Behind the Scenes

Just came across this web site and found some fascinating behind the scenes special effects that movie makers use. An educating look at the process LINK.         

Films and Colons

Twenty films Hollywood will release in 2016 contain a colon in their title, such as “Captain America: Civil War.” Thirteen are sequels, one is a reboot, one is a spinoff, one is based on a TV series, one is a concert film, one is an original comedy, and two are based on books. The colon proliferation is indicative of the industry’s reliance on sequels and reboots that need to slightly distinguish themselves from their predecessors.

Next year, 2017 is building to be the same 'title with colon' names.

Old Movie Dance Mashup

This will stir some emotion and get your heart pumping. Some of the greatest dancers on the big screen to Mark Ronson-Uptown Funk ft.Bruno Mars. My toes are still tapping. LINK

YouTube Free Movies

Have you seen any free movies on YouTube? Check these out. LINK If you have a big monitor or can hook your PC to your TV, as you can do with most flat screens, this is a cheap alternative to pay-for-view.

Old Movies Online

If you are interested in old movies from the thirties and forties, including the famous Reefer Madness, Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, Lamont Cranston, Inner Sanctum, etc., this is the site to watch.

All the movies are in the public domain and free to watch. It also has current news programs from around the world and comedy, sports etc. Not much in the way of details, but the titles and descriptions provide some info. LINK.

What's in a Name, Wilhelm Scream

The Wilhelm scream is a frequently-used film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums.

The effect gained new popularity (its use often becoming an in-joke) after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games. The scream is often used when someone is falling to his death from great height.

Two minutes of fun. You will recognize it the first time you hear it. LINK

Wizard of Oz

If you have access to the Internet you can see "The Wizard of Oz" for free next month. Netflix is making the free showings available for the 70th anniversary of the film throughout the US for 24 hours beginning at 9 a.m. EDT Oct. 3.

It will be available here or in High Def on your TV if you have the service. As the Wizard said, I have to "confer, converse, and otherwise hob-nob with my brother wizards".

Top Ten Movies

Do you know the highest grossing movies of all time? The top four each grossed over a billion dollars - and probably another billion in popcorn.

Title, Gross Dollars (millions), Year Released

1 Titanic $1,842.9 1997

2 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King $1,119.1 2003

3 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest $1,066.2 2006

4 The Dark Knight $1,001.9 2008

5 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone $974.7 2001

6 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End $961.0 2007

7 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $938.2 2007

8 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers $925.3 2002

9 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace $924.3 1999

10 Shrek 2 $919.8 2004