Interesting movie tidbits

[indianasmith]

Sean Connery was offered the role of Gandalf in the LOEF OF THE RINGS FILMS but turned it down because he did not want to commit to a two year shoot - and because he had never read the books and didn't know what a "hobbit" was!

[Trevor]

the LOEF OF THE RINGS FILMS

I'm not familiar with that film series 

[indianasmith]

&&/#*¥#!!  cell phone!

[Pacman000]

&&/#*¥#!!  cell phone!

What's worse than autocorrect? No autocorrect. 

[claws]

Exploitation and B-Film producer and owner of Film Ventures International - FVI - (Mutant, The Dark, Pieces, Mortuary, Grizzly, Day of the Animals) Edward L. Montoro disappeared in 1984 after taking over one million dollars from the FVI bank accounts. Film Ventures International officially closed its doors in 1985. To this day, Montoro's whereabouts remain unknown, though it is believed he fled to Mexico in early 1987 under a false name.

[Trevor]

Exploitation and B-Film producer and owner of Film Ventures International - FVI - (Mutant, The Dark, Pieces, Mortuary, Grizzly, Day of the Animals) Edward L. Montoro disappeared in 1984 after taking over one million dollars from the FVI bank accounts. Film Ventures International officially closed its doors in 1985. To this day, Montoro's whereabouts remain unknown, though it is believed he fled to Mexico in early 1987 under a false name.

This guy also produced the film Kill and Kill Again in South Africa which was directed by my friend Ivan Hall: one of the biggest SA box office hits ever.

[Pacman000]

Forbidden Planet (1956) was the 1st sci-fi film to cost over a million dollars.

While Forbidden Planet was produced by MGM, the FX animation (glowing lights, the Id Monster) was done by Walt Disney Studios.

About 20 years later, when Lucas was producing Star Wars, ILM was having trouble animating shadows for Luke's Landspeeder. Failing to produce a good shadow themselves, they outsourced the work to Disney.

Watch Star Wars (1977) then watch Battlestar Galactica (1978) Take note of the matte work. Battlestar Galactica's space ships have more obvious matte lines.  When John Drykstra, head of FX for Star Wars, left to form his own company he took some of ILM's employees, but the matte/compositing artist stayed with Lucas.

[WingedSerpent]

Groundhog's Day was filmed in reverse chronological order.  The director was aware of Bill Murray's acting habits, so they filmed the scenes at the end, where the main character is happy at the beginning when Murry was still into the project, and the opening scenes at the end when Bill was tired and his character was still a downer.

[claws]

Cristina Raines, who retired from acting in 1991 to become a nurse, doesn't have fond memories of filming The Sentinel (1977). Director Michael Winner was acting like a madman on the set, making everyone feeling miserable - especially Raines who was left crying every day even though her co-stars stood up for her. At one point Raines needed the protection of the New York Teamsters who were working as a crew on the film. She claims they saved her life when things got out of hand with Winner.

Besides that Winner tried to make Ava Gardner look awful by lighting her bad on purpose. Raines and the cameraman would secretly work together by distracting Winner and resetting the camera. Winner was also unkind to the disabled people who appeared in the movie's gruesome finale. He would also change the script without the approval of Universal or Jeffrey Konvitz, which led to more drama on set. The film was shot in the actual brownstone building which Raines claims was really haunted. Weird and unexplained things and strange coincidences would happen every day. Raines has never seen the finished movie. She watched it for the first time in 2016 while recording a commentary for the blu-ray release.

[AoTFan]

Exploitation and B-Film producer and owner of Film Ventures International - FVI - (Mutant, The Dark, Pieces, Mortuary, Grizzly, Day of the Animals) Edward L. Montoro disappeared in 1984 after taking over one million dollars from the FVI bank accounts. Film Ventures International officially closed its doors in 1985. To this day, Montoro's whereabouts remain unknown, though it is believed he fled to Mexico in early 1987 under a false name.

This guy also produced the film Kill and Kill Again in South Africa which was directed by my friend Ivan Hall: one of the biggest SA box office hits ever.

Well, if he shows up where you're at there might still be a reward for him! 

[Chainsawmidget]

Boris Karloff Facts!

Boris Karloff's first Broadway play was "Arsenic and Old Lace".  He played a man named John Brewster who's face was surgically altered to look like Boris Karloff. 

His daughter was born on his 51st birthday.  He was filming Song Of Frankenstein at the time and rushed to the hospital wearing his full Monster make up and costume. 

He always carried a roll of dimes with him so he could use payphones to conduct Screen Actors Guild business.  He knew his own home phones had been tapped. 

He was Christopher Lee's next door neighbor for years. 

Beginning in 1940, Karloff dressed up as Santa Claus every Christmas to hand out presents to physically disabled children in a Baltimore hospital.

He has TWO stars on the Hollywood walk of fame.  One for his motion picture work, one for his TV work. 

[retrorussell]

In MODERN PROBLEMS, Chevy Chase was briefly electrocuted in a flying dream scene, and lost consciousness for a short while, narrowly avoiding death.  Wiring short-circuited through his arm, back and neck.

In Lucio Fulci's horror film THE BEYOND, the final sequence features sand-covered corpses lying on the ground; these were naked homeless people that were paid for their appearance in alcohol.

Both FRIDAY THE 13TH's and NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET's franchises primary antagonists are named after childhood bullies of the writer and director, respectively.

The hand stabbing Judith Meyers in HALLOWEEN and the twitching hands of the decapitated Pamela Voorhees in FRIDAY THE 13TH belonged to a member of the opposite sex of the character-- producer Debra Hill in HALLOWEEN and special effects maker Taso Stavrakis for FRIDAY THE 13TH.

The head witch in SUSPIRIA who is killed by the protagonist Suzy at the end was actually a 90-year old hooker director Dario Argento found on the streets of Rome.

[AoTFan]

The head witch in SUSPIRIA who is killed by the protagonist Suzy at the end was actually a 90-year old hooker director Dario Argento found on the streets of Rome.

You mean "former" hooker, right?  Right?? 

Oh, please, say, "Right."

[indianasmith]

The head witch in SUSPIRIA who is killed by the protagonist Suzy at the end was actually a 90-year old hooker director Dario Argento found on the streets of Rome.

You mean "former" hooker, right?  Right?? 

Oh, please, say, "Right."

Well, he did find her "on the streets."

[Rev. Powell]

Just found out that Gal Gadot was four months pregnant at the end of principal photography for WONDER WOMAN. During reshoots, they put a green cloth over her belly and green-screened out her bump.