10 Inside Movie Jokes You Probably Didn’t Get

By Michael Perone /

Every once in a while, a movie will feature a line of dialogue or prop that might make you wonder what it has to do with the story; the answer is that sometimes it doesn't. Occasionally, filmmakers include subtle in-jokes that audiences aren't particularly supposed to get€”at least not on a first viewing. Perhaps it's to keep things lively on the set, or maybe it's done simply to wink at anal-retentive fans with incredible attention spans. Either way, they're fun little Easter eggs to spot if you've got the time for them. There are literally thousands of examples of this, but here are 10 of my favorites (in no apparent order)...

10. Die Hard: With A Vengeance

In Die Hard: With a Vengeance (better known as Die Hard 3), Bruce Willis casually mentions to Samuel L. Jackson that when the force suspended him, he spent his time "smokin' cigarettes and watchin' Captain Kangaroo," a seemingly irrelevant and throwaway line given the fact that they're trying to catch an evil terrorist (is there any other kind?). This is actually a reference to Pulp Fiction, the seminal '90s masterpiece that was released only a year before and also starred Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, though Jackson had the larger role in that movie. In Pulp Fiction, after Willis dispatches John Travolta's hit man in his apartment, he is seen driving home listening to his car radio. He then celebrates his kill by singing along to The Statler Brothers' "Flowers on the Wall," which contains the lyrics, "Smokin' cigarettes and watchin' Captain Kangaroo." The song is even featured on the movie's soundtrack, also a '90s classic.