FILM 1877: BOUND

FILM 1877: BOUND

TRIVIA: Gina Gershon recommended Joe Pantoliano for the role of Caesar.

When executives at some studios read the script, they told the Wachowskis that if they changed the character of Corky to that of a man, they would be interested. The siblings declined, saying "that movie's been made a million times, so we're really not interested in it."

Joe Pantoliano was instructed by the Wachowskis to watch The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and base his Cesar character on Humphrey Bogart's Fred C. Dobbs.

The film was financed with the understanding that Jennifer Tilly was to play the role of Corky. The actress playing Violet dropped out of the project shortly before shooting began, however. At this point Gina Gershon became available to do the film. At first she was to play Violet; but since she was better suited to Corky, she and Tilly switched roles.

Jennifer Tilly named Violet as the best role she ever had.

Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly went fully nude for the main lesbian sex scene between Corky and Violet and they declined the use of body doubles.

The main sex scene set in Corky's apartment was filmed in one long shot. The Wachowskis believed that this would look more realistic than several shots edited together. Although it should have been a closed set, there were actually many people present, moving the walls of the set in order to allow full movement of the camera around the actors.

Gina Gershon's influences for her role were James Dean, Marlon Brando and Clint Eastwood.

This was Joe Pantoliano's first leading role in a film. It's also his favourite role.

The part of Violet was expected to go to Linda Hamilton.

CAMEO: Susie Bright: The noted sex author appears as the lesbian in the bar that Corky hits on before the lesbian cop arrives. The grey-haired woman in the next booth is Bright's ex.

FILM 1793: THE EQUALIZER

FILM 1793: THE EQUALIZER

TRIVIA: The script originally has no back story about Robert, so Denzel Washington contributed much to the character's background and back story, including Robert having obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In addition to his daily physical and fight training before filming, Washington met and interviewed several real-life OCD people as to gain insights of how to play that disorder correctly.

Slavi refers to Robert as "dedushka" when they meet at the restaurant. This is Russian for "grandfather".

Teri was originally written for an older actress, but Chloë Grace Moretz impressed director Antoine Fuqua so much, he made the role younger.

Based on the classic television series starring Edward Woodward.

When McCall contacts the FBI after he takes over the money room and then leaves Detective Masters for the Boston PD, he asks for Agent Mosely. This is an easter egg to the Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin movie Midnight Run (1988). FBI Agent Mosely was played by Yaphet Kotto.

The book that McCall is reading after 'The Old Man & the Sea' is most likely 'Don Quijote de La Mancha', written by Miguel de Cervantes and published in 1605.

At the beginning, in Robert's home, when the bookcase is shown, there are leather bound books. These appear to be from the Franklin Library/Franklin Mint, these were offered as a set back in the '80s.

At the end of this film macall puts down a book the invisible man the star of this is edward Woodward The original equilizer

FILM 1743: MIDNIGHT RUN

TRIVIA: Paramount Pictures originally owned the rights to the film, and they wanted a big name star to appear opposite Robert De Niro, in order to improve the film's chances at the box-office. It was suggested that the character of John "Duke" Mardukas be changed to a woman, and be played by Cher, who had had recent box-office success with The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Suspect (1987), and Moonstruck (1987). It was felt that casting Cheropposite De Niro would lend some "sexual overtones" to the relationship between the two characters. Director Martin Brest however, rejected the gender switch idea, so Paramount Pictures suggested giving the role to Robin Williams, who had recently had a big hit with Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). Williams read and liked the script, and agreed to audition. In the meantime, however, Brest had auditioned the less famous Charles Grodin, and had liked Grodin's interaction with De Niro. As such, Brest cast Grodin without auditioning Williams, and Paramount Pictures decided to drop out of the project, selling the rights to Universal, who went ahead with the De Niro and Grodin casting.

The idea to have Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) continually checking his watch, and the whole back-story related to his habit, was all De Niro's own idea.

Charles Grodin has permanent scars resulting from the real handcuffs he had to wear for a great deal of the film.

After doing The Untouchables (1987), Robert De Niro was looking for some lighter material to do next. Initially, he wanted to play the lead in Penny Marshall's Big (1988), but the studio wasn't interested in having De Niro play the role. He was then offered this movie, which he liked, and agreed to make.

Bob Maroff, the taxi driver who snubs Jack in the last scene, played alongside Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver (1976).

The Blue Angel Motel in Las Vegas was demolished in 2012 to make way for ninety-one thousand square feet of retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The motel had seen better days, but its iconic statue of a blonde woman wearing a blue dress was preserved. Adored by locals and visitors alike, the statue was designed by Betty Willis, who also designed the Stardust Casino sign, and the world-famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign.

DIRECTOR CAMEO: Martin Brest: Ticket clerk who serves Marvin (John Ashton): "smoking or non smoking?"

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FILM 1611: KISS ME DEADLY

TRIVIA: The Kefauver Commission, a federal unit dedicated to investigating corrupting influences in the 1950s, singled this out as 1955's number one menace to American youth. Because of this, Robert Aldrich felt compelled to conduct a writing campaign for the free speech rights of independent film-makers.

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

FILM 1506: MR. RIGHT

After a going through a painful break up, a woman meets a man who appears to be perfect for her. However, as their relationship develops, she learns that he is a former hit-man. Their new, but genuine relationship is tested even further as they try to save each other after his dark past comes back to haunt him.

THE SOPRANOS

TRIVIA: James Gandolfini said that he was often contacted by real-life 'wise guys' complimenting him on the authenticity of the series as well as giving him advice.

After the pilot aired, a real-life "wise guy" told James Gandolfini never to wear shorts again. The encounter seems to have been incorporated into the first episode of season four ("For All Debts Public and Private") when New York mob boss Carmine tells Tony that he'd heard about his recent backyard party, and that "a don doesn't wear shorts".

Four members of northern New Jersey's only real-life mob family, the DeCavalcantes, were secretly taped in 1999 by federal investigators talking about their similarity to the fictional DiMeo/Soprano crime family. On the tape, one NJ mobster asks another, 'Is this supposed to be us?" And his capo buddy replies, "You are in there. They mentioned your name in there'.

Tony Sirico only agreed to sign on for the show if it was guaranteed that his character Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri would not be a "rat", an informant. As Sirico explained in James Toback's documentary The Big Bang (1989), he had served time in prison for robbery. Altogether, Sirico's rap sheet included at least 28 arrests. Reportedly, Sirico also appeared briefly in an uncredited role in The Godfather: Part II (1974).

David Chase had planned a major story line for the third season concerning Tony's efforts to prevent Livia from testifying against him in court. But Nancy Marchand's death caused Chase to revise a large portion of the season.

Before David Chase chose "Woke Up This Morning" by UK band Alabama 3 (from their 1997 debut album "Exile on Coldharbour Lane"), he wanted to open every episode with a different song. HBO executives convinced him that viewers needed to be able to identify the show with a theme song. However, every "Sopranos" episode ends with a different song.

The character 'A.J. Soprano' was ranked #10 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 10 Biggest Brats" (27 March 2005 issue).

Drea de Matteo had to spend four hours in hair and makeup before shooting each episode in order to achieve her "mob girl" look. It took two hours to prepare her hair, and in the instances in which her arms, legs, and/or torso were uncovered, an hour and a half to apply makeup to cover her tattoos. 

Many local New Jersey businesses are used as locations in the series. In the opening credits, we see a shot of a pizza shack known as Pizza Land. They get calls for pizza orders from all over the country as a result. In one episode, an actual sporting goods store, Ramesey Outdoor in Paramus, was portrayed as going out of business. So many people thought the real store was closing, the store owners had to place ads to explain they were still open.

Corrado Soprano's nickname, Junior, was taken from the actual nickname used by Tony Sirico when he was a mobster as a young man, before he became an actor. 

David Chase was a longtime fan of Steven Van Zandt's music and had always wanted to write a role for him. When Chase saw Van Zandt induct 'The Young Rascals' into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he invited Van Zandt to audition for Tony Soprano even though he had never acted before. Van Zandt did not want to take a role away from a real actor, so Chase wrote the role of Silvio Dante for him. And The Rascals performance footage ended up being featured in 1999's seventh episode, "Down Neck" .

During Seasons 2 and 3, Steve Schirripa had to wear a fat suit in order to play Bobby Bacala.

The large mugshot on the wall of the Bada Bing's office is of 23-year-old Frank Sinatra. In 1938, Sinatra was arrested and charged with 'seduction of a married woman'.

Voted #5 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

Dr. Melfi was named after David Chase's grandmother, Teresa Melfi.

Whenever an actor would go to David Chase to complain about his/her character, arguing the character would never do this or that thing, it has been reported multiple times that Chase would respond: 'Who told you it is your character?'

The writers of The Sopranos carefully researched the ways in which mobsters controlled and laundered their money in order to make Tony Soprano as realistic as possible, and they employed New York assistant district attorney Dan Castleman to advise on this issue. When Castleman was asked how much they had decided Tony would realistically be worth, he stated that it was roughly 5 or 6 million dollars - an amount that fluctuated, of course, because of Tony's substantial gambling problem.