TMI (1-7-12)

January 7, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

 GEORGE CLOONEY had his first TV credit at age 7 on “The Nick Clooney Show”, a local Lexington Kentucky talk show hosted by his father.  George became a TV star playing Dr. Doug Ross on “ER” in 1994.  Director Robert Rodriguez gave him his first big movie break with From Dusk Til Dawn (1996), and he became a mega-star alongside Jennifer Lopez in Out of Sight (1998).  Since then, he has gone on to international fame and won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Syriana (2005).  He has also directed 4 feature films … including an Oscar nomination for Good Night, and Good Luck (2005).  However, it wasn’t always champagne and caviar (nod to Robin Leach) for Clooney.  He tried out (didn’t make it) for the Cincinnati Reds, spent some time as a young man working in tobacco fields, and when he finally moved to Los Angeles, he slept in Charlie Sheen‘s closet.  George’s aunt was Rosemary Clooney, a very popular singer and actress who got her start in the 1950’s.  George has Oscar hopes again this year with two films: The Descendants and The Ides of March.  He will next appear in the sci-fi thriller Gravity from director Alfonso Cuaron.  Expected release date: November 21, 2012

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (1-6-12)

January 6, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

FRITZ LANG directed two ground-breaking films: M and Metropolis

 Metropolis (1927) was the first big budget Sci-Fi movie and was said to be Adolph Hitler’s favorite film.  The robot became George Lucas’ inspiration for C-3PO in Star Wars (1977).  

M (1931) was the first Film Noir and loosely based on the real life serial killer Peter Kuerten, the “Vampire of Dusseldorf”.  Germany banned the film in 1934 and it was not released again until 1966.  The use of voiceover narration was ground-breaking, as was specific music for a character.  Peter Lorre‘s character whistles ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ from Edvard Grieg‘s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. (although Fritz Lang actually recorded the whistling)

In 1934 Joseph Goebbels offered Lang the position of the Head of the German Cinema Institute.  Fritz was anti-Nazi, so he refused and fled Germany soon after.  Lang made movies in the U.S. until 1960 and passed away in 1976.  His early films influenced future filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Luis Bunuel and Orson Welles.

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (1-5-12)

January 5, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

 ELF, the 2003 blockbuster that has since become a Christmas TV tradition, stars Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf.  Did you know that Jim Carrey was originally slated for the role?  In one of the first scenes, Ming Ming the elf is played by Peter Billingsley … better known to most as Ralphie Parker from A Christmas Story (1983).  Leon the Snowman is voiced by Leon Redbone, who also sings “Baby It’s Cold Outside” with Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel, and “Christmas Island” on the soundtrack.  Lastly, the director Jon Favreau also directed Iron Man and Iron Man II, and wrote the script for Swingers (1996).

And don’t forget “to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup! “

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (1-4-12)

January 4, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

 DANIEL RADCLIFFE was cast at age 11 (left) for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  The final Harry Potter film was the number 1 film at the box office for 2011.  Radcliffe is now 22 years old (below) and his next film is a remake of the 1989 ghost story (based on the book by Susan Hill) The Woman in Black.  Radcliffe plays an attorney settling the affairs of an unsettled spirit.  Do you think he can make the transition from child star to adult actor?  Expected release date: February 3, 2012

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (1-3-12)

January 3, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

 Christopher Nolan and crew are in post-production for the final entry in his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises.  The story picks up 8 years after The Dark Knight and again features Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, and Michael Caine as Alfred. This time Batman faces off against the hulking, one-man army Bane, played by Tom Hardy.  There is also an appearance by Catwoman, played by Anne Hathaway.  Nolan has stated that there will be approximately 50 minutes of IMAX footage in this final chapter.  Release date is July 20, 2012

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (1-2-12)

January 2, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

BOX OFFICE: Domestic (U.S.) 2011

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 $381m
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon $352.4 m
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 $270 million,
4. The Hangover Part II $254.5 million.
5.  Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $241.1 million
6.  Fast Five $209.8 million.
7.  Cars 2 $191.5 million.
8.  Thor $181 million
9.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes $176.7 million.
10. Captain America: The First Avenger $176.7 million.
 

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (1-1-2012)

January 1, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

 ABRAHAM LINCOLN is the subject of Steven Spielberg‘s next film.  With two films currently in theatres (The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse), Spielberg is already deep into production of Lincoln, which is based on the book “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The film features an incredibly deep cast led by Daniel Day-Lewis (left) as Honest Abe.  The supporting cast includes Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Todd Lincoln, Jared Harris as Ulysses S Grant, and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens.  Anticipated release date: Christmas 2012

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Posted by David Ferguson

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