It’s been almost three and a half decades since Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope hit the big screens and took the world by storm, and in all of the years following, the series of six films has penetrated pop culture across the world in a way that very, very few films or franchises are ever able to.

Like it or not, there are literally thousands of references to the Star Wars series in the films and television programmes we watch, the books we read, and the music we listen to. With so many references, homages, and parodies to choose from, it would be enormously difficult, if not impossible, to come up with a definitive list of them all.

So instead, to coincide with the films’ Blu-Ray release, I present to you the Awards for the Best Pop Culture References to Star Wars, as voted for by me. Because there are so many to choose from, I’ve cut it down to a Six of the Best awards ceremony (six rather than five for obvious Star Wars reasons). There’ll undoubtedly be many moments that haven’t made my personal Top Six, so if there’s something you think has been unjustly missed out, vote for your own favourite moments in the comments below. We’d love to hear what your favourite nods to the franchise are.

Without further ado, I give to you, my Six of the Best.

Best Costume

I thought a great moment from TV’s Friends would be a good way to kick us off. Just like Star Wars, Friends is something a lot of people love, and almost everyone is familiar with on some level. And this particular scene from the show, taken from the episode ‘The One With the Princess Leia Fantasy’, is fantastic. After confessing his secret fantasy to Rachel about wanting to see her dressed up as Princess Leia, Ross’ dream is somewhat ruined by something Chandler confesses to earlier in the episode.

The award itself is actually a tie between Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) and Judy Geller (Christina Pickles), because they are equally as excellently dressed as each other, and both deserve credit for their efforts. But sadly I can’t find a clip I can embed that features them both, so it’s just Rachel that we see below. As the first episode in season three, it aptly serves as both a brilliant introduction to the season and to these awards.

Best Lightsaber Practice

From one TV show to another, we move on to George Michael Bluth (Michael Cera) and his garage home-video recording of something so many of us will have done at some point or another: lightsaber practice for our inevitable future Jedi training.

The clip is one that crops up a few times throughout the show (they did enjoy rewarding their long-time viewers with self-references on Arrested Development), so I’m a little surprised I can’t find that decent a clip of it on YouTube. Nonetheless, it’s a great moment, and whilst I can’t say I ever filmed myself doing it, nor did I get quite so into it as George Michael does here, there’ll be millions of kids all over the world who can relate to the idea of making that well-known lightsaber sound, having fake saber-rattling fights with their friends, and wanting to be a Jedi.

Hell, considering almost 400,000 people in England and Wales alone marked down ‘Jedi’ as their religion in the UK 2001 Census, he can’t be the only one doing it. So I’ll ask you now to direct your attention to about 1:45 into this video, when Gob (Will Arnett) accidentally slots George Michael’s home video into the end of his campaign video for class president.

Best Re-Enactment

If you’re a fan of any of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s work, you’ll know that the pair like to embed pop. culture references into so much of what they do, which is always good fun. Their TV show, Spaced, is full of nods to Stars Wars, The Matrix, and many other things, and whilst shooting their latest film, Paul, they also made this absolute gem.

Everyone knows that pretty much every film has little plot holes and continuity errors dotted about here and there, and Star Wars is no different. But of course that doesn’t mean we love it any less, and Pegg and Frost brilliantly show up a few of these little flaws, which I’m sure in no way detract from their love of the series, in their excellent re-enactment.

Best Animated Parody

There are of course two main contenders that come to mind for this award, and they would be Robot Chicken and Family Guy. Both shows have done three episodes apiece parodying the Star Wars series, but I must confess that I haven’t seen any of Seth Green’s take on the films with his own show, and thus my vote falls unilaterally and dictatorially behind the latter, Seth MacFarlane’s Laugh It Up, Fuzzball trilogy, which started by opening the sixth season back in 2007 with the double-length episode, Blue Harvest.

Given that there’s a full forty-odd minutes of Star Wars parody gold to choose from here, and that’s just counting the first of the three episodes, I thought I’d include two tiny snippets instead of one longer one, just because they’re both excellent. The first clip is of two of the Death Star’s employees venting to each other, and the second is our introduction to Stewie as Darth Vader, whose sarcasm is just perfect.

Best Debate On The Source Material

Star Wars vs. Star Trek, Star Wars vs. The Lord of the Rings, even Star Wars vs. Star Wars. In plenty of films, as well as in real life, there are arguments over which is better, and this particular debate from Kevin Smith’s Clerks is my personal favourite. It’s just such a great conversation. In my opinion, Smith has an unmatched talent for turning ordinarily utterly inane subject matter into something watchable and incredibly entertaining, and this is a perfect example of that.

Here, we see Randal (Jeff Anderson) and Dante (Brian O’Halloran) at first discussing which Star Wars film is their favourite, and then they get into the finer details and Randal starts talking about how innocent lives were lost in Return of the Jedi when the second Death Star is blown up. It’s the kind of brilliant observation that I love Smith for. He can turn the most ridiculous and meaningless discussion, the kind you have with your friends about nothing whatsoever, into a genius scene in a terrific film, showing right off the bat with his feature debut what a great writer-director he is.

Best Use Of The Star Wars Main Theme

And finally, from one great Lucas-sized figure in pop. culture to another, I thought I’d finish this little awards ceremony with John Hughes’ nod to Star Wars in one of my favourite of his films, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

The Star Wars Main Theme is beyond iconic. It’s something almost everyone recognises with ease, and it’s just one of the many incredible pieces of music John Williams has written, with A New Hope’s score earning him one of his five Academy Awards. And Hughes’ use of the theme here is brilliant. After Ferris (Matthew Broderick) puts Cameron’s father’s Ferrari into a parking garage, the two mechanics working there see their chance for a day of freedom, just like Ferris, and take advantage of the opportunity that has fallen into their laps, enjoying the benefits the classic car has to offer, set to Williams’ classic score.

As I wrote at the start of this article, there is an almost infinite number of moments from television and film to choose from over the past three and a half decades, making it very hard to pick just half a dozen. That there are so many is an undeniable testament to the franchise’s cultural impact, and there are very few things that could be argued rival Lucas’ creation. Film series like Harry Potter, James Bond, and Pirates of the Caribbean might well be in the same ball park as Star Wars in terms of box office revenue, but even they don’t pervade pop. culture nearly as frequently or as brilliantly as Star Wars does. In that respect, I’d say it is truly in a league of its own. And for that reason, Lucas and everyone that worked on the films deserve our undying gratitude for creating something that has spawned so many brilliant parodies and allusions that are excellent in their own right.

Until next time, I’ll leave you with one final clip from Family Guy’s Blue Harvest that pays homage to John Williams’ fantastic work on the films’ scores. The video quality’s not brilliant, but I love this piece. Enjoy.

As the tenth Family Guy boxset hits shelves in the UK, it’s fair to say that you probably know what to expect. Pop culture riffs are the order of the day, served up with the usual dose of surreal cutaways and a cast of characters so well established that Peter’s buddy Cleveland is now two seasons into his own spin-off show. As a result, a new series of Family Guy can be expected to yield just two major questions: how funny is it and who have they p*ssed off this time?

Indeed, with Season 10 (actually Seasons 8B and 9A in the original American running orders) containing episodes that deal with divorce, sexual reassignment and Republicanism, it’s almost inevitable that what will generate belly laughs in some viewers will cause offense to others. Most likely to divide audiences, however, is “Partial Terms of Endearment”, a controversy baiting look at abortion that was deemed unsuitable for air during the series’ original American run (though it did show on BBC Three last June).

Serving as a perfect paradigm of the season – and indeed the show as a whole – the episode demonstrates that when on top form, Family Guy possesses some of the best laughs going; the kind of moments that make you grin in simultaneous states of amusement and disbelief, wondering how they got away with that one. Perhaps it’ll be the ever escalating orgy scenarios Peter presents to Lois’ college friend, which end up with him wearing a Nazi uniform. Or maybe it’ll be the ribbing of pro-life campaigners, with a video asserting that “within hours of conception a foetus has already started a college fund and made you your first mother’s day card out of macaroni and glitter”. In any case, there’ll be something that makes you giggle and others shake their heads. Or perhaps both. I mean, the idea of Peter trying to make Lois miscarry the baby she’s carrying for a friend is pretty shocking, but could you really judge somebody for laughing at his sudden wager that he can drink more bleach than her?

Where the show has waned slightly over the years, though, is in its formerly effective use of irony. Several jokes feel like they’ve made it into episodes at a template stage, lacking the balance required to make them seem passable. This is particularly relevant with regards to the topic of race, with one joke managing to imply that “black gentlemen” is synonymous with “shoplifters”, whilst another plays on a stereotype I’m not even aware of by showing a “Chinese NASCAR race” that ends in an instant pile-up and a collection of angry drivers. Similarly, the show’s staple cutaway gags are now often just an excuse to be bizarre whilst casting aside all subtext – a reference to “those cats you see in the Special Animalympics” serving as just one example. Family Guy has never been a comedy that sticks strictly to storyline, but its still better when the jokes retain at least some semblance of a point.

Though the full extras list was unavailable at time of publication, a half-hour Comic-Con panel contains a few good laughs – such as finding out that Meg’s unfortunate lot on the show spawned from the male writers’ frustration at not knowing how to script a teenage girl. And therein lies the secret; it was funny because it came naturally, not because it was forced. If the show as a whole can regain just a bit more of that organic feeling, it may return to being great instead of just being good.

***½~ (3.5/5)

Mars Needs Moms is the latest motion-capture animation film from Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers Digital production studio, and is an adaptation of Berkeley Breathed’s beloved children’s novel.

The film centers on Milo, a young boy who gains a deeper appreciation for his mum after Martians come to Earth and take her away to harvest her mothering prowess for their nanny bots.

Simon and Wendy Wells have penned a screenplay that is so devoid of magic and charm that it ultimately lacks an engaging narrative, three-dimensional characters or any humour. It often resorts to thrill ride antics, detached action and a lot of racing around in the desperate hope of evoking some enjoyment, but falls flat on its face in the process.

Aside from attempting to convey a very well hidden message about children devoting more time and attention to their parents, it’s an altogether impersonal experience. The script, by never allowing enough time to get to know Milo and his mum – or any other character for that matter – on a personal basis, has clearly been brushed aside in favour of these so-called more realistic digital imager effects.

Due to the digital obsession, the characters are extremely unlikeable. Behind the revolutionary motion-capture technology, they feel too simplistic and superficial or, in more simple terms, totally dead behind the eyes to emote with. Seth Green, Dan Fogler and Joan Cusack provide respectable voice-overs, but aren’t distracting enough, or able to transpose enough of their personality and passion to bring the dialogue and concealed heartfelt message to life.

The motion-capture animation, which has been implemented by Zemeckis before on The Polar Expess, is worse than ever. It’s hard to remember that a visionary director such as Zemeckis was responsible for such instrumental films as Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, when we’re bestowed with such nonsense.

The 3D is unnecessary and, along with the bland, dark and unattractive cinematography, makes Mars looks like a dreadful planet, somewhere you’d desperately want to avoid at all costs.

Mars Needs Moms is a badly animated, dispassionate and irresolute mess that will unquestionably scorn Walt Disney Pictures’ renowned brand for years to come.

*~~~~ (1/5)

I’m all for the wholesale plundering of fairy tales and giving toys a pulse, but I find it odd when studios feel the need to spend their considerable resources on a realistic CG world.

This clip from Disney’s latest 3D CG fest, Mars Needs Moms, looks decent, with the world and the characters rendered with great skill, but it begs the question why they made this film in a computer – this clip, more than most admittedly, illustrates this.

It’s all I could think of. They have the facial expressions spot on – a team of actors and computer wizards  probably spent days on that patronising smirk I’ve screencapped and added as the title picture for this post, but an actor could have done that in a second. Their realistic cat is the most realistic cat I’ve seen for a while, hey – the fabrics and textures are very convincing, but why bother? It’s halfway between a zombie uprising and a lightning storm at a house of wax.

Anyway here’s a clip. If you weren’t already on the phone booking your tickets this ain’t going to change your mind…

Yahoo played host.

Walt Disney Pictures have released a brand new trailer for their upcoming 3D computer-animated sci-fi film Mars Needs Moms.

Directed by Simon Wells, Mars Needs Moms is based on the book by Berkeley Breathed and features the voice talents of Seth Green, Joan Cusack, Dan Fogler, Mindy Sterling, Elisabeth Harnois, Breckin Meyer and Billy Dee Williams.

Take out the trash, eat your broccoli – who needs moms anyway? Nine-year-old Milo (Green) finds out just how much he needs his mom (Cusack) when she’s nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her “mom-ness” for their own young.

Milo’s quest to save his mom involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet and taking on the alien nation and their leader (Sterling). With the help of a tech-savvy, underground earthman named Gribble (Fogler) and a rebellious Martian girl called Ki (Harnois), Milo just might find his way back to his mom — in more ways than one.

Mars Needs Moms will be released in the UK on April 8.

Watch the new trailer below:

Source: Apple

Walt Disney Pictures have unveiled the first official trailer for Mars Needs Moms!, a new 3D performance-captured animated sci-fi film based on the book by Berkeley Breathed.

Mars Needs Moms! is directed by Simon Wells and produced by performance-capture expert Robert Zemeckis (Monster House).

The film features voices of Seth Green, Joan Cusack, Elisabeth Harnois, Dan Fogler and Mindy Sterling.

Mars Needs Moms! will be released in the US on March 11, 2011. A UK release date has not yet been confirmed.

The film follows a rebellious 9-year-old boy named Milo, who is just beginning summer. His mother gives him chores and tasks like weeding the garden or eating his vegetables. But after Milo tints his 5-year-old sister’s face purple, his mother sees no humor in this and sends him to his room. After a heated argument with his mother in which Milo says “I don’t see what’s so special about mothers!”, Milo is grounded for the rest of the summer. After falling asleep, Milo does not hear the rumble of the rocket landing outside. After, Martians enter Milo’s house and take away his mother, Milo realizes that he has to rescue her.

Check out the trailer below, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies:

Simon Wells, director of Disney’s forthcoming performance capture animation Mars Needs Moms, has The Prince of Egypt and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West to his name as well as his work bringing his great-grandfather’s story to the big screen with 2002′s The Time Machine.

Based on the book by Berkeley Breathed and starring Seth Green, Joan Cusack Elisabeth Harnois and Dan Fogler, it is no great surprise to note that master of all things Perm-Cap, Robert Zemeckis, is involved with this one and a new poster has been let out into the wild.

This story’s synopsis should explain everything,

Milo doesn’t get it: What’s the big deal about moms? They’re just slavedriving broccoli bullies. Yet they are worshipped the world over! Perhaps even the galaxy over—because here come Martians and they’re after one thing only: moms. Milo’s mom in particular. Who better to drive them to soccer practice and to pizza parties? That’s quite a long way to come for a mom—could it be that Milo has been overlooking something special?

From Pulitzer Prize—winning comic strip creator of Bloom County and bestselling author Berkeley Breathed comes a funny, poignant book about how the unique love that binds our families can be overlooked in the rush and tumble of everyday lives . . . especially those of disgruntled little boys.

So, without any shadow of further ado, here’s the poster.

From Walt Becker the director of Wild Hogs, here’s the new trailer for Old Dogs… I guess going forward we can expect to see the third in the *og trilogy soon!

Anyway, this movie brings John Travolta together with Robin Williams in a new Disney comedy which looks like it might be quite entertaining. It has a great supporting cast which includes Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Ella Bleu Travolta, Lori Loughlin and Matt Dillon.

I’ve embedded the trailer below and we can expect to see it 5th March 2010.

Two best friends — one unlucky-in-love divorcee and the other a fun-loving bachelor — have their lives turned upside down when they’re unexpectedly charged with the care of 7-year-old twins while on the verge of the biggest business deal of their lives. The not-so-kid-savvy bachelors stumble in their efforts to take care of the twins, leading to one debacle after another, and perhaps to a new-found understanding of what’s really important in life.