61
votes
Accepted
What was so different about “Night of the Living Dead” from previous zombie movies?
“Night of the Living Dead” introduced the idea of independent, undead flesh eaters to the world which was the opposite of what zombies were thought of before this film.
Prior to that film, zombies ...
- 6,056
17
votes
What was so different about “Night of the Living Dead” from previous zombie movies?
Zombie movies, dating back to White Zombie (1932), typically featured reanimated corpses or hypnotized people who would walk around with a dazed look in their eyes. They were mindless, but ...
- 58.9k
13
votes
Accepted
Why is Los Angeles targeted for destruction so often in Hollywood movies?
In order for a city being destroyed to mean anything to the people viewing it, the city must be iconic and recognizable (unless it's fictional) and probably wants to appeal to people who either have ...
- 26.4k
12
votes
Accepted
Where did the "dream effect" originate?
There is a british film from 1900, Let me dream again, by George Albert Smith (from the so called Brighton school), you can find it in the British Film Institute archive:
http://collections-search.bfi....
- 466
12
votes
Accepted
Are Transformers robots?
The Transformers are "self-configuring sentient modular extraterrestrial robotic lifeforms", originating from the planet Cybertron.
They are powered by 'Energon', a source of energy ubiquitous on the ...
- 5,371
10
votes
Why does Lucille Bluth's family call her "Gangie"?
Frannie Halcyon, one of the characters in Armistad Maupin's Further Tales of the City (1982), is called "Gangie" by her grandchildren:
Little Edgar and his sister Anna ran across the brown ...
- 2,973
8
votes
Accepted
See you on the other side
Most likely this reference started it's life out as a reference to the astronauts conversation during the Apollo 8 mission, as they passed behind the moon for the first time:
CapCom Gerry Carr ...
- 12k
7
votes
What was so different about “Night of the Living Dead” from previous zombie movies?
There is a long list of properties that zombies can have:
Universal zombification: Something causes the dead to not stay dead. All corpses reanimate (although there may be some method, such as ...
- 2,863
7
votes
Why do criminals whistle after doing something?
TVTropes defines this as the Not-So-Innocent Whistle
In media of all types, especially comics and cartoons, the "innocent" whistle is a main staple, often played for humor. Alice, feeling ...
- 4,600
7
votes
See you on the other side
"See you on the other side" is also a reference to the afterlife. It was possibly used in reference to the River Styx and the crossing of such river into the afterlife. This was the meaning Jim ...
- 58.9k
6
votes
From which movies does the stereotypical b/w film noir voice-over introduction originate?
At the time, they wouldn't have yet been known as Film Noir, they would have just been Melodrama.
Contenders might be…
Rebecca [1941] has voiceover.
The Maltese Falcon [1941] has the detective
...
- 50.1k
5
votes
Accepted
Were the 1934 St Louis Cardinals Team the Inspiration for Daffy Duck?
It would appear not.
The name seems to have originated by his antics when audience saw him (before he had an official name) in the short Porky's Duck Hunt.
Wikipedia
Daffy first appeared in Porky's ...
- 131k
4
votes
Is this quote originally from The Dark Knight?
Although this exact quote may have been first said in the dark knight many men have addressed the philosophy of the corruption of a good man's soul.
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he ...
- 41
4
votes
Accepted
Has the authenticity of the Raiders story conference transcript ever been determined?
Here's an interview with Larry Kasdan at a Writer's Guild Conference in August 2016. At 4:40 the interviewer, John August mentions that we are all lucky enough to have seen the Raiders conference ...
- 17.3k
3
votes
Origin of on-screen location sound in spy movies
Graphics styles change over the years; while they're popular, they usually refer to some currently popular theme or trope.
Right from the 1950s and even up to the 80s & 90s, 'secret spy computers'...
- 50.1k
3
votes
Accepted
Is there a source for the "Kleebob card game" gag George Burns used?
The gag was actually based on Sheepshead (aka Spitzer), a ridiculously complex card game, which in turn originated from the Bavarian "Schafkopf" card game. It's a "Trick Taking" ...
- 58.9k
2
votes
Are Star-Lord's final words a reference to something else?
In this particular instance, I do not believe the line spoken by Starlord to the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of the movie was in reference to anything, it seems, more than anything, to be ...
- 12k
2
votes
Where does the "One of us! One of us!" chant originate?
It originated in the move Freaks (1932), but was actually popularized by The Ramones in the song 'Pinhead'.
- 29
2
votes
What are the origins of the name 'Malekith'?
Just to sum it up:
The Marvel Malekith has first appeared in 1984 in Thor #344. The Warhammer Malekith was first mentioned in the High Elves Army book in 1992, but he wasn't fully fleshed until 1995, ...
- 10.7k
2
votes
Origin of on-screen location sound in spy movies
What you're looking for is called Telemetry. A short description is:
Telemetry is an automated communications process by which measurements
and other data are collected at remote or inaccessible ...
- 58.9k
1
vote
Where does "Gun Fu" fight choreography originate from?
The archetype for the idea likely comes from Equilibrium
While there are interesting and related examples of Gun Fu in John Wick and The Raid, the movie that probably deserves the original idea ...
- 22.2k
1
vote
Where does "Gun Fu" fight choreography originate from?
Whether or no one agrees with the supposition that true "gun fu" requires hand-to-hand combat involving guns for finishing moves, a major omission in the gun fu wiki is the Gareth Evans film ...
- 6,869
1
vote
Why does Lucille Bluth's family call her "Gangie"?
Names like these sometimes take on the pronunciation that a young child uses, which may not be perfect yet.
This is actually the case in my family, where my great aunt is called "Bojja" because her ...
- 25.8k
1
vote
Accepted
What defined the Alien- & UFO sterotypes?
Close Encounter of the 3rd Kind is a well-known one for "Greys".
- 79
1
vote
What are the origins of the name 'Malekith'?
As an aside, even though the name is fictional "th" is actually common in Old Norse, despite the claims of a previous poster who is probably thinking of modern Nordic languages in ...
- 11
1
vote
Is this quote originally from The Dark Knight?
I agree that it's almost difficult to believe, but sometimes Hollywood coins a phrase that really resonates.
Another example of a phrase that everyone uses but which came from a modern day movie: &...
- 2,658
1
vote
What are the origins of the name 'Malekith'?
I’ve been investigating and found two options.
The dark elves, in norse mythology are called Svartálfar or Myrkálfar (the pronunciation in icelandic being something like “Mishkalath”, that means “...
- 11
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible