FILM 2007: NEXT

FILM 2007: NEXT

TRIVIA: (at around 4 mins) The "girl with necklace" at his magic show is played by Alice Kim Cage, Nicolas Cage's wife.

The diner where Nicolas Cage runs into Jessica Biel's character is the same diner used in xXx (2002) with Vin Diesel.

At the cabin, Cage tells a joke about a Buddhist monk ordering a hot dog. He actually ruins the joke when he messes up the punchline, saying "I'll have one with everything." However, the actual line is "Make me one with everything", a subtle but extremely important difference.

FILM 1984: MOONSTRUCK

FILM 1984: MOONSTRUCK

TRIVIA: Nicolas Cage's screen test didn't impress the studio, and they wanted to get someone else to play Ronny. But Cher insisted that Cage was the one to play that role, and threatened to quit unless he was hired. After a few days, the studio relented.

Norman Jewison has stated that the climactic kitchen sequence was the most difficult scene that he ever shot in his career. The crew were dismissed and Jewison rehearsed with the cast for some time, using a stage production approach. Only after the actors perfected their timing did he decide where to put the camera.

The opening title sequence was originally played on the score from "La bohème" opera but was changed to the Dean Martin track "That's Amore" as the preview drew negative test audience reaction. Many shifted uncomfortably on their seats thinking that they had been lured into an art film.

The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.

While filming between takes, Cher motioned to Olympia Dukakis that the movie was going to be a dud. She originally thought that she was giving a bad performance. She went on to win the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress.

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

Ranked ninth on Premiere Magazine's "20 Most Overrated Movies of All Time".

FILM 1960: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

FILM 1960: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

TRIVIA: Completing the animation for the film required up to 180 animators, the largest crew ever used by Sony Pictures Animation for a film.

It was announced shortly after Stan Lee's death, at age 95, that he had recorded a cameo for the film and that it would be his final voice-acting role. Lord and Miller felt it was important that Lee was given a bigger moment compared to previous Marvel films because he was "so integral to the spirit of this movie," and considered his role "extra meaningful" following his death.

This film was dedicated in memory of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, who died on July 6, 2018, while this film was finishing production. However, this was not the only dedication, as a month before the film was released, Stan Lee died on November 12, 2018. The film was dedicated to both of Spider-Man's creators.

When Miles first visits Uncle Aaron's apartment, the television is playing the television show Community (2009) (Season 2, Episode 1 "Anthropology 101"). The beginning of that episode shows Donald Glover's character Troy getting out of bed wearing Spider-Man pajamas. This was a reference to an unsuccessful 2010 online campaign to get Donald Glover a chance to audition for the lead role in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Miles Morales co-creator Brian Michael Bendis describes that image of Glover in the Spider-Man pajamas as one of the major inspirations for the creation of the character and the character's design. Additionally, Glover appeared as another version of Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), in which he makes brief reference to his nephew. Glover also voiced Miles Morales in Disney's "Ultimate Spider-Man" cartoon series.

One of the many ways the Imageworks team paid tribute to old comic books through the visual style was to imitate the imperfections of offset printing.

There are many small details in Miles' universe that set it apart from ours, such as using "PDNY" in place of "NYPD," and instead of Chance the Rapper wearing a "3" hat, he has a "4" on it (evident from a poster in Miles' room).

This was stand-up comedian John Mulaney's first theatrical film role.

With Lily Tomlin playing Aunt May, all four actresses to play her in a theatrical film have been Academy Award nominees, after Rosemary Harris, Sally Field and Marisa Tomei. Tomlin was nominated for Nashville (1975).

Daniel Pemberton followed the ambitious lead of the "Spider-Verse" animation by developing an equally intricate score. After all the musical elements had been recorded, they were recorded onto vinyl and then re-scratched into the mix. Pemberton says, "I got a DMC World Scratch champion DJ to scratch all the parts in."

Brian Michael Bendis, who created the comic book version of Miles Morales, credits three things that inspired him to make Miles African-American: his two adopted black children, Barack Obama becoming president, and Donald Glover wearing Spider-Man pajamas on an episode of the TV show "Community."

The film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

FILM 1872: WORLD TRADE CENTER

FILM 1872: WORLD TRADE CENTER 

TRIVIA: Test audiences believed that Dave Karnes (Michael Shannon), the former Marine, was a Hollywood invention. This is, in fact, a true story that occurred. Karnes later re-enlisted in the Marine Corps and served two tours of duty in Iraq. Also, as reported by the Associated Press on August 14, 2006, the Marine identified only as Sergeant Thomas (who disappeared shortly after 9/11) has been identified as Jason Thomas, a former Marine who grabbed his uniform and immediately drove to Ground Zero to help. Because his identity was unknown at the time of filming, Sgt. Thomas - who is black - was portrayed by William Mapother, a white man. The producers have since apologized to Sgt. Thomas for the miscasting. Thomas has laughed it off and told them not to be concerned, stating, "I don't want to shed any negativity on what they were trying to show."

The city of New York absolutely prohibited the recreation of 9/11 destruction or chaos on location. The filmmakers were not even allowed to film actors looking upward toward where the towers would be. The drive of the officers up to the site was permitted to be filmed, but all scenes depicting events at or near the WTC were filmed in Los Angeles.

In preparing for his portrayal of Sgt. John McLoughlin, Nicolas Cage focused on accurately speaking with a New York accent. And to also capture the fear and claustrophobia of McLoughlin's ordeal, Cage spent hours in a sensory-deprivation tank in Venice, California.

The first theatrical film to recreate the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

Officer Scott Strauss, a first responder with the New York City Emergency Services unit, was offered the chance to play himself in the film. However, Strauss refused to do so and Stephen Dorff was then cast to portray him. Strauss's services as a consultant were retained for the film to which he didn't accept payment.

Due to her infamous quote that "America is responsible in some way" for the 9/11 attacks, Maggie Gyllenhaal personally offered to withdraw from the project to Officer William Jimeno and his wife Allison Jimeno. They both declined and gave their blessing for Gyllenhaal to take the role.

Director Oliver Stone's first two choices to play John McLoughlin were Mel Gibson and George Clooney.

Feature film debut of Jon Bernthal.

FILM 1769: LEFT BEHIND

TRIVIA: Left Behind author Tim Lahaye makes a cameo appearance in a scene riding the escalator in the mall.

The end credit song, I Wish We All Were Ready, was from another rapture based series called A Thief in the Night, made in 1972 and released by Mark IV Pictures.

A planned sequel was launched on the crowd funding site Indiegogo but due to the poor reception of this film the project was a colossal failure, not even managing to reach 20% of its $500,000 goal

FILM 1764: VAMPIRE'S KISS

FILM 1764: VAMPIRE'S KISS

TRIVIA: Peter's strange accent is supposed to be a fake accent used by the character because he thinks he sounds more "elegant" and "smarter" (hence the literary agent job). The accent comes and goes throughout the movie and is more prominent when trying to impress people, and less in scenes with people like the psychiatrist.

A popular image macro meme was taken from a still frame from this movie, in the scene where Cage's character is telling Alva that she is the lowest employee on the totem pole.

Nicolas Cage playing Peter Loew ate a real cockroach for this film - it reportedly took three takes. He once said about the experience, "Every muscle in my body didn't want to do it, but I did it anyway."

FILM 1742: THE ROCK

TRIVIA: Sir Sean Connery insisted the producers build a cabin for him on Alcatraz, as he didn't want to travel from the mainland to the island every day. He got what he asked for.

Quentin Tarantino was an uncredited screenwriter on this film, along with Jonathan Hensleigh, who wrote the shooting script, and Aaron Sorkin.

The premiere of the movie was held in the Prison Recreation Yard on Alcatraz.

Michael Bay's favorite movie of his own.

Dedicated to Don Simpson, who died during production.

Don Simpson was largely responsible for creating the critical General Hummel character. Simpson watched a 60 Minutes (1993) segment about the U.S. government's refusal to acknowledge soldiers who had died during covert overseas missions, and later read Colonel David H. Hackworth's memoirs which harshly criticized U.S. planning during the Vietnam War. He combined these elements into Hummel's character and, as Jonathan Hensleigh described, created "a really compelling villain: a soldier with a noble end, but, unfortunately, psychotic means."

In the scene in the interrogation room where FBI agent Stanley Goodspeed introduces himself to John Mason (Sir Sean Connery), John replies "But of course you are". This was exactly the same line he used when he met Plenty O'Toole in the casino scene in the Bond film Diamonds Are Forever (1971).

The guy who gets his car stolen by Sean Connery is the same guy who got his car stolen by Ed Harris in National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007), another of Jerry Bruckheimer's movies which also starred Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris.

Cinematographer John Schwartzman is one of Nicolas Cage's cousins. Schwartzman's step-mother, Talia Shire is Cage's aunt.

FILM 1684: THE FAMILY MAN

TRIVIA: At one time Nicolas Cage actually owned the Ferrari used in the film. He sold it about a year before filming began.

The snow falling symbolizing the changes in Jack's life is an homage to It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

In the script version, Jack sings 'Witchcraft' by Frank Sinatra to Kate during her birthday party. In the movie, it had been switched to 'La, La, La Means I Love You' by The Delfonics.

The scene with Jack looking at his old book and cologne that Kate gives him back was originally supposed to have Led Zeppelin's "All of My Love" playing in the background but the song was too expensive to acquire. 

The building shown where Jack works in NY is the same building in Baby Boom with Diane Keaton.

As Jack was bowling, he stated he jumped out of an airplane over the Mojave desert. Nicolas Cage's character did that in the movie Honeymoon in Vegas (1992).

When Kate tries to seduce Jack in the bedroom, she puts on the song "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak, a song that was also featured in another Nicolas Cage film, Wild at Heart(1990).

In Fargo (1996), Harve Presnell owned an automobile dealership where his son-in-law (played by William H. Macy) worked. In this film, he owns an automobile parts supply store where his son-in-law (played by Nicolas Cage) works.