Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #52 :: July 21•27

Marvel Studios

Several new films debuted this week between 1941 and 1981, but there aren’t many in those early decades that have become very memorable outside of an Abbott & Costello comedy, and a musical that’s more well known for spawning a sequel with the original cast. 1981, however, gave us a Brian De Palma cult classic, a spy thriller, and urban werewolves. 1991 had the last teaming of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, the last film in which Mel Brooks starred and directed, and a failed franchise launch for Kathleen Turner. 2001 tried to kickstart the Planet of the Apes franchise again, and produced another cult comedy, and 2011 gave us the birth of another Marvel superhero. Read on to see if your favorite films made this week’s list!

1921

• No new movies were released this week in 1921.

1931

• No new movies were released this week in 1931.

1941

July 26 – Bad Men of Missouri

• Cast: Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman, Wayne Morris, Arthur Kennedy, Victor Jory, Alan Baxter, Walter Catlett, Howard Da Silva, Faye Emerson, Russell Simpson, Virginia Brissac, Erville Alderson, Hugh Sothern, Sam McDaniel, Dorothy Vaughan, William Gould, Robert Winkler, Ann E. Todd, Roscoe Ates
• Director: Ray Enright
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Humphrey Bogart turned down a role in the film and Warner Bros. placed him on suspension. He was released to star in The Maltese Falcon.

1951

July 25 – Happy Go Lovely

• Cast: David Niven, Vera-Ellen, Cesar Romero, Bobby Howes, Diane Hart, Gordon Jackson, Barbara Couper, Henry Hewitt, Gladys Henson, Hugh Dempster, Sandra Dorne, Joyce Carey, John Laurie, Wylie Watson, Joan Heal, Hector Ross, Ambrosine Phillpotts, Molly Urquhart
• Director: H. Bruce Humberstone
• Studio: Marcel Hellman Productions (as Excelsior Films Ltd.), distributed by Associated British-Pathé (UK), RKO Radio Pictures (US)
• Trivia: The film first played in the UK from March 6, 1951 before opening in the US on July 25. Loosely based on the novel Und war kusst mich? by F.D. Andam. Vera-Ellen’s vocals were dubbed by Eve Boswell.

July 26 – Comin’ Round the Mountain

• Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dorothy Shay, Kirby Grant, Joe Sawyer, Glenn Strange, Ida Moore, Shaye Cogan, Margaret Hamilton, Guy Wilkerson
• Director: Charles Lamont
• Studio: Universal-International
• Trivia: The film was shot almost entirely in sequence. The ‘You’re forty, she’s ten’ routine from Buck Privates was also included in this film.

July 26 – On Moonlight Bay

• Cast: Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Jack Smith, Leon Ames, Rosemary DeCamp, Mary Wickes, Ellen Corby, Billy Gray, Henry East, Jeffrey Stevens, Eddie Marr
• Director: Roy Del Ruth
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Loosely on the Penrod stories by Booth Tarkington. The film was followed by the 1953 sequel By the Light of the Silvery Moon with all of the actors reprising their roles, something that was very unusual for the time. Lux Radio Theater broadcast a 60-minute adaptation of the film on May 5, 1952 with Gordon MacRae reprising his role.

1961

July 26 – Tammy Tell Me True

• Cast: Sandra Dee, John Gavin, Charles Drake, Virginia Grey, Julia Meade, Beulah Bondi, Cecil Kellaway, Edgar Buchanan, Gigi Perreau, Juanita Moore, Hayden Rorke, Ward Ramsey, Henry Corden, Don Dorrell, Pat McNulty, Stefanie Powers, Lowell Brown, Bill Herrin, Catherine McLeod, Ross Elliott, Ned Wever
• Director: Harry Keller
• Studio: Ross Hunter Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: Based on Cid Ricketts Sumner’s 1959 novel of the same name. Stefanie Powers had appeared on four TV series episodes and a TV movie prior to making her feature film debut here, all credited as ‘Taffy Paul’. This marked the last time she used that name.

1971

July 21 – Wake in Fright

• Cast: Gary Bond, Donald Pleasence, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay, Jack Thompson, Peter Whittle, Al Thomas, John Meillon, John Armstrong, Slim De Grey, Maggie Dence, Norman Erskine, Buster Fiddess, Tex Foote, Nancy Knudsen, Dawn Lake, Harry Lawrence, Bob McDarra, Owen Moase, John Dalleen, Colin Hughes, Jacko Jackson
• Director: Ted Kotcheff
• Studio: NLT Productions, Group W Films, distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes on May 12, 1971, then opened in general release in France on July 21. The film did not get a general US release until February 20, 1972. Released as Outback outside of Australia, but reverted back to its original title for the DVD release. Based on Kenneth Cook’s 1961 novel of the same name. The film was at one time considered ‘lost’ because the master negative had gone missing and censored prints of degrading quality were used for TV broadcasts and VHS tape releases. The original elements were found in 2004 and digitally restored, given a 2009 re-release at Cannes. The film was remade as a two-part mini-series in 2017. A film adaptation of the source novel was considered as far back as 1963 with Dirk Bogarde starring and Joseph Losey directing. Robert Helpmann was initially hired to play the role of Doc Tydon, but he was replaced with Donald Pleasence due to scheduling conflicts. The film caused controversy upon its release due to a hunting scene in which real kangaroos were killed, and Michael York stated he’d turned down a role in the film because of that scene. Years later when he happened to bump into the director, he said he regretted not doing ‘that wonderful picture.’ This was the last film of Chips Rafferty, who died of a heart attack before the film’s release. It was also the last film of Gary Bond, who focused on TV projects. It is Jack Thompson’s first film.

July 23 – The Horsemen

• Cast: Omar Sharif, Jack Palance, Leigh Taylor-Young, Peter Jeffrey, Srinanda De, George Murcell, Eric Pohlmann, Vernon Dobtcheff, Saeed Jaffrey, John Ruddock, Mark Colleano, Salmaan Peerzada, Aziz Resham, Leon Lissek, Vida St. Romaine
• Director: John Frankenheimer
• Studio: Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered in London on July 22, 1971, followed by a UK release on July 23 and a US release on July 24. Based on the 1967 novel by French writer Joseph Kessel, Les Cavaliers. Frank Langella was screen tested for a role in the film, but Mel Brooks offered him the second lead in The Twelve Chairs, which he accepted. Director John Frankenheimer was furious and told Langella he’d never work in this town again. Anthony Quinn was considered for the Jack Palance role.

July 23 – The Seven Minutes

• Cast: Wayne Maunder, Marianne McAndrew, Philip Carey, Jay C. Flippen, Edy Williams, Lyle Bettger, Yvonne De Carlo, Jackie Gayle, Ron Randell, Charles Drake, John Carradine, Harold J. Stone, James Iglehart, Tom Selleck, Olan Soule, John Sarno, Jan Shutan, David Brian, Charles Napier, Wolfman Jack, Lynn Hamilton
• Director: Russ Meyer
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The film premiere in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 28, 1971. Based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Irving Wallace. The film was originally to be directed by Richard Fleischer. Fox assigned the film to Russ Meyer, who had directed Beyond the Valley of the Dolls for the studio. Meyer later regretted doing the film because it did not contain his signature nudity, which audiences expected and were disappointed by its absence, and the expectations of attaching his name did a disservice to everyone involved. This was the second of a three picture deal with Fox and Meyer, but after the film’s failure he walked away from the deal. This was the final film for Lyle Bettger, Jay C. Flippen and Edith Evanson.

Toho Studios

July 24 – Godzilla vs. Hedorah

• Cast: Akira Yamauchi, Hiroyuki Kawase, Toshie Kimura, Keiko Mari, Toshio Shiba, Yoshio Yoshida, Haruo Suzuki, Yoshio Katsube, Tadashi Okabe, Yasuzo Okawa, Wataru Omae, Eisaburo Komatsu, Koji Uruki, Takuya Yuki, Yukihiko Gondo, Haruo Nakazawa, Kentaro Watanabe, Tatsu Okabe, Haruo Nakajima, Kenpachiro Satsuma
• Director: Yoshimitsu Banno
• Studio: Toho Studios
• Trivia: The film opened in Japan on July 24, 1971, but did not see a US release until February 1972 under the title Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. The 11th film in the Godzilla franchise. Director Yoshimitsu Banno was given 35 days to shoot the film, one team to shoot both the narrative and monster effects scenes, and a budget significantly smaller than previous Godzilla films. Kenpachiro Satsuma, who was playing Hedorah, was struck with appendicitis during production, and had to undergo an operation while still wearing the costume due to the amount of time it took to remove it. A sequel to the film was scrapped because producer Tomoyuki Tanaka hated this film, and Banno was fired and prevented from making another Godzilla film while Tanaka was alive. Banno eventually acquired the Godzilla film rights but could not secure funding for his own film. Banno struck a deal with Legendary Pictures which resulted in 2014’s Godzilla, on which Bannon acted as executive producer. Five different films for the franchise were planned after the sequel was scrapped, with the more conventional Godzilla vs. Gigan the one actually produced.

1981

Filmways Pictures

July 24 – Blow Out

• Cast: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz, Peter Boyden, Curt May, John Aquino, John McMartin, Robin Sherwood, Michael Tearson
• Director: Brian De Palma
• Studio: Viscount Associates, distributed by Filmways Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s New York City premiere was held on July 7, 1981. Based on Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 film Blowup, replacing the medium of photography with audio recording. Brian De Palma was developing several films after Dressed to Kill including a script of his own titled Personal Effects, which was similar to what would become Blow Out, but set in Canada instead of Philadelphia. De Palma considered Al Pacino for the lead role. He went with Travolta, who suggested Nancy Allen for his co-star since the three had worked together on Carrie. De Palma was hesitant because he didn’t want his wife to have a reputation for only working on his films (Allen had also co-starred in Dressed to Kill). One studio executive wanted to re-team Travolta with Olivia Newton-John, an idea De Palma refused. 70% of the film was shot at night. Travolta suffered from insomnia during the shoot which helped create a moody performance for his character. A van containing two reels of film of the Liberty Parade scene was stolen and the film was never recovered, forcing the cast and crew to return to Philadelphia to reshoot the entire scene. Quentin Tarantino has cited this as his favorite De Palma film, and cast Travolta in Pulp Fiction because of his performance in Blow Out. Gérard Depardieu dubbed Travolta’s voice in the French version. Travolta’s character mentions a fictitious movie called ‘Bordello of Blood’, which was a real script written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis in the 1970s. The actual film was produced in 1996 under the Tales from the Crypt banner. The characters of Jack and Sally were much older in the original script with Julie Christie, Natalie Wood, Stella Stevens and Dyan Cannon under consideration for the role of Sally. The TV anchor man is longtime WPVI weatherman Dave Roberts, who retired in 2009, and is the father of David Boreanaz.

July 24 – Eye of the Needle

• Cast: Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Ian Bannen, Christopher Cazenove, Stephen MacKenna, Philip Martin Brown, George Belbin, Faith Brook, Barbara Graley, Arthur Lovegrove, Barbara Ewing, Patrick Connor, David Hayman, Alex McCrindle, John Bennett, Sam Kydd, John Paul, Bill Nighy, Jonathan and Nicholas Haley, Allan Surtees, Rik Mayall
• Director: Richard Marquand
• Studio: Kings Road Entertainment, distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: Based on the 1978 novel of the same title by Ken Follett. To date, this is the only Follett work to be made into a feature film. All of his other adaptations have been made for TV. A cottage and lighthouse were constructed on the Isle of Mull for the production utilizing the services of a local master thatcher. This film led George Lucas to hire Richard Marquand to direct The Empire Strikes Back because of Marquand’s ability to finish a difficult production on time and on budget. This was the feature film debut of Bill Nighy and Rik Mayall, and the final film of Sam Kydd. Donald Sutherland’s German dialogue is dubbed.

July 24 – Gas

• Cast: Susan Anspach, Howie Mandel, Sterling Hayden, Helen Shaver, Sandee Currie, Peter Aykroyd, Keith Knight, Alf Humphreys, Philip Akin, Michael Hogan, Paul Kelman, Donald Sutherland, Dustin Waln, Vlasta Vrána, Harvey Chao
• Director: Les Rose
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Donald Sutherland once claimed he took the role because he was broke and needed the money. The film includes footage of the rare Nintendo arcade game Wild Gunman, which used 16mm projectors for game play.

July 24 – Wolfen

• Cast: Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Gregory Hines, Tom Noonan, Dick O’Neill, Dehl Berti, Peter Michael Goetz, Reginald VelJohnson, James Tolkan, Donald Symington
• Director: Michael Wadleigh
• Studio: Orion Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Based on Whitley Strieber’s 1978 novel The Wolfen, the first filmed adaptation of any Strieber novel. Tom Waits has an uncredited cameo as a Drunken Bar Owner. The film is known for its early use of in-camera effects, similar to thermography, to portray the point of view of a wolf. The church seen in the opening was built and burned specifically for the film. Dustin Hoffman was interested in the role of Dewey Wilson, but the director insisted on Albert Finney who was his favorite actor. It was the only time Hoffman was turned down for a role. Craig Safan wrote the original score for the film which was replaced at the last minute with a score by James Horner, who had 12 days to write and record it. Michael Wadleigh’s original cut of the film, before the studio removed him from post-production, was over four-and-a-half hours long. The film was delayed because the effects for the Wolfen were unusable and a new effects company had to be hired to complete them. Wadleigh decided to cast unknowns or Broadway actors in supporting roles including Diane Venora and Gregory Hines. It was the first film for Venora and the second for Hines, who debuted in History of the World Part I a month earlier. Finney decided it would be a good idea to hang out with Hines before production to develop a friendship that would seem believable in the film.

1991

July 21 – Scorchers

• Cast: Faye Dunaway, James Earl Jones, Denholm Elliott, Leland Crooke, Emily Lloyd, Jennifer Tilly, James Wilder, Luke Perry, Anthony Geary, Kevin Michael Brown, Michael Covert, Saxon Trainor, Patrick Warburton
• Director: David Beaird
• Studio: Goldcrest Films, distributed by Rank Film Distributor
• Trivia: The film opened in the UK on July 21, 1991, and received a limited US release on February 14, 1992, and a general release on February 26, 1993. Based on David Beaird’s 1985 stage play of the same name. Leland Crooke also appeared in the play. Heather Graham was cast in the film but was fired during production.

July 24 – Final Approach

• Cast: James Sikking, Hector Elizondo, Madolyn Smith, Kevin McCarthy, Cameo Kneuer, Wayne Duvall
• Director: Eric Steven Stahl
• Studio: Trimark Pictures
• Trivia: The film opened in France on July 24, 1991, but did not hit the US until December 6. The first film to be recorded, mixed and mastered in pure digital sound.

July 26 – Another You

• Cast: Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, Mercedes Ruehl, Stephen Lang, Vanessa Williams, Vincent Schiavelli, Craig Richard Nelson, Kevin Pollak, Phil Rubenstein
• Director: Maurice Phillips
• Studio: TriStar Pictures
• Trivia: The fourth and final film in which Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder starred together. This was Wilder’s last feature film, turning his attention to television for the remainder of his career. The film’s poor performance, the death of his wife Gilda Radner and seeing Pryor’s deteriorating condition prompted Wilder to retire from film acting. The film was released five years after Pryor revealed his multiple sclerosis diagnosis and his physical deterioration in the film is evident (he made three more films and four television appearances after this film, the last in 1999). Peter Bogdanovich was the film’s original director, and he was replaced five weeks into production in New York City. His footage was reviewed and deemed unusable, so the script was rewritten to take place in Los Angeles where production was restarted. None of Bogdanovich’s work appears in the film, and Pryor was not happy about reshooting scenes he was told he would not have to reshoot. Bogdanovich related that he and Wilder didn’t get along well because Bogdanovich focused most of his attention on Pryor due to his health issues. The studio did not want Wilder to star alone and would not greenlight the film unless Pryor was involved. Bogdanovich believes Wilder campaigned to have him replaced as director. Gilbert Gottfried had been cast in the Bogdanovich version of the film but was dropped when the film was reshot. This was Maurice Phillips’ last theatrical film as director, possibly due to the film’s poor box office performance.

July 26 – Life Stinks

• Cast: Mel Brooks, Lesley Ann Warren, Jeffrey Tambor, Stuart Pankin, Howard Morris, Rudy De Luca, Theodore Wilson, Carmen Filpi, Michael Ensign, Matthew Faison, Billy Barty, Brian Thompson, Raymond O’Connor, Carmine Caridi, Sammy Shore, Frank Roman, Christopher Birt, Larry Cedar, Robert Ridgely, Ronny Graham
• Director: Mel Brooks
• Studio: Brooksfilms, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes on May 15, 1991. Whoopi Goldberg was considered for the Lesley Ann Warren role but Mel Brooks wasn’t sure he could pull off being her love interest. The film’s original title was Life Sucks but the studio implored Brooks to change it. Brooks considers this his best work as an actor. This was the last film Brooks directed in which he also starred. This was Brooks’ first film to not be a genre spoof since 1970’s The Twelve Chairs. Theodore Wilson died five days before the film’s release.

July 26 – Mobsters

• Cast: Christian Slater, Rodney Eastman, Costas Mandylor, Richard Grieco, Patrick Dempsey, Andy Romano, Robert Z’Dar, Michael Gambon, Anthony Quinn, Chris Penn, F. Murray Abraham, Nicholas Sadler, Lara Flynn Boyle, Joe Viterelli, Titus Welliver
• Director: Michael Karbelnikoff
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: This was Michael Gambon’s first American movie. Johnny Depp turned down the role of ‘Lucky’ Luciano. Luis Mandoki was the film’s original director but dropped out of the project. The film’s working title was Gangsters.

July 26 – The Dark Backward

• Cast: Judd Nelson, Bill Paxton, Wayne Newton, Lara Flynn Boyle, James Caan, Rob Lowe, King Moody, Claudia Christian, Danny Dayton, Tony Cox
• Director: Adam Rifkin
• Studio: Greycat Films
• Trivia: The film was screened at the Santa Barbara Film Festival on March 9, 1991. Director Adam Rifkin wrote the film’s screenplay when he was 19 years old.

July 26 – V.I. Warshawski

• Cast: Kathleen Turner, Jay O. Sanders, Charles Durning, Lynnie Godfrey, Anne Pitoniak, Geof Prysirr, Robert Clotworthy, Angela Goethals, Nancy Paul, Stephen Meadows, Frederick Coffin, Charles McCaughan, John Fujioka, John Beasley, Stephen Root, Wayne Knight, Lee Arenberg, Mike Hagerty, Tom Allard, Herb Muller, Everett Smith, Gene Hartline
• Director: Jeff Kanew
• Studio: Hollywood Pictures, Chestnut Hill Productions, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the novel Deadlock by Sara Paretsky. Screenwriters Edward Taylor, David Aaron Cohen, and Nick Thiel took the novel’s straight mystery and turned it into more of a comedic film. Paretsky was angry that the original script placed the female detective in a subordinate position to her male counterpart for fear that a female could not hold the lead role. Producers originally wanted to film in Baltimore with Amy Madigan, Bette Midler or Jane Fonda as Warshawski. Kathleen Turner reprised the role in a series of radio plays on BBC Radio 4. The film was intended to spawn a franchise for Turner but the poor box office performance put an end to those plans.

2001

20th Century Fox

July 26 – Planet of the Apes

• Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Estella Warren, Kris Kristofferson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Paul Giamatti, David Warner, Lisa Marie, Erick Avari, Luke Eberl, Evan Parke, Glenn Shadix, Freda Foh Shen, Chris Ellis, Anne Ramsay, Kam Heskin, Melody Perkins
• Director: Tim Burton
• Studio: The Zanuck Company, distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The film opened in Hong Kong and Puerto Rico on July 26, 2001, followed by Canada and the US on July 27. The film did not open in the UK until August 17. Loosely adapted from Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel of the same name and the 1968 film version. Development on a Planet of the Apes remake started as far back as 1988 with Adam Rifkin planning a continuation of the story following the fifth film in the franchise but his project was cancelled before pre-production began. Later, Terry Hayes submitted a script, with Arnold Schwarzenegger set to star and Phillip Noyce directing. Oliver Stone was one of the producers. Hayes and Fox experienced creative differences over the film’s tone — Fox wanted to make it a comedy — and did not move forward with production. The project drew the attention of Chris Columbus, Sam Hamm, James Cameron, Peter Jackson and the Hughes Brothers. Jackson’s story pitch featured the apes experiencing a Renaissance, with original Apes star Roddy McDowell interested in playing a da Vinci-like character written for him. New Fox execs were not fans of the franchise, and seemed unaware of McDowell’s involvement in the series, so Jackson turned his attention back to Heavenly Creatures. A new script by William Broyles snagged Tim Burton as director. The script was rewritten by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Mark Wahlberg backed out of a role in Ocean’s Eleven for the film (which went to Matt Damon), signing on after a five minute meeting with Burton. Tim Roth turned down the role of Severus Snape in the first Harry Potter movie due to his commitment to this film. Djimon Hounsou turned down the role of Colonel Attar because of a conflict with The Four Feathers. Kris Kristofferson immediately accepted his role because he and his family were Tim Burton fans. Original Planet of the Apes stars Charlton Heston and Linda Harrison make cameo appearances. Heston was uncredited as Zaius. The production was difficult for Burton because Fox had set a concrete date of July 2001 so every aspect of production was rushed. Stan Winston was the film’s original make-up designer but left due to creative differences. The studio wanted to use CGI but Burton insisted on prosthetics, and Rick Baker, who had been involved with the film as far back as Adam Rifkin’s version, replaced Winston. The make-up took 4.5 hours to apply and 1.5 hours to remove. The actors attended ‘ape school’ for a month and a half before production started. Burton hired Danny Elfman to do the film’s score. Elfman had also been involved with Rifkin’s version. Tim Roth did not enjoy working with Heston due to his work with the NRA. Had Roth known he was going to share a scene with Heston, he would have turned down the role. Roth asked for Burton’s permission to rewrite some of his scenes to make his character more menacing. Roth’s costume was so constricting he had two herniated vertebrae by the end of the shoot. Michael Clarke Duncan sprained his ankle during filming and had to go to the hospital in full gorilla make-up. The female chimpanzees were not going to have eyebrows but they were added after the first make-up tests were deemed unsettling. Burton wanted to give friend Paul Reubens a ‘Cornelius-like role’, but neither the role or the actor appeared in the film. Paul Giamatti was inspired by W.C. Fields for his role. Robert Rodriguez had been under consideration to direct to help bring the budget down. Burton’s original budget was close to $200 million, but Fox would not go higher than $100 million. The film drew criticism for its confusing ending which Burton said was intended as a sort of cliffhanger should Fox want to make a sequel. Burton, however, said he’d rather jump out of a window than direct a sequel to the film.

July 27 – Wet Hot American Summer

• Cast: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Michael Showalter, Marguerite Moreau, Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, Zak Orth, A. D. Miles, Nina Hellman, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Marisa Ryan, Kevin Sussman, Elizabeth Banks, Joe Lo Truglio, Judah Friedlander, Gideon Jacobs, H. Jon Benjamin
• Director: David Wain
• Studio: Eureka Pictures, North Coast Group, distributed by USA Films
• Trivia: The film was screened at Sundance on January 23, 2001. The film was not released in Canada until August 31. The film’s financing took three years to assemble. The film’s budget was $1.8 million but promoted as costing $5 million to attract a better distribution deal. Paul Rudd has said he isn’t sure he was ever compensated for the film as the actors were paid very little. It rained for almost the entire 28 day shoot and exteriors were filmed when possible. Rain can be seen through windows in interior scenes that suddenly become sunny as characters step outside. Though set at the end of Summer, actors’ breath can be seen due to the cold temperatures during filming in Honesdale, Pennsylvania in May of 2000. The owners of Camp Towanda, where the movie was filmed, were told it was going to be a family comedy. They were mortified when they saw the completed film. This was Bradley Cooper’s and Kyle Gallner’s film debut. The film is set in the Summer of 1981 and British pop group The Style Council is mentioned in conversation. The group did not form until 1983.

2011

July 22 – Another Earth

• Cast: Brit Marling, William Mapother, Jordan Baker, Robin Lord Taylor, Flint Beverage, Kumar Pallana, Diane Ciesla, Rupert Reid, Richard Berendzen
• Director: Mike Cahill
• Studio: Artists Public Domain, distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures
• Trivia: The film screened at Sundance on January 24, 2011, the SXSW Film Festival on March 14, the Boston Independent Film Festival and the San Francisco Film Festival on May 1, the Seattle International Film Festival on May 23, the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 23 and at BAMcinemaFest on June 25. An official premiere was held in New York City on July 20 before the film opened in limited release on July 22. The film was shot in Mike Cahill’s hometown of New Haven, Connecticut so he could avail himself of the services of friends and family to reduce the budget. Brit Marling approached William Mapother for the role of John after seeing his ‘haunting’ performance in In the Bedroom. He agreed to a salary of $100 a day.

July 22 – Captain America: The First Avenger

• Cast: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Stanley Tucci, Samuel L. Jackson, Kenneth Choi, Toby Jones, Richard Armitage, Natalie Dormer, Jenna Coleman, Stan Lee
• Director: Joe Johnston
• Studio: Marvel Studios, distributed by Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on July 19, 2011. The fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though chronologically it is the first movie in the timeline. The film began as a concept in 1997 and was to be distributed by Artisan Entertainment, but a lawsuit over ownership of the Captain America copyrights disrupted the project that was not settled until 2003. Marvel was going to license the film to Warner Bros. but producer David Maisel suggested they produce the film themselves. Marvel secured a $525 million investment from Merrill Lynch allowing them to independently produce ten films with Paramount agreeing to distribute. It was Paramount’s last film with Marvel. Jon Favreau and Louis Leterrier were interested in directing the film until Joe Johnston was approached in 2008. Favreau wanted to make the film as a comedy. Johnston was favored because of his work on The Rocketeer. The film’s working title was The First Avenger: Captain America. The film began production under the title FrostBite. Ryan Phillippe and John Krasinski were considered for the role of Captain America. The film features nearly 1,600 special effects shots. There were four shields made of different materials: solid aluminum, fiberglass with an aluminum face, polyurethane, and an ultrasoft one that Chris Evans wore on his back. Evans would practice swinging the heavy aluminum shield. During filming he could judge the weight while miming his actions and the shield was added later with CGI. Evans originally turned the role down three times, concerned about how the level of fame would affect his personal life. Robert Downey Jr. convinced him to take the role, noting he’d be able to sign on to any other role he wanted afterwards. Stanley Tucci took the role of Dr. Erskine because he’d always wanted to do a German accent. The film was to include cameos from Wolverine and Magneto, but were scrapped due to rights issues with 20th Century Fox. Namor the Sub-Mariner was also intended to make a cameo appearance. Reb Brown, who starred in 1979’s Captain America, shares a cameo scene with Stan Lee. Matt Salinger, who also played Captain America in an earlier production, contacted Marvel about a cameo. Sebastian Stan was considered for the role of Captain America but was cast as Bucky Barnes. Alice Eve, Gemma Arterton, and Keira Knightley were considered for the role of Peggy Carter. Emily Blunt turned down the role. Wyatt Russell auditioned for the role of Captain America, and in 2021 he appeared as the ‘new’ Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

July 22 – Friends with Benefits

• Cast: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Nolan Gould, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Andy Samberg, Shaun White
• Director: Will Gluck
• Studio: Screen Gems, Castle Rock Entertainment, Olive Bridge Entertainment, Zucker Productions, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on July 18, 2011. Jason Segel and Rashida Jones appear in uncredited roles.

July 27 – Colombiana

• Cast: Zoe Saldana, Amandla Stenberg, Jordi Mollà, Lennie James, Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Beto Benites, Jesse Borrego, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Angel Garnica, Ofelia Medina, Callum Blue, Sam Douglas, Graham McTavish, Charles Maquignon, Affif Ben Badra
• Director: Olivier Megaton
• Studio: EuropaCorp, TF1 Films Production, Grive Productions, Canal Plus, distributed by EuropaCorp Distribution[
• Trivia: After several screenings in France from June 25, 2011 to July 1, the film officially opened in France and Belgium on July 27. Two US premieres were held, the first in Miami on August 22, then Los Angeles on August 24 before the general release on August 26. The screenplay was based on Luc Besson’s Mathilda, which was originally written as a sequel to Léon: The Professional. This was Amandla Stenberg’s film debut.