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 - A Few Good Men (movie & play):

A Few Good Men

directed by Rob Reiner,

written by Aaron Sorkin,

based on the play by Aaron Sorkin,

was released in the United States on December 2, 1992.
Music by Marc Shaiman.

Cast:

Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, James Marshall, J.T. Walsh, Christopher Guest, J.A. Preston, Matt Craven, Maud Winchester, Wolfgang Bodison, Xander Berkeley, John M. Jackson, Noah Wyle, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lawrence Lowe, Joshua Malina, Oscar Jordan, John M. Mathews, Aaron Sorkin, Alex Wexo, Frank Cavestani, Jan Munroe, Ron Ostrow, Matthew Saks, Harry Caesar, Michael DeLorenzo, Geoffrey Nauffts, Arthur Senzy, Cameron Thor, David Bowe, Gene Whittington, Christopher Coffel, Richard Lasting, Bernard Madrid, Jack Serino.

Recommended reading:

A Few Good Men

Play by Aaron Sorkin.

Published 1989.

Paperback.

Published by Concord Theatricals.

ISBN 13: 9780573700514

ISBN 10: 0573700516

ASIN: 0573700516

Description:

This Broadway hit about the trial of two Marines for complicity in the death of a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay sizzles on stage. The Navy lawyer, a callow young man more interested in softball games than the case, expects a plea bargain and a cover up of what really happened. Prodded by a female member of his defense team, the lawyer eventually makes a valiant effort to defend his clients and, in so doing, puts the military mentality and the Marine code of honor on trial.

On this day in movie history - The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut (1999):

The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut

documentary directed by Paul Joyce,

was released in the United Kingdom on November 19, 1999.

Cast:

John Boorman, Tom Cruise, Jan Harlan, Nicole Kidman, Anya Kubrick, Christiane Kubrick, Katharina Kubrick, Sydney Pollack, Steven Spielberg.

On this day in movie history - Collateral (2004):

Collateral

directed by Michael Mann,

written by Stuart Beattie,

was released in the United States on August 6, 2004.
Music by James Newton Howard.

Cast:

Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill, Irma P. Hall, Barry Shabaka Henley, Richard T. Jones, Klea Scott, Bodhi Elfman, Debi Mazar, Javier Bardem, Emilio Rivera, Jamie McBride, Ken Waters, Charlie E. Schmidt, Michael Bentt, Ian Hannin, Robert Deamer, David Mersault, Anthony Ochoa, Edgar Sánchez, Cosme Urquiola, Thomas Rosales Jr., Wade Williams, Paul Adelstein, Jessica Ferrarone, Troy Blendell, Inmo Yuon, Howard Bachrach, Chic Daniel, Corinne Chooey, JoNell Kennedy, Steven Kozlowski, Roger Stoneburner, Rodney Sandberg, George Petrina, Donald Dean, Elliott Newman, Trevor Ware, Bobby English, Auggie Cavanagh, Ronald Muldrow, Peter McKernan, Ivor Shier, Daniel Luján, Eddie Diaz, Joey Burns, John Convertino, Josh Cruze, Martin Flores, Rick Garcia, Larry G. Goldman, Maurilio Pineda, Dan Sistos, Jacob Valenzuela, Luis Villegas, Yussi Wenger, Jason Statham, Angelo Tiffe, Ismeal Vidrio, Ron Eckert, Manuel Urrego, Jessie Bernard, Luis Moncada, Dyna Teal, Sandi Schroeder, Michael-John Wolfe, Addie Yungmee, J.D. McElroy, Megan Hiratzka, Kate Gopacco, Christy Yi, Lisa Marie Basada, Wilson Wong, Mark Stainbrook, Brandon Molale, Marianne M. Arreaga, Spike Silver, Ben Mihm, Niles Roth, Linda Asuma, Esther K. Chae, Danny Del Toro, Tara Erickson, Melissa Gomez, Annabella Gutman, Janet Linn, Gino Montesinos, Janessa Mun, Masami Okada, Janice Paik, Neil Patil, Gary Rodriguez, Erina Sako, Emily VanSonnenberg, Emily Ming-An Wang, Michael Waxman, Henry T. Yamada.

On this day in movie history - Eyes Wide Shut (1999):

Eyes Wide Shut

directed by Stanley Kubrick,

written by Stanley Kubrick and Frederic Raphael,

based on the novella Traumnovelle by Arthur Schnitzler,

was released in the United States on July 16, 1999.
Music by Jocelyn Pook.

Cast:

Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Madison Eginton, Jackie Sawiris, Sydney Pollack, Leslie Lowe, Peter Hans Benson, Todd Field, Michael Doven, Sky du Mont, Louise J. Taylor, Stewart Thorndike, Randall Paul, Julienne Davis, Lisa Leone, Kevin Connealy, Marie Richardson, Thomas Gibson, Mariana Hewett, Dan Rollman, Gavin Parry, Chris Pare, Adam Lias, Christian Clarke, Kyle Whitcombe, Gary Goba, Vinessa Shaw, Florian Windorfer, Rade Serbedzija, Togo Igawa, Eiji Kusuhara, Leelee Sobieski, Sam Douglas, Angus MacInnes, Abigail Good, Brian W. Cook, Leon Vitali, Carmela Marner, Alan Cumming, Fay Masterson, Phil Davies, Cindy Dolenc, Clark Hayes, Treva Etienne, Colin Angus, Karla Ashley, Kate Charman, James Demaria, Tony DeSergio, Janie Dickens, Laura Fallace, Vanessa Fenton, Georgina Finch, Peter Godwin, Joanna Heath, Lee Henshaw, Ateeka Poole, Adam Pudney, Sharon Quinn, Ben De Saumserez, Emma Lou Sharratt, Paul Spelling, Matthew Thompson, Dan Travers, Russell Trigg, Kate Whalin, Jerson David Ambion, Shelsie Blake, Cate Blanchett, Emilio D'Alessandro, Jeremy Davidson, Paul Desbois, Donna Ewin, Tres Hanley, Sam Heydon, Alex Hobbs, Christiane Kubrick, Katharina Kubrick, Taylor Murphy.

On this day in movie history - War of the Worlds (movie & novel):

War of the Worlds

directed by Steven Spielberg,

written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp,

based on the novel The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells,

was released in the United States on June 29, 2005.
Narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Music by John Williams.

Cast:

Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins, Rick Gonzalez, Yul Vazquez, Lenny Venito, Lisa Ann Walter, Ann Robinson, Gene Barry, David Alan Basche, Roz Abrams, Michael Brownlee, Camillia Monet, Marlon Young, John Eddins, Peter Gerety, David Harbour, Miguel Antonio Ferrer, January LaVoy, Stephen Gevedon, Julie White, Marianne Ebert, Rafael Sardina, Amy Ryan, Erika LaVonn, Christopher Evan Welch, John Michael Bolger, Zoe Quist, Ana Maria Quintana, Lorelei Llee, Mark Manley, John Scurti, Becky Ann Baker, Mariann Mayberry, Jerry Walsh, Tommy Guiffre, Daniel Franzese, Ed Schiff, Ellen Barry, Amy Hohn, Dan Ziskie, David Conley, Daniel Eric Gold, Booker T. Washington, Eric Zuckerman, Daniel A. Jacobs, Asha R. Nanavati, Joaquin Perez-Campbell, Dendrie Taylor, James DuMont, Ben Ciaramello, Ricky Luna, Columbus Short, Kent Faulcon, Kevin Collins, Terry Thomas, Clay Bringhurst, Jorge-Luis Pallo, Suanne Spoke, Kirsten Nelson, Melody Garrett, Lauri Johnson, Takayo Fischer, Shanna Collins, Elizabeth Jayne Hong, Art Chudabala, Jeffrey Hutchinson, Dempsey Pappion, Chris Todd, Johnny Kastl, Juan Carlos Hernández, Bruce W. Derdoski Jr., John N. Morales.

Recommended reading:

The War of the Worlds

By H.G. Wells

First published 1898.

ISBN 10: 0451522761
ISBN 13: 9780451522764

Description:

No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own....

So begins The War of the Worlds, the science fiction classic that first proposed the possibility of intelligent life on other planets and has enthralled readers for generations. This compelling tale describes the Martian invasion of earth. When huge, tireless creatures land in England, complete chaos erupts. Using their fiery heat rays and crushing strength, the aliens just may succeed in silencing all opposition. Is life on earth doomed? Will mankind survive? A timeless view of a universe turned upside down, The War of the Worlds is an ingenious and imaginative look into the possibilities of the future and the secrets yet to be revealed.