On this day in movie and book history - Bug (2006)

Bug

directed by William Friedkin,

written by Tracy Letts, and based on the play by Tracy Letts,

was released in the United States on September 25, 2006.

Music by Brian Tyler.

Cast:

Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Lynn Collins, Brían F. O'Byrne, Harry Connick, Jr.

Recommended reading:

Bug

Play by Tracy Letts.

Published by Northwestern University Press.

ISBN-10: 0810123487

ISBN-13: 978-0810123489

Description:

Set in a seedy Oklahoma City motel room, the play centers on the meeting between Agnes, a divorced waitress with a fondness for cocaine and isolation, and Peter, a soft-spoken Gulf War drifter introduced to her by her lesbian friend, R.C. Agnes stays at a hotel in hopes of avoiding her physically abusive ex-husband, Jerry, who was just released from prison. At first, she lets Peter sleep platonically on her floor, but not long after she promotes him to the bed. Matters become more complicated as Jerry eagerly returns to the woman he loves to beat her up, expecting to resume their relationship. On top of that, there’s a hidden bug infestation problem that has both Agnes and Peter dealing with scathing welts and festering sores which has Peter believing this is the result of experiments conducted on him during his stay at an army hospital. Their fears soon escalate to paranoia, conspiracy theories and twisted psychological motives.

On this day in movie history - Dead Birds (2004)

Dead Birds

directed by Alex Turner,

written by Simon Barrett,

was released at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada on September 13, 2004.

Music by Peter C. Lopez.

Cast:

Henry Thomas, Patrick Fugit, Nicki Aycox, Michael Shannon, Muse Watson, Mark Boone Junior, Isaiah Washington, Harris Mann, Melanie Abramoff, Donna Biscoe, Brian Bremer, Russell Durham Comegys, David Dwyer, Michael Faella, Steve Green, Douglas M. Griffin, Drew Hall, Evan Hipps, Sydney Jones, Terry Jones, Danny Kamin, Mikal Kartvedt, Ted Manson, Ken McGhee, Michael Purnell, Sam Rhymes, Bret Roberts, Terrie Thompson, Sam Breslin Wright, Allan B. Holt, Robbie (the dog).

On this day in movie history – Nuremberg (2025 movie & book):

Nuremberg

directed by James Vanderbilt,

written by James Vanderbilt,

based on the book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai,

released at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada on September 7, 

2025.

Music by Brian Tyler.

Cast: Rami Malek, Russell Crowe, Richard E. Grant, Michael Shannon, Leo Woodall, Colin Hanks, John Slattery, Wrenn Schmidt, Lotte Verbeek, Andreas Pietschmann, Mark O'Brien, Lydia Peckham, Steven Pacey, Roderick Hill, Dan Cade, Paul Antony-Barber, Wolfgang Cerny, Donald Sage Mackay, Tamas Nadas, Alex Diehl, Jeremy Wheeler, Dieter Riesle, Tom Keune, Barney Taylor, Philippe Jacq, Gyula Mesterházy, András Korcsmáros, Billy Rayner, Ralph Berkin, Laura Bóta, Blake Kubena, Wayne Brett, Carl Achleitner, Brett Keating, Laurence Pears, Michael Sheldon, Fleur Bremmer, Sam Newman, Richard Kerékgyártó, Vazul Magyar, Szüle István, Adam Pelyhe, István Áldott.

Recommended reading:

The Nazi and the Psychiatrist

by Jack El-Hai.

Published by PublicAffairs.
First published 2013.

ISBN-10: 1610394631
ISBN-13: 9781610394635
 
Description:
 
The book is a page turner. – NPR.

In 1945, after his capture at the end of the Second World War, Hermann Göring arrived at an American-run detention center in war-torn Luxembourg, accompanied by sixteen suitcases and a red hatbox. Joining him in the detention center were fifty-one senior Nazis, of whom Göring was the dominant figure.

To ensure that the captives were fit for trial at Nuremberg, the US army sent an ambitious army psychiatrist, Captain Douglas M. Kelley, to supervise and evaluate them. To Kelley, it was the professional opportunity of a lifetime: to discover a distinguishing trait among these arch-criminals that would mark them as psychologically different from the rest of humanity. But evil has its charms....

On this day in movie history - Vanilla Sky (2001)

 

Vanilla Sky

directed and written by Cameron Crowe,

was released in the United States on December 14, 2001.

Based on Open Your Eyes (1997), Spanish title: Abre los ojos, directed by Alejandro Amenábar.

Music by Nancy Wilson.

Cast:

Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, Timothy Spall, Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, Delaina Hlavin, Shalom Harlow, Oona Hart, Ivana Milicevic, Johnny Galecki, Jhaemi Willens, Armand Schultz, Cameron Watson, Robertson Dean, W. Earl Brown, Ray Proscia, Tim Hopper, Alicia Witt, Ken Leung, Carolyn Byrne, Mark Pinter, Jeff Weiss, Conan O’Brien, James Murtaugh, Mark Kozelek, John Fedevich, Bobby Walsh, Stacey Sher, Fred Schruers, Jessica Siemens, Julia Carothers Hughes, Holly Raye, Marty Collins, Mark Bramhall, Jack Hall, David Lewison, Jennifer Griffin, Adam LeGrant, John Kepley, Robin Van Sharner, Laurel Wiley, Nicole Taylor Hart, Julia Decker, Jennifer Marie Kelley, Erin McElmurry, Alice Marie Crowe, Jonathan Sanger, Tommy Lee, Ana Maria Quintana, Paul Haggar, Randy Woodside, Robert F. Harrison, Carly Starr Brullo Niles, Jane Pratt, Patrick McMullen, Steven Colvin, Cindy Crowe, The Great John Sypolt, Michael G. Kehoe, Danielle Wolf, Scotch Ellis Loring, Brent Sexton, Curt Skaggs, Jennifer Gimenez, Lori Lezama, Todd Harrison, Blossom (Benny the Dog), Laura Fraser, Jennifer Aspen, Celina Belizan, Craig Callow, Christie Campagna, Jean Carol, Tony Collucci, Jimmy Federico, Shane Fenton, Janine Foster, Aracelli Frias, Zach Hudson, Marko Jankovic, Ryan Keating, Zachary Lee, Roger Lim, Tara Lipinski, Lucio Luciano, William Mapother, Christy Meyers, Arnold Montey, Jan Munroe, Marie Paquim, Ronald Rand, Louis E. Rosas, Steven Spielberg, Andrei Sterling, Tasha Tae, Bryan Todd, Michael J. Tomaso, Christie Will Wolf.

On this day in movie history - Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Nocturnal Animals

directed and written by Tom Ford,

based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright,

was released in the United States on November 23, 2016.

Music by Abel Korzeniowski.

Cast:

Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, Andrea Riseborough, Michael Sheen, Bobbi Menuez, Zawe Ashton, Jena Malone, Neil Jackson, Kristin Bauer, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Ellie Bamber, Karl Glusman, Robert Aramayo, Graham Beckel.