A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see the new Amy Poehler/Tina Fey comedy Sisters, which hits theaters this Friday as counter-programming to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. (They've already released a funny video that parodies Star Wars' Comic-Con featurette.) I'm not allowed to tell you my thoughts about the film until Wednesday, but I did get to speak with some of the cast and crew at the film's press conference during the junket, and I can tell you all about that.

Poehler and Fey were joined by co-stars Maya Rudolph and Ike Barinholtz in one panel, and then we were also able to speak with writer Paula Pell (Saturday Night Live) and director Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) about everything from why you should see Sisters and Star Wars to the improv on the set and much more.

On why audiences should see this movie:

Ike: There’s like seven Star Wars — there’s only one Sisters.

Tina: That’s a good point.

Amy: Well, we have a hashtag.

Tina: Our social media campaign is #YouCanSeeThemBoth. It’s a holiday weekend time.

On Tina and Amy sort of playing against type in these roles:

Tina: I think when Paula started writing the script, she may have pictured us in the opposite roles, and I tried to put my producer hat on — which is a beautiful hat, the front is like a baseball hat and the back is all feathers (Everyone laughs) — and I thought, ‘When you have a part for someone who’s supposed to be tightly wound in the beginning and then go crazy, you cast the person who’s better at going crazy.’ And I just knew that Amy would play the back half of that better, and so what I tried to do is play it like, ‘I was once the greatest ice skater in the world, but now I’m in this wheelchair.’ The hottest girl who used to party really hard, but you will never see me do any of it.

Amy: Somebody asked me today if it was my real legs that burst through the ceiling, and it was such a party, I don’t even fuckin’ remember. (Everyone laughs)

On Tina and Amy's origin story:

Ike: Are you familiar with Inside Vladimir?

Amy: That was an improv team we were on in Chicago.

Tina: The only two women on an improv team together, and I think that’s where [we realized our comedy together] started to work, actually.

Amy: Yeah, I do. I think we learned pretty quickly that we liked the same things, we liked speaking the same way. So much of comedy in the beginning is finding your tribe because no one is very experienced, no one feels funny. But you end up searching out people who like the same things as you or that get you, so I think that was a pretty quick first dating period, and today we’re getting married.

Was there a sense of SNL camaraderie on a set like this, that included alums and current members like the three female leads, Rachel Dratch, Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon, and Chris Parnell?

Amy: There’s a bit of a shared vocabulary and I would go even farther than just SNL. I would say that in the improv community, it’s like a well-run emergency room. If you see a well-run emergency room, there’s not a lot of freaking out because you just don’t have the time. You’re not taking up a lot of time talking about how something isn’t going to work, or you can’t do it. You just kind of do the best you can in the moment and wish for the best, and you’re hopefully around people who are more skilled and better than you at what they do. So I think that is just a tonal thing that we’re all used to. Also, we like working and feeding off of each other. There’s not a lot of ball hogs on our team. That was really fun. We all took great pleasure in other people’s joke. There wasn’t a lot of feeling like we were competing. We were always feeding each other ideas and thoughts and I think that always makes for, certainly, a better experience, but oftentimes a funnier film.

I know Ike Barinholtz from his role as the crazy (and crazily funny) Morgan Tookers on The Mindy Project, but I wondered what it was like for him to play a regular guy/love interest this time around:

Ike: It was nice to not play an indigent, perverted loser. To play a nice man that you would be proud to bring home to your family was a real change for me, and it’s something that I would like to do more.

Amy: We just can’t find the roles. (Everyone laughs) There’s nothin’ out there.

Ike: I’m waiting for Sisters 2. When is Sisters 2 happening?

Amy: It’s already in the can.

Tina (at the same time as Amy): We shot it already. (Everyone laughs)

Ike: It’s in the can?! Who’s playing James?

Tina: Ki Hong Lee.

Ike: Keanu Reeves?

Tina: Ki Hong Lee. From The Maze Runner. (Everyone laughs)

Maya: That bleep-blorp guy from the new Star Wars.

A few years ago, it seemed like there was a bunch of ridiculous talk that women couldn’t lead a comedy, but it seems like that mentality has shifted in recent years. What’s it been like to see that change?

Tina: I think a lot of people who were saying that died. (Everyone laughs)

Amy: It’s really exciting always when new voices become commercial, because it means that there’s an audience for them. I still think that stories told through a female perspective are really interesting because there just haven’t been as many so we aren’t treading the same stuff. There’s still a spectrum of stories told through the lens of female characters that are still really interesting because frankly they’re just newer and untapped. So we’re excited to tap dat. (Everyone laughs) To tap dat ass…pect of cinema.

On Maya's working relationship with Tina and Amy:

Maya: Truthfully, to answer your question, I feel and have always felt very spoiled in that I work with the funniest people I could have ever met in my life. I am so lucky to have been part of this little weird family that we have. I think also because we’re ladies — and we’re not just ladies, we’re fuckin’ smart and shit, and take care of each other, and have decent lives, and have our heads screwed on straight. We were all going through kind of similar things together and looking out for each other. So we have this bond that is insanely unbreakable. I like to say that we were in the shit together, the comedy war together. I feel like that’s for me, the end-all be-all is being with your family like that. I love other jobs and they’re great, but when you get to do it with people who’s voices that you know, you have a shorthand, that’s just delicious cake.

Amy: It’s interesting that this — I’m just making this really obvious connection — the film is about dealing with people who knew you when, and the good and bad of that because people have an idea of you, can you change the story about yourself or are you just stuck always being this kind of person? And we all worked with people that we’ve known for a really long time. It was really easy to play old friends, obviously, because we all are, but it was cool to watch all of us and hopefully in the future until the robots kill us, to see the different versions of us as we grow and change.

Maya: That’s coming in January, right? The robots?

Is there a litmus test for knowing when a joke is working really well?

Jason: If the crew starts to snicker, that’s good. Paula has a great laugh, actually. She’s my litmus test because she has an amazing laugh and my monitor is far from hers, so if we make her laugh…

Paula: We started the movie with one video village area [a grouping of monitors where producers and the director can watch footage that was just shot played back], but very quickly it was announced that he was moving to his own video village because we were tending to be a little obnoxious, goofing around and cracking each other up.

Jason: You have these twelve hilarious people in the movie in that house all the time, so there was a whole comedy club going on and I was not able to concentrate because it was too funny. So I went and sat by myself.

Paula: It was a parade of hams. And he had work to do that he was actually being paid for — as we were, but we were just going to make sure it was fun. A lot of cackling.

How much improv was done on set?

Jason: It starts with Paula’s amazing script. It’s her voice that’s the key to all of the humor. So we would always do a pass that was the script as written, but Paula has a process for alts, for alt jokes that she’s done on other movies. Do you want to talk about that?

Paula: Yeah, I started doing it on Bridesmaids and I’ve done it on a number of other movies when I’m on a set. Sometimes they’ll have an extra writer come in to just punch up jokes on the set and I started putting them on Post-It Notes because I was afraid to be too intrusive with the director in terms of the real estate of time and coming in and being in his space when he’s trying to talk to the actors. So I would write down little alternative lines or little alternative ideas and slip it to him as this little piece of candy and he could decide if he wanted to use it, there wasn’t a big pressure to it. And that worked so well that I started doing that on other movies. So when we did it with Jason, we had just a whole Post-It Note thing set up…

Jason: She would give me these incredible jokes and I’d try to figure out which ones to do, and then give them quietly, secretly, to each actor so the other actor didn’t know what was going to happen. Oftentimes a director might call out the joke, and then everyone’s already heard it. You want it to be fresh. And then, to answer your question, there was the Post-It Note alt process, and then because they’re all improv comedians, we would have certain runs where it was, ’These are the ones where you can hit the ball anywhere you want to hit it.’

Paula: Yeah, you’re just winding them up and watching them go, because they’re a masterclass in improv, those ladies and those guys.

Jason: It was always trying to keep the ball in the air.

Paula: The great thing about that later when Jason was editing, was he was able to try many different options with different jokes. It’s all about combinations, and some joke that is a certain flavor might not mix with another one. So he was like this amazing culinary genius putting it all together with the right combination.

Jason: The first cut was all of the jokes, and it was three hours and fifteen minutes long.

Was it tough working with Tina and Amy because they're so close?

Jason: Sometimes they’re just going and being so funny, you just have to find time to get a word in edgewise.

Paula: Yeah, they are such hard workers and so professional in terms of, they know when they’re supposed to be working and they know when it’s OK not to be working. Which I love, because sometimes you get comedy people and they’re doing a bit — including me — and you’ll be doing a bit on something and making people laugh, and time is money on a movie set, obviously, and the last couple of days of a movie shoot, you’re desperately trying to get every single last page in shot, so I learned to appreciate that and understand that you need to shut shit down when you’re using people’s time and money. They’re such pros. They find a way to seem like they’re completely goofing around and having fun all day, but they get everything done. They should really try to pursue it professionally because they’re good at it.

Jason: They also have worked on a TV schedule so many times that they know about keeping moving, so it actually makes it fun and easy.

Paula: The endless days of single camera shooting that just happens where it’s like, ‘We’re gonna use every bit of time we can, but still have fun.’

The premise of the movie involves two sisters returning to their childhood home before their parents sell it and throwing one last big party like they used to do in high school. Was there ever a discussion about whether or not that was actually more sad than funny?

Jason: We talked about that. At what point is it…is it sad that people feel like they need to revisit this? And that’s why we tried to earn each reason, which is really everybody who comes to the party, something about their current life was defined by what happened to them in high school. The person that they married, or the role it ended up playing in their family, or something. So we tried to make it as real and believable so that we could hopefully make it feel not sad, and I think we were able to accomplish that. There is a point at which maybe you go, ‘Should they be doing this?’ but hopefully we earn the fact that they want to revisit it. Also, sometimes when you’re in your forties, you need a good party. Leave the kids at home, have an extra drink, cut loose, you’ve gotta let some steam out. So this was just an extra step.

Paula: The thematic thing of your childhood home symbolizes where you were shaped. When you leave it, you’re a completed object. I remember my mom saying one day when she was in her sixties, ‘The weird thing about age is you don’t ever feel like the age you are.’ You don’t understand that you’re in your sixties, because in your body you don’t feel it — you might feel it physically, but emotionally, it’s like, ‘Oh, I have tons that I still want to do or I want to grow, or I didn’t do this or I didn’t do that.’ So we kind of tapped into that, I think. In terms of the party thing, I’m not saying I don’t drink, because I will drink and get a little good buzz on, but if I ever do like an old school — with my nieces or something — where I get old school hungover the next day, I will laugh because I hate it, I hate the feeling of being hungover, but I also had so much fun the night before. I’ll be like, ‘OK, now I remember why I used to do this all the time.’

Sisters opens in theaters on December 18th. Remember — #YouCanSeeThemBoth.

When this trailer for Sherlock: The Abominable Bride began to play, I thought it was going to be the same footage we've seen already in the three trailers we've already seen for the long-awaited return of the BBC series. But thankfully, this is a much creepier — albeit shorter — look at the story than any we've seen thus far. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, and the rest of the team have in store for us.

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride arrives on January 1st, 2016.

For the record, I do not think Star Wars: The Force Awakens is going to suck. From everything I've seen (a handful of images and the domestic trailers), it looks like it's going to be fantastic, and all of the behind-the-scenes stuff I've heard points to the movie actually living up to gargantuan fan expectations. That being said, I also don't want to be seen as one of these people in a few years, so I'll be walking into it with an open mind and fully aware of the chance that it could be terrible.

Here's the thing, though: even if The Force Awakens turns out to be utter garbage, this is the first time since the original trilogy that Star Wars fans can keep hope alive for future films. George Lucas wrote and directed all of the prequels, so even if you thought that The Phantom Menace wasn't good when you first saw it back in 1999, chances were pretty good the next two movies weren't going to be too different from what you'd just seen. There was one creative mind behind that trilogy, and after Episode I, you kind of knew what you were going to get (at least from a stylistic and story perspective) from the next two films.

Now we're living in a world in which Lucas has almost nothing to do with the new trilogy. Kathleen Kennedy's story group at Lucasfilm is working to redefine how storytelling works across multiple platforms and different media, and she's done a terrific job so far bringing on talented filmmakers to build on Lucas's legacy. Let's say Abrams completely blows it with The Force Awakens. That will be disappointing, yes, but since he's not writing or directing the next movie, instead of having a sneaking suspicion that Episode VIII and beyond are also going to be terrible, there's a new hope (get it?). I like Rian Johnson's movies (Brick, The Brothers Bloom, Looper) even more than I like Abrams' movies, and considering Johnson is writing and directing Episode VIII, I'm understandably excited about how that film will turn out. The Force Awakens can't do anything to negate that excitement, it can only increase it. If it's bad, I'll look forward to Episode VIII as a redemption piece for the saga, and if it's good, I'll look forward to Episode VIII as Johnson builds on top of puzzle pieces Abrams laid out.

Plus, with the prequels, you knew that the narrative would end with Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader. Here, the options are limitless for what could come next. There's no inevitability to the story, no path we know the filmmakers must tread — from a story perspective, it's all fresh. Since I liked Jurassic World (review here), I'm also excited — though admittedly a little less so — for Colin Trevorrow's Episode IX. Gareth Edwards' Rogue One looks great, too, and the standalone films deserve a whole separate discussion of their own. And it sounds like Kennedy has plans to include a bunch of different kinds of filmmakers into the future of the franchise as well, not just a bunch of white dudes, so that's also something to be happy and curious about.

So if the unthinkable happens and you walk out of The Force Awakens in utter disappointment this week, raise your head high and know that the future of Star Wars looks very bright. This is only the first chapter in what's essentially going to be a never-ending story, and with a bunch of different filmmakers and storytellers involved, there are plenty of chances for greatness in its pages.

Here's the trailer for Synchonicity, the newest film from The Signal director Jacob Gentry. Billed as a "mind-bending sci-fi noir," the movie centers on a man who invents time travel and the lengths he'll go to in order to protect his claim. The trailer does a great job at establishing a dark, moody, atmospheric vibe, and this looks like it could be another excellent small-scale time travel thriller in the vein of Timecrimes or Primer, though apparently with higher production values than both.

Synchronicity hits theaters, iTunes, and On Demand starting on January 22nd, 2016. What do you think?

SYNCHRONICITY is a mind-bending 'Sci-fi Noir' in the tradition of Blade Runner, Gattaca, and Memento. Daring physicist Jim Beale has invented a machine that can fold space-time and ruthless corporate tycoon Klaus Meisner will stop at nothing to get it. When Jim uses the machine to tear open the fabric of the universe, a rare Dahlia appears from the future. But in order to keep the rights to his invention he must prove that it works by finding the flower's identical match in the present. Jim soon discovers that the Dahlia lies in the hands of the mysterious Abby, who seduces him into revealing his secrets. Convinced that she is in league with Klaus to take ownership of his life's work, Jim travels back in time to stop the conspiracy before it can happen. But once in the past, Jim uncovers a surprising truth about Abby, the machine, and his own uncertain future.

For me, it was pretty obvious that Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World was a meta-commentary on blockbuster film culture. But I haven't seen The Lost World: Jurassic Park in so long that I never really considered that film might also have had similar thematic undertones way back in 1997. Both movies live in the shadow of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, and a pretty strong case could be made that neither of these sequels should exist. But since Universal couldn't resist the idea of capitalizing on the idea of making more movies set in that world, they do exist, and there's definitely some interesting subtext here that is worth diving into.

The team at Digging Deeper put together a video essay exploring the similarities between the two films, including comparisons to Spielberg's original and some interesting points about how the movies' storytelling includes some references to the home video market that I'd never thought about before. Check it out below if you have a few minutes to spare.

A few months ago, we learned that NBC was planning on reboot the popular '90s sword-and-sandal series Xena: Warrior Princess. Original executive producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi are involved in what's being called a "modern reboot," and original star Lucy Lawless has expressed her thoughts on the possibility of a new series.

There hasn't been much in the way of solid, official news on the rebooted series for a while, but NBC has just changed that. Variety reports that the network has hired former LOST writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach to write and executive produce the series, "which is still in the development stages." So there's still a lot of work to be done before the show hits our TV screens, but at least there's some forward momentum happening here.

Grillo-Marxuach wrote for LOST, Medium, Charmed, The Middleman, Helix, and many more. A while back, I listened to the first few episodes of his podcast Children of Tendu, which I'd say is essential listening for anyone trying to break into writing in the entertainment industry. It also gives you a sense of the guy's personality, and it seems like Xena will be in good hands with him leading the charge. Now it's just a matter of how they cast it, what Lucy Lawless's involvement will be, and whether or not it can overcome the fact that it's on a crappy network like NBC.

Looks like Marvel's Doctor Strange has a new writer. Prometheus scribe Jon Spaihts and Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer (2013’s Conan the Barbarian) have written earlier drafts of the screenplay, but now news has broken that C. Robert Cargill (Sinister) has been working on the film for almost a year. Considering that the movie is already filming, it seems like Cargill's pass will be the final iteration of the screenplay. /Film points out that Cargill wrote the following on Facebook:

It’s not a secret anymore. For those of you who don’t know what I’ve been doing for the past year, I’ve been writing DOCTOR STRANGE for Marvel Studios. And I couldn’t be happier or prouder. Our cast and crew are amazing and I’m having the best time.

…SQUEEEEEE!

So yeah. It's finally out in the wild. I've been working on this for the better part of the last year. pic.twitter.com/BTZDaItsbt

— C. Robert Cargill (@Massawyrm) December 14, 2015

Cargill, a former film critic who wrote at Ain't It Cool News for a long time, has worked together with Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson many times over the past few years. The two of them co-wrote the two Sinister movies (Derrickson directed the first one), a film adaptation of the video game Deus Ex, and a film adaptation of The Outer Limits TV series. It's always cool to see a former critic make it in Hollywood, and with a cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mads Mikkelsen, and Tilda Swinton, this is definitely the most high-profile film of his career thus far. Doctor Strange hits theaters on November 4th, 2016.

“Doctor Strange” follows the story of neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a horrific car accident, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions.

I also included a behind the scenes photo from the set featuring Derrickson and his two producers:

On set with @scottderrickson and @stphnbrssrd #doctorstrange pic.twitter.com/rPVyVwY1Xu

— Louis D'Esposito (@louisde2) December 14, 2015

UPDATE: According to Justin Sewell, who is one of the organizers of the line, Lucasfilm ended up inviting the line inside the premiere and after party. Here's his note:

Nobody in line believed me, but lucasfilm just invited all line members into THE STAR WARS world premiere and after party at the Chinese theater. Our lord who art in heaven, please don't let this movie suck.

Posted by Justin Sewell on Monday, December 14, 2015

Original article follows:

Last week, we reported on a group of hardcore Star Wars fans waiting in line at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood to get into the first public Thursday night screening for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The event was set up by Liningup.net, who teamed up with Starlight Children's Foundation to raise money for charity through their website during the time that fans are in line. On top of the charity, they are also doing it to recreate the classic line experience for the Star Wars films. You can read all the details here.

As many of you know, the premiere for Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes place tonight, and a big chunk of Hollywood Blvd. has been shut down in front of the theater for the event. Turns out they don't want the line of Star Wars fans there when it happens, so the line has been forced to move.

The Star Wars line has moved to a local specialty collectible toy shop in Burbank, CA called Blast From the Past. The shop is located at 3117 W. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505 if you are still looking to jump in line, or if you just want to stop by and hang out with fellow Star Wars fans, or just buy some toys! 

From what I've heard, the line will most likely be at this location until the movie is released on Thursday. It kinda sucks that the line had to move. I'm actually kind of surprised that Lucasfilm and Abrams just didn't invite them to the premiere! After all, they apparently have enough space for around 4,000 people.

It's cool to see that the fans don't seem to be that discouraged, and they are keeping the Star Wars spirit and having fun. I'll be dropping by the line this next week to taunt them after I see the movie tomorrow! To prove to you how dedicated these people in line are, I actually invited a couple of them who are friends to see the movie with me early on Tuesday and they both turned me down, because they want their first experience of seeing film to be with this group they've spent so much time with. 

Earlier this year we learned that a few members of the main cast of The Raid joined J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Today we have our first look at the characters they play in the film, and they sure do look badass! 

Below you’ll find a photo of one of the tie-in books for the film, and it features Iko Uwais (Rama) and Yayan Ruhian (Mad Dog/Prakoso). In the film, they play Kanjiklub gang members Razoo Quin-Fee and Tasu Leech.

According to TransTV reporter Vicit Kavi, Abrams said, “Iko and the people from The Raid were amazing.” Of course, they were! Those guys are talented badasses. It’ll awesome to see them in action when the movie is released later this week! You can check out the Twitter post from Flick Magazine.

Peran @iko_uwais @YayanRuhian @Cecep_Ar di 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' terungkap! https://t.co/SfQoehqmgP pic.twitter.com/mpHIp6Y0Uf

— Flick Magazine (@flickmagazine) December 12, 2015

Michael Fassbender is currently shooting Assassin’s Creed in Spain, and for the first time he was spotted on the set in costume. He’s looking pretty awesome in his gear. They really managed to nail the details and look of the iconic costume that we’ve come to know in the video games. 

Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day. Assassin's Creed stars Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Days of Future Past, 12 Years a Slave) and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises, La Vie en Rose).

The film is being directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Macbeth) and produced by New Regency, Ubisoft Motion Pictures, DMC Films, and 20th Century Fox distributing.

Assassin's Creed opens in theaters worldwide on December 21st, 2016. Thanks to Skript.fr for the photos.

Posted by Skript.fr on Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Posted by Skript.fr on Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Posted by Skript.fr on Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Posted by Skript.fr on Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Andale! Andale! Arriba! Arriba! Yii-hah! Warner Bros. is reportedly developing an animated feature film based on the classic Looney Tunes character Speedy Gonzales. The news comes from The Tracking Board, who says that the film will be a contemporary adaptation of the cartoon character. 

Speedy Gonzales was created by Friz Freieng and Hawley Pratt, and the character first appeared in the 1953 short "Speedy Gonzales." Over the years he appeared in 46 Warner Bros. cartoons. Just in case you’ve never heard of the character before, Speedy is a Mexican mouse who is super crazy fast. He’s known for wearing a yellow over-sized Charro, white shirt and trousers, and a bright-red kerchief. He often took on Sylvester the cat — who Speedy always manages to outsmart and outrun.

Several years ago, New Line Cinema was trying to get a movie off the ground with comedian/actor George Lopez as the voice of the title character. It obviously never got into the production stage.

As of right now, there is no screenwriter or director attached to the project. I grew up watching the Looney Tunes cartoons, and I loved Speedy Gonzales. I hope they are able to do the character justice when they bring him to the big screen. If they bring on the right talent to bring this character to life it could turn out to be a really fun animated flick.

Any true Star Wars fan believes that Han Solo shot first. George Lucas doesn’t seem to be a true fan of his own creation, because as you know, he stands by his decision that Greedo shot first. In a recent interview, he explained:

“Han Solo was going to marry Leia, and you look back and say, ‘Should he be a cold-blooded killer?’ Because I was thinking mythologically — should he be a cowboy, should he be John Wayne? And I said, ‘Yeah, he should be John Wayne.’ And when you’re John Wayne, you don’t shoot people [first] — you let them have the first shot. It’s a mythological reality that we hope our society pays attention to.”

To me, Solo seemed like the kind of guy that would never allow himself to be shot at first. Why would he put himself in danger of being killed like that? On top of that, how are we supposed to believe that a professional bounty hunter would be such a terrible shot and miss at such a close range,?

Thanks to Legal Geeks we’ve learned that Solo was well within his legal rights to shoot first. A lawyer with them explains:

“Without a doubt, having a blaster pointed directly at Han put his life in danger. Additionally, Greedo’s statement, ‘That’s the idea. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,’ communicated Greedo’s intent to kill Han. Shooting first was seemingly the only way to prevent Greedo from using deadly force himself.

“Regarding the retreat issue, Han was already at gunpoint and cornered in the booth when Han shot Greedo. It is unlikely Han could have retreated with his back to the wall and in a seated position. Shooting his way out appeared to be his only option. Finally, reasonable belief wouldn’t be hard to prove. Han was in Mos Eisley Spaceport, a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Greedo had his weapon pointed at Han the entire time, with Han cornered in a booth. This should be sufficient to show the reasonableness of the threat to Han’s life.”

So there it is. Han was legally justified to shoot first. If he didn't shoot first, he would have died. In the real world, Greedo would not have missed. Han saved his own life by shooting first. Now, will someone please change this scene back to the way it was originally?

Warner Bros. is slowly taking the wraps off of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and we finally got the very first full trailer of the upcoming movie.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

Some of the characters include Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston, Ron Perlman, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Samantha Morton, Ezra Miller, Gemma Chan, and Jon Voight.

The movie brings together some of the people who are responsible for the greatness of Harry Potter and its magical world — J.K. Rowling, David Heyman, Lionel Wigram and Steve Kloves.

Now enjoy couple minutes of pure magic. The movie comes out on November 18th, 2016.

When Star Wars was first released in theater in 1976, not everyone liked what George Lucas made. It just didn’t connect with everyone, and when Return of the Jedi was released in 1983, there was an old cranky critic by the name of John Simon who tore the movie and the trilogy as a whole apart. He was so enraged by it that he decided to go head to head with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert during a news broadcast to debate the quality of the Star Wars trilogy.

Simon insists that the Star Wars films are “completely dehumanizing,” that they make “children dumber than they need to be,” and that the films were so damaging they will “keep children stupid forever.” He went on to complain about the special effects, terrible dialogue, characterization and plotting.

Siskel and Ebert stick up for the film franchise like champions, though, and even after 30 years this still makes for a compelling debate. They really put Simon in his place. At one point Siskel says that he feels sorry for Simon because he wasn’t able to get any enjoyment out of seeing Return of the Jedi. This is a fascinating and entertaining interview that I hope you take the time to watch. 

Last week we learned that Idris Elba is in negotiations to take on the lead role of The Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, in The Dark Tower. I’d actually really love to see this casting happen because I think he’d be awesome!

There were a few people that didn’t like the idea of Elba playing the character because they were hoping for a white guy to take on the part. That obviously doesn’t seem like something that director Nikolaj Arcel and Sony Pictures are concerned with. The other actor they were looking at was Javier Bardem.

In the end, it doesn’t matter what race or color Roland is in the film. It certainly doesn’t matter to the story's author, Stephen King, who had this to say in a statement on Twitter recently:

“To me, the color of the gunslinger doesn't matter. What I care about is how fast he can draw...and that he takes care of the ka-tet.”

You couldn’t ask for a more perfect response. Hopefully, we get an officially casting announcement soon!

Everyone's favorite collectible toymaker, Hot Toys, has revealed their 1/6 scale figures for Ben Affleck's Batman and Henry Cavill's Superman from director Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice! We already got our first look at the 1/6th scale Batmobile, but I included a new video of that below the photos of the action figures. These things are incredible, and I'd love to get my hands on them! I can't wait to see how their figure turns out for Batman in his Bat Armor!

“That's how it starts. The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men... cruel.”

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the epic blockbuster by DC Comics and Warner Brothers, will hit theatres around the world in March 2016! In this thrilling new film, Gotham City's own formidable and forceful vigilante Batman will take on Metropolis' most revered, modern-day savior as he fears the chaos the god-like Superman can brought upon the world if the Kryptonian’s powers are left unchecked. 

In anticipation to DC Extended Universe’s newest film, Hot Toys is very excited to officially present today the 1/6th scale collectible figure of Batman from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice!

The movie-accurate collectible figure is specially crafted based on the image of Ben Affleck as Batman from the film. It features a newly developed masked head sculpt with 3 interchangeable eye pieces and lower faces, newly developed body which can naturally portray Batman’s muscular body, meticulously tailored Batsuit, detailed Batman gadgets, and a specially designed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice themed figure stand.

A special edition will be available for selected markets which includes an additional sniper rifle as bonus accessory.

Customers in selected markets pre-order both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 1/6th scale Batman and Superman collectible figures at same time will receive an additional Batman Tech Cowl as bonus accessory. 

Now it’s the time to pre-order this new Batman collectible figure for your Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice collection!

“Black and blue, god vs. man, day vs. night!”

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the epic blockbuster by DC Comics and Warner Brothers, will hit theatres around the world in March 2016! In this exciting film, fearing the actions of the god-like Superman left unchecked, Gotham City's own formidable and forceful vigilante Batman will take on Metropolis' most revered, modern-day savior. 

To get fans ready for this installment of the DC Extended Universe, Hot Toys is very excited to officially present today the 1/6th scale collectible figure of Superman from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice!

The movie-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Henry Cavill as Superman in the movie, featuring a newly developed head sculpt, movie-accurate body proportion, newly tailored Superman costume with embossed pattern, the iconic red cape made with new material, and a specially designed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice themed figure stand. A special edition will be available for selected markets which includes an additional LED light-up Kryptonite as bonus accessory.

Customers in selected markets pre-order both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 1/6th scale Batman and Superman collectible figures at same time will receive an additional Batman Tech Cowl as bonus accessory. 

Pre-order this great collectible figure to jumpstart your Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice collection!

Kingsman: The Secret Service director Matthew Vaughn teamed back up with his young star Taron Egerton to develop an entertaining film based on Olympic ski-jumper Michael Edwards. Hugh Jackman plays Edwards' coach in the story. Vaughn is producing the inspirational sports film, which is being directed Dexter Fletcher (Sunshine on Leith). We have the first trailer for the film for you to watch today, and it seriously looks like a great movie! There's a lot of fun humor in it that I wasn't expecting. Here's the synopsis for the film:

Eddie the Eagle follows the realisation of the childhood dream of Michael Edwards (a.k.a Eddie), and his unflinching determination to become Great Britain’s first Olympic ski-jumper. Reluctantly aided by former ski-jumper Bronson Peary as his coach, Eddie is unwavering in his quest to reach the 1988 Calgary Winter Games. Eddie the Eagle is an uplifting, inspirational story that celebrates human spirit, passion, and one man’s refusal to accept defeat.

In an interview with USA Today, Jackman talked about the true story the film is based on (WARNING: potential spoilers ahead for those who don't know what happens. If you don't want to know, just skip to the trailer):

“Every kid should see this movie, because it reminds people that you don’t have to win to be a winner. Eddie the Eagle might not have ended up on the medal podium, but he was victorious. It’s a story of a man who had a dream, and nothing was going to stop him. “

Eddie the Eagle hits theaters on February 26th, 2016, and I'm looking forward to watching it!

This past weekend I watch the original Star Wars trilogy again with my kids. We had to watch the films again before we see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen these films, and I’m sure the same goes for many of you as well. There might be a chance that after all the times of watching these films you may have missed something. There are definitely things that I missed in the prequel trilogy because I only watched those films a couple of times each. 

Screen Rant's latest video points out ten hidden details in the Star Wars saga that some of you might have overlooked. I wasn’t aware of most of the things that were included in the prequel trilogy. It’s good to know there are fans out that torture themselves to find these details so the rest of us don’t have to.

The galaxy far, far, away is getting a lot bigger in the coming years, which means plenty of writers, directors and actors each getting a chance to throw in nods to the original films. But even though the Star Wars saga has been pored over for decades, there are still a TON of details, secrets and easter eggs we're willing to bet fans have never caught. Here are Screen Rant's 10 Hidden Details In Star Wars Films.

Paramount Pictures and Hasbro have some big movie plans brewing for several classic toys and cartoons that many of us grew up with. They have officially teamed up to create a shared cinematic universe that will include several different properties that include G.I. Joe, Micronauts, Visionaries, M.A.S.K., and ROM. 

I haven't been happy with anything that Paramount has done so far with these kinds of films. G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have all turned out to be disappointments. It's hard to believe that they will turn that around and actually give us some quality movies based on these awesome properties. 

According to THR, Hasbro head of film development Josh Feldman is working with Paramount to shape the new universe that will include these five properties. The studio will be putting together a writing team, much like the one that was set up for the studio's Transformers films (which is being led by Akiva Goldsman). This team of people, who have yet to be named, will develop a creative roadmap. The report says the studio will be going after "top talent," though.

Brad Grey, Paramount chairman and CEO, had this to say in a statement:

"Paramount and Hasbro have had a longstanding relationship and we're proud of the success we've enjoyed on the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises. We're excited to grow our agreement and make even more movies based upon these popular and powerful Hasbro characters and their worlds."

I'm happy to hear that they are proud of their crappy movies. I'm a big fan of all these properties, and the thought of them having a shared interconnected universe like Marvel is great! I just wish it was with a studio that had a better track record and made better films. Hasbro chairman Brian Goldner added:

“Hasbro and Allspark Pictures put storytelling at the center of everything that we do. These brands are filled with memorable stories and vivid characters, and this universe creates a framework for how they will become interconnected. Extending our partnership with Paramount allows us to continue our long-term strategy and overall vision to build dynamic worlds for all of our brands, and we are thrilled to collaborate with them as we develop these properties.” 

Even though I am giving Paramount crap for the films they've made in the past, I do hope that when they do start developing this shared universe, it will exceed expectations. I hope that they deliver something awesome!

There's no word on if this plan will include G.I. Joe 3, which has been in development. I hope they just reboot that whole franchise. While they are creating this universe, they might as well develop a fresh take on G.I. Joe.

I'm curious to see how this all comes together. Are you excited to learn that Paramount is developing a shared universe with these properties?

I have to give Popular Mechanics some major props right now. For years I always wondered why the TIE Fighter is a good vehicle, and they confirmed what I always thought...it's not! If the TIE Fighter were a real vehicle, it would be awful to use!

The biggest drawback of the TIE fighter are the flat panels on both sides that make it look like an eyeball suspended between two playing cards. This is a large vertical surface area that seemingly serves no purpose—except to be a large aiming point for Rebel Alliance fighters. 

So in addition to not being able to see ANYTHING from left to right, you're giving yourself two giant targets to be shot down for no real tactical advantage. That being said, I always kind of thought the large wings on the TIE Fighter were meant to serve as protection from side attacks...then again, they blow up pretty easy.

While I do agree heavily about the Empire being dissed on for its mechanics, it was a little hard for me to swallow that one of the Star Wars series' most beloved vehicles was also named one of its worst:

The control systems of Star Wars space ships make no sense. How, for example, do they slow down? Without gravity, the X-Wing would need reverse thrusters to slow itself, or turn itself around and fire its engines in the opposite direction—and yet we know it does neither. 

I really tried to argue this one...but I can't. X-Wings can't fly in reverse, and I kind of already knew that from all the video games I played. That's a real problem when space gives minimal drag for a loss of momentum.

One ship that didn't make their list (which you can check out here) that I would add, and you can hate me for it? The Millennium Falcon. It looks super cool, can hold its own in a battle, but it's also a smuggling ship! Don't smugglers try to fly with a little more discretion? Also, I always thought that ship was wayyyyyy too big for two people to operate! I still love it...but if I was a smuggler, I wouldn't use it in a million years.