Movies

I've tried what I thought were some ambitious Lego builds in my childhood, but I never got close to making anything that could be considered life-size. That's why I'm tipping my hat to the insane quest of the Lego builders who made a life-size Bag End in honor of "The Hobbit" movie.

The Bag End creation is impressively detailed. There's a big round door and life-size characters running around, including Bilbo and Gandalf. If you look closely in one of the photos, you can even see smoke coming out of the chimney. I don't think that part is made out of little plastic bricks. … Read more

PETALUMA, Calif.--Driving along the back roads of this idyllic, easy-going Northern California town, you'd never know that behind the walls of one of the most unassuming buildings around is perhaps the best collection of geek memorabilia in the world.

Welcome to Rancho Obi-Wan, Steve Sansweet's homage to his life's passion -- "Star Wars," a non-profit museum dedicated to serving "the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition and interpretation of [the films'] memorabilia and artifacts." Formerly Lucasfilm's head of fan relations and a Los Angeles-based reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Sansweet … Read more

Rumors of an Angry Birds movie have been flying about like Red Birds in the digital sky. Now we finally have some more concrete details on the film, which is expected to come out in the middle of 2016.

No surprise, the film will be a 3D CG-animated production. There goes my dream of seeing Robert DeNiro playing a live-action Mighty Eagle with Lily Tomlin as Pink Bird.… Read more

You can collect action figures. You can make a Millennium Falcon out of gingerbread. You can dress up like Princess Leia. Those are all good things, but perhaps the ultimate expression of "Star Wars" devotion is to own a piece of the original movies.

You can't just pop down to the store and pick up a screen-used X-Wing Fighter miniature, but if you have the cash handy, you can get one from an upcoming Profiles in History auction. The X-Wing model from "Star Wars: Episode IV" is just one of several rare items up for sale starting on December 15 as part of the "Drama, Action, Romance: The Hollywood Auction 53."… Read more

How do I stream thee, Netflix? Let me count the ways. There's PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, Apple TV, Mac, PC, tablet, smartphone, networked TVs, Roku, and other streaming-media boxes. I've probably missed a few methods.

It seems like you can't turn around without bumping into a device that can stream Netflix. Still, one streaming method has broken away from the rest this year. The PlayStation 3 recently took the crown as the most popular option for streaming Netflix content to televisions, beating out other options like set-top boxes and smart TVs. … Read more

If you're the kind of person who can remember when you first heard Darth Vader speak the words, "I am your father," you'll want to be in Seattle starting next week.

That's because on December 13, the Ltd. Art Gallery there will begin exhibiting "Who Shot First," a collection of more than 40 artists' "Star Wars"-themed works.

The artists "will be displaying their own unique interpretation of these classic films," the release for the show reads, "drawing upon the characters and themes that have inspired them since … Read more

We're going to need a cleanup on aisle 3. There's been a geek collision between the cast of the "The Hobbit" and their Lego mini-fig counterparts. Fans are losing it all over the place.

The cast of "The Hobbit" got their hands on their Lego versions. Even better, the cast members were all in costume when they opened up the little boxes and met themselves. You can swoon over the whole gallery over at the Facebook page for the "The Hobbit."… Read more

Happening now, in a galaxy in which you are in... It is a period of online commerce. Action figures, arising from an auction, will be won by a top bidder in a first victory against the Galactic eBaypire.

You may have some "Star Wars" action figures left over from childhood. You may even have a bookshelf full of figures. You probably don't have 1,950 of them, but eBay seller ranchoobiwan does. You can buy them if you're brave enough to jump into the auction fray.

The loose figures range from vintage collectibles from 1978 all the way through toys manufactured in 2011. Most still have their original accessories. Money raised from the sale will go to support Rancho Obi-Wan, a nonprofit museum dedicated to "Star Wars" memorabilia.… Read more

With the world premiere of "The Hobbit" movie just a few weeks off, I've been thinking a lot about travel and Middle-earth, from here at the actual middle of the actual earth.

Turns out I'm not alone. These days, the New Zealand Tourism Board actively promotes tours of the 12-acre family farm that was spotted amid obscurity and lots of sheep in 1998 and transformed into The Shire of Tolkien lore.

In fact, the tourist board says at least 6 percent of visitors to the country cite "The Lord of the Rings" and upcoming "Hobbit" trilogies as the reason they came to New Zealand.… Read more