Questions tagged [reference]
A mention, allusion, citation, or homage to other works.
388 questions
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Is there some kind of cultural reference behind the SNL "Norwegian Movie" skit?
The caption for the November 16, 2025 SNL video Norwegian Movie reads:
An American director (Mikey Day) directs two Norwegian actors (Glen Powell, Chloe Fineman) for a film.
The mood of each "...
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Are there parallels between The Golden Girls episodes in Pluribus S1E3 "Grenade," and the episode plot?
In Pluribus Season 1 Episode 3, "Grenade," Carol passes the time at home by watching a DVD of The Golden Girls (1985–1992 TV series). After looking up the dialogue, I identified the episodes ...
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What villain or story does the purple robot shrunk by Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scene reference?
In the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), there's a TV playing the opening sequence of a Fantastic Four cartoon showing the team fighting various villains from the comics. ...
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Who or what is the giant green robot in The Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scene?
In the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), there's a TV playing the opening sequence of a Fantastic Four cartoon. In that sequence, Sue Storm (Invisible Woman) is fighting a ...
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Is "Ultimate Ultron" in Spidey and Iron Man: Avengers Team Up! adapted from the comics?
In Marvel's Spidey and Iron Man: Avengers Team Up! (2025), the Disney Jr. crossover TV special between Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, the villains Green Goblin ...
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What references to the Breaking Bad universe appear in Pluribus?
In Pluribus S01E02, "Pirate Lady," and as shown in the trailer, the protagonist Carol Sturka travels on a Wayfarer airlines plane. This is the same airline that exists in the Breaking Bad ...
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Was the bartender character in Hopkins FBI based on a real horror movie actor?
In the 1998 video game Hopkins FBI (very funny; playable on ScummVM; and also interesting because, instead of Windows only, they released the game for OS/2, BeOS, and Linux), there’s a "paradise ...
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Is the movie-within-a-movie featuring a "Jason"-like character in Out of Sight, Out of Mind from a real film?
In the movie Out of Sight, Out of Mind (aka Kabuki Killer, 1990), at the 50-minute mark, the main character watches a horror movie that features a "Jason"-like character with a machete. Is ...
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Was the film Red Planet from 2000 an inspiration for Andy Weir's The Martian?
Did Andy Weir ever acknowledge using Antony Hoffman's 2000 movie Red Planet as an inspiration for his 2011 book and eventual 2015 film The Martian?
Both works feature a fictional mission to Mars ...
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Are there elements in Alien: Earth from the Alien films besides the original 1979 film?
The connections between Alien: Earth (2025) and the original Alien (1979) are pretty unmistakable. You can see it in everything from the various Xenomorph life stages to how the USCSS Maginot's ...
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What are the parallels between the "Lost Boys" in Alien: Earth and their Peter Pan counterparts?
In Alien: Earth, Boy Kavalier, the founder of the Prodigy corporation, sees himself as a Peter Pan figure. He renames his company's "hybrids"—synths uploaded with the brains of children—...
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Are there parallels between Epic and the plot involving Slightly and Morrow in Alien: Earth S01E03?
In Alien: Earth S01E03 "Metamorphosis," we see Slightly watching the 3D animated film Epic (2013), as identified in a Decider article.
During this scene, Morrow interrupts to contact ...
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Is the Royal Review Board’s Five Diamond Award in Ocean's Thirteen fictional?
Is the Royal Review Board mentioned in Ocean's Thirteen fictional or real?
In the movie, this board grants so-called Five Diamond Awards to hotels. I've only found references to a diamond rating ...
user147846
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What Marvel Easter eggs and references appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps?
In The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), there are several scenes of New York City showing various billboards and business signs that appear to reference other Marvel works. At least one is a ...
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Does Poker Face's "The Day of the Iguana" episode reference The Night of the Iguana or the book Day of the Iguana?
Poker Face Season 2, Episode 11 is titled "The Day of the Iguana," which is clearly similar to the title of Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver's book Day of the Iguana (with just "the" ...
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Is there a reference behind James Gunn being shot with a "sundae" gun in Rick and Morty S08E07 "Ricker Than Fiction"?
In Rick and Morty S08E07 "Ricker Than Fiction," James Gunn steals the hard drive for Rick's "Movie-lizer" and presents it to Mr. Brothers, the head of Warner Brothers. After Gunn ...
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Is the baby dinosaur "Dolores" a reference to the The Westworld TV series character of the same name?
While I am behind on the Jurrasic Park franchise, I noticed new promotional material and merchandise for the soon to be released film, Jurassic World Rebirth, including a new Lego set for baby ...
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How does the plot of Poker Face S02E09 "A New Lease on Death" reference "Michael Clayton"?
In Poker Face S02E09, "A New Lease on Death," Anne (Lauren Tom) is revealed to be a fan of the 2007 film Michael Clayton. She considers it "the perfect movie" and makes a habit of ...
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How did Charlie decode Kendall's Mission: Impossible-themed locker combination in Poker Face S02E07, and what do her M:I references mean?
In Poker Face S02E07, "One Last Job," Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) tries to crack Kendall's (Sam Richardson) locker combination. She spots a sticker on the locker featuring Ethan Hunt/Tom Cruise ...
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Who are the alien creature and human shown in suspended animation in Predator: Killer of Killers?
At the end of Predator: Killer of Killers, two Predators escort Ursa's body in suspended animation. As they walk through the facility, we see several containers holding bodies in suspended animation. ...
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What Hunter S. Thompson-esque elements can be found in Poker Face S02E02, beyond Charlie's direct mentions?
In Poker Face S02E02, "Last Looks," Charlie Cale delivers a stream-of-consciousness monologue to a disinterested kid on the beach. As she reflects on her current predicament, she weaves in ...
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What does "Mrs. Claus, she works the pole / Plans her man's demise" refer to in The GotG Holiday Special?
In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), Bzermikitokolok and his band (played by the Old 97's) perform a parody song called "I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is ...
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What's the joke behind the "Nokia 3.5" reference in Rick and Morty S08E01?
In Rick and Morty S08E01, "Summer of All Fears," Rick traps Morty and Summer in a simulated "matrix" for 17 years as punishment for borrowing his phone charger and not returning it....
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Is this scene an homage to Kubrick?
The Italian director Luca Guadagnino recently released Queer, a film based on the eponymous partially autobiographical novel by William S. Burroughs, starring Daniel Craig as the protagonist William ...
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Is there a connection between Kramer vs. Kramer and Thunderbolts* that David Harbour and Wyatt Russell were referencing?
In WIRED's interview with the cast of the MCU film Thunderbolts*, titled "Thunderbolts* Cast Answer The 50 Most Googled Questions About The Movie," the cast were asked what viewers should ...
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Are there elements in "A Minecraft Movie" from the Minecraft spin-off games like Story Mode or Legends?
In A Minecraft Movie (2025), Henry uses the Boots of Swiftness, an item originally introduced in the Minecraft spinoff Minecraft Dungeons, to create a Super Iron Golem.
Given that most of the film's ...
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Is the scene in Superman III where Gus Gorman wears a blanket as a cape and skis down a makeshift slope a reference to DC Comics' Black Racer?
In this scene in Superman III (1983), Gus Gorman (played by Richard Pryor) wears a blanket as a cape, and skis down a makeshift ski slope on the roof of a skyscraper.
Is this a reference to another DC ...
user138299
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In the TV series Elsbeth, was the name of this country a mistake or was it an intentional reference to the musical, Call Me Madam?
After recantly watching the Elsbeth episode 2.18 ("I've Got A Little List"), I immediately thought the writers had made a mistake when the character that was murdered was a prince from ...
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What are the references behind the nicknames in Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2?
In Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2, "A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird" (at the 01:16 mark of the video), A.R.G.U.S. agent Langston Fleury (played by Tim Meadows) assigns his team colorful ...
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What magazine covers, photographs, and artwork are referenced in the Thunderbolts* end credits?
The end credits of Thunderbolts* (2025) feature several stylized magazine covers, posters, and drawings that appear to reference iconic real-world images.
Among the references I could identify are:
A ...
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Are the Daredevil helmets in Daredevil: Born Again S01E04 references to suits in the comics?
In Daredevil: Born Again S01E04 ("Sic Semper Systema"), Matt Murdock visits his rooftop hideout, where several Daredevil helmets are stored.
One of these seems to be the golden/yellow helmet ...
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What are the 90s pop culture references behind the action figures in Eli and Danny's rooms in "Y2K"?
In the sci-fi comedy horror film Y2K (2024), which takes place on New Year's Eve 1999, there are tons of 90s references. One of them shows the protagonist, Eli (Jaeden Martell), creating a custom ...
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What Marvel references appear in the Times Square billboards during Fisk's speech in Daredevil: Born Again?
In Daredevil: Born Again S01E02, "Optics," Wilson Fisk delivers his victory speech as mayor-elect in Times Square in New York City on New Year's Eve. The scene features several billboards, ...
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Is the Eagles game fight in Abbott Elementary S04E09 referencing an It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode(s)?
In the crossover episode between Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Abbott Elementary S04E09 "Volunteers"), Melissa of Abbott Elementary mentions recognizing the Sunny ...
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What references to other Tatsuki Fujimoto works, like Chainsaw Man, appear in Look Back?
After watching the 2024 anime film Look Back, adapted from Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga of the same name, I learned that Fujimoto also created the popular manga Chainsaw Man (though I haven't read the ...
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Was the Mickey Mouse Easter egg in the original Tron movie?
I re-watched the original Tron movie, around the time that Tron Legacy was released, and noticed an Easter egg.
Was this Easter egg in the original Tron theatre release, back in 1982?
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What is the "Hard Drive & Wing Man" title card in Community a reference to?
In the Community episode "Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care" (S06E02), Jeff and Elroy successfully extract Dean Pelton from his VR headset after he's been immersed in the virtual ...
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Did Northern Exposure influence Ballykissangel?
Is there any acknowledged or widely recognized influence on Ballykissangel (1996-2001) from Northern Exposure (1990-1995)?
Admittedly, none of these are super unique ideas, but there are a lot of ...
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Is this Star Trek: Picard Romulan character meant to be a reference to Lord of the Rings?
Season 1 of Star Trek: Picard introduced new Romulan characters, including one rather benevolent hero named Elnor. Elnor was a survivor of a supernova event that destroyed Romulus (see: Star Trek 2009 ...
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When during “Mean Girls” (2024) was “Avatar: The Last Airbender” used?
The end credits of Mean Girls (2024) had the following line:
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” used with Permission by Nickelodeon
When during the movie was this used/referenced?
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Why does Peter Venkman call Ray Stantz "Francine"?
Near the beginning of Ghostbusters, there is a scene where the protagonists encounter an apparition in the New York Public Library. Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler can't decide what to do, so Peter ...
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Does "Leave the World Behind" take place in the same universe as "Mr. Robot"?
For instance, we see an E-corp logo behind Amanda's laptop or on buckets in Danny's truck. Does this mean that it is indeed from the same universe?
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Was "Yellowstone" inspired by "Snowy River: The McGregor Saga"?
Yellowstone (USA, 2018–) and Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (Australia, 1994–1996) have a lot in common, including:
A large cattle and horse ranch, located in a beautiful mountainous area, is very ...
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Why does the 'Barbie' (2023) opening scene pay homage to '2001: A Space Odyssey'?
In the 2023 Barbie movie, the opening scene strikingly resembles the iconic beginning of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. What is the significance or intention behind this similarity?
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Are the CEO's pink drumsticks a reference?
In Barbie (2023), the CEO of Mattel (played by Will Ferrell) brandishes a pair of pink drumsticks:
As far as I remember, the CEO doesn't actually use these drumsticks for drumming or anything else in ...
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Is the title of ‘Invitation to a Murder’ a Christie reference?
Invitation to a Murder (2023) is a made-for-television film which is loosely based on Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None.
There are several nods to Christie’s authorship dotted ...
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Was "Star Wars" influenced by "The Six Million Dollar Man"?
I recently started to rewatch episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man which was a favorite of mine as a kid in the 70s. It has been a while since I've seen it so I sought out some of the more iconic ...
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Is Guardians 3 a nod to The Island of Dr. Moreau?
While I never read/watched it, I know the basic pop culture of 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'. A (mad) scientist, on an island, creates a 'perfect' society of talking animals, that ends up not being so ...
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Is The Aristocats referencing Aladdin?
In Disney's 1970 animated feature film The Aristocats, the male lead, Thomas O'Malley, makes a reference to two characters riding on a magic carpet.
We shall fly to Paris on a magic carpet, side by ...
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What was the opening scene in The Mandalorian S03E06 referencing?
In the opening scene of The Mandalorian (S03E06: Guns For Hire), viewers witness a situation where the former Night Owls or a group of Mandalorians led by Axe Woves gets involved in a situation where ...
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