FILM 1875: ALIENS

FILM 1875: ALIENS

TRIVIA: Like most films, the movie wasn't shot in sequence. But for added realism, James Cameron filmed the scene where we first meet the Colonial Marines (one of the earliest scenes) last. This was so that the camaraderie of the Marines was realistic because the actors had spent months filming together.

When filming the scene with Newt in the duct, Carrie Henn kept deliberately blowing her scene so she could slide down the vent, which she later called a slide three stories tall. James Cameron finally dissuaded her by saying that if she completed the shot, she could play on it as much as she wanted. She did, and he kept his promise.

In both the standard and special edition versions, the fifteen minute countdown at the end of the film is indeed fifteen minutes.

Sigourney Weaver's Best Actress Academy Award nomination for this movie was the first ever for an actress in a role in an action movie.

None of the models or the original designs of the Narcissus (the Nostromo's shuttle) from Alien (1979) could be found, so set designers and model-makers had to reconstruct the model of the ship and the interior set from watching Alien (1979).

Budget constraints meant that they could only afford to have six hypersleep capsules for the scenes set aboard the Sulaco. Clever placement of mirrors and camera angles made it look like there were 12. Each hypersleep chamber cost over $4,300 to build.

Ripley's miniature bathroom in her apartment is actually a British Airways toilet, purchased from the airline.

The film takes place in 2179.

Having hired James Cameron to write the screenplay, 20th Century Fox then did the unthinkable when he left the production to direct The Terminator (1984): they agreed to wait for Cameron to become available again and finish the screenplay. Cameron had only completed about 90 pages at that stage, but the studio had loved what he had written so far.

Hicks was originally played by James Remar, but Michael Biehn replaced him a few days after principal photography began. The often given reason for Remar being removed was due to "artistic differences" between Remar and director James Cameron. But in episode #128 of the 'Sidebar' podcast, Remar states that he was fired from the production because he was busted for possession of drugs. He said this was in a period of his life where he said he had developed a terrible drug problem. Remar still appears in the finished film - he is seen for one shot when the marines enter the alien nest. Because he is seen from behind wearing the same armor as Michael Biehn, it's impossible to tell the difference between the two actors.

The various screens and displays, seen mostly in the backgrounds, are actually TV screens with a video running. The film was shot in the UK where televisions run at 25 frames per second, however, film is normally shot and projected at 24 frames per second! Filming the TV monitors at that speed would cause the TV screens to run out of sync with the film, so they would have flickered terribly. Instead, the shots containing the monitors were taken at 25 frames per second to keep the monitors in sync, so when these are then projected at the standard rate of 24 fps, they now run a bit slower than real-life.

The button on the control panel Ripley presses to shut the air lock doors on the ship at the end of the film is actually a "Hold" Button from a UK style "Fruit Machine" or "Bandit"!

The video screen park background at Gateway Station hospital is actually a still photograph of the gardens at Pinewood Studios, where the movie was made.

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

FILM 1853: TRUE LIES

FILM 1853: TRUE LIES

TRIVIA: When Harry tells Gib that Helen is having an affair, Gib tells a story about his second wife taking everything when she left him - he says, "What kind of sick bitch takes the ice cube trays out of the freezer?" This is a reference to Tom Arnold's divorce from Roseanne Barr - she was reported to have taken his ice cube trays when she left him, too.

The set of bra and matching panties worn by Helen Tasker during the striptease scene were Jamie Lee Curtis' own. Additionally, the fall that she takes in the middle of the dance was unscripted, and that is hinted at when Harry sits up in alarm, then relaxes.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's biggest challenge for the movie was not doing all the physical stunts, but dancing a tango. He had to take dancing lessons to realistically perform the dance. He rehearsed the dance scene for about six months. He wanted to make sure he was as good at the tango as Al Pacino was in Scent of a Woman (1992).

Eliza Dushku broke some ribs during the filming of her Harrier jet stunt scenes.

Jamie Lee Curtis called the film "without question, the greatest experience of my professional life so far."

Arnold Schwarzenegger did a lot of his own horseback riding. He says he couldn't have done it without his riding experience on the Conan movies.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records this is the first movie to have a production budget of $100,000,000.

FILM 1808: ERASER

FILM 1808: ERASER

TRIVIA: The company name "Cyrez" was originally "Cyrex", but the real-life company Cyrix complained. The movie had been shot, but all dialogue was dubbed and company logos were digitally altered during post-production.

Director Chuck Russell and Producer Arnold Kopelson had a rocky relationship during the entire production. The only reason the film was able to go forward and ultimately be completed, was that Arnold Schwarzenegger got along with each man separately, and was able to negotiate schedules and logistics at a point where the two men refused to speak to each other.

Vanessa Williams and Arnold Schwarzenegger have titles. She was Miss America, and he was Mr. Olympia.

FILM 1410: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 1

TRIVIA: Pollux, an avox, is actually signing in American Sign Language to Castor when he is introduced to Katniss. He signs, "She is beautiful," and Castor signs back in agreement.

According to Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence would purposely eat foods with garlic or tuna fish before any kissing scenes between the two.

Jennifer Lawrence did her own singing for "The Hanging Tree" segment. Worldwide, the song went #1 on the iTunes Sales Chart.

Dedicated to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who tragically died with one week of filming left. He plays Plutarch Heavensbee. Since the majority of his scenes for the final two movies were already filmed, the role was not re-cast, but finished with other characters taking on his lines, like Effie Trinket, for example.

Jennifer Lawrence cut her hair short the summer before filming began, due to damage from constant dyeing for the previous films. As a result, Lawrence had to wear a wig in "Mockingjay" for her role of Katniss.

The dog wandering in District 12 is Donald Sutherland's dog, Biggles.

Fourth film to co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore. Both had previously costarred in Boogie Nights (1997), The Big Lebowski (1998), and Magnolia (1999).

FILM 1283: ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN

TRIVIA: When Nascimento enters the restaurant to confront Guaracy, the man wearing the blue and white striped shirt who stands to congratulate him is Rodrigo Pimentel, the real-life former BOPE officer who co-wrote the screenplay of 'Tropa de Elite', and whom the character of Nascimento is based upon.

The character of Diogo Fraga is based on the real life Rio de Janeiro State Representative Marcelo Freixo. On the first scene with Diogo Fraga where he is giving a lecture in a classroom, the real Marcelo Freixo can be seen sitting on the first row.

About 11.1 million paying viewers made it the most seen movie in Brazilian cinema history. It also became the highest-grossing film of all time in Brazil, beating Avatar (2009)'s record.