Mike Sampson is the Editor-in-Chief of ScreenCrush. He studied to become a lawyer and worked as an architectural planner after graduating college but neither of these professions afforded him the opportunity to watch movies and TV for a living. He previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of JoBlo.com for 10 years. He lives in New Jersey and probably spends too much time playing video games and overthinking things.
Mike Sampson
‘Manchester by the Sea’ Review: Casey Affleck Shines in This Powerful Tearjerker
If you tried to describe Manchester by the Sea to someone else it would sound an awful lot like many other indie dramas. Trouble white guy returns to his hometown to care for a relative. But that does not do justice to Kenneth Lonergan’s third feature, only his third in 16 years...
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Passes ‘Avatar’ to Become Biggest Movie of All-Time
As was widely expected, Star Wars: The Force Awakens passed Avatar as the highest grossing movie of all-time on Wednesday morning. It was a record many, including George Lucas, thought would never be broken; The Force Awakens did it in just 20 da
‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’ Looking to Cast Kurt Russell as Peter Quill’s Father
After Matthew McConaughey reportedly turned down a major role in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Marvel and director James Gunn went back to the drawing board, looking to attract a big star for the upcoming sequel. It turns out they may have found their man...
Here’s Oscar Isaac Playing Bass in a Ska Band in 1996
Before he was Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Oscar Isaac was Oscar Hernandez, a high school kid growing up in Delray Beach, Florida who, like many high school kids, played in a local band. Being the mid-90s, ska-punk was making a resurgence (anyone remember Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake?) and Isaac, a singer, guitarist and bassist, was a big part of the local scene with his bands, The Worms and Blinking Underdogs. Whereas video of most of our crappy high school bands remains buried forever, Oscar Isaac is in the new Star Wars movie, so we did some digging and found video from 1996 of one of his sets at Ray’s Downtown Blues in West Palm Beac
Chinese ‘Star Wars’ Poster Shrinks Black Lead Actor, John Boyega
Despite some early concerns, most would agree that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a diverse film. The three leads are a woman, a black man and a Cuban man. One of the main enemies is a woman. One of the major new characters is played by a black woman. Princess Leia is now General Leia Organa. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s a very solid step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it may have been a little too far in the right direction for some countries. A new Star Wars: The Force Awakens poster from China has been revealed and, despite being one of the two main stars of the film, they’ve shrunk down black actor John Boyega in half.
Ansel Elgort, Dave Franco and Miles Teller Among the Many Auditioning For ‘Han Solo’ Movie
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens just about two weeks ago, it may seem strange to now look ahead to a Star Wars film that isn’t coming out until May, 2018, but when that film is Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Han Solo spinoff, you’ll forgive us for jumping out ahead. Though filming on the Han Solo project isn’t expected to begin for over a year, Lord and Miller have already started auditioning a slew of young Hollywood actors for the project and some of the names may surprise you.
Tom Cruise in Talks to Star in Universal’s Mummy Reboot
There were not many ways to get me excited in a Mummy reboot, the first in a planned series of connected movies linking The Wolfman, Dracula, Frankenstein and more, but Universal has found a way. Tom Cruise is in talks to star in The Mummy and is expected to take a major role in developing the new monster universe.
‘Fantastic Four 2’ Officially Removed From Fox’s Release Schedule
Flame off? After Fantastic Four’s hugely disappointing opening earlier this year, Fox initially claimed they were still moving ahead with a sequel, keeping the planned June 9, 2017 release date. But, after a closer look at the situation and perhaps a good dose of common sense, Fox has removed Fantastic Four 2 from their release schedule.
Chris Hemsworth on His ‘Extreme’ Weight Loss for ‘In the Heart of the Sea’
Chris Hemsworth certainly looks the part of a man who’s been stranded at sea; at least 30 pounds lighter than his Thor physique. The shabby clothes hang off him like a kid playing dress up with his parents’ clothes. Don’t get me wrong: behind the beard, the dirt and the sackcloths, Chris Hemsworth is still a pretty handsome dude (it’s almost not fair). I was able to speak with Hemsworth for a few moments about what it was like to build up all that muscle, lose it again, and then have to build it all back up.
‘Finding Dory’ Trailer: Pixar Returns With an Unforgettable Adventure
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Finding Nemo didn’t really need a sequel. It was a completely charming, yet contained adventure, wrapped up pretty neatly. But, it was a very, very successful Pixar movie and, these days, that means sequel. Of the first seven Pixar movies, only Finding Nemo and A Bug’s Life (which has seemed to be almost ret-conned out of existence in the Pixar universe) hadn’t yet had sequels, but that’s about to change next summer as Finding Dory opens in theaters.