MOVIES

19 Famous People Who Started as Extras

These people all made one or more appearances as movie extras before going on to bigger and better things.

Why the CIA got in the Animated Film Business (and other D.C. Hollywood Tales)

The FBI has a healthy track record of investigating actors, executives and even individual movies. Here are some theories on what government agencies are doing in the filmmaking industry.

The Final Years of The Three Stooges's Curly

n 1932, Jerome Howard joined The Three Stooges comedy team

More than one Warner Bros. Studios cartoon makes this list.

13 Amazing Cartoons from the National Film Registry

Here are 13 cartoons that have been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the National Film Preservation Board.

Shemp: The Forgotten Stooge

Samuel "Shemp" Horwitz was born on March 17, 1895. He was the third in the line of five consecutive brothers born to Sol and Jennie Horwitz. The name "Shemp" was derived from a mispronunciation (as so many family nicknames seem to be). Sam's mother would

Tonight: Trek Nation on Science Channel

Set your DRVs for "Trek Nation" tonight (November 30, 2011) at 8pm ET/PT on the Science Channel. If you're going to watch one documentary about Star Trek, it should be Trekkies. But if you're going to watch two, the second should be Trek Nation, premi

11 Free Documentaries Available on YouTube

YouTube isn't just for copyright infringement -- here are 11 documentary films legally available on YouTube in their entirety. They're funded with ads, and are shown in roughly DVD (480p) quality. Be aware that some films move in and out of the free cat

The Wizard, The Power Glove, and Children in Peril

Why They Made This Crazy Movie Released in 1989, The Wizard was a major motion picture that doubled as a promotional vehicle for Nintendo products. It's quite likely the only motion picture to require a "Power Glove Consultant" (for the record, this con

Horror Movies For Holidays Other Than Halloween

With only a week left until Halloween, the window for prime horror movie season is closing. Luckily, you don't have to confine your horror movie viewing only to October -- Hollywood has ensured that almost every holiday, no matter how mundane, has gotten

Party with Frankie & Annette: The 7 Official Beach Party Movies

In the 1960s, a unique genre of movies came into the world: the "beach party movies."

Magical Mystery Tour: The Beatles' Biggest Flop

Did you know The Beatles made a TV movie? Magical Mystery Tour (1967) was their one and only attempt, but it holds another unique place in Beatles history—it was the first, and unequivocally the biggest, flop of their storied career.The IdeaThe genesis of

Miranda Piker and the Chocolate Factory

Dan Lewis runs the popular daily newsletter Now I Know (“Learn Something New Every Day, By Email”). To subscribe to his daily email, click here. If you have not read the book noted below, nor seen either of the two movies, take a few hours to fix that —

The Jerry Lewis Film Nobody Has Ever Seen

Man at a 2001 press conference: "When are you going to release The Day the Clown Cried?" Jerry Lewis: "None of your G*****n

Back to the Future is a story about friendship.

How Marty McFly and Doc Brown Became Friends

Ever wonder how teenager Marty McFly got friendly with the highly eccentric and middle-aged Doc Brown? 'Back to the Future' co-writer Bob Gale has the answer.

16 Sequels Nobody Has Ever Heard Of

A look back at sequels that people refuse to acknowledge.

14 Great Examples of Geeky Fine Art

Fine art is alive and well, and artists often incorporate the fun aspects of pop culture—particularly the geek side of the spectrum. 1. Headless

The Set of "The Shining" is Intentionally Impossible

The set in "The Shining" appears to be intentionally designed to confuse and freak out viewers, through subtle "impossible and illusionary designs used by Kubrick to disorientate the viewer, and to communicate the illusionary nature of the Overlook Hotel.

The Quick 10: 10 Iconic Movie Costumes Owned By Debbie Reynolds

Long before it was popular to do so, Debbie Reynolds collected Hollywood memorabilia. When costume departments were cleaning out their closets or repurposing garments for a new movie, Reynolds would swoop in and purchase items for her personal collection.

Everything is a Remix: "Kill Bill"

In this video, the second part of the Everything is a Remix series, filmmaker Kirby Ferguson explains how Hollywood films are now overwhelmingly based on existing properties -- almost everything that comes out these days is a sequel, remake, or adaptation

Idiot Control Now: MST3K Movie Musical Moments

Best Brains Inc., the eponymous minds behind Mystery Science Theater 3000, had a fabulous creative team that came up with many hilarious song parodies and musical tributes over the course of the series' 10 year run. But that's not our topic today. Instead

This Tetris Documentary Will Rock You

So I'll go ahead and assume you're aware of King of Kong, the videogame documentary that chronicles an epic struggle to dominate the game of Donkey Kong. Kong was a surprising movie mainly because it was supremely interesting to non-nerds, even though it

Hand-Drawn Plot Diagram of "Inception"

I liked Inception, the Christopher Nolan movie about dreams-within-dreams. Not only was it a wild ride as an action movie, but it presented a little puzzle for viewers at the very end, in the final shot. Without spoiling anything, let's just say that th

25 Facts About Famous Christmas Movies

Enjoy these elf-sized facts about some of the movies you'll catch on TV every holiday season.

Anti-Suicide Speech from "Pump Up the Volume"

In recent months, we've been reminded of teen bullying and suicide as a rising problem in the U.S. For example, I posted a Late Movies installment about the It Gets Better project. But this obviously isn't a new problem. A friend recently sent me this

PREV NEXT