Back to the Future celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. The popular science-fiction adventure comedy celebrated 30 years since the release of the original film on July 3rd, 1985.
The film series contained three instalments- Back to the Future (1985), Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990). The franchise has also expanded into a TV animated series (which ran for two seasons on CBS from September 14th 1991 to December 26th 1992), a video-game made by Telltale Games and a simulator ride at Universal Studios Japan.
Back to the Future Day was celebrated on October 21st, 2015. This date was chosen because of a plot-line in Back to the Future Part II where Marty McFly travels to October 21st, 2015, in order to save his children. Back to the Future is just one franchise to have its own dedicated day with Star Wars being another example (Star Wars Day being every year on May 4th).
The Back to the Future 30th anniversary was celebrated with cast and crew interviews, as well as the release of a special edition Back to the Future 30th anniversary trilogy Blu-Ray and DVD. The set was released on October 20th (the day before Back to the Future Day) and proved to be an immediate hit among fans of the films.
The original film gained $389.1 million at the box office, with the sequels (Part II and III respectively) earning $332 million and $244.5 million respectively.
Haven’t watched the Back to the Future series yet? Check out this trailer and clip below:
After years of waiting, I was finally able to meet Star Wars actor Dave Prowse at Belfast Film & Comic Con. The convention took place at the SSE Arena on November 1st.
This was the second Belfast Film & Comic Con after the conventions debut last year. The event was organised by Showmasters, the organisers of the famed Film & Comic Con and CollectorMania events that take place in the UK on a regular basis.
Compared to other Showmasters events I have attended in the past, Belfast Film & Comic Con had a more relaxed atmosphere and that helped me feel at ease. Other Showmasters events like London Film & Comic Con tend to be manic so it was nice to be able to enjoy a relaxed atmosphere at one of their smaller conventions.
Compared to last year’s event where I met three guests (Billie Piper, Eve Myles and Paul McGann of Doctor Who fame), I only met two guests at the convention this year. The two guests I met were Dave Prowse (Darth Vader in Star Wars) and Samuel Anderson (Danny Pink in Doctor Who). Both guests were really nice and approachable. I was especially eager to meet Prowse as I’ve been a Star Wars fan for all of my life and it was great to finally add his autograph to my collection, while Samuel Anderson was a pleasure to interview for the podcast.
I was very happy that both Prowse and Anderson were allowing pictures at their table. It’s becoming an unfortunate trend (particularly at Showmasters bigger conventions) for guests not to allow pictures at their autograph table. It’s unfortunate because it’s not up to the organisers but is decided by the guests or their agent, who are usually hoping to make more money from photoshoots.
I thought there were a lot of great costumes at the convention, with a number of cosplaying organisations like the 501st Ireland Garrison and the Emerald Garrison among most well-known in attendance. Compared to previous multi-franchise conventions I’ve attended where various attendees were cosplaying the same character, I felt there was a great mix at Belfast Film & Comic Con and that helped add to the multi-franchise element that I mentioned.
As with most conventions there were numerous stalls selling merchandise. I bought four posters from a stall for a combined total of just £10. The posters included two from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, one from Star Wars: Rebels and one from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D TV show. At that price I couldn’t pass up on buying these posters.
My honest criticism is that Belfast Film & Comic Con could be a lot bigger than it currently is. It’s Showmasters only convention in Ireland (they haven’t had any in the Republic of Ireland) and I think they could get a lot more attendees by bringing in even bigger guests.
I don’t think this convention will ever be as big as their London Film & Comic Con event, but I think it has the potential to be bigger than it currently is. It has been announced that there will be two Belfast Film & Comic Con’s next year (one in May and one in September) but that doesn’t mean that they will be bigger than this year’s convention.
The latest instalment in the James Bond series saw the return of criminal organisation Spectre as Daniel Craig’s Bond films came full circle in Spectre.
In my opinion, Spectre is already one of the best James Bond films of all time. While Daniel Craig isn’t among my favourite actors in the role, I think most of his films (Casino Royale, Skyfall and now Spectre) are outstanding Bond films. Only Quantum of Solace fell below par as far as his Bond films are concerned.
I was very happy to see Spectre make a return as the leading antagonists. It was the first time Spectre had been the main villains of a Bond film since Diamonds are Forever (released in 1971) and their return was long overdue in my opinion.
The film reveals that Spectre was behind the events that took place in Craig’s previous Bond films, which will make re-watching those three films a whole new experience. We also learn that Le Chiffre (Casino Royale), Dominic Greene (Quantum of Solace) and Raoul Silva (Skyfall) were all agents of Spectre.
The cast all did a really good job in Spectre. This was not only one of Craig’s best Bond performances, but Christoph Waltz (the latest actor to play Ernst Stavro Blofeld) stood out as well and made me want to see more of their dynamic. Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann is now one of my favourite Bond girls and other new cast members like Dave Bautista (Mr. Hinx) and Andrew Scott (Max Denbigh) performing really well in their roles, with returning cast members Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny) and Ben Whishaw (Q) also having substantial roles.
Spectre includes a lot of references to previous Bond films, in particular to Craig’s previous instalments. I’m usually wary when a film uses as many references as Spectre did but in Spectre it really helped Craig’s run as the character come full circle. All of the references added to the story and moved the plot along.
As usual, the James Bond films continue to get visually more impressive with each new instalment that is released and Spectre was no exception. The visuals in some of the action sequences and explosions were top-notch, with the explosion of the old MI6 building being a visual highlight of the film.
A lot of debate has been taking place regarding whether Daniel Craig will return for one more Bond film. Considering the nature of Spectre’s ending with Blofeld being left alive and Bond disappearing with Madeleine, I think they have to carry on the story into another Bond film starring Craig. However, the ending is why I think Craig needs to return for another film, but up until the last two minutes Spectre had been bringing Craig’s films full circle which could have indicated that it was his last film as Bond.
In my opinion, Spectre is an excellent James Bond film. It was great to see criminal organisation Spectre again, the cast were excellent and the film was visually stunning. For the majority of the film it felt like it could be Craig’s last film as Bond, but the anti-climactic ending makes it anyone’s guess if Craig will return again.
My rating: 9/10
Still unsure about seeing Spectre? Check out this trailer below:
In the latest edition highlighting an interview of ours we recommend you listen to, we recommend you give our interview with actor Ken Colley a listen.
“Join host Ruari in this guest interview recorded at London Film and Comic Con with actor Ken Colley, best-known for playing Admiral Piett in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Colonel Kontarsky in Firefox, The Killer in I Hired a Contract Killer, John Snr in Holby Blue, Mr. Baker, Acting Superintendent Shannon and Patrick Houghton in The Bill, Vaughn Chewer and Don Lawson in Holby City, Brian in EastEnders, Brian Jones in Foyle’s War, Frank Tyler in Doctors and the voice of Admiral Piett in Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out. In the interview they talk about whether Ken is enjoying the event so far, how Ken decided he wanted to become an actor, whether Ken takes some pride in knowing that he is the only actor to play the same Imperial Officer (Admiral Piett) in two Star Wars films, whether Ken was surprised at the popularity of Admiral Piett leading George Lucas to bring the character back for Return of the Jedi and the passion of Star Wars fans in general to this day and Ken’s upcoming acting roles and other projects.”
You can listen to the interview below:
Be sure to leave your feedback on the interview and enjoy!
The casting process is reportedly underway for the Han Solo anthology film scheduled for release on May 25th, 2018. Casting director Jeanne McCarthy has reportedly met with or received audition videos from over 2500 actors hoping to land the lead role.
A report from The Hollywood Reporter has suggested some of the names of actors that have thrown themselves into the mix. The report reads as follows:
“Actors who have read in person or auditioned via videotape range from the well-known like Dave Franco (Neighbours, 21 Jump Street, Now you See Me, Young Justice), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Godzilla, Kick-Ass films) and Miles Teller (Fantastic Four, Whiplash, Divergent, Insurgent) to the sort-of-known Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) to relative unknowns Leo Howard (Kickin’ It, Conan the Barbarian, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and Tony Oller (The Purge) and also vary significantly in age. Though sources say the “sweet spot” seems to be the mid-20s, the ages of the contenders span from Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead) to Hunter Parrish (Weeds) and Rami Malek (Mr. Robot).
Casting directors are not just focusing on American actors, either, considering Landon Liboiron (Hemlock Grove) and English actors Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl, Romeo and Juliet) Tom Felton (Harry Potter films) and Joshua Sasse (Galavant, Frankenstein’s Army) among many, many others.
The casting team is said to be looking for someone who looks at least a bit like a young Ford (now 73, he was 35 when the original Star Wars was released) and can be funny and charming as well as handle the expected action scenes. A few young comedians have been asked to read.
Others who have thrown their hats in the ring include Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson films, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Fury), Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars) and Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction) plus TV faces like Colton Haynes (Arrow, Teen Wolf) and Max Thieriot (Bates Motel).”
Shooting for the film will reportedly begin in January 2017.
Thoughts on this report? Which actor would you like to see play Han Solo in his anthology film?
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has confirmed that a number of exterior scenes for Star Wars Episode VIII will be shot in Mexico.
Scenes for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story have already been filmed in the same country.
Kennedy also revealed two more returning cast members for Episode VIII (following her reveal that Gwendoline Christie’s Captain Phasma would be returning). This is your SPOILER alert warning if you don’t want to know who else is returning.
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Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) and John Boyega (Finn) are also returning for Episode VIII.
Star Wars Episode VIII is scheduled for release on May 26th, 2017.
Thoughts on this news? Are you excited to see the Episode VIII scenes that will be shot in Mexico?
Ahead of the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens next week, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has confirmed one of the new characters that will return in the franchises eighth instalment.
If you don’t want to know which character will survive be sure to stop reading. This is your SPOILER alert warning.
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Gwendoline Christie’s character Captain Phasma will also appear in Episode VIII. Phasma is rumoured to have a small role in The Force Awakens so it makes sense that she’s sticking around.
The LA Times says the following in their report:
“But you won’t see Phasma tapping out after being carelessly knocked into a sarlacc pit like a wobbly toddler. Kennedy has big plans for Phasma and confirmed that the captain will carry on into the next movie. ‘She’s an important character, a baddie in the best sense of the word.'”
Thoughts on this news? Are you excited to see more of this character in Episode VIII?
Geeks across the globe are ready for the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens next week, but there will be even more to be excited about awaiting them at the screening.
IMAX screenings of The Force Awakens will feature the latest trailers from a number of other highly-anticipated films. American theatres are currently receiving hard drives with a number of trailers to show before The Force Awakens plays.
The package is titled “IMAX Trailer Pack” and includes the latest trailer for v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America: Civil War, Deadpool, Independence Day: Resurgence, The Jungle Book and Warcraft.
Thoughts on this news? Are you excited to see all of these trailers on the big-screen before The Force Awakens begins?
Cate Blanchett (The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit trilogies, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Cinderella, Carol, How To Train Your Dragon) is reportedly in talks with Marvel Studios for a role in Thor: Ragnarok.
Thor: Ragnarok is the third Thor solo film following Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013).
No details on which character Blanchett is in talks for are known.
Thor: Ragnarok is scheduled for release on November 3rd, 2017.
Thoughts on this report? Would you like to see Cate Blanchett play a role in Thor: Ragnarok?
Rumours that Marvel and Netflix’s Iron Fist series was being cancelled were recently quashed. Now further good news has arrived as Scott Buck (Dexter, Six Feet Under, Nikki) has been hired as the showrunner of Iron Fist.
A description of the Iron Fist series has also been revealed. The description reads as follows:
“Returning to New York City after being missing for years, Daniel Rand fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.”
Iron Fist will be the final solo series before The Defenders mini-series, consisting if Iron Fist, Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.
No estimated release date for Iron Fist is currently known.
Thoughts on this news? Are you happy that Scott Buck will be the showrunner of the Iron Fist series?
