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George Lucas is presenting a special 45th anniversary showing of The Empire Strikes Back at this year's TCM Classic Film Festival. This year is a big one for Star Wars; the 20th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, the 10th anniversay of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the 45th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back.

Per Variety, George Lucas is set to present a special anniversary showing of The Empire Strikes Back at the TCM Classic Film Festival on April 24. "The Empire Strikes Back is like The Godfather Part II. Yes, technically, they’re sequels, the second movie in a series. But they are so much more,” TCM’s primetime anchor Ben Mankiewicz said in a statement. "The first Star Wars picture in 1977 ignited a new era in Hollywood and turned a generation of young people into passionate movie fans for life. Then, somehow,...

With The Empire, French filmmaker Bruno Dumont’s career is now evenly split between two modes. His first seven films operated within an identifiably Bressonian tradition, while the five films and two mini-series following operate in a more comic, slapstick register. Conversations surrounding the starkness of this pivot—which began in 2014 with miniseries L’il Quinquin—are understandable yet potentially overstated, as there is strong connective tissue through all of his work. The two hapless detectives in L’il Quinquin and Coincoin and the Extra-humans (who reprise their roles in The Empire) drive their cop car on two wheels; a dune buggy wreck into […]

The post “I Always Make What I Can and Not What I Want”: Bruno Dumont on The Empire first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

With The Empire, French filmmaker Bruno Dumont’s career is now evenly split between two modes. His first seven films operated within an identifiably Bressonian tradition, while the five films and two mini-series following operate in a more comic, slapstick register. Conversations surrounding the starkness of this pivot—which began in 2014 with miniseries L’il Quinquin—are understandable yet potentially overstated, as there is strong connective tissue through all of his work. The two hapless detectives in L’il Quinquin and Coincoin and the Extra-humans (who reprise their roles in The Empire) drive their cop car on two wheels; a dune buggy wreck into […]

The post “I Always Make What I Can and Not What I Want”: Bruno Dumont on The Empire first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Initially considered the heir to Robert Bresson, Bruno Dumont shocked audiences in 2014 with the heel-turn of his Twin Peaks-inspired miniseries P’tit Quinquin, which (were it not television) would certainly earn the label of An Extremely Goofy Movie. His switch to incorporating laughs into the philosophical brew has produced works like the frenetic Joan of Arc musical Jeannette and bone-dry, Léa Seydoux-starring satire France. His latest, The Empire, sees him playing in the sandbox of the American space opera, affording room for both stunning effects work and some truly vulgar humor.

We were lucky enough to catch up with Dumont over Zoom on the occasion of The Empire’s American release, with interpretation provided by Nicholas Elliott.

The Film Stage: I’d say, more than past films of yours, The Empire heavily incorporates things like complex visual effects and production design. Was this film far more of a collaborative process than previous works?...

Bruno Dumont, the director of The Empire with Anne-Katrin Titze on fairy tales: “You know the Queen and Fabrice Luchini's character certainly come from that imaginary world of the marvelous.”

In Bruno Dumont’s ingenious The Empire, starring Fabrice Luchini as Belzébuth (clad in Emil Jannings’ skullcap straight out of Fw Murnau’s Faust) and Camille Cottin as The Queen, the forces of Good and Evil, aka the Ones and the Zeros, descend or, respectively, ascend on a small coastal village in Northern France to take over humans and fight their larger-than-earth battles. The reason is 'the Wain,' a demon child born there to unleash unheard-of destructive forces if not stopped. Freddie (cast with a perfectly sunny little baby) not coincidentally shares his name with the protagonist of Dumont’s very first feature film, The Life Of Jesus. As on a Möbius strip, opposites intertwine in this realistic...

The Satire Strikes Back: Dumont Claims His Own Multi-Verse

It’s sometimes difficult to predict what mode French auteur Bruno Dumont will be choosing for his latest film project. Initially revered for his rural, austere tendency for Neo-realism, which earned him comparisons to Bresson and Pialat, Dumont has also shown a penchant for outrageous provocations and thorny social satires. His latest, L’empire, was rumored to be a Star Wars parody, but even this kind of statement is rather superficial considering Dumont seems to hold such reference points in cultural contempt. The film quite infamously triggered the self-exile and retirement of Adèle Haenel from the French film industry, which may lead many to expect Dumont would be pushing boundaries with this odd bird premise.…...

After the relatively barren month of February and the awards season mercifully in the rearview, March finally brings the goods. From some of our favorite festival premieres charting all the way back to a few from Berlinale and Rotterdam last year to new documentaries and thrillers from accomplished directors, check out the batch of eclectic recommendations below.

15. The Empire (Bruno Dumont; March 7)

A year on from its Berlinale debut, where it picked up the Silver Bear Jury Prize, Bruno Dumont’s sci-fi feature The Empire is finally headed stateside. Rory O’Connor said in his review, “Playing his signature brand of rural French absurdity in stark counterpoint to the grandiose strains of a space opera, Bruno Dumont returns with The Empire: his Barbarella bourguignon, his dijionnaise Dune. The Empire is the story of two warring factions: one whose mothership resembles the palace of Versailles; the other’s as if someone glued together two Notre Dames,...

Notable as it is for evoking a kind of cosmic banality, writer-director Bruno Dumont’s anti-space opera The Empire runs into same the pitfall as many parodies of its kind. However intriguing its premise may be, the film becomes tedious in practice, as what few homegrown ideas it has to offer lack for substantial development. Built almost entirely on the very tropes that it sets out to undermine, The Empire mainly succeeds at hollowing out itself.

A present-day fishing village in Northern France would seem to be an unlikely battleground for a galactic conflict between good and evil, and it’s this incongruity of setting and story that forms a basis for The Empire. The 1s and the 0s, as the opposing forces call themselves, must take human form to properly exist. On the 0 side, there’s the fisherman Jony (Brandon Vlieghe), father to the Wain—a toddler destined to...

After a world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival last year and shortly after a release in its native country, Bruno Dumont’s latest movie, “The Empire,” is set to bow out in American cinemas this March. Written and directed by Dumont, this satirical comedy takes on “Star Wars” and the current state of Hollywood blockbusters through characters decidedly from the mind of one of the most popular French filmmakers working today.

Continue reading ‘The Empire’ Trailer: Bruno Dumont’s Satirical Take On ‘Star Wars’ Releases On March 7 at The Playlist.

Despite the epic-sized length of both "Avatar" movies to this point, we've barely even scratched the surface of what the paradise moon of Pandora has to offer. The original record-breaking 2009 film "Avatar" mostly took place in the tropical jungles of Neytiri's (Zoe Saldaña) clan, while the highly-anticipated sequel "The Way of Water" shifted the action considerably and explored the vast water-based culture of the Metkayina. You might have guessed where I'm going with this by now. The upcoming threequel, titled "Avatar: Fire and Ash," is set to expand the homeworld of the Na'vi even more. This time, we'll once again change locales and visit a region as utterly alien as anything we've seen yet -- an "anti-Pandora" that houses the mysterious, fire-based people known as the Mangkwan Clan.

We recently received a first look at a wind-riding clan and the colorful figure who leads them, portrayed by David Thewlis, but...

"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy," Obi-Wan Kenobi once told Luke Skywalker. The old Jedi Master was referring to Mos Eisley spaceport, but he may as well have been talking about the Star Wars galaxy as a whole. The galaxy far, far away is known as a place rocked by vast military conflicts, whether it's between the Rebellion and the Empire, or the Republic and the Separatists. Outside of these conflicts, however, are various criminal factions and notorious outlaws.

Just as essential to Star Wars are the galaxy's bounty hunters, pirates, smugglers and crime lords. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi infamously spent its entire first act in the domain of Tatooine's most powerful gangster, Jabba the Hutt. Similarly, the bounty hunter Boba Fett has become one of Star Wars' most iconic characters, despite having precious little screen time in the movies.

“The Empire” is a new France-produced live-action science fiction spoof, directed by Bruno Dumont, starring Lily-Rose Depp, Virgini Efira, Camille Cottin, Lyna Khoudri, Anamaria Vartolomei and Fabrice Luchini, opening March 2025 in theaters:

“…from the banal daily life of a fisherman's village on the Opal Coast, emerges epic parallel lives of knights from interplanetary kingdoms.

“Rival clans are engaged in fierce and bloody battle after the announcement of the birth of ‘Margat’, the resurgent ‘Prince’…

“…the child of a young couple already separated, as is common to life in a working class neighbourhood… “

Click the images to enlarge…...

"The gendarmes on it." "Humans are useless." Kino Lorber has finally revealed an official US trailer for The Empire, the strange French sci-fi film from filmmaker Bruno Dumont. After first being unveiled in 2023 and premiering in early 2024, it's only now getting a US release starting in March 2025 - it already opened in Europe last year and didn't do very well. We also posted the first French trailer for this way back in 2023. Dumont's sci-fi The Empire (called L'Empire in French) is set in a quiet fishing village on the Opal Coast in Northern France, and tells the story of a child who's apparently so unique & peculiar it unleashes a secret war between extraterrestrial forces of good & evil. Starring a very French cast including Virginie Efira, Lily-Rose Depp, Camille Cottin, Lyna Khoudri, Anamaria Vartolomei, & Fabrice Luchini. This received quite a few negative and mixed reviews, apparently it's a bit too...

The Empire (French: L’Empire) is a 2024 sci-fi comedy-drama written and directed by Bruno Dumont. The film pokes fun at the Star Wars series and big Hollywood blockbusters, all set in Dumont’s home region of northern France.

This international production, involving France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and Portugal, premiered on February 18, 2024, at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, winning the Silver Bear Jury Prize. It was released in French theaters on February 21, 2024.

The cast of ‘The Empire’ features Lyna Khoudri as Line, Anamaria Vartolomei as Jane, and Camille Cottin as The Queen, alongside Fabrice Luchini as the villainous Belzébuth. Supporting roles include Brandon Vlieghe, Julien Manier, Bernard Pruvost, and Philippe Jore.

As the movie is getting closer to its U.S. release the first trailer has dropped and you can check out for yourself what the hype is about:

Related: 15 Top-Selling Sci-fi Franchises of All Time (Ranked)

The film premieres...

From the singular mind of writer-director Bruno Dumont comes The Empire, an absurdist parody of space opera tropes popularized by Star Wars.

Hailed as “beautifully crafted and certifiably insane” by The Hollywood Reporter, the French film opens at New York’s IFC Center on March 7 with national expansion to follow from Kino Lorber.

Lyna Khoudri (The French Dispatch), Anamaria Vartolomei (Mickey 17), Camille Cottin (“Killing Eve”), and Fabrice Luchini (In the House) star in the apocalyptic sci-fi comedy drama.

In a picturesque fishing village in Northern France, a very special child is born, unleashing a secret war between extraterrestrial forces of good and evil. In an attempt to restore their empires, two opposing forces from the depths of outer space, One and Zero, unleash an apocalyptic conflict on Earth.

The villainous Zero forces secretly take over the bodies of village locals in order to foster pandemonium on the planet. At the same time,...

A year on from its Berlinale debut, where it picked up the Silver Bear Jury Prize, Bruno Dumont’s sci-fi feature The Empire is finally headed stateside. Picked up by Kino Lorber, who will release it on March 7, they’ve now unveiled a new trailer and poster for the film starring Lyna Khoudri, Anamaria Vartolomei, Camille Cottin, and Fabrice Luchini.

Here’s the synopsis: “In a quiet and picturesque fishing village in Northern France, a very special child is born, unleashing a secret war between extraterrestrial forces of good and evil. In an attempt to restore their empires, two opposing forces from the depths of outer space, One and Zero, unleash an apocalyptic conflict on Earth. The villainous Zero forces secretly take over the bodies of village locals in order to foster pandemonium on the planet. At the same time, a new species engineered by the One is working towards a new,...

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Amazon on Wednesday announced a new Max/Starz bundle to help Prime Video members seamlessly stream the two platforms — and save some cash.

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When it came out in 2022, Andor was one of the lesser-hyped Star Wars shows, despite being a prequel spin-off of the successful movie Rogue One. But powerful storytelling and solid performances by the likes of Stellan Skarsgard and Andy Serkis turned it into an Emmy-nominated, critically acclaimed show. Add to that the gritty depiction of the Imperial dystopia at its peak, and Andor became arguably one of the best Star Wars productions ever.

Ahead of the Andor season 2 premiere next year, showrunner Tony Gilroy shared with Empire that the critical acclaim paved the way for more creative freedom this time. The success of that first season granted the second season "a lot of momentum and key benefits going into this second season, the kind it may not have been afforded otherwise":

The critical appreciation of the show was really helpful, if not essential, in helping Disney choke down the price of what this is.

Star Wars movies have frequently been major box office successes, with a few exceptions, but shockingly, Star Wars’ best movie didn’t hit number one at the box office for an entire month after it was released. Star Wars movies and TV shows haven’t always been well-received. Shows like The Acolyte have proven to be extremely controversial and have been subject to significant backlash, and The Acolyte’s cancelation made it clear that this has a tangible effect on the franchise.

Even so, Star Wars movies tend to draw viewers to the theater, and box office numbers don’t always directly translate to how popular the movie ended up being over time. The Star Wars movie box office rankings reveal that Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a now highly criticized Star Wars movie, was the second highest grossing in the entire franchise. Despite the complexity of box office numbers,...

We all have our own favorite installments from George Lucas’ Star Wars movies, but there’s no denying that The Empire Strikes Back is the universally accepted answer as the greatest among the bunch.

Credits: Jude Law in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew / Lucasfilm

The 1980 classic masterpiece is considered one of the best science fiction movies of all time and many fans of the Lucasfilm franchise write it at the top of their favorite list. Even actor Jude Law believes it is better than the original Star Wars film.

Jude Law is a Huge Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Fan

While speaking with Collider to discuss and promote his upcoming work on Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Oscar-nominated star Jude Law raved about his love and passion for the franchise. Perhaps not a lot of people knew this about him, but he is a self-confessed lifelong fan.

When asked which film...

The Empires deadly Tie Bombers may have made their live-action debut in The Empire Strikes Back, but their first appearance in the Star Wars franchise was actually two years before the film. Tie Bombers are the Galactic Empires go-to bombing craft, with a vast payload of explosive ordnance and extremely precise long-range targeting systems making up for its lack of maneuverability and shielding. Tie Bombers are nearly as iconic as Tie Fighters and Tie Interceptors, and certainly as dreaded as their speedier counterparts.

Tie Bombers were featured prominently in Empires marketing, with some poster designs featuring massive squadrons of the vessels. Ultimately, however, Tie Bombers had only a few seconds of total screentime, with several bombers being shown in flight during Darth Vaders introductory scene and a pair of Tie Bombers firing proton bombs at an asteroid to draw out the Millennium Falcon. Tie Bombers would go on to have other,...

It's been 46 years since The Star Wars Holiday Special hit audience's screens for the very first time, and yet its legacy in Star Wars still persists. The Star Wars Holiday Special has become something of a legend, known more for its controversies rather than its actual contribution to the Star Wars galaxy. It has, however, had an impact outside this controversy, and that impact continues to be felt in modern Star Wars stories.

From the very first appearance of Boba Fett to the creation of the holiday Life Day, The Star Wars Holiday Special has certainly secured its place in Star Wars history and lore, even with its drawbacks. Nevertheless, it is still difficult to look beyond the hardships that were bad enough to make George Lucas himself want to scrub its existence from the face of the earth. What exactly did The Star Wars Holiday Special encompass, then, and...

American director, screenwriter and producer Todd Haynes has been named president of the international jury of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. The Berlinale diamond jubilee (a 75th anniversary) will take place from February 13-23, 2025.

”Todd Haynes is a dazzlingly gifted writer and director with an impressive range; his body of work is at once stylistically versatile but also unmistakably his,” Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle said in a Thursday statement. “Ever since his debut feature ‘Poison’ won the Teddy Award in 1991, the Berlinale has followed and loved his filmmaking, and we are overjoyed to have him join the festival as the President of the International Jury for our 75th edition.”

The Teddy Award is the festival’s queer-film prize. “Poison” also won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Haynes’ 2002 film “Far From Heaven” was nominated for four Oscars.

His other notable work includes “Safe” (1995), “Velvet Goldmine” (1998), the...

I got into Star Wars when I was 13 and quickly discovered that no matter how many times I watched the war against the Empire, the best way to continue enjoying the franchise was to pick up a book. And I did, getting my hands on the original Thrawn trilogy and buying the third book in The Jedi Academy trilogy while waiting for a relative's flight to get in. The prequels didn't come out until weeks before my high school graduation. The book have always been a big part of my fandom.

In the spirit of October being Star Wars Reads month, here are my picks of where to start your Star Wars Book journey!

The Heir to the Empire Trilogy

Do you like The Empire Strikes Back for its battle scenes and asteroid field chases and get a lot of enjoyment from the chaos at Endor? When not watching Star Wars,...

Warning! This post contains Spoilers for Ewoks #1Star Wars has revealed a classic bounty hunter has become a "god" in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi. Following the Battle of Endor, the Rebellion left the Ewoks of Bright Tree village to continue fighting the fractured Empire. However, it's been revealed that the Empire wasn't quite done with the forest moon, having hired bounty hunters to assist in recovering a secret weapons cache still on Endor.

In Marvel Comics' new and canonical Ewoks #1 by Steven Orlando, Alvaro Lopez, and Laura Braga, the Empire's General Koyatta has been tasked by Governor Adelhard to retrieve this secret weapons cache to support the ongoing war with the Rebellion that won't truly end until the Battle of Jakku. To that end, Koyatta hires a former Imperial scout trooper, a Dowutin tracker named Koll Orvenk, and The Empire Strikes Back's classic bounty hunters, Zuckuss and 4-lom.

I still do not know what one of Emperor Palpatines lines in Return of the Jedi meant, even after the film turned 41 this year. Although Return of the Jedi is commonly seen as the weakest entry in the original Star Wars trilogy, it is my personal favorite Star Wars movie for a multitude of reasons, with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatines scenes in the Death Star IIs throne room being among the most resonant moments in the Star Wars franchise. Jedi is not without flaws, of course, and one of Palpatines lines does not make much sense.

When Darth Vader brings Luke before the Emperor, Palpatine examines Lukes confiscated lightsaber, noting its similarity to his fathers weapon. The problem with this line is that the hilt of Luke Skywalkers iconic green-bladed lightsaber is nearly identical to that of Obi-Wans in A New Hope, with a design that differs...

The American French Film Festival unveiled the full-line up of its upcoming edition at a press conference at the Résidence de France in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, as the event returns after a one-year hiatus due to the Hollywood strikes.

The 28th edition, running October 29 to November 3 in the Director’s Guild of America Theatre Complex, will showcase 60 films and series, with 14 shorts, 14 Series and TV movies, and 32 feature films and documentaries, many of which are International, North American and U.S. premiere presentations.

As previously announced the event will be book-ended by Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez as the opening film and The Count of Monte Cristo, which will close the event.

The American French Film Festival was created and is produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a collaboration between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers...

German producer Dorothe Beinemeier of Red Balloon Film has won the €25,000 Hamburg production award for international cinema co-productions at the 10th anniversary of the Hamburg Production Awards on September 30.

Beinemeier co-produced Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti’s Happy Holidays, about which the jury said: “It approaches all its characters with great empathy and grants us insights into a world where everyone is trapped.” The jury was comprised of

Happy Holidays won the prize for best screenplay at Venice’s Horizons section last month; Beinemeier’s further co-producer credits include Bruno Dumont’s The Empire and Ameer Fakher Eldin’s Yunan.

Furthermore,...

Star Wars is known for its sequels, even in its video game sector. It's even better known for its trilogies, so it makes sense that the third Star Wars: Jedi game will be the last.

The untitled game, which also does not yet have a release date, will round out the game series as a trilogy. According to Gizmodo, EA Entertainment and Technology president Laura Miele stated recently that the end is coming -- but it's the conclusion to a highly successful run.

"We have delivered some of the highest quality and best-selling Star Wars games of all time," Miele said. "Respawn is working hard to bring the final chapter of this thrilling story to players.”

The second and most recent game in the series, Jedi: Survivor, ended in a way that could have been considered a satisfying end to the story. Cal Kestis and crew (what remained of them) were back together,...

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures is an animated series suitable for very young audiences. You may have seen Yoda’s delightful green smirk on posters or in other advertisements, however he is actually not one of the main characters in the television series that airs on both Disney Jr. and Disney Plus. Younglings Kai, Lys, and Nubs are the primary protagonists.

The showrunner wisely took advantage of Yoda’s “star power”, which, in terms of drawing in viewers, is certainly an important factor with the success of the pre-schooler appropriate Disney/Lucasfilm collaboration. There was a similar design when Star Wars: The Clone Wars was produced 20 years ago (although other famous Jedi are also in that series), while Yoda’s ratio of actual appearances throughout the Clone Wars seasons are comparable to Young Jedi Adventures.

Just like his absence for large chunks of The Clone Wars chronicles, the Master Jedi...

One early Star Wars property gave Luke Skywalker yet another mentor before the events of The Empire Strikes Back, and over 40 years later, this Clone Wars veteran is part of the modern canon. The franchise has two main continuities Star Wars Legends and the modern canon with the former being the original official timeline and the latter supplanting it when Star Wars underwent a partial reboot in April 2014. Legends-era lore goes as far back as 1977 and, naturally, its numerous characters, storylines, and concepts have inspired comparable counterparts in the newer continuity.

As revealed in the original Legends timeline, clone troopers and Jedi were the most recognizable warriors of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars, but technically, the Republics largest fighting force was composed of neither. Local planetary defense forces, made up of the local sapient beings of Republic-aligned worlds, fought the Separatists on their respective homeworlds, though many would...

Luke Skywalker became the owner of a total of three different lightsabers over the course of Star Wars canon. Played by Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker was fascinated by the idea of a lightsaber from the very first moment he saw it. According to Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi, the lightsaber is "an elegant weapon for a more civilized time." It now stands as the symbol of not just the Jedi, but Star Wars itself.

Luke acquired two lightsabers in the Star Wars movies, but the character has used a third one in the comics. There are many different lightsaber types, but Luke's have always been simple and basic ones, with the Jedi choosing to shun the more flashier designs others have used. Every one of Luke's lightsabers stands as symbolic of his character, representing his journey as a Jedi.

Luke Skywalker's Blue Lightsaber Seen in A New Hope & The Empire Strikes...

Star Wars Outlaws has just recently released, and it's hitting the spot for many fans of the beloved sci-fi world. The latest game in the Star Wars universe follows the adventures of Kay Vess and her axolotl-like companion Nix. Star Wars Outlaws does a lot of things well, but it falls short in some regards. One fan video highlights one of the issues, revealing a major problem with the game world's NPCs and enemies.

YouTuber NikTek has uploaded a video where they tested various ways to interact with the NPCs and the video's title says it all: "Star Wars: Outlaws being a 'Aaaa' Game for 3 minutes." Over the three minutes, NikTek shows the complete indifference of NPCs and enemies as they try very hard to provoke them.

In the video, NikTek tries to blow up several NPCs but receives no reaction from the characters or the environment. The video also...

The 2024 Busan International Film Festival is kicking off on Oct. 2 with the international premiere of Uprising, director Kim Sang-man’s historical war epic with a script written by an auteur Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) and distributed by Netflix. The 29th edition of the 10-day event closes with Singaporean director Eric Khoo’s Spirit World, starring French screen legend Catherine Deneuve.

“Uprising is a charming historical drama put together by an outstanding team of directors, writers and actors while Khoo’s Spirit World is a co-production that explores the fundamental questions of human existence and the meaning of life through beautiful cinematic expression,” said Park Do-shin, the festival’s acting director, who was previously Busan’s senior programmer. Uprising is also the first streaming title to be invited to screen as the festival’s opening film.

Park Kwang-su, a former director who was appointed as the festival’s chairperson in February,...

The Busan International Film Festival will expand its screening program by some 8% in what it calls “an effort to maintain a scale befitting Asia’s top film festival.” This is despite a 50% cut in government financial support.

The festival will open on Oct. 2 with “Uprising,” a star-studded period drama from Netflix that was scripted and produced by Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy”) and directed by Kim Sang-man.

It will close on Oct. 11 with the Eric Khoo-directed “Spirit World,” which the Singaporean director shot in Japan with French icon Catherine Deneuve in the lead role.

“Uprising” involves a servant (played by Gang Dong-won) and his master, the som of a noble family with military connections. While they agree that the servant should be free, complications arise. The film also stars Cha Seung-won, Kim Shin-rock, Jin Sun-kyu and Jung Sung-il. “With Park Chan-wook’s signature humor oozing through the well-woven narrative, full of intense conflict and tension,...

Warning! This post contains Spoilers for Darth Vader #49

Luke's decoy move in Darth Vader #49 strategy foreshadows Return of the Jedi with his unorthodox Jedi tactics. Han Solo's rescue mission showcases Luke's bold and clever strategy (like hiding his lightsaber within R2-D2). Luke's battle tactics and fearlessness against the Schism Imperial echo Anakin in his prime during the Clone Wars.

Star Wars has just revealed a key moment in the canon where Luke Skywalker truly first embodied the "Skywalker" spirit. Between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker is determined to continue his path to becoming a Jedi, despite the knowledge that Darth Vader is his father. To that end, Luke's clash with the Schism Imperial results in a wonderful moment Anakin Skywalker would have been very proud of.

In the recent Darth Vader #49 by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco, the anti-Palpatine...

On Wednesday August 28 2024, NBC broadcasts Today With Hoda & Jenna!

Season 6 Episode 237 Episode Summary

On August 28, 2024, “Today With Hoda & Jenna” will air Season 6, Episode 237 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on NBC, focusing on exciting surprises and memorable moments.

The episode will kick off with “Best of Surprises,” featuring a compilation of the most heartwarming and surprising moments from past episodes. This segment will revisit some of the most unforgettable surprises that have made viewers smile.

In “Catching Up with Vanessa Williams,” the show will feature the talented actress and singer, who will share updates on her latest projects and personal life, offering an inside look at her current endeavors.

“Knock Knock Surprise in Bermuda” will follow, showcasing a special surprise segment set in Bermuda. This feature will highlight a touching or exciting surprise event happening in this beautiful location.

“Quintuplets Graduation” will celebrate the milestone of quintuplets graduating, providing...

Lando's naming of the Millennium Falcon remains a mystery due to its unusual choice and lack of explanation. The Millennium Falcon's reputation as "junk" contradicts its legendary status and pivotal roles in the Star Wars universe. The ship's design flaws, like impractical hidden compartments, raise questions about its effectiveness as a smuggling vessel.

The Millennium Falcon is one of the most iconic ships in Star Wars and all science fiction, but there are still some things about the legendary ship that don't make any sense. The Millennium Falcon is one of the most prolific starships in Star Wars. It's appeared in several Star Wars movies, comics, books, and shows, and it should continue to be important to the future of the franchise thanks to Rey Skywalker and the upcoming New Jedi Order movie. The Millennium Falcon has long since earned a spot as an icon of Star Wars.

While the...

A Boba Fett action figure sold for over $1.3 million, becoming the most expensive toy ever sold. The figure is a prototype, extremely rare, and high-quality, all of which contributes to its high value. The popularity of the Star Wars franchise plays a significant role in the collectible's value.

A Boba Fett action figure sold for over $1.3 million, making it the most expensive Star Wars toy, and the most expensive toy in general, ever sold. Boba Fett is one of the best bounty hunters in Star Wars, and he's been an icon of the franchise ever since The Empire Strikes Back. He was a sensation as soon as he appeared in the Star Wars movies, and his popularity grew enough that he got a solo spinoff show, The Book of Boba Fett. There was even a now-canceled Boba Fett movie at one point, and one toy perfectly exemplifies how important he is as a character.

Yoda lost his lightsaber in a duel against Darth Sidious in Revenge of the Sith, and it was eventually destroyed on Coruscant. Yoda kept another lightsaber on Dagobah and never used it again after his defeat, but Luke Skywalker gained possession of it after Yoda's death. Luke eventually offered the lightsaber to Grogu, but its fate after that point and whether it was used by one of Luke's other Padawans is undetermined.

Yoda is one of the most well-known Jedi in Star Wars, but the fate of his iconic lightsaber is much more mysterious. Yoda was mostly known for everything but his lightsaber, as his skill with the Force made him one of the most powerful Jedi in Star Wars. Yoda was so skilled with the Force that he didn't even need to use his lightsaber until the final moments of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones...

Anakin Skywalker's iconic lightsaber went through multiple hands after Cloud City, even falling into the claws of Bossk and then Boba Fett. A Dark Jedi tried to infuse the lightsaber with the dark side, but Luke's son Ben Skywalker intervened 40 years after the Battle of Yavin. In Star Wars Legends, Mara Jade, Luke's wife, eventually received and wielded Anakin's lightsaber, leading to a very different fate from this alternate story.

One specific Star Wars story from the Star Wars Legends continuity gave audiences an incredibly unique fate for Anakin Skywalker's lost lightsaber after The Empire Strikes Back. Lightsabers are an incredibly iconic part of Star Wars, but none more than Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. Wielded by Anakin in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Luke in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, the saber made a return to the screen in the sequel trilogy,...

Warning! This post contains Spoilers for Darth Vader #48

Sab feared Luke had hate and anger, just like his Sith Lord father. Sab tested Luke to see if he'd give into his anger and embrace the dark side. Darth Vader sensed Luke's trial through the Force, believing that he wasn't yet ready to embrace the dark side and join him.

Luke Skywalker was tested and tempted to give in to his anger before the events of Return of the Jedi. In the aftermath of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke was determined to continue his Jedi path in the Star Wars canon, knowing that he'd have to face his father again one day. To that end, a new issue of Marvel's canonical Darth Vader series set during this era sees the young Jedi being tested by Sab, the former handmaid of his mother Padm Amidala and recent agent of Darth Vader himself.

Hidden within the seedy streets of New York’s Times Square lies the remarkable story of one woman’s rise from poverty to prominence. Queen of the Deuce takes viewers on a journey through the life and times of Chelly Wilson, the formidable matriarch who came to reign over the city’s 1960s porn scene. Born in Greece as Rachel Serrero, Chelly narrowly escaped the Holocaust to start anew in America with just five dollars in her pocket. Through grit and enterprise, she would build an empire that came to own hundreds of properties across Manhattan.

Director Valerie Kontakos weaves this unlikely tale through archival footage and interviews with Chelly’s family and friends. We learn of her early struggles selling nuts in New York before finding her fortune in the fledgling “adult” film industry. Chelly soon came to own several iconic theaters along 42nd Street, including the Adonis located above her lavish apartment.

Marvel's Star Wars & Darth Vader series will conclude in September, paving the way for stories bridging the original and sequel trilogies set during the Battle of Jakku. A collection of new limited series focused on Jakku are coming, featuring iconic heroes like Luke, Leia, and Han in primary roles. The Battle of Jakku was the defining conflict that ended the Galactic Civil War and truly began the New Republic Era, and Marvel is promising engaging stories that will unfold within the massive galactic campaign.

Star Wars and Marvel Comics have announced a collection of upcoming series centered around the Battle of Jakku, the major final conflict of the Galactic Civil War. While Marvel's current and canonical Star Wars comics have largely been set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, this era of storytelling is about to end with the 50th issues of Marvel's...

The Star Wars fanbase is in its most divided state, especially after The Acolyte. The series received generally negative reviews from fans, especially because several creative choices did not land well. However, one Marvel star seemingly predicted this fallout almost two years ago.

Mark Ruffalo criticized the Star Wars universe two years ago (Credit: Avengers | Marvel Studios).

During an interview, Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo was critical of the formulaic storytelling in the Star Wars universe. While Ruffalo’s comments were humiliating and infuriated the fanbase at the time, the criticism proved to be accurate after the release of The Acolyte. Here is what Ruffalo had to say about the shortcomings of the Star Wars franchise.

MCU Star Mark Ruffalo Dissed Star Wars With an Infuriating Comment Mark Ruffalo felt the Star Wars content was too formulaic (Credit: Avengers | Marvel Studios).

Mark Ruffalo is best known for playing the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Grand Inquisitor's spirit likely remains cursed by Vader even after the Dark Lord's death. Luke faced the corrupted spirit of the Grand Inquisitor in a Jedi outpost shortly after Empire Strikes Back. It remains unclear if the Inquisitor's spirit persists into the sequel era or was freed due to Vader's death, though the former feels more likely (and more exciting).

A strong theory suggests that the Grand Inquisitor still "lives" in the Star Wars canon, even during the sequel era. Tasked with leading the Imperial Inquisitorius under the command of Darth Vader himself, the Grand Inquisitor was once a guard at the Jedi Temple whom Palpatine corrupted with promises of power and forbidden knowledge. Although it seemed as though he met his end at the hands of Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus in the first season of Star Wars Rebels, the Grand Inquisitor's story goes much further.

As revealed...

The Matrix aka one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time is a groundbreaking classic that blew everyone’s minds with a trip to a world where everything makes you question reality. One of the best parts about the film is its wild action sequences that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. However, it was not an easy task to achieve such perfection.

The Matrix (1999) | Warner Bros.

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Hugo Weaving had to go through a grueling training regimen to make sure that they would be able to execute the fight scenes perfectly and do justice to them. Of course, anyone who has seen the film knows that the training paid off well but it sure did take a toll on the actors including Hugo Weaving who revealed that their training went on for about six months.

Hugo Weaving Opened Up about...

Warning! This article contains Spoilers for Star Wars: The Acolyte episode 8.

Yoda's failure to act on Sith warnings set the Jedi up for a fall into Palpatine's plot. Neglecting to explore threats left the Jedi vulnerable to collapse, as Yoda discounted potential dangers. Senators' warnings about the Jedi's power were ignored, leading to loss of faith in the Order.

The Jedis struggle against the Sith began long before Luke faced off against Darth Vader, and The Acolyte has made it undeniable that Yoda could have helped them prepare for the oncoming threat. Yodas incredibly long lifespan has given him the unique opportunity to gather wisdom and experience over the centuries that he uses to lead the Jedi as their Grand Master. When the Sith once again become active in the galaxy, the Jedi could have been much better equipped to deal with the threat if Yoda had utilized the...

Starfield players on Xbox Series X|S can now access popular Star Wars mods via Creations. Modder Bill-Jones is working on a full Star Wars conversion mod for both Xbox and PC. The conversion mod will introduce new factions, quests, and stories blending Starfield and Star Wars lore.

Thanks to the launch of Creations, Starfield players on Xbox Series X|S finally have an opportunity to try the game's best mods, including the add-ons that transform it into one of the most immersive Star Wars games yet. Ever since Bethesda dropped the sci-fi RPG in late 2023, some of the most popular mods developed by the game's community have focused on introducing elements inspired by the galaxy far, far away. These mods were previously exclusive to the PC version of the game but now console players also have the opportunity to climb aboard a custom N-1 Starfighter.

Per a YouTube video by Rebs Gaming,...

Qimir is revealed as the mysterious Sith Lord in The Acolyte, portrayed by Manny Jacinto. Digital artist uzuriart captures Qimir's essence in a chilling artwork of this pivotal moment in The Acolyte. This reveal in The Acolyte mirrors those of Star Wars past, hinting at Qimir's significant role in the franchise.

The mysterious villain of The Acolyte is fully revealed in one incredible work of art. The master who has been training Mae (Amandla Stenberg) in the secrets of the dark side has been revealed to have been Qimir (Manny Jacinto) all along, despite the latters presumed role as her helper. After her master loses his mask and reveals his true identity, Qimir becomes a completely different person. Suddenly, he takes on a sinister demeanor with lightsaber skills to match.

Related The Acolyte's Sith Lord Helmet Explained

The Sith Lord of The Acolyte wore a very unique helmet, but...