My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

For my last trivia of March I thought I would go with  nice stop motion movie, from the studio that brought you Wallace and Gromit. That’s right this week is a short look at The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was originally going to play Peg Leg Hastings.

Peg Leg Hastings’ line “lock up your daughters” when he enters the pirate pub is a reference to the Slade song with the same title.

The inhabitants of the “plague ship” are clearly lepers, and were named as such in the trailer. The word leper was removed from the finished film after complaints by a Leprosy charity organization.

Brian Blessed is printed above the tick box representing the best choice for ‘Roaring’ at ‘The Pirate of the Year’ awards. Blessed performs the voice of the Pirate King.

The film is based on Gideon Defoe’s novels ‘The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists’ (the Pirates encounter Darwin and Bobo) and ‘The Pirates! in an Adventure with Whaling’ (the Pirates face off against Cutlass Liz).

In real life, Charles Darwin was a member of the Gourmet or Glutton society which involved eating, not necessarily endangered, but unusual animals such as parakeets and owls.

The film is primarily stop-motion animation, but computer-generated animation was used for much of the scenery (the sky and sea primarily).

Well i did say a short visit didn’t I? Well intll next time bye bye.

My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

This week I thought we would take a break from my Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost  love fest and bring you an all round action movie. Starring the great Liam Neeson. Taken is a brilliant movie and here is way.

Doing this film propelled Famke Janssen to take action in the real fight against corruption. She now serves as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office against Drugs and Crime.

The martial art style used by Liam Neeson is Nagasu Do. It’s a hybrid martial art style that borrows from Judo, Aikido and Ju Jitsu.

Before any action takes place, Bryan already has scratches to the left side of his face. Hinting at his “spare time” activities.

The curved knife used in the final fight is a karambit. It’s an Indonesian /Malaysian weapon and the finger hole in the handle makes it very difficult to disarm, which was evident in the fight scene.

According to Liam Neeson, he agreed to take this role because he believed that the film was going to be a straight-to-DVD release.

The singer’s name in the movie is Sheerah. In Hebrew, shirah is the feminine form of the word meaning “sing”.

All of Liam Neeson’s character’s ex-agency friends were played by actors who had previous roles in ‘spy’ or ‘cop thriller’ television shows and movies – Jon Gries played a major role in The Pretender, Leland Orser was in both The Pretender and 24, and David Warshofsky has appeared in minor roles in numerous similar shows.

In the film, Katie Cassidy’s character (Amanda) is 19 years old and Maggie Grace’s character (Kim) is 17 years old. In real life, Maggie is 3 years older than Katie.

Former Special Air Service (SAS) soldier Mick Gould trained Liam Neeson in combatives and weapons handling skills to prepare him for the role.

Over the course of the movie, Bryan kills 35 people in order to get to his daughter.

My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

Last week I shared some trivia about Shaun of the Dead, this week I bring you the second film in the Cornetto trilogy. Hot Fuzz, another movie form Edgar Wright are you seeing the link here.

 Simon Pegg had weapons training in preparation for his role as Nick Angel, and also learned how to skid a bicycle properly along the way.

Lead character “Nicholas Angel” was named in homage to Nick Angel who worked as music supervisor for this film as well as Shaun of the Dead.

Throughout the film, Sergeant Angel uses a Vauxhall Astra Diesel and a Subaru Impreza WRX. The Subaru’s markings are “HF” obviously referring to the film title.

The code name “Dead Right”, which the film was shipped to British cinemas with, is actually the name of a short amateur film that Edgar Wright wrote and directed, when he was a student.

The judges for the Best Kept Village competition near the end of the film are played by Peter Wild and the mothers of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg.

Although Bill Bailey plays two different Sergeant Turners they both wear a uniform with service number 101 – even when they are appearing in the same scene.

Sampson the dog (who played Saxon the dog) was not allowed to become a real police dog as he was considered too friendly.

The first draft of the script included a love interest for Nicholas named Victoria. She was cut from subsequent drafts, but a good amount of her dialog was given to Danny, often without any changes.

The names of the townspeople of Sandford are almost all words for occupations or activities: Cooper, Porter, Turner, Shooter, Prosser, Hatcher, Paver, Butcher, Skinner, Fisher, Walker, Thatcher, Weaver, Roper, Tiller, Reaper, Messenger, Staker, Treacher, Cocker, Blower, Draper, Merchant.

Nick Frost got so attached to his Winchester shotgun during filming he named it “Emma”.

Again we have come to the end of another week in the world of trivia. See you next time.

My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

Last week I brought you trivia on a young man named Edgar Wright, this week I bring you one of his movies. This has to be one of all time favourite movies, so I will say no but just get on with it.

Many of the Zombie extras are fans of the TV series Spaced, which also starred Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and was also directed by Edgar Wright. They were recruited through the Spaced Out fan web site to be in the film.

Frequent references are made to Big Al’s claim that dogs can’t look up. This is a reference to the commentary to the second series of Spaced in which Simon Pegg (Shaun) and Edgar Wright talk about Nick Frost (Ed)’s claim that the difficulty in shooting a scene with a dog was due to the fact that dogs can’t look up.

The zombie that Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Ed (Nick Frost) find in their garden is Mary, the checkout girl from the film’s credit montage. A short story detailing her transformation into one of the undead was featured in issue 1384 of the classic British sci-fi comic 2000AD. The issue went on sale 7 April 2004. The strip was called “There’s Something About Mary” and was written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (the film’s co-writers) with art by Frazer Irving.

The game that Ed (Nick Frost) is playing throughout the movie is Timesplitters 2.

Shaun (Simon Pegg) complains that Ed (Nick Frost) isn’t his boyfriend, then says, “Thanks, babe.” In season one of Spaced, a conversation begins in a similar manner between the two actors (“All right, babe?”). This was, however, a total mistake. The writers used the same joke again, forgetting they had used it in Spaced.

ecause of the timing and the indisputable similarity of the names, the distributors were forced to hold the film back until two weeks after Dawn of the Dead was released in the UK.

The “pyjama zombie” had his voiced dubbed over by Simon Pegg.

At one point, a zombie can be glimpsed wearing a yellow cycling helmet and lycra shorts. He’s played by comedian Michael Smiley, who made appearances in Spaced as a bicycle courier named Tyres.

All of the newsreaders and television presenters are real people portraying themselves.

While flicking through the Yellow Pages, Shaun finds the number for an Italian restaurant named Fulci’s, a reference to Italian horror director Lucio Fulci.

I know its not October but there is never a bad tie to have some zombie trivia in you life right? Well until next week Bye bye

My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

Hello, I see you have returned for more of trivia. This week i wanted to talk to you about a small british writer and director that is starting to make waves across the world. With his brand of quirky comedy and awesome filming style. I am of course speaking about Edgar Wright.

His brother Oscar Wright is an artist.

Is a huge fan of action films.

Is a huge fan of George A. Romero’s zombie films, and his film Shaun of the Dead (2004) is filled with references to them. He also made a cameo appearance (along with star and co-writer of Shaun of the Dead (2004) Simon Pegg) in George A. Romero’s fourth zombie picture, Land of the Dead (2005).

Asked Simon Pegg to turn down a part in Dog Soldiers (2002), as Wright wanted Pegg’s first role in a horror film to be in Shaun of the Dead.

On most of his films, there are certain special features; such as a trivia track that runs with the movie, a scene of the movie with the characters voices dubbed, and a hand drawn easter egg of some sort.

Favorite film is Raising Arizona (1987).

According to the June 2007 issue of Empire magazine, the films that most influenced Wright were Raising Arizona, Run Lola Run, Dirty Harry, Raiders of the Lost Ark , Hard Boiled, The Evil Dead , and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

This is only a short one this week but I have lots more fr you this month. Until next time bye bye.

My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

For today’s trivia I thought I would got back to some anime from the wonderful Studio Ghibli, Arrietty is based on the story of The Borrowers and it is a beautiful piece.

Directorial debut of animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi.

Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata had considered adapting the novel for the past 40 years.

Hayao Miyazaki began the development stages in July of 2008. His original plans included a run time of 80 minutes and the film to be titled “Chiisana Arrietty” (Little Arrietty).

The story takes place in 2010 in Western Tokyo’s neighborhood of Koganei. Koganei is also where Studio Ghibli is located.

At 36 years old Hiromasa Yonebayashi, was the youngest person to direct a film for Studio Ghibli.

French singer Cécile Corbel, a big fan of Studio Ghibli’s films, had sent the studio her second album as a gift back in 2009. Toshio Suzuki listened to it, was seduced and thus decided to hire her to compose the film’s score.

The fourth feature film from Studio Ghibli to not be directed by Hayao Miyazaki or studio co-founder Isao Takahata.

7.5 million people saw the film in theaters, an all-time record in Japan for a movie with a first time director.

Nervous at the idea of directing the film himself, Hiromasa Yonebayashi would initially always seek Hayao Miyazaki advice and opinions. He eventually realized he was on a journey he should face alone when the time came to draw the storyboard, and Miyazaki congratulated him for it.

In the Borrowers’ home, they have three cups with playing card symbols (heart, diamond, and club). The only symbol they do not have is the spade, which in many cultures is considered to be bad luck.

My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

Right do for this weeks trivia I thought I would pull out an animated movie for you seen as i haven’t done one of those in a while. Ice Age is a fantastic movie and makes me laugh out loud at points.

Movie signage and the book version include a female sloth named Sylvia, who is not seen in the released movie. In the book, Sid manages to avoid accompanying her on the migration south, because she is interested in a commitment.

James Earl Jones and Ving Rhames were originally considered to play Manny.

The first movie produced by Fox Animation since Titan A.E..

The production team originally thought of turning the 20th Century Fox logo into ice when it appears before the film. Even though it can be seen in one of the trailers, they cut that out and placed the regular logo in the film.

The first drawings seen in the cave (before entering the giant area with the mammoth drawings) are replicas of the earliest known cave drawings (found at Lascaux, in the south of France). They have been dated at somewhere between 15,000 and 17,000 years old.

John Leguizamo tried 30 different voices for Sid. After viewing a documentary about sloths, he learned that they store food in their mouths; this led to him wondering what he would sound like with food in his mouth. After attempting to speak as if he had food in his mouth, he decided that it was the perfect voice for Sid.

Pre-production took over a year before any animation occurred.

The drawings of characters during the end credit roll were all done by the children of the animators. The same is true of the picture that Sid draws of himself on a cave wall.

The responsibility for animating Sid’s snowboard sequence was given to animators who went snowboarding in real life.

This was Blue Sky Studios’ first all-CGI feature.

If you haven’t seen these movies, there are four in total but you like a good animated movie than way not give these a try. Well until next tmie. Bye bye.

My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

For this week trivia I am taking back in time again to a movie I loved as a child and had for Christmas on Blu-Ray. Flight of the Navigator was just one movie that as a kid I watched over and over again.

When David’s parents pull up to their house in the beginning of the movie, the song playing on the car radio is “You’re The One That I Want” from “Grease”, also directed by Randal Kleiser.

In his room in Nasa base, David asks when “Starsky and Hutch” is broadcast. Director Randal Kleiser also directed Starsky and Hutch.

The ship used in the movie can be found in a boneyard at the Disney MGM Studios Theme Park at Walt Disney World in Florida. It can be seen on the studio tour.   (Which I have seen and have a picture of.)

The tee-shirt worn by the girl at the restroom is for EPCOT Center, the then-new Disney theme park in Florida. Her brother is wearing a Miami Vice tee-shirt.

When MAX, the ship computer, is describing the animals he has on board, he said “That is a Feenastarus from the Pixar Elliptic”. This was five years before Pixar, a fledgling special effects computer group at the time, teamed up with Disney, who produced this film.

The second film released under the Disney banner to contain profanities (the first being 1981’s The Devil and Max Devlin). The word “shit” is said twice.

When escaping the NASA facility, MAX and David travel “precisely 20 miles from point of origin” in approximately 35 seconds. This is equivalent to a speed of 2,057 miles per hour.

One of the prop hulls was refurbished and is now used as the topper to a drink station in Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

The music video playing in the scene where David meets Carolyn McAdams is Blancmange’s “Lose Your Love.”

There we have it, Flight of Navigator was an awesome movie and has all the things I love in it, Aliens, adventure and a talking ship what more could you want.

My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

Well its a new month which means a whole ne batch of trivia for you lucky people. Today I am going to take to a land down under and no not that one the other one. New Zealand, is the home to many gret things but to the world of movies it is home to one man, one hobbit loving man I am of course speaking of Peter Jackson.

Owns two houses in Wellington, New Zealand.

Made the latex models for Bad Taste (1987) in his mom’s kitchen oven, often forcing the family to have sausages for dinner because they couldn’t use the oven.

Collects models of airplanes from World War One.

During filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), he used the same pair of shoes and only two T-shirts.

The stuff in the bowl, in his first movie Bad Taste (1987), was yoghurt, muesli and green food colouring.

Credits his favorite movie King Kong (1933) as his biggest inspiration in filmmaking. He said that he cried when King Kong fell off the Empire State Building.

The movie that gave him the love for splatter is George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978). After seeing it, he felt a bit sick but amazed too.

Met Fran Walsh in 1987, during post-production for the gross-out cult classic Bad Taste (1987).

Nominated for a Best Director Academy Award for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) (which he won), but not for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002).

Is among an elite group of 7 directors who have won Best Picture, Best Director & Best Screenplay (Orig/Adapted) for the same film. In 2004 he won all three for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). The other directors are Billy Wilder, Leo McCarey, Francis Ford Coppola, James L. Brooks and Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (the brothers co-produced, co-directed and co-wrote No Country for Old Men (2007) with each other).

There we have it folks some interesting trivia about the man, the legend and all round nice guy Mr Peter Jackson, join me next week for some trivia.

 

My Geeky Trivia

By Geeky Gem

The last couple of weeks of trivia have been a right mix and so they should be, you don’t want me going through a whole month on just one series of movies do you? any way this week I bring you fast cars and well more fast cars with The Fast and the Furious.

The house used as headquarters for the FBI and LAPD undercover investigation is the same house that was used as Walter Matthau’s house in Hanging Up.

Working titles for the movie included “Racer X”, “Redline” and “Race Wars”.

Neither Michelle Rodriguez nor Jordana Brewster had driver’s licenses or even learner’s permits before production of the film.

Dominic’s RX-7 originally had a roll cage. It was removed to accommodate Vin Diesel’s physique.

There are over 15,000 individual sound effects in the first street race.

Vin Diesel accidentally broke a stuntman’s nose.

Film-makers asked owners of houses in backgrounds to re-paint their houses with more muted colors to show off the colorful cars.

The only cars to feature in both “Fast and Furious” films was Neal H. Moritz’s navy-colored Ferrari F355, and Dom’s RX-7. In the first film, the F355 was used in the Malibu race scene and then parked outside Verone’s house in 2 Fast 2 Furious. The RX-7 was changed and used again in the second film as Orange Julius’ car in the first race scene.

There were more than 60 Japanese vehicles in this movie.

The Volkswagen Jetta that Jesse drives in the movie was later purchased by Frankie Muniz.

And there we have yet another week of trivia has come and gone. Untill next time bye bye.