Category: This Day in Movie History

This Day in Movie History: January 9

This Day in Movie History – January 9 – Tim Burton’s Big Fish opened wide domestically and placed second at the box office behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The film was looked at as a potential Oscar contender, but it didn’t pan out. Still, Burton’s father/son tale with numerous fantasy elements managed a respectable $66 million domestic gross. It starred Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Billy Crudup, and Burton regulars Helena Bonham-Carter and Danny DeVito. Originally planned as a vehicle for Steven Spielberg, the project was transferred to Burton who at one time considered Jack Nicholson as the lead to play the roles both McGregor and Finney portrayed. That would’ve been done with some CGI magic. Obviously that plan was scrapped and since its release a decade ago, Fish has enhanced its reputation as one of the filmmaker’s better efforts in recent years.

As for birthdays, J.K Simmons turns 59 today. Known just as much for his television work on “Law&Order”, “Oz”, and “The Closer”, Simmons has also had a stellar career in film. He appeared in the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy as J. Jonah Jameson and had supporting roles in noteworthy pics such as The Cider House Rules, The Gift, Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Burn After Reading, I Love You Man, Up in the Air, and Jobs.

Joey Lauren Adams is 46 today. You may have first seen her in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused before she became a favorite of Kevin Smith, appearing in Mallrats and in the title role of his critically acclaimed Chasing Amy alongside Ben Affleck. Other roles include Big Daddy and The Break-Up.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two:

J.K. Simmons was in Juno with Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman was in The Break-Up with Joey Lauren Adams

And that’s today – January 9 – in Movie History!

This Day in Movie History: January 8

When we think of horror characters that have had legacies lasting over the past two decades, we think Freddy or Jason or Michael Myers. And yet – a green pint sized horror character made his debut in theaters twenty years ago Today in Movie History when Leprechaun opened domestically. It barely made a blip on the box office radar two decades ago, debuting at #8 with $2.4 million. And yet its staying power has been surprisingly lasting. It spawned five (yes five) sequels – Leprechaun 2, Leprechaun 3, Leprechaun 4: In Space (naturally), and who can forget Leprechaun: In the Hood and Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood? These sequels, with the exception of the second installment, were direct to video/DVD but the series longevity is nevertheless impressive. This February, we’ll see a reboot of the franchise with Leprechaun: Origins, coproduced by WWE Studios. Warwick Davis (who also appeared in Return of the Jedi and Willow) would play the title character and reprise the role in every subsequent follow-up. It’s Warwick’s costar in the original whose name you may also know – Jennifer Aniston, who I believe was on a TV show and in a few movies.

As for birthdays, we have two legendary musicians who also made their mark in film. Elvis Presley would have turned 79 today. His movie career mostly consisted of playing variations of himself in over 30 features. They included well-regarded hits such as Jailhouse Rock, King Creole, and Blue Hawaii. His biggest success was Viva Las Vegas with Ann-Margret from 1964. There was plenty of forgettable fare too.

David Bowie is 67 today. His storied musical career will be his lasting legacy, but he’s had a decent film career with titles such as the lead role in 1976’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, Tony Scott’s The Hunger, Labyrinth, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, and Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between these musical legends:

Elvis Presley was in Viva Las Vegas with Ann-Margret

Ann-Margret was in Carnal Knowledge with Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson was in The Two Jakes with Harvey Keitel

Harvey Keitel was in The Last Temptation of Christ with David Bowie

And that’s today – January 8 – in Movie History!

This Day in Movie History: January 7

On this Day in Movie History – January 7 – the Coen brothers remake of True Grit would jump into the top spot at the box office in its third weekend. Budgeted at only $38 million, the Western (based on the 1969 John Wayne original) would end up grossing a fabulous $171 million domestically. Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, Grit would earn ten Oscar nominations including Picture, Director, Actor (Bridges), and Supporting Actress (Steinfeld), but would go home empty-handed. The Coen Bros, meanwhile, continue to make pictures that tend to garner Academy attention. Their latest is Inside Llewyn Davis.

The Coens comedy classic, 1987’s Raising Arizona, was only their second feature and it stars one of today’s birthday boys, Nicolas Cage. He turns 50 years old today. Delving into Cage’s filmography would take all day… pretty sure he’s appeared in about 487 movies over the past quarter century or so. To say the least, his catalog has been varied, interesting, and wildly inconsistent. Here’s a sampling: he won an Oscar for 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas and was nominated for 2002’s Adaptation. He’s starred in successful romantic comedies and dramas like Moonstruck alongside Cher, Honeymoon in Vegas, and City of Angels. He’s been a huge action star in hits like The Rock, Con Air, Face/Off, and the National Treasure franchise. There’s been critical favorites and cult flicks that run the gamut from Vampire’s Kiss to Wild at Heart to Red Rock West to Lord of War. He’s worked with his Uncle Francis Ford Coppola in Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club, and Peggy Sue Got Married. And he’s worked with Martin Scorsese (Bringing Out the Dead), Ridley Scott (Matchstick Men), and Oliver Stone (World Trade Center). He’s also been Ghost Rider in two moderately successful pics. And yet, there’s also been a bunch of junk: Bangkok Dangerous? Next? Season of the Witch? Snake Eyes? Drive Angry? And, of course, there’s his work in the so-bad-it’s-good remake of The Wicker Man where we all learned Cage’s aversion to “THE BEES”!!!!

Jeremy Renner is 43 today. He broke through in 2009’s The Hurt Locker, which won Best Picture and earned him a Best Actor nomination. The following year he received a Supporting Actor nod for Ben Affleck’s The Town. Since then, he’s immersed himself in successful franchises like the Mission: Impossible series, The Avengers, and as the new Jason Bourne. He can currently be seen in David O. Russell’s Oscar hopeful American Hustle.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the birthday leading men:

Nicolas Cage in Kiss of Death with Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L Jackson was in The Avengers with Jeremy Renner

And that’s today – January 7 – in Movie History!

This Day in Movie History: January 6

On this day in Movie History – January 6 – Eli Roth’s Hostel opened domestically. The horror flick surprised box office prognosticators by taking in $19.5 million for its opening with an eventual gross of $47 million, against a meager $4.8 million budget. Hostel continued a genre that came to be known as “torture porn” in horror circles. That classification of film had started just three months before with megahit Saw and would continue with its many sequels, as well as two further sequels for Hostel.

As for birthdays, Rowan Atkinson is 59 today. The British comedian is best known for his TV work with “Mr. Bean” and “Blackadder”, but he translated that success with the film version of Bean (1997) and its sequel from 2007, Mr. Bean’s Holiday. He had another film franchise with Johnny English (2003) and Johnny English Reborn (2011). Other notable film appearances: Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Scooby Doo (2002), and Love Actually (2003).

Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi is 33 today. She broke through the American audiences in 2006 with her Oscar-nominated Supporting Actress turn in Babel and has continued to work stateside in The Brothers Bloom, Pacific Rim, and 47 Ronin.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two birthday performers:

Rowan Atkinson was in Love Actually with Chiwetel Ejiofer

Chiwetel Ejiofer was in 12 Years a Slave with Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt was in Babel with Rinko Kikuchi

And that’s today – January 6 – in Movie History!

 

This Day in Movie History: January 5

Director Alfonso Cuaron may be getting all sorts of deserved attention for his visual mastery in Gravity, but it was seven years ago today in Movie History that his previous feature Children of Men opened wide domestically. In many ways, Children of Men is just as much a visionary achievement for the director. Starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, and current Best Actor frontrunner Chiwetel Ejiofer, this futuristic thriller was easily one of the best films of 2006. While it was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, and Production Design, it was robbed of a Best Picture nomination. Men only managed a just OK $35 million at the box office, but Cuaron would more than make up for it in 2013 with his Sandra Bullock space picture.

As for birthdays, Robert Duvall is 83. One of the finest actors in his generation, Duvall’s resume includes To Kill a Mockingbird, the original True Grit, the first two Godfather films, MASH, The Conversation, Network, Tender Mercies, The Natural, Colors, “Lonesome Dove”, Days of Thunder, A Civil Action, Get Low, and many more. He’s been nominated six times for an Oscar and won in 1983 for his role in Tender Mercies.

Diane Keaton is 68 today. Like Duvall, she too appeared in Coppola’s Godfather films (all three, unlike her costar). She’s also known for her collaborations with Woody Allen which brought her an Oscar in 1977 for Annie Hall. Other notable films with Woody: Sleeper, Love and Death, Manhattan, and Manhattan Murder Mystery. Further high-profile pictures featuring Ms. Keaton: Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Reds, Baby Boom, Father of the Bride and its sequel, The First Wives Club, Marvin’s Room, and Something’s Gotta Give. She’s been nominated three other times for an Oscar other than her winning role for Hall.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the birthday performers – well pretty simple. Duvall and Keaton starred together in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II.

And that’s today – January 5 – in Movie History!

This Day in Movie History: January 4

This Day in Movie History – January 4 – saw Jason Reitman’s Juno begin to develop into an unexpected huge hit six years ago. The comedy drama, with a script from Diablo Cody, starred Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, and JK Simmons. The teen pregnancy tale really connected with audiences and critics and earned an incredible $143 million domestically (its budget was around $7 million). It received four Oscar nominations – Best Picture, Director, Actress (Page), and Original Screenplay (which it won). Reitman has gone onto to direct a follow-up picture that received Academy attention, 2009’s Up in the Air, as well as Young Adult and the upcoming Labor Day.

As for birthdays, Julia Ormond is 49 today. She broke out in the mid 90s with high-profile roles in Legends of the Fall, Sabrina, and First Knight. Things slowed down for awhile, but recently she’s had success with an Emmy winning role in 2010’s Temple Grandin and roles in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and My Week with Marilyn.

Charlyne Yi is 28 today. The comedic actress was a regular on the FOX series “House” and she co-wrote and starred alongside Michael Cera in the 2009 rom com Paper Heart. Judd Apatow cast her in Knocked Up and This Is 40 and other credits include Semi-Pro and All About Steve.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two ladies:

Julia Ormond was in Sabrina with Greg Kinnear and Harrison Ford

Greg Kinnear and Harrison Ford were in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues with Will Ferrell

Will Ferrell was in Semi-Pro with Charlyne Yi

And that’s today – January 4 – in Movie History!

This Day in Movie History: January 3

Eleven years ago today – January 3 – in Movie History is when Rob Marshall’s Chicago expanded nationwide and began a successful late run at Oscar glory. For the calendar year 2002, Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York was looked at as the frontrunner for Best Picture. Chicago, the big screen adaptation of Bob Fosse’s Broadway hit, changed the dynamic by grossing $170 million domestically. It would go on to win Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones), and earn nominations for Renee Zellwegger for Actress, John C. Reilly for Supporting Actor, and Queen Latifah for Supporting Actor. The film’s male lead, Richard Gere, would not earn a nomination.

As for birthdays, Mel Gibson turns 58 today. The Aussie star (though he was born in the U.S. and lived here until age 12) is known equally for his work in front of and behind the camera. He’s had two successful film franchises with Mad Max and Lethal Weapon. Mr. Gibson has had a number of other box office successes including The Year of Living Dangerously, Hamlet, Maverick, Ransom, What Women Want, and Signs, to name a few. Additionally, his second directorial feature, 1995’s Braveheart, would win Best Picture and Gibson would take Best Director. His directorial success continued with 2004’s The Passion of the Christ, which earned $370 million domestically. For the past decade, Gibson has been talked about more for his shaky personal troubles and his film career has suffered with forgettable fare like Edge of Darkness and Machete Kills. He will be costarring next year as the main villain in The Expendables 3.

Veteran actor Robert Loggia is 84 today. He’s appeared in supporting parts in a whole bunch of pics over the last several decades but you likely know him best from two very different 80s flicks: as drug lord Frank Lopez in Brian De Palma’s Scarface and Mr. MacMillan, toy company owner and Tom Hanks’ boss in Big. Other notables film appearances: An Officer and a Gentleman, Prizzi’s Honor, Jagged Edge, Over the Top, and Independence Day.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two:

Mel Gibson was in Tequila Sunrise with Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer was in Scarface with Robert Loggia

And that’s today – January 3 – in Movie History!

 

This Day in Movie History: January 2

This day in Movie History – January 2 – Peter Jackson’s final installment in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King, would top the box office for the third weekend in a row, grossing over $28 million. This gave it $290M in just three weeks and it would end its domestic run at $377M, out grossing its two predecessors. King would go on to win Best Picture and Director at the Oscars. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. Exactly a decade later, the director’s second Tolkien trilogy The Hobbit is scoring similar feats. The second installment in the series The Desolation of Smaug is currently #1 for its third weekend, though its taken in approximately $100 million less in the same time frame as King did.

As for birthdays, Tia Carrere turns 47 today. You may remember her best as Mike Myers’ love interest in 1992’s Wayne’s World and its sequel the following year. Her exposure from those hits led her to starring alongside such heavy hitters as Sean Connery in 1993’s Rising Sun and Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1994’s True Lies. And then… well she went from Connery and Arnold to Pauly Shore and Jon Lovitz. Her mid 90s filmography included Jury Duty with Shore and High School High with Lovitz. Her movie career never recovered, but she did recently last five weeks on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” (!).

Cuba Gooding Jr. is 46 today. He’s another performer to have hit it big in the 90s and then see his career fizzle. His big break came with 1991’s Boyz N The Hood and that led to roles in A Few Good Men, Judgment Night, and Outbreak. In 1996, Cuba won Supporting Actor at the Oscars for his role as Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire. It looked good for him after that and he appeared in high profile pics including As Good As It Gets, What Dreams May Come, and Men of Honor. By the early 2000s, things had taken a turn for the worse when Gooding starred in bombs including Snow Dogs and Boat Trip. Recently, however, he’s had a decent comeback with supporting roles in movies like American Gangster, Red Tails, and Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two:

Tia Carrere was in True Lies with Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis was in Trading Places with Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy was in Norbit with Cuba Gooding Jr.

And that’s today – January 2 – in Movie History!

 

This Day in Movie History: January 1

On this day – January 1, also known as New Year’s Day, in Movie History, Avatar would continue to stun box office observers four years ago. Entering its third weekend of release, the James Cameron sci-fi epic would dip only 9% from weekend two and take in $68.5 million for the New Year’s weekend. In just three weeks, the film had grossed an astonishing $352 million and it was in weekend #3 that the possibility of it becoming the highest domestic grosser of all time started to seem real. It would end up getting there with a total domestic gross of $760 million and that meant Cameron beat his own record (Titanic previously held the record for 12 years before Avatar came along).

As for New Year’s babies, Morris Chestnut is 44 today. He broke out in the film scene with his role in 1991’s Boyz N The Hood and just recently appeared in the hit sequel The Best Man Holiday. Other notable roles: The Inkwell, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, Two Can Play That Game, Think Like a Man, and Identity Thief.

Frank Langella is 75 today. Mr. Langella has appeared in many features over the past several decades. He received an Oscar nomination as the President in Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon. Other notable roles: Diary of a Mad Housewife, The Twelve Chairs, 1979’s Dracula, Dave, Superman Returns, Good Night and Good Luck, and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two:

Morris Chestnut was in Boyz N The Hood with Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne was in Bad Company with Frank Langella

And that’s today – January 1 – in Movie History!

This Day in Movie History: December 31

As you could probably imagine, not many movies open on New Year’s Eve so I’ll use today – December 31 – in Movie History to briefly discuss something happening right now.

2013 will turn out to be Hollywood’s biggest year yet, by just a hair. When all is said and done, box office receipts for the year should come in at approximately $10.9 billion, edging out 2012’s $10.8 billion. Per usual, the top grossing features of the year were filled with sequels (Iron Man 3, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Fast and Furious 6) and animated titles and sequels (Despicable Me 2, Monsters University, Frozen), and remakes and reboots of franchises (Man of Steel, Oz the Great and Powerful). The only truly original title in the top ten is Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, which could win Best Picture at the Oscars (though 12 Years a Slave may have something to say about that).

It’ll be interesting to see if 2014 can top 2013. When you look over the list of big pics coming out next year, it seems as if it may not but you never know. One early prediction: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I (out in November) is a strong contender for highest grosser next year.

As for birthdays, Anthony Hopkins is 76 today. The actor broke through in a huge way to American audiences in 1991 with his Oscar winning performance as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Hopkins would reprise the role twice more in 2001’s Hannibal and 2002’s Red Dragon. He’s also played more real-life people than practically anyone – from C.S. Lewis in Shadowlands to Dr. Kellogg in The Road to Wellville to Richard Nixon in Oliver Stone’s Nixon to Pablo Picasso in Surviving Picasso to John Quincy Adams in Amistad to Alfred Hitchcock in Hitchcock last year. Hopkins was also a favorite of the Merchant/Ivory team with acclaimed performances in Howards End and The Remains of the Day. Other notables roles: Magic, The Elephant Man, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Legends of the Fall, The Edge, The Mask of Zorro, Meet Joe Black, Mission Impossible II, The Human Stain, The Wolfman, and Thor and its sequel.

Val Kilmer is 54 on this New Year’s Eve. He’s played a few real-life people as well, most notably as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors. There’s also his bit role as Elvis Presley in True Romance and porn star John Holmes in Wonderland. Then there’s his amazing performance as Doc Holliday in Tombstone. I’m still mad he didn’t get a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for that movie. There’s also Top Gun and his turn as the Caped Crusader in Batman Forever. Other notables: Top Secret!, Real Genius, Willow, Thundeheart, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Saint, Spartan, Deja Vu, and MacGruber. A personal favorite of mine: his wickedly funny comedic turn in 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang alongside Robert Downey, Jr.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the birthday boys, it’s an easy one:

Hopkins and Kilmer were both in Oliver Stone’s Alexander

And that’s today – New Year’s Eve – in Movie History! This will be my last blog post of 2013, my friends, and I appreciate your readership so much. See you in 2014 and have a safe New Year’s!