Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #124 :: December 7•13

Irwin Allen Productions

This week’s new movie releases feature a mix of awards hopefuls and holiday fare, including one Christmas movie that has become a beloved classic. But as the march to the end of the year proceeds and deadlines are on the horizon for awards consideration, the studios are releasing the big guns now. 1932 gave us a classic war film which went on to win the Best Picture Oscar. 1952 produced an unpopular film that still earned its star an Oscar nomination for essentially portraying her Hollywood rival. 1962 had a sprawling desert epic that also won the Best Picture Oscar, and 1972 saw a film with both of its leads competing for the Best Actor award. 1972 also had an Oscar winner that set the stage for all-star disaster movies to come. 1982 saw Meryl Streep win her second Oscar, which was her first in the Best Actress category, and 1992 had three Oscar nominated films and gave us a retelling of A Christmas Carol with a twist. 2002 also had one Oscar nominee, and while 2012 had ten new films none of them scored Oscar nominations, although one was recognized by the Golden Globes. Curious to know what these films are? Read on to learn more about them and other and tell us if your favorites are celebrating anniversaries this week.

1922

No new films were released this week in 1922.

1932

December 8 – A Farewell to Arms (USA)

Cast: Helen Hayes, Gary Cooper, Adolphe Menjou, Mary Philips, Jack La Rue, Blanche Friderici, Mary Forbes, Gilbert Emery
Director: Frank Borzage
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 1929 semi-autobiographical novel A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, and play written by Laurence Stallings. Nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning two for Cinematography and Sound. The film fell into the public domain in 1960 after the last claimant, United Artists, failed to renew the copyright. The film had two different endings, an ambiguous one and one where the heroine dies. Theaters were given a choice which one to run. When the production code went into effect, many cuts were made during various re-releases and television broadcasts. The original version ran 89 minutes, which was cut down to 78 minutes for a 1938 re-release. The original version was thought lost but a nitrate print found in the David O. Selznick vaults was remastered for a DVD release in 1999.

December 8 – Flesh (USA)

Cast: Wallace Beery, Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Jean Hersholt, John Miljan, Herman Bing, Vince Barnett, Greta Meyer, Edward Brophy
Director: John Ford
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Lowe’s Inc.
Trivia: John Ford had his director’s credit removed from the film for unspecified reasons.

December 8 – The Midshipmaid (UK)

Cast: Jessie Matthews, Frederick Kerr, Basil Sydney, Nigel Bruce, A. W. Baskcomb, Claud Allister, Anthony Bushell, John Mills, Anthony Holles, George Zucco
Director: Albert de Courville
Production Company: Gaumont British Picture Corporation, distributed by Woolf & Freedman Film Service (UK)
Trivia: Based on the 1931 play of the same title by Ian Hay and Stephen King-Hall. Released in the US as Midshipmaid Gob. John Mills’ film debut in a supporting role.

1942

December 7 – Went the Day Well? (UK)

Cast: Leslie Banks, C. V. France, Valerie Taylor, Marie Lohr, Basil Sydney, David Farrar, Harry Fowler, Elizabeth Allan, Frank Lawton, Thora Hird
Director: Alberto Cavalcanti
Production Company: Ealing Studios, distributed by United Artists (UK), A.F.E. Corporation (USA)
Trivia: Opened in the US on June 28, 1944. Adapted from the story ‘The Lieutenant Died Last’ by Graham Greene. It served as an unofficial propaganda film for the war effort. The film is notable for its unusually frank, for the time, depiction of ruthless violence. A restoration of the film was screened in 2010 and released on DVD in 2015 (Blu-ray in 2011).

December 11 – American Empire (USA)

Cast: Richard Dix, Leo Carrillo, Preston Foster, Frances Gifford, Robert Barrat, Jack La Rue, Guinn “Big Boy” Williams, Cliff Edwards
Director: William C. McGann
Production Company: Harry Sherman Productions, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: Released in the United Kingdom as My Son Alone.

December 11 – Pittsburgh (USA)

Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott, John Wayne, Frank Craven, Louise Allbritton, Shemp Howard, Thomas Gomez, Ludwig Stössel, Samuel S. Hinds, Paul Fix
Director: Lewis Seiler
Production Company: Charles K. Feldman Group, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Filmed partially on location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1952

December 7 – Babes in Bagdad (USA)

Cast: Paulette Goddard, Gypsy Rose Lee, Richard Ney, John Boles, Thomas Gallagher, Sebastian Cabot, MacDonald Parke
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Production Company: Danziger Productions Ltd., distributed by United Artists
Trivia: John Boles’ last film.

December 10 – Stop, You’re Killing Me (USA)

Cast: Broderick Crawford, Claire Trevor, Virginia Gibson, Bill Hayes, Margaret Dumont
Director: Roy Del Ruth
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 1935 play by Damon Runyon and Howard Lindsay, which had been filmed previously in 1938 under the original title A Slight Case of Murder.

December 11 – The Star (USA)

Cast: Bette Davis, Sterling Hayden, Natalie Wood, Warner Anderson, Minor Watson, June Travis, Paul Frees, Robert Warwick, Barbara Lawrence, Fay Baker, Herb Vigran
Director: Stuart Heisler
Production Company: Bert E. Friedlob Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: While the film was a failure with both audiences and critics, Bette Davis earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Her character was based on Joan Crawford, whose friendship with writers Katherine Albert and Dale Eunson was coming to an end, so Davis eagerly took the role.

1962

December 11 – Lawrence of Arabia (UK)

Horizon Pictures

Cast: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif, José Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy
Director: David Lean
Production Company: Horizon Pictures, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Released in the US on December 16, 1962, and in Canada on January 30, 1963. Based on the life of T. E. Lawrence and his 1926 book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning seven including Best Picture and Director. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and BAFTAs for Best Film and Outstanding British Film. Selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1991. Albert Finney was the first choice to play Lawrence, but after two days of filming he was fired for unknown reasons. Marlon Brando, Anthony Perkins and Montgomery Clift were considered as replacements before Peter O’Toole was cast. Alec Guinness was also a candidate but was considered too old. Guinness instead was cast as Prince Faisal, a part intended for Lawrence Olivier. Anthony Quinn spent hours applying his own makeup, using a photo of the real Auda abu Tayi to look as much like him as he could. Omar Sharif was originally cast in the role of Tafas, but was given the role of Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish when no other suitable actors could be found for the part. José Ferrer only agreed to accept the small role of Bey in exchange for $25,000 (more than O’Toole and Sharif earned combined) and a Porsche. He considered his five minutes in the film his best performance to that point. Over 1,000 cast, crew and extras worked on the film. Filming was often delayed because production started without a finished screenplay. O’Toole found the camel saddle uncomfortable and bought a piece of foam rubber at a local market to add to the saddle. Many extras copied the idea and sheets of foam can be seen on many of the camel and horse saddles. O’Toole was nearly killed when he fell off his camel, but it stood over him to prevent the horses of the extras from trampling him. Unlike the real Lawrence, O’Toole loathed the desert. The film was released with a 222 minute running time, making it the longest film to win the Best Picture Oscar, topping Gone With the Wind by about two minutes. A 216-minute restored director’s cut was released in 1989.

December 11 – On the Beat (UK)

Cast: Norman Wisdom, Jennifer Jayne, Raymond Huntley, David Lodge, Esma Cannon, Eric Barker, Eleanor Summerfield, Ronnie Stevens, Terence Alexander, Maurice Kaufmann
Director: Robert Asher
Production Company: The Rank Organisation, distributed by Rank Film Distributors
Trivia: The film marked Norman Wisdom’s return to Rank after making two films for United Artists.

December 12 – Le Couteau dans la plaie (France)

Cast: Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins, Gig Young, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Yolande Turner, Tommy Norden, Pascale Roberts, Mathilde Casadesus, Billy Kearns
Director: Anatole Litvak
Production Company: Dear Film Produzione, Filmsonor, Mercury, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: Opened in the US on March 20, 1963 as Five Miles to Midnight. The French title translates to The Knife in the wound.

December 12 – Freud: The Secret Passion (USA)

Cast: Montgomery Clift, Susannah York, Larry Parks, Susan Kohner, Eileen Herlie, Fernand Ledoux, David McCallum, Rosalie Crutchley, David Kossoff
Director: John Huston
Production Company: Bavaria Film, distributed by Universal-International
Trivia: Also known simply as Freud. Nominated for two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes. Jean-Paul Sartre was commissioned to write a summary for a story about the life of the young Freud, which was accepted. He then submitted a finished script that would have run five hours if filmed. Director John Huston suggested cuts, but Sartre then submitted a script that would have run for eight hours. The pair squabbled and Sartre withdrew from the project. Some of his ideas were used but he requested his name not appear in the credits. His screenplay was eventually published after his death as The Freud Scenario. Huston and Sartre both wanted Marilyn Monroe for the role of Cecily but she turned it down. Susannah York was cast instead. Larry Parks was cast in the film to redeem his career after being blacklisted but it turned out to be his final film, dying of a heart attack in 1975 at age 60. It was Clift’s next to last film. Huston was forced to trim the three-plus hour movie to two hours and fifty minutes, but the studio cut an additional 30 minutes before release.

December 13 – Le Doulos (Italy)

Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani, Jean Desailly, René Lefèvre, Philippe March, Fabienne Dali
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Production Company: Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, Rome Paris Films, distributed by Interfilm (Italy), Pathé Contemporary Films (USA)
Trivia: Released in the US on March 2, 1964 as The Finger Man, although all video releases carry the French title. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Pierre Lesou.

1972

December 8 – The Master Touch (West Germany)

Cast: Kirk Douglas, Giuliano Gemma, Florinda Bolkan, Wolfgang Preiss, Reinhard Kolldehoff, Romano Puppo, Bruno Corazzari, John Bartha, Allen Stanley
Director: Michele Lupo
Production Company: Paramount-Orion Filmproduktion, Verona Produzione, distributed by Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (Italy/West Germany), National General Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in Italy on November 21, 1972. Was not released in the US until May 1974.

December 11 – Man of La Mancha (USA)

Cast: Peter O’Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco, Harry Andrews, John Castle, Ian Richardson, Brian Blessed, Julie Gregg, Rosalie Crutchley, Gino Conforti, Marne Maitland
Director: Arthur Hiller
Production Company: Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA), distributed by United Artists
Trivia: Film adaptation of the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha by Dale Wasserman, which was suggested by the classic novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, but more directly based on Wasserman’s 1959 non-musical television play I, Don Quixote. Simon Gilbert was Peter O’Toole’s singing voice while Brian Blessed, who also appeared in the film, sang for Harry Andrews. The show’s director was hired to direct the film, which he had never done before, and after spending half of the film’s budget on screen tests, he was fired. Peter Glenville was then hired but fired when the studio learned he planned to remove most of the show’s songs. Glenville brought on Peter O’Toole, who was eager to make the film a non-musical, and he was very displeased when Glenville was fired. O’Toole could not sing, but assisted in finding a suitable voice double.

December 11 – Sleuth (USA)

Cast: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Alec Cawthorne, John Matthews, Eve Channing, Teddy Martin
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Production Company: Palomar Pictures International, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Based on Anthony Shaffer’s 1970 Tony Award-winning play. Olivier and Caine both received Oscar nominations for Best Actor. Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s final film. Shaffer had hoped that the play’s star Anthony Quayle would reprise his role in the film, with Alan Bates in the role of Milo Tindle. The likeness of actress Joanne Woodward was used for the painting of Marguerite Wyke. When Caine met Olivier he asked how he should be addressed. Olivier stated that he should be addressed as Lord Olivier, but with that settled he could call him Larry. To keep audiences off guard and keep the conclusion a surprise, the opening credits list fictional actors in roles that do not appear in the film. The Academy Film Archive preserved Sleuth in 2012.

December 12 – Child’s Play (USA)

Cast: James Mason, Robert Preston, Beau Bridges, Ron Weyand, Charles White, David Rounds, Kate Harrington, Brian Chapin, Bryant Fraser, Tom Leopold, Christopher Man, Paul O’Keefe
Director: Sidney Lumet
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 1970 play of the same title by Robert Marasco. Marlon Brando originally signed to star but dropped out when he realized James Mason had the better role. He was replaced with Robert Preston.

December 13 – The Poseidon Adventure (USA/Canada)

Cast: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens, Shelley Winters, Jack Albertson, Pamela Sue Martin, Arthur O’Connell, Eric Shea, Leslie Nielsen
Director: Ronald Neame
Production Company: Irwin Allen Productions, Kent Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Based on Paul Gallico’s 1969 novel of the same name. Though released at the end of 1972, it was the highest grossing film of 1973. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning two (Best Original Song, Best Visual Effects). Also nominated for two BAFTAs, winning Lead Actor for Gene Hackman, and four Golden Globes, winning Best Supporting Actress for Shelley Winters. The film was originally set up at Avco Embassy in 1969, but the project was cancelled and moved to Fox. Parts of the movie were filmed aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Paul Gallico had been inspired to write the novel after a vacation aboard the ship in 1937 in which it was rocked by high waves. The film was shot in sequence to take advantage of the cast becoming more tattered and injured — some real, some artificial — as the story progressed. Ernest Borgnine’s expletive when lifting the large Christmas tree was a genuine reaction to the tree’s weight and kept in the film. Shelley Winters was only 51 at the time of production, playing a character much older. Borgnine was three years older than Winters but treated her like an old lady. Winters had to gain weight for the role, complaining after filming that she could never lose the 35 pounds she put on. Winters also trained with an Olympic swim coach so she would come across as more realistic in the underwater scenes. As filming progressed, the actors began doing more and more of their own stunts, sometimes getting competitive with each other. Actor Ernie Orsatti had never done stunt work before he finally agreed to perform the film’s most iconic stunt, the fall from a table to a light fixture. This led to his career in stunt work and as a stunt coordinator. The capsizing scene used a set that was hydraulically rotated 45 degrees with the actors in place, redressed so that the floor became the ceiling, and rotated again when the actors returned to complete the scene.

1982

December 8 – 48 Hrs. (USA)

Cast: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O’Toole, Frank McRae, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, Sonny Landham, Brion James, Kerry Sherman, Jonathan Banks, James Keane, Denise Crosby, Chris Mulkey
Director: Walter Hill
Production Company: Lawrence Gordon Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: The film launched Eddie Murphy’s movie career, earning him a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year – Actor. Murphy joined the film a few weeks after principal photography had started because he was finishing a season of Saturday Night Live. Paramount execs didn’t think the film was funny enough, and hated Murphy’s performance to the point of wanting to fire him. Director Walter Hill and star Nick Nolte fought to keep him.

December 10 – Airplane II: The Sequel (USA/Canada)

Cast: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, Chad Everett, Peter Graves, Rip Torn, John Dehner, Chuck Connors, Richard Jaeckel, Stephen Stucker, Kent McCord, Wendy Phillips, Sonny Bono, William Shatner, Raymond Burr, John Vernon, James Noble, David Paymer, Art Fleming, Pat Sajak, Louise Sorel, Sandahl Bergman, Jack Jones, Hervé Villechaize
Director: Ken Finkleman
Production Company: Howard W. Koch Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Titled Flying High II: The Sequel in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, and the Philippines. The original writers and directors of Airplane! had no involvement with the film. Ken Finkleman, who was hired to helm Grease 2 when the original production team did not return for the sequel earlier in 1982, was also hired to write and direct Airplane II.

December 10 – Sophie’s Choice (Canada)

Cast: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol, Rita Karin, Stephen D. Newman, Josh Mostel
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Production Company: ITC Entertainment, Keith Barish Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: The film opened in limited release in the US on December 8 for awards consideration, but did not receive a wide theatrical release until March 4, 1983 to cash in on its five Oscar nominations. Adapted from William Styron’s 1979 novel Sophie’s Choice. The film scored five Oscar nominations, with Meryl Streep winning Best Actress. Styron wrote the novel with Ursula Andress in mind for the part of Sophie. Director Pakula wanted Liv Ullmann, but Streep obtained a copy of the script and threw herself on the floor, begging Pakula for the role.

1992

December 9 – Damage (France)

Cast: Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, Miranda Richardson, Rupert Graves, Ian Bannen, Peter Stormare, Leslie Caron, David Thewlis
Director: Louis Malle
Production Company: Nouvelles Éditions de Films, Skreba Films, StudioCanal, European Co-production Fund, Channel Four Films, Canal Plus, distributed by Majestic Films International
Trivia: The film received a limited US release on December 23 for awards consideration, and expanded on January 22, 1993. Adapted by David Hare from the novel Damage by Josephine Hart. Miranda Richardson received an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actress and won the BAFTA in the same category.

December 9 – Le Grand Pardon II (France)

Cast: Roger Hanin, Richard Berry, Gerard Darmon, Christopher Walken, Jill Clayburgh, Jennifer Beals, Alexandre Aja, Jim Moody
Director: Alexandre Arcady
Production Company: Alexandre Films, TF1 Films Production, distributed by Union Générale Cinématographique
Trivia: Known as Day of Atonement for its US home video release. The US version is the only one to have a narrator. Even though the French actors are speaking English, they were still redubbed for clarity.

December 11 – A Few Good Men (USA)

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, Wolfgang Bodison, James Marshall, J. T. Walsh, Noah Wyle, Cuba Gooding Jr., Xander Berkeley, Joshua Malina
Director: Rob Reiner
Production Company: Castle Rock Entertainment, David Brown Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: The film also opened in Spain and Italy on December 11. Based on Aaron Sorkin’s 1989 play. Nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture. Sorkin wrote much of his story on cocktail napkins while bartending at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. Sorkin sold the film rights for six figures before the play premiered. Sorkin and Rob Reiner spent eight months crafting the screenplay, with William Goldman doing an uncredited rewrite. Sorkin liked his changes so much he incorporated them into the play. Cruise said that he modeled his performance on Church of Scientology chairman David Miscavige, and insisted on using the church’s Clearsound sound reproduction technology, which he claimed captured his voice better.

December 11 – Into the West (UK)

Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin, Ciarán Fitzgerald, Rúaidhrí Conroy, David Kelly, Johnny Murphy, Colm Meaney, John Kavanagh, Brendan Gleeson, Jim Norton
Director: Mike Newell
Production Company: Channel Four Films, Little Bird, Majestic Films International, Miramax, Parallel Film Productions, distributed by Entertainment Film Distributors (UK), Miramax (USA)
Trivia: The film was not released in the US until September 17, 1993.

December 11 – Orlando (Italy)

Cast: Tilda Swinton, Quentin Crisp, Jimmy Somerville, John Wood, Toby Stephens,Lothaire Bluteau, Billy Zane, Toby Jones
Director: Sally Potter
Production Company: Adventure Pictures, Lenfilm Studio, Mikado Film, Rio, Sigma Film Productions, British Screen Productions, distributed by Mikado Film (Italy), Sony Pictures Classics (USA)
Trivia: Opened in the US on June 9, 1993. Loosely based on Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando: A Biography.

December 11 – Passion Fish (USA)

Cast: Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Vondie Curtis-Hall, David Strathairn, Leo Burmester, Nora Dunn, Angela Bassett
Director: John Sayles
Production Company: Atchafalaya, distributed by TriStar Pictures
Trivia: Director John Sayles said his inspiration for the story came from the film Persona, as well as his own experiences working as a hospital orderly. Nominated for two Oscars and two Golden Globes.

December 11 – The Muppet Christmas Carol (USA)

Jim Henson Productions

Cast: Michael Caine, Steven Mackintosh, Meredith Braun, Robin Weaver, Jessica Fox
Muppet Performers: Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, David Rudman, Louise Gold, Karen Prell, Robert Tygner, William Todd-Jones, Don Austen
Director: Brian Henson
Production Company: Jim Henson Productions, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Trivia: Also opened in Australia on December 11. Adapted from the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Brian Henson’s feature directorial debut. The first Muppets film produced by Disney, which would acquire the franchise in 2004. The project was originally pitched as a TV movie for ABC, but once the script was submitted Disney offered to purchase it for a feature film. George Carlin and David Warner were among the candidates to play Scrooge. When Michael Caine accepted, he stated he would play the role straight, never winking or doing anything ‘Muppety’.

December 12 – Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (Japan)

Cast: Tetsuya Bessho, Satomi Kobayashi, Takehiro Murata, Keiko Imamura, Sayaka Osawa, Saburo Shinoda, Akiji Kobayashi, Megumi Odaka, Akira Takarada, Makoto Otake, Shiori Yonezawa, Kenpachiro Satsuma, Hurricane Ryu
Director: Takao Okawara
Production Company: Toho Company
Trivia: Received a home video release in the US on April 28, 1998. The 19th film in the Godzilla franchise, originally conceived as a stand-alone Mothra film titled Mothra vs. Bagan. It was the second highest grossing film in Japan in 1993 behind Jurassic Park. Original Godzilla director Ishirō Honda visited the set shortly before his death.

2002

December 12 – Infernal Affairs (Hong Kong)

Cast: Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Chapman To, Gordon Lam, Sammi Cheng, Kelly Chen, Berg Ng, Wan Chi-keung
Director: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak
Production Company: Media Asia Films, Basic Pictures, distributed by Media Asia Distribution (Hong Kong), Miramax (USA)
Trivia: Received a limited US release on September 24, 2004. Martin Scorsese remade the film in 2006 as The Departed.

December 13 – Dirty Pretty Things (UK)

Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi López, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Wong
Director: Stephen Frears
Production Company: BBC Films, Celador Films, Jonescompany Productions, distributed by Miramax International
Trivia: Opened in the US in limited release on July 18, 2003. Oscar nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

December 13 – The Jimmy Show (USA, limited)

Cast: Frank Whaley, Carla Gugino, Ethan Hawke, Lynn Cohen, Jillian Stacom, Spelman M. Beaubrun, Sheila Kay Davis
Director: Frank Whaley
Production Company: Next Wednesday Productions, Stonelock Pictures, distributed by First Look Studios
Trivia: Based on the Off-Broadway play Veins and Thumbtacks by Jonathan Marc Sherman.

December 13 – Spider (USA/Canada)

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Bradley Hall, Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne, John Neville, Lynn Redgrave
Director: David Cronenberg
Production Company: Odeon Films, Capitol Films, Artists Independent Network, Grosvenor Park Productions, Catherine Bailey Ltd., Téléfilm Canada, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Metropolitan Films, Redbus Pictures, distributed by Alliance Atlantis Communications
Trivia: Based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Patrick McGrath, who also wrote the screenplay. David Cronenberg revealed that he, Fiennes, Richardson and the film’s producers did not receive fees or salaries so the money could be used to pay for the under-funded production.

2012

December 7 – Bad Kids Go to Hell (USA)

Cast: Cameron Deane Stewart, Augie Duke, Ali Faulkner, Roger Edwards, Marc Donato, Amanda Alch, Jeffrey Schmidt, Ben Browder, Judd Nelson
Director: Matthew Spradlin
Production Company: BKGTH Productions, Bad Kids, Spiderwood Studios, distributed by Bad Kids
Trivia: The film opened in a limited engagement in the US on October 27, 2012. Based on Matthew Spradlin’s and Barry Wernick’s graphic novel of the same name.

December 7 – Cheerful Weather for the Wedding (USA, limited)

Cast: Felicity Jones, Luke Treadaway, Elizabeth McGovern, Mackenzie Crook, Fenella Woolgar, Eva Traynor, Zoe Tapper, Paola Dionisotti, James Norton, Sophie Stanton, Olly Alexander
Director: Donald Rice
Production Company: Cheerful Weather, Goldcrest Pictures, Yellow Knife, distributed by IFC Films
Trivia: Originally opened in New Zealand on August 16, 2012. Adapted from the 1932 novella Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey of the Bloomsbury Group.

December 7 – Deadfall (USA, limited)

Cast: Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, Charlie Hunnam, Kris Kristofferson, Alain Goulem, Allison Graham, Sissy Spacek, Kate Mara, Treat Williams
Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky
Production Company: Magnolia Pictures, StudioCanal, 2929 Productions, Mutual Film Company, H2L Media Group, Madhouse Entertainment, distributed by Magnolia Pictures
Trivia: Zach Dean’s original story was titled Kin.

December 7 – Dino Time (Turkey)

Voice Cast: (English dub) Pamela Adlon, Tara Strong, Jane Lynch, Yuri Lowenthal, Fred Tatasciore, Melanie Griffith, Stephen Baldwin, William Baldwin, Dee Bradley Baker, Grey DeLisle, John DiMaggio, Tom Kenny, Nolan North
Director: Yoon-suk Choi, John Kafka
Production Company: CJ Entertainment, Toiion, distributed by CJ Entertainment
Trivia: The film originally opened in Israel on December 6, 2012. It arrived in Australia on August 3, 2013, the UK on May 22, 2015 and the US, titled Back to the Jurassic, on June 12, 2015.

December 7 – Heleno (USA)

Cast: Rodrigo Santoro, Angie Cepeda, Alinne Moraes, Erom Cordeiro, Othon Bastos
Director: José Henrique Fonseca
Production Company: Agência Nacional do Cinema, BNDES, BR Petrobrás, Downtown Filmes, FINEP, Goritzia Filmes, RT Features, Zola Filmes, distributed by Screen Media Films (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in Brazil on March 30, 2012. Rodrigo Santoro was also the film’s producer. The film tells the story of Heleno de Freitas, a legendary football star who played for Botafogo during the 1940s.

December 7 – Hyde Park on Hudson (USA, limited)

Cast: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Samuel West, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Marvel, Olivia Williams, Elizabeth Wilson, Andrew Havill, Eleanor Bron
Director: Roger Michell
Production Company: Daybreak Pictures, Film4, Free Range Films, Media Pro Four, Media Pro One, Media Pro Three, Media Pro Two, Premiere Picture, distributed by Focus Features
Trivia: Based on Margaret ‘Daisy’ Suckley’s private journals and diaries, discovered after her death. Roger Michell was writer Richard Nelson’s first choice to direct, but when he was unavailable the script was reworked into a radio play which was produced by the BBC in 2009. Once Michell was available, production on the film began. The Upstate New York location was created entirely in England. Bill Murray received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

December 7 – Lay the Favorite (USA, limited)

Cast: Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joshua Jackson, Vince Vaughn, Laura Prepon, John Carroll Lynch, Corbin Bernsen, Frank Grillo
Director: Stephen Frears
Production Company: Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, Wild Bunch, Random House Films, Likely Story, Lipsync Productions, Ruby Films, distributed by RADiUS-TWC (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in the UK on June 22, 2012. Based on Beth Raymer’s 2010 memoir of the same name.

December 7 – Life Just Is (UK)

Cast: Will De Meo, Jack Gordon, Nathaniel Martello-White, Fiona Ryan, Jayne Wisener, Paul Nicholls, Rachel Bright, Jason Croot
Director: Alex Barrett
Production Company: Asalva, Patchwork Productions, Stanley Road Productions
Trivia: Production of the film was documented on the film’s blog and YouTube channel. Actress Jayne Wisener also created a series of popular video diaries. Production launched a competition to design the film’s poster with over 100 entries submitted. Soledad del Real’s design was the winner, and all of the entries were collated into an ebook which was given away free on the film’s website.

December 7 – Playing for Keeps (USA)

Cast: Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dennis Quaid, Judy Greer, James Tupper, Noah Lomax
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Production Company: Eclectic Pictures, Evil Twins, G-BASE, Millennium Films, Misher Films, distributed by FilmDistrict
Trivia: The project began as a baseball story called ‘Confessions of a Little League Coach’ but was later changed to soccer. The film’s original title was Playing the Field. Director Gabriele Muccino blamed the film’s muddled focus on having thirteen producers, each who wanted a different movie.

December 7 – The Fitzgerald Family Christmas (USA)

Cast: Edward Burns, Connie Britton, Heather Burns, Kerry Bishé, Marsha Dietlein, Caitlin FitzGerald, Anita Gillette, Tom Guiry, Ed Lauter, Michael McGlone, Noah Emmerich
Director: Edward Burns
Production Company: Marlboro Road Gang Productions, distributed by Tribeca Film
Trivia: In a sadly ironic twist, Ed Lauter’s character says in the film that it will be his last Christmas. Lauter died in October 2013.

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