Jim (James Dean) and Buzz (Corey Allen), the actors used real switchblades and protected themselves by wearing chainmail under their vests.
  • James Dean did not get malaria during filming, as some have reported. Nick Adams had a relapse of an old case of malaria he got while he was a merchant marine.
  • James Dean badly bruised his hand during the police station scene where he physically vents his rage on a precinct desk and had to wear an elastic bandage for a week.
  • In the final scene where the camera pulls away from the observatory, director Nicholas Ray is the person walking toward the building. (possible director’s trademark for it is rumored he appeared in all of his movies)
  • Originally in the beginning of the movie, there was a gang beating up a father, who drops a toy on the sidewalk. The studio thought it was too violent, so it was cut. Jim Stark can be seen playing with the toy after he finds it on the ground during the opening credits
  • T-shirt sales soared after James Dean wore one in this film.
  • Jim Backus who played James Dean’s father and was the voice of Mr. Magoo, taught Dean how to do the Mr. Magoo voice which Dean then used to deliver the line, “Drown them like puppies.”
  • Natalie Wood was first considered too naive and wholesome for the role of Judy. She began changing her looks and eventually attracted the notice of director Nicholas Ray, who began an affair with her but still would not guarantee her the part, though he eventually relented. Both Ray and Wood later claimed that he changed his mind after she was in a car accident with Dennis Hopper and someone in the hospital called her a “goddamn juvenile delinquent”.
  • Jim Stark was actually first intended to be more of a nerd, wearing a brown jacket and glasses. However, when Warner Bros. told director Nicholas Ray to re-shoot in color, Ray, as well as costumer Moss Mabry, wanted him to wear red.
  • The empty pool in which the characters sit and discuss their lives first appeared in Sunset Blvd.. The pool had been built specially for the earlier film, as a condition of renting the site from its owner, Mrs J. Paul Getty.
  • Margaret O’Brien tested for the role of Judy but was rejected by Nicholas Ray after he described her answers to his probing questions as “too pat”. Jayne Mansfield also tested but Ray declined to film her audition, considering her ‘an hallucination’ from the Warners casting department.
  • An alternative ending was shot in which Plato falls from the tower of the planetarium.
  • All three lead actors, James Dean, Sal Mineo, and Natalie Wood, died young under tragic circumstances: Dean died in a car accident, Mineo was stabbed, and Wood drowned. In addition, Edward Platt committed suicide in 1974.
  • The opening scene in the movie with Jim Stark and the toy monkey was improvised by James Dean after the production had been shooting for nearly 24 hours straight. He asked Nicholas Ray to roll the camera, that he wanted to do something. Ray obliged and the improvisation went on to become the famous opening scene.
  • James Dean was free to star in the film because Elizabeth Taylor got pregnant, which delayed production of Giant.
  • There’s a fan photo of Alan Ladd in Plato’s school locker.
  • In his article “Dangerous Talents,” published in Vanity Fair Magazine in March 2005, Sam Kashner writes that director Nicholas Ray, screenwriter Stewart Stern, costar James Dean, and Sal Mineo himself all intended for Mineo’s character Plato to be subtly but definitely understood as gay. Kashner says that although the Production Code was still very much in force and forbade any mention of homosexuality, Ray, Dean, Mineo, and Stern all worked together to insert restrained references to Plato’s homosexuality and attraction to Jim, including the pinup photo of Alan Ladd on Plato’s locker door, Plato’s adoring looks at Jim, his loaded talk with Jim in the old mansion, and even the name “Plato,” which is a reference to the Classical Greek philosopher. For that mansion scene, Dean suggested to Mineo that Plato should “look at me the way I look at Natalie.”
  • The living room of the Stark’s house was based on Nicholas Ray’s bungalow (he did something similar for In a Lonely Place). James Dean and other cast members would rehearse there, and Dean felt most comfortable there. It was Dean’s idea for Jim to be placed between his parents during the climactic fight scene, to reflect his inner turmoil.
  • The movie was originally to be shot in black and white, and some scenes had already been filmed that way, when the studio decided to switch to color. The official explanation at the time was that Twentieth Century-Fox, which owned the wide-screen CinemaScope process, had ordered that all films shot in the process had to be in color, but some also believe that Warners ordered the switch to head off comparisons with Blackboard Jungle and because James Dean’s increasing popularity gave the film more prestige.
  • 2007: The movie’s line “You’re tearing me apart” was voted as the #97 of “The 100 Greatest Movie Lines” by Premiere magazine.
  • Originally based on a non-fiction work by Dr. Robert M. Lindner, about the hypno-analysis of a young criminal. Producer Jerry Wald intended to make a film of the work and commissioned several scripts, including one by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel), andMarlon Brando was set to star at one point, but the project was eventually shelved. When the studio bought Nicholas Ray’s treatment “The Blind Run” it asked him to use the title of Lindner’s work, but the film doesn’t include anything else from the book.
  • The “chickie run” was staged at a Warner Bros. property in Calabasas, California. The cars drove on flat land that led to a small bluff of only 10 -15 feet high. The cars drove over the small bluff, but the “cliff” supposedly overlooking the ocean was built on Stage 7 (now Stage 16) at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. The constructed cliff overlooked the stage’s flooded water tank and the actors looked down upon the water from the edge. Even so, it became necessary to matte in shots of the Pacific Ocean in the final product.
  • Frank Mazzola, who plays “Crunch” in the film, was an actual street gang member when he was a student at Hollywood High School. He was a member of a gang called “The Athenians.” As such, he served as a technical advisor to Director Nicholas Ray and coached other actors in regard to street gang attitudes and mannerisms.
  • James Dean’s character’s surname ‘Stark’ is an anagram of ‘Trask’ the surname of his character in East of Eden.
  • Marietta Canty’s final film.
  • When Jim, Judy and Plato are exploring the empty mansion, the candles in the candelabra Plato carries were lit by a wire that ran through Sal Mineo’s jacket.
  • Debbie Reynolds was allegedly suggested for the part of Judy.
  • James Dean originally wanted his friend Jack Simmons, whom he was living with at the time, for the part of Plato.
  • When the scenes were shot for the chickie run aftermath when the teenagers ran to the edge of the cliff to look down; they witnessed what looked like the sun rising and exploding. Steffi Sidney, who played Mil, would later comment that it looked like an atomic bomb went off, and it was. What they witnessed was “Zucchini”, the 14th and final thermonuclear bomb (weighing 28 kilotons) launched for Operation Teapot.
  • Although playing a teenager, James Dean was actually 24 when the movie was filmed.
  • The part where Jim and Judy find Plato wearing one blue sock and one red sock was not scripted. Sal Mineo actually put them on that way by mistake.
  • Some of the earlier drafts for the movie had the three main kids named Jim, Eve and Demo. Demo was later changed to a 13 year old boy named The Professor.
  • In 2010, a ‘New York Times’ article about Nicholas Ray’s widow Susan said she had in her archives an original, unused treatment for “Rebel” in which the ending was very different: Plato was going to shoot Jim and then blow himself up with a grenade. But another Times report in 2011, says the archive contains a Ray storyboard which shows it’s Plato himself who is shot from the top of the planetarium. (A treatment is a preliminary synopsis of the story for a proposed movie that either gets written before the script is started as in this case or afterward so that executives at a potential producer’s or investor’s company won’t have to read the whole script.)
  • The final film appearance by Virginia Brissac.

Talking Points:

  • Teenage angst..
  • Did you expect James Dean to be more of a bad boy?

What We’ve Learned:

  • It’s not nice to call your daughter a tramp
  • Tell too many lies and you turn to stone
  • Choose your pals, don’t let them choose you
  • The Best way to solve your problems is to make a list
  • Being sincere is the main thing
  • Don’t lie, but never volunteer the truth.
  • Being called chicken is a matter of honor.

Trailer

Recommendations:
Ray: The first two acts of this film were rather hard for me to get through.. It’s hard for me to not find parts of this movie funny, especially when dealing with the angst and drama of rich white suburban teenagers. It redeemed itself in the final act though, where I found it truly compelling. I wish they would have focused more on the interactions and motivations of the “Plato” character. But ultimately it’s an interesting watch.
Jeff: Agreed. This is a classic movie I think everyone should see at least once.

The Present: This Means War
Rotten Tomatoes: 25% Rotten; 71% Audience

Director: McG

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy

Trivia:

  • Bradley Cooper was cast but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
  • James Franco was offered a role, but declined.
  • Sam Worthington, Colin Farrell, Justin Timberlake and Seth Rogen were considered for the lead roles, but eventually Chris Pine and Tom Hardy were cast.
  • Chris Pine and Tom Hardy have both appeared in the Star Trek films. Hardy played Preator Shinzon (actually a clone of Cpt. Picard) in Star Trek: Nemesis, while Pine played Cpt. Kirk in Star Trek.
  • When the film was submitted to the Motion Picture Association of America, the film was given an “R” rating due to some racy dialogue spoken by Chelsea Handler’s character. It was later edited and given a “PG-13” rating.
  • Chris Pine’s character talks about watching a CHiPs marathon on TV. In real life his father, Robert Pine, starred on CHiPs.
  • Was originally rated R by the MPAA for “some sexual content” but was later edited down to a PG-13 rating for “sexual content including references, some violence and action, and for language” for the theatrical release.
  • In the beginning of the movie, when Chris Pine’s character was going undercover with Tom Hardy’s character, he mentioned to a woman that he was a Captain of a ship. This is a reference to Pine starring in Star Trek as Captain Kirk.
  • Most of Chelsea Handler’s lines were ad-libbed, including the mention of Cheetos and Mike and Ike.

Talking Points:

  • Who did you want to win?
  • Bob.
  • Is this a good date movie or no?
  • who would YOU have had a better date with?
  • British is a bad thing?

What We Learned:

  • Choosing a laundry detergent is much easier than picking a man to have penetrative sex with
  • Men respond to camel toe
  • You can never go wrong with hitchcock
  • Chromantic! Creepy & Romantic
  • Mistakes are what make us who we are
  • Don’t choose the better man, choose the man who makes you a better woman.

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: I really ended up liking this movie a lot. Had some great moments where I just burst out laughing. The action pieces weren’t that great, but passable. The action is not the focus of the story though. Definitely recommend seeing it
Ray: Like Jeff said, don’t go into this expecting a Die Hard or James Bond movie.. at it’s heart it’s a romantic comedy with spies. I enjoyed it a lot, even if it was a teeny bit predictable.

The Future: The Raven

Release: April 27th, 2012

Director: James McTeigue

Starring: John Cusack, Alice Eve, Luke Evans

Summary:

A fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life, in which the poet pursues a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer’s stories.

Trivia:

  • None yet.

Talking Points

  • Cashing in on Sherlock?

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Really interested in seeing it but if I don’t, I don’t feel like I’m missing much, but think I’d might like it. Just not very excited.
Ray: It looks visually interesting to me, but I’ve never been a fan of Poe, and this looks a lot like it’s trying to cash in on the success of the Sherlock franchise. I think I would skip this one, but I’d go with a group of people if they wanted to all go see it.

Coming Attractions

The Past:

[asa]B0016K40KY[/asa]

The Present:

The Future:

Download Podcast