FILM 1706: SNOWDEN

TRIVIA: To make sure the screenplay was not hacked or leaked, Oliver Stone wrote the script on a single computer with no Internet connection.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt pledged to donate his entire salary from the film to "help facilitate the conversation" about the relationship between technology and democracy.

The real Edward Snowden advised Oliver Stone that the NSA's command centers are actually run on tight budgets and are far less glamorous than they appear in movies and TV shows. 

During the film shoot in Germany, Oliver Stone's mother passed away. Due to the limited budget and time constraints, Stone was forced to miss his mother's funeral, as taking the necessary time off would have left the production unable to complete the film within the budget and schedule.

Nicolas Cage had previously played the lead in Oliver Stone's World Trade Center (2006). He agreed to a small role in this film as a favor to Stone.

Melissa Leo plays filmmaker/journalist Laura Poitras, who directed the critically acclaimed documentary Citizenfour (2014), which chronicles the aftermath and effects of Edward Snowden's actions.

The real Lindsay Mills appears in the movie entering the cafeteria, right before Snowden meets Lindsay for the first time.

In the movie, Snowden falls out of his bunk and breaks his leg during military training, earning him an administrative discharge. In real life, it isn't known how Snowden was discharged.

This is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's second consecutive feature film based on an Oscar-winning documentary (Citizenfour (2014)). He'd previously made The Walk (2015) which was based on Man on Wire (2008).

In real-life, Oliver Stone met with Laura Poitras to discuss their respective films on Edward Snowden (the filming of Poitras' documentary is depicted in Snowden). According to Poitras, Stone suggested to her that the documentary be released after the feature film, even though the documentary was completed first, because he believed the feature would reach a wider audience. Poitras claimed she took offense to that and did not meet with Stone again.

DIRECTOR CAMEO : Oliver Stone: audience member in the last scene.

FILM 1672: THE CIRCLE

TRIVIA: Bill Paxton 's final film.

Bill Paxton died before the film's release. Glenne Headley who played his wife in the film, died the same year after the film's release.

Re-shoots took place 4 months before the release of " The Circle " which made Emma Watson's character seem more appealing, but apparently test audience reaction was even worse than previous test screenings.

The Circle's HQ looks very similar to Apple's new campus "Apple Park" which is scheduled to open shortly after the film's premiere.

At one point Mae struggles to keep up with Annie and comments how incredibly long her legs are. Karen Gillan played Amy Pond on Doctor Who (2005), and at one point another character commented that she, "...is made of legs, that's the most legs on any living human!"

During the first speech that Tom Hanks' character gives, he reveals the name of the cameras are called SeeChange. Immediately following this scene they cut to a concert featuring the singer Beck. One of Beck's most famous albums is called Sea Change.

FILM 1540: THE INTERNET'S OWN BOY: THE STORY OF AARON SWARTZ 

The story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz. From Swartz's help in the development of the basic internet protocol RSS to his co-founding of Reddit, his fingerprints are all over the internet. But it was Swartz's groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing combined with his aggressive approach to information access that ensnared him in a two year legal nightmare. It was a battle that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26. Aaron's story touched a nerve with people far beyond the online communities in which he was a celebrity. This film is a personal story about what we lose when we are tone deaf about technology and its relationship to our civil liberties. Written by Anonymous (IMDB)

FILM 1308: CITIZENFOUR

TRIVIA: Since Feb.16 2015 the biopic Snowden (2015) is in production in Munich, Germany and will be released in the US on the 25th Dec. 2015. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set to play Edward Snowden in a film directed by multiple Academy Award-winner Oliver Stone. Shailene Woodley will be playing Snowden's girlfriend Lindsay Mills. Academy Award-winning actress Melissa Leo will be playing filmmaker Laura Poitras. Cinematography will be by Academy Award-winner Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire (2008)).