FILM 2004: OCEAN'S TWELVE

FILM 2004: OCEAN'S TWELVE 

TRIVIA: The Night Fox's mansion is on the shores of Lake Como in Italy. The name of the city overlooking Lake Como is Bellagio. The city and the lake were the inspiration for the design of the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas, site of the heist in Ocean's Eleven (2001).

While on production in Rome, Brad Pitt and George Clooney were not allowed back into the hotel because the doorman thought they were vagrants after the actors were caught in a rain storm while jogging.

George Clooney was 42 years-old at the time of filming the scene in which the other actors guess his age.

Six of the Ocean's Twelve have won Oscars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Casey Affleck.

The drysuits used by the gang were custom made for the production in two weeks by husband-and-wife team Gareth and Tina Roberts of Gryphon Watersports in Staffordshire, England. Only one of the ten suits ordered had to be fully functioning and waterproof, but the tight deadline still meant that the couple had to work round the clock to get the suits ready in time for the shoot in Amsterdam.

Five cast members also guest starred on Friends (1994-2004) including Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis and Elliot Gould

FILM 1785: SECRET IN THEIR EYES

FILM 1785: SECRET IN THEIR EYES

TRIVIA: Like in the original The Secret in Their Eyes (2009), the role played by Julia Roberts was initially earmarked for a male actor, but director and screenwriter Billy Ray rewrote it specifically for the actress.

The film's cinematographer Daniel Moder is the husband of Julia Roberts. This marks their third collaboration.

This is the first collaboration between the two actresses Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman. Both actresses have been working since the 1980's, both won their Academy Award in the early 00's, and both have been among the highest paid actresses in the movie industry. According to the director 'Billy Ray' there was a healthy working relationship between the two; "There was enormous respect, great camaraderie, and, in my opinion - I don't know if either of them would ever admit to it - there was a very healthy, kind of athletic level of competitiveness. They both had such regard for each other and they both wanted to do their best because the other was in the movie."

FILM 1608: MONEY MONSTER

The screenplay for this film was featured in the 2014 Blacklist, a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year.

When Patty is in the van with the computer tech, they try to figure out what "Mambo" might mean. While searching online, the tech suggests "Mambo Italiano", a song by George Clooney's aunt, Rosemary Clooney.

FILM 1507: MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING

TRIVIA: Julia Roberts hand-picked both Dermot Mulroney and Cameron Diaz for this film.

Sarah Jessica Parker was originally offered the role of Julianne Potter, but she was not able to take the role because she was committed to HBO in order to play Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City (1998).

Most of the songs in the movie are originally performed by Dionne Warwick.

Michael (Dermot Mulroney) often calls Julianne (Julia Roberts) by her nickname Jules, which coincidentally is Julia Roberts' nickname in real life.

FILM 1423: CONSPIRACY THEORY

TRIVIA: According to director Richard Donner, Mel Gibson improvised the opening scenes in which his character expounds his conspiracy theories to a succession of passengers.

Director Cameo: Richard Donner:  Jerry's cab passenger in the opening credits.

FILM 1383: MYSTIC PIZZA

TRIVIA: Debut theatrical feature film of actor-writer Matt Damon.Ben Affleck also auditioned for the film.

Mystic Pizza is a real pizza parlor, located at 55 West Main St. in Mystic, Connecticut. Writer Amy Holden Jones was vacationing in Mystic one summer, saw the pizza parlor and was inspired to write the story. After the movie came out, the real Mystic Pizza shop became so popular, lines would stretch to the sidewalk and patrons would regularly steal mementos from the restaurant.

Breakthrough film role of American actress Julia Roberts.

Liam Neeson, who had co-starred with Julia Roberts whilst making Satisfaction (1988), visited the set of this picture. The pair had allegedly had a personal relationship on that earlier movie. Roberts then allegedly started seeing one of the grips whilst filming Mystic Pizza (1988).

FILM 1326: ERIN BROCKOVICH

TRIVIA: The character George, the biker boyfriend played by Aaron Eckhart, was based on Erin Brockovich-Ellis's Mexican-American biker boyfriend Jorge. Erin and Jorge did break up, but he did not leave her life. He was hired as a full time live-in nanny for Erin's children for several years, paid for by the law firm so that she would have more time to devote to her work.

Julia Roberts received an unprecedented salary for her lead role, making her the first woman to break the $20m barrier.

Julia Roberts won the Academy Award for best actress for her role as Erin Brockovich and famously forgot to thank the real Erin Brockovich-Ellis in her acceptance speech. Afterward she was quoted as saying, "It doesn't bring out the Albert Einstein moment that you hoped it would."

Erin Brockovich-Ellis initially hoped Goldie Hawn would play her in the film, but Ed Masry - the real-life lawyer - thought that Roseanne Barr would be more suitable. Oddly enough, Masry actually stated once that Julia Roberts - who later won an Oscar for the role - would be the least suitable actress for the part, claiming that "..she has no tits and no foul mouth, so it wouldn't work." However, she was cast and Erin and the Academy were delighted with her work.

Erin Brockovich-Ellis:  The real Erin Brockovich appears as a waitress named Julia.

Ed Masry:  can be seen over the shoulder of Julia Roberts in the scene with her kids in the restaurant.