On this day in movie history - The Indian Runner (1991):

The Indian Runner

directed and written by Sean Penn,

was released in the United States on September 20, 1991.
Music by Jack Nitzsche and David Lindley.

Cast:

David Morse, Viggo Mortensen, Valeria Golino, Patricia Arquette, Charles Bronson, Sandy Dennis, Dennis Hopper, Jordan Rhodes, Enzo Rossi, Harry Crews, Eileen Ryan, Trevor Endicott, Brandon Fleck, Kathy Jensen, James Devney, Leland J. Olson, Annie Pearson, Thomas Blair Levin, V. Stacy Klein, Benicio Del Toro, James J. Luxa, Adam Nelson, Eddie Katz, Kenny Stabler, Don Shanks, Neal Stark, Elaine Schoonover, Larry Hoefling, Phil Gould, Chuck Ulmer, Joe Martin, Helen Halmes, James Intveld, Jill Anderson, John Blyth Barrymore, Pete Boughn, Kaylene Carlson, Kevin Costello, Shane Kerwin.

On this day in movie history - Frida (2002):

Frida

directed by Julie Taymor,

written by Clancy Sigal, Diane Lake, Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas,

based on the book Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera,

was released at the Venice Film Festival in Italy on August 29, 2002.
Music by Elliot Goldenthal.

Cast:

Salma Hayek, Mía Maestro, Amelia Zapata, Alejandro Usigli, Diego Luna, Alfred Molina, Lucia Bravo, Valeria Golino, Patricia Reyes Spíndola, Loló Navarro, Roger Rees, Fermín Martínez, Roberto Medina, Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas, Lila Downs, Martha Claudia Moreno, Maria Ines Pintado, Aida López, Ivana Sejenovich, Diego Espinosa, Ehécatl Chávez, Elliot Goldenthal, Edward Norton, Saffron Burrows, Didi Conn, Julian Sedgwick, William Raymond, Jorge Guerrero, Mary Luz Palacio, Geoffrey Rush, Margarita Sanz, Omar Chagall, Anthony Alvarez, Enoc Leaño, Karine Plantadit, Chavela Vargas, Jorge Zepeda, Benjamín Benítez, Thomas Ebert, Claudia Frías, Felipe Fulop, Joey Mazzarino, Andrés Montiel, Mauricio Osorio, Jorge Valdés García, Eszter Zakariás, Antonio Zavala Kugler.

On this day in movie history - Leaving Las Vegas (movie & novel):

Leaving Las Vegas

directed and written by Mike Figgis,

based on the semi-autobiographical novel by John O'Brien,

was released in the United States on October 27, 1995.

Music by Mike Figgis.

Cast:

Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands, Richard Lewis, Steven Weber, Kim Adams, Emily Procter, Stuart Regen, Valeria Golino, Graham Beckel, Albert Henderson, Shashi Bhatia, Carey Lowell, Anne Lange, Thomas Kopache, Vincent Ward, Lucinda Jenney, French Stewart, Ed Lauter, Waldemar Kalinowski, Mike Figgis, David Kriegel, Bill Thompson, Marek Stabrowski, R. Lee Ermey, Mariska Hargitay, Danny Huston, Laurie Metcalf, David Brisbin, Shawnee Smith, Paul Quinn, Julian Lennon, Tracy Thorne, Bob Rafelson, Susan Barnes, Marc Coppola, Michael A. Goorjian, Jeremy Jordan, Davidlee Willson, Xander Berkeley, Sergio Premoli, Gordon Michaels, Lou Rawls, Sunit Gupta, Camille King, Greg Miller.

Recommended reading:

Leaving Las Vegas

By John O’Brien.

Published by Grove Press.

First published 1990.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 080212593X

ISBN-13: 978-0802125934

Description:

Leaving Las Vegas, the first novel by John O’Brien, is a disturbing and emotionally wrenching story of a woman who embraces life and a man who rejects it. Sera, a prostitute, and Ben, an alcoholic, stumble together and discover in each other a respite from their unforgiving lives. A testimony to the raw talent of its young author, Leaving Las Vegas is a compelling story of unconditional love between two disenfranchised and lost souls – an overlooked American classic.

“There is not a false note in the novel . . . O’Brien has a strong tradition behind him here, that of American naturalism, and he fits into it well. From Stephen Crane to Hubert Selby, Jr. . . . [O’Brien] achieves real power in his writing. You seldom encounter it anymore, but when you do you know you’ve been properly whacked by a real talent.” – New York Daily News.

“Here is that rarest jewel, a really fine novel. It’s a magical piece of work, one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. John O’Brien has a very great talent.” – Larry Brown, author of Joe and Big Bad Love.

“This book is not only dark and dire, it is crushing. How can a novel so absolutely devoid of hope be so gripping? The portrait of Sera and Ben is a tour de force – masterful and relentless. Leaving Las Vegas is the strongest and most extreme look at alcohol I’ve ever read. This book moved and bothered me and weeks later it is still in my mind. I think O’Brien is simply terrific.” – Ron Carlson, author of Plan B for the Middle Class.

“A brutal and unflinching portrait of the low life in the city of high rollers, Leaving Las Vegas is both shocking and curiously exhilarating. John O’Brien was a stunningly talented writer who created poetry from the most squalid materials. This is a beautiful and horrifying novel.” – Jay McInerney, author of Brightness Falls.