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X-Men: Apocalypse (Final Trailer)

Matt Rodriguez — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 13:31:13 +0000

Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-MEN: APOCALYPSE. Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.

Third-Party Video URL:

X-Men: Apocalypse | Final Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

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X-Men: Apocalypse

James McAvoy

Michael Fassbender

Jennifer Lawrence

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02:46

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (BLU-RAY)

Matt Rodriguez — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 12:10:34 +0000

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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Blu-Ray

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Grade:

4.00

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was undoubtedly the biggest release of 2015 and saw the return of one of cinema’s biggest franchises. With so much on the line for the beginning of a new Star Wars trilogy, it’s amazing that J.J. Abrams was able to deliver a story that lived up to expectations. The Force Awakens is now available on Blu-ray, and it brings a plethora of special features along with it. As Han would say, “Chewie, we’re home.”

The Blu-ray revolves around two things; creating a sense of nostalgia for the older generation of Star Wars fans and introducing the franchise to a younger generation of new fans. And it succeeds on both fronts. The film itself is great. While it plays it safe and close to the chest at times, it also delivers exactly what you want from a Star Wars film. The characters, environments, and set pieces all look fantastic on Blu-ray. Between the lightsabers, blaster shots, and explosions the colors simply pop. I was especially impressed with the segments that were filmed in IMAX like Rey and Finn’s escape in the Millennium Falcon. I was giddy watching it on the big screen in theaters, and I was just as giddy watching on my television at home.

The special features include an hour-long documentary Secrets Of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey that goes into great detail about the making of the film with plenty of cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. There’s also a quick glimpse into the first table read for the film in The Story Awakens: The Table Read. Fans will recall that the the first image released for Episode VII was of said table read. Other notable features that are pretty self explanatory include Building BB-8, Crafting Creatures, and Blueprint Of A Battle: The Snow Fight. It was amazing to see so much of the film be part of a real physical set. Watching all the behind-the-scenes footage is a testament to that, as I would much rather watch a crew put together this massive snow forest set than see some guy draw designs on a computer screen. There’s still plenty of digital effects, which is covered by ILM: The Visual Magic Of The Force. Of course you also can’t have Star Wars without John Williams and thankfully there’s John Williams: The Seventh Symphony that focuses on the legendary composer. Rounding out the bonus features are a handful of Deleted Scenes that add just a tad more excitement to the film. Who knew that at one point Rey and Finn got into a speeder chase with stormtroopers!?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Blu-ray is fantastic. You can clearly see the love and excitement that went into making the film from both the newcomers and veteran actors of the series. It’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan, and I can’t wait to see what’s ahead for the franchise.

X-Men: Apocalypse (Trailer #2)

Matt Rodriguez — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 18:28:49 +0000

Third-Party Video URL:

X-Men: Apocalypse | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

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02:29

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Arrives on Blu-ray on April 5

Matt Rodriguez — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:35:10 +0000

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on April 5, 2016, Walt Disney Studios announced this morning. The $2.05 billion grossing film will also be available on Digital HD four days earlier on April 1. The announcement also brings what special features will be included on the Blu-ray.

Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey – For the first time, discover the complete story behind the making of The Force Awakens, revealed through in-depth footage and exclusive interviews with the actors and filmmakers in this feature documentary.
The Story Awakens: The Table Read – Cast members familiar and new reflect on the memorable day they all first came together to read the movie’s script.
Building BB-8 – See how the filmmakers brought the newest droid to the screen, creating an instant fan favorite in the Star Wars universe.
Crafting Creatures – Watch movie magic as the filmmakers bring a cast of new creatures to life.
Blueprint of a Battle: The Snow Fight – Go deeper into the epic, climactic lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo Ren.
John Williams: The Seventh Symphony – The legendary composer shares personal insights of his work on Star Wars and The Force Awakens.
ILM: The Visual Magic of The Force – An insider’s look into the remarkable digital artistry of the movie’s visual effects.
Force For Change – Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. See how the Star Wars: Force for Change initiative has united Star Wars fans all over the globe to help others.
Plus Deleted Scenes

Furthermore, there will be retailer exclusive releases of Star Wars: The Force Awakens that will include limited edition Blu-ray Combo Packs available at Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. Target's edition features exclusive packaging and an additional "20 minutes of bonus content, including never-before-seen interviews with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega and a deeper look at the movie’s costumes and weaponry." The Walmart edition will receive exclusive BB-8 packaging and an exclusive Star Wars Galactic Connexions trading disc. Lastly, the Best Buy version will feature an exclusive SteelBook packaging.

According to StarWars.com, a 3D version of The Force Awakens will be arriving sometime later this year. Which version will you be picking up in April?

Production Begins on 'Star Wars: Episode VIII'

Matt Rodriguez — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 14:18:05 +0000

Star Wars: Episode VIII

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Star Wars: Episode VIII

Rey took her first steps into a larger world in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and will continue her epic journey with Finn, Poe, and Luke Skywalker in the next chapter of the continuing Star Wars saga, Star Wars: Episode VIII, which began principal photography at Pinewood Studios in London on February 15, 2016.

Star Wars: Episode VIII, which is written and directed by Rian Johnson and continues the storylines introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, welcomes back cast members Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis. New cast members will include Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro, Academy Award nominee Laura Dern, and talented newcomer Kelly Marie Tran.

Star Wars: Episode VIII is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski. Joining the production crew will be some of the industry’s top talent, including Steve Yedlin (Director of Photography), Bob Ducsay (Editor), Rick Heinrichs (Production Designer), Peter Swords King (Hair and Make-Up Designer), and Mary Vernieu (US Casting Director). They will be joining returning crew members Pippa Anderson (Co-Producer, VP Post Production), Neal Scanlan (Creature & Droid FX Creative Supervisor), Michael Kaplan (Costume Designer), Jamie Wilkinson (Prop Master), Chris Corbould (SFX Supervisor), Rob Inch (Stunt Coordinator), Ben Morris (VFX Supervisor), and Nina Gold (UK Casting Director).

Star Wars: Episode VIII is scheduled for release December 15, 2017.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Matt Rodriguez — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 13:36:54 +0000

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Review:

Theatrical

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Grade:

3.90

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens

No other film in recent memory comes close to having the hype surrounding it than Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s an excitement that has been building for years, and it finally culminates with the film’s release this week. But can a film with such massive expectations surrounding it live up to its namesake? There’s definitely hope.

I am not the biggest of diehard Star Wars fans (I’ve seen them all at least), but I found myself smiling widely as the familiar words “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” appeared on the screen and the opening crawl accompanied by John Williams’ score began. Like I said, it’s difficult to not be caught up in the hype surrounding it. There won’t be any massive spoilers, but the general plot revolves around the fact that Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has disappeared and the rebel forces, now known as the Resistance and being led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), have found new information that may lead to his whereabouts. They’re not the only ones looking for Luke, however, as the First Order have risen up out of the ashes of the Galactic Empire and want to eliminate the last remaining Jedi master.

The original Star Wars trilogy acts as the backdrop in The Force Awakens as its story is regarded as legend and myth. We’re introduced to a new trio of characters; the reformed stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), the scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley), and the expert Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). Poe is sent on a secret mission to the junkyard planet of Jakku to recover the map leading to Skywalker. He is followed closely behind by the First Order army, led by the imposing Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a warrior strongly trained in the Dark Side of the Force.

Even though there is a lot of new stuff to take in it all stills refreshingly familiar. The Force Awakens’ story mimics that of A New Hope in many ways. The entire plot revolves around plans hidden inside a droid, and the First Order even have a bigger version of the Death Star, a planet-sized weapon called Starkiller Base. There are plenty of other scenes and interactions that act as a throwback to the original trilogy and are sure to put a smile on fans’ faces.

What I like most about The Force Awakens is its characters, though. John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Isaac are all excellent additions to the franchise and show this contagious excitement as newcomers. It was interesting to see a stormtrooper with a personality. Previously I’ve never really thought about the person behind the helmet, and Boyega brings a new dimension to them with Finn. Ridley, too, is fantastic as both a scavenger and an untrained but skilled pilot. Not only is Rey more than capable of handling things herself, but she also has a curiosity about everything and everyone. While Finn and Ray are giddy with excitement, Poe is the calm and collective one who plays it cool. I was disappointed at how little screentime he actually got though, as I would have loved to see more of him. He’s great in the opening scene, but then disappears for a good sized chunk in the middle.

By far the most entertaining character is the spherical droid BB-8. Just like R2-D2 he only speaks in a series of beeps and whistles that somehow the characters magically understand. Still, despite not knowing exactly what he’s saying there’s a lot of emotion in his mannerisms and the way he moves. It’s all very entertaining, and oftentimes quite humorous.

I was actually a bit surprised at how much humor there is in The Force Awakens. The dialogue is sharp and witty, especially between Finn and Rey, and BB-8 steals every scene he’s in. It’s also great to see Han Solo and Chewbacca still up to their old tricks, as usual. There’s so much to take in that you’ll never be bored.

The Force Awakens isn’t without its faults, however. The film was written as the start of a new trilogy, and it somewhat staggers as a standalone film. There are plenty of gaps to be found, and while I’m sure the sequels will answer many of the questions left lingering, the whole “we can just answer this later” mentality feels a bit frustrating. It’s simply an introduction to a much bigger story.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens brings a renewed hope to the Star Wars saga after the mess that was the prequel trilogy. It’s full of fun and excitement, both new and old, with plenty of action, comedy, and even some drama that captures the heart and spirit of the original trilogy. The Force Awakens revitalizes the sleeping franchise, and I can’t wait to see where it’ll take the mythos next.