Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow months before Conran made the movie with his actors, he shot it entirely with stand-ins in Los Angeles and then created the whole movie in animatics so that the actors had an idea of what the film would look like and where to move on the soundstage. To prepare for the film, Conran had his cast watch old movies, such as Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not" (1944) for Paltrow's performance and "The Thin Man" (1934) for the relationship between Nick and Nora that was to be echoed in the one between Joe and Polly. Avnet constantly pushed
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1995 film) of an adventure, and most of all, a child's need to feel important." Their final word on the matter proclaim that "the performances and production are first rate. The children are variously brilliant, bratty and excitable, and Lauren Bacall is appropriately dignified as Mrs. Frankweiler." J. Dillard writes that the movie is carried by its casting of Lauren Bacall in the title role and that the film "never rises above the level of the TV Movie." However, he does say that it "should be entertaining " for its preteen target audience. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler