January 31 - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Today’s movie is a comedy with a scene that happens on January 31. Watch and enjoy this movie tonight.

ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE  

Ace Ventura is a very eccentric and broke pet detective in Miami, Florida. When Snowflake the Dolphin mascot for the Miami Dolphins football team is stolen, the owner orders  employees Roger Podacter and Melissa Robinson to him. They hire Ventura, who locates a rare gem in the dolphin’s tank that he thinks came from a 1984 Dolphins AFC championship ring. His attempts to locate the ring that is missing a stone fail until he learns about Ray Finkle, a player who was not in the team photo he used. Podacter dies in an apparent suicide that Ventura proves to be murder. Ventura learns that Finkle blamed Miami quarterback Dan Marino for causing him to miss the game winning field goal in the 1984 Super Bowl. Finkle went insane with revenge and was committed. At the mental institution where Finkle was committed, Ventura uncovers evidence that Finkle has transformed himself into “Lois Einhorn”, a detective who is in charge of the Snowflake case. On Super Bowl Sunday, January 31, 1993 [1:08:38 – 1:22:54] Ventura tracks Einhorn/Finkle to where she/he has stashed the kidnapped Marino and Snowflake. Ventura rescues both in time for a halftime return to the Super Bowl game.       

Producer - James G. Robinson

Director - Tom Shadyac

Screenwriters - Jack Bernstein, Tom Shadyac and Jim Carrey

Runtime – 1 hour 26 minutes

Released – February 4, 1994

Cast –

Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura

Courteney Cox as Melissa Robinson

Sean Young as Lt. Lois Einhorn / Ray Finkle

Tone Lōc as Emilio

John Capodice as Sgt. Aguado

Dan Marino as Himself

Noble Willingham as Riddle

Troy Evans as Roger Podacter

Raynor Scheine as Woodstock

Udo Kier as Ronald Camp

Frank Adonis as Vinnie

Tiny Ron as Roc

David Margulies as Doctor

Bill Zuckert as Mr. Finkle

Alice Drummond as Mrs. Finkle

Rebecca Ferratti as Sexy Woman

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2016

January 29 - Mayerling

Today’s movie is a period drama with a scene that happens on January 29. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.

MAYERLING   

           

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria doesn’t get along with his parents or his wife so he has affairs and dabbles in supporting Hungarian revolutionaries.  Then he meets Mary Vetsera. Rudolf entertains Edward the Prince of Wales on a visit. People act to keep Rudolf and Mary apart. His father appoints him inspector general of the armed forces, while her parents send her away. However Rudolf tracks her down in Venice and they consummate their relationship. After the failure of a Hungarian uprising leaves Rudolf implicated and he sees there is no future in his relationship with Mary, he decides on suicide. He and Mary go to his hunting lodge at Mayerling where on January 29, 1889, they have one last night together. [1:59:51 – 2:09:06]. Early the next morning, Rudolf shoots Mary, then himself.      

Producers - Robert Dorfmann and Maurice Jacquin

Director - Terence Young

Screenwriter - Terence Young

Runtime – 2 hours 20 minutes

Released – October 22, 1968

Starring –

Omar Sharif as Crown Prince Rudolf

Catherine Deneuve as Baroness Mary Vetsera

James Mason as Emperor Franz Josef

Ava Gardner as Empress Elisabeth

James Robertson Justice as Edward, Prince Of Wales

Geneviève Page as Countess Larisch

Andréa Parisy as Princess Stéphanie

Ivan Desny as Count Josef Hoyos

Fabienne Dali as Mizzi Kaspar

Véronique Vendell as Lisi Stockau

Howard Vernon as Alfred, 2nd Prince of Montenuovo

Irene von Meyendorf as Countess Stockau

Mony Dalmes as Baroness Helen Vetsera

Bernard Lajarrige as Loschek

Maurice Teynac as Moritz Szeps

Charles Millot as Count Taafe

Jacques Berthier as Archduke Jean Salvator

Roger Pigaut as Count Karolyi

Véronique Vendell as Lisl Stockau

Lyne Chardonnet as Hannah Vetsera

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2016

January 25 - Eagle Eye

Today’s movie is a thriller with a scene that happens on January 25. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.  

EAGLE EYE   

Jerry Shaw attends the funeral of his twin brother Ethan, an Air Force officer on January 25, 2009 [10:36 to 38:00]. Afterwards he finds $750,000 in his bank account, guns and classified documents in his apartment. In spite of a warning call from a woman to run, he is arrested by the FBI. The woman on the phone arranges for his escape and directs him to Rachel Holloman, who she controls by threatening her son, Sam, who is on the way to Washington, DC to  play at the State of the Union. The woman arranges for a powerful crystal explosive to be placed in a necklace and has a sonic trigger placed in Sam’s trumpet.  Ethan’s job was to monitor ARIIA, an advanced supercomputer and Jerry and Rachel learn that the woman’s voice directing them is that of ARIIA. After the President ignored ARIIA’s advice in an operation, ARIAA decides to remove the executive branch down to Defense Secretary Callister, who agreed with ARIIA. Jerry was recruited by ARIIA because as Ethan’s twin he can override biometric locks set by Ethan and activate the plan. Rachel is given the necklace to wear at the speech and her son will be there to trigger the explosion that will wipe out the leadership. However, Jerry with the help of two FBI agents who now believe he is innocent help him to stop the plan and shut down ARIIA. 

The date is given in the film at 19:30

Producers - Steven Spielberg, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Pat Crowley

Director - D. J. Caruso            

Screenwriters - John Glenn, Travis Adam Wright, Hillary Seitz and Dan McDermott

Runtime – 1 hour 58 minutes

Released – September 26, 2008

Cast –

Shia LaBeouf as Jerry and Ethan Shaw

Michelle Monaghan as Rachel Holloman

Julianne Moore as the voice of the super computer ARIIA

Rosario Dawson as Zoë Perez

Michael Chiklis as George Callister

Anthony Mackie as Major William Bowman

Ethan Embry as Toby Grant

Billy Bob Thornton as Tom Morgan

Anthony Azizi as Ranim Khalid

Cameron Boyce as Sam Holloman

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2016

January 18 - Million Dollar Arm

Today’s movie is a sports dramedy with a scene that happens on January 18. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.

MILLION DOLLAR ARM   

                       

J. B. Bernstein and his partner Ash Vasudevan are sports agents whose stars are all retiring. Bernstein gets the idea to look in India for new talent among cricket players and convinces an investor, Will Chang to pay, provided the new talent is ready within one year for a major league tryout. In spite of learning that the pitching motions for baseball and cricket are totally different, Bernstein and veteran scout  Ray Poitevint head to India. The first kids who try out are complete failures, until on January 18, 2008 [33:21 – 35:54] in  tryouts at Lucknow they discover speedballers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel. Bernstein takes the boys to America, but basically abandons them. Their tryout for the major leagues is a failure as they are too nervous to pitch correctly. Bernstein arranges for new tryout for the Pittsburgh Pirates scout, who missed the first one. This time the pair relax and pitch so well that the Pirates offer both a contract. 

                     

In the movie at 1:55:10 it gives the date they were signed to a contract with the Pirates as November 18, 2008. At 1:55:25 it says that this was ten months to the date after Rinku and Dinesh first picked up a baseball. 

Producers - Joe Roth, Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray

                  

Director - Craig Gillespie

Screenwriter - Thomas McCarthy

Runtime – 2 hours 4 minutes

Released – May 6, 2014

Cast –

Jon Hamm as J. B. Bernstein

Aasif Mandvi as Ash Vasudevan

Suraj Sharma as Rinku Singh

Madhur Mittal as Dinesh Patel

Bill Paxton as Tom House

Lake Bell as Brenda Fenwick

Alan Arkin as Ray Poitevint

Pitobash Tripathy as Amit Rohan

Allyn Rachel as Theresa

Darshan Jariwala as Vivek

Tzi Ma as Will Chang

Bar Paly as Lisette

Rey Maualuga as Popo          

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2016.

January 17 - The Four Feathers(2002)

Today’s movie is an adventure film with a scene that happens on January 17. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.

THE FOUR FEATHERS

Harry Faversham a newly commission British officer celebrates his engagement to Ethne. It is announced that the regiment is being sent to Sudan to rescue “Chinese” Gordon. Harry  has serious doubts about the ethicality of the war and resigns his commission. His father, three friends, Edward, Jack and Trench and fiancé all disown him, with Ethne and three friends sending him the white feather of cowardice. When he learns the regiment has come under attack, Harry journeys to the Sudan alone and becomes allied with Abou Fatma, an Arab. They discover the fortress of Abu Klea to which the regiment is marching has been overrun by the enemy. Harry sends Abou to warn the regiment, but they disregard him and march onwards. On January 17, 1885 [1:08:16 to 1:19:54], the regiment is attacked and has to form a defensive square. Edward Castleton, who had given Harry a feather is killed in this battle. Harry saves Jack’s life after he is blinded during the battle and gets him transported back to England, where Jack becomes engaged to Ethne. Harry rescues Trench from the prison where he was placed after being captured and returns with Trench to England. When Jack learns it was Harry who saved him, he releases Ethne from their engagement.   Ethne reclaims her feather and Harry as her fiancée.

Director - Shekhar Kapur

Producers - Paul Feldsher, Robert Jaffe, Stanley R. Jaffe and Marty Katz

Screenplay - Mark Pellington, Bruce Joel Rubin, Greg Brooker, Michael Schiffer, Risa Bramon Garcia and Hossein Amini

Released –September 20, 2002

Runtime – 2 hours 11 minutes

Starring –

Heath Ledger as Harry Faversham

Wes Bentley as Jack Durrance

Djimon Hounsou as Abou Fatma

Kate Hudson as Ethne Eustace

Rupert Penry-Jones as Tom Willoughby

Kris Marshall as Edward Castleton

Michael Sheen as William Trench

Alex Jennings as Colonel Hamilton

James Cosmo as Colonel Sutch

Angela Douglas as Aunt Mary

Tim Pigott-Smith as General Faversham

Lucy Gordon as Isabelle

James Hillier as Drunken Corporal

Copyright by Ivan Walters  in 2016

January 16 - The Public Enemy

Today’s movie is a crime drama with a scene that happens on January 16. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.  

THE PUBLIC ENEMY   

Young Tom Powers and his pal Matt Doyle fence what they steal to “Putty Nose”. Putty Nose convinces them to move up to breaking and entering, but when things go wrong, leaves the pair in the lurch. Tom’s older brother Mike tries and fails to keep Tom on the straight and narrow before he enlists in the Marines when the USA enters  World War I. On January 16, 1920 [24:00 to 25:00], the day before prohibition takes effect, “Paddy” Ryan recruits the boys into his bootlegging gang. Matt and Tom acquire girlfriends, with Matt marrying Mamie. Tom later dumps Kitty and falls for Gwen. Tom later kills Putty Nose for betraying them. When Paddy’s partner Nails Nathan is killed in an accident, this precipitates a gang war. After Matt is killed by a rival gang, Tom single handedly goes to get revenge, but is wounded in the shoot-out. In the hospital, he promises Mike that he will reform, but Tom is kidnapped by his rivals and killed.

Ardent Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by John Kobler (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1973) at page 11 gives the date Prohibition began.

Producer - Darryl F. Zanuck          

Director - William A. Wellman

Screenwriter - Harvey F. Thew

Runtime – 1 hour 23 minutes

Released – April 23, 1931

Cast –

James Cagney as Tom Powers

Jean Harlow as Gwen Allen

Edward Woods as Matt Doyle

Joan Blondell as Mamie

Donald Cook as Mike Powers

Leslie Fenton as Nails Nathan

Beryl Mercer as Ma Powers

Robert Emmett O'Connor as Paddy Ryan

Murray Kinnell as Putty Nose

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2016

January 15 - Gideon's Trumpet

Today’s movie is a courtroom drama with a scene that happens on January 15. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.

GIDEON’S TRUMPET         

Impoverished Clarence Earl Gideon is arrested for breaking into a pool hall. He asks the judge to appoint an attorney to represent him, but this request is denied. Gideon defends himself, but loses the case, is convicted and sentenced to five years in jail. In prison he studies in the prison library and writes a petition to the US Supreme Court.  It decides to hear his case, which makes Gideon a hero to the other inmates. The Supreme Court appoints attorney Abe Fortas to represent him. On January 15 1963 [55:04 to 1:11:31]oral arguments are held in the Supreme Court. The court rules in his favor and at a new trial with an attorney Gideon is acquitted.

Director – Robert L. Collins

Producers -  Robert H. Justman and David W. Rintels

Screenwriter – David W. Rintels

Released – April 30, 1980

Runtime – 1 hour 44 minutes

Starring –

Henry Fonda as Clarence Earl Gideon

Jose Ferrer as Abe Fortas

John Houseman as Earl Warren

Fay Wray as Edna Curtis

Copyright by Ivan Walters  in 2016

January 9 - Another Life

Today’s film is a drama with scenes that happen on January 9. Watch this film tonight.

ANOTHER LIFE     

Edith Graydon is a dreamer who eventually marries shipping clerk Percy Thompson, but carries on an  adulterous affair with merchant sailor Frederick Bywaters, a friend of her brothers. Her letters to him reveal her hopes for a future with him and her attempts to kill her husband. Finally Frederick kills Percy. Edith says she had no part in the murder, but in spite of Frederick’s testimony that he impulsively acted alone, both are convicted.  On January 9, 1923 [1:32:34 to 1:36:13] Edith and Frederick are hung.

Date given in film at 1:32:35

Director - Philip Goodhew

Producers - Chris Craib and Lora Fox Gamble

Screenplay - Philip Goodhew

Released -  February 2, 2001

Runtime – 1 hour 41 minutes

Starring –

Natasha Little as Edith Graydon Thompson

Nick Moran as Percy Thompson

Ioan Gruffudd as Frederick Bywaters

Imelda Staunton as Ethel Graydon

Rachael Stirling as Avis Graydon

Tom Wilkinson as Mr Carlton

Diana Coupland as Mrs Lester

Daniel Brocklebank as Newnie

Elizabeth McKechnie as Mrs Thompson

Gyuri Sarossy as Archie

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2016

January 1 - Fruitvale Station

Today’s movie is a drama with scenes that happen on January 1. Watch this film tonight.

FRUITVALE STATION  

                       

On the last day of 2008, Oscar Grant argues with his girlfriend, tries to get his old job at a grocery store back and decides to not sell pot. He goes to his mother’s birthday party and then on to the New Year’s festivities in San Francisco. On January 1, 2009 [00:36 – 1:59; 52:44 – 1:19:50] while returning to Oakland he is recognized by a former customer of the grocery store. As a result he is spotted by a former fellow  inmate who assaults Grant. This causes BART police to intervene. At the end of the ensuing confrontation, Grant is shot in the back by a BART police officer and later dies. 

                  

The date is given in the film at 00:40

Producers - Nina Yang Bongiovi and Forest Whitaker

Director - Ryan Coogler

Screenwriter - Ryan Coogler

Runtime – 1 hour 25 minutes

Released – January 19, 2013

Starring –

Michael B. Jordan as Oscar Grant

Octavia Spencer as Wanda Johnson

Melonie Diaz as Sophina Mesa

Ahna O'Reilly as Katie

Kevin Durand as Officer Caruso

Chad Michael Murray as Officer Ingram

Ariana Neal as Tatiana

Caroline Lesley as Steph

Jonez Cain as Danae             

Copyright by Ivan Walters  in 2016.