FILM 1904: THE WITCHES

FILM 1904: THE WITCHES

TRIVIA: After a test screening, Roald Dahl angrily expressed to the producers how "appalled" he was at "the vulgarity, the bad taste" and "actual terror" in certain parts of the film. Dahl demanded his name and the title be removed from the film prior to release, but after receiving an apologetic, complimentary letter from Jim Henson, Dahl grudgingly withdrew his threat.

Most of the witches in the meeting are men in women's clothing.

Felicity Dahl has stated that Roald Dahl never again requested someone for a role in his book after the producers of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) denied his request to cast Spike Milligan as the title character. But he was ecstatic when Anjelica Huston was cast as the Grand High Witch, as she had been Dahl's personal favorite for the role.

It took Anjelica Huston eight hours of make up time to transform into "The Grand High Witch".

The last film Jim Henson personally oversaw.

The German title is "Hexen hexen", which literally means "Witches practice witchcraft".

Cher, Eartha Kitt, Fiona Fullerton, Geneviève Bujold, Anne Bancroft, Olivia Hussey, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Blair, Faye Dunaway, Susan Sarandon, Jodie Foster, Vanessa Redgrave, Frances Conroy, and Liza Minnelli were all at some point considered for the part of The Grand High Witch prior to Anjelica Huston's casting. Huston's casting later satisfied Dahl.

FILM 1552: TONY ROBBINS: I AM NOT YOUR GURU

TONY ROBBINS: I AM NOT YOUR GURU, a feature documentary film about internationally renowned life and business strategist Tony Robbins, is a revelatory cinéma vérité film that goes behind the scenes of his mammoth seminar "Date With Destiny," attended by over 2,500 people in Boca Raton, Florida, each year, to give an insider look at how one man can affect millions. Granted never before seen access to the behind the scenes modus operandi of this enormous event, this film captures both the immense effort of producing this live seminar, as well as the life-changing transformations of the participants in real time. Embedding with Tony Robbins and his team over the course of six days, Academy Award nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger turns an unflinching eye on Tony Robbins' powerful and uncompromising approach to achieving success, ensuring the attendees leave "Date With Destiny" with new perspective on the forces, thoughts, and feelings that motivate their behavior and help them take control of their lives. Pulling back the curtain on Tony Robbins, a man that traverses the globe and counsels over 200,000 people annually, including world leaders, pundits, entrepreneurs, CEOs, athletes and celebrities, through interviews and unprecedented access, TONY ROBBINS: I AM NOT YOUR GURU is an emotional tour de force that unveils the inner-workings of this mega event, the zealous participants and the man himself.

-     Written by anonymous (IMDB)

TRIVIA ON TONY ROBBINS:

Birth name: Anthony J. Mahavorick

Writer and motivational speaker.

As a child, he aspired to become a sports reporter.

Is a vegetarian.

He was one of the aliens being observed in Men in Black (1997).

Was elected student body president of Glendora High School for the 1977-1978 school year. Served half his term before leaving school midway through his senior year.

Grandson of Charles Shows, writer for cartoons such as The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958).

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $30 million.

FILM 1542: MISS CONGENIALITY

TRIVIA: Cheryl "Rhode Island's" answer to the question "What is your idea of a perfect date?" was actually used as an answer in a real beauty pageant.

This movie reunites Sandra Bullock & Banjamin Bratt since Demolition Man (1993). They portray partners in law enforcement in both films.

The opening scenes take place in a Russian restaurant named Laika. Laika was the first dog in space, and the name means "Barker."

FILM 1413: THE FLY

TRIVIA: The infamous cat-monkey scene where Brundlefly fuses a cat and the remaining baboon and then beats it to death with a lead pipe was cut following a Toronto screening. According to producer Stuart Cornfeld the audience felt that there was no turning back for Seth and they lost all sympathy for his plight, which caused the rest of the film to not play as well. In Cornfeld's own words: "If you beat an animal to death, even a monkey-cat, your audience is not gonna be interested in your problems anymore".

After watching some of his early films, director Martin Scorsese asked to meet David Cronenberg. Upon meeting him, Scorsese said he looked like a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. This inspired Cronenberg to give himself a cameo as a doctor.

In a 1987 interview on Sinister Image (1987) Vincent Price revealed that when this remake was released, star Jeff Goldblum wrote him a letter saying, "I hope you like it as much as I liked yours." Price was touched by the letter, he composed a reply and went to see the film, which he described as "wonderful right up to a certain point... it went a little too far."

The line, "I'm saying I'm an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it, but now that dream is over and the insect is awake," is a reference to author Zhuangzi's famous Butterfly Dream story. It's also a reference to Franz Kafka's famous short story, The Metamorphosis.

David Cronenberg met with some opposition when he announced that he wanted to cast Jeff Goldblum in the lead role. The executive at Fox who was supervising the project felt that Goldblum was not a bankable star, and Chris Walas felt that his face would be difficult to work with for the make-up effects. Both, however, deferred to Cronenberg's judgment. Cronenberg himself later had reservations when Goldblum suggested Geena Davis, his girlfriend at the time, for the other lead role, as he did not want to have to work with a real-life couple. Cronenberg was convinced after Davis's first reading that she was right for the role. Producer Stuart Cornfeld suggested that they audition more actresses saying that it's the "script that is brilliant". Cornfeld relented after "nobody else even came close".

Michael Keaton was offered the role of Seth Brundle, but he declined.