The Film Theorists

Today's episode promises to be CRAPPIER than ever - because we're talking about The Martian. That's no judgement on the movie, it's just that the film is ACTUALLY full of poop and poop science. But the question is...is the poop science actually a load of crap? Hold your nose and dive in to discover if it is actually possible for Watney to survive on Mars like the movie portrays.

Today Kyle is talking about the man, the myth, the Martin Scorsese! - one of the most prolific filmmakers that ever lived. From Taxi Driver to Goodfellas, how does he continually put out masterpiece after masterpiece? Well there is a method to his madness, and the keyword is juxtaposition.

We all love to root for Luke while he's landing the crucial shots to destroy the Death Star...but what if we've been wrong all this time? What if destroying the Death Star is COMPLETELY wrong? This episode shows exactly why the destruction of the Death Star would have not only hurt the Rebel Alliance, but the entire galaxy...

You thought Batman was a hero...but in true Film Theory style, today's episode tells a VERY different story. Batman in the Dark Knight Rises is supposed to be the realest, grittiest Batman EVER, but there's a MASSIVE scientific and logical error at the end of the Dark Knight Rises that shows Batman for what he actually is: a REAL failure.

Spirited Away might be considered the best Japanese film of all time, but DID YOU KNOW...The movie was based on director Miyazaki's real life experiences? From reading pre-teen magazines to make his movie relatable to to tackling a real life river monster, Miyazaki pulled in real life experiences to create the iconic moments we all connected to on a deeper level.

Today Kyle takes a look through Quentin Tarantino's catalog to discuss the concept of homage in Film-making. All of his films pay homage to another director in some way, including his newest film - The Hateful Eight! Can you guess where the inspiration for his latest movie come from?

The end of the Walking Dead apocalypse is inevitable. No, not because Rick and his buddies are heroes come to save the day. But rather, because nature must runs its course. These walking corpses are doomed to an inevitable fate, and their expiration dates may be sooner than you'd expect.

Although it’s been the butt of many jokes throughout the series, one big question has always remained in the Simpsons universe: Where is Springfield? Today, the Film Theorists answer the question 27 years in the making.

DISCLAIMER: This episode is in no way meant to comment on whether Trump (or anyone else running) would make a good President and whether or not you should vote for him. It's meant purely to assess the tactics used in his political campaign because I found it interesting. Any jokes made at his, or any other candidate's expense, are there purely for entertainment. There'll still be a ton of hate in the comments, but hey, at least I tried to head it off at the pass here :) When you think of the 2016 Presidential campaign, one name comes to mind - TRUMP. Every day, news stories come out about his inflammatory comments, his stubborn, unapologetic debate strategy...and that's EXACTLY the way he wants it. Trump is no traditional politician; his tactics come from somewhere else, and that place is REALITY TV. Trump's long history in reality television has given him the perfect strategic edge in the political arena, and so far he's winning the game of political Survivor that is the 2016 presidential race.

How do you really silence the "Merc with a Mouth" once and for all? Crash two alternate Earths together? No it's simpler than that. If you want to kill an immortal like Deadpool target the mind!

What makes an adaptation good? Today Kyle is joined by TimH Films to analyze the Nolan Batman Series and the Batman & Robin film to show what key components help ensure an adaptation succeeds. With the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice just around the corner, will it prove to be a cohesive entertaining adaptation, or will it wind up another Batman & Robin?

The visual masterpiece Princess Mononoke is one of the many notable and wonderful works from Studio Ghibli. But DID YOU KNOW... Hayao Miyazaki had the concept in mind for almost 20 YEARS before it became a full-length feature film?

Batman VERSUS Superman? Sounds like the most one-sided fight in history! How can a normal human overcome a super-powered alien? Well, when you look at the science, the odds may be more in favor of Batman than you might think. Superman better watch out because with our help (and some simple science), Batman is going to have this fight IN THE BAG! Batman v Superman HYPE!

The fourth installment of the Mad Max franchise garnered both critical and commercial success. But DID YOU KNOW... Mad Max Fury Road was stuck in development hell for nearly 17 years - leads had to be recast, storyboards recreated, and production had to be halted multiple times.

Zootopia, has something for everyone: cute bunnies, a positive message, and CRACK COCAINE! How much do you really know about this new Disney classic? I got way more than I bargained for after comparing this story to actual historical events and outlining the real themes of race, drugs, and crime that you can see in the movie. Take a look and see how far down the rabbit hole of Zootopia really goes...

It's a fundamental concept of story telling - character is action. But what does that mean? Today Kyle discusses how to create compelling characters using actions on screen to show their personality - and he's using Marvel's Avengers to do so. What can we learn about Captain America, Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers before heading into the upcoming Civil War?

Ok, let's be honest. When I started this episode, I planned it as an April Fool's joke for the channel. But after researching it, it turned out that the theory of a sharknado is BIZARRELY plausible. With Sharknado 4 coming out this summer, we should all be prepared in case of a REAL shark storm!

Infinite timelines, infinite possibilities. But what does this have to do with how Rick wound up in jail? We may have months to wait before one of the best shows on TV (Rick and Morty) comes back for season three; but, you don't have to wait that long to find out why Rick is a wanted man. The series has left us plenty of clues.

Marvel's Avengers broke records when it was first released and became the highest grossing box office comic book movie of all time. It garnered both critical and fan acclaim. But DID YOU KNOW... assembling all these heroes into a coherent story and logical universe took years of effort. Scripts were literally being reworked as production went on.

What Makes a Hero? Today Kyle is asking what makes cinematic heroes - at least American cinematic heroes. And to answer that he's digging into some classics such as Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne. But what about Captain America? Does Cap fit the bill of what an American Hero should be? Don't worry he dives into that as well, to find out if we should be rooting for Captain American in Civil War, or if we're on the wrong side of the conflict.

Fullmetal Alchemist would have you believe that Ed and Al failed in human alchemy because they were missing a soul. Well guess what, they've been lying to you. In fact, they were missing something much more fundamental - the correct recipe for a human body.

Zootopia was a box office hit, that started with a simple vision - to make a movie similar to Disney's 1973 adaptation of Robin Hood. But DID YOU KNOW... Judy Hopps was not the original main character for Zootopia? She was actually originally written as a supporting roll. However, seeing the city through the eyes of Nick Wilde almost ruined the whole story of Zootopia.

With another mutant war on the horizon in X-Men Apocalypse, I thought it high time to start looking into the powers and weaknesses of these extra-normal humans and prep some strategies on how to handle some of the franchise's heavy hitters. And who better to begin with than the man himself - Magneto.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is an iconic film that many of us remember from our childhoods. But DID YOU KNOW... the movie was a huge disappointment to many during production and its initial release. The original author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory wasn't happy, the unions weren't happy, even human rights activists were sending in complaints.

Wait, you're telling me these guys are teenagers who randomly got doused with some sewer juice and turned into turtles? Who fight crime? Using ninja tactics? While eating pizza? And living underground? HAH, that's CRAZY! ...NO, my friends, NO IT ISN'T.

How can you not love Dory? Our own lovable reed dweller who serves as a faithful companion to clownfish of finding Nemo by singing happy song, just keepin' swimming, and FILLING OUR MINDS WITH LIES. Today on Film Theory, we analyze the symptoms displayed on screen by Dory to see whether her symptoms would actually align with her condition of retrograde amnesia, or whether she's been lying to us all along...

Last time we started uncovering the deep secrets of Dory, the lovable Nemo companion who claims she has retrograde amnesia throughout the original Finding Nemo. But is this really the whole story? Does Dory REALLYhave retrograde amnesia or has she been FAKING IT all along? Well, I have some thoughts that might surprise you about Dory’s symptoms an what she’s actually hiding....

When Bambi's mom was shot - I cried. When Nemo was reunited with his father - I cried. And when Dory is lost in the big blue sea this weekend - I'm probably gonna cry! Why is that? How are Pixar and Disney so good at making us FEEL for their animated heroes? Today Kyle is breaking down some Disney and Pixar classics to help us learn why we connect on such an emotional level with these cartoons.

Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter - all of these cinematic marvels are tasked with making the unbelievable a reality. The fantasy genre is known for being magical, bizarre, and defying the laws of our world. But how do you make that all seem realistic and natural? Today Kyle is breaking down some of the great fantasy shows and movies of our time to discuss camera tricks utilized during filming.

How many bites does it take to get to the center of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? The world may never know - because you would DIE before even getting close! In today's episode I'm figuring out just how many calories are in Stay Puft and whether or not it is possible to completely devour the tasty yet terrifying morsel of mayhem.

WARNING this Episode Contains MAJOR SPOILERS for GoT. Game of Thrones - gone for another year but don't worry there's more to learn behind the scenes. DID YOU KNOW... during the shooting of season 5, Game of Thrones underwent a serious bomb threat. Plus debates on nudity, special FX, and secrets even among the cast.

Star Trek is known as one of the most iconic series in the Sci-Fi universe. But is it more than just Sci-Fi? Today Kyle breaks down the Star Trek series to show us what other cinematic films Star Trek pulls its inspiration from.

DHMIS is cute, it's creepy, and the internet has spent the last month pulling apart all its squishy innards. Mmm tasty. In this first episode I'm doing n Film Theory, I wanted to cover the overall meaning of the show, why it's important, and WHAT THE HECK IT MEANS! Now Let's all get Creative!

Japanese Horror Films always seem to creep the heck out of me - usually more than American Horror even. But why is that? Today Kyle breaks down the Japanese Horror Genre and explains some of the differences in techniques they use to make our skin crawl.

Just like a Lannister always pays his debts, a MatPat always delivers his theories - and this one is a must see. With the finale of season 6 now behind us, it looks like Daenerys is in prime position to take back the throne. But I ask you loyal theorists, is that really what we want? I mean the apple usually doesn't fall to far from the try, and we all know what happened to the MAD KING! Is the same fate destined for Daenerys?

Part 2 of DHMIS is HERE! Because frankly you guys in the comments would never let me live it down if I didn't release this right away. But really, I wanted to make sure I crammed as much DHMIS lore and as many Easter eggs as possible into this episode, and those eggs take time! But now we're ready to talk everything Roy and Red Guy and raw chicken and father's day! Oh boy, what have I even gotten myself into...

Jared Leto was so heavily committed to his role as Joker that he refused to see his co-stars off set? He wanted to make sure they saw him as nothing but the Joker. And DID YOU KNOW... preparations and filming for Suicide Squad were so intense, that David Ayer brought an onset therapist to help his cast avoid going too far for their roles.

Recently, DC Comics revealed that the Joker is actually THREE different people. It was a HUGE deal for the comics, but the question I have is whether that can also apply to the movies... And now, with the release of Suicide Squad, how does Jared Leto's Joker fit in to the mix? As the fourth live action Joker, is Suicide Squad's Joker a brand new entity or is he simply the continuation of one of the past Jokers we've seen before? Today on Film Theory, I'm tackling one of comic's age old questions 'who is THE JOKER?

If you're an action aficionado, I'm sure you've seen your fair share of gun fights, maybe even some Kung Fu. But what about a combination of the two - enter Gun Fu. In today's Frame By Frame, Kyle discusses the sub genre inspired by Hong Kong action films and refined by director John Woo.

And NOW, the thrilling conclusion of the infamous THREE JOKER THEORY! Will Jared Leto be a continuation of one of the classic comic book Jokers? Will Jack Nicholson dance with the devil the pale moonlight? And will the Three Joker Theory actually be able to save the DC films universe from its multi-movie slump? The answers to all those questions and more in this episode of Film Theory!

Scopophilia - a Greek word meaning: to derive pleasure from watching; but it's also a term that refers to how sex scenes are shot. It's no surprise that cinema and sex have a long running relationship. But have you ever stopped to think about the underlying themes of that relationship? In today's Frame By Frame, Kyle discusses how many sex scenes are approached and shot in Hollywood - explaining what techniques and the reasons why directors film these scenes the way they do.

Even though Scott Pilgrim is a 6 part series, the film rights were sold right after the 1st book was published. This eventually led to some hiccups during filming, and even led to multiple endings being filmed. And DID YOU KNOW... Edgar Wright did everything he could to embrace the nerd culture behind the movie, including securing the rights for music from Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto himself, through an apparently moving letter.

Robotics have made enormous advances in recent history, but thinking that Transformers would ever be possible is just plain nonsense, right? Well you might be surprised. The fact is, technology is already on its way to creating machines that adapt to their environments... and these robots in disguise might be arriving sooner than you'd expect.

This week I’m boldly going where Film Theory has gone before...straight into the Star Trek universe! This week, it’s all about what we REALLY know about the so-called “benevolent” Federation. Sure, we all want to trust the Captain Kirk will always do the right thing, or that Captain Picard’s shiny bald head is really a beacon of hope in the universe, but what it isn’t? Today’s theory shows that there’s evidence to point to the Federation as something other than a peaceful exploration mission. That actually, the Federation is a fascist system who’s set out to control other species in the universe and convert them to their own propaganda-filled perspective!

Godzilla - King of the Monsters! But this may mean more than you think. When making Godzilla, TOHO Scope allotted for only 6 months of filming. This forced the team to create a new method of making monsters and monster films. In today's Frame By Frame, Kyle discusses how the Godzilla franchise created a new standard for making monster films in a much quicker fashion.

Through the movie hype, the viral marketing, and the fake websites created for the movie, we've all been led to believe that the Blair Witch is a dangerous demon roaming the woods, ready to kill us. But what if that was never the case? What if, even in the movie, there's no such thing as the Blair Witch? Today's episode uncovers a secret murder plot where the only monsters are the kids making a documentary in the woods...

Stranger Things is a retro-horror masterpiece that seems to be on everyone's mind these days. And some of the best things about the series are its artistic designs. In today's Frame By Frame, Kyle discusses how Aaron Sims and his team of concept artists designed the show's Demogorgon and the alternate dimension known as the upside down.

During the time of its release Howl's Moving Castle broke theatrical records for a Japanese Film in the United States - despite the strong anti-war message of the film (inspired by the Iraq invasion). But DID YOU KNOW... Miyazaki wasn't the original director for the film? Miyazaki actually came out of retirement after Mamoru Hosoda left the project due to creative differences.

With Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children coming out, and being in the start of a new school year, it got me thinking about these private schools for our gifted youngsters. Are they as great as they seem? Or, are you doing a disservice to yourself by forgoing a proper education? And if you had the choice, which one should you choose?

From Coraline, to Paranorman, to its newest masterpiece - Kubo and the Two Strings, Laika is continually changing the face of stop motion. Developing better technology and techniques to reach a new emotional connection between the characters and audience. In today's Frame By Frame, Kyle discusses the history of Stop Motion and how Laika is bringing a fresh look to this style of filmmaking.

"Fancy seeing you here." If you thought "Don't Hug Me I'm Scared!" was the most disturbing stuff on YouTube, think again. I've been REKT for a week trying to uncover the truth behind one of the darkest series on YouTube - Salad Fingers! And today, my countless sleepless nights pays off, as we expose the truth behind this disturbing collector of rusty spoons.

Found Footage films are everywhere nowadays, and I get it - they're cheap to make and easy to turn a profit. But to think that these films started with the advent online video is just plain wrong. In today's Frame By Frame, Kyle discusses how this genre evolved over the ages and where it got its gruesome beginnings.

So you'd have us believe it's better to stay living in fear behind some stupid wall for your whole pointless life? And to that I say, yes. Yes it is. And today, I'm going to prove it to Eren and all of you theorists as well. Because the biggest threat humanity face in Attack on Titan is not the Titans themselves, rather humanity's own selfish desire to spread.

With Halloween fast approaching, we're about to experience one of Fall's spookiest trends - the Halloween Horror cash grab, as movie studies rush to make cheap scary movie sequels. Next up? Ouija. Right? I know, lame. But as I started thinking about it, I came to the realization that this movie franchise might just be related to one of the all time great horror movies of all time - The Exorcist.

Godzilla is one of the most iconic monsters of all times. And the original Godzilla movie even created a whole new type of film making. But DID YOU KNOW... after seeing the American Godzilla film, Executives at Toho were so unhappy that they made a mandate that subsequent Godzilla movies would declare the American version a failure.

People go to the movies for different reasons - some to laugh, some to see people get torn limb from limb (hey, I don't judge), and some people go for a mixture of the two. If you fall into that third category you're probably a fan of Splatstick films - a genre that blends slapstick comedy with splat horror films. And no one does this better than Sam Raimi in his films Evil Dead. In today's Frame By Frame, Kyle discusses how this genre was created and talks about the tricky balancing act these films need to accomplish.

Just in time for Halloween, get ready for the SPOOPY conclusion of Salad Fingers! Last time we already covered a lot of ground, but I was just getting started, and this story was FAR from over. This episode uncovers who Salad Fingers is, what the heck all his finger puppet friends are doing and WHAT THE HECK is up with that horse??

Doctor Strange is out and there's one thing everyone can agree on: It's SO PRETTY! Seriously though, across the board, reviewers of this movie talk about its amazing visuals and its excellent adaptation of the comic style. But how do they DO that? How do you turn what looks like a comic into a movie when the medium is so different? Well, it's harder than you think, but after this video you'll see exactly how it's done.

You've known and loved Snow White your entire life - this is the quintessential Disney story of adventure and love conquering all! OR IS IT? What if I told you that love didn't save Snow White at all? Disney has been pulling the wool over our eye since the 1930's and TODAY I set the record straight.

Do you know why Spongebob lives in a pineapple? Or why he has square pants? Did you know that even though the show is one of the most successful cartoons in history, its creators made almost no money? Well sit back and soak up some incredible facts about Spongebob Squarepants!

Everything can be explained by science, including the "magics" of Dr Strange. Thor himself stated that they live in a place where magic and science are one in the same, and Dr Strange continues that statement. Today, I'm proving to you that the magics of Dr. Strange can all be explained with science.

The Pokemon Anime was schedule to run for only a year and a half, but due to its immense success its now one of the longest running shows on TV. And DID YOU KNOW... the shows creators never want Ash to become a Pokemon Master?! Hidaka has stated that if that ever happens the show will end.

Wall-E is one of my all time favorite movies, cheering me up even when I'm in the worst of moods. But the other night when watching it, between the many moments of manly weeping, I came to a horrible realization - Cupcake-in-a-Cup is People! IT'S PEOPLE! I mean where else would their food be coming from? Now you're saying MatPat that seems a little dark, maybe even far fetched; and, I wish you were right. But unfortunately, I'm here to prove it to you.

South Park has always been a show that didn't give a *@#! about who it offended. But in recent years there have been some noticeable differences in the show's episodes - and, the biggest change might be more indicative of television's evolution as a whole. In today's Frame By Frame, Kyle discusses how South Park has made some pretty big changes to its format recently, and what its shift from episodic to serial might mean for television all around.

Star Wars is one of my all-time favorite movie franchises. And since The Force Awakens was actually good, let's hope we can keep the positive streak going with the first Star Wars spin-off, Rogue One. But already, one big question hangs over this movie: How are they going to explain away the fact that we haven't met any of these new characters in Star Wars Episodes 4, 5, 6 or 7?? It almost seems like Disney has written themselves into a corner with this one. BUT MAYBE these obscure characters are more familiar than we realize. Today, I'm going to show you who these rag-tag rogues really are, and in the process predict not only the ending of Rogue One, but also the events of Star Wars Episode VIII.

One Punch Man is one of those beautifully triumphant stories about an all-too-human hero, despite his godlike abilities. But what makes the series so unique? And WHY is One Punch Man so BALD? After this episode, you'll understand the world of One Punch Man, see where it was created and why it's not just an important show for anime, but an important piece of art for the entire internet!

Do you want to build...a house of LIES? Last year I showed that Anna and Elsa probably aren't real sisters, so this year I'm back again to tell you that Hans can't possibly be the real villain of Frozen. Seriously! Take a look at the evidence and you'll see that Hans is just a pool misguided prince, but Elsa's REAL enemy is far more dangerous...

We've been told that Rogue One will be a gritty new take on the Star Wars universe, but how new will it really be? Space has been used as a form of futuristic escapism since the early decades of movies. Star Wars was the first major franchise to shake up the genre, so how will Rogue One keep up with George Lucas' legacy? In this episode of Frame by Frame, Kyle covers the evolution of the Space opera to show where the Star Wars Franchise is most likely headed.

In a world full of dragons, giants, and magic is the most unbelievable thing that Tyrion Lannister is still alive? I mean this guy drinks like a fish - by all accounts shouldn't his drinking have killed him by now? Today we're answering Game of Thrones' biggest mystery - just how drunk is Tyrion Lannister?

With the release of Assassin's Creed this week, I can't help but wonder if VR is the future of cinematic story telling. In Assassin's Creed humans access a virtual reality from a moment in time, by accessing memories. This is truly full immersion. But how far is humanity from making this virtual world an actual reality? In this episode of Frame by Frame, Kyle discusses the new technology and differences a VR film maker faces versus traditional 2D film making.

It's that time of year again, time for eggnog, caroling, and RANTING about the BREAKDOWN OF THE INTERNET! You know, usual holiday stuff. In all seriousness, though, for those who are new to my channels, once a year I like to delve beyond movies and video games and theorize about the platform I love and spent literally all of my time: YouTube. This year on Film theory the topic of the day is FAKE NEWS and why fake news and clickbait have been so prominent on YouTube this year. Seriously, they've been huge issues that everyone has been talking about and that every single one of you watching have been suckered into at one point or another. So where is it coming from? And more importantly, what do we DO about it? Well, I guess you clicked the video to find out... ;)

Did You Know, Frozen's development can be traced all the way back to the 1930's? The movie's origin comes from Disney's desire to make an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale "The Snow Queen". The main struggle throughout the years has been creating characters an audience can relate to and connect with. Originally, Elsa (like the Snow Queen) was the evil villain in the story. However, as the story unfolded it was clear that Elsa was not a bad person, she just made bad decisions in a stressful situation.