The Art of Rancho Obi-Wan
Steve Sansweet, owner of the world’s largest Star Wars collection, gave Star Wars fans a peek at it at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, with focus on fan-made Star Wars items. Steve tells How Stuff Works all about his fantastic collection here:
Uploaded May 16, 2015.
Uploaded May 20, 2015.
Experience Rancho Obi-Wan for yourself! Details here.
Reach for the Stars
In 1987, Studio Gainax released its first theatrical feature, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise (王立宇宙軍 オネアミスの翼, Ōritsu Uchūgun – Oneamisu no Tsubasa), directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga. What if the story of The Right Stuff happened on another world? On behalf of the Kingdom of Honneamise, Cosmonaut Shirotsugh Lhadat is set to pilot the first manned rocket into space–but can it be launched in time before the hostile Republic can shoot it down?
Watch:
Teasing Star Wars: The Force Awakens
On April 16, 2015, Star Wars Celebration Anaheim premiered Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser #2, to the roaring enthusiasm to the fans in attendance, and to the world itself through the internet.
Shortly thereafter, filmmaker Oskar Arnarson thought it’d be fun to show Matthew Mcconaughey’s reaction to the teaser, mashing footage from Interstellar:
Episode VII in the Star Wars Saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opens in theaters December 18, 2015.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & Abrams, features a cast including actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. They will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker.
The film is being produced by Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk, and John Williams returns as the composer.
Action on Endor!
Who knows what surprises await at Star Wars Celebration? I found myself on Endor and encountered some Imperials. Lucky for me these troopers are lousy shots!
© 2015 W. R. Miller
April 16, 2015.
Setup and actors provided by Star Wars fans from Belgium, the 501st Belgian garrison, to be precise.
Slay the Dragon! Slay the Dragon!
Say good-bye to Smaug, most loathsome lizard in all of Hobbitland. Farewell to the eloquence of speech, the expressions of arrogance, the massiveness of dragon destruction. The curtain closes on a fine vocal performance by Benedict Cumberbatch.
From The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies:
https://youtu.be/F_QD2Uy_H_w
The Real Inspiration for Thunderbirds
Andrew Smith, Pukeko Pictures Chief Executive and Producer of Thunderbirds Are Go!, talks to Stuff.co.nz about the real reasons for making the show.
“This is a show that ITV approached us and said, ‘Look, do you want to remake the Thunderbirds?’ And of course, this was a dream come true for Richard Taylor and myself. We looked at everything and this ticked all the boxes for us and really, that’s why we all wanted to get on board and remake the show. It’s a group of brothers coming together to perform heroic acts with no reward and that’s really the heart of the show that really grounds it. But on top of that you’ve also got these really cool vehicles doing really cool things. It’s for the children of today. The core demographic that we’re looking for is 5 to 9-year-old boys but of course what we really want is we want those boys sitting down with their fathers and grandfathers celebrating the show, telling stories of the original series, relating them to the sons, but also talking about core family values that the reason that the boys do certain things is not for money. It’s not for medals. It’s not for trophies. It’s because they want to do things that is for the betterment of everyone.”
Imagine, a TV series that entertains and promotes core family values. What a concept!
Uploaded on April 2, 2015.
The Steampunk Dragon
One of my Facebook friends posted an image of this marvelous sculpture of a dragon built from automobile parts. I searched the web for more information and found more images from different angles. Unfortunately I didn’t find any credit for the sculptor, but if anyone knows, please let me know.
Thunderbirds at the British Film Institute
On March 31, 2015, Thunderbirds are Go! had its gala premiere at the BFI (British Film Institute) in London, with the showing of both parts of “Ring of Fire.” Afterward, a panel of creatives talked about the show: actors Kayvan Novak (Brains), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Alan) and David Graham (Parker), with writer Rob Hoegee and executive producers Estelle Hughes and Giles Ridge.
Uploaded April 9, 2015.
Click here for a summary.
ITV covered fan reaction here:
International Rescue Merchandise Guide, Uploaded April 4, 2015.
