How Do You Stop The Information Super-Highway From Ruining Everything?

Or at least slow it down long enough so you don't get trampled?

This is the conundrum facing Star Wars Episode VII director J.J. Abrams. The notoriously secretive director currently finds himself in the middle of a firestorm, as anticipation and speculation run rampant in regards to this latest venture. Star Wars fans are clamouring for any sort of Star Wars related news, no matter how big or small, in a effort to piece together anything in regards to this new film. Contrarily, Disney and Lucasfilm have been very tight-lipped in regards to the new movie, releasing only what they feel they need to, in order to keep fans happy. It's a vicious cycle, frustrating for everyone involved.

Last week, as is wont to happen in this day and age, TMZ somehow got it's hands on photos taken at Pinewood Studios in London, where it appears that the crew is busy recreating full scale models of spaceships, including the Millennium Falcon. (You can see all the photos here). These pictures came directly on the heels of another set of leaked photos, again from TMZ, this time from the actual set in Abu Dhabi, where principle photography began shooting last month. These photos, found here, are thought to be of a Tatooine Marketplace that will appear in the new film.

These leaks have got to be driving director J.J. Abrams absolutely crazy! As I mentioned, he is a notoriously secretive director, who hates for his projects to be spoiled before the audience has had a chance to see them in their entirety, in all their finished glory. He prefers that his work be experienced as a whole, and honestly, who can blame him? There's nothing worse than going in to a movie having already had the ending spoiled for you. How un-surprising and disappointing would The Sixth Sense have been if you already knew what the twist was heading in to see it for the very first time? How many times have you gone to see a comedy, only to find out that all of the best jokes were already shown in the trailer? It's frustrating and annoying.

But what can you do to stop it? In this digital age, where everyone carries a mini-computer, with audio and video recording capabilities, in their pocket, how do you stop the leaks from happening? Ultimately, you can't. We live in a world where just about any information that we require is at our fingertips, ours to know or find out at the push of a button. We also seem to feel that it's our right to have whatever information that we want at our disposal, and feel we're being cheated if we don't get exactly what we want. We then turn around and complain if our movie going experiences are less than we hoped, blaming marketing and over-exposure for our disappointing time. While sometimes, it is true (I'm looking at you TASM 2!), most of the time, the blame rests solely on the shoulders of the movie fan. We get over-excited and devour every scrap of information that we can find, giving sites like TMZ reason to continue to "find" these photos and story leaks. And I fully admit, I am one of those rabid fans that clicks and watches and looks at everything that's released, no matter how hard I try to remain spoiler free. For me, it's just the nature of the beast.

But, what do you do if you're J.J. Abrams? Why, you go with it, of course!

Earlier this week, in an amusing, tongue-in-cheek way, Bad Robot (Abrams' production company) tweeted the following picture:

Now, any Star Wars fan is going to recognize that little nugget of spoilery goodness. (Although, seriously, who in their right mind didn't think that the Millennium Falcon was going to make an appearance in the film. That's just a no-brainer!) And I like the fact that Abrams is being a little more open to sharing, because, aside from confiscating the phones of everyone on set and tackling anyone with a recording device to the ground, what else is he going to do? I think he's finally realized that, if you tease a little bit, it will be enough to satisfy even the most die-hard fans. I have heard so many people say that since they're getting bits and pieces from Disney, Lucasfilm and Abrams, they don't really have a desire to go in search of other information. And, I agree that this seems to be the best course of action. One of the main issues that a lot of people had with Star Trek Into Darkness was the whole controversy in regards to Benedict Cumberbatch's character, and whether of not he was actually Khan. The Bad Robot camp denied it right up until the movie opened, which I personally think was a detriment to the film. Knowing that Cumberbatch was Khan wouldn't have ruined the movie, and might have actually helped build the anticipation. Khan is a very recognizable character in the Star Trek universe, and I think that they could have used that information to their advantage. Instead, they chose a different route, and I think it kind of backfired on them a little. Lesson learned, maybe?

It's inevitable that, as the movie continues filming, and the release date gets ever closer, more and more information on the project will be released, either officially or unofficially. This project is a huge deal to many, many people around the world, as Star Wars shaped an entire generation of film-goers, myself included. I honestly can't think of a more anticipated project, aside from The Phantom Menace, back before it was released back in 1999. With the mediocre reception of George Lucas' prequel trilogy, it's imperative that Disney and Lucasfilm take the utmost care in regards to the direction of their Star Wars franchise. The stakes have never been higher. And in the age of digital technology and social media, it will never be easier for us, as film fans, to scrutinize every little thing that comes our way. Let's just hope that J.J. has truly learned his lesson and has chosen to embrace the idea that a little something is better than nothing at all. It keeps the wolves at bay, and makes a much smoother experience for everyone involved.  

Random Bits From The Week That Was....

So, here we are again... Friday... and it's time for my thoughts on the bits and pieces of news that came out over the last week, that I was too lazy to blog about, or they just didn't warrant a full post. Enjoy....


Star Wars Finds Some Females...

Earlier this week it was confirmed that Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie will be joining the cast of the next Star Wars movie. This is fantastic news, as these ladies are top notch actresses, and this bit of casting news should quiet all of those that were complaining that the cast was very "male-centric." While I'm glad that it looks like there will be some strong female characters in the new trilogy, the lack of estrogen of the original announcement didn't bother me. I trust JJ Abrams and if in his new Star Wars trilogy, some weird virus wiped all the females off the face of the galaxy, then so be it. I'm just excited to be getting new movies from the universe.


Ant-Man Finds A New Director... Oh, Wait... Never Mind...

So, after the whole "creative differences" exit of Edgar Wright last week, speculation has run rampant on who would take over the next Marvel franchise. The short list of directors that was going around was interesting, albeit a little bizarre. Word did come out that Stepbrothers and Anchorman director, Adam McKay, had been hired, but that was quickly shut down, when it was revealed that he had actually turned the project down. While he wasn't my first choice to direct this project, I find it interesting that there was something about it that he obviously didn't like. The concern that I have, besides the fact that as of today, there is still no one attached to direct this project, is that the directors that Marvel is looking at seem to be very heavily focused on comedy. While I know that there are some comedic elements to the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, up until now, they have been well balanced within the story. This full-on comedic approach worries me a bit, but I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.


But, Apparently, Dr. Strange Is Good To Go...

So, while Marvel is busy scrambling to get Ant-Man on track and ready for it's release date a little over 13 months from now, they are already moving on with their next project. Word was released this week that Sinister director, Scott Derrickson, will be helming the film based on the Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Steven Strange. Expected to be either their second release in 2016 or the early release in 2017, it will be a true departure for the studio, given that his story revolves around magic and mysticism. The choice of Derrickson is interesting, given his horror genre background. It makes me think that this is going to be a darker story, with maybe a bit of a sinister tone to it. The only thing that's troubling is that the writers who have been hired to write the script, other credits include Kung-Fu Panda and Spongebob Square Pants. While I love the Kung-Fu Panda movies, I'm not exactly sure how that style will transfer to a Dr. Strange movie. It will be interesting to see what happens and what Derrickson ultimately does with this project.


Is X-Men: Apocalypse Stifling The X-Force Movie Over At Fox?

Tweet it, and the controversy will come. Earlier in the week, Rob Liefeld, creator of the X-Force comic over at Marvel, tweeted that the development of X-Men: Apocalypse has basically quashed any hope of an X-Force movie being released by Fox. While I'm not sure that it's quite as dire as that, I understand Fox's need to move on with their current franchise, striking while the iron is hot, or so they say. Within nine days of release, Days of Future Past became the highest grossing film in the franchise, so it's perfectly understandable for the studio to want to continue telling that story. In an attempt to build a cinematic universe, there has been talk that the studio is looking to do spin-off and stand-alone films, so I'm sure that the focus will roll back around the their X-Force property eventually. Unlike Sony, who only has Spiderman and his villains, the rights to X-Men encompass a number of characters and teams and Fox would be foolish to not explore all the avenues at their disposal.


Game Of Thrones Becomes HBO's Highest Rated Show, Ever...

Long live Westeros! HBO's Game Of Thrones officially surpassed The Sopranos as the channel's most watched series. Averaging 18.4 million viewers this season, the audience for the show just continues to build. (Last season averaged 14.4 million viewers). Based on the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin, the cable giant is just about to wrap the shows fourth season. While I admit that I have yet to watch the show, I have read all of the novels, so when I hear about the goings on in Westeros, I understand the context. It is my goal to binge watch Games of Thrones this summer, so I will keep you posted as to how that goes! :)


Bad News For The Wachowski Siblings....

Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow Pictures have more or less pulled the plug on the Wachowski's latest project, Jupiter Ascending. Originally set for release on July 18th, they have pushed the film, which stars Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum, to the no-man's land of February, where movies go to die. Although no official word has been released in regards to the move, it can't be good news. There is only one reason that a studio pulls a big, action heavy flick out of a prime summer release slot, and that's because the movie is crap. While I was interested to see this film, I still had a bit of apprehension in regards to it, as I find the Wachowski's pretty hit or miss. It looks like my gut feelings might have been right on the money. Rumour has it that the $150M movie was tracking somewhere in the $25M range. Definitely not what the studio wants to see. It will be interesting to see if the move pays off, giving the flick the time and space it needs, and a lack of competition next winter. Only time will tell on this one.


And Another Director Is Headed To A Galaxy Far, Far Away...

Disney announced this week, following their announcement last week that Gareth Edwards would be directing a Star Wars spin-off film, that Josh Trank will also be directing one of their properties. Although no further details have been released, it is speculated that the Chronicle director will be helming a Han Solo film, with Edwards directing the much anticipated Boba Fett flick. Mark Reilly, the editor-in-chief over at www.schmoesknow.com wrote a fantastic article on this topic, which you can find here. It's an excellent read, written by a die-hard Star Wars fan, and I completely recommend checking it out. (And while you're there, check out some of the other cool things they've got going on!). I think that Trank will bring an interesting take to whatever story he is telling, and I really like his vision and style of film-making. I am curious to see what he brings to the table.


Is Marvel Really Trying To Sabotage The Properties That They No Longer Have Control Of?

An interesting tid-bit out of the interweb this week has Marvel sabotaging some of their own properties in a bid for dominance in the movie-sphere. Rumours are swirling that Marvel is using under-handed tactics to try and diminish the returns of their properties currently contracted out to other studios, which include the Fox owned The Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises. If they're to be believed, Marvel is in the process of cancelling it's Fantastic Four and Ultimate Fantastic Four comic series in an attempt to lower the profile of the franchise, before the movie hits theatres next summer. While it may very well be true that they are going to jostle their comic book titles around, to this nonsense about affecting the box office returns, I say, bologna. In the grand scheme of things, comic book readers represent a very infinitesimal fraction of the movie going public. The majority of movie goers have never even picked up a comic book, let alone read one, so this will have absolutely no impact on whether the movie is successful at all. I doubt very highly that the Marvel execs are sitting around their offices, trying to come up with ways to thwart the other studios anyway, as they are too busy counting their money and laying the ground work for world domination. It doesn't make any sense... but then again, conspiracy theories rarely do.   

Would A Score By Any Other Name Sound As Sweet?

The score is the life blood of a film. I'm not talking about the soundtrack, although occassionally, they are one and the same thing. I am talking about the actual score. The music that plays underneath the dialogue or whatever else is happening on the screen. Music that is composed especially for that film.

Have you ever tried to watch a movie without the score? The difference is amazing and quite astonishing. Whether you realize it or not, it's that music that plays that heightens the emotion you're feeling in regards to what's happening on the big screen. It's what causes those tingles to race up your spine with suspense. It's what pulls you through when it seems like all hope is lost. It's what keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's what breaks your heart at that one critical moment. The score is what pulls you forward, the thread that holds it all together, the one constant in the ever moving, ever changing landscape.

I love music. And while I usually like lyrics, movie scores are the one time where I don't mind the lack of words. You can experience the tone and mood perfectly, without the need for verbal cues. I have my favorite composers and often turn on a score in the background, letting the music take me to far away places. Thanks to Mark Reilly over at www.schmoesknow.com I have a new composer to add to my growing list of favorites.

Michael Giacchino does masterful work. He won an Academy Award for scoring the delightful Pixar film, Up. (How it took me so long to find him, I'll never know!) Yes, he is the man responsible for the breathtaking melody during the 4:10 minutes entitled "Married Life", the beautiful and heartbreaking telling of Carl and Ellie's life together. He and the fabulous animators at Pixar studios are the reason that you always cry. He has also scored a handful of other Pixar properties, including The Incredibles, another of my favorites, and Ratatouille, which is probably my most favourite. The score to this film, with it's French flair is exquisite. He also scored both of the new Star Trek films, as well as Super 8 for J.J. Abrams and has some very interesting projects coming up this year. Now that he is on my radar (Again, what took me so long?), I am interested to see what he does with both Dawn of The Planet of the Apes and Jupiter Ascending. Makes me even more excited for Apes and a bit more curious about Jupiter.

Of course, no discussion about movie scores is complete without the mention of the incomparable John Williams. The man is a genius. Pure and simple. No question, no hesitation, no anything. He is a genius. He has created some of the most beautiful, most instantly recognizable pieces of music in history. His score for the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII will be his 113th film score. Let's look at that number again... he has scored 113 films. One hundred and thirteen. That number is staggering and astonishing. And cements him as the greatest composer over the last 60 years, if not arguably, ever. Hands down, there is no way that you can argue his genius. I mean, can you imagine Jaws without those two base notes? What about Star Wars without the Main Title theme or the Imperial March? Or the five tones that repeat throughout Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Who is Indiana Jones without his theme music? How about those first few notes that play over the credits of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone? All John Williams. While I have a number of his scores (and with the list of movies that he's scored, you would be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn't!) and  I enjoy them all, my favourites have to be the scores to the Star Wars movies. All six of them. I know that the prequels had a lot of problems, but the score was definitely not one of them. One of my all-time favourite pieces of music is Binary Sunset... the bit that plays in A New Hope when Luke is watching the twin suns of Tatooine set. To me, it is the epitome of Star Wars and always brings a smile to my face and a shiver to my spine.

There are many amazing artists out there who have created beautiful music. Marvin Hamlisch, who scored such classics as The Way We Were and Sophie's Choice. Paul Williams, who scored the delightful Muppet Movie and A Star Is Born (and two of my most favourite Christmas specials, Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas and A Muppet's Christmas Carol). Randy Newman, who scored all three Toy Story movies, as well as The Natural. Hans Zimmer, who scored The Lion King and Man of Steel, although my favourite scores are his Kung-Fu Panda and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. James Horner, who scored An American Tail, Willow (another of my most favourites), Braveheart and Titanic. Danny Elfman, who scored such films as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. James Newton Howard. Rachel Portman. Alexandre Desplat. The list goes on and on and on...

My favourite all time score was composed by Academy Award winner, Howard Shore. He has scored some amazing movies, like Philadelphia, The Silence of the Lambs and Eastern Promises, but to me, nothing will compare to the music he composed for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The haunting beauty of the score holds a special place in my heart, as do the movies themselves. Listening to the score brings back all the emotion and feelings that I have when I watch the films. I can't listen to certain parts without getting emotional... The Grey Havens makes me tear up every time, and Annie Lennox's Into The West makes me bawl like a baby. (on a side note, I'm not actually allowed to watch the movies anymore, because when I do, I take the entire day and watch all 3 special editions back to back... and I pretty much bawl like a baby from about halfway through Return of the King, right to the end... so, no, I'm banned from watching them right now!)

They say the song remembers when. That just hearing a certain song or melody can take you back to places instantly, and that is never more true than with a film score. Once you take away the picture and the dialogue, and just feel what the composer is trying to tell you through their music, you'll appreciate the movie that much more. At least I know I do.
        

May The 4th Be With You... Albeit a little late... :)

So, in honour of Star Wars day, I watched Episodes IV, V and VI (I didn't do the prequels, although I am not one of those people who absolutely loathe them, because I do think they have some redeeming qualities, this time I went completely old school!). It had been a while since I had seen them, especially back to back, so it was about time. (Those who know me, know I love my movie marathons... my favourite being The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, on a rainy Sunday, back to back special editions... Nothing better! :0D Except that it always makes me cry...).

Now, the only editions that I have are the "re-mastered" ones that George Lucas and Lucasfilm released a number of years ago (that's not entirely true, because I also have the VHS set that was redone in the 90's, where they just cleaned up the picture and didn't screw with too much else, but, since I no longer have a VCR anymore, it's kind of a moot point...), the one's with the added scenes, and the altered visuals. Now, there are many purists out there that loathe these releases (apparently Star Wars fanatics are hard to please!) and are angry that George Lucas monkeyed with them. And, I can definitely get on board in regards to certain aspects...

HAN SHOT FIRST!

Always has, always will... Han Solo is who he is, a scoundrel and a rogue, and there's no point in trying to change him now. He killed Greedo because Greedo was going to either kill him or take him to Jabba, who would then kill him. I get it. It doesn't make me love the character any less. The world of smuggling is kill or be killed... we all understand that, so let it go George. We love Han, even though he's a jerk. Get over it!

I understand Lucas' need to update the visuals through the entire trilogy, however. A lot has happened in the world of visual effects in the last... oh my God, I can't believe I'm about to type this... 30 some-odd years... Heaven help me that I'm now talking in multiple decades... so I get the fascination to really want to bring your vision to life. And some of the choices are lovely. I mean, honestly, has Cloud City ever looked better? You can argue about lots of things, but the job the visual team did with the views from Cloud City are breathtaking.

These movies have been a huge part of my life, for as long as I can remember. I honestly don't remember the first time I saw either Star Wars (as it was known back then... it's only been more recently that people have been referring to it as A New Hope) or The Empire Strikes Back, although it had to have been on TV, as I was too young to see either in the theatre. (Did I actually just say that? Finally something I was too young to see in the theatre... Doesn't happen very often! :0) ). I did, however, see Return of the Jedi on the big screen, in it's original theatrical run. Jabba's palace, the Sarlacc pit, back to Dagobah and the death of Yoda, Endor, the Ewoks, Luke confronting Vader, "It's a trap!", the redemption and death of Darth Vader... it's been etched in my memory since I was 8 years old.

It wasn't until I got older, and with repeated viewings, that I truly appreciated the beauty that is The Empire Strikes Back. The Ice Planet Hoth, the tauntaun, escape, Dagobah, the asteroid field, facing Vader who turns into Luke, being trash, Cloud City, betrayal and carbonite, "No, I am your Father." Being of the highly romantic, female persuasion, I was always drawn to the love story between Han and Leia. The scene when he's about to be frozen and Leia say "I love you." and Han replies, "I know." is one of my all time favourites.

A New Hope is the one I've probably seen the most over the years... I will always remember the size of the Star Destroyer, Leia standing up to Vader, Tatooine and it's twin suns, finding Obi-Wan Kenobi, the death of Owen and Beru, "These are not the droids you're looking for.", Han shooting first, the destruction of Alderaan, the rescue, the death of Obi-Wan, the attack on the Death Star, using the force and the help of Han Solo and the medal ceremony.

The original Star Wars Trilogy is a simple story at it's heart. It's a story of good versus evil. Of rising above temptation and staying true to who you are. It's about survival and doing what is right. It's about redemption. And for an entire generation of us, it's about possibilities. Star Wars was the first movie of it's kind to show us what was possible in the world of film and visual effects. It pulled us into that Galaxy, far, far away. We were hooked. Changed in ways that we didn't even know were possible.

In a word, it was magic... plain and simple.

So, my friends, I'll see you in line on December 18, 2015. And until then, May The Force Be With You, Always! :)

Spoil, Spoil, Toil and Trouble...

So, huge Star Wars news broke to day, making me giddy and removing some of the ire that has been building since last night. I will get to that part later. First, Star Wars...

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

So the official announcement for the cast of the new Star Wars movie was announced today... making this whole thing feel seriously official and real. Yeah, yeah, I know it's been in the works for over a year now, but Disney has been so tight lipped with everything, you had to start to wonder if it was actually going to happen or if it was all just somebody's idea of a big huge joke.

"Hey, George, you wanna see something really funny? Let's announce a new Star Wars movie, a sequel to Return of the Jedi and watch a whole bunch of 40 year olds freak out and wet themselves in anticipation."

Admit it, most of the time, that's what it felt like. So, the news today was welcome indeed. This is a great looking cast, and I like the fact that other than Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, the rest of the cast are smaller, slightly less known names. Minus Andy Serkis, of course! And I think that it was a smart way for Disney and Lucasfilm to go. I do find that sometimes, an actor or actress can take me out of a project, because instead of seeing the character on the screen and getting immersed in their story, I see the actual actor or the actress, which I find completely distracting. This is a talented cast, and it does get the excitement building for this project. This is something that we can grab on to and analyze the crap out of, at least until the next big Episode VII news breaks, that is.

The other bit of news that broke last night, that led to the ticked off me of 24 hours ago, was in regards to Harrison Ford and Han Solo's role in Episode VII. Deadline reported last night, that not only was Oscar Isaac rumored to be in the movie (which turned out to be true!), they also announced that Han Solo was going to have a "gigantic" role in the new film.

Holy crap! That's awesome, right? I mean, more Han Solo (and Harrison Ford, for that matter...) is never a bad thing. Except when you factor in the notion that for almost 35 years now, Harrison Ford has been trying to get Lucasfilm to kill Han Solo off. It's no secret that Ford has never really been partial to the character and would really like for him to go out in a blaze of glory.

This is the part that I have a problem with. I'm a happily ever after kinda gal! There's a reason that I read and write romance novels. They are a guaranteed HEA no matter what. I like it when people walk off into the sunset, preferably hand in hand, to finish out their lives in peace and harmony. I don't need to see the ugly reality and what's going to eventually become of them. This is one of the main reasons I won't be reading the new Bridget Jones book. Bridget and Mark lived happily ever after... Mark didn't drop dead and leave her a widow. It just didn't happen... hence, happily ever after.

So, I stated this fact in a comment on a site, saying that although more Solo is a good thing, I was afraid that it meant he was going to die and I don't like that sort of change. I then referenced the fact that, even after all this time, I was still traumatized by Wash's death on Serenity. I would rather have less Solo, alive, than more Solo, dead. Within a few minutes, I get this response that I really should have warned of spoilers in my post. I was like, ummm, Serenity came out like 9 years ago, so the statute of limitations on spoilers is long past. And this idiot's response.... Well, with Joss Whedon directing the Age of Ultron there might be some people out there who would be interested in watching some of his older work.

What the hell????????

What kind of an argument is that? Do I need to point out that Joss Whedon also directed The Avengers, which came out 2 YEARS AGO, so if you were interested in his other work, you might have checked it out then? Or the fact that Firefly was on 12 years ago and Serenity was released 9 years ago and that, honestly, if you haven't watched either by now, you're really not going to... I mean seriously! What the frak, dude?

So, what? We can't mention thing that happened in movies decades ago, on the off chance that someone out there might still be waiting to see it and doesn't want it ruined? What the hell is that?

Here, let me ruin a few more things for you, moron....

Dorothy gets home. In fact, she always had the power to leave Oz, she just didn't believe it. All she had to do was click her heels together 3 times and say, "there's no place like home." Oh, I'm sorry. Did I ruin that for you? I mean, it's only been 75 years, so I can completely understand how you might have been waiting to watch it...

Here, here's a few more... Bruce Willis was dead the whole time. Kevin Spacey was Keyser Soze. Frodo doesn't throw the ring in the fires of Mount Doom, but it and Gollum end up there anyway. Lotso's the bad guy. Tracy Turnblad gets the boy in the end. Satine dies. ET goes home. Richard Dreyfuss wasn't crazy, the aliens really were real. Charleston Heston was actually on Earth. Tony Stark blows up all the Iron Man suits. George McFly punches out Biff, changing everyone's future... Shall I go on?

I mean, a few weeks ago, just before Captain America was released here in North America, some troll spoiled the fact that SHIELD was Hydra in a chat room over at the AMC YouTube channel. Those are the spoilers that drive me crazy. Not ones that involve movies decades old. If you haven't watched a movie that came out more than 2 years ago, then I think it's pretty fair game. Otherwise, you might want to avoid movie sites... and those of us who actually watch movie that we want to see in a timely manner! I'm just sayin'...