Now Cut That Out! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cast Away

"Cast Away" was a major movie release in 2000, not only earning over $400,000,000 in the box office, but getting Hanks nominated for an Oscar (he lost to Russell Crowe in "Gladiator"). Director Robert Zemeckis made "Forrest Gump" with Hanks in 1994 (both won Oscars) and followed up with Hanks again with "The Polar Express". "Cast Away" was about a FedEx employee whose plane crashed into the ocean; he washed up on an island and spent four years there before making his escape. Early scripts called for different, minor treatments. On the island, the cast away's main companion was a volleyball named Wilson (after the Wilson sporting goods company), but an early draft of the script replaced it with a soccer ball.

More importantly, the package that he left unopened on the island and later delivered back to the original sender was opened; inside was salsa. Seriously.

But that was cut out of the script. Instead, Hanks delivered it and never opened it.

Answer: Raiders of the Lost Ark

The first film in the "Indiana Jones" series, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" sparked an interest in dangerous archaeology and action-adventures featuring bazaar scenes. The plot of this movie involved Indy trying to stop Nazis from claiming the fabled Lost Ark and it earned just under $400,000,000 in theaters upon its release.
In one key scene, the characters were meant to look away from the Lost Ark -- gazing upon its contents would cause onlookers to die gruesome deaths and have their souls claimed by the powers within. Fortunately, Indy and friends looked away while the Nazis got their comeuppance. But how did he know to look away?
Well, that was left out for the most part. Though there were subtle hints throughout (and in the Bible if you've read it), scenes were cut from the script in which Indy prevented a friend from so much as touching the Ark. Any contact likely would've meant the end for him. Then again, leaving it out meant more impromptu face-melting, so there's that.

Answer: The Lord of the Rings

"The Lord of the Rings" series, spread over three films in the 2000s, was based on the books of the same names as written by J. R. R. Tolkien. Directed by Peter Jackson, it followed the epic journeys and battles featuring a fellowship sent across Middle Earth to destroy a ring of immeasurable power.
Adapting the work was a feat in itself; Tolkien's prose has always been highly-detailed. In fact, it's been said that Sean Connery was originally approached for the role of Gandalf but backed out because the script was too complicated. This role was taken on by Sir Ian McKellan.
Tom Bombadil was featured in the first book in the trilogy but left out of the movie entirely, possibly because he was somewhat crazy. Not insane, per se, but he tended to bounce around singing songs and stealing the hobbits' clothes. It's the type of light-hearted stuff you'd expect to see in a movie about war and suffering, right? Right?
Tolkien himself thought that the Bombadil character didn't fit too well in the grander scheme of the book and called him a symbol of pacifism (the character was written during World War II, many years before the book was finished) and a nature spirit figure.

Answer: Stand By Me

"Stand By Me" starred a number of famous stars in early roles including Wil Wheaton, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman, River Phoenix and others. Based on Stephen King's short story "The Body" (in "Different Seasons"), the film followed four boys who headed into the woods to find the body of a missing boy, presumed dead. When they found it, they fended off a group of bullies and did the right thing by calling the cops. They all became successful (and friends) over the years.
The original script and story were much darker (Stephen King, am I right?). While the kids remained friends, they started dying off in odd ways (fire, car crash, stabbing) and the narrator left things on a somewhat bleak note.
It's amazing what an alternate ending can do for a film; because the movie noted the successes of the four boys and left it at that (for the most part), it became a film about friendship and maturity. King called it a success, and so did most critics.

Answer: Independence Day

"Independence Day", a Roland Emmerich blow-up-a-thon from 1996, was a blockbuster in the mid-nineties earning over $800,000,000 in theaters. While spaceships unleashed giant lasers on the major cities below, pilots fought to crash those ships while a scientist played by Jeff Goldblum and a soldier played by Will Smith headed into space to plant a virus into the mothership's computer system. You know...from a Mac. This seemed a bit absurd in the movie, especially since it's odd that Goldblum could know anything about these never-before-seen aliens.

In one deleted scene, however, Goldblum tinkers with a previously-crashed ship brought in to Area 51 and analyzes the code enough to be able to program a virus in the first place. Although this seems a bit implausible in itself (considering the time span of the film is only a few days) it does at least fill in a gap.

Answer: Paranormal Activity

This Oren Peli film, a found-footage hit, earned nearly $200,000,000 on a $15,000 budget, breaking film earnings records and spawning a lengthy franchise about demon possession and frightening tricks you can do without CGI. The first film starred Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat as a couple filming the weird, paranormal encounters in their home, encouraging them to escalate, and inevitably facing the worst. To keep the secrets of the film under wraps, one ending was filmed in which Katie killed Micah (though this happened in the end of the official ending) but instead of closing in on the camera and ending the film, she remained in the room for several days before a SWAT team came in and riddled her with bullets. Apparently, test screening audiences didn't care for this.

It also would've mucked up plans for the sequels and, subsequently, hundreds of millions of dollars in box office returns over several years. You know...profit.

Answer: Terminator 2: Judgment Day

"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" brought Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger back for more and, perhaps, even improved on the original action/sci-fi film from 1984. This time, however, Arnold was on the winning team as they tried to protect young John Connor and ensure that Skynet, the evil computer of the future, didn't go rogue. Oh, and there was the amazing liquid-metal terminator.
In the end of the movie, Arnold and the liquid metal T-1000 melted away in a vat of molten metal.
The series was able to tie time travel into the mix and avoided screwing up the continuity for the most part. The second film, like the first, was wary of the inevitability of the future but an alternate ending was filmed in which Linda Hamilton, then an old woman, narrated that SkyNet never went rogue, everything turned out great, John Connor became a senator, and everyone was happy. Kind of a kick in the teeth considering how grim the rest of the movie was, eh? It also would've botched the third film in the series in which the future inevitably did go bad and SkyNet finally flipped its switch.
Still, it's not as bad as a deleted scene from "Terminator 3" depicting Arnold's terminator template as a kooky Southerner; you know, the ones the humans apparently made when SkyNet was supposed to have...oh never mind.

Answer: The Wizard of Oz

"The Wizard of Oz", starring Judy Garland of course, was filmed in 1939 by Victor Fleming and became one of the most beloved classics of all time. Based on the original children's book written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum, it followed young Dorothy Gale's journey through the Land of Oz on her way home to Kansas. En route to the Emerald City she meets a scarecrow, a tin man, and a cowardly lion and befriends them. In one scene cut from the film (and there were many, including musical numbers), the Wicked Witch of the West transformed the Tin Man into a beehive.

Although this could've ended in a much weird way, the character started crying and rusting prompting Dorothy to use a can of oil to prevent him from freezing in place. Thankfully she wasn't allergic. According to the filmmakers, about twenty minutes of the original cut of the film were removed; that doesn't count anything originally left out.

Answer: Bridesmaids

"Bridesmaids" received a great deal of critical praise and earned nearly $300,000,000 in the box office while sending several of its stars into greater avenues of fame. Melissa McCarthy, for instance, was nominated for an Oscar in her role while star/screenwriter Kristen Wiig was nominated for an Oscar for the script.

The movie followed a group of bridesmaids as they prepared for a friend's wedding. This, of course, included numerous missteps. In one scene kept in the film, Wiig's character argued with a teenage girl for several minutes at her job in a pawn shop.

As the argument became more petty and vulgar, it ended up stopping when everyone overheard a particularly offensive comment. In reality, this argument was much, much longer and completely improvised by Wiig and Mia Rose Frampton.

A great deal was cut out for time, but we got the point.

Answer: Kill Bill Vol. 2

"Kill Bill Vol. 2" was the follow-up to the stylistic Japanese fighting action of "Vol. 1" released in the prior year. Together, the two films made over $300,000,000; Bill died at the end of "Vol. 2", as would be the only expected ending. Both movies were homages to Tarantino's favourite genres and influential directors. The deleted scene in question featured Bill (you know...the killed Bill?) and the Bride coming across a group of Japanese swordfighters and their black leader in a market. Bill fights all of them, downing them within a few minutes.

The scene was likely cut due to time but was completely choreographed and filmed. Removing it, however, retained a sense of mystery behind the character. Without it, the viewer doesn't see Bill fight anyone until the Bride's final confrontation.