I always noticed that, and never questioned it. I mean, he’s Superman; the laws of physics are his bitch.
In Minority Report, the names of the three pre-congnitives who “pre-solve” the “pre-crimes” are Agatha, Arthur and Dashiell - obviously named after famous detective fiction authors.
In The Incredibles, the superfast boy is called Dashiell, for “Dash”; that much is obvious. But his shy sister who can turn invisible, is Violet, as in “Shrinking…”.
Just finished watching Forrest Gump for the dozenth+ time. I had never noticed that the feather that begins(?)/ends the movie falls out of the well-worn Curious George book at end of movie. Forrest opens book up reminiscently after taking it out of son’s backpack (while waiting for the morning school-bus). Nice touch there. I had assumed that feather just happened to be at their feet coincidentally as a good visual for movie’s ending.
We also first meet his mother, who in Homer’s version is a sea-goddess, as she’s wading in the Ocean collecting shells.
That’s part of the beauty of that movie. The makers created the movie as a more “real world” interpretation of the original source. There are lots of interesting “translations” in the movie, like the Trojans’ rolling the giant flaming… things… down into the Greek camp representing the firestorm in the Iliad (if I remember correctly).
Eggzackly. It would have been a very nice little touch to have gotten that detail right, especially since Hollywood does cold weather in films so very badly.
You know, I just picked up on that the last time I watched the movie, and I think I only twigged because they were showing it back-to-back, so I had just watched the end of the movie and watched a bit of the start right after.
One of my favorite obscure TV movies, Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders – at the end, Dee confronts the murderer, quietly and alone. Being civilized Chinese, the murderer offers Dee a cup of tea. Dee holds up his hand, refusing. The murderer says, sorrowfully, “Dee, what must you think?”(obviously reassuring Dee that the tea isn’t poisoned), and presses it on him. Dee accepts, then carefully sniffs the tea as they continue talking, then sets it aside without drinking. A cute little sideshow that is done without any talking except the one line, and says a lot about both characters.
My favorite “touch” is in Lawrence of Arabiaat that point in his screenwriting and playwriting career, Robert Bolt was into extended symbolism (look at all the references to water, boats, etc. in both the stage and screen versions of A Man for All Seasons) In Lawrence, he worked with Lawrence’s pistol, which keeps showing up. As Lawrence is being conducted across the desert to Faisal, his guide admires the gun, so Lawrence makes him a present of it. When Sharif Ali kills his guide, Ali takes the gun. Later, as they cross the Nefud Desert and a the killing takes place that threatens to shatter the coalition, Lawrence takes the gun from Ali’s belt and executes the murderer with it, then tosses it away, after which men fight over it.
I remember reading an article about “The Sixth Sense” after I had seen the movie. It discussed the use of the color red to indicate when something frightening was going to occur, or for when a spirit was going to appear. I didn’t notice this the first time, but now when I watch the movie, all I can see is the color red all over the place (red doorknobs, red blankets, red tents, red dresses, red sweaters…)
Back to the Future has a now classic one: Doc and Marty meet for the first time at the Twin Pines Mall. When Marty goes back into the past, he knocks down one of the pines. When he goes back to the future, it’s the Lone Pine Mall
The BTTF series has several of these – when Marty comes back at the end of BTTF3, the sign clearly says that he’s at “Eastwood Gulch”, and Marty had taken the name “Clint Eastwood” in that movie, and apparently died there.
Also, his trick with the pot-bellied stove “armored vest” was used in a movie that Biff was shown watching in BTTF2, which Marty obviously took it from. The movie starred – Clint Eastwood.
In the movie “Ice Station Zebra,” there is a scene between two spies played by Ernest Borgnine and Patrick McGoohan.
As they are chatting, you can see the very well-defined shadows that are cast on the walls behind them, and I didn’t notice any other shadows like that in the movie. Possibly a symbolic touch to indicate their shadowy pasts?
In The Incredible Hulk, when we see Edward Norton as Bruce Banner in his run-down apartment in Brazil, his TV is showing a rerun of The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. Starring Bill Bixby. (Who played Banner on TV.)
Also, Lou Ferrigno shows up as a security guard.
In Children of Men this one stood out like a sore thumb but somehow I missed it the first time.
While on the run the main characters are to meet up a guy named Sid. As a meeting place they choose an abandoned elementary school.
It only hit me the scond time around. :smack:Of course it’s abandoned! There’s no more kids around.
Lou Ferrigno and Stan Lee.
In the second Fantastic Four movie Stan Lee was thrown out of the wedding just the was he was in the comic book wedding.
Don’t know if this counts, but when To Kill A Mockingbird was recently shown on TCM there was something in the scene where Atticus has to shoot the rabid dog. He raises the rifle, then realizes that his glasses are interfering with his ability to aim properly so he pushes them up onto his forehead. They immediately slide down and he pushes them back up, only to have them drop down again. He starts to push them up, then realizes that they aren’t going to stay there anyway and just tosses them over his shoulder.
I’ve gone through the same up-and-down routine trying to read fine print and come close to tossing them over my shoulder a time or two myself.
Alan Rudolph’s The Moderns is full of cool details, especially for those interested in Paris in the 20’s. If a movie has good art direction, a witty script, fine music & quirky performances, I’ll forgive a bit of incoherence. In fact, I’ll forgive a lot.
There’s the cab ride, in which the “scenery” outside the back window is one of Robert Delaunay’s Eiffel Tower paintings–perhaps this one?
Many scenes take place in the Cafe Selavy. One evening, as the camera pans slowly across the Bohemian inhabitants, you get a quick flash of 1980’s style Bohemians, sitting at the bar.
I knew that, but I’d read The Beach, where the term was explained in detail. (Yes, the book that the Leo DiCaprio movie was based on. Good book. Crap movie.)
That is a good beat there. Bishop is an android. He has no sense of self-preservation and probably has a safeguard programmed into him that wouldn’t allow him to even use the gun.
And in the last scene you can see Rusty having problems with heartburn.