FILM 2025: LEGALLY BLONDE

FILM 2025: LEGALLY BLONDE

TRIVIA: To prepare for her role as Elle, Reese Witherspoon spent two weeks studying the behavior of sorority girls, as she did not wish to portray a stereotypical airhead sorority image. She states on the DVD commentary that they were all very kind and polite, and she enjoyed her time with them. She also observed women shopping from the café at Neiman Marcus, and attended law school for a day.

Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alicia Silverstone, Katherine Heigl, Christina Applegate, Milla Jovovich, and Jennifer Love Hewitt were all considered for Elle Woods.

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) wears forty different hairstyles throughout the film.

While at Stanford, source book author Amanda Brown wrote letters back home, regarding her inability to fit in with her classmates. Later she made a manuscript based on those letters and sent it to an agent, who was drawn to it because it was the only manuscript submitted written on pink paper--referenced in the film through Elle Woods scented pink résumés.

A perfect score on the LSAT exam is 180, therefore Elle's score of 179 puts her in the top 0.1 percent.

As agreed in her contract, Reese Witherspoon kept all of her costumes after filming.

When Elle (Reese Witherspoon) is studying for the LSAT with her sorority sister, Amy (Kimberly McCullough), Amy is reading off answer choices for an LSAT question. This is an actual LSAT question, which is part of the analytical reasoning section, taken from actual LSAT #31, June 2000.

On her first day, Elle comments that, "Whoever said orange is the new pink is seriously disturbed." This is a reference to Producer Marc Platt's other production, Josie and the Pussycats (2001), in which teenagers are brainwashed into thinking "orange is the new pink."

FILM 2024: 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS

FILM 2024: 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS

TRIVIA: Ashton Kutcher and Katie Holmes were originally set to play the roles of Matt and Erica. They both dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

Josh Hartnett tried to emulate his character's celibacy. He lasted for two weeks.

When Matt and Erica first meet at the laundromat, Erica is wearing a t-shirt that says "Türkiye" (Turkey) and has the map of Turkey on it. She's clearly wearing a t-shirt bought as a souvenir to give the idea that she has nothing else left to wear.

FILM 2023: MANHUNTER

FILM 2023: MANHUNTER

TRIVIA: This movie was originally going to be titled "Red Dragon", the same name as the novel. However, when Year of the Dragon (1985) became a box-office failure, Executive Producer Dino De Laurentiis decided to avoid a "dragon" title.

The translation of the French title is "The Sixth Sense".

David Lynch, who was considered to direct, ended up having a major effect on the future interpretation of the Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Lecter) character: Sir Anthony Hopkins has said that Jonathan Demme was inspired to cast him after seeing his performance as Dr. Treves in Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980).

This is the only "Hannibal" movie where his last name is spelled "Lecktor", for some reason. In all other adaptations of the novels, it's spelled "Lecter".

In the scenes where Will Graham (William Petersen) is interviewing Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox) in his cell, Writer and Director Michael Mann took care to set up the shots so that the position of the bars of the cell do not move when the point of view switches between Graham and Lecktor.

The scene where Reba McClane (Joan Allen) touches a sedated tiger features a real sedated tiger. The veterinarian is played by a real veterinarian.

Frankie Faison (Lieutenant Fisk) is the only actor to appear in four Thomas Harris"Hannibal" adaptations. He appeared as Barney in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), and Red Dragon (2002).

Curiously enough, Writer and Director Michael Mann had initially considered fellow filmmaker William Friedkin for the part of Dr. Hannibal Lecktor, but when Brian Dennehy, also a prospective Hannibal, insisted that Mann see Scotsman Brian Cox in the acclaimed 1984 off-Broadway production of "Rat in the Skull", Mann was instantly won over by Cox's award-winning performance. Cox's scenes as Dr. Hannibal Lecktor were shot over a three-day period.

When the production could not get permission to film on-board a commercial airplane, Writer and Director Michael Mann booked his actors, actresses, and crew onto a twilight flight from Chicago to Florida where the production was relocating anyway. A stripped-down camera, lighting and sound equipment were taken on board as carry-on luggage. Pilots and flight attendants were appeased with gifts of movie crew jackets.

According to an interview with Brian Cox, the following actors were considered for the role of Dr. Hannibal Lektor: Brian Dennehy, Bruce Dern, John Lithgow, and Mandy Patinkin.

During the filming of this movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins was playing King Lear at the National Theatre. During the filming of The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Brian Cox was playing King Lear at the National Theatre.

In shooting the final confrontation between Francis Dollarhyde (Tom Noonan) and Will Graham (William Petersen), Noonan had to lie in a pool of stage blood for several hours as the crew worked on other shots. After all of this time, the stage blood dried into a thick, cement-like adhesive that nearly fused Noonan to the carpet.

Tom Noonan (Francis Dollarhyde) spent many hours in make-up so that artists could paint fake tattoos on his back and torso modelled after William Blake's "Great Red Dragon" paintings. Though Noonan appeared with the tattoos in publicity photographs (available in a Special Edition DVD), Writer and Director Michael Mann concluded that the tattoos were too "over the top", and discarded the idea. Red Dragon (2002) features the tattoos on-screen.

Writer and Director Michael Mann was reportedly inspired to have Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" on the soundtrack by his correspondence with a convicted killer in Texas named Dennis Wayne Wallace, who claimed "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" was a love song that spiritually connected him to the woman he murdered.

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

FILM 2022: AMERICAN ANIMALS

FILM 2022: AMERICAN ANIMALS

TRIVIA: This is a true story about college students who stole a priceless book from Transylvania University, which is located in Lexington, Kentucky. Though the movie was filmed in North Carolina.

During filming the actors were not allowed to meet their real life counterparts because the director feared they would sympathise and/or play them in a certain light.

The movie was filmed in the Davidson College Library during the week of Spring Break of 2017. Through the chaos of equipment, actors, extras, and all the technical people it takes to make a movie, the library staff continued to perform their jobs. Some of the staff were asked to submit their head shots to be cast in the film which resulted in one person being asked to be in the film. However, it was inconvenient for staff to take the time away from their jobs to be in the film, so, therefore, no staff person was in the film. But, if you look closely in the shots filmed in the library, there are offices with their blinds down. Staff are behind those blinds working diligently making sure the library still functioned.

John Waters named this film second among his top ten favorite films released in 2018.

Darren Keith revealed Warren asked him for help with the heist as well but he denied the offer in hopes of pursuing his acting career.

FILM 2019: US

FILM 2019: US

TRIVIA: Jordan Peele gave the cast ten horror films to watch so they would have "a shared language" when filming: Dead Again (1991), The Shining (1980), The Babadook (2014), It Follows (2014), A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), The Birds (1963), Funny Games (1997), Martyrs (2008), Let the Right One In (2008), and The Sixth Sense (1999).

Lupita Nyong'o based Red's voice on Robert F. Kennedy Jr and specifically the spasmodic dysphonia he suffers from.

Like The Lost Boys (1987), several key scenes take place on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This is even referenced in-universe, when Adelaide's mother (Anna Diop) says, "You know, they're shooting a movie over there by the carousel."

The Bible verse that continuously appears in the film (Jeremiah 11:11) reads: "Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them."

In addition to Jeremiah 11:11 being seen written on a sign twice, the numbers 11:11 appear frequently throughout this film. When Gabe is watching a baseball game on TV, the announcer says that the game is tied 11-11. When Addie and Jason are talking in his room, the digital clock reads 11:11 pm. Also, a carnival worker in 1986 and one of the twins in the present day both wear a T-shirt for the band Black Flag, the logo of which consists of four vertical black bars that resemble the number 1111. And again at the end of the movie when the ambulance is driving down the windy back road the camera pans out and shows the ambulance number 1111 on top of it.

The filmmakers did not need to do much work on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, as many games and rides are originals going far back as the 1910's. Also, indeed there is an underground tunnel system under The Boardwalk, though it is mostly used for storage and as a shelter in case of any emergency. There is no hall of mirrors (as shown in the film) on the beach.

Nicole Richie appears at the beginning of the movie as a 5 year old because she was actually in the Hands Across America commercial.

Grossed $71 million over its United States opening weekend, the highest ever for an original horror film, and the second highest for an original live-action film, after Avatar(2009)'s $77 million.

"I Got 5 On It" by the hip-hop rap duo, Luniz, is the song featured in the Us movie trailer and remixed into several scenes in the movie. The song was released in May 1995. It was certified a platinum single (one million units sold) in October 1995. The title is a phrase meaning to pay half of a dime bag (a $10 bag of cannabis) with another person.

The fast food that the family eats is called "Copperpots" a nod to Chester Copperpot, the legendary treasure hunter in "The Goonies" which is referenced many times in the movie.

FILM 2018: GRETA

 FILM 2018: GRETA

TRIVIA: The film is set in New York, but was actually filmed in Ireland.

Greta's last name, "Hideg", is the Hungarian word for "cold".

The restaurant scenes were shot over the space of a week. By the end of the week, the smell of fish on set was so bad, it made people need to leave early.

In the film, Frances' friend's name is Erica. This is the same name as the character Isabelle Huppert plays in the 2001 psychosexual thriller, The Piano Teacher.

Neil Jordan and Stephen Rea previously worked together in the 1992 film "The Crying Game" and the 1999 film "The End of the Affair."

FILM 2017: THE MUMMY

FILM 2017: THE MUMMY

TRIVIA: This film is intended to be the first installment in a possible Universal Monsters shared universe, also known as "Dark Universe."

The film's tagline, "Welcome to a new world of gods and monsters," is a quote from Bride of Frankenstein (1935), which was also produced by Universal and will be the next installment in the Dark Universe franchise.

The zero gravity scene took sixty-four takes and was shot for two days in a falling plane. Reportedly, a lot of the crew got nauseous during the scene and vomited, except for the main stars, Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis, who were really proud of the stunt.

When Jake Johnson was offered his part in the movie, he loved the idea and the opportunity to work with Tom Cruise, knowing that Cruise does most of his own stunts. He signed on immediately, but when he read the full script and learned what kind of dangerous actions were expected of him, he admitted to getting cold feet. However, Cruise allowed Johnson access to his private facilities for a rigorous 4.5 month training course, making him well prepared for all the stunts he was required to do.

Director Alex Kurtzman stated that there is no post credits scene because "That's Marvel's domain."

Due to the film's lukewarm reception and box office, Universal's proposed Dark Universe franchise was shelved indefinitely.

The Mummy had a relatively disappointing box office run, grossing just over $400m worldwide. Studio sources have said that Tom Cruise exerted too much control on the set, and that his input into editing and marketing greatly changed the pace and style of the movie.

When Ahmanet is mummified and is put the sarcophagus, the lid was too close to Sofia Boutella's face. And it hit her right in the nose, and all the bandages around her head were soaked with blood. After the bloody bandages were removed, a second take was done, only this time, the lid was further away from her face.

FILM 2014: LOST RIVER

FILM 2014: LOST RIVER

TRIVIA: First film written and directed by Ryan Gosling.

Matt Smith filmed his scenes during his break away from playing The Doctor on Doctor Who. He had to shave his head for the role of Bully and wore a wig for the last episodes of Doctor Who which were filmed later on.

Thomas McDonald, the actor who plays 'Skip' (the man leaving the area near the beginning of the film), is/was a real life resident of the now sparsely populated shooting location in Detroit.

When Ryan Gosling sent a text to Johnny Jewel (who created much of the film's soundtrack), outlining the influences and intended vibe of the film, Johnny's reply was "dark goonies. cool."

During one scene in the club, a woman can be seen wearing a large skull mask. This mask was originally worn by one of the circus gang motorcycle riders in the film Batman Returns (1992). It was pulled from the basement of the Warner Bros. props department for use in this film.

FILM 2012: THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN

FILM 2012: THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN 

TRIVIA: Filmed in the same house as Halloween II (2009).

Feature film debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda.

FILM 2010: DEAR JOHN

FILM 2010: DEAR JOHN

TRIVIA: On its opening weekend in the United States, it went to number one, becoming the film to finally end the reign of James Cameron's Avatar (2009), which had sat at the top of the box office for seven consecutive weeks.

"Dear John" is military slang for a letter from a girlfriend breaking up with a soldier.

The character of Alan was inspired by writer Nicholas Sparks' son, who is afflicted with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism.

Amanda Seyfried wrote the song Savannah sings to John. Titled "Little House," the whole song is featured on the movie's soundtrack.

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 2002: PANIC ROOM

FILM 2002: PANIC ROOM

TRIVIA: According to David Fincher, Kristen Stewart grew more than three inches during filming of this project. She was smaller than Jodie Foster when the production started and towered over her when the final shots were done.

Nicole Kidman was originally cast in the role of Meg Altman and Hayden Panettiere was cast as her daughter, Sarah. Before filming began, Panettiere was replaced with Kristen Stewart, who beat out Daveigh Chase for the role, as director David Fincher found her "irritating". Then, only eighteen days into filming, Kidman had to leave the film as well, due to a recurring knee injury, suffered during the filming of Moulin Rouge! (2001). Fincher suggested that the studio close the production and collect the insurance, but the studio decided to go on. Jodie Foster was offered the role. She was due to be the president of the Cannes Film Festival jury but withdrew to work with Fincher, with whom she was originally supposed to work on The Game (1997) in the role now played by Sean Penn. Foster had only nine days to prepare for the role. Kidman left a small mark in the film nevertheless, however, as the voice of the girlfriend of Foster's husband in the movie, heard answering the phone when Foster's character calls him in a desperate attempt for help.

Because the sets had been designed with Nicole Kidman in mind, who is much taller than Jodie Foster, the green safety lasers on the panic room door ended up exactly at the level of Foster's eyes, constantly blinding her as she entered and exited the room.

The shot of Sarah's medical bag sliding along the floor outside the panic room took 103 takes.

All of the indoor scenes were shot entirely in the sequence in which they appear in the finished film.

Shot over a period of 120 days, the longest shoot in Jodie Foster's career.

Fincher stated he wanted the film to look and feel as realistic as possible. This lead to an increase in the films budget and a longer than planned filming schedule. The apartment was built in whole and the panic room was built and modeled after real life panic rooms. The real life set and action lead to several minor injuries to the actors during filming as Fincher insisted on doing several scenes without CGI.

The phone number that Meg dials to order pizza from Patsy's Pizza is mentioned to be 579-3000. The area code for Manhattan is 212; the number 212-579-3000 is, in reality, for Patsy's Pizzeria.

Nicole Kidman replacement Jodie Foster substantially altered the tone of the film. Beforehand director David Fincher saw his heroine as a glacial Hitchcock/ Grace Kelly role model. With Foster in the lead, however, the part instantly became much grittier, more political.

The house, which is located at 38 West 94th street in NYC was only used for exterior shots. The house is still there and fans can visit to check it out. It is not currently on the market but if it was it is estimated to cost $7,287,881.

Despite being released in 2002, a year after the 9/11 attacks, the world trade center towers can be carefully spotted in the opening credits sequence.

Despite being remembered as a decent David Fincher film, Panic Room has yet to receive a Blu-Ray release.

Howard Shore did the music for Panic Room. He also did the music for The Silence of the Lambs, which also starred Jodie Foster.

FILM 1994: MURIEL'S WEDDING

FILM 1994: MURIEL'S WEDDING

TRIVIA: The writer/director P.J. Hogan wanted to use the music of ABBA in the film. At first, permission for the music to be used was denied. When the director promised to fly to Europe to plead his case to the founders of the band, permission was granted, as long as the band received a percentage of the film profits. The film turned out to be a big international hit, and thus helped inspire the very successful Broadway show which became the movie Mamma Mia! (2008).

Toni Collette gained 40 pounds in 7 weeks with the help of a dietitian for this role.

Bill Hunter was filming The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Muriel's Wedding (1994) at the same time, each requiring him to have different length hair, beard and to be in different parts of the country. Both films developed international cult followings and prominently featured the music of ABBA.

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

In the video store where Muriel works, a poster for the movie Strictly Ballroom is visible. Bill Hunter, who plays Bill Heslop (Muriel's father), Is also in Strictly Ballroom in the role of Barry Fife.

P.J. Hogan based Muriel's personality on himself, but Muriel's actions were inspired by his sister, who embezzled $15,000 from their father and then disappeared to Sydney to live with a friend.

Betty Heslop passes a magazine called Womans Day in the supermarket. Womans Day is a real magazine which did a feature article about the movie. The same cover (as the one in the movie) was used.