You might not know him by name, but you would definitely recognize actor Greg Ellis if you saw his face. Ellis has appeared on dozens of popular television shows such as X-Files, Nip/Tuck, Trust Me, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and season three of 24 as biological weapons dealer Michael Amador. He’s also had roles in several successful feature films including the Academy Award-winning Titanic, Beowulf, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek where the actor had the honor of being the new franchise’s first official “red shirt” (a stock character who dies soon after being introduced). But Ellis is best known for his role as Lieutenant Theodore Groves in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, including last summer’s mega-hit Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.

Ellis first played Groves in the original Pirates movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and while he did not appear in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, he did return to the series for the third chapter, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. But the actor’s largest role in the series came with the most recent edition to the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. In the film, Groves is promoted to Lieutenant Commander while working with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) aboard the H.M.S. Providence to find the Fountain of Youth. He aids Barbossa and Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) on their quest to find the Fountain and claims it for the British Empire before ultimately battling Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and the Spaniards.

I recently had a chance to speak with actor Greg Ellis about Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The actor spoke candidly with me about the film, his character’s evolution, playing sidekick to Geoffrey Rush’s Barbossa, the differences between working with the film’s director Rob Marshall and former Pirates director Gore Verbinski, his reaction the first time he saw Johnny Depp play Jack Sparrow, playing the first “red shirt” in Star Trek, and the loophole that J.J. Abrams has come up with so that Ellis can possibly appear in Star Trek 2.

As an audience, we're grown increasingly jaded regarding visual effects in our modern blockbusters.  The sheer number of blockbuster movies with show-stopping visual effects sequences has given us a shorthand, an easy and often unconscious understanding of what works and what doesn't.  The arrival of every new huge spectacular movie brings with it the expectation that the figurative bar will be raised, particularly when that would-be blockbuster is the latest installment in a franchise known for its envelope-pushing digital creations.

Such was the case for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth film in a franchise that has included undead pirates, fish-men, massive maritime battles, and even an ocean goddess.  For the first film in the series not directed by Gore Verbinski, the story saw the introduction of zombies, and more importantly, some truly memorably mermaids.  Aaron McBride has been crucial to the visual effects on all four Pirates films, serving as the art director on the first three and visual effects art director for On Stranger Tides.

In his time at Industrial Light and Magic, McBride has built up a resume that includes the likes of Minority Report, Iron Man, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.  In a roundtable interview with entertainment writers from around the world promoting tomorrow's release of Pirates of Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, McBride discussed the unique challenges and accomplishments of the sequel.  It's an interview that sheds some light on the intricacies involved in creating those visual effects that often flash by in no time at all.

“In brightest day … in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight, let those who worship evil’s might, beware my power … Green Lantern’s light!"

While hardcore comic book fans already recognize that passage as the famous Green Lantern oath, the rest of the world may not be as familiar with the intergalactic police force as fan-boys are. That will all change on June 17^th, as the ring-wielding comic book superhero finally makes his debut on the silver screen.

Green Lantern is based on the immensely popular DC Comics character that first appeared in All-American Comics issue #16 in 1940 and has remained popular for almost sixty years. While the character has gone through many changes over the years and several different people have worn the powerful ring, the film will tell the tale of Hal Jordan, the most prominent and popular of all the Lanterns. In the comics, Jordan was a test pilot before the death of Abin Sur, the Lantern assigned to protect Earth’s sector of the universe. Eventually, Sur’s ring chose Jordan as Earth’s new protector. Upon taking the Lantern’s oath, Jordan was propelled into a world of extra-terrestrial creatures, emerald power rings and outer-space adventures.

New Zealand-born director Martin Campbell is no stranger to franchise filmmaking.  Most famously, he rejuvenated the James Bond series on two separate occasions with two very different Bonds: first with Pierce Brosnan in 1995's GoldenEye, then yet again with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale more than a decade later.  He also directed both The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro, but even those blockbusters are relatively small in comparison with Green Lantern, his first comic book movie.  At a press conference for the film, Campbell shared his thoughts not only on the future of Green Lantern, but also the Bond franchise and Warner Bros' upcoming DC Comics projects.

Yesterday saw the debut of a new spacefaring clip from Green Lantern, with Ryan Reynolds being patiently schooled in the intergalactic way of the Corps by Tomar Re (the voice of Geoffrey Rush and the body of an alien bird-man).  That was yesterday, and it certainly seemed no meager offering then, but today, Warner Bros dropped seven additional clips from the film.  Those wary of even the slightest spoilers should take heed that the footage includes some crucial early moments, but those eager for some action will find no shortage here, including out best look yet at Hal Jordan's will in action against Parallax.

General audiences don't really need an explanation that Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered, or that Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive/genetically-engineered spider, but the mythology behind Green Lantern is not quite so well known.  Recent marketing for the 3D adventure have balanced between backstory and cosmic action.  This new clip is no exception.  Tomar Re, the alien Lantern voiced by Geoffrey Rush, lays a few things out for Hal Jordan, played by Ryan Reynolds, then the two go scooting around the planet Oa.  Take a look at some cool flying effects right here.

According to the DC guru Geoff Johns (via his twitter), last night saw the wrap party for the Green Lantern visual effects crew, meaning that months, if not years, of arduous work on the would-be franchise opener is complete for a whole lot of artists.  While those talented FX wizards no longer have to slave over creating a digital costume for Ryan Reynolds or getting the fearsome Parallax's tendrils just right, the marketing team at Warner Bros still has to sell the mythology of the Green Lantern Corps and the interstellar scale of the film to general audiences.  To that end, they've issued a new behind-the-scenes featurette all about Oa, the Corps' headquarters.

Unlike Batman, Spider-Man, or Superman, Green Lantern does not have a backstory that is immediately familiar to the average moviegoer trying to decide where to spend his or her hard-earned ten-to-fifteen bucks.  That's why the latest trailer for Green Lantern spends a whole lot of time setting up the Green Lantern Corps and willpower-based rings before introducing Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, the first human member of that intergalactic police force.  Amidst all that exposition, there's also a glut of new imagery from the film, so it's definitely worth giving this trailer a watch or two.

Captain Jack Sparrow is back! Opening in theaters today is the long awaited forth chapter of the beloved Pirates of the Caribbean series, this one entitled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The first film in the series, 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, was based on the Disney theme park ride of the same name and surprised everyone by becoming a financial and critical hit, as well as rejuvenating Johnny Depp’s career and earning him his first Academy Award nomination. The filmmakers followed up on the success of the original movie by shooting two sequels back-to-back, ‘2006s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, as well as ‘2007s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. While both films were financial successes, neither movie scored as well with fans or critics as the first one.

But now, with the series having earned almost $2.6 billion worldwide up to this point, super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer (National Treasure), as well as actors Johnny Depp (Rango) and Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush (Shine) return once again to the popular Pirates franchise for another fun-packed thrill-ride. In addition to the return of Depp and Rush, the film welcomes several new cast members including Oscar winner Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) as Jack Sparrow’s love interest, and Ian McShane (TV’s Deadwood), as the film’s dangerous new villain. The series also gets a new director with this installment as Academy Award nominee Rob Marshall (Chicago) takes over the duties from Gore Verbinski, who directed the first three films in the franchise.

For the two people in all of America who were not yet aware that this Friday sees the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Disney has released two behind-the-scenes featurettes on the fourth installment of the swashbucking uber-franchise starring Johnny Depp.  The first focuses on the supporting players, including Penelope Cruz, Sam Claflin and returning actors Geoffrey Rush and Kevin McNally.  The second offers new looks at Ian McShane's Blackbeard, his zombie crew, and the mermaids who terrorize unsuspecting pirates.  Give 'em both a watch and shiver your timbers, whatever that means.