FILM 1907: THE INTERN

FILM 1907: THE INTERN

TRIVIA: Writer and Director Nancy Meyers approached Jack Nicholson for the role of Ben Whittaker. Nicholson is mentioned in Jules' philosophic rambling at the bar.

In one scene, Robert De Niro's character is confused as to who Jay Z is. This is an in-joke about the beef Robert De Niro and Jay-Z have had since 2012.

Reese Witherspoon was originally cast as Jules, but dropped out.

Quentin Tarantino named this movie one of his favorite movies of 2015.

This was once set up at Paramount Pictures, with Tina Fey starring.

The first time Nancy Meyers and Robert De Niro worked together.

FILM 1897: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

FILM 1897: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

TRIVIA: Heath Ledger declined to go to the one month cowboy camp that had been organized, as he had grown up on farms in Western Australia. Jake Gyllenhaal was required to attend, however, as he needed "roughing up".

When asked if he had any fears about playing a gay man, Heath Ledger replied that he was not afraid of the role, only that he wasn't mature enough to do it justice.

According to Producer James Schamus, the movie cost so little to make, that it recouped its cost during its first week of limited release.

Heath Ledger, uncertain about the role when he was first offered it, was encouraged by his then girlfriend, Naomi Watts, to take it, immediately after they both read the script. After reading the script, Ledger said he would have flown to Taiwan to meet with Ang Leein order to be hired for the role.

According to reports, Heath Ledger nearly broke co-star Jake Gyllenhaal's nose while filming a kissing scene.

Writer Annie Proulx sent both Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger an original, autographed copy of her story. When she signed the copy to Jake she wrote "To Jake..." but when she signed the copy she had intended to give to Heath she signed it "To Ennis". After writing out her personal message, she realized what she had done, and decided to let it be. At a private screening at Arclight in Hollywood, California, she reflected that Heath Ledger really was Ennis. She left the signed copy that way, because she had felt the actor embodied Ennis in every way she had imagined him.

Michelle Williams requested that her two male leads kiss in front of her to help her get to the right emotional place for her character, Alma. As she was involved with Ledger in real-life, too, she felt that such a thing would help with her portrayal. She had to goad both men as their first few attempts were far too half-hearted for her liking.

One of Daniel Day-Lewis' favorite films. He cites the reason for this as being Heath Ledger's performance. After Ledger's death, Day-Lewis dedicated his SAG award for There Will Be Blood (2007) to Ledger's memory, mentioning in particular the final scene in Ennis's trailer being "as moving as anything I have ever seen."

There was an audible gasp at the Academy Awards when presenter Jack Nicholson read out Crash (2004) as 2005's Best Film over this film, much fancied. Nicholson himself admitted to being shocked as he too had voted for Ang Lee's film.

During its first weekend of release (playing in only five U.S. theaters), this set a record for the highest per-screen gross of any non-animated movie in history.

Director Ang Lee gave Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal copies of the book, "Farm Boys: Lives of Gay Men from the Rural Midwest", by Will Fellows, a book that had been mentioned by both Annie Proulx and Diana Ossana as an excellent reference source, to help them understand their characters. Noting what he learned from his reading, Gyllenhaal said, "I don't think that these two characters even know what gay is."

In March 2006, Randy Quaid filed a lawsuit against Focus Features, alleging that the company had misled him into thinking that the film was a low-budget, art-house film, with no prospect of making money. He saw this as a ruse to get him to lower his salary. At the time of the lawsuit, the film had earned more than 160 million dollars. Quaid dropped the lawsuit in May, seemingly after Focus agreed to pay him a bonus. Focus, however, denied that any such payment ever took place, and Focus spokeswoman Adriene Bowles was quoted as saying, "the circumstances of him dropping the suit are as mysterious as the circumstances under which he filed his claim."

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

FILM 1857: OCEAN'S EIGHT

FILM 1857: OCEAN'S EIGHT 

TRIVIA: Debbie Ocean speaks German as part of her cover. Sandra Bullock spent most of her childhood in Nuremberg, Germany and is fluent in the language. She holds dual citizenship in both Germany and the United States.

Anne Hathaway replaced Jennifer Lawrence in this film, while Lawrence replaced Hathaway in Silver Linings Playbook (2012).

This film opens in the same way as Ocean's Eleven (2001), with an Ocean being asked what they will do when they leave prison during their parole hearing.

The eight main cast has won four Oscars, two Emmys, nine Grammys, six Golden Globes, five BAFTAs, and 10 SAGs combined.

The music that was playing as the team enter the Met Gala, "Lara's Theme" (Somewhere, my Love), was also the music that Sandra Bullock's character, Gracie Lou Freebush, plays on the water glasses in Miss Congeniality (2000).

FILM 1801: COLOSSAL

FILM 1801: COLOSSAL

TRIVIA:Anne Hathaway was in the second trimester of her pregnancy while filming the movie.

Was hit by a lawsuit in May 2015, claiming it had too many similarities to Godzilla (2014).

FILM 1315: THE PRINCESS DIARIES

TRIVIA: The picture of Mia's deceased father next to her music box is actually Anne Hathaway's real life father. He also appears to be writing the letter to her while fishing.

When Mia accidentally sets the man's arm on fire, the flames were supposed to go out when he puts his arm in the ice bucket, but they didn't. Anne Hathaway panicked and threw the glass of water on it, which was not scripted.

Anne Hathaway's movie debut.

One of the waiters in the scene when Mia drops something at the dinner says, "It happens all the time." The same actor played a waiter in Pretty Woman (1990), and also said the exact same line when Julia Roberts' character flings the snail and the waiter catches it. Both films were directed by Garry Marshall.

The director, Garry Marshall, told Anne Hathaway to gain a bit of weight to portray a full figure role model.

This movie was filmed on Stage 2 in Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, the same stage in which the film Mary Poppins (1964) was shot. The stage has since been named in honor of Julie Andrews, who starred in both films. The rental house that Julie Andrews lived in while filming Mary Poppins (1964) was lived in by Garry Marshall while filming this movie.

While filming the final celebratory dance scene, the Madonna song "Like A Prayer" was played on a boom-box to elicit natural dancing from the actors on set (to be then dubbed over by the song that appears in the film's final cut). The assistant director had to do multiple takes of this scene because the actors kept mouthing the words to "Like A Prayer" while on camera.

Kathleen Marshall, who plays the role of Charlotte, is the director Garry Marshall's daughter.

Mia's dress from the dinner party (the periwinkle one) is a copy of the dress that Kronprinsessan Victoria of Sweden wore to the Nobel Prize gala in 1997.

Produced by Whitney Houston.

Film 851: The Dark Knight Rises

Trivia: Christopher Nolan is the first director to complete a full trilogy of Batman films but the second to direct a full trilogy of films on one superhero (after Sam Raimi completed his Spider-Man films).

Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling and Mark Ruffalo were considered to play John Blake before Joseph Gordon-Levitt was ultimately cast. DiCaprio was one of the actors considered to play Robin in Batman Forever before Chris O'Donnell got the part.

To prepare for her role as Catwoman, Anne Hathaway worked out five days a week on a regime that involved vigorous exercise, stunt training and dancing. She called it her most physically demanding role to date.

To prepare for his role as Bane, Tom Hardy gained 30 pounds in weight, and studied various fighting styles to use in the film.

Marion Cotillard previously appeared in Big Fish, which was directed by Batman/Batman Returns director Tim Burton and featured the Penguin, Danny DeVito.

Reunites Inception stars Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, and Cillian Murphy.

This is the fifth film in a row that Christopher Nolan has worked with Michael Caine. The other films were Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, and Inception.

Bane's theme is a chant which features the term "deshi basara", which is Moroccan for the word "rise".

Tom Hardy, standing at 5'10", had to wear 3 inch lifts to make his character Bane appear as tall or taller than fellow co-stars Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine.

Selina Kyle's (Anne Hathaway) relationship with her accomplice (Juno Temple) is highly reminiscent of Kyle's relationship with Holly Robinson in the comic "Batman: Year One." In that story, Kyle and Robinson had been prostitutes together and even had an implied lesbian relationship before Kyle became Catwoman.

Tom Hardy has several large tattoos on his chest and arms that had to be digitally removed for the film.

Film 844: Rachel Getting Married

Trivia: Jenny Lumet spent about 7 weeks writing the script. It was her first to be made into a film, even though it was the writer's 5th screenplay.

The dishwasher scene was based on an actual event involving Sidney Lumet and Bob Fosse.

There is no pre-recorded background scene music throughout the film. All music heard in the film is performed live on screen.