Trailer Thursday: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

I know I’m a week late on this one, but seeing as we have watched this badass new Star Wars trailer probably a hundred times this last week alone there was just no way I could not share it here. In the past week I have been training my own little Jedi on the history and lore of the Star Wars universe and priming her for what to expect from the next chapter, J.J. Abrams hotly-anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Hell, I even sat through The Return of the Jedi with her on Sunday. Greta loved it, but let me tell ya, Jedi has not aged well, amigos. There were a few scenes that were so bad they actually made me question whether The Phantom Menace really is the worst film in the series. I mean, some of those “heavy acting” scenes with Luke and Leia…yikes! Needless to say, Greta and I are ready to get this new trilogy started already! Seriously, when can we get in line?!

And now, even though you’ve probably seen it a hundred plus times already yourself, here again is the second official trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Happy Trailer Thursday!

 

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Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)

Most people knew him as Mr. Spock, but I'll remember Leonard Nimoy best as the host of the spooky-ass TV show In Search Of. Man, I can't even begin to tell you how many sleepless nights my brother and I spent watching that show. The creepy theme music and archival footage was scary enough, but it was Nimoy's voice that really killed us. Whew, that show scared the shit out of us, especially when we watched it on my Mom's old B&W TV. Terrifying!

The Bigfoot and various UFO episodes were probably the most memorable, but, it was the Bermuda Triangle episode that seriously haunted my dreams. I actually lived in mortal fear of being sucked into the Bermuda Triangle for years. In fact, I still get creeped out every time I fly over water. But, hey, don't take my word for it. Check out the clip and see for yourself! So scary!

I actually met Nimoy a couple of years back at the 36th Annual Saturn Awards. I think he was there for some sort of Lifetime Acheivement award or something. Anyway I took a picture with him afterwards and he was one of the sweetest, most gracious celebrities I've ever met. Which was kind of shocking considering that he spent most of his life no doubt hounded by crazy Trekkies and film geeks like me. Not only was he friendly, cool and totally down-to-earth, but Nimoy was genuinely nice to boot. I met a lot of cool folks that night, but he was my favorite.

Thanks for all the memories, Mr. Nimoy. You will be missed…

 

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Trailer Thursday: “Interstellar”

Since premiering at Comic Con a couple of weeks ago, this new, extended trailer for the upcoming flick Interstellar has been thrilling sci-fi geeks everywhere. I finally saw it yesterday without having heard anything about the movie and I was totally along for the ride based on the, pun intended, “stellar” cast involved alone.

But once I saw that the mad genius at the helm was Christopher-freaking-Nolan, well, that pretty much sealed the deal. I literally cannot wait to see this movie! So cool!!

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Criterion Collection 50% sale starts today!

Film geeks, rejoice! The entire Criterion Collection of DVD’s, Blu-Ray and yes, even videotapes (if you can still find them) is 50% off at Barnes & Noble stores and online. So, even if you don’t have a store near you, there’s no reason not to indulge in some classic film buying this weekend!

This has been a real banner year for Criterion, with loads of badass flicks — Rosemary’s Baby, Band of Outsiders, Things To Come, The Ice Storm — making their Blu-Ray debut, but I’m most excited about two movies right now. The first is Terrence Malick’s Badlands, which is not only one of my top three movies of all time, but is also the movie I stole my voice over style from when I was first learning to write. I stole from Malick’s Days of Heaven too. I mean, hey, if you’re gonna steal, steal from the best, right?

Anyway, I’m dying to see how Badlands looks in HD, those sunsets, that mythically cool burning house, the lushly beautiful segment where they’re living in the treehouse in the woods, man, I’m salivating at the thought of it! Actually, I was so excited to buy this movie that I saved up my birthday money (since April) in anticipation of this sale. Yes, I’m that cheap, but, also, if you know me well, you know that not spending my birthday money immediately is next to impossible. So, I like to think of this as a lesson in delayed gratification.

But, truth be told, I’d much rather pay $20 for a Blu-Ray than $40. Especially when there’s more than one movie I want! See, I also have had my eye on Alex Cox’s punk, sci-fi classic, Repo Man, which also made it’s Blu-Ray debut earlier this year. My brother and Dad and I watched the shit out of Repo Man when we were kids and I remember really loving it, but, I haven’t watched it all the way through in years. So, I can’t wait to see how it holds up.

All I remember are all those grungy shots of 1980’s Los Angeles, that crazy glowing light in the trunk and that killer soundtrack. Man, that record (yes, we had the LP) was like our punk rock primer back in the day, so awesome! The Blu-Ray is said to feature a couple of extras dedicated strictly to the soundtrack and even includes an interview with crusty old Iggy Pop, so, sign me up, man!

The Barnes & Noble sale ends on July 29th, so, if you’re interested in picking up some epically cool Criterion Collection Blu-Rays on the cheap for yourself, or, you know, your favorite stay-at-home-dad, get shopping!

Location:Los Angeles, CA