What do The Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, and a new independent Christian filmBeyond the Mask (currently in production) have in common?

John Rhys-Davies.

This evening the actor performs his first shoot on the set of the film, which takes place in the tumult of 1770s England and America. In 1981 and 1989 the SAG award-winning actor brought the good-natured Sallah to life in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Last decade he won the hearts of millions with his boisterous performance as Gimli in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

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Given the often contentious relationship between creators and the work they make, unions such as the Directors Guild of America serve a useful purpose. But sometimes rules just get in the way, which seemed for a moment like it would present a problem for Cloud Atlas, written by Tom Tykwer and Andy and Lana Wachowski (which is not a big deal for the WGA) and directed by all three as well. That last part is kind of a big deal for the DGA, which is old enough to remember when movies just had, like, ONE director.

Any credits issues for the film have been worked out, and so unlike the…

Muahahahaha!

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog now has a premiere date to air on actual TV. Joss Whedon’s stand-alone production of online musical genius starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day will make its debut on The CW on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m.

You know this is an industry mired in the old way when this is haled as the premiere, seeing how we are long past the premiere of Dr. Horrible. Still, it’s kind of fun to see Joss Whedon’s work getting more recognition now that The Avengers has proven such a success.

Yes, you were all right. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a good show. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say it’s a great show—maybe not consistently great, but one that more often than not reaches highs I’d have never thought a show with that title, on those networks, was capable of reaching.

Yes, I admit it, I’m a geek. I liked Buffy. So sue me. Certainly seasons one through three. The later seasons began to have more and more issues, but I liked Buffy. So apropos of nothing, I’m sharing it with you. You should read the linked article, it’s fun.

Yeah, it was late 90s TV and sometimes it…

The company has signed a deal with Emmett/Furla, a prolific production banner run by co-founders Randall Emmett and George Furla, to finance and co-produce three movies in the next two years.

The titles include Monopoly, the real estate board game; Action Man, a British version of Hasbro’s toy soldier line, G.I. Joe; and — we’re not kidding —Hungry Hungry Hippos, a game in which players try to collect marbles by “eating” them via their mouth-opening hippos.

You will excuse me while I reel my jaw up off the floor…

Hang on, still trying to make sense of it all…

Nope, sense cannot be…

Briefly: Shane Black‘s Iron Man 3 will debut its first trailer online at 12:01 a.m. PST October 23. The first film of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe Phase Two is currently filming in Florida and premiered some early footage at San Diego Comic-Con. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, James Badge Dale, Ashley Hamilton and Rebecca Hall, Iron Man 3 opens May 3, 2013.

Looking forward to it!

What would happen if electricity suddenly stopped working? I don’t mean what if it went out, I mean, what if electricity simply didn’t work anymore? Think of how many things that would affect. That would be almost everything in our world. Almost everything uses electricity is some way or another.

Take just one example that you might not necessarily think of: cars. Yes, you think of your cars running off of fossil fuel, but they generate electricity to the spark plug, which ignites the fuel. No spark, no ignition, no power. And that’s just one example.

Overview

In Revolution, in…

Tron: Legacy is one of those movies that disappointed general audiences but still holds some avid fans. As Ian Buckwalter at NPR pointed out, “Despite all the gloom and grandiosity, this can be a fun movie, particularly for those willing to sit back and let it wash over them.”

Typically audiences concentrate on the virtual reality of Tron’s story, and let the real world moments slip past — but not today. The cool crew over at TheTechFeed and the likes of Revision3 have some kindred spirits that believed the film was entertaining. And like all “cult” fans, they believe the film still holds…

“I voted for Obama last time although he got to be all things to all people then,” Affleck said in an interview to promote his new film Argo. “And now he’s got a record which makes it really different … I obviously have more complicated feelings.”

Affleck says Romney’s inability to connect with everyday Americans is reminiscent of past failed candidates.

“I think Republicans really had a chance to win,” Affleck said. “And they kind of ended up with like a sort of Mike Dukakis, Al Gore, Bob Dole type - who just couldn’t get people to see him as a real person somehow. Romney just had…