DVD Box Sets-The Matrix, The Simpsons, and Indiana Jones Trivia

As the home entertainment equipment gets more and more sophisticated and more and more affordable, more families are enjoying watching movies at home. It's nice to gather the family around the sofa and slip in a DVD and watch it on the HD screen twice the size you had just a few years ago.

Have you seen how crisp the pictures are nowadays? High definition is an understatement. Some of them are so life-like it's unreal.

Everyone seems to have their favorite TV series or movie series that they love. This certainly makes it easier when you're looking for a great gift idea. Buying DVDs online are a great way to get some of that hectic Christmas shopping done without having to leave the comfort of your home.

• Released in 1999 (can you believe it’s been 10 years?!)
• All but a few scenes were filmed at Fox Studios in Australia and in Sydney Australia even though great strides were taken to make it look like it was filmed in the United States. There are some giveaways in the film if you watch closely.
• Nicolas Case and Will Smith both turned down the role of Neo. Will Smith didn’t feel that he was mature enough at the time and opted to make Wild Wild West instead. Cage sited family obligations.
• Before Keanu Reeves was cast as Neo, Sandra Bullock turned down the role of Trinity because she didn’t see herself working with the actor they were considering for Neo at the time.
• Popularized the slow-motion visual effect known as “Bullet time”.
• The first DVD to see more than 3 million copies in the United States
• Ranked 39 on Empire’s “The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time".
• Followed with two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

• The Simpsons characters created by Matt Groening are named after members of his own family. Bart was the name he chose for his name.
• The show got its start as shorts in The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 but they got their own show by late 1989.
• The Simpsons is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and has recently passed up Gunsmoke as the longest running American primetime entertainment series.
• Yeardley Smith who does the voice of Lisa was originally considered for Bart but they felt her voice was too high. Nancy Cartwright, who does the voice of Bart came to the auditions with the intent of trying out for Lisa. Once she realized that Lisa was the middle child and didn’t have much personality, she opted to try out for Bart who was being cast as a “devious, underachieving, school-hating, irreverent, and clever". Matt Groening gave her the job on the spot.
• During the early years, they kept the identities a secret of who played the voices of each character. Eventually, they felt they should properly receive the credit for their work. In 2003, the cast appeared on Inside the Actors Studio. They gave live performances of their characters' voices. It was a fantastic show that I’ve seen a couple of times.
• Up until 1998 the six main actors were paid $30,000 per episode. From 1998-2004, they were paid $125,000 per episode. In 2004, they were paid somewhere between $250,000 to $360,000 per episode. In 2008, they were paid $400,000 per episode.
• The Simpsons hold the world record for “ Most Guest Stars Featured in a Television Series".
• They have won numerous awards and in 2002, they ranked #8 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 2007 they were included in TIME Magazine’s list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time". In 2008, the show placed first on Entertainment Weekly's "Top 100 Shows of the Past 25 Years". Empire named it the greatest TV show of all time.
• The pop rap song "Do the Bartman", performed by Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart was released on November 20, 1990. The song was written by Michael Jackson, although he did not receive any credit.
• As a promotion for the The Simpsons Movie, twelve 7-Eleven stores were transformed into Kwik-E-Marts and sold The Simpsons related products such as "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O" cereal, pink doughnuts with sprinkles, and "Squishees".
• Early this year, the US Post Office unveiled a series of five postage stamps featuring the five Simpsons to commemorate their 20^th anniversary.

• Raiders of the Lost Ark (set in 1936) was released in 1981.
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (a prequel set in 1935) was released in 1984.
• Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (set in 1938) was released in 1989
• The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (television series) ran from 1992-1996.
• Indiana Jones and the The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (set in 1957) was released in 2008.
• Indiana Jones’ full name is Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. The character was originally named Indiana Smith after an Alaskan Malamute dog named “Indiana” that George Lucas owned in the 70s. Spielberg disliked the name Smith and Lucas suggested they change it to Jones.
• Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures was released on June 3, 2008 in the US. A new LEGO Indiana Jones game, LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, is set to be released on November 20, 2009 just in time for Black Friday and 2009 Christmas gifts
• Urban legend has it that Harrison Ford staples his hat to his head because it seems to stay on no matter what. That originated from when Harrison Ford held a stapler to his head as a joke when a crew was filming a documentary on the making of The Last Crusade. It is true that filming would stop anytime his hat fell off so that they could place it back on to continue. The fedora he wears is called the “Australian” or the “Poet” fitted with a Petersham bow.
• Spielberg always had Harrison Ford in mind for the role of Indiana Jones, but George Lucas was hesitant because he had already used Ford in three of his other films (American Graffiti, Star Wars, and The Empire Strikes Back). They actually cast Tom Selleck in the role, but CBS refused to release Selleck from his contract for Magnum, P.I. Less than 3 weeks before filming began, they finally went with Harrison Ford. As it turns out there was a delay in filming Magnum and Selleck could have easily done both without either interfering with the other.

Each of these boxed DVD sets would make great gifts.  Watch for more DVD sets being showcased by KCC Big Country.