Star Wars VII Begins Filming

The Official Bad Robot Twitter snuck a photo out last night to signify that filming on the still untitled Star Wars Episode VII is underway at the Pinewood Studios in London. I'm curious though as to why filming began on a Friday, wondering if it's wardrobe and make-up tests rather than actual principal photography? That's just my speculation but still interesting that their production week would start Friday.

Anxiously awaiting more gems to keep the buzz going, can't wait for more to start and trickle out from filming! 

CORRECTION: Looks like the excitement got the better of me. The Star Wars VII main unit is actually underway in Abu Dahbi (Nermal has yet to be spotted), while Pinewood Studios London either awaits the unit to travel there or is currently filming with a second unit.

Zack Snyder Reveals First Look at Affleck's Batman

Filmmaker Zack Snyder has taken to his personal Twitter account to reveal the new look of Batman as he'll be seen in the still untitled Batman/Superman film. Yesterday, the director Tweeted an image of the Batmobile underneath a tarp to tease his fans that a first look was on the way. Today, the image above was posted to his Twitter showing a brooding Ben Affleck in the Batsuit next to the cockpit of a fully redesigned Batmobile.

The new Batmobile looks like a cross between the Christopher Nolan Tumbler with some of the stylelines seen in previous incarnations of the iconic vehicle. Perhaps the hybrid imagery is to help draw some lines between the previous Dark Knight Trilogy and this new film, or perhaps it's just a coincidence that the looks are similar?

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A tease posted to Zack Snyder's Twitter account showing the Batmobile's posterior. (Courtesy Zack Snyder)

In terms of Affleck's Batsuit, the biggest element of note are the smaller ears at the top of the cowl, a cool nod to the suit's earlier incarnations. I'm also a fan of the giant-sized Dark Knight Returns logo that spans the entirety of his chest. Are we about to see the Goddamn Batman represented on screen? 

The Galaxy Would Have Been Much Safer with a Mom

Say what you will about the Star Wars prequels, there's one thing that's abundantly clear from those three stories: if Anakin Skywalker's mom would have survived there might not have been a Darth Vader and the events in the classic trilogy may have never happened. Everything would have been shiny, happy, Ewoks dancing around and playing -- well, there wouldn't have been Stormtroopers so I don't know what they'd be using as drums. Does Endor have coconuts? 

One of the most emotional moments in The Phantom Menace (besides the tears we all shed that it was the film we had all been waiting for and it was about diplomacy and trade embargoes, fun!) was a tender moment when Anakin's mother entrusts his care to a complete stranger that they had only met earlier that day. Despite the rough acting, there's an amazing John Williams cue that really builds the emotionality of the moment and stresses the importance of what the audience is viewing. This is the moment that Darth Vader is born. It's not when he kills a bunch of Tusken Raiders, it's not when he (I guess?) kills Padme(?), it's this moment when he has to say goodbye to his mom.

If you follow the sequence of events from that point forward, if he wouldn't have left his mother, she presumably would have been with him when she was sold and found love. Anakin would have been a teenaged kid (or he's like 30 in the movie but… whatever) so he might have been able to fend off the Tusken Raiders when they attacked. Oh, and that small detail that Anakin wouldn't have gone to learn how to use his Force abilities so that he could choke out some Admirals later down the line. If Anakin doesn't say goodbye to Shmi Skywalker in that emotional moment, they all might have lived happily ever after.

Moms are pretty darn important, no matter if you're on the verge of being one of the biggest Force-weilding strong-arms in the galaxy or if your mom is just a few states away. Think of where you might be without the guidance of your mom… you might just have become Darth Vader too.

The Less-Than-Amazing Spider-Man?

Reaction this weekend to the Amazing Spider-Man sequel has been extremely polarized, with much of the negative criticism focusing on the over-population of characters in the film (mainly the villains, which many speculate is just set-up for the Sinister Six film).

Normally, I'd be the first person in line for a Spider-Man sequel but admittedly, I've been a little on the fence about seeing the film too. I didn't see the first film in the theaters, opting to catch it later from the comfort of my home and was underwhelmed by the experience. While the characterizations of Peter, Gwen, and Aunt May were spot-on the focus of the story and the uneven tone caught me completely off-guard. Plus, that film also had a big villain problem. Even sitting here trying to reflect on the origins and motivations of Curt Collins/Lizard, I couldn't tell you a single detail, which speaks worlds for how memorable it might have been.

I think the biggest problem with the Spider-Man series is that it hasn't adapted in the same way that many of the big tentpole superhero films have (with the most recent Captain America: The Winter Soldier being the biggest example). Many superhero films have opted to first aim to be a great genre film with intriguing characters that just so happen to have some superhero elements scattered throughout. Whereas it feels like the Spider-Man films keep holding to the model of superhero first, origins of things second, oh and then we should put a story in there somewhere.

I will end up seeing ASM2 at some point, most likely in the same way that I saw the first film: from the comfort of my home watching the Blu-ray edition. But I'm hoping that some sort of immediacy is placed on the character and his film franchise in the future that makes me want to go see it opening weekend. A character of Spider-Man's stature deserves that.