Seven Minutes of Star Wars: Rebels Released

While many are reporting it as "the first seven minutes" of Star Wars: Rebels, what feels like an excerpt from the show has been released giving us our first extended look at the show in context. Or at least, I'm hoping it's not a direct lift of the first seven minutes. It still feels a little rough around the edges. What's with that strange title treatment placement/Rebel theme to the hard cut to black? Will this be the formula of every show, with a short 30-second cold open? Seems strange and hoping that's just result of it being a marketing clip.

The segment acts as a great introduction to Ezra and the planet of Lothal - where we're led to believe most of Star Wars: Rebels will be taking place. You definitely get a strong feeling of how the Empire will be portrayed as an imposing force on the people of the city, and how Ezra channels his inner Aladdin to find food to eat.

But the clip is a strange introduction to the rest of the cast who are limited to a few incidental pieces of dialog within the action sequence... "He's on your left!" "You better hope the big guy doesn't catch up to you!" "Look out!" It's great to see and hear the speeder bikes, which inherently make it feel like Star Wars, but it still feels a little sleepy. Hopefully it's a result of pilot syndrome and the series will pick up steam as it goes along (much as the Clone Wars did).

I might also be jaded having just watched the final episodes of Clone Wars Season Six on Netflix, and especially "Voices" and "Destiny" feel so much like integral parts of the Star Wars world that it's strange to be back in a weird grey area.

We'll see how this fits into the entirety of the episode in context when the show debuts in October (and hopefully Disney XD will finally be in high-definition on Dish Network by that time).

Take a look at the "first" (?) seven minutes of the pilot episode and let us know what you think?

Gushing About The Guardians

From the moment Peter (aka "Star-Lord") Quill breaks the cliche careful Indiana Jones approach to collect an artifact within an ancient temple, kicking on his Sony Walkman and sauntering and dancing in time to Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love", I knew I was hooked.

Guardians has been crushing it at the box-office this weekend, and rightly so... the film is infused with a lot of fun, a lot of nostalgia and reverence for the films that it have inspired it, and all-in-all is an incredibly fulfilling experience.

After several promising trailers, my anticipation (and my expectations) of Marvel's latest Guardians of the Galaxy were higher that normal for blockbuster films. I've adopted a new policy as of late with films that I'm eagerly anticipating that I'll watch the proper release trailers and then nothing else in order to keep as much surprise as possible to the experience of seeing the film. Especially in this spoiler-frenzy based internet world, it's pretty difficult. I'd often have to quickly close web browser pages or excuse myself from conversations in order to avoid any details. In fact, just before heading to the theater on Sunday, I was in conversation with the webmaster of SHIELDtv.net and she almost divulged a surprise literally an hour or two before viewing. But sticking my head in the sand and knowing very little about a film has worked out pretty well with movies like Snowpiercer, The Winter Soldier and others and actually heightened the experience.

Truth be told, if I were still an eight-year old kid, I'd be going bonkers right now for Guardians. Wanting every toy, wanting to be Star-Lord on the playground during recess, it's that type of film that I can only hope the younger set will latch onto the way that I think I would have. I plan on seeing the film on the big screen (and suggest that you do the same) at least once or twice more - there's so many things in the background of The Collector's vault like Dark Elves, and artifacts and others that I couldn't take in completely in one viewing. So caught up in the fun and excitement of the main story, my eyes didn't wander much around the frame to glimpse any of the amazing detail that was put into the film.

And so shocked at who appears in the tag at the end of the credits was I, that I didn't get to enjoy the whole moment because I was too busy exclaiming out loud, "What!? WHAT??!" I won't spoil this moment here in hopes that the experience for those of you who haven't seen it won't be ruined for you either - we can discuss in the comments section for those that wish to remain spoiler-free - but it was another one of those moments where you have to admire Marvel for giving their audience the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure other executives would have taken that moment and said, "You know, I don't think a lot of people are going to understand this. Can't we do something with more mass appeal?" But Marvel sticks to its guns and delivers once again.

Thanks Guardians of the Galaxy for reminding me how much damn fun summer movies can be again. Eight-year old me and thirty-something year old me are both incredibly appreciative.

In Stores Now: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season One Declassified

I was sitting having lunch during a break on the set of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with three of the amazing Marvel folks that work on the show, Megan Thomas Bradner, Samantha Thomas and Emma Fleischer. As often happens on a film set, the conversation turned existential and we started talking about things that we've always wanted to do in our lives.

As a kid growing up in Franktown, Colorado my only exposure to the behind the scenes of films and TV were the short segments on Entertainment Tonight, Scott Patrick's occasional Hollywood One-on-One show that aired at one in the morning on KUSA, and the amazing "Making Of" books that were readily available at the library. Lengthy love letters to films that poured over every detail, gave you glimpses at concept art, behind the scenes photos, deleted scenes, and storyboards that gave you a slice of what it was like to be a part of the production. I probably still hold the record for most times Alan Arnold's Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of the Making of Empire Strikes Back was checked out from the Parker Public Library. Don Shay and Jody Duncan's Making of Jurassic Park was a volume that read cover to cover more times than I could count on family road trips. I still guard a copy of Making Ghostbusters as if it were my birth certificate. And J.W. Rinzler's amazing Making Of books for the Star Wars trilogy as of late have been absolutely outstanding.

So, in that moment at lunch, I mentioned that I'd always wanted to write making of books like those I had grown up reading. I don't know where it came from. Like Ray Stantz says, "it just popped in there." But apparently those three amazing Marvel execs took note, and several weeks later they had vouched for me and helped me embark on my first adventure as a Making Of book author.

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My wife was kind enough to photograph me like Christmas morning when the final copy arrived via FedEx on 7/11/14.

In the introduction of the book, you'll read that I had the pleasure of chronicling one of the most welcoming and familial sets on which I've ever had the pleasure of working. One of the absolutely enduring things about some film sets is that a bond is created with those that work on the show and no matter what the challenges are, that warm kindness never fades. Long days and late nights didn't stop many from always greeting me with a smile and a handshake or a chuck on the shoulder. You often hear people speak of their sets feeling like a family, but this is one that it's the absolute truth.

What resulted with the book is a cool hybrid between an episode guide and analysis, behind the scenes, and a reference book that makes me immensely proud. My hope is that it gives fans old and new a background on the series' origins, some insight that helps them see the series through the writers room's eyes, and that it's something that can be read and re-read as many times as I tore through that Making of Jurassic Park book. Marvel always does such an incredible job with their Art Of books, that I can only hope this is a fitting companion to those awesome compilations.

In the Acknowledgements, there were far too many people to thank to list. The amazing editors that were patient and kind probably would have flogged me for trying. Those that championed for me, that helped me out by sending me photos and information, who spent huge chunks of time in the middle of trying to finish out the tail end of a whirlwind first season's worth of episodes to sit down and conduct interviews for the book with me. Here's just a handful of those names of people who I owe an enormous debt to for so many reasons, and whose book this truly is regardless of who it says wrote it (and apologies to any that I've left out still):

Sabrina Arnold, Scott Bauer, Jeffrey Bell, John Bernstein, Thomas Boucher, Megan Thomas Bradner, Garry A. Brown, Sarah Brunstad, Katie Carroll, "Chewie", Marc Christie, Gary D'Amico, D.J. Doyle, Allen Easton, Sarah Halley Finn, Emma Fleischer, Brent Fletcher, Ann Foley, Blair Foord, Shalisha Francis, Kenn Fuller, Tanner Gill, Tamara Hunter, Kyle Jewell, Rafe Judkins, George Kitson, Mark Kolpack, Harmony Kummer, Brian Kwan, Lauren LeFranc, Jeph Loeb, Lee Malin, Geoffrey Mandel, Bear McCreary, Gregory Melton, Monica Owusu-Breen, Denise Anderson Poore, Corey Reeser, Greg Rementer, Nelson Ribeiro, Erin Shade, Arune Singh, Daniel Spilatro, Sonya Strich, Samantha Thomas, Aiyana Trotter, Joe Quesada, John Vertrees, Jed Whedon, Joss Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon, Maileen Williams, Jeff Youngquist, Paul Zbyszewski and so many others including the amazing cast who was so patient with me, that it's not even funny.

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The truth is, I had the time of my life working on this book. For me, having that volume on my shelf will remind me of the amazing time that I had and the incredible people that I met in the process. I'm so tremendously grateful to have been a small part of everything, and can't wait to take all that I've learned from them into whatever the next adventure may bring.

WB and Zack Snyder Reveal First Look at Wonder Woman

San Diego Comic-Con Saturdays are usually reserved for the heavy-hitters, and the day started not with a bang but with a thunderous explosion that overwhelmed both those in the infamous Hall H and those on social networks.

Zack Snyder, director of the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice took the stage and showed a brief but impactful teaser which gave the audience their first glimpse at an armor-clad Batman facing off with Superman. 

Not only that, but Snyder was briefly joined by Henry Cavill (Superman), Ben Affleck (Batman) and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) and the all-new Wonder Woman costume was revealed. No pants, no leather jackets, the purists should be pretty happy. What do you guys think?