On this episode Ben and Zac return to their annual tradition of discuss all of the amazing and hilarious trailers and ads revealed during the most recent Super Bowl. They begin by breaking down the stunningly dense trailer for Marvel's upcoming Disney+ series, which includes footage from The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and Loki. They also touch on some of the other trailers released during the game, including teasers for Black Widow, A Quiet Place: Part II, The Invisible Man, and Mulan. And during the second half of the show they reveal an impromptu "Top Five" segment where Zac and Ben each share their five favorite commercials, including everything from Jeep's hilarious Groundhog Day parody to Pringles' hilarious Rick and Morty ad. They also discuss in depth the news that Sam Raimi, the director of the original Spider-Man trilogy, could be returning to Marvel to direct the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. And later, Ben debuts a new type of #BBQWatch segment that will make you laugh and facepalm. Listen for all that and more!
On the third and final(for now) episode of the "PixArc", Zac and Ben take to reviewing another beloved Pixar film; WALL-E. They dive into this thought provoking film, discussing its stunning use of sound, and lack of dialogue, as well the enthralling visuals and heartwarming story. They also talk about the film's post-apocalyptic setting and its very apt social commentary, in addition to some fascinating trivia and the strange similarities WALL-E shares with the film Passengers. Furthermore, they touch on some news regarding the next Spider-Man sequel Far From Home(and reveal some "exclusive" future Spider-Man film titles), as well as taking a moment to remember Steffan Karl Steffanson, the man behind LazyTown's Robbie Rotten. Tune in for all that and much more!
Star Wars Day may have officially come to an end, but there are still plenty of Star Wars news stories in the works, including an awesome video of American President, Barack Obama, and, his wife Michelle, dancing with characters from The Force Awakens.
To celebrate Star Wars Day, the White House released a video featuring President Obama, his wife Michelle, R2-D2 and First Order troopers. They engaged in a crazy dance-off. Their dancing skills proving equally as funky as the soundtrack they are dancing too.
The famous British radio and television presenter, Chris Moyles, was disbelieved and shocked to discover that one of his co-hosts was unable to tell him who R2-D2 and C-3PO were.
Each weekday the Global Radio Station, Radio X, broadcasts 'The Chris Moyles Breakfast Show'. The show is renown for its light-hearted, morning humour and today was no different. Moyles' co-host, Dave, was unable to distinguish between C-3PO and R2-D2 or provide the collective term for the 'goodies' and 'baddies' of the films (Rebels vs. Empire, Jedi vs. Sith would have all been acceptable answers).
Moyles then subjected Dave to a Star Wars Quiz, which went painfully wrong for Dave. Test yourself at some of these 'difficult' questions by watching this hilarious video below.
It is unfortunate that we have some sad news to report today. Tony Dyson, whom Star Wars fans will know as the original R2-D2 builder, has died at the age of 68. While R2-D2 was conceptualized by the late Ralph McQuarrie, multiple versions of the Droid still had to be physically built for the production of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope in 1976. Lead special effects supervisor John Stears hired Dyson, who owned the White Horse Toy Company at the time, to construct the R2-D2s for the film. In five month's time he built eight Artoos; two that actor Kenny Baker could sit in and operate, several remote controlled versions, and one that was later used in The Empire Strikes Back for scene in which Artoo is spat out by the Dragonsnake on Dagobah.
Later. Dyson would do uncredited effects work on such films as Moonraker(1979) and Superman II(1981) and would later go on start the R2-D2 Builder's Club. Things came full circle recently as two members of the club, Lee Towersey and Oliver Steeples, were hired by Lucasfilm to create droids for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, as well as other upcoming films.
Bringing arguably the most famous robot of all time to life for the first time was a monumental accomplishment, and his legacy will continue to live on as Artoo and other Astromechs continue to grace the big screen forever. Our most sincere condolences go out to the family of Mr. Dyson.
Last night all eyes were on Hollywood as the 88th annual Academy Awards took place! Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens was honored with five Oscar nominations, and while it ended up not taking home the gold, there was plenty of Star Wars mixed into the event. Below we have recapped all of the Star Wars filled moments from the Oscars!
First off, the "year in film" video that opened the event Featured several scenes from The Force Awakens, including BB-8 pulling the tarp of R2-D2(who was replaced with an Oscar), the now infamous "That's not how the Force works" scene, and Finn & Rey's simultaneous "I can do this" lines inside the Millennium Falcon, among others. You can watch it below:
Additionally, The Force Awakens' own Rey, Daisy Ridley, made a huge impression with her appearance on the red carpet. Later she presented the award for Best Documentary Feature alongside Dev Patel:
The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams was on hand to present the award for Best Director:
And Supreme Leader Snoke himself, Andy Serkis, also took the stage to present the award for Best Visual Effects:
It's also worth noting that famed Italian composer Ennio Morricone won the Oscar best original score for his work on The Hateful Eight. In his acceptance speech he payed tribute to fellow composer and nominee John Williams:
Also appearing on stage were the most famous trio of Droids in the Galaxy. C-3PO, R2-D2 and BB-8 walked and rolled their way out on stage while they apparently searched for their seats. Before exiting the stage they managed to give a shout out to John Williams who had just earned his 50th Oscar nomination. You can watch the full skit below:
In the video you may have noticed the a young boy who jumped out of his seat when the Droids came on stage. That was nine year old Jacob Tremblay, who starred in the Oscar nominated film Room alongside Brie Larson, who took home the award for Best Actress later that night. Tremblay is a massive Star Wars fan and showed up on the red carpet wearing Millennium Falcon cuff links and Darth Vader socks:
Later he got to meet Daisy Ridley and the Droids, much to his delight:
Beyond numerous nominations and several Oscars Star Wars has picked up over the years, the saga has rich history with the event dating back to when A New Hope won 6 Oscars in 1978. Check out our recent spotlight article on Oscar acceptance speeches for a trip down memory lane.
We're just mere days away from the premiere of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, but it appears we have at least one more casting confirmation to talk about. While this new cast member may not be Human, her inclusion in The Force Awakens is very significant on several different levels. Albin Johnson, founder of 501st Legion, recently confirmed that the R2-KT, an Astromech Droid created and named in honor of his late daughter Katie, will indeed be appearing in the upcoming film.
The Droid came to be over 10 years ago when Katie Johnson was diagnosed with a brain Tumor and Albin and fellow family members came up with the idea to have a R2-KT watch over the girl as she slept. Unfortunately Katie passed away before the Droid could be fully realized. But that didn't stop R2-KT from making a difference as she went on to participate in various 501st fundraising events and visit other hospitalized children. In 2008 R2-KT was immortalized in CGI animation and made her big screen debut in the theatrical Star Wars: The Clone Wars film alongside another infamous Astromech Droid; R2-D2. She also appeared in a handful of episode of the subsequent animated series of the same name, as well as the Clone Wars Adventures video game and two Lego Star Wars productions.
Last week Albin Johnson released a statement announcing that R2-KT will have a cameo in The Force Awakens, and noted that she appeared briefly in the behind the scenes reel shown at San Diego Comic Con(above) earlier this year. Johnson also spoke with our friends at Geeks Speak and explained how KT landed the role:
“Mary Franklin of Lucasfilm asked me to pitch the idea to Kathleen Kennedy (Lucasfilm President), and after hearing the story of our pink ambassador of hope Lucasfilm requested we ship her off to London early last year. Quick repairs were made and off she went for six months.”
"We've been sitting on the news for over a year, and it was hard work getting her to London. But the excitement over JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy believing in the story behind KT is a huge endorsement to how much the new guard believes in the fans and the true magic behind Star Wars."
It is indeed awesome that the filmmakers behind The Force Awakens were willing to allow R2-KT to live on in live action form. Her cameo will be among the things we will be looking forward to when the film premieres on December 18th!
I think it's safe to say The Force Awakens has been spawning some of the best tie-in commercials ever. Earlier this week we were treated to an incredible Verzon TV spot, and before that Energizer released a memorable commercial. Now the British telecommunications provider O2 has gotten in on the craze with a brand new TV spot that features the three Droid stars of Episode VII. Once again, the commercial plays out like a scene from the film itself, showing R2-D2 and C-3PO walking through the desert on what we can assume is Jakku. Later BB-8 appears and the three meet near some moisture vaporators. This ad is especially significant because it is only the second time we've seen Threepio in action with his new red arm(the aforementioned Energizer commercial was the first). It's also great to hear new dialogue from the one and only Anthony Daniels as Threepio. I also don't believe we've heard BB-8 speak, or beep, this much before.
The Internet has been abuzz with the news that production for Star Wars Episode VIII was in full swing. A plethora of photos surfaced from various sources confirming that filming was taking place on the Irish island of Skellig Michael where director Rian Johnson, and even Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, we're spotted in the area. There have also been reports that a few other Star Wars stars have journeyed to the Island to participate in the filming. Just a few days ago we heard that both BB-8 and R2-D2 had been seen on Skellig Michael, and there was also a rumor floating about that Kenny Baker, who has portrayed R2-D2 in all previous Star Wars films, was there as well. Our friends at Making Star Wars are reporting that the little person seen on set that was believed to be Baker is actually Jimmy Vee.
Vee is a British actor who is know for his roles in Doctor Who and the upcoming film Pan. Star Wars 7 News reports that Vee is part of Warwick Davis' short actors agency. A photo released by the Irish Examiner reportedly shows Jimmy Vee on the docks near Skellig Michael after filming ending on Tuesday.
Standing at 3' 8" tall, Jimmy Vee is the same height as Kenny Baker, which would make him the perfect fit for R2-D2. As strange as it seems to think of someone besides Baker playing the beloved Astromech, this was inevitable. Kenny Baker just turned 81 years old last month, so it's only logical that another actor be chosen to fill in for him when he is unable play Artoo. The conditions on Skellig Michael are said to be particularly challenging, so Baker may have been unable to make the trip to the island.
Of course there's a lot of rumors and speculation here, so take this report with a grain of salt until we hear an official confirmation. Nevertheless, if this is indeed true and Jimmy Vee portraying R2-D2 for at least a portion of Episode VII, we certainly want to wish him the best and welcome him to the Star Wars family.
Star Wars Episode VIII hits theaters on May 26th, 2017!
Looking for something from The Force Awakens to dress up the walls of your Star Wars room? Then the following news might be just for you; Star Wars Action News is reporting that they have acquired photos of three The Force Awakens posters that were reportedly spotted at a Walmart. The trio is shown on the front of a box of rolled and packaged posters that are shown to cost $4.98 each. One features Rey and BB-8 on Jakku surrounded by flying X-Wings, another is adorned with artwork of C-3PO, R2-D2 and BB-8, and the final poster shows a wide assortment of characters, ships and more. Check them out below:
The bottom poster is includes artwork we've seen in various places, most notably in some promo art that leaked from Russia. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled when visiting your local Walmarts and other retailers and be on the lookout for items like this, and of course, be there at 12:01am on Friday for the kickoff of "Force Friday".
Filming for Star Wars Episode VII has officially ended, and on Saturday night the cast & crew celebrated with a wrap party in London. Many of the stars of the film were in attendance, including the most famous Astromech Droid in the Galaxy. A poster by the name of "Edwardowan" on The Replica Prop Forum shared photos from the event which featured a screen used R2-D2 that was on display at the London Science Museum, where the party was held. You can see some of the photos above and below.
Edwardowan explains that he found the photos on Lee Towersey's Facebook page and confirmed that this Artoo was indeed used in the film. Towersey, along with Oliver Steeples, are members of the U.K. R2-D2 Builders Club. It was announced last year that they had both joined the production of Episode VII as part of the creature effects team.
It looks as though, just like his six previous appearances in Star Wars films, he's going to be getting dirty again. I certainly can't wait to see how he got all dirty when Episode VII hits theaters December 18th, 2015!
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