Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #225 :: November 14•20

New Line Cinema

It was a very big week for new movie releases, many of which earned some major awards love, and introduced actors, directors and characters who would become more familiar in the future. 1934 introduced a couple of ‘singing cowboys’ to the big screen, as well as a cranky sidekick. 1944 saw new entries in a series of long running films, and had an Oscar winner among the group. 1954 had two Oscar nominees, and a sequel that wasn’t a sequel. 1964 gave us a holiday movie that is so bad it’s good, as well as an adaptation of an H.G. Wells novel. 1974 saw movie theaters shaking down the ceilings in some cases, and gave us a quintessential film from a husband and wife, directing-acting team. 1984 produced a cult sci-fi dramedy, and introduced a killer who still haunts our dreams. 1994 and 2004 brought popular TV series to the big screen, and 2014 gave us an innovative Oscar-winner that referenced some of its star’s past work. Scroll down to see the films that premiered this week, learn a little more about them, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1924

• November 15 – Bringin’ Home the Bacon (USA, Action Pictures)
• November 15 – Hullo Marmaduke (AUS, Beaumont Smith’s Productions)
• November 15 – Lightning Romance (USA, Harry J. Brown Productions)
• November 15 – Meddling Women (USA, Chadwick Pictures Corporation)
• November 15 – Rip Roarin’ Roberts (USA, Approved Pictures)
• November 15 – The Pell Street Mystery (USA, Robert J. Horner Productions)
• November 15 – Those Who Dare (USA, Creative Pictures)
• November 16 – Greater Than Marriage (USA, Victor Halperin Productions)
• November 16 – My Husband’s Wives (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• November 16 – The Brass Bowl (USA, Fox Film Corporation)
• November 17 – A Sainted Devil (USA, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation)
• November 17 – K — The Unknown (USA, Universal Pictures)

Hullo Marmaduke has no known US theatrical release date.

Lost films: Hullo Marmaduke, Lightning Romance, My Husband’s Wives, The Brass Bowl, A Sainted Devil

A copy of Meddling Women is preserved in the Library of Congress. The Pell Street Mystery is part of a series of films featuring George Larkin as a New York City newspaper reporter.

Those Who Dare was considered a horror film at the time, but it’s not known how overt the voodoo elements of the film were since it may no longer exist, though a copy is believed to be held by the Cineteca Italiana in Milan.

A film collector reportedly has an abridged or incomplete print of Greater Than Marriage. The Brass Bowl is based on the 1907 novel of the same name by Louis Joseph Vance.

K — The Unknown is based on the 1915 novel K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart. A complete print is held in the collection of the UCLA Film and Television Archive that originally was at EYE Film Institute Netherlands.

1934

• November 15 – Frontier Days (USA, Altmount Pictures Company)
• November 15 – In Old Santa Fe (USA, Mascot Pictures)
• November 15 – Lost in the Stratosphere (USA, W.T. Lackey Productions)
• November 16 – Splendid Fellows (AUS, British Empire Films Australia)
• November 17 – Gentlemen Are Born (USA, First National Pictures)
• November 17 – Girl o’ My Dreams (USA, W.T. Lackey Productions)
• November 19 – The Blue Squadron (UK, Warner Brothers-First National Productions)
• November 20 – The Marines Are Coming (USA, Mascot Pictures)

Splendid Fellows and The Blue Squadron have no known US theatrical release dates.

In Old Santa Fe features the first screen appearance of Gene Autry on guitar, singing ‘Wyoming Waltz’, with Smiley Burnette on accordion. Both are uncredited but the scene served as a screen test for the duo for subsequent ‘singing cowboy’ films. The film also featured George Hayes who developed a new ‘cranky but lovable’ character who would become the definitive sidekick for John Wayne and Hopalong Cassidy, known as Gabby Hayes.

Lost in the Stratosphere featured one of the rare on-camera performances by James Cagney’s look-alike brother William in a starring role. The film has fallen into the public domain. Splendid Fellows was originally titled The Big Race, but the title was changed when an American film of the same name was announced. Gentlemen Are Born was originally titled Just Out of College before it was released. Girl o’ My Dreams is also known as Love Race.

The Blue Squadron was produced as a quota quickie, but had a higher budget than most as it was a British-Italian co-production. The British Film Institute classifies the film as lost. The Marines Are Coming was the final film role for William Haines, who quit acting after refusing to deny he was gay, starting a successful interior design business with his life partner Jimmie Shields.

1944

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

• November 15 – An American Romance (South Africa, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• November 15 – The Great Mike (USA, Producers Releasing Corporation)
• November 15 – Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• November 15 – Vigilantes of Dodge City (USA, Republic Pictures)
• November 16 – The Missing Juror (USA, Columbia Pictures)
• November 17 – Ghost Guns (USA, Monogram Pictures)
• November 17 – The Princess and the Pirate (USA, The Samuel Goldwyn Company)
• November 18 – Alaska (USA, Lindsley Parsons Productions)
• November 20 – Love Story (UK, Gainsborough Pictures)

An American Romance was released in the US on December 14, 1944. Love Story was released in the US on June 19, 1947 as A Lady Surrenders.

An American Romance was the third in a trilogy of ‘war, wheat and steel’ films directed by King Vidor, following 1925’s The Big Parade (war) and 1934’s Our Daily Bread (wheat). The film’s working titles were America, This Is America, An American Story, American Miracle and The Magic Land. Vidor wanted to cast Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten, but all three were unavailable.

The Great Mike was shown on television as Great Mike Wins.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain Ted W. Lawson. The film’s credits also erroneously list a ‘story’ credit for Collier’s magazine, but there was no story other than Lawson’s book. Phyllis Thaxter, Tim Murdock, Steve Brodie, and Robert Mitchum made their screen debuts in this film. The film won the Oscar for Best Special Effects, and was nominated for Black and White Cinematography.

Vigilantes of Dodge City was the fifth of 23 ‘Red Ryder’ films, which were based on the characters in Fred Harman’s Red Ryder comic strip. The Missing Juror director Oscar Boetticher Jr., was better known as Budd Boetticher. Ghost Guns is the 13th film in the ‘Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie’ series. The Princess and the Pirate was Oscar-nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Music Score. Alaska, which was filmed in California, is also known as Jack London’s Alaska and Flush of Gold.

Love Story is based on a short story by J. W. Drawbell. Director and writer Leslie Arliss was also inspired by magazine stories ‘Love and Forget’, ‘The Ship Sailed at Night’ and ‘A Night in Algiers’. The film’s final concert scene was filmed at the Royal Albert Hall. Star Margaret Lockwood, who played piano as a child, learned how to play the concerto for realism in her performance.

1954

• November 15 – The End of the Road (UK, Group 3 Productions)
• November 16 – Mad About Men (UK, Group Film Productions Limited)
• November 16 – The Yellow Mountain (USA, Universal International Pictures)
• November 17 – Désirée (USA, limited, 20th Century Fox)
• November 17 – The Men of Sherwood Forest (UK, Hammer Films)
• November 18 – Cattle Queen of Montana (USA, Benedict Bogeaus Productions)
• November 18 – The Last Time I Saw Paris (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• November 19 – Track of the Cat (USA, Wayne-Fellows Productions)

The End of the Road was released in the US in 1957, exact date unknown. Mad About Men and The Men of Sherwood Forest have no known US theatrical release dates.

Mad About Men was written by Peter Blackmore, who also wrote 1948’s Miracle. Glynis Johns appears in both films as the mermaid Miranda, but the studio insisted Mad About Men was not a sequel.

Désirée is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Annemarie Selinko. The film was Oscar-nominated for Art Direction and Costume Design.

The Last Time I Saw Paris is loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story ‘Babylon Revisited’. The film’s title song was previously featured in 1941’s Lady Be Good, and won the Oscar for Original Song. The film’s copyright was mistakenly shown as ‘MCMXLIV’ (1944), ten years before it was released. The film’s copyright expired 18 years after its release, which allowed it to fall into the public domain as MGM believed there was still ten years left before it had to be renewed.

Track of the Cat is based on a 1949 adventure novel of the same name by Walter Van Tilburg Clark. The film was shot in color as a black-and-white film in order to use bright colors for dramatic effect allowing for elements like blue matches, fire and Robert Mitchum’s red coat to stand out.

1964

• November 14 – Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (USA, Jalor Productions)
• November 18 – Goodbye Charlie (USA, Venice Productions)
• November 20 – First Men in the Moon (USA, Charles H. Schneer Productions)

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians features a 10-year-old Pia Zadora, and Doris Rich in the first documented motion picture role of Mrs. Claus. The film has been cited as one of the worst films ever made, and has been lampooned on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Elvira’s Movie Macabre.

Goodbye Charlie is adapted from George Axelrod’s 1959 play of the same name, which was also the basis for the 1991 film Switch. Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck offered the picture to Billy Wilder, who told him no self-respecting director would work for him after he forced Joseph L. Mankiewicz to re-edit Cleopatra. Vincente Minnelli took the job, his first film away from MGM since 1942. The film was adapted into a TV series starring Suzanne Somers, but only the pilot episode was ever broadcast.

First Men in the Moon is an adaptation by screenwriter Nigel Kneale of H. G. Wells’ 1901 novel The First Men in the Moon. Ray Harryhausen, who provided the stop motion creature effects, had initially intended to follow Jason and the Argonauts with Wells’ The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth, but had long wanted to film First Men in the Moon and decided to move forward with that after meeting with writer Kneale, despite the less than enthusiastic response of producer Charles H. Schneer. Harryhausen used NASA blueprints as inspiration for the UN’s lunar lander when he was designing the film’s sets. The spacesuit type worn by the film’s UN Astronauts is actually the Windak high-altitude pressure suit, developed for the Royal Air Force, with an aqualung cylinder worn as a backpack.

1974

Faces International Films

• November 15 – Between Wars (AUS, Edgecliff Films)
• November 15 – Earthquake (USA, The Filmakers Group)
• November 15 – Seizure (USA, Astral Bellevue Pathé)
• November 15 – The Abdication (Finland, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• November 18 – A Woman Under the Influence (USA, Faces International Films)

Between Wars was released in the US on February 21, 1985. The Abdication first opened in the US on October 3, 1974.

Walter Matthau makes a cameo appearance in Earthquake under the pseudonym Walter Matuschanskayasky, which had been erroneously reported as his birth name (real last name was Matthow). The part was originally to be played by Harry Morgan. The film was known for its special in-theater sound effect, Sensurround, which gave movie-goers the sense that their seats were shaking from a real earthquake. Some cinemas experienced actual damage from the low frequency sound. The Godfather writer Mario Puzo turned in a first draft script in the Summer of 1972 which would have cost more than Universal had budgeted for the film, but before Puzo could do any rewrites, his contractual obligation to Paramount for The Godfather Part II was exercised. The project sat dormant until the success of Fox’s The Poseidon Adventure (December 1972) prompted Universal to get Earthquake back in gear. The script went through 11 drafts before shooting began. As production began, Universal found itself in a race with The Towering Inferno which, for the first time, was being backed by two studios, Fox and Warner Bros. With the dangerous action scenes, the film employed 142 stunt performers, the most for any film up to that point. Despite precautions, one stunt artist suffered a concussion during the flood scene (the accident was kept in the film), and several were injured during the elevator crash scene, and in a scene involving an escalator. Before the Sensurround process was developed, the studio and producers wanted Earthquake to be an ‘event film’ to bring audiences back for repeat viewing. One idea proposed dropping faux debris over the audience’s heads. The Sensurround cracked the plaster ceiling at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre during a test screening, and the film opened three months later with a repaired ceiling and a net installed to catch any potential debris. A shop in Billings, Montana next door to a theater lost part of its inventory when the sound knocked several shelves to the floor. Sensurround was deployed again for Midway, Rollercoaster and the theatrical release of the TV pilot film of Battlestar Galactica. John Williams provided the scores for both Earthquake and The Towering Inferno, sharing some similarities including Earthquake‘s theme and Inferno‘s love theme with the same eight-note melody in different keys. About 30 minutes of the film, pre-earthquake, were cut after a test screening including a prologue explaining the effects of a quake along the San Andreas Fault, which was restored for the two-night NBC TV broadcast in September 1976 as the premiere of the network’s The Big Event series (which included newly filmed sequences to stretch the running time, but none of the originally cut footage aside from the prologue). Marjoe Gortner, Victoria Principal, Jesse Vint and Michael Richardson reprised their roles in the TV version, which was filmed two years after the original production. The Sensurround audio was simulcast on select FM radio stations so home viewers with the proper stereo speaker set-up could experience the effect. The film earned four Oscar nominations, winning for Best Sound, and receiving a special Oscar for Visual Effects. The film and score were also Golden Globe nominated.

Seizure marks the directorial debut of Oliver Stone, who also co-wrote the screenplay.

A Woman Under the Influence was the seventh film directed by John Cassavetes. It received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Actress (Gena Rowlands, who won the Golden Globe for her performance). The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1990. Cassavetes originally wrote the script for Rowlands, his wife, after she expressed a desire to appear in a play about the difficulties faced by contemporary women. The completed script was so intense she knew she would not be able to play the role eight times a week so he adapted it for the screen. Unable to secure funding, Cassavetes mortgaged his house and borrowed money from family and friends, one of whom was Peter Falk, who liked the screenplay so much he invested $500,000 and co-starred in the film. Because of the limited budget, the crew was made up of professionals and students from the American Film Institute, scenes were shot in a real house near Hollywood Boulevard, and Rowlands did her own hair and makeup. Cassavetes was also unable to find a distributor for the film, and called theater owners personally and asked them to run the film. The film was restored in 2009.

1984

• November 16 – B.C. Rock (USA, Pils Films)
• November 16 – Just the Way You Are (USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• November 16 – Missing in Action (USA, The Cannon Group)
• November 16 – Night Patrol (USA, RSL Company)
• November 16 – Night of the Comet (USA, Thomas Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt Productions)
• November 16 – A Nightmare on Elm Street (USA, New Line Cinema)
• November 16 – The Killing Fields (UK, Goldcrest Films)
• November 19 – What Waits Below (USA, Adams Apple Film Company)

B.C. Rock first opened in France on May 21, 1980 as Le chaînon manquant. The Killing Fields was released in the US on February 1, 1985.

The original French dialogue for B.C. Rock was so raunchy that it had to be rewritten for the US release to avoid an X-rating. The US release was also recut, featured a different instrumental score, eliminated the narrator, and nearly all of the Leo Sayer songs were replaced with songs by other artists.

Kristy McNichol suffered an emotional breakdown while filming Just the Way You Are, and production was halted for a year while she recovered. McNichol was actually ready to return a month later but the snow scenes for the film had to wait until the following winter.

The concept for Missing in Action came from a treatment written by James Cameron for Rambo: First Blood Part II, which had been floating around Hollywood at the time, which explains the similar plotlines between the films. The first two Missing in Action films, shot back-to-back, were released two months before the First Blood sequel to avoid copyright violation lawsuits.

Murray Langston, who co-wrote Night Patrol, acted as his real-life persona ‘The Unknown Comic’ in the film. Andrew Dice Clay has a cameo appearance as a stand-up comedian named Tony Baroni. Pat Morita has a bit part in the film as a rape victim. Linda Blair earned a Razzie Award for Worst Actress.

Night of the Comet earned $14.4 million against a $700,000 budget, and influenced the creation of Buffy Summers. The film was financed by Atlantic Releasing Corporation, which wanted to cash in on the success of their 1983 hit Valley Girl and the popularity of quirky drive-in films like Repo Man. Heather Langenkamp auditioned for the role of Samantha ‘Sam’ Belmont and was the number one choice, but the part ultimately went to Kelli Maroney. Director Thom Eberhardt based his screenplay on answers he received from teenage girls while filming a PBS special, asking them to describe how they would react to an apocalyptic event. Most saw it as an exciting adventure except for the lack of dating opportunities.

A Nightmare on Elm Street marked the film debut of Johnny Depp. It was one of the first films produced by New Line Cinema, which was mainly a film distributor at the time. Because of the film’s success, the company became known as ‘The House That Freddy Built’. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2021. When Wes Craven began pitching the film to the studios, Disney was the first to show interest but wanted him to tone it down for children and pre-teens as a PG-13 movie. He declined. David Warner was originally cast as Freddy Kruger, but after makeup tests were done he had to drop out due to scheduling issues. Craven then spoke with Kane Hodder about the role, but Robert Englund was eventually cast. He took the role because it was the only project that fit his schedule between work on the V miniseries and TV series. Heather Langenkamp beat out 200 other actresses for the role of Nancy. All of the actresses who auditioned were considered for both Nancy and Tina, with Amanda Wyss getting the role of Tina because of her chemistry with Langenkamp. Depp went to the audition with his friend Jackie Earle Haley, who would go on to play Freddy in the 2010 remake. Depp got the role after Craven’s daughters picked out his headshot. Over 500 gallons of fake blood were used for the production. The blood geyser scene used dyed water because the fake blood did not have the right consistency for the geyser. For the TV version, the blood was replaced with a skeleton that shot out of the bed and hit the ceiling. The melting staircase in Nancy’s dream was created with pancake mix. Craven had never intended for the film to become a franchise, but was instructed to end the film with a twist ending. Craven did not work on the second film. Thirteen seconds of the film had to be cut to get an R-rating.

The Killing Fields was based on The Death and Life of Dith Pran by Sydney Schanberg. It received seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, winning three but was notable for winning Best Supporting Actor for Haing S. Ngor, who had no previous acting experience. It also won eight BAFTAs including Best Film and Best Actor (Ngor). It also received six Golden Globe nominations, with Ngor scoring another win in the Supporting Actor category.

What Waits Below was initially released as Secrets of the Phantom Caverns. It was the first American film for British actor Robert Powell. Filming was briefly halted after carbon monoxide from generators inside a cavern where filming was taking place built up and sent at least 17 people to the hospital, including director Don Sharp.

1994

• November 18 – Miracle on 34th Street (USA, Hughes Entertainment)
• November 18 – Pontiac Moon (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• November 18 – Star Trek Generations (USA, Paramount Pictures)
• November 18 – The Swan Princess (USA, Nest Family Entertainment)

Miracle on 34th Street is the first theatrical remake of the classic 1947 film of the same name. Macy’s department store in New York City declined to participate in the film, releasing a statement that the original could not be improved on. The store in the film is the fictional Cole’s. Gimbels, Macy’s rival in the original film, had ceased operations in 1987, so ‘Shopper’s Express’ was created for the film.

Star Trek Generations is the seventh film in the Star Trek series, and the first to feature the ‘Next Generation’ cast with some original cast members. Production began during the final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The entire original Star Trek cast was to appear but Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley declined to reprise their roles. Nimoy also turned down an offer to direct the film. Nichelle Nichols also did not appear in the film, to the great disappointment of Whoopi Goldberg, who played Guinan. Only William Shatner, James Doohan and Walter Koenig appeared, with Spock’s and McCoy’s dialogue modified for Scotty and Chekov. Tim Russ, who played minor roles on TNG and a bridge officer in the film, would eventually go on to star as Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager. Paramount initially wanted the original cast to only appear in the first moments of the film, with Kirk recurring at the end. One original idea pitted the two Enterprise crews against one another but the writers had no plausible explanation for such a conflict. Another idea was to kill off a TNG crew member but the idea was nixed, and the death of Kirk was proposed. Director David Carson, who had helmed several Trek TV episodes, had no feature film experience. A new section of the Enterprise-D was created for the film, Stellar Cartography. It was the largest set ever constructed on the Paramount lot. New uniform designs for the TNG crew were abandoned, with the uniforms seen in the film combinations from TNG and DS9. Time was so tight that Jonathan Frakes and Levar Burton borrowed costumes from DS9 actors Avery Brooks and Colm Meaney. The TNG cast began filming four days after wrapping the series. The film’s original ending had Kirk shot in the back and dying, but test audiences reacted so negatively that the scene had to be rewritten and reshot with Kirk sacrificing himself.

The Swan Princess is an animated musical fantasy based on the ballet Swan Lake. The film bombed partly because it struggled against the re-release of The Lion King, which Variety called ‘sabotage’ as the film’s director was a former Disney employee, having directed The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron. It did find an audience on home video, and was followed by a series of direct-to-video sequels beginning in 1997. The theme song ‘Far Longer Than Forever’ received a Golden Globe nomination. Due to the hand painting of animation cels, the production took over four years to complete.

2004

• November 16 – Kangaroo Jack: G’Day U.S.A.! (USA, Castle Rock Entertainment)
• November 19 – National Treasure (USA, Walt Disney Pictures)
• November 19 – The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (USA, Nickelodeon Movies)

Kangaroo Jack: G’Day U.S.A.! is also known as Kangaroo Jack 2 or Kangaroo Jack 2: G’Day U.S.A.! The film was released direct-to-video.

Most of National Treasure was filmed on location with the exception of the Independence Hall scene, which was filmed at the replica at Knott’s Berry Farm, and the Arctic scene, which was filmed in Utah. The film’s success spawned a sequel and a Disney+ TV series.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie marked the feature directorial debut of Stephen Hillenburg. The TV series’ voice cast reprise their roles in the film. Alec Baldwin, Scarlett Joahnsson and Jeffrey Tambor voice new characters, and David Hasselhoff appears as himself in a live-action scenes. The film was envisioned as a finale for the series, but Nickelodeon ordered more episodes as it was becoming increasingly profitable. Hasselhoff’s cameo was written before consulting with the actor, He took the role after his daughters informed him that SpongeBob was the number one animated series in the world and he had to do it. The Hoff enjoyed the experience and gained new fans as he was the only human in the film.

2014

New Regency Productions

• November 14 – Beside Still Waters (USA, Storyboard Entertainment)
• November 14 – Beyond the Lights (USA/Canada, BET Films)
• November 14 – Birdman (USA, New Regency Productions)
• November 14 – Dumb and Dumber To (USA, Wessler Entertainment)
• November 14 – Starry Eyes (USA, Snowfort Pictures)
• November 19 – Reach Me (USA, limited, Seraphim Films Inc.)
• November 20 – Foxcatcher (Israel, Annapurna Pictures)

Foxcatcher opened in the US in limited release on November 14, 2014 for awards consideration, and entered wide release on January 16, 2015. Reach Me was released digitally in the US on November 21, 2014.

Beside Still Waters was the directorial debut of Chris Lowell. The song ‘Grateful’, from Beyond the Lights, was Oscar-nominated for Best Original Song.

The complete title of Birdman is stylized as BİRDMAN or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). With one exception, the film is presented as being shot in one continuous take. Michael Keaton was not in the mind of director Alejandro G. Iñárritu while writing the script, but by the time it was completed he felt Keaton was the only choice for the lead. Keaton knew about the project before he read the script, and only accepted after making sure Iñárritu wasn’t making fun of him. The film, however, does contain many references to Keaton’s Batman films, including the year his character is mentioned to have last played Birdman (1992). Iñárritu cast Zack Galifianakis because he could be loveable and funny, but also sensitive. Emma Stone wanted to work with Iñárritu before she was offered the role of Sam. Josh Brolin was set to play Mike Shiner, but was replaced by Edward Norton due to scheduling conflicts. Pre-production took months as Iñárritu had to map out every shot using mock up sets and stand-ins, with no room for improvisation. Every movement, every line, every door opening was meticulously rehearsed. Despite looking like a single shot, the backstage area of the theatre was constructed in a studio, with the interior of the St. James Theatre used for two weeks. The film was not shot chronologically due to the scheduling with the theatre. Lighting had to be designed to appear natural and to accommodate the continuous movement of the camera so the crew’s shadows would not be cast on the actors or sets. Staircases for the backstage of the theatre were designed to be wider to accommodate the Steadicam operator. Up to 20 takes were recorded because of timing mishaps or adjustments to dialogue. The Times Square shot was only done twice to avoid attention from the tourists. Filming the movie for the cast was almost like being on stage because no one could ‘check out’ during a take, always needing to be aware of what was happening in a scene. The film’s editors were involved early on, with one being on set every day, as they would need to stitch together the scenes to make everything flow as a single take. Visual effects were also used to stitch together shots and removing reflections from mirrors, with about 90% of the film touched by VFX in some way. The film earned nine Oscar nominations — tying with The Grand Budapest Hotel for the most nominations in 2015 — winning four including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. It also received ten BAFTA nominations, with one win for Cinematography, and seven Golden Globe nominations with wins for Best Actor (Keaton) and Best Screenplay.

Dumb and Dumber To featured Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprising their roles from the original film. During a tumultuous pre-production phase, Carrey exited the project and Warner Bros. refused to distribute the film. Daniels refused to do the film without Carrey. Carrey returned and Red Granite Pictures financed the film. Universal Pictures ultimately distributed the film.

Funding for Starry Eyes was raised partially through a Kickstarter campaign.

Foxcatcher earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Actor (Steve Carell) and Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), two BAFTA nominations (for Carell and Ruffalo), and three Golden Globe nominations for Carell, Ruffalo and Best Picture – Drama.