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Big Trouble in Little China released July 2, 1986

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance No Responses »

Jul 022010

Big Trouble in Little China (also known as John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China) is a 1986 American action comedy, directed by John Carpenter. It stars Kurt Russell as truck driver Jack Burton, who helps his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) rescue Wang’s green-eyed girlfriend (Suzee Pai) from bandits in San Francisco’s Chinatown. They go into the mysterious underworld beneath Chinatown, where they face an ancient sorcerer named Lo Pan (James Hong).

Although the film was originally envisioned as a Western set in the 1880s, screenwriter W. D. Richter was hired to rewrite the script extensively and modernize everything. The studio hired Carpenter to direct the film and rushed Big Trouble in Little China into production so that it would be released before a similarly themed Eddie Murphy film, The Golden Child, which was slated to come out around the same time. The project fulfilled Carpenter’s long-standing desire to make a martial arts film. The film was a commercial failure, grossing $11.1 million in North America and well below its estimated $25 million budget. It received critically mixed reviews that left Carpenter disillusioned with Hollywood and influenced his decision to return to independent film-making. The film has since gone on to become a cult film due in large part to its success on home video.

Trivia:

The ending song is written and sung by The Coupe De Ville. A band formed with: John Carpenter, Nick Castle and Tommy Lee Wallace (second unit director on this picture).

The Chinese characters in the main title translate to “Evil Spirits Make a Big Scene in Little Spiritual State”.

The characters on the front of “Egg” Shen’s bus say, “Uncle Egg’s Tours Guarantee a Good Time”.

Although Kurt Russell was John Carpenter’s only choice for the lead role the studio suggested Jack Nicholson or Clint Eastwood. Once they proved unavailable, Carpenter was able to cast Russell.

Body count: 46.

According to director John Carpenter, the post production process on this movie was merely four months.

In the wedding Scene where LoPan is putting the Needle of Love in Miao Yin, James Hong actually jabbed Suzee Pai too hard. You can even see her jump as he puts it in her.

According to John Carpenter and Kurt Russell in the DVD Commentary, the story was originally written as a western but Carpenter decided to set it during modern times. They even mention that instead of Jack Burton’s truck being stolen, it was originally his horse.

Kurt Russell suffered a bad case of the flu during shooting so the sweat on his body is real, caused by the fever.

According to John Carpenter in the DVD Commentary, Carter Wong, who plays Thunder, actually worked as a martial arts instructor with the Hong Kong Police.

The Brides of Lo Pan must have green eyes. Yet both Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai had brown eyes in real life. Both wore green contacts for the movie. This is very obvious in the hi-def version of the movie.

The rivalry between the Chang Sing and Wing Kong Tongs is analogous to the famous rivalry between the Hip Sing and On Leong Tongs (even the names rhyme) in early 20th century New York.

The short knives wielded by the “Three Storms” warriors, that Thunder calls “Hui Huan Dou” (Soul-Returning Blades) are in fact Nepalese Kukri. These knives were made famous for their usage by the Gurkhas in the British Indian Army.

The name of the murdered gang leader, Lem Lee, is probably a reference to Tom Lee, the leader of the On Leong Tong, a crime syndicate in New York’s Chinatown in the early 20th Century that fronted itself as a merchant association.

The Truck Driven by Jack (Kurt Russell) – the “Pork Chop Express” – is a Freightliner FLC 120

This the last studio film that John Carpenter worked on at the end of the 1980′s due to the problems he’d received during the production of the film with then studio head Lawrence Gordon, who practically interfered with the film up until it’s release date. Prince of Darkness (1987) and They Live (1988) would be made independently through Alive Films without any studio interference and distributed by Universal Pictures.

According to John Carpenter on the audio commentary that the opening of the film with Egg Shen (Victor Wong) in the lawyer’s office was added in as a request from 20th Century Fox because to make Kurt Russell’s character Jack Burton to be more heroic. If the scene was not added in, the film would have started with Jack driving to San Francisco.

Both John Carpenter and Kurt Russell explain on the audio commentary that the test screening was so overwhelming positive that both of them expected it to be a big hit. However, 20th Century Fox put little into promoting the movie and it ended up being a box office bomb. However, it went on to be a huge cult hit through home video. Carpenter and Russell explained that the reason the studio did little to promote the film was because they didn’t know how to.

Innerspace released July 1, 1987

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Sci-fi, Science Fiction No Responses »

Jul 012010

Innerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. The film was inspired by the classic 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage. It stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo, and Kevin McCarthy with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. Though not a box office success ($25,893,810 of dosmetic gross revenue), it did win an Oscar, the only film directed by Joe Dante to do so. It was subsequently novelized by Nathan Elliott.

Trivia:

The patients in the doctor’s waiting room with Jack are played by Andrea Martin and Joe Flaherty, Martin Short’s co-stars from “SCTV Channel” (1983).

The computers in the lab display Apple 2 assembly language listing from the ROM monitor.

Cameo: [Chuck Jones] as a customer in the seen in the supermarket queue eating carrots. He utters the line regarding buying the aspirin, “At eight hundred dollars a bottle, who’d want to?”

The filmmakers used two different shopping malls for the scene where the doctor injects Tuck into Jack’s rear. The opening scenes where the doctor runs in and heads for the elevator were shot in the Northridge Mall in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles (also the epicenter of the ’94 quake). The scene where he reaches the top and rams the syringe into Jack was filmed on the top floor of the Sherman Oaks Galleria, another mall several miles away.

Some similarity to the pod in this movie and the one in Explorers (1985), also directed by Joe Dante.

After Scrimshaw and Canker are shrunk 50%, there are a few scenes where they are seen with full-size actors. These shots were actually filmed using forced perspective. For the car scene, the rear of the car is actually twice as large as a normal car rear, and was about 20 feet away. During the scene half size hands and double-size heads were used. Using this method, the film-makers didn’t have to worry about compositing two separate shots in post production, so the shots could be completed quicker. Even in the final scene with the suitcase, the case was twice as large, but the hand that closes it was real, closer to the camera in sync with the closing. (It took about 20 takes before it was perfect.)

This was the first film commercially released in Dolby Stereo “Spectral Recording” (SR). SR is a vastly improved noise reduction system which replaced Dolby’s original “A-type” noise reduction used for decades in all professional analog recording mediums (including all previous Dolby Stereo movies).

Director Cameo: [Joe Dante] as the first employee in the Vectorscope Lab attacked by the techno-terrorists.

When they are shrinking Tuck Pendleton, the lab’s instrumentation shows a reading on the screen that is five interlinked hexagons (two top, three bottom). This is the symbol that the “Combined Minature Deterrent Forces”, or CMDF, also used in the movie Fantastic Voyage (1966).

During the Cowboy/Putter changeover, Robert Picardo had to do quite a bit of work. After Putter has been changed, we see Lydia asking how he got into the room, etc. The first time Robert goes off screen he’s actually rushing behind camera, tearing off his breakaway clothes and getting into the bath. A make-up assistant is behind a fake wall at the head of the bath, having just changed the Putter Wig to the Cowboy one. Before the Scrimshaw meeting, Picardo’s voice was overdubbed with Short’s. During the meeting, Picardo used his own voice (with a Short-esque lilt), as the filmmakers didn’t think Short “trying? the Cowboy’s voice would be convincing enough to make the scene work.

The gas masks worn by Fiona Lewis and her henchmen are US M-17′s.

William Schallert was cast as Jack’s doctor as an in-joke since he had played a doctor in The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957).

The license plate on Mr. Igoe’s car is “SNAPON” this is a reference to Snap-on tools; an automotive mechanic tool that features a snap mechanism for different attachments, similar to his hand.

While getting Jack pumped up to jump out of the back of the freezer truck, Tuck chants “nam myoho renge kyo” at him three times – this is the mantra chanted by adherents of Japanese Nichiren Buddhism.

Amy Irving was married to Steven Spielberg at the time, and when he showed her the script, she desperately wanted to play the role of Lydia Maxwell.

The only film directed by Joe Dante to win an Academy Award.

After Gremlins (1984), this movie marked the third collaboration between Joe Dante and Michael Finnell with Steven Spielberg.

Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan met on the set of this movie. They were married in 1991.

Cameo: [Arthur Kane] Arthur “Killer” Kane, bass player for the infamous New York Dolls makes an appearance as a passenger when the Cowboy us first seen in the airliner.

Luca Bercovici was the original actor to play Ingoe and his scenes were shot, but was replaced because the producers felt that he was not an intimidating villain as he was about the same height and body size as Martin Short.

The scene where Jack (Martin Short)’s character is tortured with propane is thought to be Robert Picardo’s character of The Cowboy with Rob Bottin’s make up effects. In reality, it is Picardo and it is his real voice during the scene as it played out. They had tried to dub Short as Picardo’s voice of The Cowboy but it did not work and had Picuardo just do the lines himself, according to Director Joe Dante.

The lab in the beginning of the film is the polar opposite of that of Victor Scrimshaw’s, Kevin McCarthy’s later on in the film. The lab seen when Dennis Quaid is miniaturized is in fact what a real lab would look like which is basically a poor man’s miniature home made pod. While the one later on seen during the scene where Ingoe (Vernon Wells) is miniaturized and injected into Martin Short is more high tech with all of the latest industrial tools with proper funding.

John Hora who had previously worked as Joe Dante’s cinematographer on all of his movies, was cast as Ozzie after Steven Spielberg suggested him to play the absent minded professor. Director Dante and Producer Michael Finnell were very skeptical about that idea and Spielberg insisted that they give him a screen test to just to see and was cast after impressing Dante and Finnell.

All of the cells seen outside the pod were in fact made out of Jello according to Peter Kuran, the special effects supervisor.

Director Trademark: [Joe Dante] [Regular Cast] Robert Picardo, John Hora, Kevin McCarthy, Wendy Schaal, William Schallert and Henry Gibson all regular actors who have appeared in Joe Dante’s previous and future films. Hora was Dante’s regular Director of Photography for most of his films up to Small Soldiers (1998).

The film was shot mostly on sound stages with the exception of one month of location filming in San Fransisco, Marin County and the Galleria Mall.

The lab workers seen during the scene where Dennis Quaid is about to be miniaturized were in fact real laboratory workers, as actors would not have been suitable to performing what real lab rats do.

Murder by Death released June 23, 1976

Comedy, Mystery, Thriller No Responses »

Jun 232010

Murder by Death is a 1976 comedy movie with a star-studded cast, written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore.

The plot is a spoof of the traditional country-house whodunit, familiar to mystery fiction fans from classics such as Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, a form also parodied for the stage in Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound. The cast is an ensemble of British and American actors playing send-ups of well-known fictional sleuths, including Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Charlie Chan, Nick and Nora Charles, and Sam Spade.

It also features a rare acting performance by In Cold Blood author Truman Capote. The film was presented at the Venice International Film Festival in 1976.

Trivia:

Orson Welles was originally considered for the role of Inspector Wang but was unable to accept because he was appearing in a play in Italy.

Neil Simon remained on the set to take care of re-writes, as he did with this picture’s sequel, The Cheap Detective (1978). Simon took such a shine to Alec Guinness during the picture’s production that he told him if he did not like anything in the film, he’d immediately rewrite it for him, but Guinness assured him it was great fun for him.

Myrna Loy was originally offered the part of Dora Charleston (a role that was a spoof of the character that she had played in the Thin Man movies) but she declined, later stating that “it would have been ridiculous to have Myrna Loy doing Myrna Loy”. She also stated that she didn’t want her “ass pinched by David Niven”.

During the first scene when Alec Guinness licks the stamps for the invitations, the stamps used were the 8 cent Dwight D. Eisenhower “No Dot”, three-color stamps released in May 1971 and not the more popular 6 cent stamp released nearly a year earlier. First-class postage stamps were up to 13 cents by the time the movie was produced.

It was while working on this film that Alec Guinness received the script for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977). He read it between scenes in his dressing room.

All of the detectives in the film are parodies of the work of three authors: Dashiell Hammett, whose Nick Charles and Sam Spade were the basis for Dick Charleston and Sam Diamond, respectively; Agatha Christie, whose Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple inspired Milo Perrier and Miss Marbles; Earl Derr Biggers Charlie Chan was the basis for Inspector Sidney Wang and his son.

Immediately after completing the film, Peter Sellers was so convinced it was going to bomb, he convinced the producers to buy back his percentage share in the movie, thus depriving himself of a cut of the profits with the film when it went on to be a hit.

The screaming woman sound used as a doorbell is Fay Wray’s screams from King Kong (1933).

Originally Katharine Hepburn was meant to play a character called Dame Abigail Christian (a spin on Agatha Christie). Hepburn dropped out after hearing Myrna Loy would not do the film. The character was changed to Dame Abigail Christmas, and Estelle Winwood took the role. After numerous re-writes Estelle became Nurse Withers to a new character, Elsa Lanchester’s Miss Jessica Marbles.

Nancy Walker’s last movie. Ironic in that she does not utter a single word throughout the entire film.

An interview with writer Neil Simon in a DVD extra Murder by Death: A Conversation with Neil Simon (1999) (V) has him reveal that he and director Robert Moore at one time wished to replace Truman Capote with a real actor in the part of Lionel Twain but ultimately this never eventuated.

Peter Sellers also played a taxi driver, but the scene was deleted.

Peter Sellers reportedly played a number of practical jokes on cast and crew during filming, including once calling Neil Simon up whilst imitating co-star Alec Guinness and demanding a re-write of a key scene in the middle of the night. Neither Guinness nor Simon was amused.

In the opening credits, each character’s eyes move except for Peter Falk’s (which may be an in-joke reference to his glass eye), and Alec Guinness’s blind butler.

David Niven plays Dick Charleston, a role based on Nick Charles which was originated by William Powell in the Thin Man movies. This is the second time Niven has played a role originated by Powell, having also played the titular role in the remake of My Man Godfrey (1936).

Phil Silvers had a small role in this film, but his scenes were deleted in the final release print.

Cocoon released June 21, 1985

Adventure, Comedy, Romance, Sci-fi, Science Fiction No Responses »

Jun 212010

Cocoon is a 1985 science fiction film directed by Ron Howard about a group of elderly people who are rejuvenated by aliens. The movie starred Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy, Jack Gilford, Steve Guttenberg, Maureen Stapleton, Jessica Tandy, Gwen Verdon, Herta Ware, Tahnee Welch, and Linda Harrison. The film is loosely based on the novel by David Saperstein.

The movie was filmed in and around St. Petersburg, Florida: locations included the St Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, The Coliseum, and Snell Arcade buildings. The film earned two Academy Awards.

It spawned one sequel, Cocoon: The Return, in which almost all of the original cast reprised their roles.

Trivia:

Ron Howard’s brother, mother and father all appear in the film. His wife appears also, as a receptionist/nurse behind a desk, and she was pregnant with twin daughters at the time. The reception area desk was used to hide that fact.

Wilford Brimley was only 50 years old at the time of this film’s production. He had to have his hair dyed gray in order to make him look geriatric.

The effects team revealed in interviews that the dolphins in the underwater scenes were animatronic, not live ones.

Hume Cronyn was a Golden Glove boxer and lost sight in one eye. In the scene where he hits the young orderly, without depth perception, he actually hit the young man and knocked him out.

According to Ron Howard, several members of the cast liked to get into hypothetical discussions about the chance their characters were offered in the film. Maureen Stapleton was dead against it, while Don Ameche said he’d be the first in line.

In Say Anything… (1989), John Cusack plays Cocoon (1985) for a crowd of old folks at a retirement home.

Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy playing the old married couple Joseph and Alma Finley had in real life also been married to each other for many years.

The tinted map Walter gives to Jack showing him the underwater location of their search for cocoons is actually an infra-red aerial photograph of Bay County, Florida (where Panama City Beach is located) printed on a transparency.

Dirctor Ron Howard had originally wanted Joan Bennett for the role of Bess MCarthy, but since she had been talked out of taking the role by her fourth husband, David Wilde, the role was offered to Gwen Verdon instead.

Two firsts for the offspring of two famous actors – Tyrone Power Jr.’s (son of Tyrone Power) film debut and Tahnee Welch’s (daughter of Raquel Welch) American film debut.

Maureen Stapleton is about 9 years older than Wilford Brimley.

Ghostbusters II released June 16, 1989

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Science Fiction No Responses »

Jun 162010

Ghostbusters II is a 1989 science fiction comedy film and is the sequel to Ghostbusters. Produced and directed by Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters II follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities (“ghostbusting”). The sequel was originally to be called Ghostbusters II: River Of Slime.

The sequel had what was, at the time, the biggest three-day opening weekend gross in history ($29,472,894, which is equivalent to $50,864,510 in 2009), a record that was broken one week later by Batman ($40,505,884). Despite the record-breaking opening, the film has received mixed reviews from both critics and viewers.

Trivia:

In the scene when Egon looks up information about Vigo in the database, Vigo’s full name is listed as Vigo Von Homburg Deutschendorf. The actor who plays Vigo is Wilhelm von Homburg and the twins who play Oscar are William T. Deutschendorf and Henry J. Deutschendorf II. The twins are the nephews of singer John Denver whose real name was ‘Henry J. Deutschendorf I.

Several pieces of material from the trailers did not appear in the film: – Egon uses a PKE meter to read a piece of floating crystal. – When someone says the Titanic just arrived, Venkman replies “Better late than never.” In the film, this is said by Cheech Marin.

Dialogue including “There’s always room for Jello” was re-recorded for the finished film.

Cameo: [Chloe Webb] guest on “World of the Psychic”.

The kid who tells Ray that, according to his dad, the Ghostbusters are “full of crap” is played by Jason Reitman, the son of director Ivan Reitman. Reitman’s daughter plays the girl with the puppy in Egon’s lab.

Originally, the producers planned on having the crashed Hindenburg appear as a ghostly blimp. They dumped this in favor of the apparitions coming off the Titanic.

The scene involving a woman’s mink coat coming to life was originally written & storyboarded to be in Ghost Busters (1984).

When Peter arrives at Ray’s Occult book-store, pretending to be a strange customer looking for a particular book, the gag was originally intended to be that Peter had previously made a prank phone call to Ray asking for the book, and Ray realizing it was Peter who made the call when he arrives at the store repeating the act. The prank call was not used in the final edit of the film, resulting in it seeming that Peter is just fooling around as he enters the shop.

A scene of Egon and Ray experimenting on the bowl of slime, with them wearing head devices with multiple wires connecting to the bowl (which would have gone before the scene with the ‘dancing toaster’), was filmed but not used in the final edit, but a shot from the scene was a commonly used publicity still for the film.

The shot of the Ecto-1 on the verge of breaking down at the start of the film is fitting in that while filming the bridge scene that’s seen in the montage, the car finally did break down.

A scene featuring Ray driving Ecto-1A recklessly at speed, as a result of being possessed while examining Vigo’s painting, was filmed but not used in the final edit of the movie. However, some shots of the sequence (Ray running a red light; Peter, sitting in the back, pulling a surprised face) were used in the montage as the Ghostbusters go back into business. (This continued a trend of unused scenes being used in a montage. In the first film, a scene of Ray and Winston investigating a haunted fort, where Ray encounters a beautiful ghost, was filmed and not used, but instead used as a ‘dream’ in that movie’s montage sequence.)

200 visual effects shots were used in the entire film.

In the German dub of the movie Dana’s child Oscar is renamed to ‘Donald’.

The original VHS (and laserdisc) release of this movie (and The Karate Kid, Part III (1989)) was in letterbox, causing complaints to video stores prompting them to call RCA/Columbia to find out if there was a problem in the printing. To make matters worse, it was not letterboxed in the film’s original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, but rather letterboxed AND panned-and-scanned into a 1.66:1 frame. So viewers who liked ‘full frame’ movies had to put up with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, and those who want films in their OAR had to deal with a picture that was cropped on the sides and panned-and-scanned in some shots. Neither type of viewer was satisfied with the original home video release. The DVD release in 1999 was the first time that the film was presented in it’s original 2.35:1 aspect ratio on home video.

The joystick the team uses is an NES Advantage joystick with most of the body removed.

The phone number on the side of Ecto-1 is JL5-2020. (555-2020)

The cameo appearance of Slimer the green ghost of Ghost Busters (1984) was prompted by the fact that in the years in between the two films, the cartoon series “The Real Ghost Busters” (1986) introduced the idea that Slimer was living at the firehouse as the Ghostbusters’ pet. Because the original film and the cartoon series were so popular with children, they put Slimer in the film.

During the montage sequence after the courthouse scene, when the Ghostbusters sign is being put up, the sign-maker’s phone number, (516) 374-2340, is visible. This was and still is the phone number for Five Town Neon Service Inc., also known as “Johnny’s Signs”.

In the courtroom scene, the prosecuting lawyer is carried out of the room upside-down by her leg by one of the ghosts. In the trailer, you see the prosecuting lawyer floating out of the room upside-down as the ghost SFX have not yet been added.

The pneumatic subway line that Ray finds when they lower him below the street actually exists under part of Manhattan. The line was built prior to any other subways in the area and was actually built without any City approval. It operated using compressed air and pushed Victorian New Yorkers a number of blocks in “elegant comfort”. When the City of New York found out about the subway line, they shut it down and the line was buried, including two beautifully appointed stations with extensive tile work and even full-size chandeliers above the tracks! Several decades later, when digging for the modern subway system, workers punched into the then unknown subway tunnel and found the station and the subway car completely intact and in remarkably good condition. It’s still there today.

Bill Murray told Entertainment Weekly he was very disappointed with the way the film turned out. He commented “it was a whole lot of slime, and not much of us.”

This film is the final theatrical appearance for actress Janet Margolin, (prosecution lawyer) who died three years later from ovarian cancer.

In Peter’s apartment you can see the newspaper front pages from the first Ghost Busters (1984) movie, including the “USA Today” front page. Each one is framed on his wall. They are most visible when Dana (Sigourney Weaver) is still wrapped in a towel after getting out of the shower and Peter is telling her about finding slime residue in her apartment.

Dr. Venkman teases Dr. Spengler about his lab assistant and Dr. Spengler responds “I think she’s more interested in my epididymis”. The Epididymis are the small tubes that connect the vas deferens to the testes.

The Vigo character was based on Vlad III The Impaler and Grigory Rasputin.

The term “proton pack”, was never officially used on screen until the Ghostbusters are in the subway tunnel and Egon says, “Before we go any further, I think we should get our proton packs.”

The Ghostbusters TV Commercial, in which Louis and Janine are in bed when a ghost attacks is a rehash of scene from the first movie that was filmed but not used. Originally, before the Ghostbusters go on their first call at the Sedgwick Hotel, there was a scene with a honeymooning couple in the hotel who encounter Slimer in their bedroom and call the manager, who in turn calls the Ghostbusters.

After the release of this film, Louis Tully, who has become the Ghostbusters’ accountant, was added into “The Real Ghost Busters” (1986) cartoon series. Also, there was an episode in which the “mood slime” was used.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch released June 15, 1990

Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-fi, Science Fiction No Responses »

Jun 152010

Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a 1990 American comedy horror film, and a sequel to Gremlins (1984). It was directed by Joe Dante and written by Charles S. Haas, with creature designs by Rick Baker. It stars Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, John Glover, Robert Prosky, Haviland Morris, Dick Miller, Jackie Joseph, Robert Picardo and Christopher Lee; additionally, Frank Welker (who played Stripe in the first film) reprises his role as a gremlin.

The story continues the adventures of the creature Gizmo, who spawns numerous small monsters when wet. In the first film, Gizmo’s offspring had rampaged through a small fictional town. In Gremlins 2, Gizmo multiplies within a skyscraper in New York City. The new creatures thus pose a serious threat to the city should they be able to leave the building, and much of the story involves the human characters’ efforts to prevent this disaster.

Like the first film, Gremlins 2 is a live action comedy-horror film. However, Dante put effort into taking the sequel in new anarchic directions. The film is meant to be more cartoon-like than the darker original, and the violence is fairly slapstick. There are also a number of parodies of other films and stories, most notably Gremlins itself, as well as the Rambo films, The Wizard of Oz, Marathon Man and The Phantom of the Opera.

Trivia:

Joe Dante told Cahiers du Cinéma in 1990, that Warner Bros. opened this movie directly opposite Dick Tracy (1990) in an attempt to keep the box-office record set by Batman (1989) from being broken.

Suggested by Jonathan Kaplan, Joe Dante hired Charles S. Haas to write the screenplay.

After Gremlins (1984) became such a surprise success, Warner Bros. immediately wanted a sequel, but director Joe Dante had had enough Gremlins for a while and declined. Work on Gremlins 2 proceeded without him, as the studio approached various directors and writers. Storylines considered included sending the gremlins to cities like Las Vegas or even the planet Mars. After these ideas fell through, the studio finally asked Dante again, who agreed on the condition that he be allowed to do anything he wanted. He also received a bigger budget. In the DVD commentaries for both the original film and the sequel, Dante stated that he felt that Gremlins 2 was a case of waiting too long to capitalize on the success of the original, which hurt the sequel’s chances of success.

For the special effects, Joe Dante turned to Rick Baker when Chris Walas and Rob Bottin had to turn it down. Initially, Baker was not interested as he saw this movie as too much work for a project in which he would not be the creator but rather a successor to Walas. He was eventually persuaded to accept the job when it was suggested he could make the Gremlins and Mogwai more diverse.

Aside from Mohawk, the other three Mogwai created from Gizmo are called George, Lenny, and Daffy (the first two referring to John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice And Men”, the latter referring to Daffy Duck).

In the original script, Randall Peltzer was to return after the gremlins were killed at the end, and give to Gizmo his newest “invention”: a wet-suit like thing that would prevent Gizmo from ever getting wet again, therefore preventing any sort of gremlin problems in the future (provided it never ate after midnight). The scene was all set to shoot, and the actor who played Mr. Peltzer, Hoyt Axton, was available to shoot the scene. But, the filmmakers figured that the movie was already running too long, and they’d never use the scene anyway, so it was never shot.

When Gremlins 2 made its debut on home video, the filmmakers altered the film-breaking scene, to make it seem as if VCRs had been broken by the gremlins. This time actor John Wayne (in footage from Chisum (1970) forces the gremlins into continuing the film, although voice impersonation was needed since Wayne had been dead since 1979. Wayne’s son, Michael Wayne, recommended Chad Everett for the voice. Notably, a clip from Falling Hare (1943), featuring Bugs Bunny and a different, cartoon gremlin, appears in this version.

The uplifting end of the world video scene was included by the filmmakers when they find out that one the news networks actually have such a video prepare to run in case of the end of the world. This video apparently still exists and still ready to run at the final hour.

In the scene where Mohawk drinks a potion which enables him to change into a centauroid spider, the pulsating sound effect from Tarantula (1955) can be heard. The effect was originally recorded for the Martian war machines in The War of the Worlds (1953).

WILHELM SCREAM: As a victim is covered in gremlins and he falls off of a ledge.

Clamp’s automatic office doors open and sound the same as the doors of the Enterprise from “Star Trek” (1966).

Most of the scenes where Gizmo (or the other mogwai) were on their own, were filmed with double scale puppets.

Robert Picardo controlled Greta, the “female” gremlin when it was attached to him instead of the puppeteers because the puppet had so much contact and movements with his character. This technique is also used in the scene where Daniel Clamp (John Glover) pushes the gremlin in the paper shredder.

The opening aerial shot of New York City was stock footage from Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).

In a deleted scene, the Gremlins release all the animals in the “Splice o’ Life” lab. During the filming of this scene, the monkeys in the lab set were genuinely so terrified of the Gremlin puppets, that they refused to leave their cages when their trainers called for them.

The mother scolding the theater manager regarding the movie’s inappropriate tone for children was based in fact. During a screening of Gremlins (1984), Joe Dante really was excoriated by a mother who walked out of the theater with her daughter during the infamous kitchen massacre sequence. The daughter begged to be let back in the theater, got free from the mother, and hid in the theater to watch the rest of the film.

In a corridor of the Clamp Tower, one nameplate says “Dr. Quatermass”. Quatermass is the main character in a number of British television series and movies, including “The Quatermass Experiment” (1953).

Gizmo refers to Mr. Wing as “Keye Luke”, which is, of course, the actor’s real name.

At one point, Joe Dante, Michael Finnell, Steven Spielberg and Charles S. Haas thought what the movie needed was some kind of SWAT team character, a soldier of fortune who could come in during the fourth act, and there would be a lot of Road Runner-Coyote gags between this guy and the Gremlins. Charles Napier was their first choice for this character.

In the cartoon intro, Daffy Duck says to Bugs: “Fifty years of you hogging the spotlight is enough”. This movie was released the year of Bugs Bunny’s 50th birthday.

A billboard of Do the Right Thing (1989) can be seen in the scene in Times Square, next to Burger King.

When Kate arrives to Billy’s office looking for Gizmo, she finds mogwai Daffy on the top of the Clamp Tower model playing with some airplane toys located over him. This is an homage to King Kong (1933).

The movie that Grandpa Fred presents in his show as “The Attack of the Octopus People” is, in fact, Octaman (1971), which feature the first costume designed by Rick Baker.

In a corridor of the Clamp Tower, one nameplate says “Vectorscope Labs”. This is a reference to the movie Innerspace (1987) also directed by Joe Dante.

When Christopher Lee was cast in this movie, one of the first things he did was apologize to Joe Dante (who also directed The Howling (1981)) for appearing in Howling II: Stirba – Werewolf Bitch (1985).

Originally, Steven Spielberg wanted to cut the scene when a boy crosses the “Police Line” banner outside Clamp Tower. He changed his mind when Joe Dante revealed to him that this boy was his nephew.

Leonard Maltin appears as himself repeating his criticisms of Gremlins (1984) while he holds a video version of the movie. However, his rant is cut short when gremlins pounce on him as a result. In his annual Movie Guide he gives Gremlins 2 three stars (out of a possible four) and refers to this scene as a “gratuitous cameo”, though he doesn’t say he’s actually in the movie.

The original version of the film was longer, but, Steven Spielberg after the first screening claimed there were too many gremlins and several scenes were cut as a result.

Among the changes in the original script was that Daniel Clamp (John Glover) evolved from being the central villain into kind of a nice guy, while the character played by Robert Picardo took over most of the villain’s role.

When Billy is trying to explain the rules regarding the mogwai to Forster’s staff, they find them quite absurd and interrogate him on the application of this rules. This scene originates from the fact that the filmmakers themselves saw the rules as irrational, and some questions in the scene were based upon queries raised by fans of Gremlins (1984).

There is a sample of the action music from the film The ‘burbs (1989), also directed by Joe Dante and composed by Jerry Goldsmith, when the Bat Gremlin flies out of the Clamp Tower after being injected with the sunblock solution.

In a deleted scene, Dr. Catheter examines a bat injected with the sunblock solution. He then says to Wally, “I’m told they sometimes feed on blood”; this is a reference to Christopher Lee’s performances as Count Dracula in the “Hammer” Horror films.

For the Italian version of the movie, notorious Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi gave his voice to the Brain Gremlin.

At one point in the film, Joe Dante attempted to involve his audience in the story by making it seem as if the gremlins had taken over whatever theatre Gremlins 2 would be screened in. This sequence was inspired by a similar stunt in William Castle’s The Tingler (1959). During his DVD commentary for this movie, Dante recalled that Warner Bros. wanted the sequence cut, as they were concerned the audience would believe the film actually had malfunctioned; test screening ultimately proved otherwise. However, the video version caused problems: Instead of film-breaking effects, the scene looked like a VHS malfunctioning. Many rental copies were returned as a result of this, and video mastering houses called the filmmakers to ask them if this was intentional.

Several gremlins hiccuping are archive recordings of Mel Blanc’s hiccups from various Looney Tunes shorts.

Tim Curry was considered for the voice of the Brain Gremlin.

In a deleted scene, three of the main gremlins (George, Lenny and Daffy) sneaking into Grandpa Fred’s studio and “helping” him host, which worked because Grandpa Fred’s show was supposed to be scary. A still from this scene was used on the video cover.

Joe Dante claimed that the gremlins musical number is a shameless steal from the film Dames (1934), another Warner Bros. release.

John Hora, the Director of Photography (who made his screen acting debut on Innerspace (1987), also directed by Joe Dante), appears briefly in the movie, but his scene was cut.

The character of Grandpa Fred is obviously based on Al Lewis’s character (Grandpa Munster) in the television series “The Munsters” (1964).

The movie that the gremlins George and Lenny are watching in the systems control center is The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953).

The filmmakers chose John Rambo as the character that Gizmo was going to imitate in this movie. The permission for their use was granted by Sylvester Stallone.

Unlike the “PG” rated predecessor, the MPAA rated this movie “PG-13″. It should be noted that Gremlins (1984) is one of the movies that helped to create the PG-13 rating.

Director Cameo: [Joe Dante] as the director of Grandpa Fred’s show.

Cameo: [Charles S. Haas] (The screenwriter) as Casper, Dr. Catheter’s assistant.

Cameo: [Jerry Goldsmith] alongside his wife Carol Heather Goldsmith, as customers at the frozen yogurt counter.

Cameo: [Henry Gibson] as the employee fired by Forster, for taking an unauthorized break.

Cameo: [Julia Sweeney] as Peggy, the “Splice o’ Life” lab receptionist.

Cameo: [John Astin] as the janitor, who tries to repair the water fountain.

Cameo: [Jason Presson] (one of the stars of Explorers (1985), also directed by Joe Dante), as Alex, the yogurt jerk.

Cameo: [Bubba Smith] as Himself, trying to save Dick Butkus who is attacked at the salad bar.

After Innerspace (1987), this movie marked the fourth collaboration between Joe Dante and Michael Finnell with Steven Spielberg.

Immediately after Billy electrocutes the gremlins in the lobby, a musical quote from the “Dies Irae” (a Latin hymn about the Judgment Day) can be heard in the musical score.

Ranked #33 in Empire Magazine’s “50 Greatest Ever Movie Sequels” (2009).

As the Bat Gremlin crashes through the wall, escaping into the city, it leaves a hole in the shape of the Batman symbol.

Chris Walas, who created the Gremlins in the first film, declined the opportunity to create them again, choosing instead to create the effects for The Fly (1986).

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein released June 15, 1948

Comedy, Horror, Sci-fi, Science Fiction No Responses »

Jun 152010

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (which has the onscreen title Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein) is a 1948 American comedy horror film directed by Charles Barton and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is the first of several films where the comedy duo meets classic characters from Universal’s horror film stable. In this film, they encounter Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Wolf Man, while subsequent films pair the duo with the Mummy, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Invisible Man. On a TV special in the early 1950s, the two did a sketch where they interacted with the latest original Universal Studios monster being promoted at the time, the Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). The film is considered the swan song for the “Big Three” Universal horror monsters – Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s monster – although it does not appear to fit within the loose continuity of the earlier films.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

The film was re-released in 1956 along with Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff. In 2001, the United States Library of Congress deemed this film “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, and in September 2007, Readers Digest selected the movie as one of the top 100 funniest films of all time.

Trivia:

Originally titled “The Brain of Frankenstein”.

Ian Keith, the original choice for Count Dracula in Dracula (1931), was originally considered for Dracula in this film. Bela Lugosi wasn’t considered at first because the studio thought he was dead. When they learned Lugosi was alive, Lugosi’s agent shamed the head of the studio into getting him the role by saying, “He is Dracula! You owe this role to Lugosi!”

Boris Karloff was approached to play the Monster but he thought it was insulting to the character and it would not do well at the box-office. But as a favor to Universal, he did publicity work for this film. In several photos taken by Universal’s publicity department, he is seen standing in line purchasing a ticket at a theater in New York City where the film is playing, and in other stills, he is shown admiring the poster art for the film outside the theater lobby. Karloff later starred with Abbott & Costello in Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949).

The animation sequences of Dracula-as-a-bat and Dracula-changing-from-bat-to-Dracula were done by Universal-International’s animator, Walter Lantz (of Woody Woodpecker fame).

This film was such a hit that it was reportedly Universal-International’s second highest grossing film of the year.

Although he would play similar vampires in other films since Dracula (1931), this would be only the second, and last, time that Bela Lugosi would play Dracula in a feature film.

This was the final Universal film to feature Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula and the Wolfman, until Van Helsing (2004).

This film has been the subject of controversy for decades over whether it should be considered part of the official Universal Horror series (thus making it a sequel to House of Dracula (1945)) or a non-canon, standalone film.

Glenn Strange speaks for the first time as The Monster. This film marks the first time since The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) that the character has spoken, though it does not explain how The Monster has regained his voice.

The opening scene of “London”, then “Big Ben” is followed by a constable on patrol. This shot was lifted from Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) in the scene a constable finds the unconscious Lawrence Talbot after his “resurrection”, that same constable is murdered by the Wolf Man the following night. A filter was used to darken the shot for inclusion in this film.

Glenn Strange was playing the Frankenstein monster, but during shooting one day he tripped over a camera cable and broke his ankle. Lon Chaney Jr. (playing the Wolf Man) wasn’t working that day, so he put on the Frankenstein makeup/outfit and filled in for Strange in one scene where Dr. Mornay gets thrown through the window. So Chaney wound up playing two monsters in this movie.

Lou Costello did not want to film the movie, declaring, “No way I’ll do that crap. My little girl could write something better than this.” A $50,000 advance in salary and the signing of director Charles Barton, the team’s good friend and the man whom some call their best director, convinced him otherwise.

During the final chase scene, when Wilbur and Chick are standing in front of a door and the Frankenstein monster punches through it, Lou Costello deliberately went off his mark and got hit on the jaw. The director liked his reaction, so he decided to keep it in the film.

Marks the first time Universal-International stopped using the effective but lengthy application time of make-up artist Jack P. Pierce for the monster make-up, using Bud Westmore and Jack Kevan’s more cost-effective rubber appliances. The rubber head appliance that Glenn Strange wore to play the Frankenstein monster fitted him so tightly that, after a few hours under the hot lights, he could shake his head and hear the sweat rattling around inside it.

The scene in which Wilbur (Lou Costello) is unknowingly sitting on the Frankenstein Monster’s (Glenn Strange) lap required multiple takes. The scene allowed Costello to improvise wildly, which caused Strange to constantly break up laughing during the takes.

Jane Randolph replaced Ella Raines, who backed out at the last minute.

Three actors in this film had previously played the Frankenstein Monster. Aside from Glenn Strange who actually plays the role again, both Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. had experience under the flat top as well. Boris Karloff was the original Monster.

Despite the title, nobody in the film ever meets Frankenstein. All the interaction involved is with the Frankenstein monster.

Gremlins released June 8, 1984

Comedy, Fantasy, Horror No Responses »

Jun 082010

Gremlins is an American comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante and released in 1984 by Warner Bros. It is about a young man who receives a strange creature (called a mogwai) named Gizmo as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. This story was continued with a sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, released in 1990. Unlike the lighter sequel, the original Gremlins opts for more black comedy, which is balanced against a Christmas-time setting. Both films were the center of large merchandising campaigns.

Steven Spielberg was the film’s executive producer, with the screenplay written by Chris Columbus. The film stars Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of Gizmo. The actors had to work alongside numerous puppets, as puppetry was the main form of special effects used to portray Gizmo and the gremlins.

Gremlins was a commercial success and received positive reviews from critics. However, the film has also been heavily criticized for some of its more violent sequences. Critics alleged these scenes made the film inappropriate for younger audiences who could be admitted into theatres under its PG rating. In response to this and to similar complaints about other films, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) reformed its rating system within two months of its release.

In this film, the Amblin Entertainment logo makes its first on-screen appearance, displayed as “An Amblin Entertainment Presentation” as part of the end credits in place of the original logo.

Trivia:

The idea for these creatures was born in a loft in Manhattan’s garment district that was home to NYU Film School graduate screenwriter Chris Columbus. “By day, it was pleasant enough, but at night, what sounded like a platoon of mice would come out and to hear them skittering around in the blackness was really creepy.” Columbus recalls.

Unbeknownst to Joe Dante and Michael Finnell, Steven Spielberg was a big fan of The Howling (1981). After he came across Chris Columbus’ writing sample, he fell in love with it and bought it. Then he decided that Dante was the guy to make it into a movie, took the project to Warner Bros. and also produced it with his own company, Amblin Entertainment.

Originally planned and scheduled for a Christmas release, the film was rushed into production shortly after Warner Bros. found out that it had no major competition against Paramount’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) or Columbia’s Ghost Busters (1984) for the summer movie season.

Generally credited (along with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)) to influence the MPAA to create the PG-13 rating, as many felt the scenes of violence in both movies were too much for a PG rating, but not enough for an R rating.

Chris Columbus’ script went through a few drafts before a shooting script was finalized. His original version had the creatures killing the dog and cutting off the mom’s head and tossing it down the stairs. These elements were never shot due to the fact that both, Joe Dante and Warner Bros. wanted the movie to be more family oriented.

In the original draft of the script, instead of Stripe being a Mogwai who becomes a Gremlin, there was no Stripe the Mogwai and Gizmo was supposed to turn into Stripe the Gremlin. Steven Spielberg overruled this plot element because he felt Gizmo was cute and audiences would want him to be present at all stages of the film. This became stressful for Chris Walas who had designed the Gizmo puppet only for the actions that happened in the first half of the movie.

In a deleted scene, Billy and Kate discover Gerald in the bank vault. This scene was added to the NBC TV showing.

Billy says he bought a comic at Dr. Fantasy’s. Dr. Fantasy is a nickname for executive producer Frank Marshall.

Like the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939), Mrs. Deagle has little tolerance for young people and dogs.

While Rand Peltzer is talking with his wife at the inventor’s convention, the machine from The Time Machine (1960) can be seen in the background winding up to full power. The scene cuts to the house, and when we cut back again, the machine has gone, leaving only a wisp of colored smoke.

Mrs. Deagle, the richest lady in town, has named her cats after different kinds of currency (including Kopeck, Drachma and Dollar Bill).

The “Rockin’ Ricky Rialto” billboard shows a man dressed like Indiana Jones, holding a microphone like a whip, and the “Rockin’ Ricky Rialto” logo in the Indiana Jones typeface.

This was the first movie in years to use Warner Bros’ “shield” logo

In Cantonese Chinese, mogwai means devil, demon or gremlin. The Mandarin pronunciation is mogui.

The film that the students are watching in Mr. Hanson’s class is Hemo the Magnificent (1957) (TV), actually an episode of a TV series called “Science” that aired in the late 1950s and was sponsored by the Bell Telephone System (broken up as of January 1984).

The movie that Lynn Peltzer is watching in the kitchen is It’s a Wonderful Life (1946).

Both Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez were considered for the role of Billy.

There are several references to The Howling (1981), also directed by Joe Dante. The smiley face image on the refrigerator door, some lobby cards from that movie are displayed on the interior of the local theater and most notably the inclusion of the exact same character/actor, the television reporter Lew Landers as portrayed by Jim McKrell.

While watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) on the local cinema, one of the gremlins wears some Mickey Mouse’s ears.

Hoyt Axton was always the foremost choice for Rand Peltzer. Pat Harrington Jr. was also considered. Pat Hingle was said to have delivered the best screen test, but was passed on because it was feared Rand’s character would take over the picture as a result of Hingle’s excellent performance.

When the gremlins disrupt Mr. Futterman’s roof television antenna, he changes the channel, and it briefly lands on a scene from Jean Cocteau’s Orphée (1950).

Although it is not clearly visible, “Four Magic Moves to Winning Golf”, by Joe Dante (senior) is on Billy’s nightstand. Joe Dante said his father criticized him for not making the title more visible.

In Mrs. Deagle’s house, Edward Arnold is shown in a few photographs as Donald Deagle. The permission for their use was granted by his estate.

The movie on Billy’s TV when he feeds the mogwais after midnight is Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

The set for Kingston Falls is the same one used for Back to the Future (1985). Both movies were filmed in the Universal Studios backlot.

In addition to restoring the classic Warner Brothers logo to the opening of the movie, it was hoped to release the film along with the classic Looney Tunes short, Falling Hare (1943), where Bugs Bunny is harassed by a plane gremlin during WW II. This fell through, but, highlights from the short do appear as part of the Behind the Scenes featurette, that has also been included on the Special Edition DVD.

The picture of Rockin’ Ricky Rialto is a picture of Don Steele.

Little to no actual dialogue for the Gremlins and Mogwai exists in the script in itself. In addition to several instances of on stage rewrites changing or adding to much of the script, the voiceovers were all mostly ad libs, repeating snippets of just performed dialogue or in reaction to other sound effects or environment. To this end, Howie Mandel recorded Gizmo’s lines phonetically for foreign dubs of the movie, where localized dialogue and in jokes helped make the picture successful with audiences world wide.

In the classroom the students are watching Hemo the Magnificent (1957) (TV). The character of Hemo the Magnificent was played by Marvin Miller, who also does the voice of Robby the Robot at the inventor’s convention (and in Forbidden Planet (1956)).

It was Frank Welker who suggested Howie Mandel perform in this film.

At Dorry’s Tavern, one of the gremlins is playing Star Wars (1983) (VG).

Though he followed the basic outline of the script, Hoyt Axton is said to have improvised nearly all his lines.

At least one of Phoebe Cates’s screams in the scene at Dorry’s Tavern is genuine. An enormous cockroach crawled out in front of her during one take.

During one night shoot, problems with the Gremlin puppets were so severe that the entire cast fell asleep on the set during the delay.

The footage of Santa on the roof that Mr. Futterman is watching in his home is of Red Skelton in a Christmas skit from one of his shows.

After watching his earlier short films, Steven Spielberg considered Tim Burton to direct the film. But decided against it because at the time Burton had never directed a full feature length film.

Jon Pertwee and Mako were both seriously considered for the role of Mr. Wing.

In one scene, Billy is trying to play Gizmo’s song on an electric keyboard. In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), the humans try to communicate with the aliens by making music with their computers.

The theater that blows up was subsequently involved in another accident when Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) in Back to the Future (1985), smashes into the front entrance at the end of the film. The theater then burned down with the rest of the buildings in the fire that happened right after the filming of Back to the Future Part II (1989).

In the scene where Billy shows the newly-spawned batch of mogwais to his father, one of them is playing with a vintage tabletop Donkey Kong game (a toy released to cash in on the then-rampant popularity of the Donkey Kong arcade game).

Among others, the voices of the Gremlins were done by Michael Winslow.

Kenneth Tobey and Belinda Balaski also appeared in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), playing both a different character.

According to Joe Dante and Michael Finnell, the original rough cut of the film ran 2 hours and 40 minutes.

In this film, the Amblin Entertainment logo makes its first on-screen appearance.

The scene in the department store where Stripe attacks Billy with a chainsaw was not in the script. It was added by Joe Dante and Zach Galligan as a homage to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).

Edward Andrews, Judge Reinhold and William Schallert received roles that were reduced after the film was edited.

Within the story, Gizmo was capable of singing or humming. Jerry Goldsmith wrote Gizmo’s song as well, but Howie Mandel never sang it. A girl member of Goldsmith’s congregation was hired to sing Gizmo’s song, although she had never worked in films before.

The movie that Gizmo is watching in Billy’s bedroom is To Please a Lady (1950).

After Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), this movie marked the second collaboration between Joe Dante and Michael Finnell with Steven Spielberg.

The last film project of Scott Brady and Edward Andrews.

Vampire’s Kiss released June 2, 1989

Comedy, Fantasy, Horror No Responses »

Jun 022010

Vampire’s Kiss is an American dark comedy/psychological horror film released in 1989. It was written by Joseph Minion, who also penned Martin Scorsese’s darkly humorous After Hours, and stars actors Nicolas Cage, Maria Conchita Alonso, Jennifer Beals and Elizabeth Ashley.

Trivia:

Nicolas Cage ate a real cockroach for this film – it reportedly took three takes. He once said about the experience, “Every muscle in my body didn’t want to do it, but I did it anyway.”

Peter’s strange accent is supposed to be a fake accent used by the character because he thinks he sounds more “elegant” and “smarter” (hence the literary agent job). The accent comes and goes throughout the movie and is more prominent when trying to impress people, and less in scenes with people like the psychiatrist.

Judd Nelson was considered for the Peter Loew role.

Frankenhooker released June 1, 1990

Comedy, Horror, Sci-fi, Science Fiction No Responses »

Jun 012010

Frankenhooker is an American black comedy horror film that was released in 1990. Very loosely inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, the film was directed by Frank Henenlotter and stars James Lorinz as medical school drop-out Jeffrey Franken and former Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen as the title character (who wears a fatsuit in the beginning of the film).

Trivia:

Beverly Bonner plays “Casey”, a character that appears in Basket Case (1982), Brain Damage (1988), and Basket Case 2 (1990), all also directed by Frank Henenlotter.

The brain with the eye in the beginning of the film is based on the advertisements for The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962)

The hooker talk show is a parody of _”The Morton Downey Jr. Show” (1987) [TV-Series 1987-1989]_

The interior of the Franken family garage is intentionally four times as large as the exterior, as specified in the screenplay.

Director Cameo: [Frank Henenlotter] on the train that Frankenhooker takes to Manhattan, standing by the door holding a newspaper.

A family in the movie is called Shelley…after Mary Shelley, the original author of Frankenstein.

Writer/director Frank Henenlotter improvised the basic story at a pitch meeting. After getting the okay to make the picture, he then wrote the script for the movie.

Louise Lasser had just recovered from being sick and hence could hardly speak when she shot her scene talking to James Lorinz. Lasser redid all her dialogue in a post-production recording session.

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