The idea that humanity’s idea of reality is decaying, or is already erased wasn’t a totally original thought when The Matrix hit theaters. Once Neo is removed from his artificial life, Morpheus shows him the world as it really is - welcoming him "to the desert of the real." That line is taken word for word from "Simulacra and Simulation" by philosopher Jean Baudrillard, a book that can be seen in Neo’s apartment. Considering his search for game weapons|https://Movietriviafocus.com/ meaning, it’s no coincidence that the book is opened to a chapter "On Nihilism" - the belief that… all beliefs are meaningless. Eventually, the philosophy changes, with Neo accepting that he is "The One," and even being resurrected by the ‘Holy Trini

There are still far too many unknown variables to say with any certainty that this rumored storyline for Edwards' Star Wars spinoff is or is not accurate, though. We still don't know who the majority of the Force Awakens cast are playing in this film universe (the Star Wars OT cast members aside) and even if one of the spinoffs does indeed revolve around a mission to steal the Death Star plans, there's no guarantee it'll be the first one released in theat

Disney/Lucasfilm's plan is to release a Star Wars spinoff during the years in between "Episodes", for (at least) the film trilogy that begins with Force Awakens in 2015. The first of these spinoffs - some (if not all) of which are expected to be origin stories for certain characters - is being scripted by Gary Whitta ( The Book of Eli , After Earth ) and directed by Gareth Edwards ( Godzilla (2014) ), for a theatrical release in 20

In the world of Star Wars , even an opera or ballet is unrecognizable, shown as a variety of liquid spheres in Revenge of the Sith . It's during a performance of "Squid Lake" ( really ) that Anakin first learns the power of the Dark Side from Chancellor Palpatine, taking his first step towards becoming Darth Vader. His temptation should have been obvious, too: when Darth Plagueis is first mentioned, the shot cuts to the large sphere of liquid in front of the men. Look closely at the water's reflections, and you'll notice a ghostly image of Darth Vader's famous helmet (look for the eyes first). We give the effects team bonus points for keeping it subtle, but a cool case of foreshadowing all the s

We at least know when production is set to begin on Star Trek 3 . On Location Vacations reports that the film's start date is April 15th, 2015, and that things will kick off at Vancouver Film Studios. Previously there have been claims that part of the shoot will take place in Seoul, South Korea, and that may still be true for some of the on-location work. When it comes to studio space, however, it looks like Vancouver won the raf

With the star of this near-future action film advertised as part man, part machine, it’s hard to see how Robocop could truly take inspiration from the Bible. But the events of the movie are a clear match: Alex Murphy is a hero in a corrupt city, who is killed, resurrected, and emerges as a robotic savior. Director Paul Verhoeven confirmed that a Biblical allegory was his goal, even including a scene of Murphy walking on water in the film’s third act. According to the Dutch filmmaker, an invincible hero who used bullets instead of forgiveness was his idea of "an American Jesus," dishing out brutal justice in a world torn apart by violent cr

George Lucas may have dreamed up one incredible space opera all by himself, but it was Ralph McQuarrie's concept paintings which made the director's vision a reality, and convinced Fox that it was worth investing in. McQuarrie's role wasn't lost on Lucas either: when it came time to film The Empire Strikes Back , he made sure to give the painter a cameo, strutting through Hoth's Echo Base - with his sketchpad in hand, obviou

It may be unexpected, but apply the Bible to the story, and some answers are possible. The moon LV-223 is likely a reference to Leviticus 22:3, a warning from God that "…if any of your descendants is unclean, and yet comes near these sacred offerings…they shall perish before the Lord." To make the twist on Christianity even clearer, Scott had planned to explain that an Engineer sent to save mankind 2,000 years ago was crucified instead, but decided that was a little too on the n

The story of two stoners in search of burgers made John Cho and Kal Penn overnight stars, but Cho previously turned heads in the movie Better Luck Tomorrow , director Justin Lin’s acclaimed story of over-achieving Asian American teens. Lin has confirmed the movie is a prequel story for Fast & Furious hero Han, but the same can’t be said for Cho’s character. Someone on the set of Harold & Kumar was clearly a fan, and found a clever way of working the title into the script (coming from the mouth of an "extreme" je

"There's a directorial flourish and then there's self-parody — and Abrams promises he's easing up on his signature stylistic tic of shining lights directly into anamorphic lenses to create flares. He could explain it away in the Star Trek films ("the future is so bright!") but admits he has no excuse for Super 8. He recalled how one shot in Star Trek Into Darkness was so overrun by lens flare his wife shouted that she couldn't see Alice Eve. He made an effort to tone it down for The Force Awakens, and when he spotted his lighting crew bringing large spotlights onto the set he would joke "these aren't the flares you're looking f