Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #14 :: October 28 to November 3

Columbia Pictures

As October ends and November begins, we do see a few horror films timed to Halloween, and more films that are shooting for awards consideration begin to make their way to the big screen. This week brings a film shot in an early widescreen process twenty years before Cinemascope, a movie so bad it was used to sabotage an actor’s career, an award-winning animated short, one of director Louis Malle’s best films, a movie version of a popular TV soap opera, a Mel Brooks comedy, a Chekhov drama, films with Barbra Streisand, Charlton Heston and Lana Turner, Roger Corman’s return to the director’s chair after twenty years away, Prince’s last film, a cult horror classic, a film that was also a TV mini-series, a big screen adaptation of a popular 70s action series and the last film in a popular horror franchise (until it wasn’t). Can you guess what any of these films are? Read on to find out and click the links to help support Hotchka!

1920

October 31 – Eyes of the Heart

• Cast: Mary Miles Minter, Edmund Burns, Lucien Littlefield, Florence Midgley, Burton Law, John Cook, F. A. Turner, William Parsons, Loyola O’Connor
• Director: Paul Powell
• Studio: Realart Pictures Corporation
• October 31 – The Face at Your Window
• Cast: Gina Relly, Earl Metcalfe, Edward Roseman, Boris Rosenthal, Walter McEwen, Diana Allen, Alice Reeves, Frazer Coulter, William Corbett, Robert Cummings, Henry Armetta, Frank Farrington
• Director: Richard Stanton
• Studio: Fox Film Corporation

October 31 – The Little Grey Mouse

• Cast: Louise Lovely, Sam De Grasse, Rosemary Theby, Philo McCullough, Clarence Wilson, Gerard Alexander, Willis Marks, Thomas Jefferson
• Director: James P. Hogan
• Studio: Fox Film Corporation
• Trivia: The film is considered lost.

October 31 – The Money-Changers

• Cast: Robert McKim, Claire Adams, Roy Stewart, Audrey Chapman, George Webb, Betty Brice, Edward Peil Sr., Harvey Clark, Harry Tenbrook, Stanton Heck, Zack Williams, George Hernandez, Gertrude Claire, Laddie Earle
• Director: Jack Conway
• Studio: Benjamin B. Hampton Productions, distributed by Pathé Exchange
• Trivia: Based on the 1908 novel by Upton Sinclair.

October 31 – Officer 666

• Cast: Tom Moore, Jean Calhoun, Jerome Patrick, Harry Dunkinson, Raymond Hatton, Priscilla Bonner, Kate Lester, Hardee Kirkland, Maurice Bennett Flynn, George Kuwa, Albert Edmondson
• Director: Harry Beaumont
• Studio: Goldwyn Pictures
• Trivia: The film is considered lost. Based on the 1912 Broadway play. Versions of the story were also filmed in 1914 and 1916.

October 31 – An Old Fashioned Boy

• Cast: Charles Ray, Ethel Shannon, Alfred Allen, Wade Boteler, Grace Morse, Gloria Joy, Frankie Lee, Hallam Cooley, Virginia Brown
• Director: Jerome Storm
• Studio: Thomas H. Ince Corporation, distributed by Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: The film does survive with prints at the Library of Congress, Gosfilmofond, and UCLA Film and Television Archive.

October 31 – Twin Beds

• Cast: Carter DeHaven, Flora Parker DeHaven, Helen Raymond, William Desmond, Katherine Lewis, William Irving, Lottie Williams
• Director: Lloyd Ingraham
• Studio: First National Pictures
• Trivia: The film is considered lost. Based on the 1914 Broadway play by Salisbury Field and Margaret Mayo. Actress Gloria DeHaven is the daughter of Carter and Flora Parker DeHaven.

Nov 1 – The Fatal Hour

• Cast: Thomas W. Ross, Wilfred Lytell, Frank Conlan, Lionel Pape, Jack Crosby, Henry Hallam, Louis Sealy, Frank Currier, Gladys Coburn, Thea Talbot, Jennie Dickerson, Florence Court, Marie Schaefer, Effie Conley
• Director: George W. Terwilliger
• Studio: Metro Pictures
• Trivia: The film is considered lost. The film was shot in Manhattan with scenes of the Tower of London filmed at sets built along a river in Stamford, Connecticut.

1930

Nov 1 – The Big Trail

• Cast: John Wayne, Marguerite Churchill, El Brendel, Tully Marshall, Tyrone Power, Sr., Frederick Burton, Ian Keith, Charles Stevens, Louise Carver
• Director: Raoul Walsh
• Studio: Fox Film Corporation
• Trivia: The film was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 2006. The original title was The Oregon Trail. Gary Cooper was offered the lead but could not accept. The movie was filmed in seven states. It was the last Fox movie filmed in an early 70mm widescreen process called Grandeur. The process was abandoned due to costs while the industry was still adjusting to the advent of talking pictures. The film was a flop because theater owners refused to install new screens for the widescreen image, and Wayne was only cast in low-budget serials and features afterwards until Stagecoach made him a bona fide star in 1939. A 35mm version of the film was shot at the same time using different camera angles and more close-ups, which the 70mm camera could not handle as well. Each version of the film was edited separately. The 35mm version is shorter, omitting many scenes from the 70mm version, but the 35mm version also has scenes not in the 70mm version. The film holds a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Looking to preserve the 70mm version, the Museum of Modern Art discovered the film had shrunk and was too fragile to be copied from nitrate to safety film, but a special printer was built that copied the film frame-by-frame to a 35mm anamorphic master, a process that took a year to complete. Before dubbing became a common practice, early sound films were often filmed simultaneously with different casts for various markets. At least four international versions of the film were shot (on 35mm film) in French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Nov 1 – Way for a Sailor

• Cast: John Gilbert, Wallace Beery, Jim Tully, Leila Hyams, Polly Moran, Doris Lloyd
• Director: Sam Wood
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: Director Wood insisted on no screen credit. The film is so bad MGM may have used it to sabotage star Gilbert’s career because of animosity with Louis B. Mayer. A Spanish language version was produced under the title Love in Every Port.

1940

Nov 1 – Escape

• Cast: Norma Shearer, Robert Taylor, Conrad Veidt, Alla Nazimova, Felix Bressart, Philip Dorn, Albert Bassermann, Edgar Barrier, Bonita Granville, Elsa Bassermann, Blanche Yurka, Lisa Golm
• Director: Mervyn LeRoy
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: Adapted from the novel of the same name by Grace Zaring Stone.

1950

Nov 1 – Deported

• Cast: Märta Torén, Jeff Chandler, Claude Dauphin, Marina Berti, Richard Rober, Silvio Mindotti, Carlo Rizzo, Mimi Aguglia, Adriano Ambrogi, Michael Tor, Erminio Spalla, Dino Nardi, Guido Celano, Tito Vuolo
• Director: Robert Siodmak
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s original title was Paradise Lost ’49 and was to star Dana Andrews. Andrews was unavailable and Victor Mature and John Garfield were considered before Chandler was cast. Chandler had to secure a three-week leave of absence from the Our Miss Brooks radio show to make the film. Most of the film was shot in Italy with Chandler and Torén the only two actors from the US.

Nov 1 – Prehistoric Women

• Cast: Laurette Luez, Allan Nixon, Joan Shawlee, Judy Landon
• Director: Gregg C. Tallas
• Studio: Alliance Productions, distributed by Eagle-Lion Films
• Trivia: The film is also known by the title The Virgin Goddess. The film is seen as a spiritual predecessor to the 1967 film of the same name, but the two are unrelated.

Nov 2 – Gerald McBoing-Boing

• Director: Robert Cannon, John Hubley
• Studio: United Productions of America, distributed by Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: Adapted from a story by Dr. Seuss. The film won the Oscar for Best Animated Short in 1950. The film was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1995.

Nov 2 – Pirates of the High Seas (serial)

• Cast: Buster Crabbe, Lois Hall, Tommy Farrell, Gene Roth, Tristram Coffin, Neyle Morrow, Stanley Price, Hugh Prosser, Symona Boniface, William Fawcett, Terry Frost, Lee Roberts, Rusty Wescoatt, Pierce Lyden, I. Stanford Jolley, Marshall Reed
• Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Carr
• Studio: Sam Katzman Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures

Nov 3 – Dial 1119

• Cast: Marshall Thompson, Virginia Field, Andrea King, Sam Levene, Leon Ames, Keefe Brasselle, Richard Rober, James Bell, William Conrad, Dick Simmons, Hal Baylor
• Director: Gerald Mayer
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: The number 1119 is the police emergency number in the film.

1960

October 28 – Zazie Dans le Metro

• Cast: Catherine Demongeot, Philippe Noiret, Hubert Deschamps, Carla Marlier, Annie Fratellini, Vittorio Caprioli, Jacques Dufilho, Yvonne Clech, Odette Piquet, Nicolas Bataille, Antoine Roblot, Marc Doelnitz
• Director: Louis Malle
• Studio: Distributed by Astor Pictures (US)
• Trivia: Based on the novel by Raymond Queneau.

October 31 – Man in the Moon

• Cast: Kenneth More, Shirley Anne Field, Norman Bird, Michael Hordern, John Glyn-Jones, John Phillips, Charles Gray, Bernard Horsfall, Bruce Boa, Noel Purcell, Ed Devereaux, Newton Blick
• Director: Basil Dearden
• Studio: Excalibur Films, Allied Film Makers, distributed by J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK), Trans-Lux Distributing Corporation (U.S.)
• Trivia: Filmmakers consulted with the British Air Ministry to access top secret information to make the scenes in which the space men were training for their trip to the moon appear authentic. More data was obtained from American and Russian sources. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended the Royal Charity Premiere on October 31, 1960 before the film went in to general release in mid-January 1961. The film was Kenneth More’s first real flop, and by 1971 the film was still £37,000 short of breaking even. A novelization of the screenplay was published in the UK in 1960 ahead of the film’s general release. It included four pages of black-and-white stills from the film.

Nov – Goliath and the Dragon

• Cast: Mark Forest, Broderick Crawford, Sandro Moretti, Gaby André, Philippe Hersent, Leonora Ruffo, Giancarlo Sbragia, Wandisa Guida, Federica Ranchi, Carla Calò, Ugo Sasso, Claudio Undari, Salvatore Furnari
• Director: Vittorio Cottafavi
• Studio: Achille Piazzi Produzioni Cinematografica, Produzione Gianni Guchs, Comptoir Francais du Film Production (CFFP)
• Trivia: The film was released in Italy on August 12, 1960 under the title La vendetta di Ercole (Revenge of Hercules). The main character’s name was changed from Hercules to Emilius (but known in the film as Goliath) for the US release so American International Pictures could market the film as a sequel to 1959’s Goliath and the Barbarians. AIP had planned to produced its own sequel with Debra Paget, but plans fell through and they purchased the already produced Italian film and renamed it, adding a stop motion animated sequence with a dragon sub-plot into the story. This sequence only appears in the American prints of the film. The film is listed in the Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever.

Nov – The Spider’s Web

• Cast: Glynis Johns, John Justin, Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Ronald Howard, David Nixon, Wendy Turner, Basil Dignam, Joan Sterndale-Bennett, Ferdy Mayne, Peter Butterworth, Anton Rodgers, Robert Raglan
• Director: Godfrey Grayson
• Studio: Danziger Productions, distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: Adapted from the 1954 play by Agatha Christie. Audiences were urged to not reveal the ending to their friends. The film was remade as a UK television special in 1982.

1970

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

October 28 – House of Dark Shadows

• Cast: Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Roger Davis, Nancy Barrett, John Karlen, Thayer David, Louis Edmonds, Donald Briscoe, David Henesy, Dennis Patrick, Lisa Richards, Jerry Lacy, Barbara Cason, Paul Michael, Humbert Allen Astredo, Terry Crawford, Michael Stroka, George DiCenzo, Joan Bennett
• Director: Dan Curtis
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: Based on the ABC soap opera Dark Shadows, which was still on the air at the time of the film’s release. Filming took place at the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, NY with additional footage taken at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. This was the first of two Dark Shadows films. The idea for the film was initially pitched in 1969, with MGM giving the greenlight in 1970. Curtis used the original Barnabas Collins storyline for the film but modified the ending. Curtis originally planned to edit together episodes of the series, but the idea was quickly abandoned. Several cast members from the show had to be temporarily written out so they could shoot the film, including Jonathan Frid, whose Barnabas was trapped in a coffin. The preview version of the film had a scene in which young David Collins pretended to hang himself. The footage was removed over concerns children may ‘try this at home’, and no copies are known to exist. A novelization of the original screenplay was published which contains scenes that were cut from the film or never shot. The film was the first in the US to be released with the GP rating (later revised as PG).

October 28 – The Twelve Chairs

• Cast: Ron Moody, Frank Langella, Dom DeLuise, Andreas Voutsinas, Diana Coupland, David Lander, Vlada Petric, Elaine Garreau, Robert Bernal, Will Stampe, Mel Brooks
• Director: Mel Brooks
• Studio: UMC (Universal Marion Corporation) Pictures (US), Gaumont (France)
• Trivia: The film is one of at least 18 adaptations of the 1928 Russian novel by Ilf and Petrov. Principal photography for the film was done in Yugoslavia. Brooks was nominated by the Writers Guild of America for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium. Langella won the National Board of Review’s Best Supporting Actor award.

Nov – Flap

• Cast: Anthony Quinn, Claude Akins, Tony Bill, Shelley Winters, Victor Jory, Don Collier, Victor French, Rodolfo Acosta, Susana Miranda, Anthony Caruso, William Mims, Rudy Diaz, Pedro Regas, John War Eagle, J. Edward McKinley, Robert Cleaves
• Director: Carol Reed
• Studio: Cine Vesta Associates, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film is known in the UK as The Last Warrior. Based on the novel Nobody Loves a Drunken Indian by Clair Huffaker.

Nov 2 – Three Sisters

• Cast: Jeanne Watts, Joan Plowright, Louise Purnell, Derek Jacobi, Sheila Reid, Kenneth MacKintosh, Daphne Heard, Judy Wilson, Mary Griffiths, Ronald Pickup, Laurence Olivier, Frank Wylie, Alan Bates, Richard Kay
• Director: Laurence Olivier, John Sichel
• Studio: Distributed by British Lion Films (UK), American Film Theatre (US)
• Trivia: Based on the 1901 play by Anton Chekhov. It was the final feature film directed by Olivier, and based on a 1967 theatrical production he directed at the Royal National Theatre. The film received a US release on February 4, 1974.

Nov 3 – The Owl and the Pussycat

• Cast: Barbra Streisand, George Segal, Robert Klein, Roz Kelly, Allen Garfield, Jacques Sandulescu, Jack Manning, Grace Carney, Barbara Anson, Kim Chan, Marilyn Chambers, Stan Gottlieb, Joe Madden, Fay Sappington
• Director: Herbert Ross
• Studio: Rastar, distributed by Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the 1964 play by Bill Manhoff, with a screenplay by Buck Henry. Henry received a Writers Guild of America nomination for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium. The ‘Owl’ and the ‘Pussycat’ are the only two characters in the play, and are portrayed by Alan Alda and Black singer/actress Diana Sands. The film omits the interracial relationship with the casting of Segal and Streisand. The movie was the tenth highest grossing film of 1970. Streisand was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, her third in the category. Streisand agreed to film a topless scene for the film on the condition she could have it removed if it didn’t work for the film. It was removed but stills were published in High Society magazine in 1979, leading to a lawsuit from Streisand. The film was parodied in the September 1917 issue of Mad Magazine.

1980

October 31 – The Awakening

• Cast: Charlton Heston, Susannah York, Jill Townsend, Stephanie Zimbalist, Patrick Drury, Bruce Myers, Nadim Sawalha, Ian McDiarmid, Ahmed Osman, Miriam Margolyes, Michael Mellinger, Leonard Maguire, Ishia Bennison, Madhav Sharma, Chris Fairbanks, Michael Halphie
• Director: Mike Newell
• Studio: Orion Pictures, EMI Films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The theatrical debut film of Mike Newell. The third film version of Bram Stoker’s 1903 novel The Jewel of the Seven Stars, including the 1971 Hammer film Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb in which Ahmed Osman also appears. Newell noted the film was recut by Monte Hellman and called it ‘utterly terrible’, but he adored working with Heston who would come to all the rushes and comment on his performance.

October 31 – Sunday Lovers

• Cast: Roger Moore, Lino Ventura, Priscilla Barnes, Gene Wilder, Lynn Redgrave, Kathleen Quinlan, Ugo Tognazzi, Catherine Salviat, Liù Bosisio, Denholm Elliott, Sylva Koscina, Beba Lončar, Rossana Podestà, Milena Vukotic, Robert Webber
• Director: Bryan Forbes, Édouard Molinaro, Gene Wilder, Dino Risi
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by United Artists (United States/Canada), Cinema International Corporation (International)
• Trivia: The film is split into four segments set in a different country — Britain, France, the United States and Italy. The film is notable for its use of sepia tones and slow wide angle shots to build a sense of dread. The film did not reach American shores until early 1981. It features the final performances of Sylva Koscina and Lino Ventura.

October 31 – Touched By Love

• Cast: Diane Lane, Deborah Raffin, Michael Learned, John Amos, Cristina Raines, Mary Wickes, Clu Gulager
• Director: Gus Trikonis
• Studio: Rastar, distributed by Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the true life experiences of Lena Canada. The film is also known as To Elvis, With Love. Deborah Raffin was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress — Motion Picture Drama. The film’s screenplay was also nominated for a Razzie.

October 31 – Witches Brew

• Cast: Teri Garr, Richard Benjamin, Lana Turner, James Winkler, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Bill Sorrells, Kelly Jean Peters, Jordan Charney, Nathan Roth, Barbara Minkus, Bonnie Gondel, Angus Scrimm
• Director: Richard Shorr, Herbert L. Strock
• Studio: United Artists
• Trivia: Also known as Which Witch Is Which? Based on the horror-fantasy novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber. although without any screen credit. The story was also filmed in 1944 as Weird Woman with Lon Chaney Jr., and Night of the Eagle (aka Burn Witch Burn) with Peter Wyngarde.

1990

Nov 2 – China Cry

• Cast: Julia Nickson-Soul, France Nuyen, James Shigeta
• Director: James F. Collier
• Studio: Parakletus, TBN Films, distributed by Penland Productions
• Trivia: Based on the book by Nora Lam & Irene Burk Harrell, which tells the true story of Sung Neng Yee.

Nov 2 – Frankenstein Unbound

• Cast: John Hurt, Raul Julia, Bridget Fonda, Nick Brimble, Catherine Rabett, Jason Patric, Michael Hutchence, Catherine Corman, Mickey Knox, Terri Treas
• Director: Roger Corman
• Studio: A Mount Company Production, Trimark Pictures, distributed by 20th Century Fox, Trimark Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the novel of the same name by Brian Aldiss. This was Corman’s first time in the director’s chair in nearly 20 years, and the last to date. For his return to directing, Corman sought out writers like Wes Craven and Floyd Mutrux before selecting F.X. Feeney to adapt the screenplay with his own input. The film performed poorly at the box office.

Nov 2 – Graffiti Bridge

• Cast: Prince, Morris Day, Jerome Benton, The Time, Jill Jones, Mavis Staples, George Clinton, Ingrid Chavez, Tevin Campbell, Robin Power, Rosie Gaines
• Director: Prince
• Studio: Paisley Park Films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film was also written by Prince, and was his fourth and final theatrical film. The film is a sequel to Purple Rain. The film was originally intended as a vehicle for The Time, but the story got lost and it became a Prince movie. The film’s soundtrack album was more financially successful than the film itself which earned just $4.6 million against a $7 million budget. The film received five Golden Raspberry Award nominations: Worst Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay (all Prince) and Worst New Star (Ingrid Chavez). The film was also included on many Worst Films of 1990 lists.

Nov 2 – Jacob’s Ladder

• Cast: Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Jason Alexander, Patricia Kalember, Eriq La Salle, Ving Rhames, Brian Tarantina, Anthony Alessandrom Brent Hinkleym S. Epatha Merkersonm Kyle Gassm Lewis Blackm Perry Lang
• Director: Adrian Lyne
• Studio: Carolco Pictures, distributed by TriStar Pictures
• Trivia: The script was written ten years before the film was produced. Macaulay Culkin appears in the uncredited role of Jacob Singer’s deceased son Gabe. The film’s title refers to a dream of a meeting place between Heaven and Earth, and it carries the little known alternative title Dante’s Inferno. Rubin’s screenplay was based on his own nightmare of being trapped in a subway. Adrian Lyne turned down directing The Bonfire of the Vanities for Jacob’s Ladder. Lyne considered Tom Hanks for the lead role, and Hanks went on to star in The Bonfire of the Vanities. The project was originally set up at Paramount, but ownership and policy changes at the studio resulted in the cancellation of the project. Carolco took over the production and gave Lyne more creative freedom than he would have had at Paramount, which had expressed doubts about the film’s ending and scenes taking place in Vietnam. A strong inspiration for the film was the 1962 short An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. The actors playing soldiers endured a five-day boot camp provided by Vietnam vet Captain Dale Dye. All of the film’s special effects were filmed in camera with no post-production work. Lyne said his visuals were inspired by the work of artist Francis Bacon. The works of H.R. Giger, Diane Arbus and Joel-Peter Witkin were also used for inspiration, as well as the short film Street of Crocodiles by the Brothers Quay. Lyne stated that the initial version of the film was too overwhelming for test audiences and about 20 minutes was cut, mostly from the last third of the film. The film inspired the video game series and film Silent Hill. The film is also reference in a 2002 Twilight Zone episode, ‘Night Route’, and a 2010 episode of The Simpsons, ‘The Squirt and the Whale’. A remake of the film was released in 2019.

Nov 2 – Vincent & Theo

• Cast: Tim Roth, Paul Rhys, Kitty Courbois, Johanna ter Steege, Wladimir Yordanoff, Adrian Brine, Jip Wijngaarden, Hans Kesting, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Bernadette Giraud, Anne Canovas, Jean-Denis Monory, Peter Tuinman, Vincent Vallier, Jean-François Perrier, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Féodor Atkine
• Director: Robert Altman
• Studio: Belbo Films, distributed by Hemdale
• Trivia: The film was made as a four-hour TV mini-series and a 138 minute theatrical release. The film’s production design was by Altman’s son Stephen. The film’s score by Gabriel Yared was composed with only the screenplay and general guidance from Altman. The film was critically praised and sufficiently promising, affording Altman the chance to secure financing for his next film, The Player.

2000

October 31 – Mercy Streets

• Cast: Eric Roberts, David A. R. White, Cynthia Watros, Shiek Mahmud-Bey, Lawrence Taylor, Stacy Keach, Robert LaSardo, Lisa Furst, Kevin Downes, Robert Lyon Rasner
• Director: Jon Gunn
• Studio: Signal Hill Production, distributed by Con Dios Entertainment, Providence Entertainment, ChristianCinema.com

Nov 3 – Charlie’s Angels

• Cast: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray, John Forsythe, Sam Rockwell, Tim Curry, Kelly Lynch, Crispin Glover, Tom Green, Matt LeBlanc, Luke Wilson, LL Cool J, Sean Whalen, Melissa McCarthy, Karen McDougal, Mike Smith, Alex Trebek
• Director: McG
• Studio: Columbia Pictures, Leonard Goldberg Productions, Flower Films, Tall Trees Productions, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
• Trivia: The film dethroned the four week run at Number 1 by Meet the Parents. A sequel was released in 2003, and included the last film role of John Forsythe as the voice of Charlie. Bernie Mac replaced Bill Murray as Bosley’s adopted brother, and original Angel Jaclyn Smith reprised her role of Kelly Garrett (which she also did in the 2019 film). A third and fourth film were confirmed, but cancelled in 2004 due to the second film’s failure to match the performance of the first.

Nov 3 – The Legend of Bagger Vance

• Cast: Matt Damon, Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Bruce McGill, Joel Gretsch, J. Michael Moncrief, Lane Smith, Peter Gerety, Wilbur Fitzgerald
• Director: Robert Redford
• Studio: Allied Filmmakers, distributed by DreamWorks Pictures (United States), 20th Century Fox (International)
• Trivia: Jack Lemmon is uncredited as the film’s Narrator, and is his final role. It was also the last film role for Lane Smith, who died five years after the film’s release. Based on the 1995 novel The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life by Steven Pressfield. The film was a box office bomb, grossing only half of its budget, and was criticized by African American commentators and reviewers for its ‘Magical Negro’ stereotype. The plot is loosely based on the Hindu sacred text the Bhagavad Gita.

Nov 3 – Purely Belter

• Cast: Chris Beattie, Greg McLane, Charlie Hardwick, Roy Hudd, Michael Caine, Victor Garber, Tim Healy, Kevin Whately, Tracy Whitwell, Kerry Ann Christiansen, Ed McMahon, Chris Wiper
• Director: Mark Herman
• Studio: FilmFour, Mumbo Jumbo Productions
• Trivia: Based on the novel The Season Ticket by Jonathan Tulloch. Footballer Alan Shearer has a cameo as the person whose car the boys steal. The title is taken from Geordie dialect where ‘pure’ means very and ‘belter’ means great or good. The actual phrase ‘Pure Belter’ has been altered to ‘Purely Belter’ to make it grammatically convenient for mainstream audiences. Despite the film being focused on Newcastle United, the two stars are huge Sunderland A.F.C. fans.

2010

October 29 – Saw VII

• Cast: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Cary Elwes, Sean Patrick Flanery, Chad Donella, Gina Holden
• Director: Kevin Greutert
• Studio: Twisted Pictures, distributed by Lionsgate
• Trivia: Also known as Saw 3D and Saw: The Final Chapter. The film was planned to be titled Saw: Endgame. An eighth film was planned but the low box office returns for Saw VI led to Saw 3D being the last, with story elements from Saw VIII incorporated (an eighth film titled Jigsaw was eventually produced in 2017). Saw V director David Hackl was announced to helm the film but was replaced two weeks before principal photography began with Greutert, who was about to begin production on Paranormal Activity 2 but was forced to return due to a clause in his contract with Lionsgate. The film was shot in native 3D instead of being post-converted. The film was originally to be released on October 22 but was pushed back a week. The film opened a day earlier in the UK and Australia. The film opened at Number 1 in the US with more than $22.5 million, eventually earning $136.1 million against a $20 million budget. Gabby West was cast as part of her prize for winning the second season of the reality competition series Scream Queens. Over 25 gallons of fake blood was used, more than two-and-a-half times than Saw II. Public screenings of the film were banned in Germany from April 2012 to January 2013 due to violations of the violence act §131 StGB.

October 29 – Welcome to the Rileys

• Cast: James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo, Eisa Davis, David Jensen, Kathy Lamkin, Joe Chrest, Ally Sheedy
• Director: Jake Scott
• Studio: Scott Free Productions, Argonaut Pictures, distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films, Destination Films
• Trivia: The film debuted at Sundance on January 23, 2010. The film was shot on location in New Orleans in 2008.