FACT-O-RAMA
Movies From 0 to 50 in Less Than 5 Minutes
Article by Matteo Molinari
0: Lines of dialogue of Christopher Lee as the title role in DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS (UK 1966).
1: Movies where Walter Matthau is billed with his real name, Walter Matushanskayasky. The movie is EARTHQUAKE (USA 1974).
2: Scenes where Sharon Stone appears in her movie debut, Woody Allen’s STARDUST MEMORIES (USA 1980): she’s blowing a kiss from a “happy” train, and she’s at a UFO picnic sequence.
3: Days needed by John Hughes to write THE BREAKFAST CLUB (USA 1984) script.
4: Real cockroaches Nicolas Cage ate during the shooting of VAMPIRE’S KISS (USA 1989).
5: Words said by Joe Pesci as acceptance speech for his Oscar for Martin Scorsese’s GOODFELLAS (USA 1990). He simply said, “It’s my privilege. Thank you.”
6: Women in the cast of SEVEN WOMEN FROM HELL (USA 1961).
7: Age difference between Sean Connery and Dustin Hoffman, yet they were paired as father and son in FAMILY BUSINESS (USA 1989).
8: Hours needed to apply Ralph Fiennes’ back tattoo for his “Tooth Fairy” role in RED DRAGON (USA 2002).
9: Different coats – all black – Samuel L. Jackson wears in SHAFT (USA 2000).
10: Wolverine’s costumes made for X-MEN (USA 2000). They were all destroyed (to different extents) during stunt sequences.
11: Monsters in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (KAIJÛ SÔSHINGEKI, Jap 1968): they are Angilas, Baragon, Godzilla, Gorosaurus, King Ghidirah, Manda, Minya, Mothra, Rodan, Spiega (a.k.a. Kumonga) and Varan.
12: Shooting days of Colin Farrell’s PHONE BOOTH (USA 2002).
13: Years James Cameron’s TITANIC (USA 1997) held onto the record of highest-grossing movie of all time until James Cameron’s AVATAR (USA / UK 2009) came along and took the honor away from the sinking ship.
14: Directors of photography used during the three-year production of Jacques Perrin’s documentary WINGED MIGRATION (LE PEUPLE MIGRATEUR, Fra / Ita / Ger / Spa / Switz 2001).
15: Years William Shatner portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movies, from STAR TREK – THE MOTION PICTURE (USA 1979) to STAR TREK: GENERATIONS (USA 1994).
16: Puppeteers who controlled the four tentacles of Doc Ock in SPIDER-MAN 2 (USA 2004).
17: Minutes (and a half) of Michael Keaton’s screen time in the title role of BEETLEJUICE (USA 1988).
18: Film formats used to shoot NATURAL BORN KILLERS (USA 1994), from regular 35 mm to HI8.
19: Movie titles quoted in Wes Craven’s SCREAM (USA 1996).
20: Severe injuries occurred on the set of PATHFINDER (Canada/USA 2007) in one single day.
21: Original body count in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (USA 1935), trimmed down to 10 after censorship request.
22: Days it took one computer to render an explosion shot used in JASON X (USA 2002), according to director James Isaac’s recollection.
23: Seconds of zero gravity the crew of Ron Howard’s APOLLO 13 (USA 1995) experienced every time the NASA KC-135 airplane, where they were shooting a few sequences, executed its parabolic arc toward the ground; the aforementioned arc would allow the passengers of the plane to achieve weightlessness.
24: Hundreds of feet along which a special spydercam would slide to shoot breathtaking images in New York for SPIDER-MAN 2 (USA 2004).
25: Days it took Christopher Nolan to shoot his MEMENTO (USA 2000).
26: Actors who were turned by make-up artist Stuart Freeborn into fully articulated ape-like creatures for the “Dawn of Man” sequence in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (UK 1968).
27: VCRs used in the operation room of the Nebuchadnezzar “Neb” craft in THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS (USA 2003).
28: Words actor Angus Scrimm (The Tall Man) says in his five lines of dialogue in PHANTASMS (USA 1979). They are, “The funeral is about to begin, sir!” “I’ve been waiting for you.” “(wicked laugh)… Baaaaall!!” “You play a good game, boy, but the game is finished. Now you die!” “Baaaaaall!!”
29: Minutes Jack Nicholson is in EASY RIDER (USA 1969).
30: Dollars (yes, dollars) grossed by John Penney’s ZYZZYX RD (USA 2006). The movie ran for six days in just one theater, the Highland Village Park Theater in Dallas, Texas.
31: Countries which banned Umberto Lenzi’s MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY (CANNIBAL FEROX, Ita 1981), a movie billed as “The Most Violent Ever.”
32: Fishes the star of A FISH CALLED WANDA (UK 1988) ate to get the part. [NOTE: She got the part mainly because she was the only fish left in the tank]
33: Dustin Hoffman’s age when he portrayed the LITTLE BIG MAN (USA 1970) in the age span from 17 to 121.
34: Years between Charlton Heston’s first time as God in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (USA 1956) and his second, in Paul Hogan’s ALMOST AN ANGEL (Aus 1990).
35: Moving parts that Ray Harryhausen had to change position of every frame to film his wonderful army of seven skeletons featured in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (USA 1963).
36: Years between Walt Disney’s JUNGLE BOOK (USA 1967) and its sequel, JUNGLE BOOK 2 (USA 2003).
37: Days Danny Elfman had to write the score to Ang Lee’s HULK (USA 2003) after original composer Mychael Danna got fired from the project.
38: Days needed by Tom Hanks to perform his five roles in the animated THE POLAR EXPRESS (USA 2004).
39: Hats worn by Madonna in EVITA (USA 1996).
40: Characters played by the six members of Monty Python in LIFE OF BRIAN (UK 1979).
41: Years between Lewis Milestone’s OCEAN’S 11 (USA 1960) and its remake, Steven Soderbergh’s OCEAN’S ELEVEN (USA 2001). Actors Henry Silva and Angie Dickinson appear in both movies.
42: Photos of the original Club 54 during the closing credits of 54 (USA 1998).
43: Distinct infected humans created in CGI for Will Smith’s I AM LEGEND (USA 2007).
44: Actual members of the Crazy 88 gang who face the Bride (Uma Thurman) in KILL BILL: VOL. 1 (USA 2003). Only one will survive – after getting spanked.
45: 100th of a second that Clint Eastwood needs to draw.
46: Years between A GUY NAMED JOE (USA 1943) and its remake, ALWAYS (USA 1989). Victor Fleming directed Spencer Tracy in the first one, Steven Spielberg directed Richard Dreyfuss in the second.
47: Mistakes in a row made by Sterling Hayden while shooting a scene in DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (UK 1964) before Stanley Kubrick finally yelled, “cut and print!”
48: Year laps between Katharine Hepburn’s first Oscar and her fourth one.
49: Yorkshire pigs which portrayed BABE (Australia/USA 1995). They were all real except for an animatronic one.
50: Hydraulic jacks, operated by seven technicians, that moved the full-scale KING KONG (USA 1976) built by Carlo Rambaldi.
[…it can go on…]
