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FILM 1968: EIGHTH GRADE

FILM 1968: EIGHTH GRADE

TRIVIA: At a screening in San Francisco, director Bo Burnham said he originally intended for all the young characters to communicate with one another over Facebook. When his star, Elsie Fisher, saw his script, however, she said, "No one uses Facebook." He then made that a line in the movie and had the characters use Instagram and Snapchat instead.

Speaking on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, director Bo Burnham said that technology company Apple was going to provide laptops and phones for the film for free, but they were unhappy with the scene where the iPhone broke when it got thrown. As a result, the laptops shown in the film were those belonging to the crew and the broken iPhone scene was kept in.

Filming began one week after actress Elsie Fisher graduated eighth grade.

Was listed as one of former US President Barack Obama's favourite films of 2018.

MY VERDICT: This film really spoke to me – I was the shyest of all teenagers and I was just like this girl - except I didn’t have the luxury of any of the social media. The last third of the film brought me to tears and just reminded me how hard growing up is. I’m so glad I’m an adult now – I wouldn’t wish teenage years on my worst enemy. Even though I grew up in a different era I think teenage awkwardness is pretty universal and I think this film is genuine and true to real life. Watch it let me know if you can relate… Also there were some bits that made me really laugh out loud - so don't go into it thinking it's a sombre film because it's not that at all.

FILM 1960: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

FILM 1960: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

TRIVIA: Completing the animation for the film required up to 180 animators, the largest crew ever used by Sony Pictures Animation for a film.

It was announced shortly after Stan Lee's death, at age 95, that he had recorded a cameo for the film and that it would be his final voice-acting role. Lord and Miller felt it was important that Lee was given a bigger moment compared to previous Marvel films because he was "so integral to the spirit of this movie," and considered his role "extra meaningful" following his death.

This film was dedicated in memory of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, who died on July 6, 2018, while this film was finishing production. However, this was not the only dedication, as a month before the film was released, Stan Lee died on November 12, 2018. The film was dedicated to both of Spider-Man's creators.

When Miles first visits Uncle Aaron's apartment, the television is playing the television show Community (2009) (Season 2, Episode 1 "Anthropology 101"). The beginning of that episode shows Donald Glover's character Troy getting out of bed wearing Spider-Man pajamas. This was a reference to an unsuccessful 2010 online campaign to get Donald Glover a chance to audition for the lead role in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Miles Morales co-creator Brian Michael Bendis describes that image of Glover in the Spider-Man pajamas as one of the major inspirations for the creation of the character and the character's design. Additionally, Glover appeared as another version of Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), in which he makes brief reference to his nephew. Glover also voiced Miles Morales in Disney's "Ultimate Spider-Man" cartoon series.

One of the many ways the Imageworks team paid tribute to old comic books through the visual style was to imitate the imperfections of offset printing.

There are many small details in Miles' universe that set it apart from ours, such as using "PDNY" in place of "NYPD," and instead of Chance the Rapper wearing a "3" hat, he has a "4" on it (evident from a poster in Miles' room).

This was stand-up comedian John Mulaney's first theatrical film role.

With Lily Tomlin playing Aunt May, all four actresses to play her in a theatrical film have been Academy Award nominees, after Rosemary Harris, Sally Field and Marisa Tomei. Tomlin was nominated for Nashville (1975).

Daniel Pemberton followed the ambitious lead of the "Spider-Verse" animation by developing an equally intricate score. After all the musical elements had been recorded, they were recorded onto vinyl and then re-scratched into the mix. Pemberton says, "I got a DMC World Scratch champion DJ to scratch all the parts in."

Brian Michael Bendis, who created the comic book version of Miles Morales, credits three things that inspired him to make Miles African-American: his two adopted black children, Barack Obama becoming president, and Donald Glover wearing Spider-Man pajamas on an episode of the TV show "Community."

The film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

FILM 1949: FRANKENWEENIE

FILM 1949: FRANKENWEENIE

TRIVIA: This is Tim Burton's first film since Big Fish (2003) not to feature Johnny Depp, his first since Sleepy Hollow (1999) not to feature Helena Bonham Carter and his first since Mars Attacks! (1996) to feature neither of them.

One of Tim Burton's regular actors, Christopher Lee, did not take part in this film, but archive footage of him in Dracula (1958) is watched by Victor's parents on television.

The mayor of the town is Mr. Burgermeister, which means "mayor" in German. His name/appearance is also a homage to Burgermeister Meisterburger, the antagonist of the stop-motion film Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970).

A turtle named "Shelley" is buried in the pet cemetery. Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus," the novel on which this film is loosely based.

Winona Ryder did her own singing. She agreed to do it when Tim Burton said the singing had to sound imperfect.

Tim Burton created the Weird Girl ("Staring Girl") in his book "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories" (1997).

This film is loosely based on a live action short film of the same name, written and directed by Burton in 1984.

FILM 1914: THOROUGHBREDS

FILM 1914: THOROUGHBREDS

TRIVIA: This was Anton Yelchin's final film before his death on June 19, 2016, at the age of 27.

Originally written for the stage.

FILM 1732: THE BEGUILED

TRIVIA: For this film, Sofia Coppola won the prize of Best Director at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. It marked the first time in 50 years a woman won the award, and only the second time overall.

The production ran into a minor crisis when several costumes were completely ruined in the washing machine. According to costume designer Stacey Battat, her creations were doomed as someone put bleach in the washing machine and forgot, and then put clothes in the same machine. The costumes had to be recreated immediately for the production not to run off schedule.

The sponge scene with Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell required several takes, as the afternoon light inflicted the cinematography. By the time the scene wrapped, Kidman had sponged Farrell for almost two hours.

Sofia Coppola chose the 1.66 : 1 aspect ratio because she wanted to make the film feel claustrophobic.

Interior scenes were filmed in the New Orleans home of actress Jennifer Coolidge.

Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell began filming this film only few weeks after they finished working together on The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017). Both films would go on to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and would win awards in the official competition ("The Beguiled" won the Directing award for Sofia Coppola while "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" shared the Screenplay award with Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here (2017)).

Shot in 26 days.

The cast went through several lessons during filming. They had a sewing teacher, a dancing teacher, took etiquette classes, corset training lessons and had to cook and eat meals together. A Civil War reenactor demonstrated how to dress wounds, and a priest explained prayers from the Book of Matthew and Sofia Coppola distributed an antebellum etiquette book, titled "How to Be a Good Southern Lady".

Colin Farrell's favorite shoot in his career, praising his co-stars and his director; "To be surrounded by talented, decent, smart, insightful creative and serious women - I was spoiled by Sofia Coppola who set a particular mood of comfort, ease and trust. It allows you as an actor to play and explore."

Sofia Coppola stated that this is NOT a remake of the 1971 film of the same title, but an adaption of the same Thomas Cullinan novel that film is based on.

BIG LITTLE LIES (2017)

TRIVIA: HBO won the rights for the series in a bidding war against Netflix.

Nicole Kidman was once engaged to Lenny Kravitz, the father of her co-star Zoë Kravitz.

After collaborating on this project, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon re-teamed to obtain the rights for an adaptation of "Truly Madly Guilty," also a novel by Liane Moriarty.

Laura Dern has previously portrayed the mother of her two co-stars Shailene Woodley and Reese Witherspoon. In this she plays a fellow mother at the primary school.

The soundtrack went #1 on iTunes' Soundtrack Chart and #2 on the Top Albums U.S. iTunes Chart. In June 2017, the soundtrack was officially released on CD, followed by a double Vinyl release in July the same year. The latter features new songs, including one by the director of the series, Jean-Marc Vallee. The soundtrack also features cast member Zoe Kravitz's first official single, a rendition of Elvis' "Don't".

FILM 1664: AUDRIE & DAISY 

TRIVIA: The twenty-fourth Netflix original documentary.

BOOK 170: UNABROW: MISADVENTURES OF A LATE BLOOMER: UNA LAMARCHE

As a girl, Una LaMarche was as smart as she was awkward. She was blessed with a precocious intellect, a love of all things pop culture, and eyebrows bushier than Frida Kahlo’s. Adversity made her stronger...and funnier. In Unabrow, Una shares the cringe-inducing lessons she’s learned from a life as a late bloomer, including the seven deadly sins of DIY bangs, how not to make your own jorts, and how to handle pregnancy, plucking, and the rites of passage during which your own body is your worst frenemy.

Una LaMarche is the author of two young adult novels, FIVE SUMMERS and LIKE NO OTHER, and UNABROW: MISADVENTURES OF A LATE BLOOMER, a collection of humor essays based on some of her more questionable life choices. She is also a contributing writer for The New York Observer and The Huffington Post, and blogs at The Sassy Curmudgeon. Una lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son. You can follow her on Twitter @sassycurmudgeon.

REVIEW: I have to say I was a little disappointed by this book, not because it was terrible, because it was not, but because I had such high expectations of it.

I was expecting a truly humiliating journey through the childhood and teen years of an awkward female, who I believed to be much like myself. What I wasn’t expecting, and quite frankly got bored of, were the many details of childbirth and parenting.  Although Una (I feel like we’re on first name terms now, as I know so much about her, like the size of her stretched vagina and drop crotch pants) tells these stories with humour and wit, I found myself turning off and feeling somewhat conned. 

If you read the marketing material above you can see where I got the impression that this was a coming of age memoir, I think if it mentioned that after a couple of chapters she would be chatting about squeezing a person about of herself, I might not have been so excited about reading it.

I didn’t buy this book but was gifted it after I put it on my Amazon wish list, I wanted to read it because, as a late bloomer myself, I wanted to compare and laugh at someone else’s bad fashion choices, questionable crushes and dread of psychical education. All these things were in there but in my opinion, not enough to fill a book.

It does give me a little hope that one day I could compile my Christmas lists and diaries into a ‘memoir’ but I know that if a somewhat talented writer like Una LaMarche couldn’t make it work, then I couldn’t either. So in a way it killed my dreams, but I’ve never done anything with my life worth writing about and in a way I feel like Una’s embarrassing stories are not quite humiliating enough and are a bit too everyday to be as entertaining as they could have been.

I think a reviewer on Goodreads summed it up best when they said that the best thing about the book was the cover. Although this isn’t strictly true, it is a fantastic cover that promises so much more than the book delivered.