Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #60 :: September 15•21

20th Century Fox

Every decade over the last one hundred years featured at least one new theatrical release this week, and while the first three decades didn’t feature films that could be considered ‘Oscar bait’ (the award didn’t exist in 1921), starting in 1951 you can see how studios began to focus on releasing major awards contenders in the Fall. 1951 saw a Broadway hit adapted into a film classic, and a film that has gone on to become a classic of the science fiction genre. 1961 included an adaptation of an Erskine Caldwell novel and a John D. MacDonald novel. 1971 included a British classic that got Oscar, Golden Globes and BAFTA attention, and Jack Lemmon’s debut — and swan song — as a director. 1981 saw a German U-boat drama sail into American cinemas and the hearts of Academy voters, a Golden Globe nominated role for Blair Brown, and Sissy Spacek being directed by her husband, not to mention a Canadian sci-fi film that scored big with the Genie Awards. 1991 had a film with an historic Oscar win, 2001 gave us a cult classic and a film that’s so bad it’s good, and 2011 had Oscar nominated films with Ryan Gosling and Gary Oldman. To find out about these films and more, read on!

1921

September 15 – Little Lord Fauntleroy

Cast: Mary Pickford, Claude Gillingwater, Joseph J. Dowling, James A. Marcus, Kate Price, Fred Malatesta, Rose Dione, Arthur Thalasso, Colin Kenny, Emmett King
Director: Alfred E. Green, Jack Pickford
Studio: United Artists
Trivia: Based on the 1886 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. A statue depicting Pickford’s role exists today on the façade of New York City’s landmarked I. Miller Building. The film used the common practice of double exposure to feature star Mary Pickford as two characters in the same scene, however this is the first instance of the characters touching for a three second kiss on the cheek that took fifteen hours to film. To keep the camera from shaking, it was stabilized with nearly a ton of weight.

1931

September 19 – Monkey Business

Cast: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx, Rockliffe Fellowes, Harry Woods, Thelma Todd, Ruth Hall, Tom Kennedy, Cecil Cunningham, Charlotte Mineau, Maxine Castle, Rolfe Sedan, Evelyn Pierce, Billy Bletcher, Bess Flowers, Cyril Ring, Ben Taggart, Davison Clark
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Studio: Paramount Publix Corp.
Trivia: The film premiered in Chicago on September 17, 1931. The third Marx Brothers film, and the first with an original screenplay rather than an adaptation of one of their Broadway shows, and the first shot in Hollywood. The brothers’ father Sam has a cameo sitting atop luggage on a pier. The film was banned in Ireland for fear it would encourage anarchic tendencies. The film did open in Ireland in 1932 with 16 unspecified edits. This was Norman MacLeod’s solo directorial debut. The Marx Brothers’ characters have no names in this film. The first Marx Brothers film to not feature Margaret Dumont.

1941

September 18 – Lady Be Good

Cast: Robert Young, Ann Sothern, Eleanor Powell, Red Skelton, Lionel Barrymore, Phil Silvers, Virginia O’Brien, John Carroll, Dan Dailey, Rose Hobart, Connie Russell
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on September 1, 1941. The title is taken from the 1924 George and Ira Gershwin Broadway musical Lady Be Good, but otherwise has no connection to the play. The film won an Academy Award for Best Song for ‘The Last Time I Saw Paris,’ composed by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. Busby Berkeley was the film’s original director, but was replaced by Norman Z. McLeod. Berkeley was retained however to direct the dance numbers.

1951

Warner Bros. Pictures

September 19 – A Streetcar Named Desire

Cast: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, Rudy Bond, Nick Dennis, Peg Hillias, Wright King, Ann Dere, Edna Thomas, Richard Garrick, Mickey Kuhn
Director: Elia Kazan
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: The film was screened at the Venice Film Festival on September 9, 1951, and held its Beverly Hills premiere on September 18. Adapted from Tennessee Williams’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 play, which was also directed by Elia Kazan. Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden reprised their original Broadway roles. Jessica Tandy played the role of Blanche DuBois on Broadway, but Vivien Leigh — who played the role on the London stage — was cast in the film for her star power. Brando received the first of four Best Actor Oscar nominations for the film. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1999. Mickey Kuhn is the last surviving member of the film’s cast (Kuhn also appeared with Leigh in Gone With the Wind at the age of five). The film features the first ever jazz score for a movie, composed by Alex North. Fitted T-shirts were not common at the time, so Brando’s had to be washed several times and stitched up the back to appear tightly on his torso. Kazan’s version of the film had to be edited to appease the Catholic Legion of Decency which threated the film with a Condemned rating. His version was not available until a 1993 restoration. This was the first film to score Oscar wins for both Supporting categories, for Karl Malden and Kim Hunter.

September 20 – The Day the Earth Stood Still

Cast: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Frances Bavier, Lock Martin
Director: Robert Wise
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on September 18, 1951. Also known as Farewell to the Master and Journey to the World. Based on the 1940 science fiction short story ‘Farewell to the Master’ by Harry Bates. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1995. Uncredited cast members include Guy Williams, Stuart Whitman, Olan Soule, and Franklyn Farnum. Spencer Tracy and Claude Rains originally were considered for the part of Klaatu, but Michael Rennie was cast because he was generally unknown to American audience who would more readily accept him as an alien. Frank Lloyd Wright collaborated with the set designers on the spacecraft, said to be inspired by Wright’s Johnson Wax Headquarters. The US Department of Defense refused to cooperate with the production, but military equipment and personnel were supplied by Fort George G. Meade in Maryland. Seven foot, seven inch tall Lock Martin played the robot Gort, and only worked in 30 minute intervals to limit the heat inside the costume on his weak constitution. None of the principal cast left Hollywood for location filming in Washington DC. A 60-minute adaptation of the film was presented by Lux Radio Theater on January 4, 1954 with Michael Rennie and Billy Gray reprised their roles.

September 20 – Here Comes the Groom

Cast: Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman, James Barton, Connie Gilchrist, Walter Catlett, Robert Keith, Alan Reed, Minna Gombell, Franchot Tone, Alexis Smith, H.B. Warner, Ian Wolfe, Nicholas Joy, Maidel Turner, Adeline De Walt Reynolds, Jacques Gencel, Beverly Washburn, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Louis Armstrong, Cass Daley, Phil Harris, Dorothy Lamour
Director: Frank Capra
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, and won the Oscar for Best Original Song, ‘In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening’. It was also Golden Globe nominated Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for Bing Crosby. Lux Radio Theater broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on September 15, 1952 with Jane Wyman reprising her film role.

1961

September 20 – Claudelle Inglish

Cast: Diane McBain, Arthur Kennedy, Will Hutchins, Constance Ford, Claude Akins, Frank Overton, Chad Everett, Robert Colbert, Ford Rainey, James Bell, Robert Logan, William Fawcett, Max Showalter, Hope Summers
Director: Gordon Douglas
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Trivia: Based on the 1958 novel by Erskine Caldwell. Received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design. Anne Francis was the original choice for the lead but was replaced by Diane McBain, who was among the many Warner Bros. television contract stars to be cast. This was Robert Logan’s film debut.

September 20 – Man-Trap

Cast: Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Stella Stevens, Elaine Devry, Virginia Gregg, Dorothy Green, Hugh Sanders, Frank Albertson, Arthur Batanides, Perry Lopez, Bernard Fein, Tol Avery, Bob Crane
Director: Edmond O’Brien
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Trivia: Based on the novel Soft Touch by John D. MacDonald. The film’s original title was Hell Is For Heroes, but Steve McQueen demanded the title for his own project filming at the same time under the title Separation Hill. Director Edmond O’Brien was furious that the studio gave in to McQueen, but he being the bigger star carried more clout. First credited film role for Bob Crane.

September 20 – Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile

Cast: Jeanne Crain, Vincent Price, Edmund Purdom, Amedeo Nazzari, Liana Orfei, Carlo D’Angelo, Raf Baldassarre, Alberto Farnese, Clelia Matania
Director: Fernando Cerchio
Studio: MAX Film, Colorama Features
Trivia: The film opened in Italy on September 20, 1961. The film did not get a UK release until April 25, 1963, and the US release was even later on January 15, 1964.

1971

September 15 – Red Sun

Cast: Charles Bronson, Ursula Andress, Toshirō Mifune, Alain Delon, Capucine, Barta Barri, Guido Lollobrigida, Anthony Dawson, Gianni Medici, Georges Lycan, Luc Merenda, Tetsu Nakamura, Mónica Randall, José Nieto, Julio Peña, Ricardo Palacios
Director: Terence Young
Studio: Les Films Corona, Oceania Produzioni Internazionali Cinematografiche, Producciones Balcázar S.A., distributed by Les Films Corona (France), National General Pictures (US)
Trivia: The film opened in France on September 15, 1971, but did not get a US release until June 9, 1972, followed by a UK release on June 22, 1972. John Landis makes an uncredited appearance.

September 17 – Kotch

Cast: Walter Matthau, Deborah Winters, Felicia Farr, Charles Aidman, Ellen Geer, Donald and Dean Kowalski, Arlen Stuart, Jane Connell, James E. Brodhead, Jessica Rains, Darrell Larson, Biff Elliot, Paul Picerni, Lucy Saroyan, Kim Hamilton, Amzie Strickland, Larry Linville
Director: Jack Lemmon
Studio: ABC Pictures, distributed by Cinerama Releasing Corporation
Trivia: Adapted from Katharine Topkins’ 1965 novel of the same name. The only film Jack Lemmon directed. He also has an unbilled cameo. Oscar nominated for Best Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song, and Best Sound. Walter Matthau was 50 at the time of filming, and Charles Aidman who played his son was 45. Larry Linville’s film debut.

September 21 – Sunday Bloody Sunday

Cast: Peter Finch, Glenda Jackson, Murray Head, Peggy Ashcroft, Tony Britton, Maurice Denham, Bessie Love, Vivian Pickles, Frank Windsor, Thomas Baptiste, Richard Pearson, June Brown, Hannah Norbert, Harold Goldblatt, Russell Lewis, Marie Burke, Caroline Blakiston, Peter Halliday, Jon Finch, Robert Rietti, Douglas Lambert, Nike Arrighi, Edward Evans, Gabrielle Daye, Esta Charkham
Director: John Schlesinger
Studio: Vectia, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: The film premiered in London on July 1, 1971, and was screened at the Venice Film Festival on September 5. The film opened in the US on September 21 and in the UK on September 26. Daniel Day-Lewis has an uncredited role as a child vandal. The original choices for the leads were Paul Scofield and Vanessa Redgrave. John Schlesinger wanted Peter Finch but he was busy with another film. Alan Bates was next on the list but he was also making a film. Ian Bannen was initially cast but was so unnerved by having to kiss another male actor that he couldn’t get into the part, worried what it would do to his career. Not taking the part actually set his career back, and Finch became available. Schlesinger was thinking of Jean Simmons for the female lead but cast Glenda Jackson after seeing her in Women in Love. The film was nominated for four Oscars – Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay — two Golden Globes, and eight BAFTAs, winning five (Best Film, Direction, Actor, Actress and Editing).

1981

September 16 – Beau Pere

Cast: Patrick Dewaere, Ariel Besse, Maurice Ronet, Geneviève Mnich, Maurice Risch, Macha Méril, Rose Thiéry, Pierre Le Rumeur, Yves Gasc, Michel Berto, Catherine Alcover, Henri-Jacques Huet, Jacques Rispal, Nathalie Baye, Nicole Garcia, Maurice Biraud
Director: Bertrand Blier
Studio: Parafrance Films
Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes on May 20, 1981 before its general release in France on September 16. The film was screened at the New York Film Festival on October 9, followed by a US release on October 11. Based on director Bertrand Blier’s novel of the same name. Blier also wrote the screenplay. Patrick Dewaere was an accomplished musician and played the piano himself in this movie.

September 16 – Cutter’s Way

Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Heard, Lisa Eichhorn, Ann Dusenberry, Stephen Elliott, Arthur Rosenberg, Francis X. McCarthy, Nina van Pallandt, Julia Duffy, Billy Drago, Jonathan Terry, Ted White, Patricia Donahue
Director: Ivan Passer
Studio: United Artists
Trivia: The film’s premiere was held in New York City on March 20, 1981, and it was screened at several festivals before its general US engagement including WorldFest Houston (April), Venice Film Festival (September 5), and TIFF (September 12). Also known as Cutter and Bone, and based on the 1976 novel Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg. Dustin Hoffman was originally slated to play Cutter, but had to leave the project due to a scheduling conflict.

Bavaria Film

September 17 – Das Boot

Cast: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Fritz Grade, Hubertus Bengsch, Martin Semmelrogge, Bernd Tauber, Erwin Leder, Martin May, Heinz Hoenig, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Claude-Oliver Rudolph, Jan Fedder, Ralf Richter, Joachim Bernhard, Oliver Stritzel, Konrad Becker, Lutz Schnell, Martin Hemme, Rita Cadillac, Otto Sander
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Studio: Bavaria Film, Radiant Film, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, SWR Fernsehen, distributed by Neue Constantin Film (Germany), Columbia Pictures (International)
Trivia: The film opened in West Germany on September 17, 1981, but did not get a North American release until February 10, 1982. An adaptation of Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s 1973 German novel of the same name. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards. The film has been presented in several different versions. The original theatrical release ran 149 minutes. A re-edited for television version was broadcast in the UK as six 50-minute episodes in 1984. Three 100-minute episodes were aired in Germany in 1985. A full 209-minute Director’s Cut was released in 1997. The film was shot in chronological order so beard growth would appear normal, although some scenes had to be re-shot later with fake beards. All of the dialogue was dubbed in as the film was shot silent due to the camera noise inside the submarine set. Rutger Hauer was offered the role of the Captain, but turned it down to do Blade Runner.

September 18 – Continental Divide

Cast: John Belushi, Blair Brown, Allen Garfield, Carlin Glynn, Val Avery, Tony Ganios, Liam Russell, Bruce Jarchow
Director: Michael Apted
Studio: Amblin Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
Trivia: The first film credited as being produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Productions. his was John Belushi’s next to last film. Blair Brown received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. James Caan and Christopher Walken had been considered for the male lead, and Jill Clayburgh was considered for the female lead. Blair Brown was cast because she resembled a young Katharine Hepburn. The film was meant to be an homage to the Hepburn and Tracy comedies of the 1940s.

September 18 – Raggedy Man

Cast: Sissy Spacek, Eric Roberts, R. G. Armstrong, Sam Shepard, William Sanderson, Henry Thomas, Carey Hollis, Tracey Walter
Director: Jack Fisk
Studio: Universal Pictures
Trivia: Based on William D. Wittliff and Sara Clark’s 1979 novel. Sissy Spacek was directed by her husband, Jack Fisk, in his feature film debut. Henry Thomas’ feature film debut. Sally Field was originally set to star but withdrew to do Back Roads. Talia Shire was also attached to star at one point.

September 19 – Threshold

Cast: Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Sharon Acker, Mare Winningham, John Marley, Allan Nicholls
Director: Richard Pearce
Studio: Canada Permanent Trust Company, Paragon Motion Pictures, distributed by Pan-Canadian Film Distributors (Canada), 20th Century Fox International Classics (US)
Trivia: The film premiered in Canada on September 19, 1981, but was not released in the US until January 21, 1983. The film was nominated for ten Genie Awards (the Canadian equivalent to the Oscar) and won two. Filmed on location at the newly constructed Ottawa General Hospital.

1991

September 18 – Mississippi Masala

Cast: Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury, Sahira Nair, Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore, Charles S. Dutton, Joe Seneca, Ranjit Chowdhry, Joseph Olita, Mohan Gokhale, Mohan Agashe, Tico Wells, Yvette Hawkins, Anjan Srivastav, Mira Nair, Rajika Puri, Richard Crick, Michael Wawuyo
Director: Mira Nair
Studio: Cinecom Pictures, The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Trivia: The film opened in France on September 18, 1991, but was not released in the UK until January 17, 1992, and the US on February 5, 1992. Ben Kingsley was cast as Nira’s father, but when he backed out, the original backers of the film withdrew as well. The film found new backers when Denzel Washington was cast as Demetrius.

September 20 – Late for Dinner

Cast: Peter Berg, Brian Wimmer, Marcia Gay Harden, Colleen Flynn, Peter Gallagher, Richard Steinmetz, Cassy Friel, Ross Malinger, Luce Rains, John Prosky, Bo Brundin, Donald Hotton, Kyle Secor, Billy Vera, Jeremy Roberts, Janeane Garofalo
Director: W. D. Richter
Studio: Castle Rock Entertainment, New Line Cinema, distributed by Columbia Pictures
Trivia: Janeane Garofalo’s first film appearance.

September 20 – McBain

Cast: Christopher Walken, Michael Ironside, Steve James, María Conchita Alonso, Victor Argo, Thomas G. Waites, Chick Vennera, Jay Patterson, Forrest Compton, Luis Guzmán, Dick Boccelli
Director: James Glickenhaus
Studio: Marble Hall, Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment
Trivia: The Simpsons featured a character named McBain which pre-dated the film, but producers of the film refused to give Fox and Matt Groening clearance to continue using the name, so the character was referred to by the actor’s name playing the McBain character, Rainier Wolfcastle, for a number of years (the name ‘McBain’ was reinstated after ironing out the difficulties with the film’s producers). Other titles considered for the film were McBain’s War and McBain’s Seven. The final film of Marshall Thompson.

September 20 – Rambling Rose

Cast: Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Robert Duvall, Lukas Haas, Lisa Jakub, Evan Lockwood, John Heard, Kevin Conway, Robert John Burke
Director: Martha Coolidge
Studio: Carolco Pictures, Midnight Sun Pictures, distributed by Seven Arts
Trivia: The film premiered at TIFF on September 10, 1991. Adapted from Calder Willingham’s 1972 novel of the same name. Laura Dern and Diane Ladd were nominated for the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Oscars, the first mother-daughter duo to be nominated in the same year for the same film (Ladd has also been nominated the previous year for playing Dern’s mother in Wild at Heart). The film won Independent Spirit Awards for Best Film and Best Director. Renny Harlin wanted to direct, but Martha Coolidge had already put in so much work during pre-production that he took a producer role, and was on set all the time. The film was originally going to be made in the 1970s with Peter Bogdanovich directing and Cybil Shepherd starring but the project fell apart and they made Daisy Miller instead.

September 20 – The Indian Runner

Cast: David Morse, Trevor Endicott, Viggo Mortensen, Brandon Fleck, Valeria Golino, Patricia Arquette, Charles Bronson, Sandy Dennis, Dennis Hopper, Jordan Rhodes, Benicio del Toro, Harry Crews, Eileen Ryan
Director: Sean Penn
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes in May 1991 and at TIFF on September 7. Based on Bruce Springsteen’s song ‘Highway Patrolman’. This was Sandy Dennis’ final film role. Sean Penn’s directorial debut. Burt Reynolds turned down the role of Mr. Roberts. Scenes featuring a character played by Cathy Moriarty were completely cut from the film. Viggo Mortensen’s neck tattoo, ‘Christene’, is probably a reference to his wife at the time, singer Exene Cervenka, whose real name is Christene.

2001

United Artists

September 21 – Ghost World

Cast: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Illeana Douglas, Brad Renfro, Pat Healy, Bob Balaban, Stacey Travis, Teri Garr, Dave Sheridan, Tom McGowan, David Cross, Brian George, Debra Azar, Rini Bell, Ezra Buzzington, Bruce Glover, Ashley Peldon, Patrick Fischler
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Studio: Advanced Medien, Granada Film, Jersey Shore, Mr. Mudd, distributed by United Artists
Trivia: The film was screened at the Seattle International Film Festival on June 16, 2001, and premiered in Los Angeles on July 18. The film’s engagement began in Los Angeles and New York City on July 20, followed by a limited release on August 3, and a general release on September 21. Based on the 1993-1997 comic book of the same name by Daniel Clowes, with Clowes co-writing the screenplay, which received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, the first comic book adaptation to receive that honor. The film is notable for its sparing use of extras, making the city feel intentionally empty. Steve Buscemi was so uncomfortable playing Seymour that he would immediately change his clothes at the end of shooting for the day to look completely different. Christina Ricci was originally set to play Enid, but was unable to take the role due to scheduling issues. Enid Coleslaw is an anagram of the name of the comic’s author Daniel Clowes.

September 21 – Glitter

Cast: Mariah Carey, Isabel Gomes, Max Beesley, Terrence Howard, Da Brat, Lindsey Pickering, Tia Texada, Courtnie Beceiro, Eric Benét, Valarie Pettiford, Ann Magnuson, Dorian Harewood, Grant Nickalls, Padma Lakshmi, Kim Roberts, Bill Sage
Director: Vondie Curtis Hall
Studio: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Laurence Mark Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox (North America), Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (International)
Trivia: Mariah Carey began work on the film and soundtrack in 1997 but had to put it on hold due to pressure from her record label to release a compilation album for the holidays. She also released another studio album in 1999, Rainbow, which completed her contract with Columbia Records. She moved to Virgin Records which gave her complete control over the All That Glitters project, which was eventually retitled Glitter. The film’s release was delayed from August 31 to September 21 due to Carey’s hospitalization for exhaustion after several appearances in which she demonstrated erratic behavior. Carey in 2009 said she regretted making the film, but co-star Max Beesley stands by the film and defends it. The original cut of the film ran two-and-a-half hours. This was Padma Lakshmi’s film debut.

September 21 – Megiddo: The Omega Code 2

Cast: Michael York, Michael Biehn, Diane Venora, R. Lee Ermey, Udo Kier, Franco Nero, Jim Metzler, David Hedison, Michael Paul Chan, Oleg Stefan, Noah Huntley, Chad Michael Murray
Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith
Studio: Gener8Xion Entertainment, TBN Films
Trivia: The film’s premiere was held on September 7, 2001. The shot showing Air Force One is taken from the film Air Force One.

2011

September 16 – Drive

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Kaden Leos, James Biberi, Jeff Wolfe, Russ Tamblyn, Andy San Dimas
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Studio: Bold Films, OddLot Entertainment, Marc Platt Productions, Motel Movies, distributed by FilmDistrict
Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes on May 20, 2011, where Nicolas Winding Refn won the Best Director award, the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 17, and at TIFF on September 10, 2011. Based on James Sallis’s 2005 novel of the same name. The film received a Best Sound Editing Academy Award nomination. Ryan Gosling replaced the originally cast Hugh Jackman. Albert Brooks shaved off his eyebrows to make his character appear emotionless. Bryan Cranston ad-libbed most of his dialogue to make up for the lack of dialogue spoken by Gosling’s character. Refn had no familiarity with Los Angeles, and chose locations for the film as Gosling drove him around at night.

September 16 – I Don’t Know How She Does It

Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Busy Philipps, Olivia Munn, Christina Hendricks, Emma Rayne Lyle, Kelsey Grammer, Jessica Szohr, Seth Meyers, Jane Curtin, Sarah Shahi, Theodore and Julius Goldberg, Leslie Guzman, Natalie Gold
Director: Douglas McGrath
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Trivia: Based on Allison Pearson’s 2002 novel of the same name.

September 16 – Restless

Cast: Henry Hopper, Mia Wasikowska, Ryō Kase, Schuyler Fisk, Jane Adams, Chin Han, Lusia Strus
Director: Gus Van Sant
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics, Imagine Entertainment, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics
Trivia: The film screened at Cannes on May 12, 2011, and at TIFF on September 8 before entering into limited US release on September 16. Based on a play by Jason Lew. Ron Howard originally planned to direct but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

September 16 – Straw Dogs

Cast: James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård, Dominic Purcell, Rhys Coiro, Willa Holland, Billy Lush, Laz Alonso, Walton Goggins, Anson Mount, Drew Powell
Director: Rod Lurie
Studio:Battleplan Productions, distributed by Screen Gems
Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on September 15, 2011. A remake of Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 film Straw Dogs, itself based on the Gordon Williams novel The Siege of Trencher’s Farm. The film was originally scheduled for release on February 25, 2011.

September 16 – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Cast: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Dencik, Stephen Graham, Simon McBurney, Toby Jones, John Hurt, Kathy Burke, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Konstantin Khabensky, Michael Sarne, John le Carré
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Studio: StudioCanal, Karla Films, Paradis Films, Kinowelt Filmproduktion, Working Title Films, distributed by StudioCanal
Trivia: The film was screened at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2011, and opened in general UK release on September 16. The film received a limited US run on December 9. Based on John le Carré’s 1974 novel of the same name. BAFTA winner for Best British Film. The film received three Oscar nominations: Adapted Screenplay, Original Score and Best Actor. Gary Oldman revealed that, for this film, he relearned his native English accent, as he had lost most of it since moving to the U.S. Michael Fassbender was originally cast as Ricki Tarr but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts with X-Men: First Class. This is director Tomas Alfredson’s first English movie.

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