My Cousin Vinny

1992’s My Cousin Vinny is widely regarded as a cinematic treasure and one of the top ten films of all time – well maybe not but it’s pretty funny.

On the surface this film is a “fish out of water” comedy where two kids from Brooklyn get swept up as murder suspects while driving thru the deep-south. After stopping at the ‘ol “Sack of Suds” convenience store, the clerk is killed and the kids were the last ones witnessed at the scene of the crime - case closed, right? So bring in Cousin Vinny, a car mechanic turned night student turned new lawyer “of almost 6 weeks” and the story begins.

My Cousin Vinny was actually intended and cleverly written to raise questions on capital punishment and class system in the American judicial system. As you might recall, there really is no antagonist character – not the prosecutor, sheriff, judge or eye witnesses – they’re all basically good people trying to do the right thing.

The film’s antagonist is the judicial system itself where well-intentioned people make mistakes. And in this case, those mistakes might send two innocent kids, Billy and Stan, to the electric chair. That is unless newly minted lawyer, Vinny Gambini, Esq., can pull a rabbit out of his hat. And he does with the help of Ms. “Oh ya, you blend” Mona Lisa Vito.

OTHER KOOKY FACTS…

If we know one thing and one thing only it’s that everyone in Hollywood is a genius – nobody but nobody wanted to direct this great low-budget film. Finally, Jonathan Lynn, an English lawyer/director signed on.
Fred Gwynne was not exactly the top choice to play Judge Haller – too typecast as Herman Munster. But Director Lynn, from England, didn’t know The Munsters and cast him for this classic role.
“Did You Say Yutes?” This classic line resulted from a pre-production meeting between Joe Pesci (New Yorker) and Director Jonathan Lynn (Brit). Pesci kept calling the kids “yutes” and Lynn had no clue what the hell Pesci was saying…”These two yutes” & “Did you say yutes” were written into the script from that meeting.
All-Time Greatest Opening Statement: “Everything that guy just said is BS!”

Fight Club

1999’s Fight Club, combines black comedy, satire, drama, action and psychological thriller genres in a fuel-injected red-sticky-snowball of sick, toxic joy. The Venice screening was not quite prepared for Fight Club and the film got panned initially.

DID YOU KNOW…

Author, Chuck Palahniuk, wrote the novel, Fight Club, after getting into a vicious fist fight on a camping trip. He came home and went to work with his face bashed in…and nobody asked any questions, ignored the damage and moved on. The premise of what goes on in peoples’ private lives spurred the book’s idea.

Where did the name “Tyler Durden” come from? Tyler was from an old Walt Disney story – Tyler Goes to the Circus. Durden was the name of Palahniuk’s former co-worker fired for sexual harassment.

Did you catch the subliminal glimpses of Tyler Durden in Act I? We see a one-frame shot of Tyler Durden, Jack’s alter-ego, first in the office scene by the copier, next at the doctor’s office and then again at the gymnasium support group meeting. We finally meet Tyler at the airport on the moving sidewalk.

Also, when Jack is at the hotel watching TV – he watches the hotel’s welcome channel. The screen shows hotel workers. You’ll quickly see Tyler Durden in the front row, far right.

Where did Jack’s support group made-up names (Travis, Rupert, and Cornelius) come from? They used a combination of Robert De Niro characters from the 1970’s and Planet of the Apes – go figure.

Kill Bill - Vol. 2

Kiddo takes up where she left off on her Hanso-sword revenge spree.

Kill Bill Vol. 2 is a modern spaghetti western, detours from Tarantino’s iconic dialogue-driven story telling and relies heavily on visuals.

DID YOU KNOW…

Bill’s “flute” is the same one David Carradine played in his 1970’s cult TV show, Kung-Fu. Welcome back.

Esteban, the Mexican Pimp, is played by Michael Parks – Parks also played Earl Monroe, Texas Ranger, in Kill Bill Vol. I. The character, Ranger Earl Monroe, is an encore performance – Tarantino fans will remember Ranger Earl Monroe in From Dusk Til Dawn.

What the? Did Esteban come out of nowhere? Tarantino created the Mexican cantina scene with Kiddo and Esteban in reference to Apocalypse Now – a trip deep up river, an unexpected, eccentric character living in the weeds that protagonist, Kiddo, meets along her journey.

Apocalypse Now

1979’s Apocalypse Now – “the horror…the horror.” That sums up the production nightmare that plagued this iconic Vietnam War classic nominated for 8 Oscars.

Principal photography began in the Philippines in the spring of 1976 but didn’t wrap until the summer of 1977. Francis Ford Coppola nearly died, Martin Sheen had a heart attack, driving rain storms destroyed sets, payroll cash was stolen by locals, Marlon Brando showed up grossly overweight, Coppola couldn’t come up with an ending, and oh ya, the script ran about 1,000 pages at one point.

…DID YOU KNOW…

Producer Coppola wanted George Lucas to direct. Lucas was set to direct this movie after completing THX 138 (small world if you read below). However, Lucas went on to direct American Graffiti after THX 138 so the Apocalypse Now film production was delayed. But after American Graffiti Lucas got the green light on his little project called Star Wars – Lucas out, Coppola in.

Steve McQueen was first choice for Capt. Willard. Then Al Pacino. Then Harvey Keital. Film production began with Keital but Coppola wasn’t buying his interpretation of Capt. Willard. Martin Sheen in – one heart attack later this narrative role is a classic.

About the ending, Coppola struggled on this. Debate continues on exactly how many versions were considered. Marlon Brando didn’t help the cause when he showed up bloated – they had to shoot around his massive girth. Brando got paid a whopping $3.5M for about a month’s work.

Note the book “On Golden Brough” on Col. Kurtz’s nightstand near the end. This became the basis for the Apocalypse Now ending – guy heads up river, kills the king and assumes the throne.

Did that water buffalo slaughter seem real? It is.

Best Quote:

“You’re an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill.” Col. Kurtz

From Here To Eternity

Ernest Borgnine, baby. Need I say more? Ernest “freak’n” Borgnine is movie magic and you damn well know it. 1953’s From Here to Eternity was nominated for 13 Oscars and took home 8, including best screenplay (Daniel Taradash), picture, director and supporting actor (Frank Sinatra)…all due to Ernest B’s work as Sergeant Fatso – genius.

DID YOU KNOW…

In a film starring Burt Lancaster, Donna Reed, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr & Frank Sinatra, only Lancaster was first choice of the bunch for their respective roles.

Eli Wallach was first choice for the troubled “Maggio” role. Eli bowed out for a Broadway role and Maggio went to Sinatra…or maybe Eli didn’t want his ass kicked by the mob. Frankie needed good pub over cash and took (well begged) for the gig. Sinatra pulled in a cool $8K for his Oscar winning performance….enough to cover a slow night’s bar tab.

Best Goof:

So this WWII film takes place in Hawaii. I’m no meteorologist but if you watch the night-scenes, you’ll see heavy “breath” vapors. Now that’s just not right.

Swingers

Vegas, Baby! 1995’s Swingers celebrates LA’s revival of the rat pack-inspired Cocktail Nation. Winner of a record 79 Oscars and ah…no not really. In fact, Sundance Film Festival rejected the early-cut of Swingers…well, a big Ef U, Redford.

Amazing, filmed on locations in LA and Vegas in only 20 days, Swingers was produced for $250K and sold to Miramax for $5M! Good work if you can get it.

Swingers is a great example of going against the grain on screenwriting format: Act I starts in LA, moves to Vegas and then back to LA. Typical format "advice" would be to avoid this kind of repetition and compress the action by starting in Vegas and then moving to LA.

This was an amazing resume film including soon-to-be-doughboys John Favreau & Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston (Office Space), Heather Graham, and director Doug Liman.

DID YOU KNOW…

Several iconic Hollywood locations were filmed or featured. One of those landmarks, Capital Records Tower, has a blinking red light on the roof. That blinking light spells out “Hollywood” in Morse Code and has done so since opening in 1956.

Other LA landmarks include The Dresden Room, Three Clubs, The Derby, where Big Bad Voodoo Daddy played every Wednesday as a house band, Canters…and the list goes on. Most of the filming was done guerrilla-style on this indie film.

As for Las Vegas, they didn’t have a casino location locked up until halfway thru the 20-day shooting schedule. The Stardust, demolished in 2007, was used for the outside shots. The Freemont for the inside shots. The “suit” playing blackjack at the table with the two hotties in red – that’s John’s daddy; the older lady in purple – John’s granny. Non-union no doubt.

The ’64 Comet convertible – that’s John’s car. He sold it; it was later resold again on Ebay. Notice the license plate (THX 138). This number references George Lucas’s license plate in American Graffiti which referenced Lucas’s earlier film, THX 138. Did you get that? Now that’s a whole hell of a lotta referencing for an old film that nobody saw. Sorry Georgie...

That 360-camera view at the table – props to Reservoir Dogs. And the steady-cam thru The Derby’s backdoor and kitchen…Good Fellas.

The apartment – John’s old complex. They carved those cartoon-sized earthquake cracks into the wall. John’s former landlord got a sweet cameo – the take-out delivery guy…and look where he is now.

Best Quote:

“You’re so money and you don’t even know it.” Trent Walker

North By Northwest

North by Northwest (NBN) was the forth and final time Cary Grant teamed up with Director Alfred Hitchcock for this 1959 thriller.

NBN has been selected by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 films of all time. Amazingly, with a screenplay written by Ernest Lehman, a cast including Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, NBN was nominated for five Oscars and won, well ah, that would be none.

Some kooky facts behind this film…DID YOU KNOW…

James Stewart was the original choice for the lead role.

Cary Grant’s “mom” in NBN was only one year older than Cary Grant. WTF?

On set, Cary Grant charged would-be autograph seekers $0.15/signature. Greedy SOB or JackAss Greedy SOB?

The iconic crop duster scene included a whopping 8 minute setup of “nothingness” before the chase – MGM wasn’t thrilled.

Why does Alfred Hitchcock make a cameo-appearance in every film he directed? Back in the day, in England, Hitchcock couldn’t find enough extras – so he used himself out of necessity. It then became his “signature.” But because it was so distracting to audiences, he started putting these cameos near the beginning of his films - get it out of the way, pull the audience back into the plot. You’ll see Hitchcock getting a bus door slammed in his face in NBN.

Best Goof:

Watch the Mt. Rushmore Observatory gunshot scene again – about three seconds BEFORE Eva shots Cary, you’ll see a boy behind her cover his ears – the kid was tired of the take-after-take gunshot special effects noise.

All About Eve

A 1950 Bette Davis classic.

14 Oscar nominations - still tied with Titanic for most nominations ever.

DID YOU KNOW...

The working title was "Great Performances." Script notes came back - more Eve, what about Eve, all about Eve, etc. written, circled onto the pages of the working script...All About Eve became the title.
Bette Davis was not exactly the first choice to play the iconic lead character, Margo Channing. Claudette Colbert had the role, got injured just prior to production and Bette got the role by default - she was available. Bette was fading at the time, temperamental and feuding with Producer, Darryl Zanuck. She read the script, loved it, and played nice.
This classic marked the first feature film appearance of Marilyn Monroe. She had been fired two years prior by Zanuck for being "unphotogenic!"
All About Eve was the first film with two leading ladies nominated for Best Actress: Bette Davis and Anne Baxter. They split the Oscar votes and Judy Holiday took the award for her work in Born Yesterday.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Black History Month is here.

Is there anyone who hasn’t seen this 1962 classic or read Harper Lee’s novel by the same title? To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1932 reality of the deep south at the height of the great depression. We all know the story – Atticus Finch, small town lawyer, father of Scout and Jem, defends an innocent black man wrongly accused and convicted of a terrible crime he didn’t and could not have committed. BUT DID YOU KNOW…

Hollywood had no interest in turning Harper Lee’s successful book into a film. All the studios passed, said it wasn’t marketable. After all, who wants to watch a middle-aged lawyer shuffle around town all day putting his hat on, taking it off? No violence, no action, no romance, no studio green light. Gregory Peck read the novel and championed it to Universal Pictures who finally backed the film.
Atticus Finch is based on Harper Lee’s father, a small town southern lawyer with a deep belief in civil rights.
And Scout? Does she remind you of another iconic troublemaker from the south? Yep, Scout’s inspiration is none other than Tom Sawyer.
How about Dill Harris? This one surprised me. Scout and Jem’s summer friend Dill Harris is Truman Capote as a young boy. Like Dill, Truman Capote spent his summers with his aunt in Monroeville, AL. Next time you watch this film, you’ll see a young Truman Capote.
Why in 1932 did Scout and Jem call dad, “Atticus?” Were these kids hooligans? Subversive hippies? Na. This symbolized Atticus encouraging his kids to think critically, to have the courage to go against the grain, to follow their conscience.

Does Atticus Finch still exist in our legal profession? How so?

Good Night and Good Luck

Good Night and Good Luck examines the heavyweight bout between Senator Joe McCarthy and legendary journalist, Edward R. Murrow, during the height of the communist scare in the 1950’s. Here a commy, there a hippie, commies, hippies dropping from trees like subversive red cherries.

DID YOU KNOW…
Edward R. Murrow’s speeches and interviews in the movie are true to form; no embellishment used for dramatic impact.
The Cloonster shot B&W for consistency with the actual interview and senate hearing footage used throughout the film. Or maybe he's just a cheap SOB.
20% of the screen-test audience had no clue who the hell wacky Joe McCarthy was before the movie.
The compressed, claustrophobic cinematography aimed to create the “bunker” mentality CBS felt when taking on McCarthy - the Cloonster was inspired by Twelve Angry Men for this effect.
And the over-the-top Kent cigarettes advertisement? That was a poke at the tobacco industry’s outlandish 1950’s marketing…IN FACT
Edward R. Murrow puffed Pall Malls…Murrow’s show was sponsored by Kent so he filled Kent cigarette boxes with Pall Malls before shows! Suck on that, Kent.
LAST WACKY FACT - New York City students in the 1950’s wore “dog tags” for fear of an attack – after all, in 1948, Russia got the bomb and China went red.

The French Connection

The French Connection is based on the real life story of NYC Detectives Eddie "Popeye" Egan and Sonny "Cloudy" Grasso. The plot centers around what was at the time the largest drug bust in the US - around $20M street value of heroin, that's a lot of junk in the trunk, baby.
This is another classic film where you would think everything went like clockwork on its way to winning five Oscars in 1971 (beating Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange") for best picture...hell to the no it didn't...IN FACT...
Every single studio passed on the screenplay. 20th Century Fox eventually picked it up after a first pass - The French Connection went on to win Oscars for best picture, screenplay, director, actor and editor.
Gene Hackson, who starred as "Popeye" was not exactly the first choice of director, William "The Prince of Darkness" Friedkin, or the real Popeye. Peter Boyle and Jackie Gleason were two of many slotted ahead of Gene for the role....Hackman won the Oscar for best actor.
Detective Sonny Grasso protested the iconic post-chase scene where Popeye shoots the hitman in the back (too cowardly). This scene was so popular in test screenings that it became the film's poster.
The studio fought the film's title "The French Connection" all the way into post-production. The studio wanted a more gritty title.
"Bullet" connection - Phil D'Antoni, producer, also produced Bullet a few years earlier. His goal was to somehow top Bullet's car chase in The French Connection....the solution was to incorporate NYC's L-train and have Popeye (in a car) chasing the hitman in the L-train thru NYC. And the stunt driver? Yep, that's Bill Hickman, the same stunt driver who drove the mob's Dodge Charger in Bullet.
Best Quote:
"Do you pick your feet in Paughkeepsie?" - Det. Popeye Doyle.
This was a real quote that Det. Eddie "Popeye" Egan used to rattle and confuse suspects...it made no sense, he knew it....to this day Gene Hackman says people stop and ask him to explain what the hell this line was all about.

Thank You For Smoking

Thank You For Smoking is a satirical view of spin, damage control and political correctness set against the backdrop of the tobacco lobby in the mid-90's...the height of political correctness.

Released in 2006, this film is a great example of "overnight" screenplay success.

Christopher Buckley, son of the late conservative political commentator, William F. Buckley, authored the book by the same title in 1994. ..it only took twelve years to get the screenplay adapted and up on screen. Countless drafts circulated Hollywood and were discarded until writer/director Jason Reitman got the tone right.

Produced for only $7.5 million, it includes an amazing ensemble cast basically working for free - Aaron Eckhart, Katie Holmes, Rob Lowe, Adam Brody, J.K. Simons, William H. Macy and others starred.

Best Quote:
"Michael Jordon plays ball,
Charles Manson kills people,
I talk...
Everyone has a talent."
- Nick Naylor, Tobacco Lobbyist

Kill Bill

Quentin Tarantino came across "The 5, 6, 7, 8's" by accident.
The 5, 6, 7, 8's are the three-girl retro-behive wearing-surf band playing in the iconic restaurant battle between Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu's gang.
Quentin was just killing time at a vintage clothes shop in Tokyo before a flight home; this band's CD played in the background. He liked the sound and bought the used CD from the shop keeper on the way out the door...and the rest is history for The 5, 6, 7, 8's.

The Hustler

The Hustler, released in 1961, starred Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, George C. Scott and Piper Laurie.
Robert Rossen, co-writer, producer and director of this iconic film, used pool hustling as backdrop to comment on America's obsession with winning at all costs and the consequences that sometimes follow.
The Hustler was nominated for ten Academy Awards including Screenplay, Director, Actor and Picture.
Paul Newman got a make up call and won the Academy Award for the 1986 follow up, The Color of Money.

Did you know:
Paul Newman had never played pool before shooting The Hustler.
Willy Mosconi, world billiards champion and consultant on The Hustler, originally suggested Frank Sinatra, for the title role of Fast Eddie Felson.
The Hustler was Jackie Gleeson's first major feature film role. Jackie went on to co-star as Buford T. Justice in Smokey and the Bandit with American cinematic treasure, Burt Reynolds.
Twentieth Century Fox wanted to cut the classic pre-credit opening scene that walks viewers step-by-step thru a pool hall "hustle."

Famous Cameos:
Yep, that's world billiards champ Willy Mosconi entrusted to hold "the stakes" for Fast Eddie Felson and Minnesota Fats.
Jake LaMotta, former world heavyweight boxing champion, and presently very dead, plays the Bartender. Raging Bull, starring Robert De Niro, was based on Jake LaMotta.

Other Stuff:
Billiards dates back to around 1090. Back in the day it was played outdoors and similar to lawn bowling. Billiard Geniuses got cold and moved the game inside in the 1500's.
Pool hustling became common in the US in the late 19th century and a big money maker during the depression.

Best Quote:
"JTS Brown; No ice, no glass!" - Fast Eddie Felson

Bullitt - Car Chase

Steve McQueen's car chase scene from the 1968 film, "Bullitt," is widely regarded as one of the top car chases of all time. It set the standard for which future chases were compared to in Hollywood.

Did You Know:
- The original script was based in LA not the curvy, hilly streets of San Francisco that provided the texture and high speed suspense.
- The original script did not include a car chase scene. Peter Yates, director, had just completed a "car chase" movie titled "Robbery" in England and did not want to repeat this genre.
- Steve McQueen originally did not want to do a car chase in Bullitt because he had another car chase movie coming up.
- This scene was set up, staged and filmed at the end of Bullitt's shooting schedule. Peter Yates was givin only two weeks to put this chase together.
- The seatbelt buckle scene, used to create the image of a modern western gun fight, was suggested by Bill Hickman, stunt man driver of the 1968 Dodge Charger.
- Count the reloops of the green Volkswagon Bug getting passed by Steve McQueen's Mustang and the Charger. Peter Yates had to use the same footage because of time constraints.
- Count the endless hubcaps that seem to continuously fall off the Charger.
- Why did Steve McQueen drive a Mustang? Warner Brothers had a contract with Ford; the studio wanted to use two Fords for the chase. Steve McQueen fought the studio to include a "lesser" Dodge Charger for the mob's car driven by Bill Hickman.
- Watch the motorcycle rider sit up after taking a spill...he was scared of getting run over by the approaching car and this was the only way the stunt man would do it.
- Watch the Charger "crash" into the gas station. The film footage shows the Charger going right by the station. Again because of time constraints they edited around this gaff.

Bullitt, filmed almost entirely on location in San Francisco, and before high speed film, won an Oscar in 1968 for Best Film Editing, in large part due to this classic car chase added almost as an afterthought.

http://www.stevemcqueen.com/