MOVIE DIALOGUE OF THE DAY ― A CIVIL ACTION (1998)

Connection to the previous post (SCROOGED!): Danny Elfman was composer and score producer for both films. 

Ratings: IMDB ― 6.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 60%, ME ― 65%  

Jan Schlichtmann: Do me a favour, Gordon, will you? Shut up.

James Gordon: What?

Jan Schlichtmann: I'm so tired of hearing you moan about money all the time. This isn't about money anymore.

James Gordon: No?

Jan Schlichtmann: No.

James Gordon: What's it about? What's it about, Jan?

Bill Crowley: Look, let's all...

James Gordon: No, I want to know. I want to know why I gave up my house for. My credit! My life! Would you take 10 million dollars right now?

Jan Schlichtmann: Yes.

James Gordon: But you won't take eight?

Jan Schlichtmann: No.

James Gordon: No. So at 10 million dollars this is some sort of uh... a, a mythic struggle but at eight it's just another lawsuit.

Jan Schlichtmann: If they're willing to pay eight, Gordon, then it's not enough, is it?

James Gordon: Oh, that makes sense!

Jan Schlichtmann: It makes perfect sense.

James Gordon: So, the only thing you accept is what they're not willing to give us. Listen to yourself! I for one am sick of listening to you. I've lost enough because of you.

Jan Schlichtmann: You wouldn't have anything to lose it if it wasn't for me. Everything you have I got for you!

James Gordon: I don't have anything, Jan! What do I have? I've got a couple of bucks and some, some bus transfers. I've got a saving account from when I was 12 years-old. Here! There's 37 dollars in here. With interest, after 25 years there's probably 47 dollars, take it! Add it to the war chest. Use it to fight injustice. Stand up for principles with that. Go down in flames with it for all I care. Only next time, "nex time", that's a laugh - ask us if we want to go down with you!

John Travolta as Jan Schlictmann, William H. Macy as James Gordon and Zeljko Ivanek as Bill Crowley.

Trivia (From IMDB):

Based on a true story.

Steven Zaillian adapted the screenplay with nobody else but Robert Duvall in mind for the role of Jerome Facher.

During the phone conversation in the radio booth, a confused Schlictmann asks Anne Anderson, "Is this Rikki?" Rikki Klieman is a real-life lawyer and former love interest of Schlictmann's in the true-to-life book. Since 1999, she's been married to Boston's former police chief William J. Bratton, who also headed the LAPD and the NYPD.

A number of scenes described in the book are reproduced in the film, such as Facher's asking for the hotel pen at the settlement conference, Schlictmann's meeting with Eustis at the Harvard Club in New York, Gordon's attempts to keep the firm solvent (even purchasing lottery tickets and giving money to televangelists) and Riley's behavior at his deposition.

The real Jerome Facher was thrilled at the way he was portrayed by veteran actor Robert Duvall.

Will Smith was first choice to play the lead.

From IMDB, Wikipedia and Google

MOVIE DIALOGUE OF THE DAY ― SCROOGED! (1988)

Connection to the previous post (LETHAL WEAPON): Richard Donner directed both films.

Ratings: IMDB ― 7.0/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 68%, ME ― 72%



Frank Cross: I get it now! Then if you GIVE, then it can happen, then the miracle can happen to you! It's not just the poor and the hungry, it's everybody's who's GOT to have this miracle! And it can happen tonight for all of you. If you believe in this spirit thing, the miracle will happen and then you'll want it to happen again tomorrow. You won't be one of these bastards who says 'Christmas is once a year and it's a fraud', it's NOT! It can happen every day, you've just got to want that feeling. And if you like it and you want it, you'll get greedy for it! You'll want it every day of your life and it can happen to you. I believe in it now! I believe it's going to happen to me now! I'm ready for it! And it's great! It's a good feeling, it's really better than I've felt in a long time. I, I, I'm ready. Have a Merry Christmas, everybody.
[Calvin steps forward]
Frank Cross: Did I forget something big man?

Calvin Cooley: [nods, speaks his first words in five years] God bless us, everyone!

Bill Murray as Frank Cross and Nicholas Phillips as Calvin Cooley

Trivia (From IMDB):

When the Ghost Of Christmas Present (Carol Kane) grabbed Bill Murray's lip she tore his lip so badly that filming was halted for several days.

Jack McGee ad-libbed his line "You can hardly see them nipples."

All of Bill Murray's actor brothers ― John Murray, Joel Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray ― make appearances in this film.

At the end of the movie, when everybody is singing "Put a little love in your heart", Frank (Bill Murray) says (among many other things): "Feed me, Seymour!" This is a reference to Little Shop of Horrors (1986), in which Murray has a small part.

Carol Kane would get upset at having to "rough up" Bill Murray in their scenes together.

Sam Kinison was originally slated to play the part of The Ghost of Christmas Past. The part eventually went to David Johansen due to his friendship with Bill Murray.

The trivia game played by Frank's brother is "what's the name of the boat on Gilligan's Island (1964)?" Director Richard Donner was one of the original directors on the show.

When The Ghost of Christmas Present first appears in the movie, she says to Frank Cross, "I'm a little muddled." This is a direct quote from Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz (1939) when she first meets Dorothy in Munchkinland.

On the "Frisbee" show (when Frank is in the dog suit), there is a tree on the set with a heart engraving and "Dick Loves Lauren". Director Richard Donner is married to producer Lauren Shuler Donner.

One of the special appearances in "Scrooged" was that of legendary actor, John Houseman. Sadly, he died on October 31, 1988, less than one month before Scrooged was released in theaters on November 23rd.

The leader of the street carolers insulted by Bill Murray is Paul Shaffer. The others are Miles Davis, David Sanborn and Larry Carlton.

Four copies of Pablo Picasso's 1942 painting "Woman with an Artichoke" were made for a scene that was never shot. Three were given to crew members: director Richard Donner, production designer J. Michael Riva and original cinematographer Conrad L. Hall. Mel Gibson somehow got the fourth.

The character name Calvin Cooley is a reference to President Calvin Coolidge who was known as a man of few words.

According to Wikipedia, "although the DVD had been available for some time, Paramount decided upon a special edition release titled the 'Yule Love It! Edition'. Announced for October 31, 2006, it was recalled for unknown reasons".

Playing the Scroogettes were the Solid Gold Dancers whose American TV show had been canceled by the time the picture debuted stateside.

The movie was the second ghost picture comedy that star Bill Murray) made. Wikipedia states, "the film was marketed with references to Ghostbusters (1984) which had been a great success four years earlier. In the USA, the tagline was, "Bill Murray is back among the ghosts, only this time, it's three against one".

Charles Dickens' 1843 novella "A Christmas Carol" is only ever referred to under the title of "Scrooge" in this movie but in the closing credits it is named under its main and original title of "A Christmas Carol".

The Ghost of Christmas Past's cab belongs to the Belle Cab Company. Belle is the name of Scrooge's first love in the Dickens novel the story is loosely taken from.

The 13th highest grossing film of 1988 at the American box-office stateside with a total of just over US $60 million.

Director Richard Donner directed this 1988 picture sandwiched between directing two "Lethal Weapon" movies, they being 1987's Lethal Weapon (1987) and 1989's Lethal Weapon 2 (1989).

When Bill Murray crashes onto the stage after seeing frozen Herman, director Brice calls him joker, in reference to Bill Murray's consideration a to be the villain in 1989's Batman.

Michael Chapman replaced Conrad L. Hall as director of photography. Hall was the film's original cinematographer who was allegedly fired after about five days into filming.

The movie, a spoof version and modernized adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, was made and released about 145 years after Dickens' source novella had been first published in 1843.

The names of the Christmas television shows from the IBC Network of which clips were shown were "Scrooge", "Father Loves Beaver", "The Night the Reindeer Died" and "Bob Goulet's Old Fashioned Cajun Christmas". The network's promotional slogan for these TV shows was "Yule Love It!".

First of two ghost movies that actress Alfre Woodard appeared in within about five years. The second picture was Heart and Souls (1993).

The movie was cast with two veteran actors in small roles. They were Robert Mitchumand John Houseman.

When Frank (Bill Murray) throws water on the waiter he sees burning, he says, "I'm sorry. You know I thought you were Richard Pryor." This is a reference to an event in Pryor's life when, high on cocaine, the comedian accidentally caught himself on fire and ran down a busy street in LA.

First of two consecutive "ghost" pictures in two consecutive years for star Bill Murray who would in the following 1989 year co-star in Ghostbusters II (1989). Murray had starred in Ghostbusters (1984) about four years earlier.

First of two consecutive back-to-back "ghost" pictures for cinematographer Michael Chapman who in the following 1989 year shot Ghostbusters II (1989).

Keith Haring's "Free South Africa" poster is seen in a few background shots as it is in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), also directed by Richard Donner.

The film is dedicated to Robert Scaife, Anne Ramsey and Roger M. Rothstein.

One of the final films of actress Anne Ramsey and the final film of both unit production manager and associate / executive producer Roger M. Rothstein and art department set construction coordinator Robert Scaife.

There were five Christmas Ghosts in the movie. They were the following: The Ghost of Christmas Past (David Johansen), The Ghost of Christmas Present (Carol Kane) and The Ghost of Christmas Future (Robert Hammond, uncredited). The Christmas Ghosts on the TV Show "Scrooge" were The Ghost of Christmas Past (Pat McCormick) and The Ghost of Christmas Future (Chaz Conner).

The movie was filmed during December 1987 and January, February, March and April 1988.

The movie's "Scrooged" title is a spoof and play-on-words of the last name of the Ebenezer Scrooge character from Charles Dickens 1843 novella "A Christmas Carol" which suggested this modern adaptation parody . "Scrooge" has also been an aka title of that work.

The following received a 'Special Appearance' credit: Lee Majors, Mary Lou Retton,Jamie Farr, Robert Goulet, John Houseman, Buddy Hackett, Pat McCormick and Brian Doyle-Murray.

Cameo ― 

Miles Davis: As a street musician.

Brian Doyle-Murray: As Earl Cross, Frank (Bill Murray)'s father.

John Forsythe: As Lew Hayward, the ghost of Frank (Bill Murray)' s former boss.

Paul Shaffer: As a street musician.

Lee Majors: As himself, in the TV show "The Night the Reindeer Died".

Steve Kahan: Director Richard Donner's cousin plays a worker in the control room at the end of the film.

Michael O'Donoghue: One of the film's writers as a priest.

Mitch Glazer: One of the film's writers as a guest.

Pat McCormick: As the TV Ghost of Christmas Past.

Larry Carlton: As a street musician.

Buddy Hackett: As himself / Ebenezer Scrooge in the TV show "Scrooge".

Jamie Farr: As himself / Jacob Marley.

Mary Lou Retton: As herself / Tiny Tim.

David Sanborn: As a street musician.

John Houseman: As himself, hosting the TV show "Scrooge".

Director Cameo ― 

Richard Donner: A worker in the control room at the end of the film.

From IMDB and Wikipedia.

CONFUSING MOVIE ENDINGS EXPLAINED ― BIRDMAN

Birdman (2014)

Alejandro G. Iñárritu's film about a washed-up actor trying to make a comeback on Broadway has the kind of weird ending that puts Inception to shame. Throughout the film, Riggan Thomas is shown as having superpowers, only to have them later be explained as being all in his head. In the final scene, Riggan's daughter Sam enters his hospital room to find his bed empty and the window open. Sirens and talking can be heard coming from the street below. Initially, Sam looks down, but she slowly turns her head to the sky and she smiles. Some might think this means Riggan actually does have powers, and has flown away.

But…probably not. What really seems to have happened is that Riggan has successfully committed suicide, which he failed to do on the previous day. Sam, for her part, seems to start hallucinating just like her dad. The fact that she has bird tattoos on her arm and that her father played a superhero with bird-based powers suggests the strong connection between the two. Sam seems to leave the real world to enter a fantasy where her father lives, soaring above the clouds. The film is subtitled "The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance," after all. Here, Sam chooses to ignore reality.

One of Birdman's four screenwriters, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., hinted during an interview with HuffPost Live that the key to their understanding of the ending lies within Sam's relationship with her father:

"I think when we found the relationship with the daughter, we started to understand what Riggan's story was. Once she got down, Emma's big monologue, in the basement, we started to understand the relationship and what it was. We're not going to sit around and explain the ending. I guess my thing is, if you can silence the voice of mediocrity, then what is possible?"

From looper.com

MOVIE DIALOGUE OF THE DAY ― LETHAL WEAPON (1987)

Connection to the previous post (KISS KISS BANG BANG): Shane Black directed KKBB and wrote the screenplay for LETHAL WEAPON. 

Ratings: IMDB ― 7.6/10, Rotten Tomatoes ―83%, ME ― 82%

Martin Riggs: You know they're going to kill her, don't you?
Roger Murtaugh: Yeah.
Martin Riggs: So if you want her back, you're going to have to take her away from them.
Roger Murtaugh: I know.
Martin Riggs: You do this my way. You shoot, you shoot to kill, get as many of them as you can. All you got to do is just not miss.
Roger Murtaugh: I won't miss.
Martin Riggs: We're going to get bloody on this one, Rog.
Roger Murtaugh: Are you really crazy? Or are you as good as you say you are?
Martin Riggs: You're just gonna have to trust me.

Mel Gibson as Martin Riggs and Danny Glover as Roger Murtaugh

Trivia (From IMDB):

Jackie Swanson did perform the high fall on her own. Trained by legendary stuntmanDar Robinson. Also, the stunt was done using an airbag covered with a life-size painting of the driveway and cars, which, like a foreground miniature, visually blends into the real scene. Thus, the editor is able to hold the shot until just as she makes contact with the airbag, for greater realism.

The first movie to feature a cellphone. It can be seen when Murtaugh calls his wife to tell Amanda Hunsaker's death, and when later Murtaugh calls Dr. Stephanie Woods to talk about Riggs' insanity.

On E! True Hollywood Story (1996), Gary Busey says he was hired to play Joshua because they were looking for someone big and menacing enough to be a believable foe for Mel Gibson. Busey also credits the film for reviving his failing movie career.

Franco Zeffirelli reportedly decided to offer Mel Gibson the role of Hamlet (1990) after seeing his suicide contemplation scene in this film.

Legendary stuntman Dar Robinson was killed in a motorcycle accident shortly after principal photography was finished. Director Richard Donner dedicated the film to him.

An alternate opening and ending were both filmed (and are available on the Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) DVD). The alternate opening featured Martin Riggs drinking alone in a bar where he is accosted by a couple of thugs who want his money. Riggs claims all of his is in the bank and tells the thugs "not to fuck with him." The thugs attack him, but Riggs easily subdues them. He is then allowed to take a free bottle of booze from the bar in exchange for never returning. Director Richard Donner felt the movie should open with a brighter look at Riggs and filmed the scene with Riggs awakening in his trailer to replace it. The alternate ending featured Riggs and Murtaugh saying good-bye to one another. Murtaugh tells Riggs he's thinking of retiring, but Riggs tells him not to.

The only film in the Lethal Weapon series (as of 5/2013) where Riggs' shoulder is not dislocated.

Hollywood city officials hung Christmas decorations on Hollywood Blvd. a few months early so that the scenes shot for this film, particularly the action scenes near the end of the picture, looked like they happened at the end of the year.

A running gag in the Lethal Weapon film series is the "One, Two, Three" false starts where Riggs and Murtaugh can't decide whether to go "One, Two, Three... then go!" or "One, Two, THREE!" (go ON "Three") While the gag does not exist in this film, there is a "One, Two, Three" false start in this movie. It happens when the uniformed cops are trying to prepare to sing "Silent Night" in a chorus and one of the cops keeps starting too soon.

Danny Glover's character (Sergeant Roger Murtaugh) is 50 years old in the movie, but Glover was only 40 years old in 1986.

Murtaugh tells Riggs that Huntsaker saved his life in the Ia Drang Valley in 1965. Mel Gibson would later play Col. Hal Moore in We Were Soldiers (2002) which is a movie adaptation of that battle.

Leonard Nimoy was one of the choices considered for directing, but he didn't feel comfortable doing action movies, and he was working on 3 Men and a Baby (1987) at the time.

Mel Gibson was only 30 when the movie was filmed, although his character Riggs was supposed to be 38.

In one scene, Riggs asks Murtaugh, "Did the stock market crash?". The infamous Black Monday of October 19, 1987 occurred 7 months after this film's release.

Despite popular misconceptions, Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) never actually says, "I'm getting too old for this shit" in this movie. He simply says, "I'm too old for this shit." He does however say he's "getting too old for this shit" in the sequels.

Film's soundtrack includes Elvis Presley song I'll Be Home for Christmas. Darlene Love, who plays Murtaugh's wife, was background dancer in Elvis' production Elvis (1968).

Each movie of the 'Lethal Weapon' series features a goon with glasses. Here it is the balding goon who delivers the line "He has a grenade!" during the desert scene and is later shot in the club by Riggs.

According to a June 2007 Vanity Fair article, Bruce Willis was considered for the Riggs role.

Riggs's firearm is a Beretta 92F, meanwhile Murtaugh's gun is a classic Smith & Wesson model 19.

After shooting Riggs, Joshua calls the police pretending to be a journalist from a radio station called "KCOP" to confirm Riggs' death. "KCOP" is an abbreviation of "killer cop", referring accurately to the attempt of Riggs' assassination. *KCOP is the call letters for an actual local channel in Los Angeles (Ch. 13 KCOP) They changed the name to the UPN after this film was made, but the actual station is still KCOP-13, just like KTTV-11, KTLA-5. There is no factual basis from any proven source that this trivia is what the film makers intended.

Christopher Reeve turned down the role of Martin Riggs.

Features the film debut of Joan Severance.

After the Explosion at Dixie's house, Sgt. Murtaugh calls out on the police radio that there is a "fire and explosion at 111th and Larch". This is one-half block west, the nearest intersection of the actual house used during filming in Lennox, CA (4521 111th St).

There is a scene early in the movie that takes place in Riggs' trailer. In that scene Riggs puts his gun in his mouth for another suicide attempt. Right after he does so the camera cuts to the television. The program shown on the television is the Christmas special "Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales".

On Rogers refrigerator at his home is a bumper sticker about South Africa. In Lethal Weapon 2, the villains are South African.

Murtaugh's license plate of his car is E641985.

Director Trademark ― 

Richard Donner: [Three Stooges] there are several references to The Three Stooges in the film.

Spoilers ―

Body count: 26

Tom Atkins (Michael Hunsaker) reveals that he worked for an operation called Air America which involved the CIA and dealt with shipping heroin out of Laos. Mel Gibson starred in a movie titled Air America (1990) that may have been based on this conversation. However, it is equally possible that Hunsacker (as well as Air America (1990)) was referring to the historically factual Air America, an American passenger and cargo airline covertly owned and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency from 1950 to 1976. It supplied and supported covert operations in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

MOVIE DIALOGUE OF THE DAY ― KISS KISS BANG BANG (2005)

Connection  to previous post (IRON MAN 3): Robert Downey, Jr. starred in both films.

Ratings: IMDB ― 7.6/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 85%, ME ― 75% 

Harry: Well what I'm doing for the guy who likes to bluff is I'm playing a little game called "Am I Bluffing?"
[Loads one round into the revolver to play Russian Roulette]
Harry: Where is she? Where the fuck is Harmony? You want to play hardball? I can do that.
[Spins the chamber and points the gun]
Harry: Where is the girl?
[Shoots the guy in the head]
Perry: [Stuttering at first] What did you just do?
Harry: [Confused] I just put in one bullet, didn't I?
Perry: You put a live round in that gun?
Harry: Well yeah, there was like an 8% chance.
Perry: Eight? Who taught you math!

Robert Downey, Jr. as Harry Lockhart and Val Kilmer as Gay Perry

Trivia (From IMDB):

As a sign of support to Robert Downey Jr.'s recovery from alcohol and drugs, Val Kilmer refused to drink during the entire production.

Val Kilmer's depiction of Gay Perry is generally considered to be the first openly gay character to front a Hollywood action movie.

The film was given a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.

Val Kilmer met Robert Downey Jr. for the first time at a Hollywood party. A week later he received the screenplay for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) and agreed to do it before he'd even finished reading it. Upon agreeing, and much to his delight, he was informed that Downey Jr had already been cast.

Laurence Fishburne provides the voice for the bear in the fake beer commercial.

Val Kilmer had to quickly lose the 50 pounds gained for his plump role in Oliver Stone's Alexander (2004) in order to play his fit GQ character for this film.

Val Kilmer walked around in a $500 pair of Louis Vuitton driving shoes and wore nail varnish while experimenting with several variations of speech patterns for the role. Kilmer also noted this was done much to his son Jack's chagrin.

The film grossed far more outside the United States, accounting for just over 70% of the film's worldwide gross.

Shane Black had been suffering from writer's block; it ultimately took him over a year and a half to write the script for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005). He then had enormous trouble trying to sell it. His former cachet as being the highest paid screenwriter meant nothing when he was touting around his screenplay. Eventually he took it to Joel Silverwho gave him his first break back in 1987 when he bought Lethal Weapon (1987).

Robert Downey Jr. composed music for his first music album during the production.

Joel Silver noted that the film was originally budgeted at US$10 million because Warner Bros. were not confident in the premise. The film ran over and the final budget was US$15 million. Warner Bros. loved the film when it was screened, and immediately opened it at the 2005 Cannes International Film Festival in a high profile capacity.

The movie's title is a reference to an un-used theme song to the James Bond movie Thunderball (1965). "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" was recorded by first Shirley Bassey and then Dionne Warwick after composer John Barry had chosen the title when he read a magazine article which mentioned that was how Bond was known in Italy. However, the producers got cold feet at the last moment and asked him to write a title song, Thunderball, which was performed by Tom Jones. Both versions of Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang were released many years later, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang has since become a slang description of the James Bond-style spy genre.

Shane Black read several stories by Raymond Chandler when writing this script. As a result, the story is divided into chapters and the chapter titles come from Chandler works. Specifically: 1. "Trouble is My Business", 2. "The Lady in the Lake", 3. "The Little Sister", 4. "The Simple Art of Murder", and Epilogue: "Farewell, My Lovely".

Warner Brothers were willing to produce the movie with a larger budget if Harrison Ford were to play the detective. When he passed, several other options were briefly considered before Val Kilmer was offered the role.

The film was originally titled "L.A.P.I.", then "Bang!" - but Val Kilmer suggested to director Shane Black that "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" would have more appeal.

In reference to the "Ike, Mike, and Mustard" quote. Ike and Mike are diner slang for salt and pepper shakers. Also, Pre-1950s, an "Ike, Mike, and Mustard" joke was an off color joke, generally with sexual references, that wouldn't be told in polite or mixed company.

Co-producer of the film Susan Downey (Susan Levin) is Robert Downey Jr.'s wife.

The film's original title was You'll Never Die in This Town Again.

One scene in the film takes place in a club exhibiting living art, which, at one point in his life, Robert Downey Jr. worked as.

Johnny Knoxville was set to star as Harry Lockhart before being replaced by Robert Downey Jr.

Harry's game of Russian roulette while asking the suspect "Where is the girl?" is a mirror of a Russell Crowe scene from L.A. Confidential (1997).

Gay Perry's cell phone ring tone is "I will survive".

The phrase "kiss kiss, bang bang" appeared in the 1960s as an overseas slang for spy movies, especially James Bond movies. It was popular in Europe and Japan. It first appeared as a film title for Kiss Kiss - Bang Bang (1966), a 1966 spy comedy made in Spain with Italian financing. It was also the title of famed critic Pauline Kael's second published collection of reviews. Kael wrote that she chose the words as her title because they are "perhaps the briefest statement imaginable of the basic appeal of movies."

Because of its modest budget, Warner Bros. granted Joel Silver the distinction of overseeing the film personally, allowing Shane Black to only have to answer to him instead of numerous studio heads.

Although the film leads us to believe that the characters played by Robert Downey Jr.and Michelle Monaghan grew up together, there's actually an 11 year age difference between the two actors. 

Hugh Grant and Benicio Del Toro were initially considered for the lead roles.

Shane Black's directorial debut.

In its initial release, this never expanded beyond 169 screens, hence its disappointing box office numbers.

In one scene, Harry Lockhart is prompted to read lines from a script sample. The first line he reads ends with the phrase "go spit," which is also a catchphrase of the Roger Murtaugh character in the Lethal Weapon (1987) movies written by Shane Black.

While being held at gunpoint, Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) demonstrates how easy it is to disarm a non-professional gunman, as most of them fail to keep a minimum distance of at least 5 feet from their target. This is an in-joke, as many other movies written by Shane Black feature a scene where the hero is able to disarm a gunman who makes this very mistake, most notably in The Last Boy Scout (1991) and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996).

At one point in the film Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) reveals that Colin Farrell is up for the role that Harry is auditioning for. Kilmer had previously played Philip, father of Alexander the Great (Farrell) in Alexander (2004).

Harmony's baseball bat carries the inscription "Wonder Girl" which is a homage to Robert Redford's bat in The Natural (1984) which was called "Wonder Boy".

The (published) name of the author of the Jonny Gossamer books is Joe Chester. You can see it briefly on the first book Harmony picks up at the party.

The "Johnny Gossamer" novel Harmony picks up at the party opens to show the contents as 'Man Beneath The Uniform' by Maureen Child.

The first film produced by Public Media Works, Corbin Bernsen's production company.

Harry's hotel room number is 714. This number is also Joe Friday's badge number on the L.A. television cop show, Dragnet (1951).

Shannyn Sossamon's character was originally "Girl with Pink Hair" but was changed after production was completed to "Pink Hair Girl".

Spoilers ― 

Corpse count: 13: Richie (shot by woman on fire escape); Protocop (scared out of an open window); Veronica Dexter (the "lady in the lake"); Jenna Lane (suicide); Mr Frying Pan (shot by food stand owner); Pink Hair Girl (shot by Mr Fire); Mr Fire (shot by Harry); Dexter's Clinic guard (shot by Harry); Aurelio (shot by Perry); Dexter's goon on bridge (shot by Perry); Harlan Dexter (shot by Harry); two goons on freeway (shot by Harry).

From IMDB, and Wikipedia

MOVIE DIALOGUE OF THE DAY ― IRON MAN 3 (2013)

Conection to the previous post (SCHINDLER'S LIST): Ben Kingsley was in both films.

Ratings: IMDB ― 7.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 79% , ME ― 80%  



Trevor Slattery: Ah, well, I had a little problem with... substances, and I, uh, ended up doing things, no two ways about it, in the street, that a man shouldn't do...
Tony Stark: Next?
Trevor Slattery: Then, they approached me about the role, and they knew about the drugs...
Tony Stark: What did they say, they'd get you off them?
Trevor Slattery: Said they'd give me more!

Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery and Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark.

Trivia (From IMDB):

The idea that Happy Hogan's favorite television show is Downton Abbey (2010) was at the suggestion of Jon Favreau, who is actually a big fan of the British series.

Robert Downey Jr. pushed to get Gwyneth Paltrow to have some action scenes, and Kevin Feige approved: "We are bored by the damsel in distress. But sometimes we need our hero to be desperate enough in fighting for something other than just his own life. So, there is fun to be had with 'Is Pepper in danger or is she the savior?' over the course of this movie."

The first assembly cut was 3 hours and 15 minutes long. The final cut was 1 hour and 59 minutes long.

Near the beginning of the movie you see Tony Stark strike a mook jong or wing chun wooden dummy. Robert Downey Jr. has been training in wing chun for several years under Sifu Eric Oram and has also used it in Sherlock Holmes (2009). He has also stated he will be testing for his black belt soon.

The ring on the Mandarin's right pinkie is the same one Raza wears in the first Iron Man (2008) film.

The first Iron Man movie to gross over $1 billion, and the second Marvel movie to reach this mark, with The Avengers (2012) being the first.

The Mandarin bears a tattoo on the back of his neck of Captain America's shield with an anarchist "A" symbol in the center instead of a star.

This is the first film in the series not to be directed by Jon Favreau, who turned down the offer for Iron Man 3 in order to direct Magic Kingdom and Jersey Boys (2014). He later admitted that not directing allowed him to have more fun with his character Happy Hogan, saying that he was like "a proud grandfather who doesn't have to change the diapers but gets to play with the baby."

Jude Law (Robert Downey Jr.'s co-star in Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Gwyneth Paltrow's co-star in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)) was considered for the role of Aldrich Killian.

The attack on the Chinese Theatre also holds a special significance, as Firepower is sitting right next to the hand-prints and signature of Robert Downey Jr.

The character of United States President Ellis in this movie is named after comic book writer Warren Ellis who wrote the 2005 Iron Man story arc "Extremis", a primary influence for this film series' story lines.

The film was originally budgeted at $140 million, but after The Avengers (2012) became a huge hit, Marvel Studios and Disney upped it to $200 million in order to allow Shane Black to make the best movie he could.

The first day Robert Downey Jr. and Sir Ben Kingsley met on set, they snapped a photo together to send to director and mutual friend Lord Richard Attenborough.

In the comics, the Iron Patriot was an alias used by Spider-Man's nemesis, the Green Goblin Norman Osborn. In this film, it is a new set of Iron Man armor that bears Captain America's color scheme. Kevin Feige described it as a post-The Avengers (2012) government response: "These crazy heroes the Avengers saved the day, not the government. The government felt they needed a hero of their own - they have a military officer that has one of these suits, and they paint it red, white, and blue. It gave us a place to go with Rhodey and his split loyalties between his friend and his duty, and you also get to be reminded of the trust and friendship between Rhodey and Stark in great buddy-cop fashion."

The film was heavily edited for Chinese audiences, the Chinese edit has additional scenes featuring the character Dr. Wu and his assistant (played by Chinese stars Xueqi Wang and Bingbing Fan respectively).

Pepper's brief wearing of the armor is a nod to Pepper Potts' one-time career as the superheroine Rescue in an "Invincible Iron Man" comic book series from 2009-2012.

Tony tells a young child with glasses that he loved him in A Christmas Story (1983).Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in ACS, was an executive producer on Iron Man (2008) and played a small role in the first film.

Disney bought the distribution rights from Paramount for $115 million. This deal also included The Avengers (2012). However, as with The Avengers, under the conditions of the deal, Paramount will be the studio logo to appear and not Disney's. It is expected that no reference to Disney will be made until the very end of the closing credits, "Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures."

Including the bonus post-credits scene in The Incredible Hulk (2008), this is Robert Downey Jr.'s fifth portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man. This briefly tied him with Hugh Jackman's and Samuel L. Jackson's record of theatrical appearances as a comic character; however, Jackman retook the record less than three months after IM3's release with his role in The Wolverine (2013).

Kevin Feige described the film as "a full-on Tony Stark-centric movie... He's stripped of everything, he's backed up against a wall, and he's gotta use his intelligence to get out of it. He can't call Thor, Captain America or Nick Fury, and he can't look for the Helicarrier in the sky." Robert Downey Jr. further described the character as influenced by a post-The Avengers (2012) world: "What are his challenges now? What are some limitations that might be placed on him and what sort of threat would have him, as usual, ignore those limitations?"

The only Iron Man film not to feature any songs by AC/DC.

• The Extremis enhanced henchmen seen in the movie are based on minor Marvel villains, who each have completely different back-stories than what is seen in the film:

• Savin (James Badge Dale) is based on Eric Savin, aka Coldblood, originally a cyborg assassin who was not tied to any one particular Marvel comic book.

• Brandt (Stephanie Szostak) is based on Ellen Brandt, the ex-wife and villain to Man-Thing.

• and Taggert (Ashley Hamilton) is based on Jack Taggert, aka Firepower, who was African-American in the comics (not white as in the film) and had his own armored suit to fight Iron Man.

Shane Black admitted that Jon Favreau gave him tips and advice during filming (for which he was very grateful and thankful) though noted that this film would have a "different feel" from the other two.

According to Kevin Feige, the Mandarin is inspired by Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now (1979): "He wants to represent this sort of prototypical terrorist, someone who worked for the intelligence community, who went nuts in the field and became this sort of devotee of war tactics."

Happy Hogan addresses a secretary (who is off-camera) by the name of "Bambi". In the comics, Bambi is the first name of Stark's longest-serving executive secretary, Mrs. Arbogast.

Shane Black described the film as "a Tom Clancy thriller", with the focus on real-world type villains and not "two men in iron suits fighting each other".

This is the first Iron Man film to not feature Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson or any member of SHIELD. SHIELD's database is mentioned by JARVIS when Tony searches information on the Mandarin.

One scene was shot inside Epic Games, a video game development company known for the Gears of War (2006) franchise.

Robert Downey Jr. had previously starred in Shane Black's film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang(2005), and spoke highly of Black replacing Jon Favreau, saying that "bringing in Shane Black to write and direct the film is basically the only thing that Favreau and the audience and Marvel and I could ever actually sign off on."

Screenwriter Drew Pearce compared Tony Stark to an American James Bond for both being "heroes with a sense of danger to them, and unpredictability". He also likened Tony to the protagonists of 1970s films like The French Connection (1971), where "the heroes' idiosyncrasies is what make them exciting."

Whilst in the comics Tony Stark dons a number of bulkier armours to battle the Hulk (e.g. Hulkbuster armour), none of these appear in the film. The largest suit shown is known as Igor (Mark 38) and is designed to be used for heavy lifting

Jessica Brown Findlay who appears in the film due to the use of footage from Downton Abbey (2010) was actually considered for a part in another Marvel film; the role of Sharon Carter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).

Property master Russell Bobbitt designed a custom set of ten rings for the Mandarin. These rings are Bobbitt's favorite props from the film.

Originally, Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures were looking to shoot this movie in Michigan due to the tax incentives. However, due to North Carolina guaranteeing a $20 million tax credit, the producers decided to shoot there instead.

Unlike Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), Industrial Light and Magic is not involved with the film's VFX. Instead, Digital Domain and Weta Digital took over.

Happy Hogan sports a rather fetching look in 1999. This is an obvious nod to the character of Vincent Vega by John Travolta in the popular nineties film Pulp Fiction.

This will mark the first time Samuel L. Jackson does not appear in an "Iron Man" related movie as Nick Fury.

Trevor Slattery is shown to be watching Liverpool playing Chelsea in a game of football on television. The goal was scored by Daniel Agger, making the scoreline 3-0. It is suggested that the character is a Liverpool fan as he cheers the goal. While the events of the movie happen at Christmas time, the game took place in real-life on 8th May 2012.

According to producer Kevin Feige, the Mandarin is portrayed with an ambiguous background: "It's less about his specific ethnicity than the analogy of various cultures and their iconography that he perverts for his own end. We're not saying he's Chinese, we're saying he draws a cloak around him of Chinese symbols and dragons because it represents his obsession with Sun Tzu and various ancient arts of warfare that he has studied."

Jack Taggert (the unstable "Extremis soldier" who blew up the Chinese Theatre), Roxxon Oil and the "Silver Centurion armor" all feature in the "Armor Wars" (1988) storyline in the comics.

Audi vehicles are once again prominently featured in the film, having also been shown in the first two "Iron Man" films. Vehicles featured this time around are an Audi R8 e-tron concept car, driven by Tony near the beginning of the film (and seen falling into the ocean when his Malibu compound is blown up); an Audi A7 driven by Pepper Potts; and an Audi S4 used by Tony later in the film.

At 130 minutes, this is the longest Iron Man (without the other superheroes) film.

Gemma Arterton, Diane Kruger and Isla Fisher were considered for the role of Maya Hansen. Jessica Chastain was cast but she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.Rebecca Hall was cast in her place.

Production was delayed on August 15, 2012, when Robert Downey Jr.'s ankle was injured in a stunt.

Kevin Feige described the film's core theme as a love story: "The love triangle in this movie is between Tony, Pepper and his obsession with those suits, and the obsession with technology. Yes, there's a bad guy. Yes, the stakes are very very high. But the real stakes are, is Tony going to be able to set aside spending every day in that workshop tinkering with the suits in order to focus on Pepper, the one thing that matters most?"

Tony calls one of Killian's henchmen "Westworld", which is the title of a 1973 science-fiction movie. The sequel to that movie, Futureworld (1976) starred Blythe Danner, the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts).

First Iron Man movie to not feature Leslie Bibb as Vanity Fair's Christine Everhart.

The film was available for pre-order on home video before it was even released theatrically.

The film's composer Brian Tyler is the third composer to score an Iron Man film, following Ramin Djawadi for Iron Man (2008) and John Debney for Iron Man 2 (2010).

Andy Lau was in talks to play the role of Chen Lu (Radioactive Man), but dropped out upon the birth of his first child. Daoming Chen and 'Wu Xiubowere' considered for the role, before finally Xueqi Wang was cast.

The Mandarin's lair was shot at the Villa Vizcaya (exteriors) and at a private South Beach waterfront (interiors).

Two identical Boeing VC-25A aircraft serve as Air Force One. The VC-25A is an extensively modified 747-200B, the first of which began service in 1990. The next-generation Air Force One airplanes will be based on either the Boeing 747-8 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and will begin service in 2017.

Cameo ― 

Stan Lee: The Iron Man creator plays the beauty pageant judge. Of the three Iron Man movies, this is the only one in which Lee's cameo does not involve him playing/being mistaken for another celebrity.

Director Trademark ― 

Shane Black: [Christmas] Except for the prologue, the whole film is set at Christmastime. Black's Lethal Weapon (1987), The Last Boy Scout (1991), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) were also set at Christmastime. Last Action Hero (1993), which Black did not direct but helped write, had at least a partial Christmas setting.

Spoilers ― 

The post-credit scene with Bruce Banner was Robert Downey Jr.'s idea.

This is the first Iron Man film, and the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that doesn't hint at the events of future films in the mid-credits and/or post-credits scene.

The film's post-credits scene was originally meant to have Tony Stark blasting off into space to meet the Guardians of the Galaxy. Iron Man was going to have a cameo role in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (in homage to his being the Guardians' latest member in the comics), but this was scrapped when Robert Downey Jr. said he may not reprise his role as Tony Stark in the future. Instead, Bruce Banner appeared in the post-credits scene.

Gwyneth Paltrow enjoyed wearing the suit on the day of shooting the Malibu attack, showing it off in front of her son Moses Martin who had accompanied her that day: "He thought it was the best thing that's ever happened to him. So the suit did a lot for my relationship with my son."

The dragon tattoos on Aldrich Killian's (Guy Pearce) chest are of another Iron Man villain: Fin Fang Foom.

With Mark Ruffalo's cameo as Dr. Bruce Banner in the post-credit scene, this marks the first time that an actor has played this comic book character in more than one theatrical film. Bill Bixby played him in productions made for television, Eric Banaplayed him only in Hulk (2003), and Edward Norton played him only in The Incredible Hulk (2008).

The Mandarin" is an invention of Killian's AIM outfit. The mansion from which The Mandarin's broadcasts emanate is in the city of Miami. "Miami" spelled backwards is "Imaim" - "I'm AIM".

The idea of the Mandarin being a false face was Drew Pearce's idea, and Shane Blacktook to it like a shot: "Who would be fool enough to declare that he is an international terrorist?"

A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is the scientific organization headed by Aldrich Killian. In the comics, it was a straightforward terrorist organization and the evil counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D., which originally was an offshoot of Captain America's World War II enemies HYDRA.

The final line was originally written as "I am Tony Stark" to mirror the first Iron Man(2008) movie's ending, but eventually it changed to "I am Iron Man" to enhance the mythical qualities.

Aldrich Killian was a very minor character in the comics and the mystery of his suicide is what leads Iron Man into the plot involving Extremis. In the film he has been upgraded to major villain, incorporating elements of the Mandarin (a businessman who employs Extremis for his own purposes) and Mallen (a terrorist who ingested Extremis).

James Badge Dale summed up his role as Eric Savin as: "Ben Kingsley is the mouthpiece. Guy Pearce is the brain. I'm the muscle."

Brandt was meant to return in the final battle, and be killed by Pepper. This was changed to Killian surviving and getting killed by Pepper, as a form of poetic justice for him causing her to suffer.

Maya Hansen was originally to be the main antagonist in the first draft of the script. She was later "demoted" to a supporting antagonist.

Originally Trevor Slattery was to take Extremis, believing it was a new drug, and explode from it. This was changed to having him get arrested at the end of the film.

The destruction of Stark's Malibu mansion was filmed at the EUE/Screen Gems Studios water tank (exteriors) and on a special soundstage in Wilmington, North Carolina (interiors). The soundstage was built on a special moving gimball, which allowed the entire set to be tilted 45 degrees and reset easily.

The film's plot incorporates a number of storylines from "Iron Man" comics, namely:

• The 'Extremis' arc, which involved Tony Stark developing and using the Extremis virus, a nanotech version of Captain America's serum

• Tony Stark is ousted and rendered a homeless vagrant, and while wandering around befriends a civilian who inspires him

• The Mandarin seeks to use Extremis as a WMD

• The 'Invincible Iron Man' arc, where Stark goes on the run and War Machine and Rescue appear in his place

• The 'Armor Wars' arc, where Tony Stark fakes his death due to constant harassment by Firepower

• The 'Enter the Mandarin' arc, where Iron Man clashes with the Mandarin.

Director-writer Shane Black explained the concept of the Mandarin being a front for Aldrich Killian as a play on perceptions and expectations: "I wanted to do an interesting story choice, something that was about our own fear and our own ways of viewing villains. What if he's sort of this all-things-to-all-people uber-terrorist? What if he is the myth, and in the end that is what we're dealing with: a created myth perpetuated and cobbled together from popular consciousness?" Producer Kevin Feige admitted it was a huge risk to do, "but it's sometimes important to break with tradition, even at the risk of alienating some purists. Shane had really great ideas about identity and anonymity and false faces."

In the comics, Ellen Brandt is an agent of AIM who tried to steal from biochemist Ted Sallis... who turned into the supernatural Man-Thing and burned her face off. In the film she is just sent in pursuit of Stark; however, she has minor scars on her face in homage to her comic portrayal.

In the scene where Pepper Potts is being injected with Extremis, Savin mentions to Killian that she is still in Phase 2. This is a nod to Iron Man 3 being the first film in the MCU Phase 2 of films.

From IMDB, Wikipedia and Google.