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
How Disney Turned a Cute, Talking Animal Movie Into an Commentary on Race Relations
As the story goes, corrupt government officials intentionally introduced a dangerous drug into marginalized minority communities resulting in increased power for politicians and law enforcement through the manipulated fear of the middle class.
This narrative has been the subject of a number of popular conspiracy theories over the years concerning the CIA’s alleged involvement in the crack cocaine epidemic among the African American community in the mid-80s. It’s also the plot of the 55th Disney animated movie starring a group of cute, talking animals.
‘Finding Dory’ Trailer: You Can Go Home Again
Pixar has settled into a rhythm of releasing both sequels to huge hits and new, original movies in theaters. 2015 was home to two original Pixar movies — the Oscar-winning Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur — which means now it’s time for another sequel...
Elizabeth Banks Set to Star as the Villain in ‘Power Rangers’ Movie
Like Ben Affleck, Elizabeth Banks is proving that just because you’re a successful director, doesn’t mean you can’t take on the occasional silly role in a superhero movie. Affleck went from winning an Oscar to Batman vs. Superman and now Banks is going from Pitch Perfect 2 to the live-action Power Rangers movie, where she’ll star as the villainous Rita Repulsa.
‘Deadpool’ Director’s Cut Will Include Extra Footage, Will Be ‘Even More Raw’
Deadpool will be the first R-rated Marvel movie since 2008’s Punisher: War Zone; it was officially rated R by the MPAA for “strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity.” Pretty intense stuff for a superhero movie! But, if you need your Deadpool to get even more intense, star T.J. Miller says there is a planned Director’s Cut of the film that will be “even more raw” than what you see in theaters.
Apple Expected to Launch Original Programming With iPhone 7
Every year Apple announces a new iPhone at a big keynote event. Sometimes it’s an incremental update, like the iPhone 6S announced last September. Other times, like this year when Apple will announce the iPhone 7, it’s a big leap forward in technology. While there have been many rumors around the upcoming iPhone 7 (including no more headphone jack and wireless charging), none will be as exciting to movie and TV fans as this news: Apple is expected to make their official foray into original programming when the iPhone 7 launches, competing with both Netflix and Amazon.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Now Has an Official Music Video and It’s Horrible
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has dominated almost the entire world at this point with over $1.5 billion at the worldwide box-office after just 20 days. But, there’s still one country where the film has yet to open: China. To “help” celebrate the release of the film, Lucasfilm has named LuHan, a former boy-band singer from Beijing, as the “official China Ambassador for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” This means LuHan, a self-described “social media star,” has recorded a brand new Star Wars theme song with the requisite music video, complete with cameos by R2-D2 and BB-8.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’ Looking to Cast Kurt Russell as Peter Quill’s Father
After Matthew McConaughey reportedly turned down a major role in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Marvel and director James Gunn went back to the drawing board, looking to attract a big star for the upcoming sequel. It turns out they may have found their man...
Here’s Oscar Isaac Playing Bass in a Ska Band in 1996
Before he was Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Oscar Isaac was Oscar Hernandez, a high school kid growing up in Delray Beach, Florida who, like many high school kids, played in a local band. Being the mid-90s, ska-punk was making a resurgence (anyone remember Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake?) and Isaac, a singer, guitarist and bassist, was a big part of the local scene with his bands, The Worms and Blinking Underdogs. Whereas video of most of our crappy high school bands remains buried forever, Oscar Isaac is in the new Star Wars movie, so we did some digging and found video from 1996 of one of his sets at Ray’s Downtown Blues in West Palm Beac
The First ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Trailer Returns to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
The upcoming Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is still almost a year away, but with Star Wars: The Force Awakens almost here, everyone is scrambling to get their big trailers attached to the biggest movie of the year. Fantastic Beasts is no exception and today we get our first look at the continuation of the Wizarding World. The only problem? It’s not much of a look.
Go Beyond the Final Frontier With the ‘Star Trek Beyond’ Trailer
Yes, Star Wars: The Force Awakens finally opens in theaters this Friday, and we know you’re all excited. But, if you’re excited for J.J. Abrams’ other space franchise, we have good news for you: the first trailer for Star Trek Beyond has arrived.
‘Sisters’ and a History of the Movies That Opened Against ‘Star Wars’
As Sisters gets ready to take on The Force Awakens, we looked back at the history of movies that have opened against Star Wars movies to see how they fared, and to see what hope there is for Tina and Amy.
Chinese ‘Star Wars’ Poster Shrinks Black Lead Actor, John Boyega
Despite some early concerns, most would agree that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a diverse film. The three leads are a woman, a black man and a Cuban man. One of the main enemies is a woman. One of the major new characters is played by a black woman. Princess Leia is now General Leia Organa. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s a very solid step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it may have been a little too far in the right direction for some countries. A new Star Wars: The Force Awakens poster from China has been revealed and, despite being one of the two main stars of the film, they’ve shrunk down black actor John Boyega in half.