Is there anything in the vast expansive world of entertainment bigger than Star Wars? What started as an ambitious but questionable concept has blossomed into arguably the most recognized property in any entertainment medium. It spans decades. It spans demographics. It reaches out into nearly every marketing direction (in a local grocery store I actually saw a big display of Star Wars oranges). No franchise is as passionately loved, as passionately debated, or as  passionately supported by its fans as Star Wars.

All of that speaks to an incredibly rich and healthy franchise. But when I talk about Star Wars I’m almost always talking about it on a personal level. What I mean is Star Wars is something I genuinely love. It’s an affection that runs deeper than niche enthusiasm or rabid fanboyism. I’m thoroughly invested in this crazy universe that found its origin in the mind of George Lucas.

For me Star Wars wasn’t a spur of the moment discovery. I’m 44 years-old and I would call it the perfect age to be a fan. I was able to experience Star Wars as it was released in every phase of my life. The original trilogy came out when I was a kid. I had it all: action figures, pajamas, vehicles, lightsabers, lunch boxes, storybooks, comics, posters, trading cards. I was enamored with this amazing creation, its strange worlds, and its even stranger characters.

The controversial sequels came out while I was a young adult. Another phase of my life and more Star Wars. The prequels have their share of detractors and I don’t want to debate the value of them here. Suffice it to say I enjoyed them flaws and all. More importantly they showed just how beloved the franchise was. Star Wars was everywhere again. People talked about it. Purists debated it. Fans dissected it. It was a ringing reminder of the how Star Wars transcended the realm of entertainment.

And now Star Wars has returned and here I am in yet another phase of my life. I’m an early middle-ager and yet I’m as giddy as a child for J.J. Abrams’ new Star Wars pictures. I have invested so much over the years. I have so much affection for these characters. And after so much time and with so much passion, I can’t stand the thought of these new movies being bad. I want to be talking about Star Wars again. I want to be excited about a new generation of heroes and villains. I want to be fed a new story that leave me anticipating what’s next.

What I’m saying is I need “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to be good. It’s important. I don’t want to see something that has been an integral part of each phase of my life to fail. I don’t want someone to turn it into something else. Star Wars is more than a movie for millions of us, and the thought of it being just another movie is too much. So J.J., now it’s up to you.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has unveiled their precursor to the Oscars – the 2016 Golden Globe nominations. As with many of these things there were a few surprises while several nominations went just how you would expect. Here are a handful of random thoughts on today’s announcements:

• Sylvester Stallone gets a Supporting Actor nomination. I finished my review of “Creed” by saying Sly could get some awards attention. Thrilled to see it. It is well deserved and it shouldn’t be viewed as some type of token nomination.
• “The Revenant” received four Golden Globe nominations for 2015 films yet it doesn’t release until January 8, 2016. Yes I’m aware this is how it has been, but it is still annoying. Get the movie out. It’s finished for very select audiences but not for the rest of us?
• What a morning for Idris Elba. He was nominated for both film and television. I can’t speak to his TV work, but his performance in “Beasts of No Nation” is top-tier. I would have no problem with him taking home the award.
• Despite all of the praise we have heard throughout the year, I had a suspicion that “Mad Max: Fury Road” would conveniently miss out come awards time. Happy to be wrong. The film was nominated for Best Picture – Drama and Best Director. It certainly deserves the recognition. It’s one of the best films of the year and one of the best action movies from the past several years.
• Who told Dennis Quaid how to pronounce Saoirse Ronan’s name? Was it John Travolta? But it could be worse. He could’ve said Dick Poop!
• Who knew ” The Martian” was a comedy? Or was it a musical? 
• Way back when the first trailer for “Carol” landed I tweeted that it was guaranteed a ton of nominations. It looked polished and primed for awards time. This morning it received five Golden Globe nominations. These things can be so predictable.
• “Spy”? I mean it isn’t as teeth-grinding as a lot of Melissa McCarthy’s stuff, but nominations for Best Picture – Comedy or Musical and Best Actress? That’s a stretch.
• I love seeing a smaller film like “Room” getting such recognition. For some reason I expect Oscar to give it the cold shoulder so I’m glad the Globes gave it some well deserved attention.
• Quentin Tarantino got his obligatory screenplay nomination, but “The Hateful Eight” only landed two others (Jennifer Jason- Leigh for Best Supporting Actress and Original Score). But QT acolytes shouldn’t worry. The Academy loves him….kind of.
• And Will Smith for “Concussion”? Obviously I haven’t seen the film or the performance, but this nomination seemed to come out of left field.
• And no Meryl Streep? How can this be? How could this be allowed to happen? Thankfully Oscar always reserves a slot for her regardless of how undeserving the nomination may be. 
• While I didn’t expect it to be nominated, I’m still a bit bummed that “Sicario” got nothing. Fantastic thriller and phenomenal supporting work from Benicio Del Toro. But again, not unexpected.
• I think it’s safe to say that Alicia Vikander is pretty happy this morning. Two acting nominations but not a third for “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”? The HFP must have forgot about that one.
• We can now actually say “The Golden Globe nominated Fifty Shades of Grey”. Nothing about that sounds right!
• I always forget that the Golden Globes and has no award for cinematography or documentary. That is a bit absurd.
• The best and most intriguing category this year – Best Supporting Actor. I mean look at this group: Elba, Stallone, Shannon, Dano, and Rylance. Really strong.
• What’s with all of the nominated one word titles? Room, Carol, Spotlight, Joy, Spy, Trainwreck, Trumbo, Brooklyn, Concussion, Grandma, Creed, Anomalisa, Youth, Spectre, Mustang. 

So there are just a few random thoughts about this year’s Golden Globe nominees. What did you think about the announcements? What do you see as some nice surprises or glaring omissions? Agree or disagree with any of my thoughts? Let’s talk about it in the comments section below. Here is a full list of the movie nominees:

Best Picture, Drama

• Carol
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Revenant 
• Room
• Spotlight

Best Picture, Comedy or Musical

• The Big Short
• Joy
• The Martian
• Spy
• Trainwreck

Best Director

• Todd Haynes, Carol
• Alejandro Innaritu, The Revenant
• Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
• George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
• Ridley Scott, The Martian

Best Actor, Drama

• Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
• Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
• Michael Fassbender, Steven Jobs
• Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
• Will Smith, Concussion

Best Actress, Drama

• Cate Blanchett, Carol
• Brie Larson, Room
• Rooney Mara, Carol
• Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
• Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Best Actor, Comedy

• Christian Bale, The Big Short
• Steve Carell, The Big Short
• Matt Damon, The Martian
• Al Pacino, Danny Collins
• Mark Ruffalo, Infinitely Polar Bear

Best Actress, Comedy

• Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
• Melissa McCarthy, Spy
• Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
• Maggie Smith, The Lady in the Van
• Lily Tomlin, Grandma

Best Supporting Actor

• Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
• Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
• Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
• Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
• Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Supporting Actress

• Jane Fonda, Youth
• Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight 
• Helen Mirren, Trumbo
• Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
• Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Best Screenplay

• Emma Donoghue, Room
• Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight
• Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short
• Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs
• Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight

Best Original Score

• Carter Burwell, Carol
• Alexandre Desplat, The Danish Girl
• Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
• Daniel Pemberton, Steve Jobs
• Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto, The Revenant

Best Original Song

• “Love Me Like You Do,” Fifty Shades of Grey
• “One Kind of Love,” Love & Mercy
• “See You Again,” Furious 7
• “Simple Song #3,” Youth
• “Writing’s On the Wall,” Spectre

Best Animated Feature Film

• Anomalisa
• The Good Dinosaur
• Inside Out
• The Peanuts Movie
• Shaun the Sheep Movie

Best Foreign Language Film

• The Brand New Testament
• The Club
• The Fencer
• Mustang
• Son of Saul

Truly great movies leave indelible marks. It may be through an emotional connection to the story. It may be through a remarkable performance or a signature scene. But it could also be through the brilliant imagery that films carves into your mind. That’s what this feature is all about – highlighting great images from great movies.

So what are thoughts on this Coen brothers classic. Is there a particular image that stands out to you?

Truly great movies leave indelible marks. It may be through an emotional connection to the story. It may be through a remarkable performance or a signature scene. But it could also be through the brilliant imagery that films carves into your mind. That’s what this feature is all about – highlighting great images from great movies.

So what are thoughts on this Spielberg classic. Is there a particular image that stands out to you?

With the sweltering heat of summer and the barrage of big budget popcorn flicks in full swing, what better time to look ahead to the cooler temperatures and hopefully great movies on the horizon. Fall and Winter will be here before you know it and it has grown into a much more diverse time of the year for movies than it once was. That is an exciting prospect especially considering how mediocre the 2015 movie year has been so far. But the second half of the year looks good. Here are just a handful of movies that I’m really excited for.

“Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” (12/18/2015)

No movie could possibly excite me more than a new Star Wars film. Disney takes the franchise’s reins which can be exciting considering their willingness to expand the franchise. It can also be troubling considering their potential willingness to milk it for every dollar it is worth. I choose to be optimistic and my love for Star Wars, from childhood to present day, drives my optimism and enthusiasm. This is a special series to me and it means everything that Disney and J.J. Abrams gets it right.

“Spectre” (11/6/2015)

007 purists will probably laugh me out of the room, but Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond has provided all I have ever wanted from the immensely popular franchise. Craig has brought a unique flavor to Bond and the subtle and not-so-subtle changes have won me over completely. Craig’s fourth Bond film “Spectre” lands in November and it looks insanely good. Considering the events of “Skyfall”, this installment should have a lot of story to tell and did I mention the casting of Christoph Waltz? I’m all in!

“The Martian” (10/7/2015)

Some people’s enthusiasm for Ridley Scott has started to dry up. Personally speaking he remains one of my favorite working filmmakers which is the main reason I am excited for “The Martian”. In my opinion (for what it is worth) Scott has mastered big cinematic storytelling and he has also provided some of my favorite films of all time. Just as intriguing is the film’s cast including Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristin Wiig, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sebastian Stan, and more.

“Midnight Special” (11/25/2015)

Speaking of filmmakers that automatically grab my attention, Jeff Nichols is one of my favorite directors which is impressive considering he has only three films to his credit. But all three have been superb especially “Take Shelter” and “Mud”. “Midnight Special” is Nichols’ new film about a father who takes his son on the run after realizing he is endowed with special powers. Watching Nichols play in a more science fiction sandbox is thrilling. He is a director who deserves an audience.

“The Revenant” (12/25/2015)

I have never fully bought into director Alejandro González Iñárritu the way many have. At the same time I always find myself interested in his style. “The Revenant” is a movie that may change my mixed feelings about Iñárritu and some are saying it is the film which could finally net Leonardo DiCaprio the long awaited Oscar. The western revenge tale also stars Tom Hardy which is just icing on the cake. The first trailer just hit the web and it looks absolutely fabulous.

 “Macbeth” (2015)

This may be a bit of a cheat for my American readers mainly because “Macbeth” doesn’t have a firm 2015 US release date (although one is speculated). But my friends in the UK only have to wait until October 2nd. The film premiered this year at Cannes and the buzz doesn’t surprise me. I mean we are talking about Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard starring in the William Shakespeare tragedy. Whether the film can fully deliver is a question, but all the pieces are in place for something special.

“Sicario” (9/18/2015)

Another exciting film which premiered at Cannes is Denis Villeneuve’s “Sicario”. The first trailer is fantastic. It is tense, gritty, and violent. But what would you expect from a film about border violence and drug cartels. But what really excites me is seeing Emily Blunt getting a tough leading role. Readers know she is a favorite of mine who I believe deserves meatier material. It looks like she is getting that kind of role in “Sicario”. Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro make the supporting cast equally exciting.

“Knight of Cups” (12/11/2015)

While the film hasn’t been getting a ton of great reactions from early audiences, I still find myself excited for “Knight of Cups”, the latest film from ‘do-it-my-way’ filmmaker Terrence Malick. We got the first look at “Knight of Cups” several months back via a trailer that is as cryptic as the movie will probably be. Still I found myself utterly enthralled by what I saw and my appreciation for Malick’s visual and lyrical style of filmmaking makes this a must-see.

“Everest” (9/18/2015)

I have a real soft spot for disaster films so it’s no surprise that an upcoming disaster film has caught my attention. I’m talking about “Everest” based on the true events of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. The story is perfect for the cinematic treatment and judging by the trailer this looks like a film that could actually make thrilling use of 3D. And listen to this cast: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Kiera Knightley, John Hawkes, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emily Watson, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, and Sam Worthington.

“Bridge of Spies” (10/16/2015)

“Bridge of Spies” caught my attention the moment I first read about it. First, it is a Cold War period thriller from director Steven Spielberg. When Spielberg is on his game he is hard to beat as a filmmaker. It also stars the always reliable Tom Hanks in a role that looks custom made for him. But the most intriguing thing about the film is that Joel and Ethan Coen were writers which automatically makes me think this could be a special movie. Put them all together and that is one heck of a combination.