FILM 1755: POINT BREAK

FILM 1755: POINT BREAK

TRIVIA: Keanu Reeves, who learned to surf for his role, still surfs as a hobby to this day.

Patrick Swayze was an accomplished skydiver, and took part in the big skydiving scene. He made fifty-five jumps in total.

For many of the surfing scenes, Patrick Swayze refused to use a stunt double, as he never had one for fight scenes or car chases.

Johnny Utah became a F.B.I. Agent after a knee injury ended his football career. In real-life, Keanu Reeves was once an aspiring hockey player who suffered a knee injury, and went on to become an actor.

Tyler explains to Johnny Utah that Patrick Swayze's character is named Bodhi, the Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva is a term in the Buddhist religion meaning an enlightened being who, out of compassion, forgoes nirvana in order to save others. Bodhi means "wakefulness".

The scene in which Utah jumps after Bodhi without a parachute, was tested by MythBusters (2003). It was determined that Utah and Bodhi would not have been able to free-fall for ninety seconds (as in the film), nor would they have been able to hold a conversation in mid-air. However, it was determined that, by streamlining his body, Utah could have conceivably caught up with Bodhi after jumping from the plane.

The beach spot, where the football game is played at the beginning of the film, is the same spot used for the soccer game in The Karate Kid (1984).

In her DVD commentary for Strange Days (1995), Director Kathryn Bigelow described filming the foot chase scenes in this movie using a stripped-down, hand-held 35mm camera nicknamed the "Pogo-Cam". The camera weighed eighteen pounds, and was equipped with a gyro-stabilizer, borrowed from a Steadicam. A wire loop on top of the camera gave Steadicam Operator James Muro a rough idea of what was in the frame as he followed the actors at breakneck speed.

The skinny, long-haired guy, named Tone, in Warchild (Vincent Klyn) and Bunker's (Chris Pedersen's) gang was Anthony Kiedis, lead singer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Patrick's Roadhouse, often attributed to an in-joke aimed at Patrick Swayze, is a real place located at 106 Entrada Drive, Santa Monica, California. It's right on the Pacific Coast Highway, which would be a reasonably logical place for Johnny and Bodhi to have a meal.

FILM 1542: MISS CONGENIALITY

TRIVIA: Cheryl "Rhode Island's" answer to the question "What is your idea of a perfect date?" was actually used as an answer in a real beauty pageant.

This movie reunites Sandra Bullock & Banjamin Bratt since Demolition Man (1993). They portray partners in law enforcement in both films.

The opening scenes take place in a Russian restaurant named Laika. Laika was the first dog in space, and the name means "Barker."

Film 1019: 21 Jump Street

Trivia: Channing Tatum passed on the movie twice before he was convinced by Jonah Hill to take the role.

Jonah Hill lost over 40 pounds for his role since he and Channing Tatum are required to do a number of physically demanding stunts.

Jennifer Lawrence, Juno Temple, Julianne Hough and Gemma Ward auditioned for a role.

Film 860: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Trivia: Michael Fassbender was originally cast as Ricki Tarr, but he had to back out because he was busy filming X-Men: First Class and was replaced by Tom Hardy.

To prepare for the role of George Smiley, Gary Oldman ate a lot of treacle sponge and custard to "put on a bit of middle-aged tummy". Oldman also watched Sir Alec Guinness's performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and paid a visit to Smiley's creator John le Carré: "The way he touched his shirt, spoke and so on, I took all that and used it. I hope he won't mind, but Smiley is in his DNA."

Gary Oldman described Tomas Alfredson as taking a near-voyeuristic approach, by shooting with long lenses: "It was as if he was eavesdropping, like a peeping Tom, which is what you sort of want for a spy film."

Gary Oldman went to Old Focals, an eyeglass store in Pasadena, to search for the right glasses to fit George Smiley: "Glasses are funny things. For Smiley, they're iconic. It's like Bond's Aston Martin or vodka martini." Oldman tried on hundreds of glasses frames before he found the appropriate spectacles.

Connie Sachs' line about feeling "under-fucked" was allegedly originally spoken to John le Carré by W.H. Auden.

As this movie is about the uncovering of an infiltrator into the British Secret Service and the director's previous film was called 'Let the Right One In' [Let the Right One In], this film was jokingly referred to as 'Get the Wrong One Out'.