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
Why the ‘Ghostbusters’ Trailer Is the Most ‘Disliked’ Movie Trailer in YouTube History
The first trailer for Paul Feig’s female-led Ghostbusters remake arrived in March of this year and the reaction was almost immediately disappointing. Even among those, like us, who are excited for the Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig film, it was a poorly put together trailer that did little to inspire confidence in the finished product...
‘Snowden’ Trailer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Tries Out Another New, Distrcting Accent
Edward Snowden’s story was one that was itching to be told in a glossy Hollywood thriller and director Oliver Stone, with his innate sense of paranoia, seemed like the perfect person for the job. Equally as enticing was star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Frenchy accent in The Walk notwithstanding, is one of his generation’s best actors...
Seth Rogen’s Animated ‘Sausage Party’ to Premiere at SXSW
Seth Rogen was already planning on attending SXSW to premiere to first episodes of his upcoming AMC series Preacher, starring Dominic Cooper. Now Rogen has decided if he’s going to be at SXSW anyway, he might as well bring one of his upcoming films with him. The actor-director will premiere a “work in progress” print of his first animated film, Sausage Party, with a cast that includes Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd and more.
Ben Affleck Reportedly Rewrote ‘Batman vs. Superman’ Script Every Day…in Costume
One of the stipulations when Ben Affleck signed on to star in Batman vs. Superman was that his Argo writer, Chris Terrio, would come aboard to help fix the script. Though Terrio was indeed brought in to rewrite the script (originally written by David Goyer), it seems Affleck still was not happy with it. According to a recent report, Affleck spent each day rewriting that day’s scenes until they were up to snuff. Oh, and he did it dressed as Batman.
BB-8 Originally Spoke Written Dialogue in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
If you stuck around through the Star Wars: The Force Awakens credits (perhaps waiting in vain for a post-credits scene), you may have noticed that both Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz were credited as “BB-8 Voice Consultants” for the film. Hader spoke about his involvement only briefly saying, “JJ f–-ing around with this sound effects app on his iPad that was attached to a talk box operated by me.” Now Schwartz has spoken about his contributions revealing that he was originally reciting written dialogue.
Apple Expected to Launch Original Programming With iPhone 7
Every year Apple announces a new iPhone at a big keynote event. Sometimes it’s an incremental update, like the iPhone 6S announced last September. Other times, like this year when Apple will announce the iPhone 7, it’s a big leap forward in technology. While there have been many rumors around the upcoming iPhone 7 (including no more headphone jack and wireless charging), none will be as exciting to movie and TV fans as this news: Apple is expected to make their official foray into original programming when the iPhone 7 launches, competing with both Netflix and Amazon.
‘Christine’ Review: An Underwhelming Portrait of a Live Tragedy
1974, Florida reporter Christine Chubbuck, the subject of the biopic Christine, committed suicide by shooting herself during a live news broadcast. This is not a spoiler. It is the second sentence of her Wikipedia entry. It is why they have chosen to make a film about her life...
‘Wiener-Dog’ Review: Love Dogs? Don’t See This Movie
Looking at that photo above, one might think that Wiener-Dog is a charming, little movie about a dachshund. Even the synopsis of the film provided on Sundance’s official site provides this description: Wiener-Dog tells several stories featuring people who find their life inspired or changed by one particular dachshund, who seems to be spreading a certain kind of comfort and joy...
George Lucas Quit the Internet After ‘The Phantom Menace’ Opened
Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace opened in theaters in May of 1999. Despite what you might think about that movie now, when it opened the reception wasn’t completely negative. Roger Ebert gave it 3½ stars saying it was “an astonishing achievement in imaginative filmmaking.” The public consensus remained mostly enthusiastic at first as fans tried desperately to talk themselves into the fact that The Phantom Menace was a good movie. As the months ticked on though, and as the internet began to blossom, most Star Wars fans could no longer convince themselves, or others, that it wasn’t a good movie. More over, that it was actually a pretty terrible movie. And that’s when George Lucas decided to get the f— off the internet for good.
The Worst Oscar-Nominated Movies of All Time
Every year, when the Oscar nominations are announced, a considerable amount of time is spent debating who was snubbed. But for every film that was expecting to get nominated and didn't, there's a film that no one was expecting to get nominated and did. This is the story of those films. The movies you'll look back on and wonder exactly how the heck it ever got nominated for an Oscar.
What Is the Best Movie Trailer of 2013?
'The Wolf of Wall Street' doesn't hit theaters until Christmas, but the upcoming Martin Scorsese movie is already winning awards. The film's much-hyped teaser trailer won the Grand Prize at the Key Art Awards for Best Trailer of the Year. See what competition it beat out and let us know if you agree.
Has Jason Schwartzman Joined the Cast of ‘Jurassic Park 4’?
Jason Schwartzman hasn't done much in the way of big action movies (unless you count 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World') but that could all change as the Wes Anderson staple is in talks to join the cast of 'Jurassic Park 4.'