10 Movie Outtakes that Made it to the Big Screen
ScreentRant presents 10 Movie Outtakes that Made it to the Big Screen.
Classic Universal Monsters by Nicolas Delort
Nicolas Delort created the very cool Wolf Man poster above. It is just one of seven prints featuring the famous and much-loved classic Universal Monsters [Wolf Man, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man and The Mummy].
Delort’s art for each of the Universal Monsters has been made into prints that are available from Dark Hall Mansion.
Source: io9.
How We All Miss the Point on School Shootings
I try to keep our posts here light, fun and focused on some aspect of entertainment. My hope is that the folks who drop in daily will get a smile. Sometimes, and it is rare, I post something serious.
I thought that Mark Manson’s How We All Miss the Point on School Shootings was one of those rare, serious pieces worth posting. I hope regular readers will as well.
If you just drop in for the entertainment posts, have no worries, we’ll be back to the fun stuff with the next post.
13 Fascinating Facts About “Miller’s Crossing”
Matthew Jackson and Mental_Floss present 13 Fascinating Facts About Miller’s Crossing. Here are three of my favorites…
2. THE COEN BROTHERS TURNED DOWN BATMAN TO MAKE MILLER’S CROSSING.
After Raising Arizona’s success established them as more than one-hit indie film wonders, the Coens had some options with regard to what project they could tackle next. Reportedly, their success meant that they were among the filmmakers being considered to make Batman for Warner Bros. Of course, the Coens ultimately decided to go the less commercial route, and Tim Burton ended up telling the story of The Dark Knight on the big screen.8. GABRIEL BYRNE HAD TO CONVINCE THE COENS TO LET HIM KEEP HIS IRISH ACCENT.
Though he was an Irish native playing a lieutenant to an Irish mobster, the Coens did not originally want Gabriel Byrne to use his own accent in the film. Byrne argued that his dialoguewas structured in such a way that it was a good fit for his accent, and after he tried it, the Coens agreed. Ultimately, both Byrne and Finney used Irish accents in the film.11. JON POLITO HAD TO CONVINCE THE COENS TO CAST HIM IN A DIFFERENT ROLE.
When Polito read the Miller’s Crossing script, he loved it and immediately wanted to audition for the role of Johnny Caspar. The Coens had different ideas, and were considering the 39-year-old actor for the role of Caspar’s enforcer, Eddie Dane, instead. The role of Caspar was originally supposed to go to an actor in his mid-50s, but Polito was adamant.“Anyway, I said I won’t read for anything but Johnny Caspar,” Polito told The A.V. Club. “’And tell them that they’re gonna have to come back to me cause I’m gonna play Johnny.’”
The Coens ultimately gave in, and Polito was cast. They must have liked what they saw, too, because they ended up casting him in four more films after that.
The Dark Beauty of Film Noir in 50 Shots
If you’re a fan of film noir, you’ll enjoy Nora Fiore’s The Dark Beauty of Film Noir in 50 Shots at One Perfect Shot.
One word of warning, as you scroll down through the photos you may feel an overwhelming desire to watch a bunch of great movies!
13 Spooky Facts About “The Monster Squad”
Mark Mancini and Mental_Floss present 13 Spooky Facts About The Monster Squad. Here are three of my favorites…
3. THE CREATURE DESIGNERS WORKED HARD TO AVOID LEGAL PROBLEMS WITH UNIVERSAL.
First and foremost, The Monster Squad is an affectionate tribute to Universal’s iconic horror movies of the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. Nevertheless, the studio passed on producing the film, which was ultimately picked up by TriStar. This forced The Monster Squad’s visual effects team to get creative.“Although we were doing a movie that was a takeoff on the Universal classics,” said legendary monster creator Stan Winston, “… none of our designs infringed on the original designs of the Universal characters. There were subtle changes; we had to be sure that nothing about them could be considered a copyright infringement of a design.” Which is why Dracula has no Lugosi-esque widow’s peak, Frankenstein monster’s neck bolts have migrated to his temples, and Wolfman has pointy ears and a face that Dekker describes as “more lupine” than what Universal had come up with.
8. DUNCAN REGEHR BEAT OUT LIAM NEESON FOR THE ROLE OF DRACULA.
In 1986, Liam Neeson was still a relative unknown and, like many struggling actors, decided to try out for a horror movie. Apparently, he nailed his audition with a superb take on the Count. “We thought for sure we [were] going to hire this guy,” producer Jonathan Zimbert revealed inMonster Squad Forever. “Then Duncan came in and was not only as brilliant, but he was terrifying also.” Twenty years later, Wizard magazine named Regehr the “greatest Dracula of all time” for his chilling performance in The Monster Squad.12. THE MOVIE SPENT JUST TWO WEEKS IN THEATERS.
Released on August 14, 1987, The Monster Squad was both a commercial and critical flop.Vincent Camby of The New York Times called it “a silly attempt to cross breed an Our Gangcomedy with a classic horror film, which usually means that both genres have reached the end of the line.” After a two-week theatrical run, the movie was pulled. However, it slowly built a following via video rentals and cable broadcasts.Today, The Monster Squad commands a dedicated fan base. When the cast and crewreunited for a special two-night showing at Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in 2006, both screenings sold out. As Dekker once put it, “It took 20 years for the movie to find its audience.”
Playing for Change: “What’s Going On?”
Today we have Playing for Change’s riff on the classic Marvin Gaye tune, What’s Going On?
The “Creed” Featurette is Here!
The Creed Featurette is Here!
Oldest Known Movie Footage of New York City
Want to see the oldest movie footage of New York City known? You can by checking out the video below.
Self Portraits Painted by Vampira
Did you know that Maila Nurmi the actress who played Vampira the horror movie host and character in Plan Nine from Outer Space was also an artist?
She was as you’ll learn (if you didn’t already know) by checking out Self Portraits Painted by Vampira at Neatorama.
The “Outsiders” TV Series Trailer is Here!
I like the look of the trailer below for Outsiders.
13 Facts About L. Frank Baum’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Joy Lanzendorfer and Mental_Floss present 13 Facts About L. Frank Baum’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Here are three of my favorites…
1. BAUM FRAMED THE PENCIL HE USED TO WRITE THE NOVEL.
L. Frank Baum—former chicken rancher, traveling salesman, and theater manager—had already published two successful children’s books when he started The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1898. He finished the book in October 1899. He must have been proud of his work, for he framed the pencil stub and hung it on the wall of his study. On the attached paper he scrawled, “With this pencil I wrote the manuscript of The Emerald City.”2. HE GOT THE NAME “OZ” FROM HIS FILING CABINET.
At first, Baum had trouble coming up with a name for the magical land Dorothy visits. Then one day he found himself looking at the filing cabinet in his study. There were three drawers marked “A to G,” “H to N,” and “O to Z.” And so Oz was born.9. THE BOOK SOLD OUT IN TWO WEEKS.
Full distribution began in August. According to the publisher, the first printing of 10,000 copies sold out in two weeks, followed by a second printing of 15,000 and a third printing of 10,000. In November, there was a fourth printing of 30,000 and in January, a fifth printing of 25,000. That’s 90,000 books in the first six months. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz remained a bestseller for two years.
The Other Frankenstein Monster: The Strange Fate of Glenn Strange
Quick, name the famous actor in the photo above who played Frankenstein.
Nope, it’s not Boris Karloff. Try again. No, he’s not Lon Chaney, Jr.. Try again. No, it’s not Bela Lugosi either. The actor playing Frankenstein in the photo above is Glenn Strange.
Although Glenn Strange played the Frankenstein monster three times (tying Karloff’s record), most folks seldom think of Glenn Strange when they think of Frankenstein. In a career that spanned over 300 roles in 43 years, Strange was best known as Sam the Bartender on Gunsmoke.
If you’ve read this far, you’ll enjoy the short piece by Jim Knipfel titled The Other Frankenstein Monster: The Strange Fate of Glenn Strange at Den of Geek.
“The Sheriff of Babylon” Video Interview with Tom King and Mitch Gerads
I’m really looking forward to the new series, The Sheriff of Babylon by Tom King and Mitch Gerads. Check out the interview below and maybe you’ll be on board too.
11 Expert Facts About “Leon: The Professional”
Tara Aquino and Mental_Floss present 11 Expert Facts About Leon: The Professional. Here are three of my favorites…
1. NATALIE PORTMAN’S PARENTS WERE COMPLETELY AGAINST HER PLAYING MATHILDA.
It was an extremely complicated role for an 11-year-old: Not only would she have to deal with a broken home and violence, but she’d also have to deal with the unwanted sexualization of a young girl. In Starting Young, a documentary about Portman that’s included on the 10th anniversary DVD edition of Léon, the actress admits that after she read the script, she was so moved to tears by the film that she knew she had to have the role. Her parents weren’t as convinced. “My parents were like, ‘There is no way you’re doing this movie. This is absolutely inappropriate for a child your age … and I was like, ‘This is the greatest thing I’ve ever read! You’re gonna ruin my life!’” she shares in the doc. “[I] was basically just fighting with them so much.”4. PORTMAN’S PARENTS ARE THE REASON WHY MATHILDA QUITS SMOKING IN THE FILM.
As per the agreement Portman’s parents outlined with Besson, the actress was allowed five fake cigarettes in her hand during the entire film shoot, and she was never allowed to inhale a single one of them. If you pay close attention to her character, you’ll see that she only puts the cigarette to her lips, but never blows smoke out. Additionally, her parents demanded that her character quit smoking at some point in the movie. In the film, Léon scolds Mathilda for smoking, and later you see her throwing her unfinished cigarette away when she’s alone.10. BESSON HAS SHUT DOWN RUMORS THAT A SEQUEL IS IN THE WORKS.
So stop asking. During his press tour for Lucy, Besson told The Guardian, “You can’t imagine how many people ask me for a Léon sequel. Everywhere I go they ask me. If I was motivated by money, I would have done it a long time ago. But I don’t feel it.”In an earlier interview with Cinema Blend, Besson elaborated on the topic, saying, “Natalie is old now, she’s a mother … It’s too late. If I got an idea tomorrow about a sequel, of course I would do it. But I never came up with something strong enough. I don’t want to do sequels for money; I want to do a sequel because it’s worth it. I want it to be as good or better than the original.”
