Reddit reviews Moviemakers' Master Class: Private Lessons from the World's Foremost Directors

I can see what you're saying about not like so many close ups but that doesn't mean you can make assumptions about whatever focal lengths a director uses because there are a lot of close ups in a film.

In Moviemakers' Master Class: Private Lessons from the World's Foremost Directors by Laurent Tirard - a great read, highly recommended - Martin Scorsese says that he likes shooting 24mm and wider and that he only uses long lenses for specific purposes. He says he shot just one scene in "Raging Bull" with a long lens (the second Robinson fight) and that's a film loaded with close-ups. Even preferring to shoot wide, Scorsese also uses close ups to great effect.

As for Abrams, he absolutely used lenses wider than 40mm on Mission Impossible: III, and you can read all about it here. I'm sure he went wide in Star Wars. Also, IIRC, there was never a scene in the Falcon cockpit with more than three people (Han, Chewie and Finn for a few seconds) - so you were never gonna get that shot you referenced from Empire Strikes Back.

This is the best book I've read on getting a real insight on prolific filmmaker's process. It's really a fantastic and informative read:
Moviemakers' Master Class: Private Lessons from the World's Foremost Directors

I usually peruse Reddit from a distance but I had to share my all time favorite book on film. Whether you are a filmmaker, hobbyist, or fan, Movie Makers Master Class by Tirard, has been the most interesting and insightful film book in my collection. To this day it is the foundation for many of my favorite techniques and methods in film-making.

http://www.amazon.com/Moviemakers-Master-Class-Foremost-Directors/dp/057121102X

As a director, I found this book to be incredibly helpful. The interviewer asks the right questions and allows each director to answer each in their own way. Very informative.

http://www.amazon.com/Moviemakers-Master-Class-Foremost-Directors/dp/057121102X