List of Most Rented ‘Star Wars’ Films by Netflix Released

While people generally are moving towards streaming services and abandoning disc-based formats for their entertainment, there is still a sizable portion of viewers who still rent DVDs from Redbox, Netflix, or some other place I can’t think of. Anyway, Netflix has released a list of ‘Star Wars’ films (not including ‘The Force Awakens’), ranking them by most rented to least rented, and the results are quite interesting:

1. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
2. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
3. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
4. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
5. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
6. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Not to pick favorites, ’cause I love all ‘Star Wars’ films equally, but the fact that all three prequels beat ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, that only one film from the original trilogy is in the top 3, and that the most rented ‘Star Wars’ film is a prequel… is a huge slap in the face to the damn prequel haters. No one cares about the prequels, huh? Sure…

‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot Trailer Released… And it’s Apparently a Sequel?

Today, Sony Pictures released the first trailer for this summer’s all-female ‘Ghostbusters’ reboot:

As a trailer, it’s not that bad. However, what I have been wondering about this movie for a while is whether it’s a reboot or a sequel. If it’s a reboot, then that means nothing from the previous two movies happened… and I have no interest in such a thing. However, the line at the beginning of this trailer states ’30 years ago, four scientists saved New York’… which may or may not indicate that this film is indeed set decades after the first two ‘Ghostbusters’ movies. But it still isn’t very clear, and until I know for sure if this movie is even canon with the older movies, I’ll remain cautiously optimistic.

Top 10 Best Pokémon

Seeing as how it’s Pokémon’s 20th anniversary tomorrow, I thought I’d celebrate by doing my first Top 10 list, with this one focusing on the stars of the Pokémon series… the Pokémon themselves. With 721 Pokémon, there are so many great options to choose from. But in the end, I only could pick 10 to be the very best (like no one ever was… :P). And they are:

10. Hawlucha

It’s basically a Pokémon version of Rey Mysterio, bringing out the inner wrestling fanboy inside me. What’s not too like?

9. Oshawott

While I haven’t played anything from generations II to V of Pokémon, I gotta admit, Oshawott’s one damn adorable otter Pokémon, and would love to obtain one some day.

8. Chikorita

Another one where cuteness wins, and the walking vegetable known as Chikorita is full of this trait (plus, its anime cry certainly helped a lot too).

7. Espurr

When first revealed, Espurr’s look spurred a rather annoying meme involving the stare in it face, instantly labeling the Restraint Pokémon as creepy. But I believe poor Espurr is rather misunderstood. I mean, just look at the image above. Is that a Pokémon that intends to destroy us all?

6. Garchomp

Moving away from cuteness a bit… here’s a really badass Pokémon. I can’t really point out what it is about Garchomp that makes me like it so much. Probably its super cool Mega Evolution.

5. Blaziken

Ah, Blaziken… proving that even chickens can be BAMFs. This is one Pokémon you do not wanna get into a fistfight with.

4. Pikachu

What’s a Top 10 Pokémon list without including the series’ own mascot. Yeah, some may be tired of seeing Pikachu everywhere… but screw ’em. Pikachu’s awesome, and should never be replaced as a mascot.

3. Lucario

Lucario is superb in so many ways, it’s no wonder the Aura Pokémon is still popular a decade after being introduced. One of my favorite scenes in ‘Pokémon X/Y’ was when I, the player, was given a Lucario by Korrina, and mega-evolved it to battle her Lucario. And for that, I cherished every moment I used Lucario following that event (and was a good help in winning the Kalos League).

2. Fennekin

There are a ton of Pokémon that I find adorable, many of which didn’t make it to this list unfortunately. Nevertheless, of all the Pokémon, Fennekin to me will always be the cutest. Just look at that adorable fox. Fennekin was my starter in ‘Pokémon X’, and because I loved her (my Fennekin was a female) so much just the way she was, I actually refused to evolve her. But that didn’t matter, as in the end, during my final match with Diantha, my little fox princess was able to deliver to final blow to the Mega-Evolved Gardevoir, ending the match and making me the new Champion. Fennekin will always have a special place in my heart.

1. Mewtwo

And here we have the number 1 best Pokémon ever… the very definition of badass… Mewtwo! When Pokémon first became popular in the late 90s, I was the weird kid who avoided it, not wanting to have anything to do with the series. But one day, a kid in my 3rd grade class brought a VHS copy of the first Pokémon movie for the class to watch during a party. I wasn’t really that excited to watch it at first. But once I saw Mewtwo introduced, killing the very scientists that created him, my mind about Pokémon changed completely, realizing it was a cool thing after all. If it wasn’t for Mewtwo, I don’t think I ever would’ve gotten into Pokémon in the first place. Mewtwo is freakin’ popular with many Pokémon fans, and Nintendo/Game Freak know it. Why else would Mewtwo be added as a DLC in SSB, or be available to catch for the first time outside Cerulean Cave in ‘Pokémon X/Y’? Mewtwo’s popularity shows no signs of slowing down, and I couldn’t be any happier.

New Pokémon Named “Magiana” Revealed

While there is still no word on a new main entry in the Pokémon series, an entirely new Pokémon was revealed by the name of “Magiana”, as seen in the magazine scan above. Magiana is described as a man-made Pokémon, and is set to debut in an upcoming Pokémon movie (which like the anime in its current state, I have zero interest in). Whether or not this is a hint of a third game set in Kalos featuring this new Pokémon, or is supposed to lead to a Gen VII reveal remains to be seen. Either way, I rather like Magiana. It’s so adorable!

More than 80% of the Shots in ‘The Force Awakens’ Were Digital

While ‘Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens’ continues to sell like hotcakes around the world, many who worked on the film are now discussing the details of the production that went into it. Roger Guyett, ILM VFX Supervisor, talked about the special effects of the film, where he stated the following interesting detail:

… 2,100 of the 2,500 shots in the film had digital effects. Hundreds of people [digital effects artists] worked on the show.

Yes, the movie that Lucasfilm advertised as a “return to PRACTICAL EFFECTS” was mostly full of digital effects, which was around the same number as the 2,151 VFX shots in ‘Revenge of the Sith’ (though not all of of those 2,151 shots were even CG). Seriously, anyone who thinks ‘The Force Awakens’ isn’t a CGI-fest is only fooling him/herself.

James Gunn Defends Shooting ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ in Digital

Recently, it was announced that ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ would be the first movie ever to be filmed with the revolutionary RED Weapon 8k camera system. I was really excited by this news, as I’m always fascinated whenever movies I enjoy try out new innovations and technologies to give audiences a much better version of the movie. Unfortunately, there will always be those crybabies who whine about movies today using “too much” new technology, preferring stuff be like it was in the past (a.k.a. their childhood in the 70s and 80s). Thankfully, the director for the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ sequel, James Gunn, silenced those annoying naysayers who questioned his decision to not use the so-called “vastly superior” film format, and instead go for the “icky and new” digital format. He states on his Facebook page:

“Firstly, I believe when shooting on a format like the Red Weapon 8K or the Alexa 65, the amount of data is so massive – certainly more so than on a strip of film – that it gives you more freedom in production and post production to create exactly the film you want to create than actual film does. As anyone who has ever worked with me knows, I am a control freak. Such high resolution gives me the ability to control ever single bit of data (to do so would take a long time, but at least the knowledge comforts me). Many filmmakers look to essentially replicate the look of film, but I don’t share that interest. I believe that innovations in camera and shooting technologies as well as visual and practical effects gives us the ability to create a new aesthetic of film, one different from what the past has offered but equally beautiful – perhaps even more so. I respect many of the filmmakers who continue to shoot on film – and some of the most gorgeous movies of 2015 have been in that format. But I think sometimes that the love of actual film is based in nostalgia more than it is in objective beauty. Many filmmakers remember the films of their youth and want to replicate that magic. For me, I’m interested in being one of the many who help to create a new kind of magic that will usher the cinematic experience into the future. What will the children of today think of fondly with nostalgia?”

And right over there, Gunn clearly stated that those obsessing over the film format are blinded by nostalgia. Gee, if only some other director shared his vision for the future rather than being stuck in the past (*cough* JJ Abrams *cough*). I applaud Mr. Gunn, and I can’t wait to see how amazing ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ will look when it arrives.

John Boyega Not Sure How Fans Will React to ‘The Force Awakens’

One of the leads of the upcoming ‘Star Wars’ movie, John Boyega, recently had an interview with Deadline. In the interview, Boyega had some interesting comments regarding fan reception to ‘The Force Awakens’, saying:

I think for now, based on what I saw, and based on my experiences on the set, I just don’t know. This is a discussion I was having with J.J. [Abrams] yesterday and I was just like ‘How are people going to react to this movie?’ But there’s going to be a reaction for sure. I’m going to try to see it as many times as possible with different audiences just to gauge everyone’s opinions of it.

Frankly, I don’t blame Boyega for not being able to give a clear answer on the subject. If there’s anything I’ve learned about the ‘Star Wars’ fandom, it’s that it’s EXTREMELY difficult to satisfy them with any addition to the series after ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. The idiot fans love nothing more than to constantly bash, bash, and bash, as the below tweet perfectly sums up:

I’m sure Boyega’s proud of the work he put into ‘The Force Awakens’. And so were many who worked on the prequels. Doesn’t necessarily mean the fandom will like ’em. I’m really curious to see how things go after the movie’s released…

Fox Pulls ‘Fant4stic’ Sequel from Schedule

The sequel to the horrid Fantastic Four adaptation I like to call ‘Fant4stic’, originally scheduled to be released in 2017, has been pulled out of Fox’s release schedule. Now this could either mean they’re delaying work on a sequel. Or they decided to cancel the project altogether, which would really be the choice with the most common sense for Fox, given the movie’s lackluster box office performance. Then again, this is the company behind Fox News, so I’m not too sure they’ve got much common sense as a company…

Just give the movie rights back to Marvel you idiots!!

‘The Force Awakens’ is a Spinoff, Not Episode VII

I honestly would be more excited for the movie if this was the actual logo.

Ever since ‘The Force Awakens’ was announced to be in production, my opinions of it varied from being excited, to not wanting to see it at all. The main reason for these varied opinions was the simple question of how much was George Lucas involved. In a recent interview, Lucas stated that he indeed didn’t want to be involved with the movie due to the negativity the stupid ‘Star Wars’ fandom gave him for more than a decade. I had hoped that while Lucas wasn’t physically involved, at least his story ideas would make it into the movie. But in a new interview with CBS, Lucas says:

The issue was ultimately, they looked at the stories and they said, ‘We want to make something for the fans.’ So, I said, ‘All I wanted to do was tell a story of what happened.’ You know, it started here, and it went there, and it’s all about generations, and it’s about, you know, the issues of fathers and sons and grandfathers. It’s a family soap opera. We call it a space opera… people realize it’s actually a soap opera. And it’s all about family problems, and that ki- it’s not about spaceships. So, they decided they didn’t want to use those stories. They decided they were gonna go do their own thing. And so I decided, fine. But basically, I’m not gonna try to… they weren’t that keen to have me involved anyway, but at the same time, I said I’m not gonna… if I get in there, I’m just gonna cause trouble, ’cause they’re not gonna do what I want them to do, so I don’t have the control to do that anymore, and all I do is muck everything up. So I said, okay. I will go my way and let them go their way.

There you have it. So it seemed that even after selling Lucasfilm, George was still slated to be involved in an Episode VII. But unfortunately, the people involved with the film put the interests of the dumb fans over story. And by ignoring to reason, made George Lucas (and possibly Michael Arndt as well) leave the production. This tells me that the people working on ‘The Force Awakens’ don’t really get ‘Star Wars’. To them, ‘Star Wars’ seems to be about nothing but spaceships (specifically, X-Wings, TIE Fighters, and the piece of junk called the Millennium Falcon), the Empire, and the completely overrated Han Solo. This could explain why what has been shown of TFA so far is full of models, armor, and tech that make it look as though the ‘Star Wars’ universe has barely advanced in the 30 years since ‘Return of the Jedi’. It’s really unfortunate the guys at Lucasfilm blindly think fans know best when that is clearly not the case at all. There are many examples of blatant fanservice leading to crappy storytelling. And not involving the creator makes things a lot worse. ‘Star Wars’ to me has always been George Lucas’s story. Anything not overseen by him is a spinoff as far as I’m concerned. And I’ve come to peace with the fact that the saga movies (Episodes I-VI) have come and gone. However, just because something is a spinoff doesn’t mean it sucks. ‘Star Wars: Rebels’ is a spinoff, and it’s still a fantastic show that is highly respectable to the stories George Lucas told. But will ‘The Force Awakens’ continue what ‘Rebels’ does, or will it fail miserably? I’ll find out within a month’s time.

EA’s ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ Getting Mixed Reviews

It’s no secret that I have no interest in EA’s version of the classic ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ series. To take a series that was exhilarating and had content that was highly respectable of George Lucas’s saga, and turn it into yet another boring Original Trilogy nostalgia-fest with much, much less content than previous ‘Battlefront’ entries… is frankly an insult. And with the game having released recently, the reviews are in… and they don’t seem highly positive:

Yup, I’m sticking to my plan of buying the game used in a year or two ONLY if I’m generous. How ’bout making a saga game instead of an OT game only, EA/DICE?? The fact that the mobile game, ‘Star Wars: Uprising’ has more planets than your pathetic attempt at ‘Battlefront’ should embarrass you!