On the heels of this morning's Breaking Dawn Part 2 arm wrestling clip, we now have a brand new TV spot. Take a look:

 

Breaking Dawn Part 2 TV Spot

Kristen Stewart stars once again as Bella, who has become a vampire and married Edward, played by Robert Pattinson. Their new daughter Renesmee is threatened by the Volturi when they misidentify her as an immortal child.

Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Maggie Grace, Nikki Reed, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, and Michael Sheen also star.

The final installment of The Twilight Saga will hit theaters November 16. Until then, check out some Breaking Dawn Part 2 character posters.

Michael Apted achieved something so rare in Hollywood, he was able to step onto another filmmaker’s set when he fell ill and but triumph in spite of the immense challenge. But, then again, that is fitting considering the “there is no mountain we cannot climb” theme of Chasing Mavericks.

"It was unfortunate, Curtis (Hanson, 8 Mile) got sick and couldn’t continue and I took over,” Apted told us in our exclusive interview. “He did pre-production and did the first half of the shoot. I did the second half of the shoot and post production.”

Much as the true life subject of Chasing Mavericks, Jay Moriarity (Jonny Weston), Apted knew he was right for the challenge and relished the opportunity to prove it.

“I had no time do get ready. I arrived on a Sunday and started shooting Monday with I cast I didn’t know, locations I’d never seen and a crew I’d never met. It was one of those childhood dreams that were actually nightmares,” Apted said and laughed. “Curtis had set the tone that I would have wanted to set -- to do it in a very realistic documentary way.”

Moriarty was a fresh faced Santa Cruz teenager who happened to witness a neighbor, Frosty Hesson (Gerard Butler), catching the often discussed but rarely seen Northern California monster waves known as Mavericks. Just as Moriarty knew he could tackle the world’s most dangerous waves, so too did Apted have the confidence of experience to help him through a shoot that found him literally diving into the deep end of cinema.

“I had gotten disillusioned over the years as I got older, the way I was regarded. Hollywood is only interested in young directors. Once you get past a certain age, you’re past it,” Apted said.

The director sought to prove Tinsel Town wrong when it came to the type of work he could still produce. “I would always say, my colleagues and I, we are professionals. We learned the trade. We know what we’re doing. Doesn’t that count for anything? The fact that you are in your early twenties and did one thing… doesn’t matter as much."

Look at what he did with the towering power of his latest film. “I was able to draw on all of that experience and my war stories to be able to get through Chasing Mavericks. You really were flying by the seat of your pants every minute of every day. For me, it shows that experience counts for something. When bucking the flavor of the month, it’s nice to show that experience can be valuable.”

Apted made a name for himself in the documentary world with his astounding Up series that began with 7 Up. But he has had mainstream box office success as well with his work on Nell, The World is Not Enough, Gorillas in the Mist and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

With each work, the spirit of a documentarian permeates. “It’s in everything I do. It’s my spirit is documentary,” Apted said.

The challenge when doing a “fictionalized” version of someone’s life, Apted admitted, is honestly letting the “realness” go. “It’s difficult when you’re doing a film about someone who a lot of people know. I had to try to convince Jonny Weston that you shouldn’t live in that shadow of Jay, you should own the character. When I’ve done this with actors who have played real people, I always say, ‘You have to forget about it. Do who you are,’” Apted said.

“Curtis cast Jonny because he had an openness and sweetness that the real Jay had. Jonny didn’t have to act. He had to present his own self and put his own self into those situations in the movie. That’s part of my job as director is to protect Jonny from that. It’s a huge part and he did a large part of his own surfing. He was really put through it and triumphed.”

Chasing Mavericks features some of the most astounding surfing sights and sounds ever captured for a Hollywood movie. Apted is quick to credit his post-production team. “I had a really great and imaginative sound crew. We didn’t come away from filming with soundtracks like that. We had to make them up. That was real thrill that you noticed it,” Apted said and smiled.

“It was a lot of work for a lot of people and sometimes that work goes acknowledged. The photography too, there was great craftsmanship in that. Those were world class surf photographers doing the work for us and it was incredibly dangerous and we were very lucky.”

2012 is the 50th anniversary year of the very first James Bond film, Dr. No, and now Daniel Craig is gearing up to reprise his role as 007 in Skyfall.

But could Idris Elba have won the part? As we reported last year, Elba met with producer Barbara Broccoli about playing Bond, but ultimately the role returned to Craig.

The Prometheus actor says he would be reluctant to be known as "the black James Bond," and rightfully so. But, apart from 50 years of familiarity with the character there is absolutely no reason a talented black actor such as Elba couldn't play the British spy.

Television and cinema is finally beginning to enter an era where characters need not be defined by their race. The best example of late would be Samuel L. Jackson taking on the role of Nick Fury in The Avengers, as well as fervent, albeit failed, push to make Community star Donald Glover the new Spider-Man.

Regardless, it is likely a moot point, as Craig is signed on to star in at least two more Bond films, and Elba is 40 years old. Do you think he would have made a good Bond? Let us know in the comments section!

Skyfall hits theaters November 9. Check out Adele's Skyfall theme song for a preview.

Vin Diesel shared a couple photos from the new Fast Six film over on his Facebook page. Check them out:

Diesel is no stranger to sharing pics with his fans. He tweeted some Fast Six set photos last month, as did Dwayne Johnson. The two star in the sixth film in the action series along with Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez (Resident Evil: Retribution), Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, and Luke Evans.

Directing a Fast and Furious movie for his fourth time is Justin Lin, with Chris Morgan providing his third script. Fast Six will premiere May 24, 2013.

The first still has dropped for the new comedy 21 and Over. Take a look:

Skylar Astin, Justin Chon, and Miles Teller star in this film about a studious college kid named Jeff whose friends surprise him on the eve of his 21st birthday. Despite having an important med school interview the next morning, Jeff lets loose for the first time in his life.

Astin broke into film with 2008's Hamlet 2, and appeared earlier this year in Pitch Perfect. Teller appeared in another debaucherous teen comedy in 2011's Project X.

The Hangover writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore co-wrote and directed the film. 21 and Over hits theaters March 1, 2013.

The Tournament of Movie Fanatic Horror Bracket semi-finals are here! Only four films remain in our search to find the best horror movie of all time. So what were the results of round two? Scroll down to find out, then check out the updated bracket below.

The Exorcist beat Misery by a whopping 77.7% to 22.3% margin. Check out our The Exorcist quotes page to find out why.

The Sixth Sense continued its string of upsets, by beating The Ring 55.3% to 44.7%. Check out our The Sixth Sense quotes page to find out why.

The Shining defeated Poltergeist 67% to 33%. Check out our The Shining quotes page to find out why.

Halloween won by a landslide, continuing to defy its seed by beating Scream 70.1% to 29.9%. Check out our Halloween quotes page to find out why.

When it comes to professional and personal experiences, none will top filming Cloud Atlas for Jim Sturgess. “I’m mourning the experience so much. I don’t want this to end,” Sturgess said in our exclusive interview.

After a career that found him going from the grounded in reality, 21, to the wildly romantic, One Day, his latest film allowed the UK actor to simultaneously appear in a part sci-fi epic, part period piece and all glorious cinematic experience… as we state in our Cloud Atlas review.

Sturgess tackled six parts in the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer film, most notably Adam Ewing, the nineteenth century man stuck on a ship crossing the planet for his father’s business. That part of the six connected stories found him literally going tete-a-tete with none other than Tom Hanks. The legendary actor’s character is a doctor charged with saving Ewing’s life… or is he?

It was a chance to bask in greatness for the actor, but also to discover the incredibly human side of the two-time Oscar winner. “You just have to hang out with him and see he’s a force of nature. Not only is he super crazy smart, but he’s ridiculously nice and hilariously funny. When he’s working, he’s on,” Sturgess said of Hanks.

Sturgess then shares exclusively a story of filming that brought it all home to him when it comes to summing up the Tom Hanks experience for a young actor.

“It was the very first time I did a scene with him. He’s Tom Hanks, right? He’s given a million incredible performances. We did a scene where the camera was on him and he did his bits, and then it was on me while he was doing his bits behind the camera. Now, it’s a known fact when you’re acting, you’re always better behind camera,” he said and laughed.

“And Tom Hanks goes, ‘Damn it, why am I always so much better behind the camera?’ To hear him say that, and it’s an anxiety that you always have when you’re first starting out, to hear Tom Hanks say that… that was really good.”

The entire Cloud Atlas creative process was also an inspiration. “Everything ticked -- everything. There was a real team spirit. Every Sunday Tom (Hanks) would organize a film night where we’d head to the local cinema and then go back to his house for pizza and beer,” Sturgess recalled. Credit for that familial feel emanated from the top. “That of course started with the Wachowskis."

It’s unusual for a performer to appear in a film with two directors, much less three. But when it came to the Wachowskis and Tykwer, it was more of a three-headed Einstein of the film world than a hindrance. “It never felt confusing or overbearing,” Sturgess said. “It was interesting; three directors stand around and give you their ideas. They were so good.”

When the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Fest, Sturgess’ feelings of being part of something sensational went even further once he witnessed the film’s glory with an audience. “When we watched it in Toronto, people were laughing and clapping throughout. When Cavendish (Jim Broadbent) escapes the old people’s home, there was a giant swell of applause and cheers. I thought, ‘Wow, this is great,’” Sturgess said and smiled.

Sturgess joined the audience in laughing at parts of the film, much to the surprise of the film’s star. “I couldn’t believe how comedic a lot of it is. I didn’t see that while we were filming. It was a pleasure to watch it and hear people laughing.”

Another scene Movie Fanatic adored is in a Scottish bar when Sturgess is made up like a soccer hooligan. At our screening, the audience hooted and howled during the quick brawl that Sturgess admitted was actually much longer. “They cut so much down! We had this whole Spaghetti Western bar fight that we rehearsed for days and days. In the end, it’s a three-hour film, something had to go,” he said.

“That scene was huge fun. It was a play day, really. There was no weight of the story on your shoulders. You can just come in and rip it up.”

Makeup design, clearly, was a key to Cloud Atlas’ success. Sturgess believes that as he was playing different people, emerging from the makeup trailer was a huge push toward capturing the characters.

“That’s when it all came to life -- before you couldn’t quite imagine it. It makes you feel the way you should be feeling. By the time you got to set, you were lost in that world,” Sturgess said. “I’m used to putting on a pair of shoes and feeling like the character. Here… I got to put on a whole new face!”

Wreck-It Ralph is really playing up the fake video game world of the film. Check out a faux commercial for a fake-real-life Fix-It Felix, Jr. hammer. Did you get all that? Just have a look:

 

Wreck-It Ralph Fix-It Felix Jr. Hammer Commercial

Jack McBrayer (Movie 43) voices Fix-It Felix, Jr., the hero in an 8-bit arcade game. John C. Reilly voices Ralph, the game's villain, who abandons his post in order to seek a life as a hero.

Jane Lynch (40-Year-Old Version) and Sarah Silverman also star, along with Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Rachael Harris, Ed O'Neill, and more.

Wreck-It Ralph will hit theaters November 2. To get ready for the release, you can play the Wreck-It Ralph video game online!

The weekend’s new movies are led by two that involve epics. Cloud Atlas is epic in scope and the latest from filmmakers the Wachowskis, of The Matrix fame, and Run Lola Run director Tom Tykwer. Meanwhile, Gerard Butler tackles epic waves in Chasing Mavericks.

Cloud Atlas: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugh Grant lead an all-star cast in a three hour film that doesn’t feel a second over two hours. The story spans generations, time periods and the universe to tell how in some small way, we as humans are all connected. The way the filmmakers bounce from sequence to sequence is nothing short of masterful. As stated in our Cloud Atlas review, it is one of the best pictures of the year.

 

Cloud Atlas Trailer

Chasing Mavericks: Butler stars as the real life surfer Frosty Hesson, who trained a teenage Jay Moriarity to surf the biggest waves in the world, known as Mavericks. Moriarity would go on to become a huge surfing star and the film is more uneven than even, but as we reported in our Chasing Mavericks review, the surfing sequences are unlike any we’ve ever seen on film.

 

Chasing Mavericks Trailer

Fun Size: The joy of Halloween, as told through the eyes of a group of teens, is the central theme of Fun Size. The film comes from Gossip Girl and Chuck creator Josh Schwartz as it moves from the various stories. One highlight arises: A little boy -- whom one of our teens is charged with watching for the night -- has a Halloween evening we all can aspire to experience. Fun Size did not screen for critics… stay with Movie Fanatic for our review.

 

Fun Size Trailer

Silent Hill Revelation 3D: The sequel to the 2006 horror film that was based on the wildly popular video game has finally arrived. When the father of Heather Mason (Adelaide Clemens) disappears, it sends her into an alternative reality that is filled with terror and utter horror. Silent Hill also did not screen for critics and we will bring you our review later today. 

 

Silent Hill Revelation Trailer

Meet Roosevelt's moms in this new Fun Size clip, which is out today! Take a look:

 

Fun Size Moms Clip

Victoria Justice stars as Wren, a high school girl who is invited to a Halloween party by her crush Aaron, played by Thomas McDonell. The only problem is that her mother, played by Chelsea Handler, makes her take her little brother trick or treating.

Jane Levy stars as Wren's best friend April, with Thomas Mann, Osric Chau, Josh Pence (Gangster Squad), Johnny Knoxville (Movie 43), and Ana Gasteyer also starring.

Fun Size is written by Max Werner and directed by Josh Schwartz. Catch the film in theaters beginning today!

The Semi-finals are here! Earlier today we announced all the movies in the final four of the Tournament of Movie Fanatic Horror Bracket, and now we're opening voting on the first matchup.

One of these child-starring horror films will proceed to the finals: The Exorcist or The Sixth Sense. Scroll down to read about these films and cast your vote, then check out the update bracket below!

The Exorcist: Linda Blair becomes possessed in what is often called the scariest movie of all time. The #1-seeded The Exorcist bested 28 Days Later and Misery on its way to the semi-finals. Head to our The Exorcist quotes page for more.

vs.

The Sixth Sense: Haley Joel Osment sees dead people in this 1999 horror film that defined the twist ending. The Sixth Sense upset The Thing and The Ring to reach the final four. Head to our Sixth Sense quotes page for more.

Which horror movie should advance to the finals?

Silent Hill Revelation 3D is the sequel to the 2006 film that took the wildly popular horror video game and brought it to the big screen. Director Michael J. Bassett was tapped to bring the sequel to life and as a huge player of the game, considered the task a huge honor.

“Being a fan of the game and realizing that this is a huge opportunity to create and play in this world, there’s not many movies where you get to make worlds. That is why I like fantasy and horror because you are building things from scratch,” Bassett said.

The Australian filmmaker knows how hard it is to get films of any genre made. “The opportunity to make a movie just doesn’t come along that often. It’s hard to get films made.”

After working on the film for years, he is clearly ecstatic about it finally opening this weekend. “I’ve been telling people about it for so long now and finally I get a chance to share it with them,” he said and laughed. “I’m kinda thrilled.”

If the latest Silent Hill film succeeds, much of the credit can go to the impeccable casting of lead Adelaide Clemens. The actress had previously only appeared in small budget Australian movies and Bassett believes the dramatic actress is exactly what the horror film needed.

“The more I think about it the luckier I feel I was to get Adelaide Clemens involved in this -- acting is such a natural talent for her -- to be able to put her into this world of Silent Hill and to see her blossom as a dramatic actress is a true blessing,” Bassett said.

“We’re making a horror movie and she took it very seriously. She’s an actress who is able to ground the whole thing. That’s the thing with horror, it would be very easy to make this with a typical scream queen and it wouldn’t be right. This world is real and unreal… and to have an actress who tackles it like a true drama is a true gift. She treated it like a proper drama, and not like a computer game adaptation and that is exactly what is needed to make it work.”

Many video games when they make the jump to the silver screen forget that they have to become a film with a beginning, middle and end as opposed to simply playing out the game onscreen. “I thought the first Silent Hill was the best game to screen adaptation I’d seen ever... in terms of capturing the visuals and truly getting what the game was. I think a movie like this has to be a visual experience,” Bassett admitted.

“While I admire the Paranormal Activities of the world, they do a different kind of horror. I love the idea of creating something new. It gives me a big palette and canvas."

Horror movies arrive all year long, but the Holy Grail of weekends for the genre is Halloween. Silent Hill Revelation 3D is the only new film released this year on Halloween which has the filmmaker beside himself.

“You can’t get a better time to release a horror film than now. It is the horror day and it is incredibly cool to be here in the U.S. It is a really significant holiday,” Bassett said.

“To be the horror movie that opens on that weekend is a true honor. I hope the audiences will completely freak out and I’d love to go back to this world if audiences are receptive to this movie.”

Movie Fanatic is happy to announce our exclusive Ruby Sparks giveaway! Paul Dano stars as a struggling author who imagines his dream girl on the pages of his newest novel, but whose world is turned upside down when the girl comes to life.

Two lucky winners will receive a copy of the Ruby Sparks Blu-Ray DVD. Scroll down to find out how to enter!

Then, all you have to do to win is...

1. FOLLOW @MovieFanatic on Twitter.

2. RETWEET this tweet along with the title of your favorite film about a writer. Make sure you include "@moviefanatic" and a link to this post in your tweet, so we can see it.

Be sure to follow us so we can contact you if you're the winner. Two lucky winners will be selected at random Monday, November 5. Good luck!

We've got a new featurette about Jack Frost in Rise of the Guardians. Take a look:

 

Rise of the Guardians Jack Frost Featurette

Chris Pine voices the character, with Alec Baldwin as Santa Clause, Isla Fisher as the Tooth Fairy, and Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine) as the Easter Bunny. The film follows these four mythical characters, plus The Sandman (who is silent), as they attempt to stop the evil Bogeyman, voiced by Jude Law, from carrying out his plan to engulf the world in darkness.

Peter Ramsey directs the film, which is based on the book The Guardians of Childhood by William Joyce.

Rise of the Guardians hits theaters November 21. Check out these Rise of the Guardians character posters for more.

John Dies at the End is a new dark comedy horror movie from Don Coscarelli, director of Bubba Ho Tep, which starred Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead) as Elvis Presley in a nursing home.

This films is equally as high-concept. Based on the novel by David Wong, the film explores a drug called "Soy Sauce" that sends its users across dimensions. When an other-worldly invasion is discovered, two college dropouts must save humankind.

 

John Dies at the End Trailer

There have been a glut of movies about ordinary schlubs having to save the world of late, which frankly feels a tad foreboding. Take The Watch, or Edgar Wright's upcoming The World's End for example. Regardless, the comedy horror genre is one that frequently produces clever, high-concept, visually interesting work.

John Dies at the End stars Paul Giamatti (Cosmopolis), Chase Williamson, and Rob Mayes. It hits theaters January 25, 2013.

When it came time to put together the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Blu-Ray package (out now), Javier Soto was approached about bringing The Great Calamity -- an animated graphic novel -- to life as part of the bonus features on the disc. It would use elements of the novel by Seth Grahame Smith and his screenplay to tell a different story based in the same world.

Soto, Content Director/Producer of the astounding work, phoned Movie Fanatic for an exclusive interview to take us inside this unique creative process. “It’s an incredible opportunity to expand the movie universe,” Soto said. “This type of film and its genre is an interesting take on a great novel, to really stretch out the parameters of what the movie can accomplish versus what was in the book.”

The filmmaker worked hand in hand with the theatrical production that starred Benjamin Walker as the titular president who battles the vampire plague, while he crafted his animated short. That meant seeing the script by Smith before a single frame of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was shot and being able to witness dailies courtesy of the film’s director, Timur Bekmambetov and producer Tim Burton.

Clearly Smith could not put every aspect of his novel on the screen, so the short The Great Calamity allowed him and Soto to combine forces and add layers to the world that Bekmambetov was creating. “A lot of the DNA of the book was in the screenplay. It allowed us to pull the atmosphere before a frame of the film was shot and capture the mood. We knew Timur was going to be involved so there had to be a frenetic action sequence in there somewhere,” Soto said and laughed.

Soto was clear with his mission. This was not going to be a Saturday morning cartoon version of the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter world. He wanted to capture the spirit, the feel and as such, was able to be inspired by daily updates from the film’s shoot.

“The filmmakers were involved all along the way while letting us do our own thing. I wanted to create a pocket universe that felt that it could reside within what they were doing,” Soto admitted.

It is clear in our exclusive chat that Soto was beyond pleased to have their participation. “It was an incredible opportunity. To have a piece that is presented by Timur and Tim Burton is a pretty astounding thing. I feel pretty honored that they allowed me to be a part of their universe.”

The filmmaker refers to another graphic animated film that was inspired by another mind-blowing film. “Our template always was that this should be like The Animatrix, where it’s an interpretation of The Matrix universe, but not an exact replica of what they were doing with the film.”

Taking someone as iconic as our sixteenth president and making him an action hero who slays vampires while trying to save the union, Soto feels, is a unique and powerful image.

“It’s such an interesting take on someone who is so familiar to so many people. The book painted the picture of what he needed to be like,” Soto said. He cautions that in The Great Calamity, he is a supporting character. “I wanted Lincoln to introduce the world and our Lincoln to be congruent with the screenplay and the dailies that I saw as they were shooting. I wanted to have the look that Benjamin (Walker) had, but the same approach as he is a troubled hero with a dark secret,” he said.

Another facet of the big screen film that enhanced The Great Calamity is having Lincoln himself, Walker, able to record the voice-over for Soto’s film. “He helped tie things together but also gave him a lot of his personality. It was an incredibly collaborating experience,” Soto said. “He gave us a lot of options. He didn’t just read the lines. He appreciated what we were doing and contributed to the entire experience.”

Will there be more from this graphic novel animated world of Abe Lincoln?

“I think we can. The thing with animation once you build the story, you can go further with the characters,” Soto said. “If there’s a story that is interesting to merit further adventures, we can do it.”

Bella is a vampire now. As such, she must learn how to act human. What's weird is that they went through the exact same steps for Kristen Stewart when she began her acting career. Check out this new clip from Breaking Dawn Part 2:

 

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Acting Human Clip

Stewart stars alongside Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner in this final installment of The Twilight Saga. Bella and Edward must solicit the help of other clans to save their new daughter Renesmee, played by Mackenzie Foy, from the Volturi.

Ashley Greene, Maggie Grace, Michael Sheen, Nikki Reed, Kellen Lutz, Peter Facinelli, and Dakota Fanning also star.

Fans can catch Breaking Dawn Part 2 in theaters beginning November 16. Check out the Breaking Dawn Part 2 trailer for another look.

When Wu-Tang Clan founding member RZA decided to make his feature film directorial and acting debut, he knew the story he had to tell. The Man with the Iron Fists stars the rap legend as a nineteenth century blacksmith in feudal China caught in the middle of an old-fashioned fight between good and evil.

The film is heavily influenced by RZA's decades of watching Saturday morning martial arts movies and has a surprising superstar join his cast of Lucy Liu, Jamie Chun and a bevy of martial arts movie biggies: Russell Crowe.

“I talked to Russell about it for a long time and I was never sure if he was gonna do it, but he says that he trusted me as an artist,” RZA said to Movie Fanatic.

Crowe keenly knew the vision and breadth of talent shown from RZA's early days with Wu-Tang, as a fan. “Russell’s seen a young man that has a lot of artistic vision and he appreciates it and he would like the world to appreciate it as well. He comes with a validation of what I can do,” RZA said. The filmmaker even saw a little bit of a former Wu-Tang member in Crowe’s performance. “I'm grateful that he came on board and we found some energy for him to relate to ODB energy!”

The Oscar winner turns in a performance in The Man with the Iron Fists that truly pushes the envelope of chewing the scenery. The man has a ball, but all you have to do is go back to one of the Australian’s first works and see his inner madman was always firmly in place.

“Romper Stomper was the film he told me to watch. I watched Romper Stomper and was blown away. He wanted me to know just how wild he could go with it,” RZA said and laughed about Crowe’s performance as a menacing Nazi white supremacist.

RZA compares working with such superstar talent to his days in the rap group and how he always managed to keep an even keel. “I do think being a part of the Wu-Tang Clan with us having such strong personalities unbeknowingly prepared me for the job of directing,” he recalled.

“When things got heavy or felt like it was going to be crazy I don't think I ever lost my cool. Maybe one time we have a little ping pong match, but I kept focused.”

Having a producer in Eli Roth (Hostel) helped as well. Roth was involved every step of the way, firmly in the belief he was mentoring a budding filmmaker that had already been mentored by Quentin Tarantino with their work on the soundtrack of Kill Bill.

The first cut RZA submitted of The Man with the Iron Fists was four hours. “That’s the great thing about having Eli with me on this journey, he told me having a four hour first cut is natural,” he said and laughed.

“To have Quentin and Eli on my side throughout this, they let me do my own thing. Having a companion tell me there’s going to be a landmine ten feet ahead, go through it or jump over it or go around it, was awesome. They were those people. Sometimes I still went through the landmine. Sometimes, I realized that I needed to go around one.”

A longtime martial arts movie fan, his inspirations were varied. “There are so many martial arts films that I’ve seen over the years that could lay down the foundation. Films like The Five Deadly Venoms or Thirty-Six Chambers… there are so many, it’s a long list,” RZA said.

The main thing for him as a filmmaker was to make sure that he used his martial arts movie knowledge and utilized what he knew would work and what wouldn’t for an international audience… well beyond Asia.

“This was a film made with an American sensibility. Most of the martial arts movies are made with an Asian sensibility,” RZA said. “Can I be able to do what Quentin did with Kill Bill? He was able to give us a modern day martial arts film that’s a Hollywood movie. I was striving to do the same thing.”

Further proving how vast his inspirations are… RZA even brings up a classic Tinseltown musical in how he crafted a spoke in the plot wheel of The Man with the Iron Fists.

“I remembered in Gypsy, each stripper had a thing. One had light bulbs,” RZA recalled. He wanted his Cat House residents, like Lady Silk, to wield similar individuality.

“They’re not just going to be hookers. The Lady Sunshine room, it looks like Jimi Hendrix could be painting in there. There was the Lady Aqua room with instead of a bed, there’s a river in there. I’m a cinephile and was able to be inspired by martial arts films, but also sci-fi films, horror films -- good old American movies.”

There is huge news out of the production world today as Walt Disney acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. The deal brings the Star Wars franchise into the same family that also includes Marvel and Pixar, further widening Disney's grasp on the entertainment industry.

But it also means something else monumental: Now Disney can make new Star Wars movies. And, of course, they're going to.

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, now acting under the Disney umbrella, will produce Star Wars Episode VII, with George Lucas serving as a creative consultant. The film is being planned for a 2015 release, with further continuation of the franchise planned for the future.

There is no word on what the next installments of the Star Wars franchise will look like regarding cast, plot, characters, or timeline. How do you take this news? Is Star Wars in good hands over at Disney? Does what they've done with the Marvel Universe give you some hope for a new series of Star Wars films? Or should they just leave well enough alone?

Give us your thoughts in the comments section below! And be sure to check out a series of videos of Lucas discussing the Disney deal.

The Tournament of Movie Fanatic Horror Bracket Finals are here! After a hard-fought tournament, only two movies remain: The Exorcist and The Shining!

Both films were seeded #1, which means that we did a good job with our rankings! But now, you have to decide which top-seeded film is indeed the best horror movie of all time.

Scroll down to read about these films and cast your vote, then check out the final bracket below. The winner will be announced tomorrow, on (when else?) Halloween!

The Exorcist: Our very own Joel Amos seeded The Exorcist at number one, and rightfully so! You've proven that this horror classic deserves to be here by voting it past 28 Days Later, Misery, and The Sixth Sense to send it into the finals! Read through some The Exorcist quotes to explore the spooky film in preparation for Halloween!

vs.

The Shining: Micah Gordon's first-seeded horror film The Shining also made it all the way through the bracket! Your votes sent the Stanley Kubrick horror classic to the finals by beating The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist, and Halloween. Check out our The Shining quotes page to find out just why the film is so scary.

Which horror movie is the greatest of all time?