Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #131 :: January 25•31

Universal Pictures

It’s another full week of new film releases but there are still just a handful of really memorable films ccelebrating anniversaries. That’s January for you. Sadly, nearly all of the 1923 films have been lost, and one 1933 film is notable only for being despised by its two stars. 1943 had a number of Westerns, and 1953 had a film notable for featuring a US General in a cameo. 1963 produced another film in Roger Corman’s ‘Poe Cycle’, and 1973 saw Burt Reynolds take on his first role since doffing his clothes for a magazine centerfold. 1983 gave us a film that combined Christopher Lee with the creatives behind The Rocky Horror Show, and 1993 had some films that were more memorable including a cult classic from Joe Dante, a classic French comedy, and an Oscar nominee. 2003 had another Oscar-nominated film, historical at the time, plus the second chapter of what would become a five-film (to date) franchise. 2013 gave Jeremy Renner a different kind of hero role, had a film that gave away the ending with the title (or did it?), and produced a film universally hailed as the worst film ever made. Read all about this week’s celebratory movies and tell us which ones are your favorites!

1923

January 28 – Brass Commandments (USA)

Cast: William Farnum, Wanda Hawley, Tom Santschi, Claire Adams, Charles Le Moyne, Joe Rickson, Lon Poff
Director: Lynn Reynolds
Production Company: Fox Film Corporation
Trivia: Based on the novel of the same name by Charles Alden Seltzer. The film is believed lost.

January 28 – The Champeen (USA, short)

Cast: Jackie Condon, Mickey Daniels, Jack Davis, Ernie Morrison, Mary Kornman, Allen Hoskins, Richard Billings, Dorothy Morrison
Director: Robert F. McGowan
Production Company: Hal Roach Studios, distributed by Pathé Exchange
Trivia: Seventh Our Gang short. When sold to television, the series was retitled Mischief Makers, and this short was cut by about one-third and retitled ‘Big Fight’.

January 28 – Chicken Dressing (USA, short)

Cast: Earl Hurd
Director: Earl Hurd
Production Company: Earl Hurd Cartoons, McDono Cartoons, distributed by Educational Film Exchanges
Trivia: The short features a mix of live-action and animation.

January 28 – Dollar Devils (USA)

Cast: Joseph J. Dowling, Miles McCarthy, May Wallace, Eva Novak, Hallam Cooley, Cullen Landis, Lydia Knott
Director: Victor Schertzinger
Production Company: Victor Schertzinger Productions, distributed by W. W. Hodkinson Corporation
Trivia: The film is believed to be lost.

January 28 – Plunder (USA, serial)

Cast: Pearl White, Warren William, Harry Semels, Tom McIntyre, William Nally, Wally Oettel, Edward J. Pool, Charles ‘Patch’ Revada
Director: George B. Seitz
Production Company: George B. Seitz Productions, distributed by Pathé Exchange
Trivia: Stuntman John Stevenson was killed during the production performing a stunt from a moving bus to an elevated platform. The serial survives in the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and a trailer is preserved at the Library of Congress.

January 28 – Poor Men’s Wives (USA)

Cast: Barbara La Marr, David Butler, Betty Francisco, Richard Tucker, Zasu Pitts, Muriel McCormac, Mickey McBan
Director: Louis J. Gasnier
Production Company: B.P. Schulberg Productions, distributed by Preferred Pictures
Trivia: Director Louis J. Gasnier directed Rich Men’s Wives the previous year.

January 28 – The Four Orphans (USA, short)

Cast: Raymond McKee, Mary Anderson, Charles Murray
Director: Gregory La Cava
Production Company: All Star Comedies, Mastodon Films, distributed by W.W. Hodkinson

January 28 – The Voice from the Minaret (USA)

Cast: Norma Talmadge, Eugene O’Brien, Edwin Stevens, Winter Hall, Carl Gerard, Claire Du Brey, Lillian Lawrence, Albert Prisco
Director: Frank Lloyd
Production Company: Norma Talmadge Productions, distributed by Associated First National Pictures
Trivia: Based on the play of the same name by Robert Smythe Hichens. The film is considered lost.

January 29 – Strike Father, Strike Son (USA, short)

Cast: Reginald Denny, Hayden Stevenson, Elinor Field
Director: Harry A. Pollard
Production Company: Universal Jewel, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Eleventh episode in the first ‘Leather Pushers’ series of two-reel boxing shorts.

January 29 – The World’s Applause (USA)

Cast: Bebe Daniels, Lewis Stone, Kathlyn Williams, Adolphe Menjou, Brandon Hurst, Bernice Frank, Mayme Kelso, George Kuwa, James Neill
Director: William C. deMille
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: The film is considered lost.

January 30 – The First Degree (USA)

Cast: Frank Mayo, Sylvia Breamer, Philo McCullough, George A. Williams, Harry Carter
Director: Edward Sedgwick
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Trivia: Based on the short story ‘The Summons’ by George Pattullo, published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1914. The film was considered lost but a partially tinted 35mm print was discovered in the Chicago Film Archives in June 2020 and has been digitally preserved.

1933

January 25 – Sassy Cats (USA, short)

Director: Dick Huemer
Production Company: Charles Mintz Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: An animated short featuring the character Scrappy.

January 27 – Betty Boop’s Crazy Inventions (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Billy Murray, Mae Questel, Gus Wicke
Director: Dave Fleischer
Production Company: Fleischer Studios, distributed by Paramount Publix Corporation
Trivia: The voice cast was uncredited. The short accompanied the release of the Mae West film She Done Him Wrong.

January 27 – Goldie Gets Along (USA)

Cast: Lili Damita, Charles Morton, Sam Hardy, Nat Pendleton, Lita Chevret, Arthur Hoyt, Henry Fink, Bradley Page, Lee Moran, Reginald Barlow, Jane Keckley, Harry Bowen
Director: Malcolm St. Clair
Production Company: J.G. Bachmann Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 1931 novel of the same title by Hawthorne Hurst.

January 27 – Tumble Down Town (USA, short)

Director: Harry Bailey, John Foster
Production Company: Van Beuren Studios, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: This pre-Code animated short is said to be excessively violent.

January 28 – Fish Hooky (USA, short)

Cast: Matthew Beard, Dorothy DeBorba, Bobby Hutchins, George McFarland, Dickie Moore, Bobbie Beard, John Collum, Pete the Pup
Director: Robert F. McGowan
Production Company: Hal Roach Studios, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The 120th Our Gang short, and the 32nd ‘talkie’. The final appearance of Donald Haines. Four former Our Gang members made cameos. Allen Hoskins (Farina) and Joe Cobb play ‘older kids’, and Mary Kornman and Mickey Daniels take on adult roles even though they were teenagers. The amusement park scenes were filmed at the Venice Amusement Pier and show the rides and attractions ca. 1933.

January 28 – Hard to Handle (USA)

Cast: James Cagney, Mary Brian, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Claire Dodd, Robert McWade, Berton Churchill, Emma Dunn, Gavin Gordon, Sterling Holloway, William H. Strauss, Bess Flowers
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Carole Lombard was offered the female lead but refused the role. Ruth Donnelly plays the mother of Mary Brian’s character even though she is just ten years older.

January 28 – Parachute Jumper (USA)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Bette Davis, Frank McHugh, Claire Dodd, Leo Carrillo, Harold Huber, Thomas E. Jackson
Director: Alfred E. Green
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Based on a story by Rian James titled ‘Some Call It Love’. Walter Brennan and Franklin Pangborn appear in uncredited roles. The film’s original title was reported to be just Parachute. Bette Davis rated this movie ‘dead last’ among her films. Clips of the film are used in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? as an example of the poor quality of Jane Hudson’s film work as an adult. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. also described the film as ‘awful’ in an interview about his career.

January 29 – Artist’s Muddles (USA, short)

Cast: Andy Clyde, Vernon Dent, Faye Pierre, Louis Alberni
Director: Harry Edwards
Production Company: Mack Sennett Comedies, Educational Films Corporation of America, distributed by Fox Film Corporation

January 29 – Hey, Nanny Nanny (USA, short)

Cast: Bobby Clark, Paul McCullough, Thelma White, Nat Carr, Sidney Jarvis, Monty Collins
Director: Ben Holmes
Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures

January 30 – The Terrible Troubador (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Walter Lantz
Director: Walter Lantz
Production Company: Walter Lantz Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures

January 30 – Where’s That Tiger? (USA, short)

Cast: Borrah Minevitch, Joseph Sweeney
Production Company: Paramount Pictures

January 31 – On Your Guard (USA)

Cast: Richard Talmadge, Dorothy Burgess, Edmund Breese, DeWitt Jennings, Matthew Betz, Lee Moran, Dell Henderson, Bob Kortman, Victor Stanford, Bobby Nelson, Jena Hall, Jimmy Aubrey
Director: George Crone
Production Company: Richard Talmadge Productions, distributed by Mercury Pictures Corporation

January 31 – West of Singapore (USA)

Cast: Betty Compson, Weldon Heyburn, Margaret Lindsay, Noel Madison, Tom Douglas, Clyde Cook, Harvey Clark, Ernie Adams
Director: Albert Ray
Production Company: Monogram Pictures
Trivia: Final film of Duane Thompson. It is considered a lost film.

1943

January 25 – Thundering Trails (USA)

Cast: Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, Jimmie Dodd, Nell O’Day, Sam Flint, Karl Hackett
Director: John English
Production Company: Republic Pictures
Trivia: Film debut of Johnny Carpenter.

January 27 – The Kid Rides Again (USA)

Cast: Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Iris Meredith, Glenn Strange, Charles King, I. Stanford Jolley, Edward Peil Sr., Ted Adams, Slim Whitaker
Director: Sam Newfield
Production Company: Sigmund Neufeld Productions, distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation
Trivia: One of 36 Billy the Kid films starring Buster Crabbe from Producers Releasing Corporation. Iris Meredith’s last credited film role.

January 28 – Power of the Press (USA)

Cast: Guy Kibbee, Gloria Dickson, Lee Tracy, Otto Kruger, Victor Jory
Director: Lew Landers
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Trivia: The first film in which writer Samuel Fuller used the character name ‘Griff’. Many of his subsequent films would feature a character with that first or last name.

January 29 – Calaboose (USA/UK)

Cast: Jimmy Rogers, Noah Beery Jr., Mary Brian, Bill Henry, Paul Hurst, Marc Lawrence, William Davidson, Jean Porter, Iris Adrian
Director: Hal Roach Jr.
Production Company: Hal Roach Studios, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: Sequel to Dudes are Pretty People (1942) from the ‘Hal Roach’s Streamliners’ series of comedic movies running about 50 minutes. Another sequel followed the same year, Prairie Chickens, with Rogers and Beery playing the same characters.

January 29 – The Crime Smasher (USA)

Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Richard Cromwell, Gale Storm, Mantan Moreland, Frank Graham, Gwen Kenyon, Herbert Rawlinson, Tristram Coffin
Director: James Tinling
Production Company: Monogram Pictures
Trivia: Based on the radio program Cosmo Jones, and is sometimes billed as Cosmo Jones in the Crime Smasher.

January 29 – Donald’s Tire Trouble (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Clarence Nash
Director: Dick Lundy
Production Company: Walt Disney Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: The cartoon pokes fun at the difficulties involved in America’s rubber rationing, a consequence of World War II.

January 29 – Fighting Frontier (USA)

Cast: Tim Holt, Cliff Edwards, Ann Summers, William Gould, Slim Whitaker
Director: Lambert Hillyer
Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures

January 29 – You Can’t Beat the Law (USA)

Cast: Edward Norris, Joan Woodbury, Jack La Rue, Milburn Stone, Charles Jordan, Kenneth Harlan, Robert Homans
Director: Phil Rosen
Production Company: Monogram Pictures
Trivia: Shown on television as Prison Mutiny.

January 30 – Benjamin Franklin, Jr. (USA, short)

Cast: Bobby Blake, Janet Burston, Billy Laughlin, Billie Thomas, Mickey Laughlin
Director: Herbert Glazer
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The 211th Our Gang short, the 123rd talkie, and the 43rd produced by MGM.

1953

January 26 – Tonight We Sing (USA)

Cast: David Wayne, Ezio Pinza, Roberta Peters, Anne Bancroft, Tamara Toumanova, Isaac Stern, Byron Palmer, Oskar Karlweis, Mikhail Rasumny, Steven Geray
Director: Mitchell Leisen
Production Company: 20th Century Fox
Trivia: Based on the 1946 book Impresario, an autobiography written by Sol Hurok with the help of Ruth Goode, who once served as Hurok’s press agent. The film credits Hurok as technical advisor. Operatic tenor Jan Peerce provided the singing voice for Byron Palmer.

January 28 – Never Wave at a WAC (USA)

Cast: Rosalind Russell, Paul Douglas, Marie Wilson, William Ching, Arleen Whelan, Leif Erickson, Hillary Brooke, Charles Dingle, Lurene Tuttle, Regis Toomey, Frieda Inescort, Louise Beavers
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Production Company: Independent Artists Pictures, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Trivia: General Omar Bradley appears as himself. Rosalind Russell brought the story to television first in 1951 to gauge audience reaction before investing a large sum of money into a film production from her and her husband’s company, Independent Artists.

January 30 – Ancient Fistory (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Jackson Beck
Director: Seymour Kneitel
Production Company: Famous Studios, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on a gender-reversed parody of the fairy tale Cinderella and a possible inspiration for the 1960 film Cinderfella starring Jerry Lewis. The short marks the second appearance of Poopdeck Pappy.

January 30 – Child Sockology (USA, short)

Cast: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Jackson Beck
Director: Izzy Sparber
Production Company: Famous Studios, distributed by Paramount Pictures

January 30 – Wherever She Goes (USA)

Cast: Suzanne Parrett, Muriel Steinbeck, Nigel Lovell, George Wallace, Eileen Joyce, Tim Drysdale, Rex Dawe, Syd Chambers, John Wiltshire, Harold Bourne
Director: Michael Gordon
Production Company: Faun Film Productions, Ealing Studios, distributed by Associated British-Pathé (UK), Arthur Mayer-Edward Kingsley (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in the UK on July 6, 1951. The only feature-length film directed by Michael Gordon. This was Suzanne Parrett’s only film. This was the last screen performance by comedian George Wallace. Produced in Australia, it was one of the few Australian films at the time to receive a release in the US and UK.

January 31 – The Man Behind The Gun (USA)

Cast: Randolph Scott, Patrice Wymore, Dick Wesson, Philip Carey, Lina Romay, Roy Roberts, Morris Ankrum, Katharine Warren, Alan Hale Jr., Douglas Fowley, Tony Caruso, Clancy Cooper, Robert Cabal
Director: Felix Feist
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Final film of Lina Romay, who made three television appearances between 1956-1957 before retiring from acting.

January 31 – A Mouse Divided (USA, short)

Voice Cast: Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet
Director: I. Freleng
Production Company: The Vitaphone Corporation, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The title is a pun on Lincoln’s House Divided Speech.

1963

January 25 – The Raven (USA)

Alta Vista Productions

Cast: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Hazel Court, Olive Sturgess, Jack Nicholson
Director: Roger Corman
Production Company: Alta Vista Productions, distributed by American International Pictures
Trivia: The fifth film in Roger Corman’s ‘Poe Cycle’, and based on references to Poe’s 1845 poem ‘The Raven’. The film was shot in 15 days. Peter Lorre improvised a lot of his lines which confused co-stars Vincent Price and Boris Karloff. While Price adapted, Karloff struggled after carefully preparing for the role. Lorre and Jack Nicholson did not get along and the tension between them was seen on screen. Karloff was suffering from crippling pain at the time and was annoyed by having to wear a heavy cape. The scene of the burning interior of the castle was reused film from Corman’s 1960 film House of Usher.

January 30 – Term of Trial (USA)

Cast: Laurence Olivier, Simone Signoret, Sarah Miles, Terence Stamp, Hugh Griffith, Roland Culver, Dudley Foster, Frank Pettingell, Thora Hird, Norman Bird
Director: Peter Glenville
Production Company: Romulus Films, distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK), Warner Bros. Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in the UK on August 16, 1962. Based on the 1961 novel of the same name by James Barlow. Screen debut of Sarah Miles and Terrence Stamp.

1973

January 31 – Drop Out (West Germany)

Cast: Susan Sutton, Mark Fore, Linda Wroom, Vincent Adams, Jerome Scott, Barbara Caron, U. Heidi Sohler, Graymont Garson, Shawn Sayles, Nora Westbauer
Director: Robert Lee
Production Company: Gentlemen 13, distributed by United Film International
Trivia: Robert Lee was a pseudonym for Stephen C. Apostolof.

January 31 – Shamus (USA)

Cast: Burt Reynolds, Dyan Cannon, John Ryan, Joe Santos, Giorgio Tozzi, Ron Weyand, Larry Block, Beeson Carroll, Kevin Conway, Kay Frye, John Glover
Director: Buzz Kulik
Production Company: Robert M. Weitman Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: The word ‘shamus’ means ‘detective’ in Yiddish. Burt Reynolds’ first film since his infamous Cosmopolitan centerfold. Dyan Cannon had been in semi-retirement after a bad experience making Such Good Friends, but agreed to do the film after seeing Reynolds on stage in The Rainmaker. A TV movie sequel was produced in 1976, A Matter of Wife … and Death, with Rod Taylor in the Reynolds role. It was a pilot for a proposed TV series that did not come to fruition.

January 31 – Steelyard Blues (USA)

Cast: Mel Stewart, Donald Sutherland, Howard Hesseman, Morgan Upton, Peter Boyle, Jessica Myerson, Beans Morocco, John Savage, Jane Fonda, Roger Bowen, Richard Schaal
Director: Alan Myerson
Production Company: Steelyard Blues Productions, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The film aired on NBC in 1979 under the title Final Crash. Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland made the film in 1971 shortly after the filming of Klute. Directorial debut of Alan Myerson.

January 31 – Sugar Cookies (USA)

Cast: George Shannon, Mary Woronov, Lynn Lowry, Monique van Vooren, Maureen Byrnes, Daniel Sadur, Ondine, Jennifer Welles
Director: Theodore Gershuny
Production Company: 15th Street Films, Armor Films Inc., distributed by General Film Corporation
Trivia: Also known as Love Me My Way. The film was co-written by future president of Troma Entertainment Lloyd Kaufman and produced by future director Oliver Stone. Kaufman was set to direct but handed the reins to the more experienced Theodore Gershuny, who then rewrote the script and cast his then-wife Mary Woronov in a key role.

1983

January 28 – Enigma (USA)

Cast: Martin Sheen, Brigitte Fossey, Sam Neill, Derek Jacobi, Michael Lonsdale, Frank Finlay, Warren Clarke, Michael Williams,Patrick Bauchau
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Production Company: Archerwest, Filmcrest Productions, Goldcrest Films International, International Film Investors, M.G. Films, Peroquet, distributed by Columbia-EMI-Warner (UK), Embassy Pictures (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in the UK on October 15, 1982. Based on Michael Barak’s novel Enigma Sacrifice. The film was partly shot at Paris–Le Bourget Airport.

January 28 – The Return of Captain Invincible (USA)

Cast: Alan Arkin, Christopher Lee, Kate Fitzpatrick, Bill Hunter, Michael Pate, Doug McGrath, Graham Kennedy, Max Phipps, Alfred Sandor, Ron Becks, Garth Meade
Director: Philippe Mora
Production Company: Seven Keys
Trivia: The film’s US distributor, Jensen Farley Pictures, went out of business days before the national release. The Rocky Horror Show collaborators Richard O’Brien and Richard Hartley contributed three songs to the soundtrack: ‘Captain Invincible’ (sung by O’Brien), ‘Evil Midnight’ (sung by Christopher Lee and Alan Arkin) and ‘Name Your Poison’ (sung by Lee).

1993

January 27 – Les visiteurs (France)

Cast: Christian Clavier, Jean Reno, Valérie Lemercier, Christian Bujeau, Marie-Anne Chazel, Isabelle Nanty, Gérard Séty
Director: Jean-Marie Poiré
Production Company: Alpilles Productions, Amigo Productions, CanalPlus, France 3 Cinéma, Gaumont International, distributed by Gaumont Buena Vista International (France), Arrow Film Distributors (UK), Miramax (USA)
Trivia: Released in the UK on February 4, 1994, and in the US on July 12, 1996 as The Visitors. The highest grossing film in France in 1993. Christian Clavier & Jean Reno reprised their roles for a 1998 sequel, the 2001 American remake Just Visiting, and another sequel in 2016. Nominated for nine César Awards including Best Film, Director and Lead Actors (both stars received nominations), with Valérie Lemercier winning for Supporting Actress.

January 28 – To Sleep with a Vampire (Straight-To-Video)

Cast: Scott Valentine, Charlie Spradling, Richard Zobel, Ingrid Vold, Stephanie Hardy, Kristine Rose, Cole S. McKay, Kurt D. Lott, Michael J. Sarna
Director: Adam Friedman
Production Company: New Horizons Picture
Trivia: Remake of the 1989 film Dance of the Damned. The cast and crew averaged 16 hour days during the 18 day shoot.

January 29 – Lorenzo’s Oil (USA/Canada)

Cast: Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Peter Ustinov, Kathleen Wilhoite, Gerry Bamman, Margo Martindale, James Rebhorn, Ann Hearn, Rocco Sisto, Laura Linney
Director: George Miller
Production Company: Kennedy Miller, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Based on the true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, parents who search for a cure for their son Lorenzo’s adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). Elizabeth Daily provided the vocal effects for Lorenzo. The film earned two Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay.

January 29 – Matinee (USA)

Cast: John Goodman, Cathy Moriarty, Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Lisa Jakub, Kellie Martin, Jesse Lee, Lucinda Jenney,James Villemaire, Robert Picardo, Jesse White, Dick Miller, John Sayles, David Clennon, Lucy Butler, Belinda Balaski, Naomi Watts, Kevin McCarthy
Director: Joe Dante
Production Company: Renfield Productions, Falcon Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: Jesse White’s final theatrical film. Filming took place in Florida including the towns of Cocoa, Maitland and Key West. School interiors and the movie theater were sets at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando. Street scenes were filmed in Oxnard, California. The lead character Lawrence Woolsey is based on William Castle, famous for his gimmicks to draw audiences to his films. Woolsey’s Rumble-Rama gimmick in the film is a nod to Universal’s Sensurround gimmick from the 1970s.

January 29 – Nemesis (USA)

Cast: Olivier Gruner, Tim Thomerson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Merle Kennedy, Yuji Okumoto, Marjorie Monaghan, Brion James, Deborah Shelton, Nicholas Guest, Thomas Jane, Jackie Earle Haley, Sven-Ole Thorsen
Director: Albert Pyun
Production Company: Imperial Entertainment, Scanbox Entertainment, Shah/Jensen, distributed by Gaga (Japan), EMC (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in Japan on December 26, 1992. The version of the film released in Japan and on limited edition German Blu-rays has a darker ending which suggests the successful termination of the characters Alex (Olivier Gruner) and Max (Merle Kennedy).

January 29 – Sniper (USA)

Cast: Tom Berenger, Billy Zane, J. T. Walsh, Aden Young, Ken Radley, Reynaldo Arenas, Don Battee, Loury Cortez
Director: Luis Llosa
Production Company: Baltimore Pictures, Iguana Producciones, Sniper Productions, distributed by TriStar Pictures
Trivia: The first installment in the Sniper film series, which includes eight direct-to-video sequels. Billy Zane reprises his character of Richard Miller in three of the sequels.

2003

January 30 – Whale Rider (New Zealand)

Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis, Grant Roa, Mana Taumaunu, Rachel House, Taungaroa Emile, Tammy Davis
Director: Niki Caro
Production Company: South Pacific Pictures, ApolloMedia Distribution, Pandora Filmproduktion, New Zealand Film Production Fund, New Zealand Film Commission, New Zealand On Air, Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen, distributed by Buena Vista International (New Zealand), Newmarket Films (USA)
Trivia: Received a limited US release on June 6, 2003, followed by a wide release on August 29. Opened in the UK on July 11, 2003. Based on the 1987 novel The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. The film was shot on location in Whangara, the setting of the novel. Keisha Castle-Hughes became the youngest nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actress at the time at age 13. The waka, a Māori watercraft, seen at the end of the film was given to the Whangara community after filming concluded.

January 31 – Biker Boyz (USA/Canada)

Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Derek Luke, Orlando Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Nicholas Sheriff, Lisa Bonet, Brendan Fehr, Larenz Tate, Terrence Dashon Howard, Meagan Good, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Kadeem Hardison,Eriq La Salle
Director: Reggie Rock Bythewood
Production Company: 3 Arts Entertainment, distributed by DreamWorks Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 2000 New Times LA article of the same name by Michael Gougis.

January 31 – Final Destination 2 (USA/Canada)

Cast: Ali Larter, A. J. Cook, Michael Landes, David Paetkau, James Kirk, Lynda Boyd, Keegan Connor Tracy, Jonathan Cherry, T. C. Carson, Justina Machado, Tony Todd, Sarah Carter
Director: David R. Ellis
Production Company: Zide/Perry Productions, distributed by New Line Cinema
Trivia: Ali Larter and Tony Todd reprised their roles from the first film. Michael Landes was cast the day after his audition. Landes and A. J. Cook did their own stunts for the car underwater scene. The log scene on the highway that opens the film was done practically, but it was discovered the logs only bounced about an inch off the ground, so CGI logs were deployed to render the terrifying effect of the accident. No CGI cars were used in the sequence. While the film as a whole garnered mediocre reviews, the crash scene is regarded as one of the greatest in film history.

January 31 – Lost in La Mancha (USA, documentary)

Cast: Terry Gilliam, Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis, Orson Welles, Francisco Reiguera, Jean Rochefort, Jeff Bridges
Director: Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe
Production Company: Quixote Films, Low Key Productions, Eastcroft Productions, distributed by Optimum Releasing (UK), IFC Films (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in the UK on August 2, 2002. The film details Terry Gilliam’s first attempt to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The documentary was intended to be a ‘making of’ but ended up being a record of the disasters that prevented Gilliam from finishing his film. Gilliam did finally make the film in 2018, and a follow-up documentary, He Dreams of Giants, was produced which covers the entirety of Gilliam’s work on the Quixote project.

January 31 – The Recruit (USA)

Cast: Colin Farrell, Al Pacino, Bridget Moynahan, Gabriel Macht, Kenneth Mitchell, Karl Pruner
Director: Roger Donaldson
Production Company: Touchstone Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, Epsilon Motion Pictures, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Trivia: The film’s working title was The Farm. CIA empoyees reviewed the film, calling it ‘ridiculous but entertaining’.

2013

January 25 – Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (USA/Canada)

Paramount Pictures

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Famke Janssen, Peter Stormare, Thomas Mann, Derek Mears, Pihla Viitala, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Joanna Kulig
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, MTV Films, Gary Sanchez Productions, Flynn Picture Company, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Trivia: The film launched in Russia on January 17, 2013 and opened in many international markets from January 22-24. More locations followed with the last being Italy on May 1, 2013. The role of Gretel was originally planned for Noomi Rapace, who dropped out of consideration. The film was originally to be released in March 2012, but was delayed so a post-credits scene with Jeremy Renner could be filmed. This was the first English-languagr, big studio film for director Tommy Wirkola. The announcement of the film spurred the production of several low-budget copycat films. Wirkola wanted to cast Renner after seeing him in The Hurt Locker. Gemma Arterton was cast based on her work in The Disappearance of Alice Creed, and because of her filthy sense of humor. Half of the film was shot in native 3D, and half used a post-conversion process because the film was not originally planned for 3D. The process was suggested later by the studio. A stuntwoman for Arterton was injured in a scene where she is thrown through a wall, getting a nail lodged in her skull dangerously close to her brain. Arterton had wanted to do the stunt herself but Wirkola would not let her. Renner did the majority of his own stunts. The majority of the film’s special effects were practical with about 15% of them using CGI enhancements. Famke Janssen became overwhelmed and frustrated by the prosthetics she had to wear as the witch. While the film contains graphic violence, Paramount test screened both R and PG-13 rated versions with the R-rated version scoring better. Wirkola said he made sure the film could never be successfully cut for a PG-13 rating.

January 25 – John Dies at the End (USA)

Cast: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones, Daniel Roebuck, Angus Scrimm
Director: Don Coscarelli
Production Company: Silver Sphere, M3 Creative, Touchy Feely Films, distributed by Magnet Releasing
Trivia: Based on David Wong’s novel of the same name.

January 25 – Knife Fight (USA/Canada, limited)

Cast: Rob Lowe, Julie Bowen, Saffron Burrows, Jamie Chung, David Harbour, Eric McCormack, Jennifer Morrison, Lorraine Toussaint, Carrie-Anne Moss, Richard Schiff, Chris Mulkey, Shirley Manson
Director: Bill Guttentag
Production Company: Divisadero Pictures, Knife Fight, Pacific Northwest Pictures (Canada), IFC Films (USA)
Trivia: Shot in 21 days in San Francisco. The last acting role for Shirley Manson.

January 25 – Movie 43 (USA/UK)

Cast: Dennis Quaid, Greg Kinnear, Common, Charlie Saxton, Will Sasso, Fisher Stevens, Beth Littleford, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Katie Finneran, Jeremy Allen White, Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts, Julie Ann Emery, Anna Faris, Chris Pratt, J. B. Smoove, Kieran Culkin, Emma Stone, Richard Gere, Kate Bosworth, Jack McBrayer, Aasif Mandvi, Justin Long, Jason Sudeikis, Uma Thurman, Bobby Cannavale, Kristen Bell, John Hodgman, Leslie Bibb, Katrina Bowden, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloë Grace Moretz, Patrick Warburton, Matt Walsh, Gerard Butler, Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Halle Berry, Stephen Merchant, Terrence Howard, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Duhamel, Julianne Moore, Tony Shalhoub, Bob Odenkirk, Anton Yelchin
Director: Steven Brill, Peter Farrelly, Will Graham, Steve Carr, Griffin Dunne, James Duffy, Jonathan van Tulleken, Elizabeth Banks, Patrik Forsberg, Brett Ratner, Rusty Cundieff, James Gunn, Bob Odenkirk, Steve Baker, Damon Escott
Production Company: Relativity Media, Virgin Produced, GreeneStreet Films, Wessler Entertainment, Witness Protection Films, distributed by Momentum Pictures (UK), Relativity Media (USA)
Trivia: The film features fourteen different storylines by a different director. Filming took place over several years. George Clooney was approached for a role but declined. Richard Gere attempted to get out of the project. The film was panned upon its release, with critic Richard Roeper calling it ‘the Citizen Kane of awful’. The film was nominated for six Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Picture (win), Worst Director for 10 of the 13 (win), Worst Actress (Halle Berry and Naomi Watts), Worst Screenplay (win) and Worst Screen Combo for the entire cast. Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet were the first actors cast, and their segement was shot first and used to attract other stars to the project. James Gunn said Elizabeth Banks talked him into doing the film, he didn’t get to edit his segment and he’s never seen the film. The segment with Anton Yelchin was shown at a test screening but was not included in the film or video release. Many of the stars had no knowledge about any of the other segments outside of their own. The film’s title has no meaning. The studio did little to advertise the film, and none of the stars did any promotion. The film was also not screened in advance for critics, which is never a good sign.

January 25 – Noobz (USA)

Cast: Blake Freeman, Moises Arias, Jason Mewes, Jon Gries, Matt Shively, Casper Van Dien, Sabrina Carpenter, Jesse Heiman, Lin Shaye, Carly Craig, Mindy Sterling
Director: Blake Freeman
Production Company: Wunderkind Pictures, distributed by Big Air Studios
Trivia: Casper Van Dien, Moises Arias and John Gries have all played characters named Rico in previous works.

January 25 – Parker (USA/Canada)

Cast: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce, Clifton Collins Jr., Bobby Cannavale, Patti LuPone, Nick Nolte
Director: Taylor Hackford
Production Company: Incentive Filmed Entertainment, Sierra / Affinity, Alexander/ Mitchell Productions, Current Entertainment, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Anvil Films, distributed by FilmDistrict (USA), Entertainment One (Canada)
Trivia: Adapted from Flashfire, the 19th ‘Parker’ novel, written by Donald Westlake under the pen name Richard Stark. Jason Statham performed all of his own stunts.

January 25 – Supporting Characters (USA)

Cast: Alex Karpovsky, Tarik Lowe, Arielle Kebbel, Sophia Takal, Melonie Diaz, Mike Landry, Kevin Corrigan, Lena Dunham, Sebastian Sozzi
Director: Daniel Schechter
Production Company: Let It Play, distributed by Tribeca Film
Trivia: The film was shot in 12 days.

January 25 – The Taste of Money (USA)

Cast: Kim Kang-woo, Youn Yuh-jung, Baek Yoon-sik, Kim Hyo-jin, On Joo-wan, Maui Taylor, Kwon Byung-gil, Hwang Jung-min, Darcy Paquet, Kal So-won
Director: Im Sang-soo
Production Company: Above the Line Productions, distributed by IFC Films
Trivia: Originally opened in South Korea on May 17, 2012. The film courted controversy with its themes of sex and money, greed and ambition among the lives of the privileged Korean society. 64-year-old Youn Yuh-jung appears in her first on-camera sex scene, which she did not know was in the script when filming began. She worried that audiences would be offended by seeing an older woman naked on screen, and the director told her the scene was written for that very reason.

January 25 – Yossi (USA)

Cast: Ohad Knoller, Oz Zehavi, Orly Silbersatz, Lior Ashkenazi, Bobbi Jene Smith
Director: Eytan Fox
Production Company: United King Films, Lama Films
Trivia: Originally opened in Israel on May 17, 2012. Released in the UK on November 30, 2012. The original Hebrew title translates to Ha-Sippur Shel Yossi. The film is a sequel to 2002’s Yossi & Jagger.

January 28 – Ashes (UK, DVD)

Cast: Luke Evans, Jim Sturgess, Ray Winstone, Jodie Whittaker, Lesley Manville, Zoe Telford
Director: Mat Whitecross
Production Company: CinemaNX, Fiesta Productions, Isle of Man Film, Merzbau, distributed by Gonella Productions
Trivia: Premiered at the Foyle Film Festival in Ireland on November 21, 2012. Was screened in the US at the Newport Beach International Film Festival on April 25, 2013.

January 28 – Comedown (UK, direct-to-video)

Cast: Jacob Anderson, Adam Deacon, Sophie Stuckey, Calum McNab, Jessica Barden, Duane Henry, Geoff Bell
Director: Menhaj Huda
Production Company: Serotonin Films, Phoenix Wiley, distributed by StudioCanal
Trivia: Premiered at the Fantasy Filmfest in Germany on August 23, 2012. Filmed in a London suburb close to the O2 Arena.

January 30 – As Luck Would Have It (USA)

Cast: José Sánchez Mota, Salma Hayek, Blanca Portillo, Juan Luis Galiardo, Fernando Tejero, Manuel Tallafé, Santiago Segura, Antonio Garrido
Director: Álex de la Iglesia
Production Company: Alfresco Enterprises, Trivisión S.L., La Ferme! Productions, Double Nickel Entertainment, CanalPlus España, Instituto de Crédito Oficial, Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales, Región de Murcia, Televisión Española, distributed by Alta Films (Spain), IFC Midnight (USA)
Trivia: Originally opened in Spain on January 13, 2012 as La chispa de la vida.

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