Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #95 :: May 18•24

20th Century Fox

Ninety years of cinema are represented this week — 1922 had an off week — and the decades are filled with classic, blockbusters, firsts and flops. 1932 gave us the first all-star dramatic film that came with a famous line of dialogue, 1942 had a Steinbeck adaptation, 1962 gave Kirk Douglas one of his favorite roles, 1972 had another film in a popular UK comedy franchise, and put Charlton Heston in the pilot seat three years before Airport 1975. 1982 saw Steve Martin act with classic movie stars, and also produced a film that put Baltimore on the map. 1992 saw the beginning, and nearly the end, of David Fincher’s career, thawed out Brendan Fraser, and teamed Cruise and Kidman. 2002 had a controversial film told in reverse, and 2012 brought a board game to life on the big screen. Are any of your favorite films celebrating anniversaries this week? Read on to find out!

1922

• No new films were released this week in 1922.

1932

May 20 – Kreuzer Emden (Germany)

• Cast: Louis Ralph, Renée Stobrawa, Hans Schlenck, Werner Fuetterer, Fritz Greiner, Will Dohm, Willy Kaiser-Heyl, O.E. Hasse, Julius Brandt, Georg Henrich
• Director: Louis Ralph
• Production Company: Bavaria Film, distributed by Bayerische Film
• Trivia: The film opened in the US on September 2, 1932 as Cruiser Emden. A remake of a 1926 silent film Our Emden which had also been directed by Louis Ralph.

May 21 – Attorney for the Defense (USA)

• Cast: Edmund Lowe, Evelyn Brent, Constance Cummings, Don Dillaway, Douglas Haig, Dorothy Peterson, Bradley Page, Nat Pendleton, Dwight Frye, Wallis Clark, Clarence Muse
• Director: Irving Cummings
• Distributor: Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: The film was released in London on June 23, 29132 followed by a wide UK release on January 16, 1933.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

May 23 – Grand Hotel (Canada)

• Cast: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, Jean Hersholt, Robert McWade, Purnell B. Pratt, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Rafaela Ottiano, Morgan Wallace, Tully Marshall, Frank Conroy, Murray Kinnell, Edwin Maxwell, Allen Jenkins
• Director: Edmund Goulding
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s, Inc.
• Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on April 12, 1932. It did not open in the US until September 11, 1932. It was released in London on September 21, but did not get a wide UK release until February 6, 1933. Based on the 1930 play of the same title which was adapted from the 1929 novel Menschen im Hotel by Vicki Baum. To date, it is the only film to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture without being nominated in any other category. The film was remade as Week-End at the Waldorf in 1945, and was the basis for the 1989 Tony Award winning musical Grand Hotel. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2007. John Barrymore so wanted to work with Greta Garbo that he accepted a three-picture deal with MGM. Outside of a series of all-star musical revues studios produced in 1929 and 1930, this is considered the first all-star dramatic film featuring five of MGM’s biggest stars when conventional wisdom held that a maximum of two stars should appear in a film to force audiences to pay separate admissions to see their favorite stars.

1942

May 21 – Pacific Rendezvous (USA)

• Cast: Lee Bowman, Jean Rogers, Mona Maris, Carl Esmond, Paul Cavanagh, Blanche Yurka, Russell Hicks, Arthur Shields, William Post Jr., William Tannen, Frederick Worlock, Curt Bois, Felix Basch, Addison Richards, Edward Fielding
• Director: George Sidney
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s Inc.
• Trivia: Jean Rogers was just meant to appear in Lee Bowman’s screen test but studio executives liked them together and cast them both.

May 21 – Tortilla Flat (USA)

• Cast: Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, John Garfield, Frank Morgan, Akim Tamiroff, Sheldon Leonard, John Qualen, Donald Meek, Connie Gilchrist, Allen Jenkins, Henry O’Neill, Mercedes Ruffino, Nina Campana, Arthur Space, Betty Wells, Harry Burns, Terry (Toto)
• Director: Victor Fleming
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s Inc.
• Trivia: Based on the 1935 novel of the same name by John Steinbeck. Frank Morgan received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. John Garfield was on loan from Warner Bros. when Anthony Quinn was not available for the role of Danny. Desi Arnaz was also considered for the role.

May 22 – Syncopation (USA)

• Cast: Adolphe Menjou, Jackie Cooper, Bonita Granville, George Bancroft, Robert Benchley, Walter Catlett, Ted North, Todd Duncan, Connie Boswell, Frank Jenks, Jessie Grayson, Mona Barrie, Lindy Wade, Peggy McIntyre, Charlie Barnet, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Jack Jenney, Gene Krupa, Alvino Rey, Joe Venuti, Emory Parnell, Jack Thompson
• Director: William Dieterle
• Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
• Trivia: Also known as The Band Played On.

1952

May 20 – Brandy for the Parson (London)

• Cast: James Donald, Kenneth More, Jean Lodge, Frederick Piper, Charles Hawtrey, Michael Trubshawe, Alfie Bass, Wilfrid Caithness, Lionel Harris, Richard Molinas, Reginald Beckwith, Stanley Lemin, Arthur Wontner, Frank Tickle, Amy Dalby, Wensley Pithey, Sam Kydd
• Director: John Eldridge
• Production Company: Group 3 Films, distributed by Associated British-Pathé (UK)
• Trivia: The film was released in the US on August 16, 1952. Based on a short story by Geoffrey Household from Tales of Adventurers (1952). The title is a reference to the refrain of the poem ‘A Smuggler’s Song’ by Rudyard Kipling. Audrey Hepburn was originally cast in the film but was replaced by Jean Lodge after delays in the start of production.

May 20 – Emergency Call (London)

• Cast: Jack Warner, Anthony Steel, Joy Shelton, Sid James, Earl Cameron, John Robinson, Thora Hird, Eric Pohlmann, Sydney Tafler, Geoffrey Hibbert, Henry Hewitt, Vida Hope, Avis Scott, Freddie Mills, Peggy Bryan, Bruce Seton, Anna Turner, Nosher Powell, Campbell Singer, Nigel Clarke, Iris Vandeleur
• Director: Lewis Gilbert
• Production Company: Nettlefold Films, distributed by Butcher’s Film Service
• Trivia: The film was released in the US on June 3, 1953 as The Hundred Hour Hunt.

May 24 – Red Ball Express (USA)

• Cast: Jeff Chandler, Alex Nicol, Charles Drake, Judith Braun, Sidney Poitier, Jaqueline Duval, Bubber Johnson, Davis Roberts, Hugh O’Brian, Frank Chase, Cindy Garner, Gregg Palmer, John Hudson, Jack Kelly, Howard Petrie
• Director: Budd Boetticher
• Production Company: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film opened in the UK on October 6, 1952. James Edwards was originally cast in the role of Robertson, but was fired during production when he refused to testify before HUAC. He was replaced by Sidney Poitier.

1962

May 21 – Lonely Are the Brave (UK)

• Cast: Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau, Michael Kane, Carroll O’Connor, William Schallert, George Kennedy, Karl Swenson, Bill Mims, Martin Garralaga, Lalo Ríos
• Director: David Miller
• Production Company: Joel Productions, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film opened in London on April 27, 1962. Its US premiere was held in Houston, Texas on May 24, followed by the US release on May 25. It opened in Canada on June 13. Adaptation of the Edward Abbey novel The Brave Cowboy. Bill Bixby appears uncredited as a helicopter pilot. Features an early score by composer Jerry Goldsmith. Kirk Douglas performed most of his own stunts. Carroll O’Connor’s film debut.

May 23 – The Bread of Those Early Years (Germany)

• Cast: Christian Doermer, Karen Blanguernon, Vera Tschechowa, Eike Siegel, Gerry Bretscher, Tilo von Berlepsch
• Director: Herbert Vesely
• Production Company: Modern Art Film
• Trivia: The film screened at Cannes on May 22, 1962. Based on the novel The Bread of Those Early Years by Heinrich Böll.

May 23 – The Elusive Corporal (France)

• Cast: Jean-Pierre Cassel, Claude Brasseur, O. E. Hasse, Claude Rich, Jacques Jouanneau, Sacha Briquet, Raymond Jourdan, Guy Bedos, Philippe Castelli, Gérard Darrieu, Cornelia Froboess
• Director: Jean Renoir
• Production Company: Les Films du Cyclope, distributed by Pathé Consortium Cinéma
• Trivia: The film was released in the UK on October 18, 1962. The story serves as a companion piece to Jean Renoir’s 1937 film Grand Illusion.

May 23 – Escape from Zahrain (USA)

• Cast: Yul Brynner, Sal Mineo, Madlyn Rhue, Jack Warden, Anthony Caruso
• Director: Ronald Neame
• Production Company: Paramount Pictures, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Olive Films
• Trivia: The film was released in the UK on June 28, 1962. Based on the novel Appointment in Zahrain by Michael Barrett. Originally intended to star Clark Gable, but he died while the film was in development.

May 24 – The Inspector (USA)

• Cast: Stephen Boyd, Dolores Hart, Leo McKern, Hugh Griffith, Donald Pleasence, Harry Andrews, Robert Stephens, Marius Goring, Finlay Currie, Harold Goldblatt, Neil McCallum, Geoffrey Keen, Jean Anderson, Michael David, Jane Jordan Rogers
• Director: Philip Dunne
• Production Company: Red Lion Films, distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
• Trivia: The film was also released in the UK in May 1962. Also known as Lisa. Natalie Wood was originally cast as Lisa but dropped out and was replaced with Dolores Hart, who was under contract to Fox, as was Stephen Boyd.

1972

May 18 – The Rowdyman (Canada)

• Cast: Gordon Pinsent, Will Geer, Frank Converse, Linda Goranson
• Director: Peter Carter
• Distributor: Crawley Films
• Trivia: The film was not released in the US until July 1973. Gordon Pinsent won the Canadian Film Award for Best Leading Actor.

May 19 – Carry On Matron (UK)

• Cast: Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw, Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Connor, Terry Scott, Kenneth Cope, Jacki Piper, Bill Maynard, Patsy Rowlands, Derek Francis, Amelia Bayntun, Valerie Leon, Brian Osborne, Gwendolyn Watts, Valerie Shute, Margaret Nolan, Michael Nightingale, Wendy Richard, Zena Clifton, Bill Kenwright, Robin Hunter, Jack Douglas, Madeline Smith
• Director: Gerald Thomas
• Distributor: The Rank Organisation
• Trivia: The 23rd of 31 ‘Carry On’ films. The seventh and final ‘Carry On’ film for Terry Scott. The corridors in Pinewood Studios doubled for the hospital corridors.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

May 24 – Skyjacked (USA)

• Cast: Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, James Brolin, Claude Akins, Jeanne Crain, Susan Dey, Roosevelt Grier, Mariette Hartley, Walter Pidgeon, Ken Swofford, Leslie Uggams, Ross Elliott, Nicholas Hammond, Jayson Kane, Maureen Connell, John Fiedler
• Director: John Guillermin
• Production Company: Walter Seltzer Productions, Inc., distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: The film was released in the UK in August 1972. Based on the David Harper novel Hijacked. Jeanne Crain’s 64th and final film. Debuts of Susan Dey and Roosevelt ‘Rosey’ Grier. The film’s working titles were Hijacked and Airborne.

May 24 – The Possession of Joel Delaney (USA)

• Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Perry King, Michael Hordern, Barbara Trentham, Míriam Colón, Earl Hyman, David Elliott, Lisa Kohane, Lovelady Powell
• Director: Waris Hussein
• Production Company: Haworth Productions, ITC Entertainment, distributed by Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: The film was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in June 1972, and opened in the UK on August 17. Based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Ramona Stewart. Shirley MacLaine turned down the lead role in The Exorcist to make this film. First starring role for Perry King, and only his second film.

1982

May 19 – Le Beau Mariage (France)

• Cast: Béatrice Romand, André Dussollier, Féodor Atkine, Arielle Dombasle
• Director: Éric Rohmer
• Distributor: Acteurs Auteurs Associés
• Trivia: The film opened in the US on August 27, 1982 and in the UK on October 8.

May 21 – Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (USA)

• Cast: Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, George Gaynes, Reni Santoni, Adrian Ricard, Carl Reiner, Francis X. McCarthy, Gene LeBell, Cheryl Smith
• Archival Footage Cast: Alan Ladd, Barbara Stanwyck, Ray Milland, Ava Gardner, Burt Lancaster, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Veronica Lake, Bette Davis, Lana Turner, Edward Arnold, Kirk Douglas, Fred MacMurray, James Cagney, Joan Crawford, Charles Laughton, Vincent Price
• Director: Carl Reiner
• Production Company: Aspen Film Society, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film was screened at the USA Film Festival on May 4, 1982, and opened in the UK on June 18. The title refers to Steve Martin’s character telling a story about a woman obsessed with plaid in a scene that was ultimately cut from the film. The film incorporates clips from 19 vintage films combined with new material shot in black and white. The last film for costume designer Edith Head and composer Miklós Rózsa. 85 sets were constructed, an unusually high number due to the need to match the scenes from the vintage film clips used in the movie.

May 21 – Diner (USA)

• Cast: Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Tim Daly, Ellen Barkin, Paul Reiser, Kathryn Dowling, Michael Tucker, Colette Blonigan, Jessica James, Clement Fowler, Kelle Kipp
• Director: Barry Levinson
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by MGM/United Artists Distribution and Marketing (United States), United International Pictures (international)
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held in Baltimore, Maryland on March 2, 1982. The film was screened at the New York Film Festival on April 2, and at the USA Film Festival on May 5.Barry Levinson’s film directorial debut and the first of his ‘Baltimore Films’ tetralogy. Test screenings received poor reactions and MGM was unsure about releasing the film. Critic Pauline Kael was shown the film without MGM’s knowledge and she called the studio to let them know she was giving it a rave review whether it was released or not, as were other critics. All of the diner scenes were filmed last, after the cast got to know each other. Kevin Bacon had just quit the soap opera Guiding Light and the audition for Diner was the only thing he had lined up. He had the flu the day of his screen test. Film debuts of Paul Reiser and Tim Daly and credited debut of Ellen Barkin. Levinson’s original screenplay was Oscar nominated but lost to Gandhi.

May 21 – Fighting Back (USA)

• Cast: Tom Skerritt, Patti LuPone, Michael Sarrazin, Yaphet Kotto, David Rasche, Lewis Van Bergen, Earle Hyman, Ted Ross, Frank Sivero, Pat Cooper, Paul Rawson, Gina DeAngelis, Allan Graf, Donna de Varona, Jonathan Adam Sherman, Pete Richardson, Joseph Rangno, Sal Richards, Jim Moody
• Director: Lewis Teague
• Production Company: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Released in the UK as Death Vengeance.

1992

May 22 – Alien 3 (USA)

• Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Brian Glover, Ralph Brown, Paul McGann, Danny Webb, Lance Henriksen, Tom Woodruff Jr., Pete Postlethwaite, Holt McCallany, Peter Guinness, Danielle Edmond, Christopher Fairbank, Phil Davis, Vincenzo Nicoli, Leon Herbert, Christopher John Fields, Niall Buggy, Hi Ching, Carl Chase, Clive Mantle, DeObia Oparei, Paul Brennen
• Director: David Fincher
• Production Company: Brandywine Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held in Century City, California on May 19, 1992. It was also released in Canada on May 22, and then in the UK on August 21. David Fincher’s feature directorial debut. Fincher has disowned the film because of studio interference. Earned an Academy Award nomination for Special Effects. A new cut of the film was issued in 2003, known as the ‘Assembly Cut’, without Fincher’s involvement. The film’s most iconic shot between Ripley and the Alien in the infirmary was shot by Fincher against studio orders, but it ended up being featured heavily in the film’s promotion. The film nearly ended Fincher’s career before it started but Fincher was often defended by Sigourney Weaver against the studio, and producer Arnold Kopelson knew and didn’t respect the Fox management, and he offered Fincher the chance to direct Se7en, which was a massive success and restarted Fincher’s career. Weaver had to wear a wig off set because her two-year-old daughter didn’t like seeing her bald. $7 million was spent on sets that were never used because of the constantly changing script. A scene filmed one day was often scrapped the next. Michael Biehn was so upset about his character from Aliens being so carelessly killed off at the beginning of the film that he refused the studio’s request to use a dummy in his likeness as his corpse. He did allow the use of his photograph. Biehn’s character Hicks was actually the lead in an early draft of the script because Weaver’s involvement was in question. After the film’s rough cut was assembled, another year of filming and reshoots were required. The reshoots were Fincher’s last straw and he walked away from the film, so the additional footage was shot by an almost entirely new crew. Fincher stated that the only way there could ever be a true director’s cut of his film would be to burn the existing one and start over completely. During the 1992 L.A. riots, which got close to the film lab, Fincher hoped it would be burned down with the film in it. The screeches and hisses of the Alien were created by recording the sounds of geese and pigs, and altering these in post-production.

May 22 – Encino Man (USA)

• Cast: Sean Astin, Brendan Fraser, Mariette Hartley, Richard Masur, Pauly Shore, Megan Ward, Michael DeLuise, Robin Tunney, Patrick Van Horn, Dalton James, Rick Ducommun, Esther Scott, Jonathan Quan, Rose McGowan, Michole White, Ellen Blain, Sandra Hess, Mike Diamente, Erick Avari, Gerry Bednob
• Director: Les Mayfield
• Production Company: Hollywood Pictures, Touchwood Pacific Partners I, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
• Trivia: The film opened in the UK on September 25, 1992. Known as California Man in France, Great Britain, Asia and New Zealand. In the scene where Brendan Fraser is eating out of the dog bowl, he is actually eating Cookie Crisp cereal. Film debut of Rose McGowan.

May 22 – Far and Away (USA)

• Cast: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Thomas Gibson, Robert Prosky, Barbara Babcock, Cyril Cusack, Eileen Pollock, Colm Meaney, Douglas Gillison, Michelle Johnson, Clint Howard, Rance Howard, Niall Tóibín, James Jude Courtney
• Director: Ron Howard
• Production Company: Imagine Entertainment, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film screened at Cannes on May 18, 1992, and had its US premiere in Beverly Hills, California on May 20. It was also released in Italy on May 22, then the UK on July 31. This was the last cinematography credit for Mikael Salomon before he moved on to a directing career. This was Cyril Cusack’s final film. Working titles for the film included The Irish Story and An Irish Story. The final title comes from a closing lyric to singer Enya’s song ‘Book of Days’. It was the first film shot in Panavision Super 70 and the first film to be shot in 70mm in a decade since Tron. The recreation of the Great Land Rush involved 800 extras, 400 horses and 200 wagons.

May 22 – The Long Day Closes (UK)

• Cast: Marjorie Yates, Leigh McCormack, Anthony Watson, Nicholas Lamont, Ayse Owens, Tina Malone, Jimmy Wilde, Robin Polley, Pete Ivatts
• Director: Terence Davies
• Production Company: British Film Institute (BFI), Channel Four Films, Film Four International, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics
• Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes on May 13, 1992 and released in Italy on May 14. It then screened at TIFF on September 12, but did not get a US release until May 28, 1993. The film uses 35 pieces of original music – often in their entirety – in its brief 85 minute running time.

May 23 – Only You (South Korea)

• Cast: Andrew McCarthy, Kelly Preston, Helen Hunt
• Director: Betty Thomas
• Production Company: Dayjob Films, Highlight Communications, Pro Filmworks, distributed by Live America
• Trivia: The film did not open in the US until September 16, 1992. Betty Thomas’ film directing debut.

2002

May 22 – Irréversible (India)

• Cast: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel, Jo Prestia, Fatima Adoum, Mourad Khima, Hellal, Jaramillo, Michel Gondoin, Jean-Louis Costes, Philippe Nahon, Stéphane Drouot
• Director: Gaspar Noé
• Production Company: Les Cinémas de la Zone, StudioCanal, distributed by Mars Distribution
• Trivia: The film opened in France and Italy, and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, on May 24, 2002. The film screened at Sundance in January 2003, and was released in the UK on January 31. It received a limited US release onMarch 7, 2003. Gaspar Noé secured financing for the film by pitching the idea that the story would be told in reverse to capitalize on Christopher Nolan’s Memento. Ironically, the film was shot in actual chronological order except for the end scene. During sixty minutes of its running time, the film uses extremely low-frequency sound to create a state of nausea and anxiety in the audience. Every single actor in this film is only credited with their last name.

May 23 – Beneath Clouds (Australia)

• Cast: Dannielle Hall, Damian Pitt
• Director: Ivan Sen
• Production Company: Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Autumn Films Pty. Ltd., Axiom Films
• Trivia: The film screened at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 8, 2002, and at Sundance on January 17, 2003. The feature film debut of the two leads.

May 24 – Biggie & Tupac (UK, documentary)

• Cast: Christopher Wallace (archive footage), Tupac Shakur (archive footage), Nick Broomfield, Russell Poole, Voletta Wallace, Billy Garland, David Hicken, Suge Knight
• Director: Nick Broomfield
• Distributor: Roxie Releasing, Lions Gate Entertainment
• Trivia: The film screened at Sundance on January 11, 2002, and received a limited US release on September 27.

May 24 – FUBAR (Canada, limited)

• Cast: Dave Lawrence, Paul Spence, Gordon Skilling, Tracey Lawrence, Rose Martin, Sage Lawrence, Dr. S.C. Lim, Jim Lawrence, Andrew Sparacino, Laurie D’Amour, Cameron Swirka, Peter N. Cipriano
• Director: Michael Dowse
• Distributor: Odeon Films
• Trivia: The film was screened at Sundance in January 2002. It was not released in the UK until May 21, 2004. The F-word is said 274 times.

2012

Universal Pictures

May 18 – Battleship (USA)

• Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, Tadanobu Asano, Liam Neeson, Hamish Linklater, Jesse Plemons, John Tui, Gregory D. Gadson, Adam Godley, Peter MacNicol, Jerry Ferrara, Stephen Bishop, Josh Pence, Rami Malek, Louis Lombardi, Gary Grubbs
• Director: Peter Berg
• Production Company: Hasbro Studios, Bluegrass Films, Film 44, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered in Tokyo on April 3, 2012, and opened in the UK on April 11. The film rolled out internationally through April and May before its US/Canada release. Based on the board game of the same name. The alien projectile explosives strongly resemble the markers from the original game and they plant themselves in their targets in a similar manner. Nominated for six awards at the 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, winning one for Worst Supporting Actress for Rihanna for her acting debut. Jeremy Renner was considered for the role of Hopper, which went to Taylor Kitsch.

May 18 – Beyond the Black Rainbow (USA, limited)

• Cast: Michael Rogers, Eva Allan, Scott Hylands, Marilyn Norry, Rondel Reynoldson, Sara Stockstad, Roy Campsall
• Director: Panos Cosmatos
• Production Company: Chromewood Productions, distributed by Magnet Releasing, Mongrel Media
• Trivia: The film premiered at the Whistler Film Festival on December 3, 2010, and was screened at many other festivals including Tribeca (April 22, 2011), the Fantasia International Film Festival (July 29, 2011), the Phoenix Film Festival (March 31, 2012) and the Imagine Film Festival (April 19, 2012). Panos Cosmatos’s feature directorial debut. He is the son of director George P. Cosmatos (Rambo: First Blood Part II, Cobra). The film was funded through DVD residuals from Tombstone, also directed by his father. As the film references films from the 70s and 80s, the cinematographer felt shooting on 35mm film was the only way to capture the grain, colors and textures or the era. Barry Nyle’s pills are from Benway’s Pharmacy. Dr. Benway is a recurring character in the works of William S. Burroughs. Feature debut for actress Eva Allan. The film contains references to John Carpenter’s Dark Star, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, and Repo Man.

May 18 – Crooked Arrows (USA, limited)

• Cast: Brandon Routh, Chelsea Ricketts, Gil Birmingham, Crystal Allen, Jack Vandervelde, Dennis Ambriz, Robert Coffie, Tyler Hill, Jerome Vincent, Lee Cunningham, Jartivius Thompson III, Stephen Serewicz
• Director: Steve Rash
• Production Company: Sports Studio, distributed by Freestyle Releasing
• Trivia: The film was given a limited release in Canada on June 1, 2012. Generally considered to be the first feature film about the sport of lacrosse. The film would not have been made without permission from the Onondaga Nation. The Sunaquot tribe featured in the film is actually fictional.

May 18 – Entrance (USA, limited)

• Cast: Suziey Block, Joshua Grote, Karen Gorham, Liesel Kopp, Jonathan Margolis, Bennet Jones, Florence Hartigan
• Director: Patrick Horvath, Dallas Hallam
• Production Company: Toward a New Cinema, distributed by IFC Midnight
• Trivia: The house in which they shot belongs to cast member Karen Gorham. Director Dallas Hallam and his wife live in the basement. Due to budget constraints, Suziey Nlock’s character held the same job as the actress – a barista.

May 18 – The Samaritan (USA, limited)

• Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Luke Kirby, Ruth Negga, Deborah Kara Unger, Martha Burns, Alan C. Peterson, Aaron Poole, Tom McCamus, Tom Wilkinson, Gil Bellows
• Director: David Weaver
• Distributor: H2O Motion Pictures
• Trivia: The film was released as Fury in the UK on April 20, 2012. It also received a limited release in Canada on May 18.

May 18 – Hysteria (USA, limited)

• Cast: Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jonathan Pryce, Felicity Jones, Rupert Everett, Ashley Jensen, Gemma Jones, Malcolm Rennie, Kim Criswell, Georgie Glen, Anna Chancellor, Tobias Menzies
• Director: Tanya Wexler
• Production Company: Informant Media, Beachfront Films, Forthcoming Productions, Chimera Films LLC, by alternative pictures, Delux Productions, Lankn Media, WDR/Arte, arte France Cinéma, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics
• Trivia: The film was screened at TIFF on September 15, 2011. It opened first in Russia on November 17, 2011, and in several European markets from January to April 2012 before its limited US release. It received a limited Canadian release on May 25, 2012, and opened in the UK on September 21. Based on historian Rachel Maines’s 1999 book The Technology of Orgasm. The film’s basis, that the vibrator was developed for use for the medical condition of ‘hysteria’, has since been debunked.

May 18 – Lovely Molly (USA, limited)

• Cast: Gretchen Lodge, Johnny Lewis, Alexandra Holden, Ken Arnold, Lauren Lakis
• Director: Eduardo Sánchez
• Production Company: Amber Entertainment, Haxan Films, distributed by Image Entertainment
• Trivia: The film was screened at TIFF on September 14, 2011, and at South By Southwest on March 12. The film opened in Canada on June 1, and in the UK on June 29. The film’s working title was The Possession. The title was later changed after the filmmakers found out about the traditional Irish folk song ‘Lovely Molly’ in post-production. Gretchen Lodge’s film debut.

May 18 – Mansome (USA, limited)

• Cast: Morgan Spurlock, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Adam Carolla, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis
• Director: Morgan Spurlock
• Production Company: Paladin, Dumbdumb, Electus, Warrior Poets
• Trivia: The film was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2012.

May 18 – Virginia (USA, limited)

• Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Emma Roberts, Harrison Gilbertson, Amy Madigan, Carrie Preston, Toby Jones, Alex Frost, Yeardley Smith, Paul Walter Hauser
• Director: Dustin Lance Black
• Production Company: TicTock Studios, Killer Films, distributed by Entertainment One
• Trivia: Premiered at TIFF on September 10, 2010. Originally titled What’s Wrong With Virginia. To create Virginia’s style, director Dustin Lance Black requested star Jennifer Connelly’s advice for the set design of the character’s house, as well as her wardrobe. Liam Neeson was originally cast but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. He was replaced by Ed Harris.

May 18 – What to Expect When You’re Expecting (USA)

• Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Ben Falcone, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Rodrigo Santoro, Joe Manganiello, Rob Huebel, Thomas Lennon, Amir Talai, Rebel Wilson, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Dwyane Wade, Whitney Port, Megan Mullally, Cheryl Ann Tweedy, Tyce Diorio, Taboo, Kim Fields, Jesse Burch, Mimi Gianopulos, Genesis Rodriguez
• Director: Kirk Jones
• Production Company: Alcon Entertainment, Phoenix Pictures, What to Expect Productions, Georgia Public, distributed by Lionsgate
• Trivia: The film was released in a few international markets on May 17, 2012. It was released in the UK on May 25. Based on Heidi Murkoff’s 1984 pregnancy guide of the same name. Kristen Wiig was offered a role but had to decline due to conflicts with her Saturday Night Live schedule.

May 22 – English: An Autumn in London (India)

• Cast: Jayasurya, Nivin Pauly, Mukesh, Nadia Moidu, Remya Nambeesan, Sona Nair, Varada Sethu
• Director: Shyamaprasad
• Production Company: Navarang Screens
• Trivia: The film was to be shot in the US but due to logistical problems it was moved to the UK, which required a few script tweaks after locations were set.

May 23 – On the Road (France)

• Cast: Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kristen Stewart, Alice Braga, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Elisabeth Moss, Danny Morgan, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Buscemi, Terrence Howard, Giselle Itié, Marie-Ginette Guay
• Director: Walter Salles
• Production Company: American Zoetrope, MK2, Film4, France Télévisions, CanalPlus, CinéPlus, France 2 Cinéma, Vanguard Films, distributed by MK2 Diffusion (France), Lionsgate, Icon Film Distribution, PlayArte Filmes (Brazil), IFC Films, Alliance Films (Canada)
• Trivia: The film screened at TIFF on September 6, 2012. It was released in the UK on October 12, 2012, and received a limited release in the US on December 21, 2012, and in Canada on January 18, 2013. Adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s 1957 novel On the Road. Kerouac wrote a letter to Marlon Brando in 1957 suggesting him for the role of Dean Moriarty while Kerouac would play Sal Paradise. Brando never responded and Warner Bros. offered Kerouac $110,000 for the rights to the book. His agent turned it down because Paramount was offering $150,000, and wanted Brando to be cast. The deal fell through and Kerouac was angry that his agent was asking for too much money. Francis Ford Coppola bought the rights in 1979. After several attempts to get the film made, Coppola saw The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) and hired that film’s director, Walter Salles. The film fell apart when the economy collapsed in 2008 and Salles was about to move on to another project. French financiers asked if he had any passion projects and he told them about On The Road, and the film was greenlit in 2010 with a $25 million budget. To prepare for the film, Salles took his own road trip, following the route in the book, to understand ‘the complexity of the jazz-infused prose and the sociopolitical climate that informed the period.’ During the trip he made the documentary Searching for On The Road. Salles had to convince his 2007 cast — Sam RIley, Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart — to remain committed to the film. Stewart’s scenes had to be shot before she began her work on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn in October 2010. Gatineau, Quebec stand in for Denver, Colorado. Filming also took place in Montreal, Calgary, San Francisco and New Orleans. Scenes in Mexico had to be filmed in Arizona because of the escalating drug wars in that country. Garrett Hedlund filmed a scene in the Andes, driving a 1949 Hudson Hornet through a blizzard, wearing goggles and screaming out the window while the director sat in the passenger seat with the camera. Another camera was mounted to the front of the car. Amy Adams was a new mom when filming began, so she opted to wear little make-up and use her natural tiredness to portray her character’s drug addiction. This was the final film for Michael Sarrazin. He died the year prior to this film’s release.