Mike Sampson is the Editor-in-Chief of ScreenCrush. He studied to become a lawyer and worked as an architectural planner after graduating college but neither of these professions afforded him the opportunity to watch movies and TV for a living. He previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of JoBlo.com for 10 years. He lives in New Jersey and probably spends too much time playing video games and overthinking things.
Mike Sampson
Win a Sphero BB-8, One of the Coolest ‘Star Wars’ Toys Ever Made!
There were a lot of exciting toys announced yesterday during the epic 18-hour Star Wars Force Friday reveals, but none as exciting as the BB-8 toy from Sphero. We’ve been gushing about BB-8 since Star Wars Celebration and counting down the days until we could own one. And now that the day is here, it is perhaps even more fun than we imagined.
Joaquin Phoenix on Starring in Superhero Movies: ‘It’s Best I Don’t Do It’
Over the past few years, Joaquin Phoenix has flirted with multiple big-budget superhero movies. He was offered roles in The Avengers (as Bruce Banner/Hulk), Batman vs. Superman and Marvel’s Doctor Strange, and come very close to signing a deal (Marvel was hoping up until the very last moment to be able to introduce Phoenix as Strange at Comic-Con in 2014) before eventually opting to pass on all three. But, why? The actor opened up about his decision making process admitting that it’s probably best if he doesn’t ever star in a superhero movie.
‘Spectre’ May Be Daniel Craig’s Last James Bond Movie
Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond back in October 2005 and almost immediately there was controversy. A London newspaper ran the headline the next morning “The Name’s Bland – James Bland” and fans started up the site danielcraigisnotbond.com urging moviegoers to boycott Casino Royale. Now, three films into Craig’s era as 007 (with the last being the most critically and commercially successful James Bond film of all-time), the actor is talking about leaving the franchise and, in a sign of how far public opinion has reversed, fans couldn’t be more upset.
New ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Teaser: ‘There Has Been an Awakening…’
As both Comic-Con and D23 went by without a new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer we were left to wonder when exactly we’d see the next footage from the upcoming. Well, get ready. That time is now. “Have you felt it?”
Watch the Best Moments From Jon Stewart’s Final ‘Daily Show’
Jon Stewart said goodbye to The Daily Show last night in equal parts star-studded and quiet, personal fashion as former correspondents like Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Olivia Munn returned to pay their respects, while Bruce Springsteen closed out the slow with a performance — at Stewart’s request — of his 1999 song “The Land of Hopes and Dreams” and, for his fellow New Jerseyan, “Born to Run”.
Review: ‘Fantastic Four’ Is a Complete Bore
Here’s the thing about this Fantastic Four movie: it was supposed to be horrible. This movie has been riding an almost unprecedented level of bad buzz since earlier this year. Strangely, it seems to have started over literally nothing. Fans were upset they hadn’t seen anything official from the movie and began to suspect it stunk. Then, depending on who you talk to, the director was fired, the actors were upset and the script was a mess. But, the days of speculation are over and none of that bad buzz matters any more; there’s an actual film that can be judged on its own merits. Sadly, Fantastic Four, on its own merits, is still horrible.
New ‘Batman vs. Superman’ Pics Show Off Batman, Superman and Lex Luthor
Following the Batman vs. Superman info dump that came out of Comic-Con, we thought it might be a while before we saw or heard anything from the upcoming superhero movie. After all, we did get an extended new trailer, new images and a new poster. But today, we have three new Batman vs. Superman pics each showing off one of the film’s three main characters: Batman, Superman and Lex Luthor.
Watch the New ‘Star Wars: Episode 7’ Trailer!
The brand new Star Wars: Episode 7 trailer premiered this morning at Star Wars Celebration, as J.J. Abrams and the film’s cast showed off the footage to a packed audience of hardcore Star Wars fans. But, you don't have to be in Anaheim to get a new look at The Force Awakens: we've got the trailer for you right here, right now!
Watch How the LEGO Oscar Trophies Were Made
The LEGO Movie may not have been nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2015 Oscars, but one of the highlights of the show was still the performance of “Everything is Awesome” by The Lonely Island with Tegan & Sara. During the song, dancers from the stage came down into the audience and handed out LEGO Oscar trophies to Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Oprah, who was really excited.
James Cameron Says ‘Avatar 2’ Has Been Delayed Until 2017
Not long ago, we wondered aloud why James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ had been largely forgotten about only five years later, despite being the biggest movie of all-time. It doesn’t even seem like there is a lot of anticipation for ‘Avatar 2’, which Cameron is developing concurrently with Parts 3 & 4. Well, people will suddenly have a little more time to start getting excited for an ‘Avatar 2’, because Cameron announced today that the upcoming sequel has been pushed back a full year, to December 2017.