It’s been 25 years since “Forrest Gump” landed in theaters and provided Baby Boomers everywhere with a concentrated dose of feel-good nostalgia. In the process, it became one of the most critically and commercially successful movies of 1994. Mark this anniversary by learning a little more about the making of “Forrest Gump” and just how much it differs from the original novel.
1.Tom Hanks wasn’t paid a salary for starring in the film. Instead, he opted for percentage points of the gross, a savvy decision that netted him about $40 million.
3. Hanks actually based his Southern accent on that of child actor Michael Conner Humphreys, who plays young Forrest in the film.
4. Comedian Dave Chappelle turned down the chance to play Bubba, fearing the movie would be a box office disaster. Chappelle and Hanks would eventually appear together in 1998’s “You’ve Got Mail.”
Paramount Pictures
5. In addition to playing Bubba, Mykelti Williamson has a smaller role in the film as the White House waiter who removes the cap from Forrest’s Dr. Pepper bottle.
6. “Forrest Gump” is one of three ’90s movies featuring Hanks and Gary Sinise, with the other two being “Apollo 13” and “The Green Mile.” All three were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
7. Lieutenant Dan’s Saint Christopher medal was actually worn by Sinise’s brother-in-law during his military tour in Vietnam.
Paramount Pictures
8. Sinise later formed a cover band called The Lt. Dan Band, which mainly performs benefit concerts for veteran-related charities.
9. Hanks’ brother Jim served as his body double for many of the running scenes.
Paramount Pictures
10. The Vietnam scenes weren’t shot anywhere near Vietnam, but rather in Fripp Island, South Carolina.
11.Kurt Russell has an uncredited role in the film. He provided the dubbed voice for Elvis Presley, building on his previous experience starring in 1979’s “Elvis.”
12. While based on the novel by Winston Groom, the movie version differs significantly from the source material. The novel includes segments where Forrest becomes stranded among a cargo cult in New Guinea and participates in a disastrous movie shoot with actress Raquel Welch.
Pocket Books
13. The sequel novel “Gump & Co.” opens with Forrest complaining about how poorly he was depicted in the movie and the hassles of becoming an overnight celebrity. This sequence stems from Groom’s anger toward Paramount, whose questionable accounting figures prevented him from earning any royalties from the movie.
“Midnight Cowboy” is now half a century old, and it’s aged very gracefully. It’s still a career highlight for stars Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman and is regarded as one of the best and most important films of the 1960’s. Celebrate this big anniversary by learning more about the making of “Midnight Cowboy.”
1. While he plays a Texan unfamiliar with life in New York City, Jon Voight is actually a native New Yorker. In fact, he had trouble getting a handle on his character’s southern accent and resorted to recording native Texans to use for research.
2.Lee Majors was originally cast as Joe Buck before Voight, but Majors had to drop out due to his commitment to the TV series “The Big Valley.”
4. According to Hoffman, the iconic line “I’m walking here!” was improvised and was the result of his genuine anger when a taxi cab interrupted an otherwise perfect take. Hoffman chose to stay in character even as he took out his anger at the driver.
United Artists
5. However, producer Jerome Hellman disputes Hoffman’s account, saying the line was included in one draft of the screenplay.
6. Hoffman put pebbles in one of his shoes in order to ensure that Ratso’s distinctive limp remained consistent from scene to scene.
7. Filming outdoors was complicated both by the lack of a permit to shoot on the city streets and because Hoffman was regularly mobbed by fans of 1967’s “The Graduate.”
Embassy Pictures
8. Director Jon Schlesinger reportedly wanted to include a sex scene between Hoffman and Voight’s characters, but studio executives rejected the idea.
9.Bob Dylan‘s “Lay Lady Lay” was written specifically for the”Midnight Cowboy” soundtrack, but Dylan wasn’t able to complete it in time.
United Artists
10. “Midnight Cowboy” is the only X-rated film ever to receive an Academy Award, though the MPAA later granted the film an R-rating upon its re-release in 1971.
11. Both the movie and James Leo Herlihy’s original novel were initially banned in Ireland.
Richard Linklater remains one of the most acclaimed indie directors in the business, in no small part because of the enduring appeal of his “Before Trilogy.” With the middle chapter in that trilogy, “Before Sunset,” turning 15 years old, now is the perfect time to revisit the roller coaster love story of Jesse and Céline and learn more about the making of these three classic romances.
1. Linklater was inspired to write “Before Sunrise” by a similar experience in his own life, where he spent an evening in Philadelphia walking the city and conversing with a woman named Amy Lehrhaupt he met in a toy shop.
2. Sadly, Linklater only learned in 2010 that Lehrhaupt had died in a motorcycle accident prior to the release of “Before Sunrise.” “Before Midnight” is dedicated in her memory.
Columbia Pictures
3. While Linklater and co-writer Kim Krizan wrote the screenplay for “Before Sunrise” in a mere 11 days, it took nine months to choose Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as the stars.
4. Jesse and Céline are the only two named characters in “Before Sunset.”
Columbia Pictures
5. “Before Sunrise” contains numerous references to author James Joyce and his novel “Ulysses,” which also features a protagonist wandering a European city for a night.
6. Linklater originally envisioned “Before Sunset” as a much more ambitious sequel set in multiple cities. But when he couldn’t acquire the necessary funding, he opted for a smaller and more intimate approach.
Warner Bros.
7. “Before Sunset” features numerous long take Steadicam shots. The longest of these lasts a full 11 minutes.
8. The older couple who converse with Céline outside her apartment in “Before Sunset” are played by Delpy’s parents.
9. Many fans have speculated that Jesse’s frayed relationship with his unseen wife in “Before Sunset” is inspired by Hawke’s marriage to actress Uma Thurman, as the two got divorced around the time of the film’s release. Hawke and Delpy have both acknowledged drawing heavily from their own personal lives when writing their respective characters.
Fox Searchlight Pictures
10. Hawke and Delpy have actually played the Jesse and Céline roles in a total of four films. The two characters also appear in Linklater’s 2001 animated film “Waking Life,” where they muse about the strange nature of dream time.
11. Because “Waking Life” debuted several years before “Before Sunset,” that scene led many fans to assume Jesse and Céline did indeed reunite at the train station. “Before Sunset” proved otherwise, suggesting the “Waking Life” scene never happened or was merely a wistful dream on the part of one of the characters.
25 years ago, iconic pulp hero The Shadow made the leap to the big screen. The result wasn’t the smash success fans and studios execs were hoping for, but the movie is still an important reminder that Batman wasn’t the first vigilante detective on the block. Celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary by learning more about the making of the odd and deeply underrated “The Shadow.”
1. Like 1989’s “Batman,” “The Shadow” went through a prolonged period of development before finally seeing the light of day. Producer Martin Bregman originally bought the film rights in 1982.
2.Sam Raimi lobbied to direct the adaptation but was rejected. Raimi instead went on to create the Shadow-inspired “Darkman” instead.
Universal Pictures
3. The version of the Shadow featured in the movie is intended to be an amalgamation of the classic radio and pulp magazine incarnations, drawing plot elements, lines of dialogue and powers from both.
4. Author James Luceno’s novelization delves even deeper into classic “The Shadow” mythology, including alluding to the fact that the hero’s true identity is Kent Allard, not Lamont Cranston.
Universal Pictures
5. Production on “The Shadow” was set back after an earthquake destroyed the Hall of Mirrors set, forcing director Russell Mulcahy to shoot an abridged version of the climactic sequence.
6. Co-stars Tim Curry and Ian McKellen had worked together before, starring in the stage version of “Amadeus.”
Universal Pictures
7.Chow Yun-fat was considered for the role of Shiwan Khan.
8. “The Shadow” was originally intended to serve as the start of a longer franchise and a major merchandising push. Those plans were abandoned due to its poor box office performance.
Universal Pictures
9. Among the various tie-in products canceled was a “The Shadow” video game for the Super Nintendo console. The game was actually completed before its last-minute cancellation, and playable ROM files have been circulating the Internet for years.
It’s hard to believe it'[s been 20 years since “South Park” made the jump from cable TV to the big screen. Maybe that’s because even two decades later, the franchise is still going strong. Celebrate the time Stan, Kyle, Cartman and the rest prevent all-out war by learning some interesting facts about the making of this very adults-only animated movie.
1. The movie is notable for being the first “South Park” project to feature Kenny without his ever-present hood.
Paramount/WB
2. While Satan and Saddam Hussein were actually voiced by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, respectively, in the credits both characters are listed as being voiced by themselves.
3. The song “La Resistance” and the character The Mole are both intended as homages to the stage musical version of “Les Misérables.”
Paramount/WB
4. While a popular rumor suggests the movie was outright banned in Iraq, the truth is that Paramount never even attempted to distribute it there, fearing an inevitable backlash over Hussein’s depiction.
5. The movie features exactly 399 curse words, setting a Guinness World Record for an animated movie. The only reason the count didn’t run even higher is that the MPAA requires all films with 400 or more curse words to be rated NC-17.
6. According to Stone, the movie’s original title was “South Park: All Hell Breaks Loose,” and he and Parker changed it to the more subtly vulgar “Bigger, Longer & Uncut” after push-back from the MPAA. Whoops.
Paramount/WB
7. The movie features a tribute to classic rock band Pink Floyd. In the scene where South Park citizens are destroying all Canadian products, a trio of soldiers can be seen with the name tags “Floyd,” “Wright” and “Mason.”
8. Metallica frontman James Hetfield contributed to the song “Hell Isn’t Good.”
9. “Blame Canada” was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2000. It ultimately lost to Phil Collins‘ “You’ll Be In My Heart” from “Tarzan.” In retaliation, Parker and Stone devoted an episode of the show’s fourth season to lampooning Collins.
Disney
10. “South Park” held the record for the highest-grossing R-rated animated movie in America for a full 17 years. It was finally dethroned by “Sausage Party” in 2016.
11. Figure skater Brian Boitano was apparently amused by his depiction in the film. He even collaborated with Parker and Stone in order to commission as series of “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” T-shirts for a charity drive.
Ten years ago, “The Hurt Locker” arrived in theaters and established itself as one of the definitive movies about the Iraq War. Amid the rave reviews, it propelled director Kathryn Bigelow to become the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Celebrate this major movie milestone by learning more about the origins and the making of “The Hurt Locker.”
1. Screenwriter Mark Boal based the script on his own experiences as a freelance journalist embedded with an EOD Army unit in Iraq.
2. Bigelow was convinced by ex-husband James Cameron to take on the project. Cameron may have come to regret that decision, as “Avatar” wound up losing the Academy Award for Best Picture to “The Hurt Locker” in 2010.
20th Century Fox
3. Even without accounting for inflation, “The Hurt Locker” became the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner in history. Its theatrical run had already completed by the time the Oscar nominations were revealed.
4. Bigelow wanted to shoot the film as close to Iraq as possible for the sake of authenticity, so much of filming took place in Jordan mere miles from the border with Iraq. Experts had to consulted to make sure the sites chosen were safe from Iraqi snipers.
Summit Entertainment
5. Many of the extras in the film were Iraqi refugees seeking asylum in Jordan.
8. 100 hours of film was shot for every hour of footage in the final cut, a ratio higher than even that of the notoriously troubled “Apocalypse Now.”
9. The film was the subject of a lawsuit from Master Sergeant Jeffrey Sarver, who claimed to be the creator of phrases like “the hurt locker” and “War is a drug,” and argued that Renner’s character was based on him. The lawsuit was eventually thrown out.
Summit Entertainment
10. Production company Voltage Pictures filed its own lawsuit, targeting thousands of BitTorrent users who downloaded pirated copies of the film.
11. The 2014 Broadway version of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” features several references to “The Hurt Locker.” The show features a running joke about inheriting sets and props from a short-lived stage musical version of “The Hurt Locker.”
“The Muppet Movie” defined many a childhood, showing Muppet lovers the world over how Kermit and the gang first came together and signed their standard “rich and famous” contract. Four decades later, the music, humor and heartwarming origin story still resonate as strongly as ever. So celebrate this Muppet milestone by learning more about the making of this cinematic spinoff.
1. The movie was filmed during a break in the middle of Season 3 of “The Muppet Show.”
2.Jim Henson saw the feature film budget as an opportunity to push the limits of Muppet technology. “The Muppet Movie” became the first film to feature 100% of a hand puppet’s body onscreen while acting.
Associated Film Distribution
3. Henson revealed that the shot featuring Kermit riding a bicycle was among the most difficult technical challenges in the entire film.
4. The opening scene with Kermit playing guitar in the swamp was another major challenge. It took five days to film, with Henson forced to spend much of the time inside a 50-gallon tank underwater.
Associated Film Distribution
5. While Frank Oz performs many of the Muppet roles in the film (including Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Sam Eagle), he also has a cameo as the biker who fights Fozzie in El Sleezo Café.
6. For the scene where Animal becomes a giant after eating Bunson’s Insta-Grow pills, Henson insisted on actually constructing a 60-foot-tall version of the Animal puppet.
7. The musical number “I Hope Somethin’ Better Comes Along” is a rarity for the franchise, as Rowlf and Kermit don’t usually have duets together because Henson usually performed both characters. That scene is one of the few where Henson turned over the Kermit role to another performer during his life.
Associated Film Distribution
8.Orson Welles‘ character Lew Lord is a tribute to producer Sir Lew Grade, who was instrumental in helping “The Muppet Show” find funding.
9. “The Muppet Movie” also features an early, uncredited performance from Tim Burton. Burton is one of 137 puppeteers contributing to the final shot in the movie.
Associated Film Distribution
10.John Landis also chipped in for that shot, performing the puppeteer work for Grover so Oz could play Miss Piggy.
11. There are currently seven feature-length sequels to “The Muppet Movie,” with the most recent being 2014’s “Muppets Most Wanted.”
“The Muppet Movie” is playing in theaters nationwide on July 25 and 30 for its 40th anniversary. Tickets are on sale now!
Studios like Pixar and Laika have long since proven that animated movies don’t have to just be for kids; they can appeal to wide audiences. But some animated movies have taken things a step further. These movies prove that sometimes animation can be geared specifically to an adult audience. Here are 11 great animated movies definitely not intended for younger viewers.
‘Watership Down’ (1978)
Cinema International Corporation
While ostensibly aimed at children, “Watership Down” is not for the faint of heart regardless of age. Forget cutesy, Disney-fied animals – this film captures the animal kingdom at its most brutal and savage. An entire generation of children was scarred by the terrifying imagery seen here.
‘Akira’ (1988)
Toho
“Akira” was among the first anime movies to make a significant impact in the US, and for good reason. It’s widely regarded as one of the high points of the medium, as well as one of the most painstakingly detailed animated films ever created. But between the adult subject matter and the downright confusing storyline, this is strictly for older viewers.
‘Grave of the Fireflies’ (1988)
Toho
It’s hard to recommend “Grave of the Fireflies” to anyone. The problem isn’t quality, as this WWII drama is regarded as another high point for the Japanese animation scene. It’s just the the film is so relentlessly bleak and depressing in its examination of two starving children struggling to survive in the waning days of the war. Don’t watch unless you don’t mind suffering an existential crisis for several days afterward.
‘Perfect Blue’ (1997)
Rex Entertainment
Another well-regarded classic in the anime world, “Perfect Blue” also marks the feature-length directorial debut of legendary director Satoshi Kon. This film follows an up-and-coming actress who deals with a stalker and (like many of Kon’s protagonists) finds the lines between reality and fantasy becoming increasingly blurred. “Perfect Blue” struck a chord with many Western artists, particularly “Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky and it was recently released as a deluxe Blu-ray from our friends at Shout Factory.
‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ (1999)
Paramount Pictures
“South Park” quickly made a name for itself in the late ’90s as a more vulgar and satirical alternative to “The Simpsons.” This theatrical spinoff proved that formula could work in longer doses, and that R-rated animated movies could actually be a box office draw. Among other things, “Bigger, Longer & Uncut” is one of the best animated movie musicals of the last several decades.
‘Cowboy Bebop: The Movie’ (2001)
Sony Pictures
While technically set toward the tail-end of the wildly popular anime series, “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie” works as a standalone adventure featuring futuristic bounty hunter Spike Spiegel and his motley crew. The same unique fusion of science fiction, Western movies and funky jazz is in full effect here, along with an added dose of Middle Eastern flair for good measure.
‘Persepolis’ (2007)
Diaphana Distribution/Sony Pictures Classics
Rarely has a comic book movie managed to so faithfully recreate the look and spirit of the source material. Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novels are adapted in this film that explores her childhood during the Iranian Revolution (she co-directed the film version). Despite the often lighthearted nature of the animation, however, “Persepolis” is not intended for younger audiences.
‘Waltz With Bashir’ (2008)
Sony Pictures Classics
“Waltz With Bashir” is a unique example of director using animation to fuel a personal documentary (sort of). Ari Folman uses this combination as a way of exploring his own search for his lost memories of his experiences in the 1982 Lebanon War. The result is a very haunting and wholly unique anti-war film.
‘Anomalisa’ (2015)
Paramount Pictures
No one would ever mistake the work of Charlie Kaufman for any other director, and that holds true for his first foray into animation, “Anomalisa.” Kaufman teamed with stop-motion director Duke Johnson to tell a love story about a misanthropic customer service agent who views everyone in the world as being identical, at least until he meets a woman who stands out.
‘Sausage Party’ (2016)
Sony Pictures
“Sausage Party” is only the second American animated film to receive an R-rating after “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut,” and it’s every bit as outrageous and vulgar. Basically a raunchy parody of Pixar movies, “Sausage Party” features a cast of anthropomorphic food doing extremely inappropriate things. Fortunately, there’s more going on in this film that just gross-out humor, with sex, religion, and existential dread all on the menu.
‘Loving Vincent’ (2017)
Altitude Film Distribution
The sheer effort that went into bringing this Vincent Van Gogh biopic to life is incredible. “Loving Vincent” explores the circumstances surrounding the painter’s death, and it does so by becoming the first fully painted animated feature film. A team of 100 artists labored away creating tens of thousands of frames inspired by Van Gogh’s distinctive style.
It’s been 15 years since “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” hit theaters are proved that you really can make an underdog sports movie about any sport. Get back in fighting shape (and avoid those wrenches) by learning more about the making of “Dodgeball” and that sequel we may or may not ever see.
2. While most of the wrenches in the iconic wrench-throwing sequence were made of rubber, one of them was actually real. Long was injured when it hit him in the eyebrow.
20th Century Fox
3. The filming process was hard on the equipment as well as the actors. Stiller reportedly broke three different cameras filming a single scene.
4.Patton Oswalt provided voiceover work for the film, dubbing over Ben Stiller in one particularly risque scene and voicing the video store clerk at the beginning of the film.
20th Century Fox
5. The movie apparently takes place in 1993. This is revealed thanks to White’s before and after video, which dates his “six years and six hundred pounds ago…” photo as 1987.
6. “Dodgeball” delivers a subtle homage to the G.I. Joe franchise via the team names of the rival gyms, “The Average Joes” and “The Purple Cobras.”
20th Century Fox
7. The “Dodgeball Unrated” DVD contains a bizarre director’s commentary featuring Stiller arguing with his fellow actors for roughly 40 minutes, after which the track is replaced by the commentary to “There’s Something About Mary.”
8. ESPN paid homage to “Dodgeball’ in 2017 by airing a one-day “ESPN 8: The Ocho” marathon covering unusual, off-kilter sporting events.
20th Century Fox
9. 20th Century Fox announced a sequel to “Dodgeball” in 2013, though no further updates have been made. However, the cast did reunite in 2017 for a YouTube campaign geared toward a charity dodgeball tournament.
