TedStixon

25th Jun 2023

Scream (1996)

Trivia: The climactic scene at Stu's house lasts 42 minutes and accounts for 40% of the movie's screen time (if you don't count the closing credits). It was shot at a real house over 21 days - an unusually long time to shoot in a single location for a film this size - and was reportedly so tedious to shoot that everyone in the cast and crew were given T-shirts that read "I survived scene 118" after it was finished. It has jokingly been referred to as "the longest night in horror history" by the cast.

TedStixon

Trivia: Spoilers! There are two credit scenes. In a mid-credit scene, a miniaturized Bowser tries to play his "Peaches" song again, only for a Toad guard to yell at him. In a post-credit scene, it is revealed that a Yoshi egg is in the sewers of New York. It begins to crack and the familiar voice of Yoshi is heard as the screen cuts to black.

TedStixon

Trivia: In Mario's bedroom, not only is he playing the game "Kid Icarus" on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, but there's also a model of an Arwing from the Nintendo video-game "Starfox" hanging from the ceiling, and multiple posters with subtle references to different Nintendo video games on his walls.

TedStixon

Trivia: You can see the Crazy Cap store from "Super Mario Odyssey" in the background for a few seconds when Mario and Toad first arrive and are walking through the streets of the Mushroom Kingdom. It happens around the time Toad says the lines, "This guy's brother is going to die imminently, out of the way please! Just trying to clear a path, that's all I'm doing! He's gonna be fine!"

TedStixon

Trivia: When Mario and Luigi go to their plumbing job at the start of the film, when we first see the dog, the camera dramatically zooms out. If you look closely, most of the books on the bookshelves have titles like "Interior Design" or "Architecture", but there are a few random books mixed in that appear to have nonsense titles like "None" or "Nothing." I have to assume this is a background joke the animators added for people who would pause the movie.

TedStixon

Trivia: When the dog accidentally jumps out of the window and is saved by Mario, you briefly see the dog's owners sitting on the couch. The husband is reading a book called "Galaxy," which is a reference to the game "Super Mario Galaxy." Additionally, on the right side of frame, you can see a statue of a pikmin (a race of tiny, plant-like alien beings) from the Nintendo video game "Pikmin."

TedStixon

Trivia: During the scenes in New York City, you can briefly see a restaurant called "Chasse du Canard." This is French for "Duck Hunting," and is a reference to the Nintendo game "Duck Hunt," which often came paired on a cartridge with the original "Super Mario Bros." on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

TedStixon

Trivia: When Mario and Luigi get the Super Star and become invincible, at one point they grab Bowser by the tail and swing him around before throwing him through the air. This is a reference to the video game "Super Mario 64," in which Mario defeats Bowser by swinging him around by the tail and hurling him through the air into bombs.

TedStixon

15th Jun 2023

U.F.O. Abduction (1989)

Trivia: For a period of time in the 90s, the film was distributed through bootlegs that had the logos, titles, and credits cut out, often at UFO and paranormal conferences and sci-fi conventions. This led many people to think the footage was real, especially given its extremely low budget and low-quality footage that looks like a real home movie.

TedStixon

15th Jun 2023

U.F.O. Abduction (1989)

Trivia: The film is also widely known as "The McPherson Tape." However, this was never the official title, and is seemingly based on a misconception since the film was often circulated without the title attached in the 90s. Regardless, this incorrect title became so well-known that the film's 2020 Blu-Ray by American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) contains a double-sided cover... one with the correct title "U.F.O. Abduction," and the other with the misnomer title "The McPherson Tape."

TedStixon

Trivia: Often credited as the first feature-length film to be shot, edited, and screened entirely digitally.

TedStixon

Trivia: The production budget was reportedly only $900. $300 of this was spent on video stock and tapes, while the remaining $600 was spent on other production costs.

TedStixon

14th Jun 2023

The Connection (1961)

13th Jun 2023

Jumanji (1995)

Trivia: Director Joe Johnston almost didn't cast Robin Williams because he was worried about Williams' knack for constantly improvising. However, Williams convinced Johnston that he understood that the film's tight pacing and special effects meant he couldn't improvise as much as normal, and gave Johnston the confidence to hire him. Johnston ended up letting Williams improvise fairly often, but only after filming scenes as written.

TedStixon

Trivia: The final film Hollywood legend Gene Kelly was involved with before his death in 1996. He served as a consultant for the choreography of the musical numbers. The film was also reportedly somewhat inspired by his life.

TedStixon

Trivia: Originally intended to be a major theatrical release. However, after production company Turner Broadcasting was merged with Time Warner, the latter decided to simply burn off the film by releasing it into theaters with little promotion. As a result, despite receiving good reviews, the movie bombed in theaters. However, it has gained a cult following in the years since its release.

TedStixon

Trivia: The subtitle "Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman" was reportedly added because the first movie was often confused for the family friendly "Jack Frost" film from 1998. The filmmakers wanted to make sure audiences knew this film was not related to that movie at all.

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Trivia: While the first movie was shot on film, this sequel was shot on digital video, given the extremely low budget. Writer/director Michael Cooney embraced the digital video look, but some distributors later tried to create the illusion that it was shot on film by adding subtle grain filters and artificially lowering the frame rate. Cooney has gone on record saying that the original "video look" is his preferred viewing method.

TedStixon

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