FILM 1983: FIRST REFORMED

FILM 1983: FIRST REFORMED 

TRIVIA: This is the first movie in which Cedric the Entertainer is credited under his real name, Cedric Kyles.

Filming for the interior and exterior of the church was done at the Zion Episcopal Church in Douglaston, Queens.

Unusually shot in 4:3 ratio. Paul Schrader was inspired to shoot this way by Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida (2013) as he liked the way it framed the human body. Schrader also liked the sense of claustrophobia that the framing suggests.

Paul Schrader considered Jake Gyllenhaal and Oscar Isaac for the lead role but opted for Ethan Hawke instead. He's ten years older and had an innate air of world-weariness that was appropriate for the role.

FILM 1715: MY SCIENTOLOGY MOVIE

TRIVIA: Louis Theroux's first feature film.

Off-camera, Paz took the Crew to a séance trying to contact Janis Joplin, who died in the same Motel.

Xenu is never mentioned.

FILM 1713: THE OVERNIGHTERS

Broken, desperate men chase their dreams and run from their demons in the North Dakota oil fields. A local Pastor risks everything to help them.

http://www.booooooom.com/2017/05/26/photographer-camilo-jose-vergara-photographs-the-same-locations-repeatedly-over-40-years/

FILM 1649: THE BLUES BROTHERS

TRIVIA: A world-record--at that time--103 cars were wrecked during filming. This feat was exceeded two years later, when 150 cars (and a plane) were crashed for H.B. Halicki's The Junkman (1982). That record in turn held for two decades, until over 300 cars were wrecked during the filming of The Matrix Reloaded (2003).

During filming one of the night scenes, John Belushi disappeared and could not be located. Dan Aykroyd looked around and saw a single house with its lights on. He went to the house and was prepared to identify himself, the movie and that they were looking for Belushi. Before he could, the homeowner looked at him, smiled and said, "You're here for John Belushi, aren't you?" The homeowner then told them Belushi had entered their house, asked if he could have a glass of milk and a sandwich and then crashed on their couch. Situations like this prompted Aykroyd to affectionately dub Belushi "America's Guest."

John Belushi was nicknamed "The Black Hole" on the set, as he went through hundreds of pairs of sunglasses during production. He would do a scene and then lose the pair before filming the next one.

Carrie Fisher became engaged to co-star Dan Aykroyd during this shoot shortly after he saved her from choking by applying the Heimlich maneuver.

Some of the performers were not used to lip-syncing to their pre-recorded songs, the standard procedure for movie musicals. James Brown ended up singing his number live with a recorded backing (the rest of his choir was lip-syncing). John Lee Hooker's performance of "Boom Boom" was recorded live at Chicago's Maxwell Street Market. Aretha Franklin's performance is cut together from many, many takes, using the parts where her lip-syncing was actually in sync.

When recording the soundtrack for the movie, Cab Calloway was needed to record his hit "Minnie the Moocher" in better quality than his original album. When he came into the studios he was prepared to do his new disco version that was just released. Of course, the filmmakers wanted nothing to do with this and asked for the original version, which Calloway reluctantly gave them.

The young woman in the choir at The Triple Rock Church is R & B singer Chaka Khan.

At the Bob's Country Bunker gig, Jake introduces "Stand By Your Man" by saying it's a favorite of the horn section. The horn section doesn't play in the song.

DIRECTOR CAMEO: John Landis: the state trooper driving the second car, the one that shows up after the first car calls for backup, that chases the Bluesmobile through the shopping mall.

DIRECTOR TRADEMARK: John Landis: [filmmakers] Appearances by directors Frank Oz and Steven Spielberg.

DIRECTOR TRADEMARK: John Landis: [SYNW] a billboard advertising the fictional horror movie "See You Next Wednesday" is seen during the Good Ole Boys chase.

FILM 1584: THE DROP

TRIVIA: Last film appearance of James Gandolfini, he died one month after shooting had wrapped.

The film is based on the short story "Animal Rescue" by Dennis Lehane, from the collection Boston Noir.

The film is set in Brooklyn, New York and with American characters, but 3 of the 4 main actors are Europeans. Tom Hardy is British, Noomi Rapace is Swedish and Matthias Schoenaerts is Belgian. James Gandolfini is the only American among them.

Saint Rocco, whose statue in the church gives Bob the inspiration for his puppy's name, is a 14th century Italian Saint and is the patron saint of dogs. Part of the legend surrounding this Saint is of a dog who brought him food while he lay sick with the plague.

Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace went to a rescue center to prepare for their roles. Hardy did adopt a dog, a female pit-bull puppy, and took it to the set.