FILM 1981: THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE

FILM 1981: THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE

TRIVIA: Alex Rocco, who plays bank robber Scalise, was a former member of the notorious The Winter Hill Gang that operated out of Boston, Massachusetts. Moreover, Rocco introduced Robert Mitchum to Howie Winter, who was the second boss of The Winter Hill Gang, to help Mitchum research his role as Eddie Coyle.

Peter Boyle found it very difficult to draw a glass of tap beer for his part of a bartender. Director Peter Yates arranged for a correctly-filled glass to be available for Boyle below the camera line. Unseen by the camera eye, Boyle then switched glasses.

The entire film was shot on location.

Robert Mitchum gained weight for his role as Eddie Coyle.

FILM 1888: BLUE STEEL

FILM 1888: BLUE STEEL

TRIVIA: Tom Sizemore's film debut.

In Germany, it was distributed as "a film from Oliver Stone", even though Stone was only one of the movie's producers.

Despite the lack of financial success, the performances of Jamie Lee Curtis and Ron Silver received acclaim.

FILM 1762: SNATCH

FILM 1762: SNATCH

TRIVIA: Brad Pitt, who was a big fan of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), approached director Guy Ritchie and asked for a role in this film. When Ritchie found Pitt couldn't master a London accent, he gave him the role of Mickey the Gypsy.

When Guy Ritchie told Brad Pitt that he would be playing a boxer, Pitt became concerned because he had just finished shooting Fight Club (1999) and did not want to play the same type of role again. Pitt took the role anyway because he wanted to work with Ritchie so badly.

Brad Pitt's character and indecipherable speech was inspired by many critics' complaints about the accents of the characters in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). Guy Ritchie decided to counter the criticisms by creating a character that not only couldn't be understood by the audience but that also couldn't be understood by characters in the movie.

Every mistake that Sol, Vincent and Tyrone make were inspired by various late-night TV shows about real-life crimes gone horribly wrong.

The producers couldn't afford enough extras for the boxing match sequences. Whenever a camera angle changed, the extras had to move around to create an impression of a crowded house.

When Vinny and Sol are sitting outside Brick-Top's Bookies, about to give him the diamond, the man that approaches the car is not really Bullet-Tooth Tony, it was a look-alike. Vinnie Jones didn't show up for shooting that day because he was in jail for fighting the night before.

The role of Brick Top was originally offered to Sean Connery. Connery liked the script and was curious to see Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), so producer Matthew Vaughn hastily arranged a screening for him at extreme short notice. Connery duly turned up and watched the film, before emerging with his judgment: "That is a good film", he said, "and (in a stage whisper) you're not going to be able to afford me." Cue Alan Ford.

During the opening credits, the Hasidic-clad diamond thieves are discussing the Virgin Mary. This is a reference to Reservoir Dogs (1992), where during the opening scene the thieves are discussing the Madonna song "Like a Virgin".

The pub where Bullet Tooth Tony is accosted by Sol and company is the same Pub used in Shaun of the Dead (2004). The Winchester, as it was known, is where Shaun and his friends took refuge from the flesh eating zombies.

Brick Top is seen to be involved in dog fighting, at one point torturing a dog. In real life, Alan Ford is a vegetarian and animal rights activist.

Director Cameo: Guy Ritchie: In the back of the bar when we are first introduced to Doug The Head. Ritchie is the man reading the newspaper.

FILM 1659: DON'T BREATHE

TRIVIA: Stephen Lang wore contact lenses that greatly restricted his vision, particularly in low light. The other actors, in the scene taking place in the dark, wore lenses that made them look like they had dilated pupils but also greatly restricted their vision.

This movie pays homage to several classic horror/suspense films from previous decades; two of the most striking: Cujo and Silence of the Lambs. Stephan Lang, the main character, was in the film before Silence of the Lambs: Manhunter.

In Brazil and South Korea the film is called "Man in the Dark," which was the original English working title.

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 1434: THE GUEST

TRIVIA: The day Dan Stevens was cast, he was assigned personal trainers and dietitians to begin his physical transformation for the role. He worked out daily for 2 hours a day, even during shooting eventually putting on 25 pounds of muscle and building six pack abs for his shirtless scene.

When David and Anna are at the Halloween party a guest can be seen wearing the Fox mask worn by one of the home invaders in Adam Wingard and Simon Barret's previous feature: You're Next. The party guest is played by Steve Moore, who composed the score for the film.

The film is intentionally structured as a horror film with the pace of a thriller.

Steve Moore, who composed the score for the movie, used the same type of synthesizers that John Carpenter and Alan Howarth used for composing the score of Halloween 3: Season of the Witch (1982).

FILM 1429: TAKING LIVES

TRIVIA: A scene was shot in which Illeana drives back to her house with the old pick-up and a branch from a tree falls and breaks the windshield. It took several takes to get the shot, and apparently destroyed the last remaining windshields for the pick-up available anywhere in North America at the time. The scene was not used.