Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #27 :: January 27 to February 2

United Artists

The last week of January leading in to the first two days of February offered a bountiful supply of new movie releases over the last 100 years, many of them regarded as classics today. Films from Chaplin, Abbott & Costello, Hitchcock, and Gable & Monroe graced cinema screens in the first half of the century. The latter part saw films that became either financial successes or cult films including Lily Tomlin’s take on a classic sci-fi film, a notorious 1980s slasher film, and a 2001 film criticized for being too much like a 1980s slasher film. It’s a full roster this week, so let’s take a look to see if any of your favorites are here. Share your thoughts on any of these movies with us in the comments section below!

1921

January 28 – Brewster’s Millions

• Cast: Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle, Betty Ross Clarke, Fred Huntley, Marian Skinner, James Corrigan, Jean Acker, Charles Ogle, Neely Edwards, William Boyd, L.J. McCarthy, J. Parker McConnell, John MacFarlane
• Director: Joseph Henabery
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Adapted from the 1902 novel by George Barr McCutcheon, and the 1906 Broadway play. The film is considered lost.

January 29 – The Silver Lining

• Cast: Coit Albertson, Jewel Carmen, Leslie Austin, Virginia Valli, Theodore Babcock, Marie Coverdale, Edwards Davis, Dorothy Dickson, Arthur Donaldson, Paul Everton, J. Herbert Frank, Julia Swayne Gordon, Carl Hyson, Gladden James, Jule Powers, Henry Sedley, Charles Wellesley.
• Director: Roland West
• Studio: Iroquois Films Corporation, distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation
• Trivia: The film’s survival status is unknown.

1931

January 30 – City Lights

• Cast: Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers, Al Ernest Garcia, Hank Mann, Charlie Chaplin
• Director: Charlie Chaplin
• Studio: United Artists
• Trivia: Though sound films were on the rise, Chaplin continued to work with silent productions, developing the script in 1928, and premiering the film four years into the sound era (although the film is technically a hybrid with music, sound effects and sounds that copied speech patterns). Chaplin believed sound films would last for about three years. He was also concerned about how to adapt his Little Tramp character for sound. This was the first film for which Chaplin composed the score. The main theme is ‘La Violetera’ (‘Who’ll Buy my Violets’) from Spanish composer José Padilla. Chaplin lost a lawsuit to Padilla for not crediting him. The film was a major hit, earning more than $4 million worldwide and is considered today to be one of the greatest films ever made. The film was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1991. Chaplin began pre-production in May 1928, but his mother died in August at the age of 63. Distraught for several weeks, pre-production did not resume until mid-Fall of 1928. After being unable to cast a suitable actress for the role of the Blind Girl, Chaplin found a casual acquaintance at the beach who asked when she’d get a chance to work with him. He invited her to do a screen test and was the first actress to convincingly act blind due to her own near-sightedness. Chaplin signed Virginia Cherrill to a contract on November 1, 1928. Chaplin had worked on the script for almost a year before production began on December 27, 1928. The film’s art director Henry Clive had been cast as the millionaire, but Clive refused to jump into a cold tank of water for a scene causing Chaplin to storm off the set and fire Clive. He was replaced by Harry Myers, who Chaplin knew from his time at Keystone Studios. Cherrill and Chaplin did not get along on set. At one point she asked to leave early for a hair appointment and he fired her. Briefly considering replacements, Chaplin had already shot too much footage with Cherrill to replace her so she was hired back, receiving a raise of $75 per week per her demands. Seven minutes of test footage with potential replacement Georgia Hale survive and were included on a DVD release. After a year of shooting, Chaplin was just a little more than halfway finished. Filming was finally completed in September 1930. Chaplin edited the film and created the title cards from October to December 1930. The film had its gala premiere on January 30, 1931 at the Los Angeles Theater. Albert Einstein and his wife were guests of honor, and the film received a standing ovation. Directors including Orson Welles, Stanley Kubrick, Andre Tarkovsky, Federico Fellini and Woody Allen have said the film is one of their all-time favorites. Fellini referenced the film in his Nights of Cabiria.

February – The Sleeping Cardinal

• Cast: Arthur Wontner, Ian Fleming, Philip Hewland, Jane Welsh, Norman McKinnel, Minnie Rayner, Leslie Perrins, Gordon Begg, William Fazan, Sydney King, Louis Goodrich, Harry Terry, Charles Paton
• Director: Leslie S. Hiscott
• Studio: Twickenham Studios, distributed by Warner Brothers (UK), First Division Pictures (US)
• Trivia: Also known as Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour in the United States. The film is based on Sherlock Holmes stories but not any one in particular, through it does draw inspiration from ‘The Empty House’ and ‘The Final Problem’. This is the first of a series of films from 1931-1937 starring Wontner as Holmes.

1941

January 31 – Buck Privates

• Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lee Bowman, Jane Frazee, Alan Curtis, Nat Pendleton, The Andrews Sisters, Samuel S. Hinds, Harry Strang, Nella Walker, Leonard Elliott, Shemp Howard
• Director: Arthur Lubin
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film that made Abbott and Costello stars. The first service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940. A sequel, Buck Privates Come Home, was released in 1947. One of three Abbott and Costello films featuring The Andrews Sisters, who were also under contract to Universal Pictures at the time. The Andrews Sister performed four songs in the film. Universal did not want to use ‘(I’ll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time’ because of the high licensing fee but the sisters paid the fee themselves and the song became one of their biggest hits. Abbott and Costello performed a one-hour adaptation of the film for Lux Radio Theatre on October 13, 1941. Director Lubin credited the film’s success to Abbott and Costello’s years of performing much of the film’s gags on stage. Because of the film’s success, the pair requested Lubin direct their next film titled Oh, Charlie! which was retitled Hold That Ghost. The film was one of Universal’s biggest moneymakers of the year, earning Lubin a $5000 bonus. Lubin went on to direct five Abbott and Costello films in ten months. The film received two Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song (‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’) and Best Original Score. During World War II, Japan screened the film for its troops to demonstrate the ‘incompetence’ of the American military. The film was screened for US troops in every theater of war. The film was re-released on a double bill with Keep ‘Em Flying in 1953 during the Korean War. The film is seen advertised on a theater marquee in Steven Spielberg’s wartime comedy 1941.

January 31 – Mr. & Mrs. Smith

• Cast: Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery, Gene Raymond, Jack Carson, Philip Merivale, Lucile Watson, William Tracy, Charles Halton, Esther Dale, Emma Dunn, Betty Compson, Patricia Farr, William Edmunds, Adele Pearce, Emory Parnell
• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
• Studio: RKO Radio Pictures
• Trivia: Hitchcock claimed to have made the film as a favor to Lombard, but RKO records show that he pursued the project. Hitchcock makes his trademark cameo appearance 41 minutes into the film. Lombard herself directed the scene, forcing Hitchcock to endure several takes of the simple scene, to the delight of the crew. The film’s working titles were Who Was That Lady I Seen You With and No for an Answer. Hitchcock had wanted to do a dramatic film with Lombard who was well known as a comedic actress, and he was never happy with the finished film. It was the last film released before Lombard’s death in an aircraft crash while on a war bonds tour. Her final film, To Be or Not To Be, was released two months after she died. Lombard reprised her role for a Lux Radio Theatre adaptation with Bob Hope on June 9, 1941.

February 1 – Freedom Radio

• Cast: Clive Brook, Diana Wynyard, Raymond Huntley, Derek Farr, Joyce Howard, Howard Marion-Crawford, John Penrose, Morland Graham, Ronald Squire, Reginald Beckwith, Clifford Evans, Bernard Miles, Gibb McLaughlin, Muriel George, Martita Hunt, Hay Petrie, Manning Whiley, Katie Johnson, George Hayes, Everley Gregg, Marie Ault, Abraham Sofaer, Joan Hickson, Pat McGrath, Wyndham Milligan, Bunty Payne, William Hartnell
• Director: Anthony Asquith
• Studio: Two Cities Films, distributed by Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: The film was released in the UK on February 1, 1941 and in the US on February 4, 1941. Also known as A Voice in the Night.

1951

January 30 – Blackmailed

• Cast: Mai Zetterling, Dirk Bogarde, Fay Compton, Robert Flemyng, Michael Gough, James Robertson Justice, Joan Rice, Harold Huth, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Nora Gordon, Cyril Chamberlain, Charles Saynor, Derrick Penley, Peter Owen, Dennis Brian, Arthur Hambling, Shirley Wright, Bruce Seton, Marianne Stone, Helen Goss, Constance Smith, Edie Martin, John Horsley, Ballard Berkeley
• Director: Marc Allégret
• Studio: Harold Huth Productions, distributed by General Film Distributors (GFD) (UK), Bell Pictures (USA)
• Trivia: Adapted from a novel by Elizabeth Myers. Also known as Mrs. Christopher. The film opened in the UK on January 30, followed by Australia on August 31 and the US on September 12. The film opened through 1951 and 1952, but did not get a release in East Germany until November 18, 1960.

January 31 – Call Me Mister

• Cast: Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, Danny Thomas, Dale Robertson, Benay Venuta, Richard Boone, Jeffrey Hunter, Frank Fontaine, The Dunhill Trio
• Director: Lloyd Bacon
• Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox
• Trivia: Based on the 1946 Broadway play by Albert E. Lewin and Burt Styler with music by Harold Rome. Only a few of Rome’s songs were kept from the show, which was re-written from the original book of the play to be a remake of Grable’s 1941 film A Yank in the RAF. This was Grable’s last film success as her popularity had begun to wane, and it was her last of several films with Dailey. The film began its UK engagement on April 8, 1951.

February 2 – The Steel Helmet

• Cast: Gene Evans, Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie, James Edwards, Richard Loo, Sid Melton, Richard Monahan, William Chun, Harold Fong, Neyle Morrow, Lynn Stalmaster as Second Lieutenant
• Director: Samuel Fuller
• Studio: Deputy Corporation, distributed by Lippert Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered in Los Angeles on January 10, 1951. The film also had a New York City premiere on January 24. The film opened in Canada on February 16, and the UK on March 9. This was the first American film about the Korean War, and the first of several war films directed by Fuller. Fuller reportedly wrote the script in a week, shot the film in ten days in October 1950 with 25 extras in a plywood tank with studio mist. Exteriors were shot in Griffith Park. The film also included the first reference in a Hollywood film of the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II. The film infuriated the military which had supplied stock footage. The Communist newspaper The Daily Worker condemned The Steel Helmet as a right-wing fantasy. Fuller cast Gene Evans in the lead after refusing the studio’s interest in casting John Wayne. This was Lynn Stalmaster’s first of five acting gigs, the last in 1955 when he went on to become a well-known Hollywood casting director.

1961

January 28 – A Fever in the Blood

• Cast: Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Angie Dickinson, Jack Kelly, Don Ameche, Ray Danton, Herbert Marshall, Andra Martin, Jesse White, Rhodes Reason, Robert Colbert, Carroll O’Connor, Parley Baer ,Saundra Edwards
• Director: Vincent Sherman
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the 1959 novel of the same name by William Pearson. The film is said to be miscast with a roster of Warner Bros. television contract players.

January 29 – Look In Any Window

• Cast: Paul Anka, Ruth Roman, Alex Nicol, Gigi Perreau, Carole Mathews, George Dolenz, Jack Cassidy, Robert Sampson
• Director: William Alland
• Studio: Allied Artists
• Trivia: This was Jack Cassidy’s film debut.

February – The Great Impostor

• Cast: Tony Curtis, Edmond O’Brien, Gary Merrill, Karl Malden, Raymond Massey, Joan Blackman, Arthur O’Connell, Jeanette Nolan, Sue Ane Langdon, Frank Gorshin, Robert Middleton, Cindi Wood, Gage Clarke
• Director: Robert Mulligan
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the true story of an impostor named Ferdinand Waldo Demara, and is loosely based on Robert Crichton’s 1959 biography of the same name. Mulligan received a Best Director nomination from the Directors Guild of America. The film opened on December 23, 1960 in Italy, and January 19, 1961 in the UK. The film premiered in Pittsburgh, PA on December 31, 1960 before opening in general release in February 1961 (the actual release date seems lost to history).

United Artists

February 1 – The Misfits

• Cast: Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, Eli Wallach, James Barton, Kevin McCarthy, Estelle Winwood, Peggy Barton, Rex Bell, Ryall Bowker, Frank Fanelli Sr., John Huston, Bobby LaSalle, Philip Mitchell, Walter Ramage, Ralph Roberts, Dennis Shaw, J. Lewis Smith, Marietta Tree
• Director: John Huston
• Studio: Seven Arts Productions, distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: The film had its premiere on January 31, 1961 in Reno, NV. This was the last film completed by both Gable and Monroe. The film was completed 12 days before Gable’s death and released on what would have been his 60th birthday. Monroe died in 1962. The film was a financial failure at the time of its release, but is now considered a masterpiece and one of the best films of the 1960s. The film was a difficult shoot due to the often 100 degree heat of the Nevada desert, and because of Monroe’s marriage to screenwriter Arthur Miller was falling apart. Monroe was said to be drinking and abusing prescription drugs during the shoot, and director Huston predicted that she was ‘doomed’. Production had to shut down for two weeks while Monroe was hospitalized for exhaustion and depression. Monroe was often late to the set, or didn’t show up at all, but the cast did not complain because they needed her to finish the film. Gable insisted on doing most of his own stunts. Veteran Western actor Rex Bell, who was lieutenant governor of Nevada at the time, makes his last film appearance. Monroe hated the film and her performance. Miller’s last play, Finishing the Picture, was a fictional account of the making of the film. A thought-to-be-lost nude scene of Monroe was discovered in August 2018.

1971

January 28 – 10 Rillington Place

• Cast: Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, John Hurt, Pat Heywood, Isobel Black, Robert Hardy, Geoffrey Chater, André Morell, Sam Kydd, Gabrielle Daye
• Director: Richard Fleischer
• Studio: Filmways Pictures, Genesis Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: Adapted from the book by Ludovic Kennedy, who also acted as technical adviser to the production. John Hurt received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The family living at the actual address during filming did not want to move out for fear of not being allowed back in so most exterior shots were filmed at nearby number 7, although some scenes shot from outside clearly show Attenborough standing in a window and coming and going from the front door of number 10. Interiors were filmed at Shepperton Studios. The house and the entire street were demolished shortly after the film was completed and redeveloped beyond all recognition.

February – How to Frame a Figg

• Cast: Don Knotts, Joe Flynn, Edward Andrews, Elaine Joyce, Yvonne Craig, Frank Welker, Parker Fennelly, Bill Zuckert, Pitt Herbert, Robert P. Lieb, Bob Hastings, Bruce Kirby, Stuart Nisbet, James Millhollin, Fay DeWitt, Savannah Bentley, Athena Lorde, Bill Quinn, John Archer
• Director: Alan Rafkin
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s actual release date seems to be lost to history.

1981

January 30 – The Incredible Shrinking Woman

• Cast: Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson, Elizabeth Wilson, Mark Blankfield, Maria Smith, Pamela Bellwood, John Glover, Nicholas Hormann, Jim McMullan, Shelby Balik, Justin Dana, Rick Baker, Frank Welker, Mike Douglas, Dick Wilson, Sally Kirkland, Pat Ast, Marneen Fields
• Director: Joel Schumacher
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: This was Schumacher’s feature film directorial debut. Lily Tomlin plays four characters in the film, but only three of them made it into the movie. Tomlin had reprised her Edith Ann character from Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, which was only included in the TV version. Tomlin’s Laugh-In co-star Henry Gibson and 9 to 5 co-star Elizabeth Wilson also appeared in the film. Rick Baker created and wore the Sydney the Gorilla suit while Frank Welker provided the voice of the gorilla. The film began production in February 1979 with John Landis directing but was shut down after a few days over alleged budgetary issues. When production resumed in August 1979, Schumacher had replaced Landis. Landis had wanted a trailer in theaters a year before the film’s release with Alfred Hitchcock introducing a miniature Tomlin.

January 30 – Maniac

• Cast: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Gail Lawrence, Kelly Piper, Rita Montone, Tom Savini, Hyla Marrow, James Brewster, Linda Lee Walter, Tracie Evans, Sharon Mitchell, Carol Henry, Nelia Bacmeister, Louis Jawitz, Denise Spagnuolo, Billy Spagnuolo, Frank Pesce, William Lustig
• Director: William Lustig
• Studio: Magnum Motion Pictures Inc., distributed by Analysis Film Releasing Corporation
• Trivia: The production did not always have necessary permits to film on location in New York City, so many shots had to be done guerrilla style. This included the shotgun scene which was filmed in an hour and featured FX artist Tom Savini using live ammo to shoot his own character in the head in a parked car (Savini got the role because he already had made a cast of his own head). Savini had to throw the shotgun into the trunk of a waiting car to avoid being caught by the police. This was one of three film Lustig made with Caroline Munro (the others were Starcrash and The Last Horror Film). The film was not submitted to the MPAA and was released unrated with the designation ‘For Adults Only’. A severely edited version did receive an R-rating for release in the South. The film was refused classification by the British Board of Film Classification, and was banned from video release as well. With 58 seconds of cut, the film finally received an 18 certificate from the BBFC in 2002. In Australia, the poster was censored by blacking out the scalp held in the killer’s hand. The film had a midnight premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1980, then opened in West Germany on November 14, 1980. The film also played in Italy and Denmark in January 1981 before the New York City premiere on January 30. The film went into general release in the US on March 6, 1981.

1991

January 31 – Mediterraneo

• Cast: Diego Abatantuono, Claudio Bigagli, Giuseppe Cederna, Claudio Bisio, Luigi Alberti, Ugo Conti, Antonio Catania, Memo Dini, Vasco Mirandola, Vana Barba
• Director: Gabriele Salvatores
• Studio: Pentafilm Distribuzione (Italy), Miramax Films (United States)
• Trivia: Winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1992. The film opened in Italy on January 31, 1991. The film’s North American premiere took place at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 1991 where Miramax purchased the North American distribution rights. The film opened in the US on March 22, 1992. The international version of the film is cut by 10 minutes. It was the highest grossing non-English language film in North America in 1992 until Indochine opened in December, although most of its revenue was grossed in 1993.

February – Edge of Honor

• Cast: Corey Feldman, Don Swayze, Scott Reeves, Meredith Salenger, Ken Jenkins, Benjamin Troy, Alex ‘Sasha’ Walkup, Christopher Neame, Steve Buckley
• Director: Michael Spence
• Studio: New City Releasing
• Trivia: Feldman and Salenger had previously appeared together in Dream a Little Dream. Both Feldman and Reeves have appeared in entries in the Friday the 13th film franchise. The film’s actual release date is lost to history.

February 1 – Meet the Applegates

• Cast: Ed Begley Jr., Stockard Channing, Dabney Coleman, Robert Jayne, Camille Cooper, Glenn Shadix, Susan Barnes, Roger Aaron Brown, Lee Garlington
• Director: Michael Lehmann
• Studio: New World Pictures, Cinemarque Entertainment, distributed by Triton Pictures
• Trivia: The film was shot in 1989 but not released until 1991 due to financial issues with New World Pictures. The film was shot on location in Oshkosh, Appleton and Neenah, Wisconsin. The film opened in France on October 28, 1990 and Australia on November 8, 1990 before opening in the US. The film had its UK premiere on February 22, 1991. The film has also been released as simply The Applegates.

February 1 – Queens Logic

• Cast: Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Linda Fiorentino, John Malkovich, Joe Mantegna, Ken Olin, Tony Spiridakis, Tom Waits, Chloe Webb, Michael Zelniker, Kelly Bishop, Terry Kinney
• Director: Steve Rash
• Studio: New Visions Pictures, distributed by Seven Arts
• Trivia: The film was shot in the summer of 1989. It was released straight to video in the UK.

February 1 – Run

• Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Kelly Preston, Ken Pogue, Alan C. Peterson, James Kidnie, Sean McCann, Michael MacRae, Tom McBeath, Marc Strange, Christopher Lawford, William S. Taylor, Jerry Wasserman, Peter Williams
• Director: Geoff Burrowes
• Studio: Hollywood Pictures, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
• Trivia: Kelly Preston replaced Tracy Pollan, who left the film early in production after the part evolved and everyone agreed she was no longer right for the role.

February 2 – Once a Thief

• Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung, Kenneth Tsang, Paul Chu, Bowie Wu, John Tang Yat-gwan, Tong Ka-fai, Leila Tong, Declan Wong, David Wu
• Director: John Woo
• Studio: Golden Princess Film Production, Milestone Films, distributed by Golden Princess Amusement
• Trivia: The film’s North American premiere was at TIFF on September 13, 1991. The film opened in Los Angeles on October 4, 1991. The film’s first public screening was held ten weeks after the first day of shooting. Jay Chattaway’s music from Red Scorpion is used in the film. Wang Chung’s music from To Live and Die in LA is also used. The film’s success allowed Woo to secure funding for his next film, Hard Boiled.

2001

Canal+

January 31 – Brotherhood of the Wolf

• Cast: Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Émilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci, Jérémie Renier, Jacques Perrin, Mark Dacascos, Jean Yanne, Jean-François Stévenin, Édith Scob, Johan Leysen, Bernard Farcy, Hans Meyer, Philippe Nahon, Gaspard Ulliel, Nicolas Vaude, Virginie Darmon, Eric Prat, Jean-Loup Wolff
• Director: Christophe Gans
• Studio: Canal+, Davis-Films, Eskwad, distributed by Metropolitan Filmexport (France), Universal Pictures (United States)
• Trivia: French title is Le Pacte des loups. The plot is loosely based on a series of real-life serial killings that took place in 18th Century France and the legend of the Beast of Gévaudan. Mark Dacascos learned how to ride a horse, studied Mohawk culture, and became fluent in French for his role. All of the primary characters, except the Native American Mani, were real people who lived during the reign of King Louis XV. Universal paid $2 million for the North American distribution rights, and the film grossed $11.3 million in limited release, making it the second highest grossing French-language film in the US since 1980. There are three different versions of the film: the French/US theatrical cut which runs 143 minutes; the 139 minute cut released to video in the UK and Australia which removes the Royal Hunter Beauterne; and a 150 minute ‘Director’s Cut’ that was released to video in France, Canada, the US and other territories. The film opened in France and Switzerland on January 31. It opened in other international territories throughout 2001, hitting Canada on June 1. It received a limited US release on January 11, 2002 followed by a wider release on February 1, 2002.

February 1 – Another Life

• Cast: Natasha Little, Nick Moran, Ioan Gruffudd, Imelda Staunton, Rachael Stirling, Tom Wilkinson, Diana Coupland, Michael Bertenshaw, Daniel Brocklebank, Elizabeth McKechnie
• Director: Philip Goodhew
• Studio: Alibi Pictures, Arts Council of England, Boxer Films, Lucida Investments, Winchester Films, distributed by Arts Council of England
• Trivia: The British film opened first in Singapore on February 1, 2001 then played the UK beginning June 15, 2001.

February 2 – Head Over Heels

• Cast: Monica Potter, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Ivana Miličević, Shalom Harlow, Sarah O’Hare, Tomiko Fraser, China Chow, Timothy Olyphant, Tanja Reichert, Tanner, Jay Brazeau, Stanley DeSantis, Betty Linde, Norma MacMillan
• Director: Mark Waters
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: Claire Danes was set to play the lead but dropped out at the last minute. Potter was already cast in a smaller role and moved up to the lead. This was Norma MacMillan’s last film.

February 2 – Valentine

• Cast: Denise Richards, Chelcie Burgart, David Boreanaz, Joel Palmer, Marley Shelton, Brittany Mayers, Jessica Capshaw, Kate Logie, Jessica Cauffiel, Chelsea Florko, Katherine Heigl, Sarah Mjanes, Hedy Burress, Fulvio Cecere, Daniel Cosgrove, Johnny Whitworth, Claude Duhamel, Adam J. Harrington
• Director: Jamie Blanks
• Studio: Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Roadshow Entertainment
• Trivia: The film had its premiere on February 1, then opened in general release in the US and Canada on February 2, 2001. Loosely based on the novel by Tom Savage. In reality, the film just uses the title. The project was originally set up at Warner Bros. then transferred to Artisan Entertainment. With no suitable script, the project went into turnaround and reverted back to Warner Bros. Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly turned down the original offer to direct. Hedy Buress and Tara Reid were considered for the role of Dorothy Wheeler, but Jessica Capshaw was cast. Jamie Blanks wanted Buress in the film and cast her as Ruthie Walker. Jennifer Love Hewitt was to play Paige Prescott but the role went to Denise Richards. Boreanaz shot all of his scenes in less than two weeks. Heigl had three days to shoot as she was committed to the TV series Roswell. With a $10 million budget, it was the least costly film to get a Super Bowl ad. The film’s trailer is one of the few to feature a female narrator. Boreanaz’s character Adam Carr is referred to at one point as ‘no angel’, an obvious reference to his TV series Angel. Luke Wilson, Jared Leto and Jeremy Sisto were considered for Adam Carr. Heigl regrets appearing in the film, saying she did not read the entire script, only the scenes she was in. Heigl and Richards have the least screen time of any of the leads, but received top billing in the credits. Rebecca Gayheart was offered a role in the film after starring in Blanks’ Urban Legend but turned it down to avoid being typecast as a ‘scream queen’.

2011

January 28 – From Prada to Nada

• Cast: Camilla Belle, Alexa Vega, Wilmer Valderrama, Nicholas D’Agosto, April Bowlby, Kuno Becker, Adriana Barraza
• Director: Angel Gracia
• Studio: Odd Lot Entertainment, Gilbert Films, Lionsgate, Televisa, Hyperion Films, distributed by Pantelion Films
• Trivia: Loosely based on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. The film had its premiere in Los Angeles on January 18, 2011. The hospital used in the film was in Los Angeles and had also been featured on an episode of Ghost Adventures. It has since been demolished and replaced by a block of apartments.

January 28 – The Mechanic

• Cast: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland, Jeff Chase, John McConnell, Mini Andén, Stuart Greer, Christa Campbell, James Logan, Eddie J. Fernandez, Joshua Bridgewater
• Director: Simon West
• Studio: Millennium Films, distributed by CBS Films
• Trivia: The film premiere in Hollywood on January 25, 2011, but had already opened in Russia (January 13) and Estonia (January 21). The film is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name. The film’s trailer was banned from British television for violent imagery following 13 complaints noting it had been shown during the teen show Glee. The arms dealer’s mugshot was the actor’s face photoshopped onto a real mugshot of David Boreanaz. The security camera footage from a gas station shows the date to be January 28, 2011 — the film’s release date in the US. With scenes set in Chicago, Houston and Columbia, the entire film was shot in New Orleans. The film was shipped to theaters under the code name Money Maker. Michael Douglas and Sylvester Stallone had both been under consideration for lead roles, with Stallone also up for directing. Director West makes a cameo appearance as the henchman who gets impaled by a garbage truck.

January 28 – The Rite

• Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciarán Hinds, Rutger Hauer, Marta Gastini, Maria Grazia Cucinotta Toby Jones, Chris Marquette, Marija Karan, Torrey DeVitto
• Director: Mikael Håfström
• Studio: New Line Cinema, Contrafilm, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s Hollywood premiere took place on January 26, 2011. Loosely based on Matt Baglio’s book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist. Mikael Håfström attended actual exorcisms to prepare for directing the film, although he was not allowed to witness them, only listening from outside the door. The film was shipped to theaters under the code name Denial.