In 2016, it takes a lot to still shock and/or awe an audience. This is a medium over a century old - gone are the days of cinema-goers screaming in fright at the sight of a steam train hurtling towards them on the big screen. By now we feel we've seen it all. Now it takes real originality and craftsmanship to surprise the average film fan or instill in them any sense of real wonder.
Unless you've been on the Moon this past month, you'll probably already know all about what's happening with Gareth Edwards' Rogue One. But in case you have been living on an outer world colony in recent weeks, here's the skinny: Disney's next Star Wars movie, though thought to be completed last year, is now undergoing reshoots. Depending on who you believe, these could be rather minor or very significant indeed.
2015 was supposed to be the big one. A year of huge movies - long-awaited sequels to Star Wars, Mad Max and Jurassic Park, a second Avengers, another Bond from Craig and Mendes and not one but two Pixar flicks - the likes of which we'd never seen before. It was the year of Tom Cruise dangling out of a plane during take-off and of DiCaprio making an epic journey of revenge through the snowy wilderness.
Because of how the cinematic calendar is laid out, it tends to be that many of the best film performances come in the second half of the year. Studios and the distributors just love to get in on the end-of-year awards season race, and the best way to do that is to release the Oscar contenders in the usual peak September to December period.
Making it as an actor is a tough business. Naturally, those who are trying to make it often want every credit they can get - in parts big or small, in movies good or bad. The only time you'll usually see an actor uncredited is when they had no decision in the matter of their billing. There are, however, some - not many, but some - actors that have actually chosen to remain off the official cast list.
If you in any way side with the critics, you're probably feeling a bit let down by the latest X-Men movie. X-Men: Apocalypse isn't Fantastic 4 nor Green Lantern bad, but when a superhero franchise has reliably been the strongest one out there (sorry Marvel, X-Men is just that bit deeper and more off-the-wall than you), it's disappointing to see it take such a step backwards.
We all know Walt Disney Studios. It's the Mouse House, an outfit that has specialized in U-rated animation and live-action family entertainment for almost a century; the legendary studio that's been responsible for some of the best and most feel-good movies ever.
