Tagline: Meatloaf, Minivans, Books
Synopsis: The insomniac (Edward Norton) and Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) decide to settle down in the suburbs and start and new life together. They start a family and make new friends with a weekly get together to discuss books. Soon the insomniac finds himself in familiar territory when this club grows past books. I am Jack’s footnotes.
Memorable Scene: At one Book Club meeting a good friend and neighbor has a slight allergic reaction to peanut brittle. As he lies on the living room floor the group surrounds him and begins to chant his name. “His name was Chet Burnstein. His name was Chet Burnstein.” They repeat over and over. The chant continues until Chet sits up and reminds the group that he’s fine. He was simply lying on the floor until his asthma subsided.
Plot: Edward Norton reprises his role as the insomniac with multiple personalities. [Read more…]
5 Movie Scenes That Captured Very Real Moments
When you watch a movie you assume that every word spoken was in the script and the director and actor preplanned every reaction captured. Â These 5 movie scenes are a few examples of how that is not always the case and some movie scenes have very real moments.
Alien
Anyone who has watched the original Alien movie knows about the infamous chestburster scene, which produced some realistic responses from the characters in the film.  Before filming the actors were only told that something was going to happen but they were not told what.  The actors had no idea that a creature would burst from John Hurt’s chest or that they would be showered in gore and blood.
Apocalypse Now
In the documentary Hearts of Darkness made about Apocalypse Now, it was revealed that the opening scene that depicts the brutal breakdown of Martin Sheen’s Captain Willard was far more real than anyone could imagine.  The scene was shot on Sheen’s birthday, and the actor was so drunk he really smashed his head.  The breakdown as well as the blood was all real.
Fight Club
Director David Fincher likes to capture authentic reactions on film and did so with one particular scene in the movie Fight Club. Â In the beginning of the movie, stars Brad Pitt and Edward Norton have a fight outside the bar. Â Norton was not supposed to actually hit Pitt, but before the scene Fincher pulled Norton aside and asked Norton to actually hit Pitt. Â When Norton hits Pitt, the reaction is real.
The 40 Year Old Virgin
In the now famous scene where actor Steve Carell gets his chest waxed, Carell opted to actually get his own chest hair waxed on film.  Though many actors would have opted to remove their hair in less painful ways and then worn fake chest hair to complete the scene, Carell wanted to make the moment as authentic as possible.   Carell stated in an interview, “That was 100% real.  We set up 5 cameras because we knew it would be one take…and it was not scripted.” His painful reaction is funny and very real.
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory
In this classic film Willy Wonka, portrayed by Gene Wilder, shows off his chocolate room to the contest winners for the first time. Â The scene is filled with looks of genuine amazement from the other actors in the scene. Â Their looks and reaction to the room are one hundred percent genuine as none of the actors were allowed to look at the set of the candy gardens and chocolate room.
So the next time you watch a film and a scene seems so authentic, or an actor has a genuine reaction, it may just be the real deal.