Random Factoid #349

12 07 2010

Viral websites.  Aren’t they fascinating?

It was really Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” that revolutionized their use in a movie’s advertising campaign.  I remember there was a site for just about everything in Gotham – the newspaper, the bank, the police, even the pizzeria.

Sure enough, “District 9” carved out a nice audience for itself using a similar campaign the next summer with the “Humans Only” signs on bathrooms and benches and such.  And Nolan’s own “Inception” is doing the same now.

I slap myself for not getting more involved with “The Dark Knight” viral sites.  They really did reward the people who stuck with them.  I remembered hearing that the people who put their names in had been sent free advanced screening passes to see the movie in IMAX.  Of course, only then did I scour the websites looking for a way to get my hands on the passes.  It was to no avail; I even called the number on the pizza site.

And for the record, my self-imposed moratorium on intake of “Inception” has kept me from joining their viral site.


Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #348

11 07 2010

I’ve developed a new way of working out that makes it more fun, worthwhile, and quick.

Thankfully, I work out at a gym that had stays very up to date with technology. On most of the card machines, they have an iPod cord that allows you to play a video on the TV in front of the machine that’s stored on your iPod. I hadn’t utilized this capability until recently.

In the past few weeks, I’ve begun bringing up my surprisingly durable iPod from 2006 and watching some of the nearly 30 movies I have on it. So far, I’ve chosen three very different movies to watch: “Knocked Up,” “Crash,” and “Inglourious Basterds.” The latter took three visits to finish; the others took two. It really makes my work out a lot better because it adds an aspect that I enjoy to something I generally don’t really like to do.

So I guess the next step is to put a treadmill in front of my TV at home…

UPDATE: Thanks to my dad for telling me that I had a typo in this post before he told me “good morning” when I woke up today.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #347

10 07 2010

The Bible has a lot to teach us, but you might be interested to know that it can actually lend insights into cinema.

For instance, on my Wilderness trip, I read the entire book of James.  There’s a passage in that book, James 1:5-6, that really stuck out to me:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Ever since I saw “Doubt” back in 2008, I wondered why John Patrick Shanley used the violent weather, particularly the wind, as a motif throughout the movie.  And now I know; it was a clever Biblical allusion.  At least that’s what I’m going to assume.


Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #346

9 07 2010

Last night I got rejected from my second straight advanced promotional screening.  I’ve got some bad karma working, hopefully I’ll turn it around next week.

Anyways, the theater was nicer than any other I’d been to for these screenings and offered discount prices on all other movies.  All you had to do was surrender the pass at the box office.  I had four passes for two people, but I still printed them all out anyways.

I happened to see my Sunday School teacher and his nephew there to see “Toy Story 3.”  After my friend and I had exchanged our two passes for tickets, basic math would tell us that I still had two passes left.  Basic math is correct in this situation.

A thought then entered my head, and I decided to make someone else’s night.  I went up to my Sunday School teacher and gave him the other two passes.  It ended up saving him about $6.  As I handed them to him, I said, “Take these, it will save you money.”

As I made this exchange, the lady in charge of the screenings happened to be watching.  I walked away with a big smile on my face, and I happened to catch a glimpse at her expression.  She was less than pleased, as if I had just committed extortion or cheated.

And I didn’t care what she thought.  She got to see the movie, and I didn’t.  I did something good for someone else and made the best out of a bad situation.


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags:
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #345

8 07 2010

After following some links, I wound up on Movie Mistakes, a site that charts all the technical errors made in a movie.  They’ve been keeping track of 2010’s most mistake-filled releases, and in case you didn’t want to click the link, I’ll list the top 10.

  1. Iron Man 2
  2. Shutter Island
  3. The A-Team
  4. Kick-Ass
  5. Alice in Wonderland
  6. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
  7. Hot Tub Time Machine
  8. Sex and the City 2
  9. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
  10. Robin Hood

And “Iron Man 2” has a solid 11 mistake lead over “Shutter Island!”  Jon Favreau should give his production team a big slap on the back.

I know I’ve caught errors in movies before, but they aren’t something I actively seek.  If something is really glaringly obvious, I can probably catch it.  But I usually trust the filmmakers to catch that stuff before they send it out to audiences.

Have YOU ever caught an error in a movie?  Perhaps you’d enjoy looking at the list of the best mistakes of 2010.


Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #344

7 07 2010

Thankfully I wasn’t anywhere near a movie theater whenever Teams Edward and Jacob united to watch “Eclipse.”  I refuse to talk about the series on my blog; in fact, I avoid mentioning the word at all in case I were to draw traffic of girls thinking they were getting “Twilight” gossip.

Most people just hate the series on principle.  Don’t get me wrong, I most definitely do.  Chelsea Handler, in her piece from Entertainment Weekly‘s decade wrap-up edition called “The Vampire Craze? It Kind of Sucks,” sums up so much of what I feel about the series:

I don’t quite get this whole lusting-after-vampires thing … thisTwilight/True Blood craze is being taken a little far. I recently read that grown women were stealing cardboard cutouts of Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner from Nordstrom. I don’t understand how; the wind resistance alone should slow them down. Security can’t be to blame; obviously those women were on a mission. I for one would certainly get out of the way of a crazy cougar running down the street with a cougar cosmo and a fake vampire …

… I worry more about the younger girls that are ”Twihard” fans. For the record, I did not come up with that name, nor do I feel good about the fact that I just used it. I don’t know if the Twilight stars are very good role models. They always look exhausted, and none of them seem to be very happy about being famous. Although I sympathize with anybody who is forced to stay up all night and is deathly allergic to the sunlight, I would think the $12 million paycheck they’re supposedly getting could boost their spirits. I also don’t know if girls should be aiming to find a guy who only wants to suck on their neck. That usually results in a hickey, and the only way to cover one up is with a turtleneck, which I don’t recommend under any circumstances, including the Olympics.

Unfortunately, I also hate the series out of experience.  Before my freshman year, I read “Twilight” for summer reading.  I bought in sixth grade before I knew what a sensation it would become with tween girls.  So, seeing it on my shelf, I figured it might make a nice read.

Worst.  Decision.  Ever.

Unlike a movie, which can be over in the relatively painful lifespan of two hours, I spent prolonged periods of time reading about the two star-crossed lovers showing affection in fields.  It didn’t get horrible until about 200 pages in, and by that point, there was no turning back.

So you can call me a hater, but you can’t call me ignorant.


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #343

6 07 2010

A random moviegoing pet peeve that I can’t believe I haven’t shared.

I can’t stand whenever the picture is off the screen. The projectionist can change the size of the screen, so why don’t they?

This factoid prompted by my experience watching “Knight and Day.”


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags:
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #342

5 07 2010

Another Real Life Movie Moment, a factoid-type I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for that darned “M. Carter at the Movies.”

The movie: “Toy Story 3”

The moment: The last fifteen minutes … look, I don’t want to spoil the movie, but you need to see it now if you haven’t already.

The correlation: During some summer cleaning, my brother decided to give away some stuffed animals.  My mom told me to go in and look through the garbage bag to see if there were any of them that I wanted to keep.  Of course, going through the bag brought back a flood of old memories … oddly enough, I couldn’t get the score from “Up” out of my head.


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #341

4 07 2010

A last second e-mail over a week ago has turned into a contribution on a blog post, so I thought it might make a good factoid.

Right before I left for Wilderness, I got an e-mail from Frank Mengarelli, the “Pompous Film Snob,” asking me what my favorite trailer ever was.  I instantly replied because I knew my answer, but on the way to the airport, I saw his reply asking for a bit of a write-up.  I scribbled down some rationale for my choice, and while I was gone, he ran the favorites.

It’s some of my favorite bloggers who contributed, so the whole post is worth checking out.  Here’s what I wrote about my favorite trailer ever, the teaser for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

I love the teaser for “Benjamin Button” because it perfectly captures the magic of the movie.  It shows the aging process without ruining anything except the breathtaking cinematography.  The “Carnival of the Animals” playing in the background only adds to the sense of wonder.  I hadn’t even heard of the movie when I first saw the trailer, and it absolutely knocked me off my feet.

Coming in at a close second is probably the “Up in the Air” teaser.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #340

3 07 2010

Back from Wilderness. Thanks for continuing to visit and comment even without me to moderate! It made me feel good to get that flood of commenting e-mails as soon as I hit service again.

I learned a lot from my trip, and I’ll have more on that at a later date. But one quick thing I learned relating to movies: I really need to brush up on quotables from the low-brow comedies of the 2000s. As my group rattled off quote after quote from “The Benchwarmers” and “Mr. Deeds,” I was left kind of helpless. I was not a fan of those movies and decided not to waste my time memorizing lines from them. My “Knocked Up” and “Role Models” knowledge was practically useless.

And just for kicks, here’s a photo I took from my plane ride to Denver with my new iPhone. See if you can guess the inspiration!


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #339

2 07 2010

Even from a young age, my mom knew how to use my obsession with movies to get me to do what she wanted.

She noticed that in most of the movies I watched, the villains had disgustingly long nails. We both noticed how nasty Ruber’s were in the 1998 animated film “Quest for Camelot,” and from that day forth, she has called long nails “Ruber Nails.”

12 years later, when I slack on nail hygiene, she’s still there saying, “Gross! You have Ruber Nails. You need to go trim them!”

Although after seeing “Doubt” and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s nasty nails, they could easily have been renamed “Philip Seymour Hoffman Nails.” But “Ruber Nails” had been in place for too long, and it’s also a lot easier to say.


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #338

1 07 2010

I’m not much of the investing type.  I stay interested in the stock market, but I’ve never really given any serious thought to buying any stock.  At my age, I’m more interested in keeping my money in the bank and taking it out when I need some extra moviegoing money.

But thankfully, someone thought about investing for me.  Probably about a decade ago, some family members got me a $10 share of Disney stock.  They picked a stock that obviously had more sentimental value than monetary value.  The certificate sits nicely in a drawer in my room.  I think I saw it a few days ago doing some cleaning.

But sure enough, once a year, I get a tiny check from Disney.  It’s little more than pocket change, but I happily deposit it.  The check is always good for a smile, if nothing else.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #337

30 06 2010

I love a good surprise.

Some of my favorite movies are ones with twist endings.  It’s always such a thrilling feeling to be headed one direction for an entire movie and then have filmmakers pull the rug out from under you.  We celebrate plot twists, and they have made two directors with huge movies coming out in July – M. Night Shyamalan and Christopher Nolan.

But as I watched “Memento,” which I knew had a plot twist, I felt strange.  I was expecting the unexpected, which obviously makes the twist much more … expected and less effective.

Ditto for “The Sixth Sense,” which did actually get me though, and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” whose plot twist I managed to call because I knew it was coming.

So is it really fair for us as bloggers to say that a movie has a twist?  Do we rob the thrill from the next moviegoer, who would be caught much more off-guard had they not been alerted?

Should I have even mentioned “Memento” and the movies that I did?


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #336

29 06 2010

Ok, just ignore the graphic to the side.  It’s just meant to look good … it doesn’t have what I want to talk about in it.  I couldn’t find any picture with what I needed, so I picked the one with Samuel L. Jackson.  He’s usually good enough to make up for flaws.

Anways, ever wonder what people do that you see in the credits?  Whenever the director decides to put the key figures in the opening credits, we get to see a whole bunch of assorted production figures first in the ending credits.

When that happens, the first person we see is almost always the “unit production manager.”  So the other day, I started wondering to myself, “What on earth does a unit production manager do?”

Well, for those of you wondering like me, here’s what they do (according to IMDb):

An executive who is responsible to a senior producer for the administration of a particular movie. Unit Production Managers only work on one film at a time. Only DGA members can be called Unit Production Managers.

If you didn’t know, now you know.  So the next time you go to the movies, brag to the people you came with that you know what a unit production manager does.


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

Random Factoid #335

28 06 2010

I was flipping through the channels two weeks ago, and something interesting caught my eye.

“In the Bedroom,” a very heavy and dark drama that was nominated for Best Picture in 2001, was the primetime movie on the CW.  Yes, the same channel that gives the world such serious fare as “Gossip Girl” and “90210.”  It seemed a strange movie for them to show because it something that totally does not connect with their usual target audience.  Don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather them be showing a Best Picture nominee than some horrific romantic comedy from the early 2000s.  It was just … odd.

So it got me to thinking, what is the ideal TV movie?  What’s the movie that I would stop and watch no matter what I’m doing?

I’m so tempted to give it to either “Baby Mama” or “The Dark Knight,” the two movies that are seemingly always on HBO/Cinemax.  They always provide me entertainment, and I end up watching both of them quite a bit.  But I think it’s a little too early to crown them king.

I’d have to say that I will always stop and watch “You’ve Got Mail,” no matter what I am doing.  It’s sweet, charming, and full of laughs.  It has a heart of gold, and I think it may still make my mom cry (don’t quote me on that, though).  I’ve seen it about a million times, and it has yet to get old.

I can probably recite the whole movie to you if you asked politely.  About once a week, I will say “thank yours” instead of “thank you.”  Every time I hear the word caviar, I say to myself, “That caviar is a GARNISH!”  If I hear of someone named Rose, I think, “Rose – that is a great name.”  (These are jokes you would only get if you have seen the movie.)

So what’s that movie that can always make you drop everything and watch?


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : Random Factoids

« Previous Entries Next Entries »