Friday 19 April 2013

Film Easter Eggs


The anniversary of Christ rising from the dead from his chocolatey egg-shaped cocoon is behind us.  However, the movie industry strives forward to include Easter Eggs in nearly all of it's feature films.

For those who don't know, we're not talking about traditional chocolate eggs here.  What would be the point in that?  You'd need one of Wonka's televisions to be able to taste it.  Instead, the term Easter Egg refers to a hidden reference in a film intentionally put there by the creators as a little extra bonus.  You could say that it's more like finding an extra Christmas present round the back of the tree.  These bonuses probably would be called Christmas presents if it wasn't for the Coca Cola company owning the rights to the festive season, so Easter Eggs it is until Cadbury's get their sugar-coated paws on that holiday too.  Then we'll have to call them Hanukah Dreidels.

As I have a large affection for film, I have dedicated my life to cataloguing these Easter Eggs.  You'll thank me one day when this knowledge becomes part of the National Curriculum.  Anyway, allow me to list a few examples that you may not be aware of:

Some Easter Eggs of something called "Pocket Men"


Terminator 2 - Danny De Vito appears as Arnie's twin cyborg brother, and can be seen briefly crying behind John Connor during Schwarzenegger's firey death scene.  He is crying his little robot eyes out, literally, as they dangle out of his sockets and clack together like a Newton's Cradle.

The Hobbit - The dwarves Oin and Gloin have several split second scenes where, instead of the usual bear pelt shirts they are associated with wearing, they can clearly be seen wearing "I'm With Stupid" t-shirts.

The Dark Knight Rises - When Anne Hathaway straddles the Bat-Cycle, if you freeze frame and zoom in at exactly the correct point, you can see a small tear in the crotch of her catsuit.  It is rumoured that by zooming in enough, you can see a portal to the future and witness the end of civilisation as we know it, but this has not been confirmed.

Bridesmaids - When one of the Bridesmaids runs in front of a car, one of the posters in the shop window is actually a flyer for the planned sequel Bridesbutlers.  Unfortunately, this sequel has since been discontinued because Chris O' Dowd thought that a butler's uniform was disrespectful to his heritage.

Mary Poppins - During one of the animated sequences, the film is replaced by a 2 frame shot of a woman's bare ankles.  Although this is impossible to pick up during regular viewing, this subliminal shot would have caused many cinema patrons to have spontaneous heart attacks over this gratuitous exposure to naked flesh, if it had been discovered sooner.

Mars Attacks - As is usual with Tim Burton films, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter can be seen making out in the background as the alien's land and incinerate everyone.

Skyfall - If you listen to Adele's theme song backwards, you might actually mistake it for a good song.

"Skafawwwwwwww when ya crumbawwwwww"


The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus - Several bronze statues of Dustin Hoffman can be seen throughout the film, suggesting that it is a direct sequel to Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium.

The Twlight Saga - Overhead shots in all five Twilight movies (yes, there's five of them) reveal mysterious alien crash sites all around the foggy town in which the story takes place.  This alien conspiracy, as confirmed by the writer Stephanie Meyer, suggests that Twilight takes place on a future Earth after civilisation has been destroyed by the marauding death fleets of an extra-terrestrial empire.  As civilisation has built itself back up and the invasion long since forgotten, many of Earth's inhabitants now have super powers after exposure to alien death rays, namely the abilities of Vampires and Werewolves, and they're also very good in bed.  Twilight is actually the story of alien mutations and life after the apocalypse, rather than the Mormon parable of abstinence and teenage angst that we've all grown to revile.

Pulp Fiction - In a split second shot, you can see that the glowing object in the case is actually a mint condition Spiderman comic that Quentin Tarantino has owned since being a boy.

I have many more of these, but I don't want to ruin the hunt for you guys.  If you know of any Easter Eggs, please put them in the comments box for us all to savour.

17 comments:

  1. I can believe that Johnny Depp made his way in to Mars Attacks but I didn't know it was a Burton flick. It's kinda amazing how well hidden some Easter Eggs are and how much time some people dedicate to finding them.

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    1. You should see some of the obscure ones that make their way into games. Some are so ridiculous that it makes my made up ones above seem plausible.

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  2. I never knew any of those Hanukkah Dreidels. My favorite Hanukkah Dreidel, though, is in the Psycho remake with Vince Vaughn, during the shower stabby scene, you can see Anne Heche's butthole. I can't help but feel you're wrong about the Skyfall one, there's no way that's a good no matter what direction you play it.

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  3. I laughed when I read "psycho remake with Vince Vaughan". Then I went on IMDB, and it turns out to be real?! What fresh hell is this?

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  4. There's a deleted scene in 28 Weeks Later where one of the infected tears a chunk of flesh from the leg of some unfortunate soul, then sandwiches it between two slices of crusty white baguette before continuing to eat it.

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    1. If people want to stay safe during the zombie apocalypse, the supermarkets need to start stocking flesh sandwiches especially for zombies. The only problem is, zombies don't tend to pay for goods and services.

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  5. you have watched all five twilight movies? thats the kind of dirt that doesnt wash off! And to think you began with...I am a film fan...hhee

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    1. I only watched them because I knew the truth! Or maybe I was just so bored that I created an alternate story in my head.

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    2. I'm still in shock...shock...sho...ock...hehe...that sounds quite funny....sho...ock! haha! see, that was surely more entertaining than five hours or more of Twi...oh dear god I cant say it aloud!

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  6. Do you know I have never seen any of these films. Luckily I have eaten many Easter Eggs and one chocolate Mary Poppins . . . Gowd Bless Hur

    OOOooooo does the reference to Big MacDonald count in Braveheart where the Scots throw polystyrene boxes at the English red coats and one of the plucky Scotsmen then says "Big MacDonald would na flink the moot"

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    1. You may take our Big Macs but you'll never take our freedom!

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  7. Why does the though of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter making out, not only feel me with dread but also with horror?

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    1. Dunno, but I think Tim Burton has the scene in his spank bank.

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  8. In the beginning of The Hunger Games when it shows all the starving people in District 12 there are several scenes where you can see kids eating Big Macs and chili cheese dogs.

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    1. Excellent. I have to say though that i'm often still hungry after a big mac.

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  9. During the dance scene in Silver Linings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence's reflection is not seen in any of the mirrors in the hall. This suggests that her character is a symptom of Bradley Cooper's pschosis and does not actually exist, making the scene quite hilarious when you imagine Bradley Cooper dancing in front of a bunch of nerds by himself.

    Anyway, I lost it at the Adelle Easter Egg!

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    1. Perhaps Silver Linings Playbook is actually the sequel to Fight Club.

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