Source: Wired | Posted By: Dan Geer

While Thor: The Dark World didn’t score as big of an opening as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire did this past weekend at the box office (or Iron Man 3, for that matter), it still is one of the more exciting blockbusters to have premiered this year. This writer, for one, thought it topped the original (which I also liked), and enjoyed it just about as much as Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. And, while the main things to make the film superior to 2011’s Thor were the film’s story and intriguing plot twists, Thor: The Dark World also managed to up the ante in terms of visual effects.

In a new featurette for the film from Wired, the advances in pre-visualization techniques are highlighted, as well as the fact that many practical effects were still used in the film. Hit the jump to watch!

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Source: Peter Jackson Facebook | Collider | Posted By: Dan Geer

Need something to hold you over before the release of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug next month? Well, how about a new (and long-overdue) behind-the-scenes production diary, video of today’s worldwide Live Q&A Fan event with Jackson and company, and an epic new trailer? Yeah, I think that just might do it.

Today’s Live fan event, which was simulcast all around the world, covered a wide range of topics surrounding The Hobbit Trilogy, including what it was like coming back to the production this past summer for 10 additional weeks of shooting, which apparently was the toughest block of shooting Jackson had ever endured in his life. Fans were joined by the likes of Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lily, Lee Pace, Richard Armitage, Peter Jackson, and others to answer questions fans have been dying to have answered. On top of that, the event saw the debut of Production Video #12 as well as a brand trailer for the film, which I’m guessing will be the last one we see before the film’s debut next month. You can check out everything in one video after the jump (or just watch the trailer and Production Video separately).

So sit back, relax, and take in a very heavy dose of Middle Earth!

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Source: LA Times | Posted By: Dan Geer

This past May, it was revealed that Dave Filoni, supervising director of the recently canceled Star Wars: The Clone Wars, was hard at work at Lucasfilm as executive producer on an all-new CG-animated series called Star Wars Rebels, which will focus on the time period between Star Wars: Episodes III & IV and show the rise of the Empire and the elimination of the remaining Jedi Knights scattered throughout the galaxy. Needless to say, Star Wars fans are eager for details, almost as much as for anything regarding J.J. Abrams’  upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII.

As it turns out, Filoni revealed quite  a bit this weekend at New York Comic-Con, not only giving us more details about the series, but also our first glimpse of a main villain he calls “The Inquisitor,” whom Darth Vader himself appoints to help hunt down the remaining Jedi Knights. Hit the jump for the full image, details on the series, and a behind-the-scenes video!

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Source: Yahoo! Movies | Posted By: Dan Geer

Marvel has really been on a role these last few months. Iron Man 3 was a huge hit, ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. scored huge ratings for television this past Tuesday, and November 8th will see the debut of Thor: The Dark World. In order to prep us for the sequel to 2011’s Thor, Yahoo! has released a short featurette that doesn’t really tell us anything new, but does get us excited for the film nonetheless with a little bit of new footage from the film, and brief interviews with Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki). Hit the jump to check it out!

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Source: Batman News | Posted By: Dan Geer

The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector’s Edition makes it way onto Blu-ray tomorrow, September 24rh, and it arrives with tons of new extras for die-hard bat-fans to behold. In addition to the three films and the bonus features that were included in their original retail releases, this Ultimate set also includes an extra disc with hours more of behind-the-scenes features, as well as a Hot Wheels Batmobile, Batpod, Bat, posters, and even a 48-page hardcover book filled with images from the making of the film.

The highlight of the set is the 76-minute documentary titled The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy, which includes interviews with Christopher Nolan, Damon Lindelof, Richard Roeper, Zack Snyder, Michael Mann, Guillermo Del Toro, and various Warner Brothers executives and producers discussing the making of the films. One chapter of the documentary, called Ensemble, includes Christian Bale’s audition for the role of Batman – wearing non other than the Sonar Bat Suit actor Val Kilmer wore in Joel Schumaker’s Batman Forever! Warner Brothers was nice enough to release this awesome footage online, and you can check it out after the jump!

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Source: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Posted By: Dan Geer

Every comic and movie geek around the world knows how fans reacted nearly a month ago to the news of Ben Affleck being cast in Zack Snyder’s Batman vs. Superman. Essentially, it was the same thing that happened to Michael Keaton, Heath Ledger, and Anne Hathaway with other Batman films (all three actors were viciously maligned before their film came out, and generally well-received after fans saw their work in context), and yet people seem to somehow think that their negative reaction to Affleck actually means something this time around. Who are they kidding?

Well, as expected, Ben Affleck feels the same way, and he has finally commented publicly on the news on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. You can check out the clip after the jump!

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Source: Yahoo! Movies | Posted By: Dan Geer

Yes, just like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit films are getting extended versions as well. While fans of Peter Jackson’s take on Middle Earth have known this for quite some time now, the official details on the Extended Cut of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey have been released, as well as the first clip, featuring a nice little chat between Elrond and Bilbo that further connects the film with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Hit the jump to read the press release and watch the clip!

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Source: Star Wars Celebration Europe | Collider | Posted By: Dan Geer

Ever since it was announced that Star Wars: Episode VII is going to be made, one of the big things fans of the Saga have been wondering (besides what the story will be, who will star in it, etc.) is if John Williams, who composed all six of the previous films in the series, would return to score the film. After all, Episode VII director J.J. Abrams usually works with Michael Giacchino to compose his projects, and Williams is getting up there in age (he’s 81 now). While it is still unconfirmed who will score Episodes VIII & IX, it was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe that Williams will indeed be back to score Episode VII (although I’m sure that if he’s still alive and well that they’ll ask him to return for VIII & IX).

This really should come as no surprise to those who have been closely following Episode VII news. Williams recently shared his desire to return to the Saga earlier this year, and director J.J. Abrams later made the comment that Williams would likely be scoring the film. But it is great to finally get confirmation on this, since a great deal of the success of Star Wars and how the films resonate with fans emotionally is due to the genius of John Williams and his iconic musical themes. Hit the jump to read the press release and watch a brief interview with Williams discussing his return to the Saga!

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Source: MTV | Posted By: Dan Geer

San Diego Comic-Con is currently underway, and MTV got the chance to speak to Harrison Ford there about the prospect of returning for Star Wars Episode VII, and what he thinks of J.J. Abrams taking on the project. Of course, since no official announcement has been made on whether or not any of the cast members from the original Star Wars Trilogy will return for the sequel(s), Ford humorously dodges the question of his return to the franchise. But he does indeed have some very good things to say about Abrams, and anything with Ford talking about Star Wars is worth watching anyways, right? Hit the jump to check it out!

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Source: Film Maker IQ | Posted By: Dan Geer

Have you ever wondered why a film you watch sometimes has black bars on the top and bottom of the image, and sometimes it doesn’t (or why older films and TV shows have them on the left and right)? Or maybe you know why, but don’t really understand terms like “anamorphic widescreen,” or “16×9.” With so much information out there on the subject, even cinephiles don’t always understand everything there is to know about “aspect ratio” (the ratio of the width of an image to the height).

In response, Film Maker IQ has released a wonderful educational video that breaks down this very concept in The Changing Shape of Cinema: The History of Aspect Ratio. While it’s not even 20 minutes long, and doesn’t tell you everything (I wish it covered IMAX in more detail), it does lay out in easy-to-understand terms and visuals just what exactly aspect ratio is and how we got to our current aspect ratio standards, for both film and television. It is definitely for anyone who has ever been confused about the concept, or simply wants to know more about it. Check it out below!

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