"There's a directorial flourish and then there's self-parody — and Abrams promises he's easing up on his signature stylistic tic of shining lights directly into anamorphic lenses to create flares. He could explain it away in the Star Trek films ("the future is so bright!") but admits he has no excuse for Super 8. He recalled how one shot in Star Trek Into Darkness was so overrun by lens flare his wife shouted that she couldn't see Alice Eve. He made an effort to tone it down for The Force Awakens, and when he spotted his lighting crew bringing large spotlights onto the set he would joke "these aren't the flares you're looking f

Star Trek Into Darkness was a somewhat polarizing film when it was released in 2013. It was the sequel to a very refreshing and inventive Star Trek reboot from 2009, so expectations were on an all-time high for the follow up. Unfortunately, director J.J. Abrams and screenwriters Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof just delivered the same thing from the reboot, only goofier and with more references to other Star Trek mov

Though Obi-Wan's ghost already played a role in the original trilogy (embodied by the late, great Sir Alec Guinness), as L-R correctly points out, Hayden Christensen was CGI-surgically implemented into George Lucas' redux of Return of the Jedi in replacement of original Human-Vader actor, Sebastian Shaw. In that sense, McGregor's slot in franchise is pretty secure, should the filmmakers choose to go in that direction. After all, for a younger generation of fans, McGregor IS Obi-

There's plenty of symbolism in this sci-fi series, but younger fans probably missed one clever reference. When Neo has gone as far down the rabbit hole as possible, steam coupon codes|https://gamedealhq.com/ and is fleeing from enemy agents, he makes a strange demand of his operator outside of the system: "Mr. Wizard, get me the hell out of here!" The line is lifted from an old cartoon series starring Tooter Turtle, whose adventures in different time periods would always go wrong - only his friend, Mr. Wizard could save the day. Apparently the show also existed in The Matrix 's artificial reality. Either that, or Keanu Reeves felt a kinship with the monotone tur

Now known as one of the greatest action movies of all time, it's easy to forget the softer side of Die Hard hero John McClane. When the New York cop flies to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his family, he brings a gift with him: a large stuffed bear, complete with a red ribbon tied around its neck. If the movie followed the novel it was based on, that bear should have made it to John's daughter, but director John McTiernan never got to show that scene. Apparently, nothing said fatherly love to the director like a teddy bear, since his next movie The Hunt For Red October doubled down on the idea. When Jack Ryan had saved the day and headed home to his wife and daughter, he did what any good dad would do: picked up a teddy bear of his own, red ribbon and

When James Cameron’s sci-fi sequel Judgment Day hit theaters in 1991, it did so with a theme song: "You Could Be Mine" by Guns N’ Roses. But that wasn’t always the plan. James Cameron has never admitted he made the film with the band in mind, but there are some obvious clues. Not only is John Connor’s best friend wearing an L.A. Guns t-shirt – one of the two bands which would lead to GNR – but when the Terminator finally arrives to take on the T-1000 in a shopping mall, he reveals his gun hidden in a box of, you guessed it, roses. Arnold Schwarzenegger personally convinced the band to sign on, making sure the movie’s sales pitch was a successful

Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are all locked in as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Leia Solo, respectively - but recent rumors have suggested that other characters from the franchise's past could be coming back as well. But the question remains: is revisiting the past a welcome bit of nostalgia, or is it the same kind of misstep that the prequel films m

A good witch or wizard needs a trusty pet, and for Harry Potter, Hedwig the Owl went above and beyond the call of duty. The bird's dedication to the boy wizard made her a hit with fans, and broke their hearts when she sacrificed her life to protect Harry in The Deathly Hallows . A righteous death for the boy she loved should have been expected. In the books, Hedwig takes her name from a medieval witch or wizard. But in the real world, Hedwig is the patron saint of orphaned and abandoned children - making her the perfect guardian for the movie's h

In recent days, Latino-Review has been dropping some big rumors about Episode VII ; first came word that Emperor Palpatine will be returning - if only as the Sith equivalent of a "force ghost" - and now the website claims to have knowledge that Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi could also be coming back as a ghostly gu

As shocking as this may be to read: not everyone who will see The Force Awakens is overtly familiar with the Star Wars mythos. Whether they're adults who never caught on, or children whose first real exposure to the franchise will be Episode VII , they'll need someone in the movie to act as their guide and ask the questions they're wondering about. Abrams would be unwise to just assume that everyone watching knows the story up to this point. This is very similar to how Luke was portrayed in the original film, as he - like everyone watching - had no idea what The Force was or how expansive the galactic war really was. He was that fish out of water character that was a conduit for the audience and allowed them to understand what was happening throughout the f