Trivia... what a concept!: Virtual reality movie stuff you may not know! Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix, so that he could star in The Wild, Wild West. Other turndowns came from Ewan McGregor for Neo, and Val Kilmer for Morpheus. The rooftops that Trinity runs across at the beginning of The Matrix are the same ones that John Murdoch runs across in Dark City. The Matrix borrowed many such sets from the Dark City production. In The Matrix trilogy, Neo is often referred to as the 'One'. Perhaps not so coincidentally, 'One' is an anagram of 'Neo'. John Murdoch's motel room in Dark City is 614. In the Bible, John 6:14 refers to the coming of the savior. Actor Jeff Daniels plays a black & white on-screen fictional character in both Pleasantville and The Purple Rose of Cairo! The Lawnmower Man was originally promoted as 'based on a story by Stephen King', until the horror writer successfully sued to have his name removed from the advertising. The only thing that King's short story, also entitled The Lawnmower Man, had in common with the movie was the title. In the original screenplay for Pleasantville, the TV repairman was to be played by Dick Van Dyke, and the repair company was to be Rob's TV Repair. Rob was the name of Van Dyke's character in The Dick Van Dyke Show. A later draft of the script omitted this detail, opening the part for Don Knotts. Virtuosity stars two 'Best Actor' Academy Award winners; Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. In the Academy Awards scene in S1m0ne, the actresses nominated with Simone all have computer hardware and software names; Claris Apple, Lotus Corel, and Lisa Packard. TRON was the first feature film to make extensive use of computer-generated imagery (CGI), but was passed over for an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects because the Academy felt it had "cheated" by using a computer. A mistake in production and emulsion ordering resulted in random flashing glitches throughout parts of the film TRON. To hide them, well-timed sound effects were added to make the glitches become a part of the computer world's natural environment! VR and Movie Links... what another concept! You're virtually there! Just click 'em! The official website for all things Matrix! A fascinating look at the film Being John Malkovich, from a Christian perspective. Great reading, which, like the movie, makes you think! Information database for virtual reality, cyberspace, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and more! Cool stuff! Just for fun, here's a virtual Rubik's Cube to puzzle with! |
Alice in Wonderland (1951) Alice goes chasing rabbits, then takes a wild trip into Wonderland in Disney's animated musical version of the Lewis Carroll story. Alien Intruder (1993) If you took one of those 'haywire holodeck' episodes of Star Trek NG, mixed in Solaris and The Dirty Dozen, Billy Dee Williams, Jeff Conaway, gratuitous sex, violence, and a production budget of about 87 cents, you would have Alien Intruder. Being John Malkovich (1999) A puppeteer / office worker, played by John Cusack, stumbles across a portal that leads into the mind of actor John Malkovich. Spike Jonze directed this hilarious look at the art of manipulation. Also stars Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, and J.M. Brainscan (1994) A teenager plays a new virtual reality murder game on his computer, and becomes quite good at it. Problem is, the murders are real. Stars Edward (T2) Furlong. Brainstorm (1983) Scientists, played by Christopher Walken and Louise Fletcher, find a way to record human experiences, and play them back into the minds of others in this suspenseful sci-fi thriller. The Cell (2000) A psychotherapist, played by Jennifer Lopez, must enter the twisted mind of a comatose serial killer, in an attempt to save his next victim. Question is, who's going to save J-Lo? Cool World (1992) A cartoonist finds that the cool world he had created on paper actually does exist in this live-action/cartoon hybrid. The lesson is that 'Cool' does not always mean 'Good'. Stars Kim Basinger and Gabriel Byrne. Cyber Vengeance (1995) In the year 2005, convicts are sentenced to serve their terms in a 'virtual prison', where they become targets in a most dangerous game. Wow, this one looks at the far away future of... oops, missed it. Dark City (1998) A film noir detective story that is not as it appears to be. Wonderful storytelling and direction by Alex Proyas, as well as a fantastic performance by Kiefer Sutherland, highlight this fantasy thriller. Dreamscape (1983) Dennis Quaid plays a psychic who, with the help of a government funded secret project, has the ability to enter people's dreams. He wants to help people. The bad guy in this picture doesn't need any help. He just wants to prove that if you die in your dreams, you die in real life. Evolver (1995) The champion of a virtual reality video game is awarded a real 'robot' from the game. Unfortunately, both the game and the robot came from a failed military experiment... uh, oh. eXistenZ (1999) From David Cronenberg comes this delightfully disturbing tale about a virtual reality game that users must biologically port into. It's not long before the line dividing fantasy from reality is blurred into oblivion. Identity (2003) Mysterious murders at an isolated desert motel frame this nail-biting look at a tortured soul. John Cusack and Ray Liotta star. Lawnmower Man (1992) Pierce Brosnon stars as a scientist concerned with accelerating brain functions through drugs and virtual reality, but doesn't stop to consider the side-effects. Also stars Jeff Fahey. Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996) Should have been called 'Beyond Bad'. Quite possibly the worst sequel ever made. If you haven't seen this one, lucky you! The Matrix (1999) A computer hacker, played by Keanu Reeves, is enlisted to help the human race revolt against cyber-enslavement in this stylish sci-fi action spectacular. Could he really be the 'One' who will save them all? The Matrix Reloaded (2003) The rebels continue to fight their cyber-oppressors, and are confronted with new threats to the future of Zion, humankind's last free city. The Matrix Revolutions (2003) Unfortunately, no one can be told what The Matrix Revolutions is. You'll have to see it for yourself... Mindwarp (1990) Bruce Campbell stars in this post-apocalyptic tale about people who live in a protected bio-sphere, and experience life as they wish, in the virtual world. One woman wishes to live in the real world, free from computer controlled stability. The moral: Be careful what you wish for! The Neverending Story (1984) An unhapppy young boy begins reading a mysterious book and soon finds himself drawn into the story, in more ways than one! Pleasantville (1998) Two 1990's teenagers are tranported into the 1950's sit-com world of Pleasantville, where they begin to alter its so-called idealic ways of life. Incredible visual style, unfortunately soon copied into cliche by nearly every television commercial and music video from 1999. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) A movie character walks right off the silver screen and into the real world in this funny and poignant romantic fantasy from writer/director Woody Allen. S1m0ne (2002) Al Pacino stars in this lackluster commentary on the shallow nature of Hollywood show business. The most realistic character is Simone, his virtual superstar. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) (2001) A 10-year-old girl and her parents follow a tunnel that leads to an incredible world of spirits in this animated masterpiece from director Hayao Miyazaki. Strange Days (1995) An ex-cop hustles data-discs containing the memories and experiences of other people in this Millennia-phobic thriller. The Thirteenth Floor (1999) Once again, things are not as they seem, when murder invades the life of a computer programmer who helped create a virtual world patterned after 1930's America. TRON (1982) When programmer and hacker Kevin Flynn, played by Jeff Bridges, attempts to prove that his video game ideas have been stolen, he is digitized into the computer realm. Vanilla Sky (2001) Director Cameron Crowe's mind-bending experience starring Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz. You've heard that song, "Life Can be a Dream"? Don't believe it! Virtuosity (1995) Scientists create a virtual reality character to help train police officers. That character, SID 6.7, has been programmed with the combined personalities of over 150 serial killers... oops. Perhaps that was not the best idea. Weird Science (1985) John Hughes' entry into the virtual arena has two horny nerds using their computer to create the perfect woman. Totally 80's silliness follows. |
A.J.'s Guide to Virtual Worlds, Cyber Spaces, and other Mind Trips Virtual Reality: 1. A three-dimensional visual world created by a computer, that a user can enter, move about, and interact with. 2. An artificial state that duplicates the essence or effect of reality upon the mind of an individual. Films in this guide feature storylines that bridge the gap between virtual and actual realms. Many of these films involve interaction within the most complex virtual construct ever created; the human mind. |
Reality... What A Concept! |
Trivia... what a concept!: Virtual reality movie stuff you may not know! Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix, so that he could star in The Wild, Wild West. Other turndowns came from Ewan McGregor for Neo, and Val Kilmer for Morpheus. The rooftops that Trinity runs across at the beginning of The Matrix are the same ones that John Murdoch runs across in Dark City. The Matrix borrowed many such sets from the Dark City production. In The Matrix trilogy, Neo is often referred to as the 'One'. Perhaps not so coincidentally, 'One' is an anagram of 'Neo'. John Murdoch's motel room in Dark City is 614. In the Bible, John 6:14 refers to the coming of the savior. Actor Jeff Daniels plays a black & white on-screen fictional character in both Pleasantville and The Purple Rose of Cairo! The Lawnmower Man was originally promoted as 'based on a story by Stephen King', until the horror writer successfully sued to have his name removed from the advertising. The only thing that King's short story, also entitled The Lawnmower Man, had in common with the movie was the title. In the original screenplay for Pleasantville, the TV repairman was to be played by Dick Van Dyke, and the repair company was to be Rob's TV Repair. Rob was the name of Van Dyke's character in The Dick Van Dyke Show. A later draft of the script omitted this detail, opening the part for Don Knotts. Virtuosity stars two 'Best Actor' Academy Award winners; Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. In the Academy Awards scene in S1m0ne, the actresses nominated with Simone all have computer hardware and software names; Claris Apple, Lotus Corel, and Lisa Packard. TRON was the first feature film to make extensive use of computer-generated imagery (CGI), but was passed over for an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects because the Academy felt it had "cheated" by using a computer. A mistake in production and emulsion ordering resulted in random flashing glitches throughout parts of the film TRON. To hide them, well-timed sound effects were added to make the glitches become a part of the computer world's natural environment! VR and Movie Links... what another concept! You're virtually there! Just click 'em! The official website for all things Matrix! A fascinating look at the film Being John Malkovich, from a Christian perspective. Great reading, which, like the movie, makes you think! Information database for virtual reality, cyberspace, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and more! Cool stuff! Just for fun, here's a virtual Rubik's Cube to puzzle with! |
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
What might have been! (Oh, the horror...) |
Get inside his head! |
Question 'Reality' |
Who done it? |
Neo & Pals |
Oscar winner - 2002 |
END OF LINE. |
All design and text content of A.J.'s Place: Movies & More (C) 2000-2006 by Allen J. Vestal Most current movie poster images on this site are presented in cooperation with AllPosters.com, a great resource for posters and art prints of all kinds. Other images used are size-reduced versions of those found on official sites. Images are used only to enhance the visual presentation of information and to promote films and related websites. Requests for image removal may be e-mailed to ajs_place_movies@hotmail.com A.J.'s Place is based in Marin County, California USA (just in case you're wondering!) |
Movie reviews, guides, games, news, and more! |
"Not just your basic, average, everyday, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, ho-hum entertainment website." |
Through the looking glass! |
