How Movie Effects Were Done In The Silent Film Era

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An awesome compilation of movie effects from the Silent Film era, along with a brief explanation on how each effect was achieved.

Top 20 Biggest And Best Comedy Movies Of 2017

Let's take a look at the biggest and best comedy movies of 2017. Funny this year comes in the form of Will Ferrell starting an illegal casino, The Rock as a Baywatch lifeguard, the return of the Super Troopers, and Kevin Hart inside Jumanji.

Here's the rundown of every significant comedy release, good and bad.

(thanks Sheridan

Jurassic Park Velociraptor Head For Sale

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If you're able to spend $1200 on a piece of movie memorabilia, this 1:1 replica bust of Jurassic Park's Velociraptor affectionately known as 'Clever Girl' would certainly be something worth adding to your collection.

The velociraptor bust, made by Chronicle Collectibles, is molded and cast directly from the original Stan Winston Studios casting. It's currently available for pre-order and is estimated to ship in 2nd Quarter 2017.

Preview Of The Top 30 Best Movies Of 2017

Explore what might be the best movies 2017 has to offer. Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott and Martin Scorsese have releases but most of the other old masters are laying low, leaving it clear for lower profile but brilliant up and comers.

There's a ton of highly anticipated sequels and reboots. It's going to be a great year for sci-fi, and a good one for Stephen King. Plus it sees the start of some enormous Marvel-style shared universes.

(thanks Sheridan)

14 Facts You May Not Know About Gone With The Wind

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Quite possibly, along with The Wizard of Oz, it is the single most beloved film of all-time. This American classic is the first color film to win a Best Picture Academy Award (1939). Let's take a look at a few lesser-known facts about the immortal film Gone With The Wind.

Fictional Airlines

The world of fiction can be a weird and wonderful place and the fictional airlines that exist in TV programmes, Hollywood blockbusters and popular video games are no exception to this.

Look at this infographic from Just the Flight and decide how many of these fictional airlines you would choose to fly with. Fancy a long haul trip with Air Springfield to visit Homer and Marge? How about flying with Captain Oveur and Roger Murdock of Trans American Airlines?

(thanks Harry)

Film Dialogue From 2,000 Screenplays, Broken Down By Gender And Age

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Lately, Hollywood has been taking so much shit for rampant sexism and racism. The prevailing theme: white men dominate movie roles. But it's all rhetoric and no data, which gets us nowhere in terms of having an informed discussion.

How many movies are actually about men? What changes by genre, era, or box-office revenue? What circumstances generate more diversity? Polygraph 'Googled' their way to 8,000 screenplays and matched each character's lines to an actor. From there, they compiled the number of words spoken by male and female characters across roughly 2,000 films.

Remakes

A comparison of the 50 most famous remakes in film history.



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17 Species Named After 'Star Wars' Characters

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There are Star Wars fans everywhere, including among the scientists who study life on Earth. When these scientists get to name a new species, they often name it after a family member or respected mentor.

However, some choose another direction - especially if they're naming a lot of species at once. That's when the real nerdiness comes out. Here are 17 species whose names were inspired by Star Wars.

15 Out-Of-This-World Facts About 'Men In Black'

On July 2, 1997, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones teamed up as Agents Jay and Kay, respectively, to quietly control the large alien population living in New York City. The comic book-adapted buddy comedy spawned two sequels, which as a franchise went on to gross more than $1.6 billion.

The original film in the series was the second highest grossing film of 1997, only overshadowed by Titanic's immense success. Here are some intergalactic facts about 'Men in Black.'

Sci-Fi Classics That Accurately Predicted The Future

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Did you know a kid's cartoon predicted 3D-printed food in 1962? Or that the first tablet device debuted in 1968 when computers were still the size of warehouses? For as long as we've acknowledged that there is a future, storytellers have been trying to predict it.

Okay, so there's still no cryonic resuscitation or a warp speed travel option. But some of these predictions are so spot on, it makes you wonder if time travel is actually real and how NASA paid Hollywood for filming the moon landing.

Swiss Army Man

Swiss Army Man is a strange 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. The film stars Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The story is about Hank (Dano), a man marooned on an island, who sees a corpse (Radcliffe) wash up on the beach and engages in a surreal friendship with it. Hank soon finds that his new friend, whom he names Manny, has the ability to talk and possesses many unusual supernatural powers.

Now there's an even stranger website where you can drag and drop Manny. You can type commands to make him do things. You have to find out yourself what's possible.

The Evolution Of Horror Movie Poster Designs

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From the dreadful art work created for Nosferatu in 1922 till the present, horror movie posters has evolved with time, immensely. Having celebrated the twisted, the sick, the ghastly, the disgusting and the terrifying, this genre of art is highly evocative.

It may be just another creepy photograph conveying malicious promises, or an abstract interpretation rendered by an elaborate painting, designers are experimenting with their creative juices from time immemorial to bring out the ghastly effect in their posters.

8 Fun Facts About The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter In Hollywood

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A few months ago, Universal Studios Hollywood opened their version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The flagship attraction is the fight-simulating ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Compared to the Orlando and Japan versions, the Hollywood version incorporates 3D technology.

Visitors wear Quidditch-inspired 3D goggles throughout the ride for an enhanced ride experience. Here are some awesome trivia bits about the park.

Welcome To...

A supercut video of characters saying 'welcome to...' in 74 different movies.



YouTube link

(via Laughing Squid)

11 Fascinating Facts About 'Mad Max'

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What began as director George Miller's ambitious action film about a solitary cop on a mission to take down a violent biker gang has evolved into a post-apocalyptic sensory overload of a franchise that now has four films to its credit.

Mad Max (1979), The Road Warrior (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - and additional sequels in the works. So let's obsess over Miller's masterpieces even more with these 11 things you might not know about the franchise.

The Controversial History Of Letterboxing For Movies On Your TV

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When you watch a wide-screen movie on a TV set, you often get black bars across the top and bottom to 'letterbox' the film, which makes it seem small. While there's a good technical reason for their existence, they came about basically thanks to an effort by the movie theater industry to keep butts in seats.

(via Neatorama)

10 Famous Voice Actors Who Helped Shape Hollywood

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You probably don't know their faces, but millions of people know their voices better than they do the voices of their own family. For nearly the past century, these performers brought life to iconic cartoon characters and excited audiences about upcoming films and shows, all without having to spend any time in the hair and makeup department.

Ten Of The Most Memorable Clowns In Movies

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Not all clowns are meant to be scary, but that doesn't mean they don't inadvertently horrify children all over the world. Even the seemingly friendly and happy clowns can be terrifying. And when you see a clown in a movie, you tend to remember it. Here's a list of clowns in movies, and really, maybe just a couple of them aren't scary.

(via Neatorama)

The Most Wanted Getaway Cars

In movies, when an offender is fleeing the scene of a crime, a getaway car is frequently used. Here are the most wanted getaway cars from the movies.