Few pop culture moments match the way The Matrix franchise exploded onto the scene. The action blockbuster rolled out a showy, Hong Kong action-inspired crowd-pleaser with heady science fiction underpinnings. Its iconic imagery, revitalization of Keanu Reeves as a major star, and controversial plot made it an instant modern classic.
The Matrix was packed with fantastic supporting actors who made a big impression on audiences. From Joe Pantoliano as Cypher to Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, a whole new audience could appreciate some of Hollywood’s finest character actors. But one of the biggest breakout stars from the first film never returned to The Matrix franchise.
‘The Matrix’ franchise changed action movies and pop culture in general Keanu Reeves as Neo | Warner Bros.
The Matrix was never an underdog project. The Wachowski Sisters had already proven their directing chops with the dark thriller Bound. Huge names like Will Smith and Jet Li...
The Matrix was packed with fantastic supporting actors who made a big impression on audiences. From Joe Pantoliano as Cypher to Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, a whole new audience could appreciate some of Hollywood’s finest character actors. But one of the biggest breakout stars from the first film never returned to The Matrix franchise.
‘The Matrix’ franchise changed action movies and pop culture in general Keanu Reeves as Neo | Warner Bros.
The Matrix was never an underdog project. The Wachowski Sisters had already proven their directing chops with the dark thriller Bound. Huge names like Will Smith and Jet Li...
- 4/13/2023
- by Agustin Mojica
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
(Welcome to Best Action Scene Ever, a column dedicated to breaking down the best, most effective action sequences throughout the genre. In this edition, we take on the famous training sequence in "The Matrix.")
The thing about the Wachowskis' "The Matrix" is that you could throw a dart at any of a half-dozen different action sequences and land on one that's more than worthy of this column. The opening moments showcasing the first-ever instance of bullet time practically rewrote the rules for the entire action genre at the time. The set piece beginning with the "deja vu" moment and ending on Morpheus' (Laurence Fishburne) self-sacrificial capture rightfully owns a sizable piece of pop culture real estate all these years later. And the final act of the film unveils one all-timer action scene after another, from the lobby shootout to the rooftop rescue to Keanu Reeves' Neo taking on Agent Smith...
The thing about the Wachowskis' "The Matrix" is that you could throw a dart at any of a half-dozen different action sequences and land on one that's more than worthy of this column. The opening moments showcasing the first-ever instance of bullet time practically rewrote the rules for the entire action genre at the time. The set piece beginning with the "deja vu" moment and ending on Morpheus' (Laurence Fishburne) self-sacrificial capture rightfully owns a sizable piece of pop culture real estate all these years later. And the final act of the film unveils one all-timer action scene after another, from the lobby shootout to the rooftop rescue to Keanu Reeves' Neo taking on Agent Smith...
- 2/13/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Normally an actor doesn’t get cut from a movie so long as their character is alive and they’re able to get along with the director and producers. But in the case of Marcus Chong, the story has been since the first Matrix movie that he was in a dispute with the Wachowski’s, and things had escalated to a place where his behavior was said to be threatening and disturbing. It’s still difficult to know just whose side to stand on so it’s better to view this from a distance and think that the rest of the cast didn’t have these
Whatever Happened to Marcus Chong?...
Whatever Happened to Marcus Chong?...
- 6/16/2021
- by Tom
- TVovermind.com
Since 1999, the cast of Malcolm D. Lee's "The Best Man" has been around the world and back again.
Now, fourteen years later, the cast has reunited for its sequel in "The Best Man Holiday" -- and why not? Written and directed by Lee, "Holiday" doesn't miss a beat, picking up 15 years after its predecessor, and the rivalries, romance, and all-around camaraderie have not been lost among the longtime friends.
"The Best Man Holiday," starring Nia Long (Jordan), Regina Hall (Candace), Morris Chestnut (Lance), Terrence Howard (Quentin), Monica Calhoun (Mia), Harold Perrineau (Julian), Taye Diggs (Harper), Melissa De Sousa (Shelby), and Sanaa Lathan (Robyn), hits theaters today, and we've assembled 20 things you probably don't know about its cast to celebrate the long-awaited sequel.
1. Nia Long played Will Smith's girlfriend and fiancée on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" from 1994 through 1995. Interestingly enough, Jada Pinkett-Smith -- Smith's current wife -- was...
Now, fourteen years later, the cast has reunited for its sequel in "The Best Man Holiday" -- and why not? Written and directed by Lee, "Holiday" doesn't miss a beat, picking up 15 years after its predecessor, and the rivalries, romance, and all-around camaraderie have not been lost among the longtime friends.
"The Best Man Holiday," starring Nia Long (Jordan), Regina Hall (Candace), Morris Chestnut (Lance), Terrence Howard (Quentin), Monica Calhoun (Mia), Harold Perrineau (Julian), Taye Diggs (Harper), Melissa De Sousa (Shelby), and Sanaa Lathan (Robyn), hits theaters today, and we've assembled 20 things you probably don't know about its cast to celebrate the long-awaited sequel.
1. Nia Long played Will Smith's girlfriend and fiancée on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" from 1994 through 1995. Interestingly enough, Jada Pinkett-Smith -- Smith's current wife -- was...
- 11/15/2013
- by Jonny Black
- Moviefone
In addition to my love for romantic comedies, and basically anything that falls under the label of “chick flick” (which I talked about here), I rarely miss the opportunity to see a good science fiction or fantasy film, and I’m an avid science fiction reader. Among the science fiction movies I have on my DVD shelf, only two of them have black characters with a significant role in the film. All of the other films of this genre in my collection have overwhelmingly white casts. So just to satisfy my curiosity, I recently began thinking about all the sci-fi films that actually have prominently featured black characters and I discovered that there are quite a few.
First, I’d like to talk about the aforementioned films from my collection. Based on the Ursula K. LeGuin book of the same title, The Lathe of Heaven is definitely in my top five favorite sci-fi films.
First, I’d like to talk about the aforementioned films from my collection. Based on the Ursula K. LeGuin book of the same title, The Lathe of Heaven is definitely in my top five favorite sci-fi films.
- 9/1/2010
- by Obsidienne
- ShadowAndAct
Actor Marcus Chong has sued the makers of The Matrix for allegedly reneging on a promise to recast him as a freedom fighter in the 1999 sci-fi thriller's two sequels, including recent blockbuster The Matrix Reloaded. The lawsuit, filed on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses Warner Bros, parent company AOL Time Warner and the film's producers of breaching their 1998 oral agreement and a 2000 contract to revive his character Tank in the two sequels, and of slandering him. Chong, 35, also accused the filmmakers of "intentionally publishing numerous false statements that he was a terrorist," and of conspiring to blackball him in Hollywood. Film industry sources say the actor made repeated phone calls of a harassing nature to the filmmakers after his salary demands were not met. Tank was subsequently written out of the sequels and replaced with a character named Link. A Warner Bros spokesman and a spokeswoman for writer-directors Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski declined to comment on the pending litigation.
- 5/21/2003
- WENN
Seeking to breathe new life into its Crow franchise, Dimension Films has tapped David Boreanaz, Edward Furlong, Dennis Hopper and Tara Reid to topline Wicked Prayer, the fourth installment of the series produced by Edward R. Pressman and Jeff Most. Lance Mungia (Six-String Samurai) is directing the project, which goes into production in June. Emmanuelle Chriqui, Danny Trejo, Marcus Chong and Tito Ortiz round out the cast. Set in the Southwest, Prayer tells the story of ex-con Jimmy Cuervo (Furlong) and his girlfriend, Lily (Chriqui), who are murdered by Luc Crash (Boreanaz) and his satanic gang Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as part of a ritual for Crash to become an immortal demon. The rest of the gang is played by Chong, Ortiz and Reid, with Reid playing Crash's evil love interest. Hopper plays El Nino who marries Crash and Lola.
- 4/30/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.