FILM 1731: KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

TRIVIA: The film's cast includes five Oscar winners: Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Colin Firth, and Elton John.

Third film of 2017 to feature the song 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' by John Denver. The other films to feature the song are Alien: Covenant (2017), and Logan Lucky (2017) (which also stars Channing Tatum). The director, Matthew Vaughn, was shocked when he found out about how popular Denver and his songs had become in 2017 films, with him saying he "...wrote John Denver into the script two and a half years ago thinking 'No one really talks about John Denver anymore.'"

This marks the third time that actor Bruce Greenwood has played the United States President. He previously played President John F. Kennedy in Thirteen Days (2000) and a fictitious U.S. President in National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). Greenwood can never actually run for President in real life because he was born in Canada.

The robot dogs, Bennie and Jet, are a reference to Elton John's song "Bennie and the Jets."

Mark Strong, who plays Merlin, provides the voice-over for Vue Cinemas in the UK and Ireland with regards to cinema etiquette. Exclusively for "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" screenings, he delivers the etiquette message in character as Merlin, reminding audiences to switch off their phones in his own unique style.

On the Statesmans' plane, a bottle of Born and Bred Vodka can be seen on the bar. Channing Tatum is the owner of this vodka brand.

First film that Colin Firth and Jeff Bridges have appeared in together. They have twice competed with each other for the Best Actor Academy Award. In 2009, Bridges won for Crazy Heart (2009), while Firth was nominated for A Single Man (2009). In 2010, Firth won for The King's Speech (2010), while Bridges was nominated for True Grit (2010).

The original subtitle was The Golden Triangle, named after the area that borders Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. However, when the film was test screened three times, the filmmakers found out that no one in the test audience had heard of the area's geography nor the history with that title. It was then decided to change the word Triangle to Circle.

FILM 1312: KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

TRIVIA: Actor Colin Firth did 80% of his own stunts according to stunt coordinator and second unit director Bradley James Allan.

Many of the villains in the James Bond franchise have had some form of physical dysfunction, difference or abnormality. Samuel L. Jackson's character of Richmond Valentine was originally intended not to have a lisp, however Jackson completed his first take with a lisp. Director Matthew Vaughn yelled cut and talked to Jackson who revealed to Vaughn that prior to having an acting career he actually had a lisp which he eventually overcame. It was also jokingly remarked that this lisp is Valentine's reason for being villainous.

According to "The Gentleman's Guide" on the film's official website, "The Rules" of a Kingsman Gentleman are as follows: (1) A gentleman never tells about conquests, private matters, or dealings. His business is nobody else's. (2) A gentleman doesn't clash in public with enemies or exes, or worse, with out-of-fashion contrasts, colors or styles. (3) A gentleman is always happy to serve, whether it's opening the door, picking up the bill, or merely calling a cab the next morning. Ask him for help and he cannot refuse. (4) A gentleman never reacts to rudeness. He pretends he doesn't recognize it and moves on like it never happened, because it never should have. (5) A gentleman is always on target with witty remarks, interesting facts, and conversation starters that bring the best out of everyone. And (6) A gentleman asks non-invasive questions to keep a conversation going and attention focused on others. He makes them feel like the most interesting person he's ever met, whether that's true or not.

Director Matthew Vaughn wanted the character of Merlin (Mark Strong) to have a Welsh accent but Strong found the accent too challenging and persuaded Vaughn to let him use a Scottish accent instead.

In the film, the character of Professor James Arnold is played by Mark Hamill. In the comic series, Hamill is the first celebrity kidnapped by Dr. Arnold.

The canvas shown in Richmond Valentines (Samuel L. Jackson) luxury mansion, is the same one Mark Strong has in his office in Kick-Ass (2010).

Comic book writer Mark Millar once told director Matthew Vaughn about a newspaper article he had read about how director Terence Young, who directed the first James Bond film Dr. No (1962), and had cast Sean Connery against the wishes of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. Fleming had seen Agent 007 as more of a James Mason or David Niven type, the latter actually portraying him later in the unofficial spoof Casino Royale (1967). Millar has said: "Young realized he had to turn Connery, this rough Edinburgh guy, into a gentleman, and before they started shooting the film he took him to his tailor, to his favorite restaurants, and basically taught him how to eat, talk, and dress like a gentleman spy."

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