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Neil deGrasse Tyson reveals his favorite science fiction movies

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Neil deGrasse Tyson loves science fiction movies, he even applauds bad movies for their efforts. But there are two movies that stand out above the rest for Neil.

Produced by Darren Weaver and Kamelia AngelovaAdditional production by Kevin Reilly.

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StarTalk Radio is a podcast and radio program hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, where comic co-hosts, guest celebrities, and scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Follow StarTalk Radio on Twitter, and watch StarTalk Radio "Behind the Scenes" on YouTube.

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Everything you need to know about the 'Batman v Superman' villain

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A new "Batman v Superman" trailer debuted on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Wednesday.

And while the two superheroes will be squaring off in next spring's big movie, the trailer revealed they'll also be facing an iconic DC villain: Doomsday.

doomsday batman v superman

doomsday batman v superman

The reveal confirmed what many fans, including myself, have been thinking for some time: General Zod (Michael Shannon) will be used in some way to help create the iconic villain. It's not clear whether Zod is resurrected, but it appears as if he's used to help give birth to Doomsday, or the devil, as Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor refers to him in the new trailer.

general zod

From the trailer, we know Doomsday's scary, has laser vision like Superman, and, presumably, super strength, but what else?

If you're not familiar with the character, let's break it down.

Who's Doomsday?

Doomsday is a ravaging madman bent on destroying anything and everything in his path. The main thing you need to know about him is that he killed the man of steel in 1992's "The Death of Superman." Yes, this guy killed Superman.

In the comics, Doomsday's powers include super strength, speed, regeneration, and he can even resurrect himself. (Yeah, that's not good.)

Here's how he looks in the comics:

doomsday superman

doomsday dc

The character has been introduced a few different ways, and he's always looked particularly cartoonish and goofy. In his first comic appearance, he was a monster from Superman's home planet of Krypton, created after a series of experiments.

In television series "Smallville," Doomsday was created in part by General Zod.

doomsday smallville

In the animated series, he's made as an evil clone of Superman.

doomsday animated

In one animated movie, 2007's "Superman: Doomsday," the creature is unearthed by LexCorp employees during a mining project. Luthor clones Superman to create a version of the man of steel he can control.

superman doomsday animated

From the new trailer, it looks like we may see some version of that play out on screen. We see Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) appear to bring this creature to life to battle it out with Superman.

lex luthordoomsday batman v supermandoomsday creation

So far, the reaction to the new Doomsday hasn't been overwhelming with fans.

Many have compared him to a Ninja Turtle or Abomination, the character seen in Marvel's 2008 "Incredible Hulk" movie.

abomination incredible hulk

Some other fans see a resemblance to a troll from "The Lord of the Rings."

What do you think of Doomsday?

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NOW WATCH: How Superman's costume has changed since its first time on the big screen

Another 'Star Wars' favorite character is returning for 'The Force Awakens'

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Admiral-Ackbar

Adding to the list of original "Star Wars" characters returning to the galaxy in "The Force Awakens" is a character from with one line of dialogue in "Return of the Jedi" but a lot of staying power.

Fans can rest assured that Admiral Ackbar is coming back.

In its "Star Wars" cover story, Rolling Stone confirmed that the former rebel leader, known for his "It's a trap" line, will make an appearance in the upcoming film. 

Fans did think they spotted the Admiral in a TV spot that debuted last month, but this confirms the news. 

han leia

Other fan favorites making a return include: Han Solo, Princess (now General) Leia, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, C-3P0, and R2-D2

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will be released December 18. 

SEE ALSO: The world's top designers made these 'Star Wars'-inspired clothes you'd actually want to wear

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NOW WATCH: Parents are complaining that Pixar's new movie scares the crap out of their kids

Studios are making billion-dollar deals with Netflix, but they have almost no idea how their shows are performing

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house of cards

The giants in the streaming world like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu currently have the ultimate bargaining chip.

Unlike traditional TV, whose lifeblood is advertising and fees from cable providers, streaming companies live off direct user subscriptions completely untethered from that old model. This gives them the power to hoard all the data on how many and what kinds of people watch their TV shows and movies for themselves, free of outside pressures. Because, basically, they have no one to answer to.

Many in Hollywood are wondering how long they will have that luxury.

With the major streaming companies gaining a higher profile thanks to the popularity of the award-winning original content they've been developing, more and more people in the industry want some hard data on the number of people watching shows like “House of Cards” or “Transparent.”

That includes the filmmakers responsible for making streaming content, who are almost as clueless as anyone else.

“I finally accosted [Netflix head of content acquisitions] Ted Sarandos recently to try to give me the numbers,” “Beasts of No Nation” director Cary Fukunaga told Business Insider. Fukunaga said the numbers he got were “reassuring," but he had to jump through hoops to get them.

Sarandos told Deadline shortly after "Beasts" came out simultaneously in theaters (where it had a weak opening) and on streaming that it had three million views in North America alone. That figure is still vague, however, since it's unclear if it counts people who finished the film or simply started it.

When Fukunaga was asked if he thinks streaming companies should release their numbers publicly he said, “I think they should. Why not?”

beasts of no nation netflix focus featuresThe answer, of course, is that Netflix would then lose an enormous advantage.

With a studio knowing how its content is performing, the streaming service would no longer be in control of the price of the deal, and a more level negotiation for the content would take place.

According to numerous sources aware of the negotiations who spoke to Business Insider, the major studios are making billion-dollar deals with streaming companies known as output deals — selling a group of titles from a studio's library to a streaming service — with little knowledge of whether the dollar amounts they're selling for align with the performances of those titles on the streaming platforms.

“We’ve giving the family jewels over to a platform and we’re not understanding what’s working and what’s not,” said one source who's familiar with a studio's analytics.

At the moment, the best sense of viewership for studios comes from third-party companies that are beginning to pop up. These outside entities have built algorithms to provide data about who's watching what. One of them, Luth Research, does so by gathering a sample of Netflix subscribers. But this data is nowhere close to being as reliable or specific as the internal information a company like Netflix has.

Numerous people interviewed for this story all pointed to one solution that would level the playing field: If one of the media conglomerates such as NBCUniversal or Sony were to insist on streaming companies being transparent with their data when negotiating for output deals, it could turn a corner.

“It would be a wake-up call to the streaming world if a major player would walk away,” one source told BI.

Time will only tell if anyone has the fortitude to refuse a billion-dollar deal.

SEE ALSO: Even Hollywood insiders are completely clueless about Netflix's streaming numbers

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10 weird 'Star Wars' products you can buy on Etsy

Leonardo DiCaprio has done some crazy things to finally get an Oscar — and he's just getting started

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Leonardo DiCaprio has been nominated for an Oscar five times — but he’s never won one.

 

For "The Revenant," in which he's starring this December, he slept in an animal carcass, ate raw bison, and swam in freezing rivers.

But that's not the craziest thing he's done in his dogged pursuit of an Oscar.

For "Django Unchained," Leo actually cut his hand on glass in a dinner scene. He didn't flinch, and that take went in the final movie. For "The Wolf of Wall Street," Leo dragged himself across the ground for several yards — in multiple takes. While preparing for "Blood Diamond," he's rumored to have hung out with former mercenaries, soldiers, and smugglers from Sierra Leone.

Should Leo get an Oscar before he hurts himself too badly? Maybe. Or not, we're enjoying this.

Story by Jacob Shamsian and editing by Jeremy Dreyfuss

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SEE ALSO: Justin Bieber is suddently making the best, most popular music of his career

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More than 2,500 actors are vying to be the next Han Solo — why it should be someone you don't know

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star wars han solo chewbacca

Interest in “Star Wars” is at a fever pitch with the upcoming release of “The Force Awakens,” but that is just the opening salvo of the plans Disney has for the franchise.

Over the summer news broke that a Han Solo spin-off chronicling the younger years of our favorite space scoundrel (Harrison Ford, who reprises the character in “The Force Awakens”) is in the works with “The Lego Movie” directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller at the helm.

Now there’s an update on the project.

More than 2,500 actors have auditioned for the project, according to the Hollywood Reporter, including recognizable names like Dave Franco (“Neighbors”), Miles Teller (“Fantastic Four”), and Nick Robinson (“Jurassic World”), to name just a few.

According to the THR story:

"The casting team is said to be looking for someone who looks at least a bit like a young Ford (now 73, he was 35 when the original Star Wars was released) and can be funny and charming as well as handle the expected action scenes. A few young comedians have been asked to read."

And casting directors are not just looking at American actors. They’ve also brought in Canadian and English actors to read.

Regardless of who gets the part, it’s going to be hard to fill Ford's boots. And because of that, it makes a lot more sense to cast an unknown for the role, rather than an actor we're familiar who will be judged as soon as the casting is announced.

But THR reports that Lord and Miller are taking “a 180-degree turn” from J.J. Abrams’ strategy of casting mostly unknowns for the new roles in “The Force Awakens” (John Boyega found attention with the 2011 British sci-fi film “Attack the Block”).

The untitled Solo project begins shooting January 2017.

SEE ALSO: Steven Spielberg says no other actor will ever replace Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones

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NOW WATCH: This disturbing video of a fatal police shooting raises questions about the use of force

The ingenious path George Lucas took to making billions off of 'Star Wars'

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disney star wars theme park bob iger george lucas

What started off as an unlikely underdog story turned into a phenomenon that changed the world.

While Hollywood expected "Star Wars" to be a huge flop in 1977, it ended up, as we know, one of the most financially successful films of all time, and kicked off a franchise that can't be killed.

"The Force Awakens," the seventh film in the "Star Wars" saga, will be released on December 18, 2015. Expectations are incredibly high. No less a Hollywood mythmaker than Steven Spielberg thinks it could be "the biggest movie ever."

While George Lucas gave up control of the franchise in 2012, he still made a tremendous profit off of it. That is not just because he created the original story. Lucas gained control of licensing and merchandising rights before "A New Hope" was even released. This smart move ultimately turned him into one of the most successful people in the entertainment industry.

This is the path that George Lucas took that turned him into a billionaire.

SEE ALSO: 10 things you didn’t know about the background characters in the iconic 'Star Wars' cantina scene

In 1973, George Lucas had just finished directing the beloved coming-of-age film "American Graffiti."



The high school comedy remains one of the most profitable movies of all time. Made on a budget of $777,000, it earned $140 million in revenue.

Source: Pajiba



The success of "Graffiti" gave Lucas some much-needed clout in Hollywood. Producers were excited to hear his next idea. Lucas wanted to direct a sci-fi Western called "Star Wars."



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The new Spider-Man will make a surprise arrival in 'Captain America: Civil War,' according to Robert Downey Jr.

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spider-man

The newest Spider-Man is getting his introduction sooner than most fans expected.

After Tom Holland was cast as the new Peter Paker for a standalone "Spider-Man" film set to debut in 2017, some folks wondered if he'd pop up in "Captain America: Civil War." After all, the film, which pits Iron Man against Captain America, features a number of superheros joining the fray and even marks the Black Panther's debut to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

When asked about a familiar red-suited superhero showing up on the "Civil War" set, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told Entertainment Weekly, "Listen, if there was a cosplayer running around that set when you were there, I don’t know what to tell you.” And other cast members, like Chris Evans, were also keeping their lips shut. But you can thank Robert Downey Jr. for spilling the beans in an interview with EW, and telling us, yes, it looks like Spidey is going to show up next year. 

"[Don] Cheadle and I are just going, ‘Wow, dude, look at this.’ We’re now like the old guard, and our storyline carries real weight just because of our history in the [canon]. But we’re also looking around like, ‘Who thought that Falcon and Black Panther and Ant-Man and now Spider-Man…?’ I mean it’s like wow, this thing is just crazy.” 

"Civil War" is set to debut May 6, 2016. You can watch the trailer below: 

SEE ALSO: 'Captain America: Civil War' trailer set a record with 61 million views in a single day

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NOW WATCH: Parents are complaining that Pixar's new movie scares the crap out of their kids

Mark Hamill lost about 50 pounds on a brutal diet to be Luke Skywalker in 'Star Wars' again

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luke skywalker

It turns out Carrie Fisher wasn't the only member from the original "Star Wars" cast who had to shed pounds for "The Force Awakens."

In a Rolling Stone story on the latest movie in the "Star Wars" saga (out December 18), Mark Hamill revealed that he trained for two years before shooting began on "The Force Awakens" to reprise his role as Luke Skywalker. 

From the story:

"He seems to have lost a good 50 pounds, but he doesn't want compliments: 'It implies that I looked so dreadful before!' 'Look at what I'm eating now instead of potato chips and bagels,' he adds, gesturing to a fruit-and-vegetable plate. 'I'm on the "if it tastes good, don't eat it" diet.'"

Hamill, 64, sings a different tune than Fisher, 59. While speaking about her weight loss to play General Leia in the movie, she said:

"They don’t want to hire all of me – only about three-quarters! Nothing changes, it’s an appearance-driven thing," she said. "I’m in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and appearance. That is so messed up. They might as well say get younger, because that’s how easy it is."

Gold Princess LeiaBut Fisher has reason to be weary of the demands on hear appearance. Never shy to speak her mind — especially about what she had to go through for the original trilogy — she has revealed that she had to lose 10 pounds just to get the role in the first "Star Wars" movie, "A New Hope," and it took her 10 years to appreciate her slave costume in "Return of the Jedi." 

It's tough to say if we'll see Hamill showing off his physique in "The Force Awakens," as the appearance of Skywalker in any of the promotional material has been ominously scarce.

SEE ALSO: This scene from "The Empire Strikes Back" led to a huge mystery that "Star Wars" fans haven't been able to solve for 35 years

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NOW WATCH: 5 ways to change your body language to make people like you

How the incredible one-take fight scene in the new 'Rocky' movie 'Creed' was shot

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creed fight final

Though many are praising “Creed” for its excellent use of the “Rocky” franchise to elevate its story, what shouldn’t be lost in the nostalgia is the new movie's great cinematography.

The director of photography for "Creed" is veteran cinematographer Maryse Alberti, who is no stranger to the squared circle. Her handheld photography in Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar-nominated “The Wrestler,” which follows down-and-out pro wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) at the end of his career, was a memorable highlight when the film came out in 2008.

But with “Creed," she gives the audience a more slick perspective of what goes on in the ring.

One standout is Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), then going by Adonis Johnson, in his first fight that has Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) in his corner. It lasts two rounds and is done in one continuous take.

“Creed” director Ryan Coogler broke down most of the scene for a New York Times video:

In the scene, Adonis faces Leo Sporino, played by real Philadelphia boxer Gabe Rosado.

creed2"This scene represents the boxer/coach relationship, the parental relationship. You can work with someone very long training them but when the bell rings they are all alone so we wanted to shoot this in one unbroken take to represent that."

creed1"It took a lot of memorization and choreography and body control. And with this scene being shot in one unbroken take it was similar to a monologue in the lines an actor will have to learn. Michael had to learn different punches and different steps to make sure he was in the right place at the right time."

creed4"The big thing for us was the sound design. We utilized the space of the surround sound. When you’re close to the blue corner you hear Rokcy’s voice and when you’re in the red you hear Sporino’s manager. We wanted to play with that sense of being alone and abandoned when you’re in the ring but a hint of that support."

creed6"And what’s great about boxing is that at the end of the round you’re reunited with your support group. Rocky puts the fight in perspective and the guy working on Michael’s eye is a real cut guy."

creed8The scene continues in a single take into the next round, when the advice Rocky gave Adonis between rounds pays off.

Watch the complete breakdown of the scene below:

SEE ALSO: Here's the workout Michael B. Jordan used to get in insane shape for the boxing movie, "Creed"

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Harvey Weinstein thinks Oscar season is way too crowded, and he has an unusual solution

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Harvey Weinstein

Harvey Weinstein thinks film distributors are "cannibalizing" each other with what he considers a short awards season.

The co-chief of the Weinstein Company wrote a new op-ed for the Hollywood Reporter and voiced his displeasure over awards season, which typically starts in November and lasts until the Oscars ceremony in February. 

"The fall has become so dominated, so top-heavy with adult-driven awards releases that it has made it almost impossible for quality films to reach their full potential unless they dare release at another time of year, where they are quickly forgotten come awards season," he wrote. 

He mentions his company's films "Woman in Gold" and "Southpaw," as well as competitor films such as Fox Searchlight's "Far from the Maddening Crowd" and Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate's "Mr. Holmes," as films that lost awards attention because they were released too early.

"It's completely puzzling, and I have to say a bit maddening, to read prognosticator lists of performances that 'may' get nominated and not see Jake’s [Gyllenhaal] name included," he wrote about Gyllenhaal's peformance in his company's "Southpaw.""These are the same people who wrote only months earlier that he gave an awards-worthy performance and should be recognized come Oscar time!"

Weinstein called upon distributors to release quality films year-round. He also urged critics, journalists, and awards pundits to recognize a film's potential regardless of when it's released.  

"We need to support independent film distribution (and, in turn, independent film culture) 12 months a year, not just the last four... Otherwise, our worst fears will be realized, with intelligent, daring adult dramas marginalized and cannibalized, and nothing but tentpoles left in their wake." 

SEE ALSO: The ingenious path George Lucas took to making billions off of 'Star Wars'

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NOW WATCH: Dave Chappelle is using a brand new technology that’ll eliminate the most annoying part about attending live shows

Chicago rappers are ripping apart Spike Lee's 'Chi-Raq,' call it 'exploitive' and 'a joke'

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chance the rapperChance the Rapper took to Twitter today to publicly denounce "Chi-Raq," Spike Lee's latest film.

"Let me be the one from Chicago to personally tell you we not supporting this film out here," he tweeted.

"Chi-Raq" is a modern-day retelling of the ancient Greek play "Lysistrata," which features Athenian women witholding sex from the men in the city in an effort to end the Peloponnesian War. But in Lee's film, the women are witholding sex in an effort to end the violence in Chicago's South Side.

Chance isn't the first from the local hip-hop scene to negatively speak out about Lee's satirical film.

In an interview with GQIdris Dykes, a.k.a Peeda Pan, the manager for drill rapper Chief Keef, said, “If somebody is going to do a Chicago movie and call it 'Chi-Raq' it needs to be somebody from Chicago.” Dykes helped popularize the term “Chi-Raq,” which compares the murder rate in Chicago to that of the Iraq War.

He told GQ that Lee needed to reach out to people involved in the drill scene to better understand the context of the term and accurately portray the issues.

“I don’t understand how there is a 'Chi-Raq' movie without any participation from Chief Keef, G.B.E., Glo Gang, or any of the other rappers who created and popularized that movement,” he said. “The fact that we weren’t even reached out to was bewildering to me.”

Many from Chicago were upset by the humorous tone Lee struck in the film.

Another drill rapper Lil Durk said, “I was disappointed when I saw the trailer. Like, is this is a joke?” 

Andrew Barber, founder of Chicago hip-hop blog Fake Shore Drive, added, “In my world, everybody’s pissed off about it: the rappers, the artists, the community people."

Chief Keef tweeted his displeasure when the first trailer was released in November.

Chance posted a series of tweets about the film today, now that it's been released via Amazon.

 

Watch the trailer below:

CHI-RAQ Trailer from 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks on Vimeo.

SEE ALSO: A DJ made a crazy mashup of 50 of the year's most popular songs

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NOW WATCH: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson opens up about his personal experience with depression

The worst thing J.J. Abrams could do with the new ‘Star Wars’ movie

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Lots of "Star Wars" fans are anxiously excited for the newest film in the franchise. That's because the last time the franchise was revived by George Lucas', everyone got a bad taste in their mouth. So the worry is, 'will J.J. Abrams' stab at "Star Wars" be equally abysmal?' We brought in Ryan Britt, author of the book "Luke Skywalker Can't Read: And Other Geeky Truths," to weigh in on just that question. 

Produced by Corey Protin. Camera by Grace Raver.

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Leonardo DiCaprio's new movie is a brilliantly gory revenge tale that could win his first Oscar

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The Revenant

Many movies set in the 1800s frontier have boasted authenticity. Wrangling in experts to make sure the audience is thrust into a less-civilized time, the movies in this subgenre get increasingly bleak and real.

It has gotten to a point where it's hard for any new movie in that setting to deliver anything that surprises the audience.

But then Alejandro González Iñárritu went and made "The Revenant," which proves there's still new ground to cover in the frontier movie, and that he's one of the best directors working today.

On the heels of winning the best director Oscar at this year's Academy Awards for "Birdman" (which also won best picture), Iñárritu could certainly pull off back-to-back wins in both categories this year.

the revenant kimberly french 20th Century Fox"The Revenant" is a masterwork of filmmaking that is as cringeworthy violent as it is beautifully lush to look at.

In the film, Leonard DiCaprio plays a Wyoming scout named Hugh Glass who has been hired, along with his son, to lead a group of fur trappers on their expedition. Domhnall Gleeson plays the captain of the expedition, Andrew Henry, while Tom Hardy is John Fitzgerald, a money-hungry fur trader who contradicts everything Glass and Henry do.

Without giving too much away: Glass is mauled by a bear, left for dead, and is determined to find Fitzgerald and the others who left him behind.

The story is a simple revenge tale, but trust me: There's a lot to it.

Iñárritu, who adapted the story from part of a Michael Punke novel of the same name, was determined to make the film as true to life as possible. That meant little to no computer graphics and shooting the movie in natural light. Filmed mostly in remote locations in Canada and Argentina, the film contains scenes that appear as if Glass is the first person to ever set foot there.

the revenant 20th century foxThe photography, by Emmanuel Lubezki (he won Oscars the last two years for "Gravity" and "Birdman," respectively), is breathtaking. On one hand, it captures the frantic pace of an attack by Native Americans against the fur trappers or of Glass fighting a bear. The latter sequence is horrific (though perhaps not as horrific as a rumored bear rape scene), with the camera so close to the action that the snorting by the bear makes the camera lens foggy. Between those moments of brutality, there are gorgeous wide shots that show off the natural wonder of the frontier.

But the heart of the movie is DiCaprio. Always known to go all in with his roles, he goes beyond that playing Glass, who is based on a real person who traveled cross-country after being injured by a bear. Along with sustaining the mauling, which is likely a mix of real bear and CGI, though Iñárritu won't go into detail yet about how it was pulled off, DiCaprio eats real bison liver and in one scene guts a horse and goes inside it for warmth during a heavy snowstorm.

Though Glass doesn't say much in the movie, it's DiCaprio's eyes and grunts that say more than words can. Most of the movie he does this growl as he breathes. Almost like, dare I say, a bear.

the revenant youtube wbIn a year with an unpredictable awards season and few sure things, it will be interesting to see what kind of upset wins take place. But it's hard to deny the performance DiCaprio gives in this film when it comes to thinking of the best actor category.

Awards aside, "The Revenant" is a tour de force that rarely comes around anymore in the comic-book-obsessed film world we live in. So go experience it.

"The Revenant" opens in limited release on Christmas Day and everywhere January 8.

SEE ALSO: Leonardo DiCaprio ate live bison liver and slept inside an animal for his new movie

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The 10 most influential sci-fi movies of all time

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ex machina

Science fiction has always been a genre in which you can stretch the imagination with ideas that are only possible in the mind. But there are cases where real science is needed, and can be used impressively.

Author Brian Clegg uses his new book, "Ten Billion Tomorrows," to show how a host of fictional topics has led to new discoveries in science and technology.

Here Clegg tells us about 10 movies in history that have influenced people to think about science beyond the classrooms and laboratories. 

SEE ALSO: The ingenious path George Lucas took to making billions off of "Star Wars"

1. "Woman in the Moon" (1929)

Fritz Lang's classic 1929 film is one of the first to travel to the moon, and what's featured would become staples for space movies to come, from the look of the rocket ships to the countdown to blastoff. 

"It was the first time there was a countdown before a rocket launch in a movie," Clegg said. "In fact, NASA got the idea of a shuttle countdown from the film." 



2. "Destination Moon" (1950)

"Destination Moon" is one of the first times the US got a dose of what was beyond the sky. Though it might look silly now, for kids in the 1950s it sparked ideas that would change entertainment and technology for decades to come.

"It also has this documentary quality to it, so the fact that human beings were making this was quite inspirational in the 1950s," Clegg said.  



3. "Forbidden Planet" (1956)

Six years later, one of the major films in the sci-fi genre was released. Depicting for the first time a story was set beyond our solar system, it has Leslie Nielsen playing the captain of a crew that investigates the fate of an expedition sent decades earlier.

"You can see 'Star Trek' and 'Lost in Space' were hugely inspired by it," Clegg said. "But as previous films only had humans, in this there's a robot, going a step forward in that thinking of technology."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The new 'Hunger Games' owns the box office for a third straight week

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mockingjay part 2

The first weekend following Thanksgiving has historically been a good time to catch up on fall movies you've missed as the new releases are usually subpar. 

And though the bizarre, holiday-themed horror "Krampus" came in second place this weekend with a better-than-expected estimated $16 million (projections had it in the $10 million-$13 million range), according to The Hollywood Reporter, what helped ticket sales were the strong holdovers.

"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" topped the domestic box office for a third consecutive week with an estimated $18 million, according to The Wrap.

the good dinosaur release dateFollowing "Krampus" came "The Good Dinosaur" in third place with an estimated $15.51 million. We may be suffering a little Pixar burnout following its latest hit, "Inside Out" earlier in the year. "The Good Dinosaur" opened last weekend with just over $39 million, lower than even the most polarizing Pixar titles like "Up,""Brave,""Ratatouille," and "WALL-E," which all opened in the $60 million range. And "Dinosaur" certainly won't be picking up any ground with the stiff competition in theaters and "The Force Awakens" looming.

In limited released was Spike Lee's "Chi-Raq," which is the first theatrical film from Amazon Studios. Not taking the same path as Netflix did with "Beasts of No Nation," where it released the movie in theaters the same day as it made it available for streaming, "Chi-Raq" opened on 305 screens and will be available to Amazon Prime customers in the coming weeks.

chi-raqPlaying by the rules seems to have paid off for Lee's film, which looks at the gun-related deaths in Chicago, as it took in an estimated $1.2 million, according to THR.

Because "Beasts" went day-and-date the major theaters boycotted it, causing the movie to open in only 31 theaters and earn $51,003 its opening weekend. However Netflix has been happy with the film's streaming performance (though no one would ever know).

SEE ALSO: The 10 most influential sci-fi movies of all time

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Quentin Tarantino already has an idea for a 'Kill Bill: Volume 3'

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Kill Bill

A third "Kill Bill" film has been teased for years, but Quentin Tarantino confirmed the possibility of "Kill Bill: Volume 3" during an interview on "What the Flick?!"

"There's definitely a possibility — stop short of saying a probability," Tarantino told host Ben Mankiewicz.

Tarantino said he wanted to give the character Beatrix Kiddo, played by Uma Thurman, a break, so if the third film does happen, there would be a time jump.

"I put the character Beatrix Kiddo through a lot, and so I wanted her to have this much time for peace," he said. "I wanted her to have some time with her daughter and not have to be in the genre machine and enjoy her life for a while."

He also added that he believes the "Kill Bill" films are his most "visionary cinematic contribution."

"Since then, my work has taken a turn for the literary, and it's denser and denser with this one ['The Hateful Eight'] probably being the densest of the group... It would be nice to go back to just a visceral world that's not about the words anymore," he said.  

Watch the full interview below. "Kill Bill" is mentioned around 58:00.  

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J.J. Abrams has an answer on if there will be a post-credits scene in the new 'Star Wars'

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In the modern blockbuster world, post-credits scenes have become very popular. The films made by Marvel Studios are arguably best known for it, but fun stingers have also been found in the "X-Men" franchise movies as well as the latest "Terminator." Because of this, some have wondered if this could be something new for the "Star Wars" series as well… but now J.J. Abrams has definitely put an end to that conversation.

The subject came up when Abrams was on stage for a "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" press conference held today in Los Angeles. The filmmaker was directly asked if fans can expect to see a post-credits scene or Easter Egg at the end of the sequel, and he quickly dismissed the idea, saying:

“No, there’s not. All the scenes are actually in the movie.”

Those of you who have been following updates and stories about "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" for a while will note that this dispels a rumor that has been going around for the last few months. Back in September it was rumored that the latest saga film would actually be teasing the first "Star Wars"story, "Rogue One." This made a degree of sense, given that the Gareth Edwards-directed feature has been filming since this past summer, and will surely have a good amount of footage ready by the time "Force Awakens" arrives in theaters. Now it sounds like that post-credits scene definitely isn’t happening – so instead maybe we can just expect the blockbuster to come with a trailer for the eighth live-action "Star Wars" movie during the coming attractions.

Rogue One CastPost-credits scenes are definitely fun for fans, and a good incentive to get people to stick around and watch the credits – but I can’t say that I’m too upset that "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" won’t have one. After all, they aren’t exactly part of the franchise’s tradition (none of the previous movies have stingers), and it’s not a device that has to be used all over Hollywood. If everything the movie has to say can be fit between the opening scrawl and the end credits, more power to it.

Surely there will be some fans who will be disappointed by this news, but hopefully they’ll all get over it fairly quickly. After all, the feelings about the lack of a post-credits scene should be drowned out by the excitement that comes with the fact that we’re now less than two weeks away from the theatrical release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." As always, stay tuned for more about the movie, including our on-camera interviews with the cast and J.J. Abrams!

SEE ALSO: "Star Wars" is actively looking for a female director, wants more diversity in franchise

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'Edward Scissorhands' is turning 25 — this story from the film's production designer proves Tim Burton is a creative genius

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In 1990 Tim Burton was at the peak of his creativity. He had burst through Hollywood’s doors with the playful “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” five years earlier, then followed that up with two vastly different —and equally great — movies, “Beetlejuice” (1988) and "Batman" (1989).

In ’90 Burton would team with Johnny Depp for the first time with “Edward Scissorhands,” in which Depp plays a gentle boy with scissors for fingers who must adapt to a new life when his creator dies.

Like his previous work, Burton thrusts us into a bizarre world of fantasy and unique characters that delivers a different kind of melodrama.

Production designer Bo Welch had worked with Burton previously on “Beetlejuice,” so he was aware of the director’s style and aesthetic desires. But that didn’t prepare him for what Burton wanted to take on in this project.

Welch told Business Insider thinking back on Edward walking in Kim’s (Winona Ryder) neighborhood is still edged in his brain 25 years after the movie came out.

edward scissorhands cars“The friction between Edward’s look and the neighborhood, that we altered severely, just gives me infinite joy,” Welch said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it again.”

Welch said the script had little detail of how the neighborhood should look. But he and his team began looking at neighborhoods around the US, mostly in Texas and Florida, and came across a new development of homes in a suburb of Tampa. Basically a blank canvas that Welch and Burton could create what they liked.

“This neighborhood in Florida also had a particular graphic quality, and interesting skies with its clouds.”

They went down to the neighborhood and completely stripped it down. Repainted the houses with vibrant colors.

edward scissorhands pastel houses1They stripped out the existing plant life and replaced it with the interesting foliage that Edward would craft later in the movie with his unique fingers.

edwardscissorhands_still6“It clearly represents a suburban neighborhood of a distinct era, but mainly to Edward it’s exotic and beautiful and beyond words,” Welch explained.

The motivation for this look, said Welch, came from the place Edward previously called home. He lived in a dilapidated castle with his creator (Vincent Price) high on a mountain at the end of the neighborhood, isolated from the rest of the world.

edward_scissorhands_hillBut Welch admitted, at first he didn’t get it.

“When I first read the script I said to Tim, ‘So, this is how this is going to look? The castle and neighborhood are going to coexist?’ And he said, ‘Yes,’” Welch recalled.

“That’s the beauty of working with Tim,” Welch continued. “He would lead you to these places that were counter-intuitive. It was mindblowingly gratifying.”

Welch had a similar experience with Butron while looking for the shopping mall that would double as the downtown area in the film.

“I couldn’t find something that would fit into the equation,” said Welch. “One day Tim and I got into a car and were driving around Tampa when we came to this old shopping center you would look and think, ‘Oh God, that’s weird.’ But Tim looked at it and was like, ‘This is it!’"

The location was the Southgate Shopping Center in Lakeland, which sports unusual arches and a tacky strip-mall design.

edward scissorhands mall“That’s where Tim sees things that none of the rest of us can see,” Welch said.

Much of the neighborhood and downtown scenes were shot on location, except for the interior scenes which were done on a soundstage.

Looking back on it, Welch sees his time on "Edward Scissorhands" as a forgotten era in moviemaking, before computer graphics took over and everything had to be built with real materials by carpenters and set designers.

“I think the closest thing now is a Wes Anderson movie,” said Welch. “Where the production design and the art direction is an integral part of the entertainment experience. Thinking of ‘Edward Scissorhands,’ a nostalgic wave washes over me.”

The 25th Anniversary Blu-ray edition of “Edward Scissorhands” goes on sale Tuesday.

 

SEE ALSO: Disney just released never-before-seen footage of Robin Williams at the Genie in 'Aladdin'

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