23 years ago Today in Movie History – February 15 – Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs debuted in theaters and would earn its reputation as one of the greatest thrillers of all time. The picture would take in $13.7 million in its debut weekend and eventually earn $130 million domestically. Oscar voters would shower Lambs the following year with Best Picture, Director, Actor (Anthony Hopkins), and Actress (Jodie Foster). Even though he was only onscreen for 16 minutes, Hopkins’ performance as Hannibal Lecter would represent one of the most memorable screen villains in history. Sequels would follow years later with Hannibal, Red Dragon, and Hannibal Rising.
As for birthdays, today would have marked Chris Farley’s big 5-0. The performer had a fantastic run on “Saturday Night Live” before translating his stardom into film with Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, and Beverly Hills Ninja. Farley died of a drug overdose in 1997.
Jane Seymour is 63 today. Known more for her extensive TV credits, she was a Bond girl alongside Roger Moore in 1973’s Live and Let Die. More recently she was Christopher Walken’s excitable wife in the 2005 hit comedy Wedding Crashers.
As for Six Degrees of Separation between them:
Chris Farley was in Wayne’s World 2 with Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken was in Wedding Crashers with Jane Seymour
And that’s today – February 15 – in Movie History!
22 years ago on This Valentine’s Day in Movie History – February 14 – Wayne’s World debuted in theaters and provided Mike Myers with his first comedy smash. Based on the wildly popular SNL sketches featuring Wayne and Garth (Dana Carvey), Wayne’s World would earn $18 million in its first weekend on its way to a $121 million domestic haul. A less successful sequel would come the following year and Myers, of course, would get another huge franchise years later with the Austin Powers flicks and then the Shrek pictures.
As for birthdays, Simon Pegg is 44 today. A favorite of director JJ Abrams, Pegg has appearared in the last two Mission: Impossible features and in the current Star Trek franchise. And there’s also his acclaimed comedic collaborations with director Edgar Wright – Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and last year’s The World’s End.
Freddie Highmore is 22 today. You may know him best for his appearances as a child actor working with Johnny Depp in both Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He’s currently playing Norman Bates in A&E’s “Bates Motel” series.
As for Six Degrees of Separation between them:
Simon Pegg was in Mission: Impossible III with Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman was in A Late Quartet with Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman was in Finding Neverland with Freddie Highmore
And that’s today – February 14 – in Movie History. And Happy Valentine’s Day!
And now we continue with my predictions for winners in the six major categories for the Oscars in early March. I’ve already weighed in with my Supporting predictions for Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave and Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club. Tonight I move forward with Best Actress. Let’s recap the five nominees:
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
For awhile it appeared that this race could be a tight one between Blanchett and Bullock. However, all major awards precursors have bestowed Blanchett with their awards for her work in Woody Allen’s film. To say the least, the momentum has swung for her in a big way.
There’s been some chatter that the controversies Mr. Allen finds himself in could negatively impact her ability to win. Simply put, I’m not buying it. If anyone were to win other than Blanchett it would constitute quite an upset and I don’t see it happening. This prediction, like Leto for Supporting Actor, is an easy one to make.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day 10 years ago on This Day in Movie History – February 13 – Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore once again teamed up for the rom com 50 First Dates. The pair had previously had a hit together six years prior with The Wedding Singer and Dates would continue that streak. The film opened with $39.8 million and went to gross $120 million domestically. The third teaming of Sandler and Barrymore will come out this May with Blended.
As for birthdays, Stockard Channing turns 70 today. She’ll go down in film history as Rizzo in 1978’s Grease, in which she played that high school student at age 34. TV watchers may know her best as First Lady Abbey Bartlet on “The West Wing”. Other notable film roles over the years include Six Degrees of Separation, Up Close&Personal, The First Wives Club, and Practical Magic.
Mena Suvari in 35 today. She became known to moviegoers in the American Pie franchise and as the teenage object of Kevin Spacey’s affection in the Oscar winning American Beauty. Other projects include The Musketeer and Beauty Shop.
As for Six Degrees of Separation (hey- Stockard Channing was in that!) between them:
Stockard Channing was in Anything Else with Jason Biggs
Jason Biggs was in American Pie with Mena Suvari
And that’s today – February 13 – in Movie History!
21 years ago Today in Movie History – February 12 – the now classic comedy Groundhog Day debuted in theaters. One of the greatest uses of the brilliant talent that is Bill Murray, the film debuted at #1 with $14.6 million on its way to a $70 million domestic gross. The term “Groundhog Day” has entered the cultural vernacular as a term meaning something repeating itself. I consider it to be one of best comedies of all time.
As for birthdays, Josh Brolin is 46 today. The actor became known to filmgoers in 1985’s The Goonies. Things were quiet were for awhile following that but in the 21st century he had a massive career resurgence. His notable pictures include Grindhouse, No Country for Old Men, American Gangster, W., Milk, True Grit, Men in Black 3, Oldboy, and Labor Day.
Christina Ricci is 34 today. She became known as Wednesday Addams in the two Addams Family features. She would go onto headline kids pics such as Casper and That Darn Cat. She would soon transition into more serious fare including The Ice Storm, Buffalo ’66, The Opposite of Sex, Sleepy Hollow, Monster, and Black Snake Moan.
As for Six Degrees of Separation between them:
Josh Brolin was in Oldboy with Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson was in Black Snake Moan with Christina Ricci
And that’s today – February 12 – in Movie History!
Nine years ago Today in Movie History – February 11 – Will Smith’s romantic comedy Hitch got the thumbs up from audiences and many critics. After his sitcom days, Smith’s movie career mostly consisted of huge grossing action/sci-fi flicks until this came along. Hitch, which costarred Eva Mendes and Kevin James,opened to a terrific $43 million debut on its way to a domestic total of $179 million.
As for birthdays, Burt Reynolds turns 78 today. He was one of the biggest movie stars of the 1970s and his hits included Deliverance, The Longest Yard, Gator, Smokey and the Bandit, Semi-Tough, The End, and Hooper. His successes would continue into the early 80s with The Cannonball Run, Sharky’s Machine, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. He would experience a movie career resurgence with his Oscar-nominated turn in 1997’s Boogie Nights and appear in the Adam Sandler led Longest Yard remake in 2005.
Jennifer Aniston is 45 today. By far, Aniston has had the best movie career among the “Friends” cast. Her success from the sitcom led to starring in late 90s rom coms like Picture Perfect and The Objection of My Affection. In 1999, she would costar in the now cult classic Office Space. Notable films since are many – The Good Girl, Bruce Almighty, Along Came Polly, The Break-Up, Marley & Me, Horrible Bosses, and We’re the Millers.
As for Six Degrees of Separation between Smokey and Rachel:
Burt Reynolds was in The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler was in Just Go With It with Jennifer Aniston
And that’s today – February 11 – in Movie History!
Tonight I continue on with my Oscar predictions in the six major categories as to who/what I think will win. A couple of days ago, I forecasted Supporting Actress and predicted a win for 12 Years a Slave‘s Lupita Nyong’o. We move forward with Supporting Actor. Let us recap the nominees:
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
This category was of interest due to the high number of people who could have been nominated. Those mentioned in prediction circles that didn’t make the final cut include James Gandolfini in Enough Said, Daniel Bruhl in Rush, Tom Hanks in Saving Mr. Banks and Will Forte in Nebraska.
While the net was wide for could have been honored with a nomination, the list is considerably shorter as to who will win. And that list pretty much comes down to one name: Jared Leto. The actor/musician’s work in Dallas Buyers Club represented a major movie comeback for him and he’s been rewarded with just about precursor there is – Golden Globe, SAG, Critics Choice, and several regional critics associations.
If anyone else were to take home the gold statue, it would be a huge upset. I see Fassbender as the only one with a remote shot at the upset, but Leto is easily one of the safest bets in the top categories.
Predicted winner: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
I’ll be back soon with my prediction for Best Actress!
The long Valentine’s/President’s Day weekend arrives with four new pictures looking for some audience lovin’. They are the 80s remake Robocop (out Wednesday), 80s remake About Last Night, 80s remake Endless Love, and Winter’s Tale. The latter three are all competing for the Valentine’s Day crowd while Robocop will skewer towards the dudes. You can find my prediction posts on all four here:
This quartet of flicks could all post decent numbers, but the story of the weekend is still likely to be The Lego Movie as it enters weekend #2. The animated pic opened to a massive $69 million generating the second largest February debut of all time. With terrific word-of-mouth, its gargantuan grosses should continue over the holiday frame.
Last weekend’s #2 The Monuments Men is likely to also experience the typical smallish decline that pictures experience on this particular holiday weekend.
I’ll branch my predictions out to the Top 6 and here’s the predictions for the weekend. Please note my predictions are for the Friday to Monday frame due to the holiday:
1. The Lego Movie
Predicted Gross: $54.2 million (representing a drop of 18%)
2. About Last Night
Predicted Gross: $36.8 million
3. Robocop
Predicted Gross: $24.9 million ($36.8M predicted for Wednesday to Monday)
4. Winter’s Tale
Predicted Gross: $18.4 million
5. Endless Love
Predicted Gross: $16.1 million
6. The Monuments Men
Predicted Gross: $15.1 million (representing a drop of 31%)
Box Office Results (February 7-9)
As already mentioned, The Lego Movie put together a HUGE BLOCKbuster opening (I’m sorry). Opening with $69 million, it went way beyond my $54.2M estimate. Coincidentally, my current prediction for the film’s second weekend is exactly what I predicted for its first.
Despite mostly negative reviews, George Clooney’s The Monuments Men was able to its translate its considerable star power to a solid $22 million debut, above my $16.1M prediction. I wrongly thought its weak reviews would hurt it and it didn’t.
As for the rest of the top five, Ride Along held up better than my prediction with $9.5 million (I said $6.9M) for third while Frozen was fourth with $6.8 million – right on pace with my $6.6M projection. Lone Survivor, which I didn’t predict for the top five, was fifth with $5.5 million.
The real loser over the weekend was Vampire Academy, which totally bombed with only $3.9 million – considerably below my $8.4M estimate.
As always, I’ll have updates posted on the blog’s Facebook page throughout the weekend with final results Tuesday because of the long weekend!
19 years ago Today in Movie History – February 10 – Billy Madison debuted in theaters and kick started “SNL” star Adam Sandler’s profitable movie career. It would debut at #1 with a decent $6.6 million on its way to a $25.5 million domestic gross. However, Sandler’s back to school comedy would go onto become a massive cult favorite. Since Madison, Sandler has headlined 14 pictures that grossed over $100 million stateside with a lifetime total of over $2 billion in earnings.
As for birthdays, Laura Dern turns 47 today. The actress and daughter of Bruce Dern was first seen in Mask and David Lynch’s groundbreaking Blue Velvet. She would continue her work with Lynch alongside Nicolas Cage in Wild at Heart, earn an Oscar nomination in 1991 for Rambling Rose, and costar in the giant dino hit Jurassic Park. Since then, Dern has mostly popped up indie flicks and the occasional mainstream entry. They include A Perfect World, Citizen Ruth, October Sky, We Don’t Live Here Anymore, and her acclaimed turn as Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in HBO’s “Recount”.
Elizabeth Banks is the big 4-0 today. Known mostly for comedies, Banks has turned up in numerous films over the past few years and she first gained major notice as freaky Beth in The 40 Yr. Old Virgin. Prior to that, she was seen in the Spider-Man trilogy, Catch Me If You Can, and Seabiscuit. Lately, she’s been a part of the massively successful Hunger Games franchise that will continue into 2015. Other notable pictures: Zack and Miri Make a Porno, W., Role Models, and Pitch Perfect. It was just announced that Banks will make her directorial debut with the Pitch Perfect sequel, in which she’ll also appear.
As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two ladies:
Laura Dern was in Little Fockers with Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller was in Tower Heist with Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy was in Meet Dave with Elizabeth Banks
And that’s today – February 10 – in Movie History!
13 years ago Today in Movie History – February 9 – the eagerly awaited sequel Hannibal debuted in theaters. It was the follow-up to 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs, which was an instant classic and won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Actress. Silence director Jonathan Demme and costar Jodie Foster chose not to return and it was Ridley Scott who stepped in behind the camera with Julianne Moore assuming the role of Clarice Starling. Anthony Hopkins would return to the title role and that was enough for the picture to open with $58 million – which at the time was the third largest debut of all time. Its domestic run topped out at $165 million. While crowds turned out, they didn’t necessarily love what they saw. Both audiences and critical reaction was mixed and trended toward negative as it currently stands at 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, if you want to see Ray Liotta with half his head removed and a truly bizarre performance from Gary Oldman, this is your movie. Hopkins would return to the signature role one more time less than two years later in Red Dragon.
As for birthdays, Charlie Day is 38 today. He’s best known for his work on TV’s cult hit “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” but broke into movies in a big way with 2011’s Horrible Bosses. A sequel to that is on the way this year. Last year, Day costarred in Pacific Rim and his voice can be heard in this weekend’s blockbuster The Lego Movie.
Tom Hiddleston is 33 today. He’s garnered rave reviews for his villainous turn as Loki in both Thor flicks and The Avengers. Other notables pictures include War Horse and The Deep Blue Sea and Hiddleston will soon appear in Muppets Most Wanted.
As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two actors:
Charlie Day was in Horrible Bosses with Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey was in A Time To Kill with Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson was in The Avengers with Tom Hiddleston
All My Life... I Wanted To Be A Blogster 