FILM 1974: THE CELL

FILM 1974: THE CELL

TRIVIA: Jennifer Lopez wanted the costumes to be comfortable to wear. Costume designer Eiko Ishioka advised Lopez to feel uncomfortable because her character, Catherine, is "tortured".

(At around one hour and three minutes) When Catherine (Jennifer Lopez) talks with Carl (Vincent D'Onofrio) while he is "cleaning" his first victim, the scenery resembles the music video "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.; that video was directed by this film's director, Tarsem Singh.

(At around one hour and twelve minutes) The scene where Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn) first enters the mind of Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio), and is confronted by three females with open mouths to the sky is based on the painting "Dawn" by Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum.

(At around forty-four minutes) The scene in which the horse is cut into segments suspended in glass cases is inspired by the work of British artist Damien Hirst (e.g., the installation "Some Comfort Gained from the Acceptance of the Inherent Lies in Everything").

Vincent D'Onofrio later admitted that his wife refused to sleep in the same bed with him for two weeks after seeing his performance in the movie.

Named by Roger Ebert as one of his top-ten films of 2000.

Vince Vaughn and Vincent D'Onofrio played brothers in The Break-Up (2006).

FILM 1973: THE SNOWMAN

FILM 1973: THE SNOWMAN

TRIVIA: Martin Scorsese was originally attached to direct this movie. He remained on board as executive producer.

Tomas Alfredson has said that production was too rushed. He came on board late, and reckons that up to 15% of the screenplay was never filmed. Location filming in Norway was shortened so production could move to London, which compromised the story.

Featured on episode 209 on the podcast "How Did This Get Made?".

The ringtone of Rakel's phone is cover of Edvard Grieg's piece "In the Hall of the Mountain King".

All of Val Kilmer's lines are dubbed throughout the film. According to a Reddit AMA in May 2017, Kilmer disclosed that he had "a healing of cancer," and his tongue "was still swollen although healing all the time."

Jonny Greenwood created a score that was not used.

FILM 1971: MINDHUNTERS

FILM 1971: MINDHUNTERS

TRIVIA: The primary reason the film was able to be done on such a modest budget was due to a generous tax break from the Dutch government.

Val Kilmer's next role was as the infamous porn legend John Holmes in Wonderland(2003). In order to secure Kilmer's participation, he was allowed to grow out his hair during the filming of this movie. 

The studio did not cast any character as a lead. Director Renny Harlin wanted no dummy characters or obvious victims and established a sense that "anyone could die at any moment" in the film.

A large part of the movie was filmed on the location where the Dutch anti riot police (Mobiele Eenheid) is trained. It's a fake village where riots are simulated. There are still some traces of the movie. For instance, there still hangs a large poster on a wall, as can be seen in the movie.

DIRECTOR CAMEO: Renny Harlin: a mannequin holding a phone in a phone booth late in the film.

DIRECTOR TRADEMARK: Renny Harlin: [Finland] When the others leave Vince and Gabe alone in the basement room, Finland's flag is seen on the wall

FILM 1920: THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

FILM 1920: THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

TRIVIA: The House That Jack Built (2018) was originally announced as an eight-part miniseries in September 2014 when the completed version of Nymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013) / Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013) premiered at the Venice Film Festival, but in February 2016, Lars von Trier announced via a David Bowie-themed video on his official Facebook page that "The House That Jack Built" would be his next theatrical release, due in theaters in 2018.

Despite audience backlash toward a scene involving the main character's mutilation of a duckling when he was a child, PETA has defended the film in a statement praising its accurate portrayal of the link between adolescent animal abuse and psychopathy. Animal cruelty is actually known to be a common trait among serial murderers, especially when they are young.

The Second Incident is similar to Ray Bradbury's short story "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" (1948) in which the murderer is obsessed with erasing every fingerprint at the scene of the crime.

A shot of Jack and Verge standing in a boat is reminiscent of the painting "The Raft of the Medusa" (Le Radeau de La Méduse) by Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault. It also bears resemblance to "La Barque de Dante" by Eugène Delacroix. 

The prestigious French film magazine 'Cahiers du Cinema' declared The House That Jack Built (2018) the 8th best film of 2018.

FILM 1885: THE RIVERMAN

FILM 1885: THE RIVERMAN

TRIVIA: Robert Keppel had been a University of Washington Criminology Professor when he was approached by Detective Dave Reichert to help solve the Green River Serial Murders case. Keppel was a profiler, who had helped track down Ted Bundy. While on death row in Florida, Bundy contacted Keppel offering to find the killer he had dubbed "the Riverman" in hopes that he would get a stay of execution. Keppel then began a series of psychologically grueling and often combative interviews with Bundy. Keppel became obsessed with the case and with Bundy, eventually coercing him to confess for the murders of eight women still listed as missing from his reign of terror. The real life relationship between Keppel and Bundy served as the inspiration for the movie, Silence of the Lambs (1991) staring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. The Green River Serial Killer was finally brought to justice on November 30, 2001 when advances in forensic DNA proved that suspect Gary Ridgway was in fact the killer. On November 5th, 2003 Gary Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first degree murder in a King County, Washington (Seattle) courtroom. Due to a plea bargain centered around Ridgway's assistance in helping authorities find missing victims, Ridgway avoided the Death Penalty.

Robert D. Keppel had watched the film and was very pleased with it. He also praised Cary Elwes and Bruce Greenwood's performances.

Based on the best-selling book, "The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer" by Robert Keppel

FILM 1828: THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

FILM 1828: THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

TRIVIA: In preparation for his role, Sir Anthony Hopkins studied files of serial killers. Also, he visited prisons, and studied convicted murderers, and was present during some court hearings concerning gruesome murderers and serial killings.

Jodie Foster claims that during the first meeting between Lecter and Starling, Sir Anthony Hopkins' mocking of her southern accent was improvised on the spot. Foster's horrified reaction was genuine, she felt personally attacked. She later thanked Hopkins for generating such an honest reaction.

With twenty-four minutes and fifty-two seconds of screen time, Sir Anthony Hopkins' performance in this movie is the second shortest to ever win an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, with David Niven in Separate Tables (1958) beating him, at twenty-three minutes and thirty-nine seconds.

After Jodie Foster first read the Thomas Harris novel, she tried to buy the rights herself, only to find Gene Hackman had beaten her to it.

Jame Gumb's dance was not included in the original draft of the screenplay, although it appears in the novel. It was added at the insistence of Ted Levine, who thought the scene was essential in defining the character.

One of the inspirations from whom Sir Anthony Hopkins borrowed for his interpretation of Hannibal Lecter was a friend of his in London who rarely blinked when speaking, which unnerved anyone around him.

Jodie Foster spent a great deal of time with FBI agent Mary Ann Krause prior to filming. Krause gave Foster the idea of Starling standing by her car crying. Krause told Foster that at times, the work just became so overwhelming that it was a good way to get an emotional release.

The production received full cooperation from the FBI, as they saw it as a potential recruiting tool to hire more female agents.

Clarice Starling was chosen by the American Film Institution as the sixth-greatest film hero (out of fifty), the highest ranked female on the list. Hannibal Lecter was chosen as the number one greatest film villain (also out of fifty).

Sir Anthony Hopkins said he saw Lecter as similar to H.A.L. 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). A highly complex, highly intelligent, highly logical killing machine, who seems to know everything going on around him.

Sir Anthony Hopkins described his voice for Hannibal Lecter as "a combination of Truman Capote and Katharine Hepburn."

John Douglas, on whom the Jack Crawford character was based, achieved some fame of his own a few years after this film. He was hired by the parents of JonBenét Ramsey to investigate her death and apparent murder. Up until that point, the parents had been the chief suspects in the case. While Douglas did not fault the local police for investigating the family first, as in the film, investigators usually assume that victims know their killers, he became the first public official to proclaim their innocence.

The movie's poster was number sixteen of "The 25 Best Movie Posters Ever" by Premiere.

Fangoria magazine was declined the chance to cover the film because Orion and the filmmakers felt that the magazine's focus on the horror genre would stigmatize its awards season chances. They were also barred from covering Cape Fear (1991) for similar reasons.

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

FILM 1800: ZODIAC

FILM 1800: ZODIAC

TRIVIA: The Zodiac case was re-opened after the release of the film.

The only real comment that Robert Graysmith said about the finished screenplay was, "God, now I see why my wife divorced me."

The shooting script was two hundred pages long. To prevent any problems with length, that such a long script might cause, Director David Fincher decided to ask his cast members to speak faster.

The producers hired a private investigator to track down the real-life Zodiac survivor, Mike Mageau.

Hair was digitally added to the close-ups of Jake Gyllenhaal's knuckles as he draws or holds letters. David Fincher felt that Gyllenhaal's hands "were too hairless and pretty".

When Mark Ruffalo met David Toschi, the investigator he plays in the film, he was very impressed to learn that Toschi had perfect recall of every detail of every case.

Robert Graysmith and Paul Avery were not actually friends. Their relationship is fictionalized for the film.

David Fincher was always first choice to direct, based on his work on Se7en (1995).

Jake Gyllenhaal shares one of the film's creepiest scenes with Charles Fleischer. In real-life, the two have known each other since Gyllenhaal was three years old.

Anthony Edwards was cast as Armstrong because David Fincher wanted him to be played by a thoroughly decent person. Fincher already knew him, not so much from his work on ER (1994), but because he was a neighbor.

Because he wanted the film to be as accurate as possible, David Fincher decided not to depict any of the alleged Zodiac murders for which there were no surviving victims or witnesses.

In order to save time, David Fincher decided to digitally add all the blood in the murder scenes.

Robert Downey Jr. was so unaccustomed to the experience of both David Fincher's multiple takes, and the process of filming digitally, that he rebelled against David for "having no time to get my shit together in my trailer" by hiding mason jars full of his urine on set.

(At around thirty-three minutes) Dave Toschi, in real-life, was the inspiration for Steve McQueen's performance in Bullitt (1968). In the film, Graysmith mentions that Toschi wears his gun like Bullitt. Avery replies that Bullitt got it from Toschi.

Dermot Mulroney had to wear a fat suit for his few short scenes, because David Fincherfelt he was in far too good shape for his character.

David Fincher's template for the film was Alan J. Pakula's All the President's Men (1976).

South Korean film Director Joon-ho Bong has classified David Fincher's film as a "masterpiece," writing that "There was really nothing to find fault with about it, down to the cinematography, art direction, and action."

Daniel Craig was first choice for Paul Avery.

(At around fourteen minutes) The bar Paul Avery frequents in the film, is called Morti's. Mortis is Latin for death.

Two of the lead actors, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey, Jr., would go on to co-star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Hulk and Iron Man respectively.

The historical Paul Avery did not withdraw from working at the San Francisco Chronicle to a life of reclusive obscurity, as the film suggests. In 1974-75 he did reportage on the kidnapping of Patricia Hearst which he turned into a high-profile published book, "The Voices of Guns" (1976); he was also married with two daughters, a fact the film does not mention.

FILM 1796: THE DELIBERATE STRANGER

FILM 1796: THE DELIBERATE STRANGER

TRIVIA: According to Ann Rule in an updated edition of her true crime novel about Ted Bundy, "The Stranger Beside Me", after "The Deliberate Stranger" first aired on TV, the real Bundy started to receive hundreds more love letters per day. Rule concluded that many of these women who sent Bundy love letters were actually writing them to Mark Harmon, or imagining that Bundy was more like Harmon than he actually was.

The real Ted Bundy continued to claim he was innocent until shortly before his execution in 1989. Bundy provided details of the murders even as he was walked to the electric chair.

Ted Bundy, who was still on death row and appealing his case to the U.S. Supreme court when "The Deliberate Stranger" premiered on TV, refused to watch the movie.

Robert Hays was first sought out for the role of Ted Bundy due to his striking resemblance to Bundy. Hay's rejected the role due to moral issues with the script and respect for the victims families.

Jeannetta Arnette as Mrs. Ritcher is based on Ted Bundy biographer Ann Rule (The Stranger Beside Me), who, fifteen years older, worked with Bundy at a Crisis Center as he (in this movie and real life) listened compassionately to her marital problems. She remained his supporter until the Florida Trials, but still kept in touch.

FILM 1778: 88 MINUTES

FILM 1778: 88 MINUTES

TRIVIA: The film runs in "real time" meaning that at the moment Jack Gramm is first told he has only 88 minutes to live, the remaining running time of the motion picture until the identity of the person who set Gramm up is exactly 88 minutes.

Was scheduled for release in 2005 but the release date was pushed back numerous times.

This movie reunites Al Pacino and Damien Leake from Sea of Love 1989.

This movie reunites Al Pacino and Amy Brenneman from Heat 1995.

BOOK 185: THE STRANGER BESIDE ME: ANN RULE

BOOK 185: THE STRANGER BESIDE ME: ANN RULE

The Stranger Beside Me is a 1980 autobiographical and biographical true crime book written by Ann Rule about the serial killer Ted Bundy, whom she knew personally before and after his arrest for a series of murders. Subsequent revisions of the book were published in 1986, 1989, 2000, and 2008.

MY VERDICT: This book is simply amazing. It’s well written and continuingly interesting but the most astounding thing about it is it’s very existence – all the things that had to come into place to make this book happen. The fact that Ann Rule, as a true crime author, was commissioned to write a book about a series of murders and then slowly discovered that the murderer was a man she knew as a friend is something that you wouldn’t believe in a film script. But truth is stranger than fiction. 

When I first heard about this book I had assumed that Ann Rule knew Ted Bundy in passing, that they’d worked in the same building taking calls from those in need, maybe they exchanged a few words. The truth is that they considered each other friends, they went to parties together, they had lunch together, they spoke about themselves and their personal problems. How shocked would you be if someone you knew this way turned out to be a brutal murderer? And for so long she believed that he couldn’t have done it. Ann Rule expresses all her emotions bare on the page and this is scattered among details of Ted’s life and Ted’s crimes. It’s fascinating from start to finish and although the order maybe could have been a little less disjointed, (it starts with his escape to Florida) which in my opinion should have been more chronological (especially with the notes at the start and finish of the book) it’s still easy to follow and you do feel like you’re taken on a journey through the life, crimes and relationships of a real serial murderer.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime.

THE KILLING SEASON (2016)

"The Killing Season" from Executive Producer Alex Gibney follows documentarians, Joshua Zeman (Cropsey) and Rachel Mills as they investigate one of the most bizarre unsolved serial killer cases of our time -- ten dead sex workers discovered on Gilgo Beach, Long Island. Authorities believe these killings are the work of the Long Island Serial Killer, who after five years remains at large. Forging relationships with cyber-sleuths, journalists and victim's families, Zeman and Mills uncover connections that suggest Long Island is just the beginning.

FILM 1487: TALES OF THE GRIM SLEEPER 

TRIVIA: Shortlisted for 'Best Documentary Feature' at the 87th Academy Awards.