The Film Theorists

Grab your Sonic Screwdriver and be on the lookout for Daleks because we're out to see whether a time-hopping Doctor a la Doctor Who would be a physical possibility...or at the very least, whether a human could fit the bill and become a Timelord. There's A LOT to cover, from biology to technology to, you know, TIME HOPPING, so it'll have to be done in chunks. This time, we're taking a crack at Doctor Who's BIOLOGY. The Doctor has an interesting set of characteristics, but could a human match those? The answers will surprise you!

Jon Snow may know nothing, but WE certainly know a lot about him. Eddard Stark's bastard son is clearly one of the main heroes of Game of Thrones, but much of his backstory is shrouded in mystery. Popular fan theories about Game of Thrones have postulated that R + L = J, but what does that mean exactly? Is there the evidence to support it? And most importantly of all, what does that mean to the OVERALL STORY of the Game of Thrones series? How is Jon Snow the KEY to the Song of Ice and Fire?

For years, we all believed that Harry Potter was the Chosen One, the one destined to save the wizarding world from Lord Voldemort, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. BUT, have we been duped? Is it possible that our lightning-bolted boy wonder isn't as special as we thought? What is there was ANOTHER Chosen One? What if it all boiled down to a coin flip? Then Harry Potter would just be an average kid. Maybe there's a universe out there where Harry should be THANKING Lord Voldemort...but I'll leave that to you to judge!

So, as we saw on Game Theory (presumably), videos games may be better off just staying video games. No need to transition to the big screen of films. BUT is the reverse true? Is the future of movies in becoming more like video games? And more importantly, where does the distinction exist? When does a movie end and a game begin? Well get ready, because the future of entertainment is unlike ANYTHING we've yet experienced!

So you want to win an Oscar, huh? An Academy Award. The BIG prize. And you want to be BEHIND the camera. You like being the boss, directing people around? OK. Well, here's what you're going to need to know...We're breaking down the stats behind what it takes to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, the most coveted award of the night, even going so far as to tell you the EXACT STORY you need to make! You have everything you need to win...now don't screw it up!

So you want to win an Oscar, huh? An Academy Award. The BIG prize. But you want to be IN FRONT of the camera. You're a STAR! OK. Well, here's what you're going to need to know...We're breaking down the stats behind what it takes to be an Academy Award Best Actor and Best Actress winner, from trends in age, role, to even salary bump. So take heed...and Leo, this one's for you :)

Reservoir Dogs is considered Quentin Tarentino's seminal work, but it was no easy film to get out of the gate! This episode of DYK Movies explores the sometimes hilarious and sometimes totally bizarre backstory behind some of the movie's most famous people and places, including Madonna's present for Quentin Tarantino, and character research that included a real-life hostage situation.

Movies...we take them for granted now, but what are their origins? Where do they come from? And what was the FIRST ONE? Who are the people responsible for shaping this art form into what it is today? Kyle, host of Frame by Frame, is tackling all those questions today, from the men who created the first commercially viable projection camera to the man who defined some of the cinema's most basic, yet widely-used techniques.

The world of Westeros has a problem...and that problem is ice zombies. Whitewalkers! The dead have risen again, creating an army that threatens the safety of the realm. So who will be the hero to save them? Game of Thrones lore has a prophesy of the Prince that was Promised, but who will that Prince be? There are a few good candidates, but today we're looking at the evidence to conclude who the TRUE hero of Westeros will be!

Millions of women fell in love with Christian Grey, including the young Anastasia Steele. But was it his charisma that won her over, or deliberate psychological manipulation? Was it his rock hard abs she was attracted to or his cold, calculating psychological abuse? Throughout 50 Shades of Grey, Christian uses a very specific set of steps to brainwash Anastasia into loving him…the same steps that cults use to indoctrinate new members. Film Theory uncovers the dark side of 50 Shades of Grey…

With Jurassic World recently hitting theaters, it got the Did You Know Movies team thinking about the Steven Spielberg classic, Jurassic Park. This episode covers everything from Spielberg's cutting-edge use of animatronics to create the monstrous T-Rex to Jurassic' Park's...questionable science. Get ready because Jurassic Park is once again opening its gates!

Sometimes, the scariest thing in a horror movie is what you DON'T see. In this episode of Frame by Frame, Kyle takes on three horror movie classics -- The Innkeepers, The Changeling, and Let the Right One In -- to explore how directors oftentimes make what you DON'T see scarier than what you DO. The threat is outside the frame but it is very VERY real!

Shrek, the hilarious ogre that took the world by storm back in 2001, actually has some pretty dark roots. Though Shrek may seem like a fun-loving romp to rescue classic fairy tale characters, the movie was actually a big screw you to Disney. From a 4 million dollar reshoot to a last-minute recasting, Shrek was almost a VERY different movie from the one you remember today.

Seinfeld...famously, it's the show about NOTHING. And yet, for it being about nothing, there are SO MANY memorable moments throughout the show's nine seasons, from the Soup Nazi to The Contest. And yet, one of the most enduring storylines was the infamous "Death by Envelope," where Seinfeld's best friend George Costanza's fiancee keels over after licking too many envelopes. But could that ACTUALLY happen? With Seinfeld just released on Hulu and Jason Alexander revealing the TRUE reason behind Susan's death on Howard Stern, now seems as good a time as any to examine this sitcom staple!

For years, we've always thought that the Beast in Beauty and the Beast was made into a monster so he could learn a lesson about respecting others and loving people for what's on the inside...but we've been wrong the whole time! Dissecting the film's lore, it becomes clear that the Beast isn't the evil prince he was made out to be, but actually just a little boy who was deceived at a time in his life when he was the most vulnerable. Fans of Beauty and the Beast have loved this story for so long...but have overlooked ONE crucial plot detail!

Game of Thrones is more than a TV show, it's a cultural phenomenon.While we all wait in anticipation of season 6, we're taking a look back at the ways in which this series almost NEVER HAPPENED. Between the sheer volume of each novel and sex and violence embedded in every chapter, George R.R. Martin's famous book series hit quite a few speed bumps on its trip between paperback and the big screen. It was a dedication of the film runners and directors, meticulous casting choices and a commitment to the authenticity of the story that ultimately carried Game of Thrones into its position as pop-culture masterpiece.

Mad Max: Fury Road, is so unique because it's not just a thrill-and-kill series of car chases in the desert, but a beautiful piece of cinema that captures the audience from start to finish. Turns out, this is no accident and this episode of Frame by Frame will tell you why. This episode explores the laser-focused directorial style of George Miller as he expertly navigates the audience through Mad Max's post-apocalyptic world by using advanced cinematography techniques to direct the viewer's attention exactly where it needs to go to to keep their eyes glued to the screen from the first moment to the last.

This Dragon Ball Z theory has been one one of the most requested in the history of BOTH the Game Theorists and Film Theorists and now it's finally HERE! the Kamehameha Wave is the most iconic piece of DBZ lore out there and it took some serious science to explain how we could bring this incredible power out of the TV series and into the real world! And finally, a big thanks to ALL the Theorists who requested this one--meeting your challenge on this one was super tough, but it's become one of my favorite in the series!

When you have a popular movie, you have to stay secretive. And some of the lengths Star Wars had to go through to keep its production secrets quiet will blow you mind! From its alternative working title to lines being completed omitted from scripts, George Lucas had his work cut out for him ensuring that Star Wars details were kept under wraps. JonTron tyakes us through some of the Star Wars on-set secrets.

Subjectivity is when the camera enters into the mind of the character, showing what they're seeing...experiencing. So how does a director show their character going into a drug-fueled mania? Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro give you a crash course in their BIZARRE film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."

Super Mario Bros. the movie is broadly considered one of the worst films ever made, but WHY? What happened during the production to make one of the most beloved video game series of all time such a cinematic disaster? This episode of DYKM explores the history of the Super Mario Movie's production, from its bizarre casting choices to its long parade of directors and producers all battling it out for video game movie glory...or disaster.

Hitman: Agent 47 is the new movie adaptation of the stealth-and-cover video game...and you all know how much I love movies based on video games! Here we're dissecting some of the movie details, specifically the ultra futuristic armor that John Smith sports to try to take down Agent 47. We'll be looking at the latest in high-tech armor and figuring out whether it's actually possible to create bullet-proof skin. When we came up with the idea for this Film Theory, Fox said they'd like to sponsor us! A big thanks to them for their support in making this video happen and letting us take a sneak peek at the film to make sure we got our facts straight!

Grab your Sonic Screwdriver and be on the lookout for Daleks because we're out to see whether a time-hopping Doctor a la Doctor Who would be a physical possibility...or at the very least, whether a human could fit the bill and become a Timelord. There's A LOT to cover, from biology to technology to, you know, TIME HOPPING, so it'll have to be done in chunks. This time, we're tackling TIME TRAVEL. Is it feasible in the realm of physics to move FORWARD through time? And how about back? That one takes us into the realm of THE MOST COMPLICATED CONCEPTS we've ever covered on the Theorist channels...

We all know that The Terminator and Terminator 2 are icons in the 80's and 90's action movie canon, but are we sure they're actually ACTION movies? Believe it or not, there's a pretty strict set of criteria that a film needs to meet to qualify in the action genre based on the way it's filmed, how very specific scenes are set up, and basically how big the explosions are! This Frame by Frame takes a look up close and personal with the Terminator scenes we love to see how they stack up against the high bar that's set for the best action films! Hasta la vista, baby!

Think you know the Matrix? Weren't even born when the first Matrix movie came out? Either way, you probably know this world-is-a-computer-simulation sci-fi series by its slo-mo bullets, screens full of green text, and a whole lot of Keanu Reeves making his "serious face." What you might NOT know about the Matrix is that the main character, Neo, is not actually the savior of the world and acts is actually just a pawn throughout the entire series meant to throw off you and almost everyone else in the movie. But that begs the question: If Neo isn't the ONE, who IS?

Marvel's newest addition to its cinematic universe, Ant-Man, hides a disturbing secret in its physics. In saving his loved ones from utter destruction, does Ant-Man actually destroy us all, taking the world as we know it with him? I think we've just uncovered the truth that Ant-Man is in fact Marvel's deadliest hero!

Uninterested in doing a big budget movie based solely on spectacle, Christopher Nolan sought to ground the story of Batman in reality. But using practical effects can sometimes lead to unforeseen problems. This episode of DYKM explores the development and production of Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy and how his vision of a realistic Batman shaped the whole creative process... while also leading to problematic moments.

Star Wars, the original trilogy, was a roller coaster of excitement and emotion. It controlled the heart strings of it's audience like a masterful Jedi mind trick :) But how exactly were they able to evoke such highs and lows in our emotions? It all comes down to the beats - the smallest building blocks of a movie. Today, Kyle's Frame by Frame takes a close up look at Return of the Jedi to gain a better understanding of how Luke's and Darth Vader's beat changes toy with our emotions.

The Red Pill or the Blue Pill? It's one of cinema's most famous choices. But do the differently-colored pills from the Matrix actually do anything...well different? What if the "real world" and Zion are actually constructs of the Machines? Get ready to have your mind blown, Morpheus, because there is no getting out of The Matrix!

Ever wonder how they were able to shoot Birdman in one continuous shot? Well the truth is they didn't. In fact Birdman is comprised of many HIDDEN edits. Today, Kyle's Frame by Frame takes a close up look at Birdman to point out these hidden edits that you may have missed.

From its conception as a commercial to its debut on the big screen, Space Jam tactically overcame hurdle after hurdle. Its game plan increased production of animation, included tricks for overcoming green screen difficulties, and had moment after moment of obscure current references (current for the time at least.) There was even a moment when a character needed to be replaced. This episode of DYKM explores the development and production of Space Jam and all of its little hidden gems.

From Pan's Labyrinth, to Pacific Rim, to the Hellboy franchise Guillermo Del Toro has brought the magic back to genre cinema. And Crimson Peak is no exception as he channels the cinematic prowess of one of the now long gone greats, the Master of the Macabre, Mario Bava. In this episode of Frame By Frame, Kyle shows how the style and techniques of this Director's Ghost haunts the halls of Crimson Peak.

Spoiler alert! Because today I'm forever changing the way that you look at the final scene of one of the greatest television shows of all time - Breaking Bad. The show ended with what a lot of people thought was a cop out. But I'm here to tell you that the ending you thought you saw might not be as clear cut as you think.

Did You Know there was more than one war being waged around the Harry Potter universe? Of course everyone knows about the war Lord Voldemort was waging, but what about the war behind the scenes? The Bidding War! This episode of DYKM explores the development and production of the Harry Potter movies and the struggle for creative control that took place behind the camera.

It's time. Your name has been drawn. YOU are the next tribute for the Hunger Games. That leaves you with one question: Will YOU SURVIVE? Well, if you watch this Film Theory, the odds actually will be in your favor because you'll be making smart choices that statistically improve your chances of success. So watch on, fellow Theorists, and make sure you're lounging in Victor's Village instead of ending up dead meat in the arena...

So YOU'VE just avoided death at the cornucopia and snatched a mystery bag on the way out. But YOU still have a long way to go before YOU'RE the sole survivor. So what's next? Well, let's jump back into the research to find how to keep the odds forever in your favor. Because you need to keep your beautiful face from being projected in the night sky.

For this episode of Film Theory, we partnered with Fox so we could talk about their new Frankenstein movie, Victor Frankenstein. Thanks to Fox for their help with this episode!

In the Star Wars series, Luke Skywalker goes from being a lovable boy-next-door to a happy-go-lucky Padawan learner, to powerful Jedi, to hero of the Republic! No matter what, we can always count on Luke to be the good guy...or CAN we?? Today, we look into Star Wars: The Force Awakens to determine why Luke is missing from all the trailers. Could it be that in The Force Awakens, Luke Skywalker has turned to THE DARK SIDE? All aboard the Star Wars hype train...WOO WOO!

Did You Know the makers of The Matrix hid several clever bits of world building within their films. The Wachowskis were very mindful of everything from colors used in each scene, to the inclusion of twin only extras, and the gender swapping of the character Switch. This episode of DYKM explores the development and production of The Matrix Trilogy.

The Walking Dead may not be the biggest threat to Rick and his posse. In fact, it may be themselves and the way they handle their guns. I'm almost positive that over time Rick and the others have suffered severe hearing damage, which explains why those walkers have such an easy time sneaking up on them. Fear the Walking Dead. But fear hearing loss even more.

J.J. Abrams has a lot on his plate trying to recreate the magic of the original Star Wars Trilogy. But what does that challenge really mean? In this episode of Frame by Frame, Kyle analyzes the choices J.J. Abrams has been making and discusses why Abrams' new film is Star Wars' "New Hope" for success. May the Force be strong with this one!

Take a break from building your snowman and sit down with a hot cup of hot cocoa, because I've uncovered the truth behind Frozen's lovable "Sisters." In today's episode, I discuss the real reason Elsa feels so out of place and the origin of her magic powers.

Did You Know certain species, puppets, and even characters in the Star Wars Universe didn't receive much focus or backstory until expanded material (such as the television specials and merchandise) gave them a little love. Even the Ewoks and Boba Fett only had names for the credits. This episode of DYKM explores the development and production of The Star Wars Franchise, discussing the expansion of certain characters and species and how they eventually became major parts in the Star Wars Universe.