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You’ve probably watched Tom Cruise’s iconic Mission: Impossible scene where he’s hanging mid-air a dozen times. It’s unforgettable and easily one of the coolest heists ever filmed in movie history. But what if we told you that scene has a hidden Star Wars connection?

Sounds bizarre, right? Turns out, there’s way more going on behind the scenes than you’d expect. From bringing in a real CIA to a surprising design choice inspired by the Death Star, the makers crafted everything with serious attention and authenticity. Let’s dive deeper!

Mission: Impossible’s vault scene has a hidden Star Wars easter egg

Remember the silent, nail-biting heist scene in the first Mission: Impossible movie? The one where Tom Cruise dangles inches from the floor in a high-security vault? It’s easily one of the most iconic scenes in the history of Hollywood. But here’s...

The first ever Detroit Independent Film Festival has given its Best Documentary award — to a film produced outside of Michigan — Eddies: The Documentary by Calgary filmmaker Michael Peterson. Eddies chronicles the journey of several Canadian filmmakers as they compete in the Big Rock Brewery’s annual filmmaking competition, which is an event relatively unknown outside of Calgary, but is a prodigious affair in the region.

As of this writing, I haven’t posted my review of Eddies on Bad Lit yet, but I’ve seen it and it’s a really wonderful documentary about everyday, creative folks really getting into the spirit of filmmaking — even for what are just essentially short beer commercials. I’ve previously reviewed three short fictional films by Peterson, who’s a great talent out of Canada.

The Detroit Independent Film Festival ran back on March 2-7 at the Burton Film Theatre and screened close to...

I met Mr. J.C. Calciano during the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival, where his film, "Is It Just Me?" had its world premiere. "Is It Just Me?" was put under the banners of the John Schlesinger Award and World Cinema Now -- celebrating diversity in humanistic storytelling. Not bad for a first-time filmmaker!

While Calciano is making his feature debut, he's hardly a newbie in the business. He earned an associate producer credit for 1996's "Mission Impossible," as well as running the new media division of Melanie Griffith's One World Networks, and being the former head of production for Tom Cruise's C/W Productions at Paramount Pictures. (Check his IMDb page right here, and an in-depth interview with him right here)

I'm so glad that Calciano shared his film with me. Inundated with watching blockbuster films, seeing "Is It Just Me?" was a treat. The film tells the...