Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens review

Rest assured Star Wars fans. You won’t have to complain endlessly about how Director J.J. Abrams further ruined your childhood. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is everything we initially loved about the franchise and exceeds expectations that will likely leave a new generation obsessed about a franchise from a galaxy far, far away. 

Han and Lando reunite at Star Wars Force Awakens premiere

Just finished wrapping up my Force Awakens review. Stay tuned. For now, enjoy these pics from the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” US premiere at the Dolby Theatre, TCL Chinese Theatre and El Capitan Theatre on Monday.

Among the highlights for me was Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams reconnecting and seeing the new cast members reveling in the excitement and the fanfare of their hard work.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens poster reveals new Jedi, old Han Solo

John Boyega’s character Finn is shaping up to be a pivotal character in the new Star Wars trilogy.

I was already excited about his involvement in the series as he was positioned to be part of the new trio of main heroes alongside Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) much in the same way Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia were in the original trilogy.

But with the reveal from D23 courtesy of a promo poster given to fans in attendance, Finn looks to be far more important in the coolest way possible.

Olivia Munn is a perfect Psylocke and other ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ first takes

We got our first glimpse of Oscar Isaac as the titular character in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse,’ thanks to Entertainment Weekly, but the most impressive reveal was Olivia Munn’s Psylocke.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens SDCC panel video and pictures

SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 10: (L-R) Actors Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford at the Hall H Panel for `Star Wars: The Force Awakens` during Comic-Con International 2015 at the San Diego Convention Center on July 10, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

Beyond the latest figure reveals and the occasional cool panel, there’s not a lot of times I’ve really felt like I missed out on not physically being present at San Diego Comic Con.

The ‘Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens‘ cast and filmmakers panel would be one of those times. After all, it’s not like you see Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher together and then to symbolically pass the torch to the next generation of Star Wars trilogy stars.

‘Ex Machina’ review – sci-fi thinker is mesmerizing

We’re living in a new age of high quality science fiction films each of which are equally unique and thought-provoking. ‘Ex Machina’ takes a well-deserved seat near the front of the class with a spellbinding  character study mystery made even more fascinating by the thought that its premise is far closer to becoming reality than most of its sci-fi peers.

‘Ex Machina’ director Alex Garland on hero identity crisis

Alex Garland is a name if you aren’t already familiar with you should put him down as a filmmaker you absolutely will want to keep a close eye on in the future.

Garland, the writer of ‘28 Days Later‘ and ‘Dredd,’ makes his directorial debut with ‘Ex Machina,’ a fascinating look at an Artificial Intelligence that leaves you considering the potential amazing and frightening future in front of us.

Garland was nice enough to take some time out of promoting the film to talk with me about ‘Ex Machina,’ what he wanted audiences to get, the challenges of adding directorial duties to screenwriting responsibilities and why so many blockbuster films are wasting money.