FILM 1845: OVER THE TOP

FILM 1845: OVER THE TOP

TRIVIA: Years later, Sylvester Stallone explained why he agreed to appear in this movie, saying, "Menahem Golan kept offering me more and more money, until I finally thought, 'What the hell - no one will see it!'"

John Wetton, lead singer of the rock group Asia, sang "Winner Takes It All" for the movie, but after performing the song, it was felt that his voice wasn't "mean" enough, so the song was offered to Sammy Hagar, whose version ended up being the one on the soundtrack. Hagar did a music video to promote the song and the film which featured both Zumwalt and Stallone.

David Engelbach was appalled at the changes made to his script. He remarked that his original draft wasn't nearly as dumb as the final film and that it was more about truck driving and arm-wrestling than it should have been. He recalled having tears in his eyes upon seeing the film.

Rick Zumwalt was paid 10,000 USD to shave his head for the film. He liked it so much he never went back to having hair.

BOOK 176: PLEASE DON'T COME BACK FROM THE MOON: DEAN BAKOPOULOS

Please Don't Come Back from the Moon (2005) was his debut novel, about fathers in Maple Rock, Detroit abandoning their families under a strange compulsion to go to the moon. It is narrated by the young Mikey, a would-be writer, whose father feels the same desire to leave. The New York Times said it "deftly weld[ed] magic realism with social satire". Entertainment Weekly gave it a B- saying it turned into a very conventional coming-of-age story. People gave it 3.5/4.

FILM 1630: I CONFESS

TRIVIA: In his interview with François Truffaut, Alfred Hitchcock said he was so impressed with the performance of Anita Björk in Miss Julie (1951) that he hired her for this movie. However, when she arrived in Hollywood, Bjork brought her lover, writer Stig Dagerman, and their baby daughter. Since they were not married, Warner Bros. insisted that Hitchcock find another actress for the role of Ruth Grandfort, in this case Anne Baxter.

Alfred Hitchcock, as was his custom, created detailed storyboards for each scene. He could not understand Montgomery Clift's Method acting technique and quickly became frustrated with Clift when he blew take after take for failing to follow Hitchcock's instructions.

In an interview in which Alfred Hitchcock discussed his difficulty with Method actors, he was asked if he had difficulty with Montgomery Clift, Hitchcock said: "Well, yes. I was shooting a scene in Quebec. And he was playing a part of a priest who had just been acquitted of a murder but was being, sort of, booed and stoned outside of the courthouse. And then the action of the film was to go across the street into the Le Chateau Frontenac Hotel."

"Well, I wanted him to look up ... to the crowd and up to the people leaning out of the window. Well, I had also put on the facade of the building the big, gold letters of the word "Hotel" so the audience would know where they were going, into a hotel. And he said, "I don't think I would look up." And I said, "Well, you better look up or else!"

DIRECTOR CAMEO: Alfred Hitchcock: crossing the top of a staircase during the opening sequence.

FILM 1577: THE MASK YOU LIVE IN 

Explores how our culture's narrow definition of masculinity is harming our boys, men and society at large and unveils what we can do about it.

FILM 1377: TAKEN

TRIVIA: Liam Neeson expected the film to bomb, but signed on in order spend four months in Paris and learn karate while playing the kind of role he'd rarely been offered in the past. Ironically, the film was a hit and created a new onscreen image for Neeson as an action hero.

The curved knife used in the final fight is a karambit. It's an Indonesian /Malaysian weapon and the finger hole in the handle makes it very difficult to disarm, which was evident in the fight scene.