After Live #10: STAR WARS, SOUND CLIPS, & THE RETURN OF JOSH & SINÉAD

Episode 10 of After Live, the unofficial Collider Live after show, is officially here this week your host, Mike, breaks down the week in Collider Live with his co-hosts Shawn and Wade. They cover everything including Star Wars, Jon Favreau's Lion King, the return of Sinéad de Vries, and so much more!

So, sit back and relax, because After Live is back, and better than ever!

Review: STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

For the last three decades of my life, Star Wars has been an integral part of who I am.  I remember watching the Original Trilogy on VHS with my father and being in awe of how amazing and fantastical those films were.  They were some of the very movies that made me fall in love with the sci-fi/fantasy genre and film as a whole.  So, of course, when a new film in the franchise hits the big screen, I will absolutely be there to experience it.  I did it with all the prequels, and I’ve done it with all the new films.  Which brings me to the topic at hand -- The Last Jedi. 

Side By Side: STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE (1977) vs. STAR WARS: THE FORCEAWAKENS (2015)

Welcome to another installment of SIDE BY SIDE, where we dissect the differences and similarities between two films, be it a remake/reboot with its original, a sequel with its original, or two similar movies. This weekend, as a little number called The Last Jedi takes over, we compare the film that launched a franchise, 1977's STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE with its remake-slash-sequel thrice removed, 2015's STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS.

Star Wars' Force Friday II Introduces "Find The Force" Augmented Reality Event

A new product line for Star Wars: The Last Jedi launches globally at 12:01am on September 1st, with more that 20,000 retail locations worldwide becoming home to augmented reality Star Wars characters from September 1-3. 

Family Movie Night: JEDI JUNIOR HIGH

Welcome to another installment of FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT, where we give our recommendation on a family-friendly movie to enjoy. This week we review the 2014 documentary, JEDI JUNIOR HIGH.

Once upon a time in 2009, in the Anaheim suburb of Costa Mesa, CA, a group of children and pre-teens were gathered to stage a musical version of The Empire Strikes Back, the fifth installment in the Star Wars saga. The budget was low, the rehearsal time was short, and the talent was about where you would expect it to be with a bunch of child actors. Jedi Junior High tells the story of that strange and heroic undertaking.

EDITORIAL: Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Over-creating

“There are a few significant things that happen in Han Solo’s life, like acquiring a certain vehicle and meeting a certain Wookiee that will happen in this film. But you will also discover how he got his name.” 

—Bob Iger, Disney CEO on the new Han Solo Movie

There are questions you'd probably rather never know the answers to. Since Disney’s 2012 purchase of Lucasfilm, we have seen a push for new films, toys, games, and other sellable items (hello Star Wars CoffeeMate Coffee Creamer). At first, admittedly, I was incredibly excited. A chance for new Star Wars movies? Perhaps an Indiana Jones movie if we are lucky? New video games and clothes? Even a Star Wars Universe at Disney World?! Hell yes. However, with this new parent company looking to make a return on their $4 billion investment, we are seeing some things that I think could taint the Star Wars universe, just like what has happened with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Trailer Review: STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (Teaser Trailer #1)

Today was the second day of Star Wars Celebration 2017, and to kick off the festivities, fans the world over were treated to a fantastic panel for the upcoming saga film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi.  The panel, moderated by Star Wars super fan Josh Gad, featured LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy and The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson as they chatted about the new film.  We also got to see some stars of the film, including Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, newcomer Kelly Marie Tran (who plays a new character named Rose), and of course, Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill.  It was an amazing panel and Josh Gad killed it as moderator.  We got our first look at the official teaser poster (seen below), and the thing we've all been waiting for, the very first teaser trailer!

TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2017

With 2016 coming to a close, we at Merc With A Movie Blog have compiled a list of the 10 films in 2017 that we are most looking forward to watching.  So instead of jabbing away, let's just get right to it, starting with #10......

EDITORIAL: A Tribute to Carrie Fisher

Tragedy struck just before Christmas when we all heard news that the enigmatic Carrie Fisher had suffered a massive heart attack on a flight between London and Los Angeles. That tragedy was made all the more painful on December 27^th as we learned that the brilliant actress had passed away as a result.

Movie Review: ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (¡SPOILERS!)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the eighth theatrically released live-action film in the Star Wars franchise. It is also the first of the “anthology” “spin-off” films that LucasFilm is planning to do to expand the scope of the franchise. The film tells the story of a group of Rebel spies who steal the plans to the Death Star and set off the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The film is directed by Godzilla-director Gareth Edwards and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen, and Alan Tudyk. This film was, in my view, a resounding success on many grounds and succeeded at breaking the mold and telling a fascinating and engaging story in a different way in the Star Wars universe!

EDITORIAL: Why Rey Should Be A Skywalker

Hello Star Wars fans! As another December rolls around we are blessed with another Star Wars film with the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In light of the “Star Wars mood” I wanted to write an editorial on an issue that has been rampant in the news lately and related to the film we got last year, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. That issue is the parentage of Rey, our female heroine from this new trilogy. This editorial will discuss some of the conversation about her lineage and will then argue why she should, for the purposes of story consistency, be a Skywalker.

Movie Review: ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

It feels kind of pointless to give a synopsis for this film given the fact that anyone even half conscious about cinema knows this film is coming out, but, for the sake of it, lets give it a go.

Rogue One is the first film in the new anthology series of Star Wars films, which follow separate stories from the main saga films, which focus on the classic characters. Here the premise is simple, we follow the Rebellion as it comes to know more about the Death Star and how they came to steal the plans which kick off the start of A New Hope.

This Week In Movie News: 10/9 - 10/15

Hey there, movie fans!  Welcome to a new edition of THIS WEEK IN MOVIE NEWS, where we compile all the top movie news for the week and bring it to you all in one convenient place.  So, without further ado, here's the news:

Trailer Review: ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (Trailer #3)

It’s here! It’s here! The final trailer is here! This morning on Good Morning America the good folks over at Disney and LucasFilm dropped the third and final trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (a title I’m still not on board with (I supported Star Wars Anthologies) but either way). As with any Star Wars trailer the hype is always at a fever pitch and no less so in this case when we had the news of it surprisingly dropped on us yesterday.

This Week In Movie News: 8/14 - 8/20

Hey there, movie fans!  Welcome to a new edition of THIS WEEK IN MOVIE NEWS, where we compile all the top movie news for the week and bring it to you all in one convenient place.  So, without further ado, here's the news:

MOVIE TRAILER MAYHEM: The Dark Lord Of The Sith Finally Appears In New 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Trailer

Welcome to MOVIE TRAILER MAYHEM, where we gather up all the new trailers that dropped this week and give them to you all in one place.

This week we got some pretty big trailers, including new ones for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Doctor Strange, and first looks at Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and Bad Santa 2.  We also saw trailers for some interesting indie films like Brother Nature, Moonlight, and The Sea Of Trees.

Short Film Spotlight: STAR WARS: EXILE - PART 1

Welcome back to another installment of SHORT FILM SPOTLIGHT.  This week, we take a look at the amazing Star Wars short film...STAR WARS: EXILE - Part 1.

Weekly Comic Pull #14: All the World is Waiting

Welcome to this week's installment of the Weekly Comic Pull, where I go over everything I've been reading in the world of comics. This week, we'll be pulling double duty, as I figured, seeing as this week was short enough, I could do an extra large pull with a more interesting smattering of things. So, without further adeu, let's start off with something a bit more off the beaten path...

MOVIE TRAILER MAYHEM: 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Featurette Shows New Footage; Liam Neeson Shows His Beastly Side In 'A Monster Calls'

Welcome to MOVIE TRAILER MAYHEM, where we gather up all the new trailers that dropped this week and give them to you all in one place.

This week, fans were treated to a special Rogue One featurette, showing some behind-the-scenes stuff and brand new footage, though most were expecting an actual trailer release.  We also got the second trailer for Liam Neeson's A Monster Calls and a red band look at the upcoming indie flick, The Edge of Seventeen.  And don't forget about the trailer for Syfy's next installment in their hit film franchise, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.

Weekly Comic Pull #3: All the World's a Stage

Welcome to this week's installment of the Weekly Comic Pull, where I review all the new comics in my pull list this week. This week, we'll be visiting Gotham, Hell's Kitchen, and a galaxy far, far away for perhaps the longest pull I've done so far. So strap in, and enjoy the ride!