Thoughts on Solo

Solo might have been interesting. On a technical level it is pretty bad. It is as if the filmmakers didn’t know that audiences like to see what is on screen. Everything is dark and gray and wrapped in shadows.. It acts like every nod to the original trilogy ia very clever and not forced, which it most certainly is. For as long as the movie is you’d expect more character and plot development. The actors are fine at impersonating the classic characters, but it still comes off as hollow. As if things aren’t pointless enough they have an SJW droid. Did a focus group say that we needed more smart ass robots? Especially one with a lazy name as L3-37, which is just elite in leet speak. It is amazing to see what a huge mess this movie is. The humor is lazy and the sentimental moments have no gravitas to give it value. Give it a miss unless you don’t care about the quality of the Star Wars universe.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Review

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a standalone film in the Star Wars cinematic universe. The special effects are great, showing the audience the universe at the dawn of the rebellion. The performances are good and showcase the skilled actors in a variety of complex roles. If there was a flaw to this movie, it is that this tale takes the longest route to a get to the crux of the story.

Rogue One centers on the character, Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones. She is the daughter of Galen Erso who is the designer of the Death Star. After falling into the hands of the rebels, Jyn must locate her father. She meets up with an eclectic group of fighters and together they go on a mission to get the Death Star plans in the hope of finding a flaw that might be a glimmer of hope for the rebellion.

The story is dark and foreboding, fitting right in with the mood of The Empire Strikes Back. The plot meanders a bit and some scenes feel like they could have been left on the cutting room floor. There are also strange choices such as the choice not to do a text crawl in the beginning of the film. Since Star Wars has always paid homage to old serial films, like Flash Gordon, it seems like a move to change that vision. There was also the odd choice to bring General Tarkin, who was played by the deceased Peter Cushing, back in CGI form. This was not the only character change as the film includes a young Princess Leia who was also given the CGI treatment. While they look good for CGI doubles and the actors play the part well, it looks a bit odd and the effect took me out of the movie.

Felicity Jones plays a great lead and the rest of the cast show a level of skill needed to make the scenes have the depth needed for a darker Star Wars film. It was fun to see Darth Vader again on screen and hear the voice by James Earl Jones in all its glory. The special effects are solid and exciting but sometimes have the look of a video game cut scene. This was especially evident during the space battles. The robot character K-2SO, voiced by Alan Tudyk, often steals the scene with his wry humor.

I recommend this movie for Star Wars fans. For others who might be new to the franchise it might be a bit confusing. The theme of heroism and sacrifice during war is still relevant and takes a unique approach to the subject of the horrors of war and hope. It takes the universe that many of us enjoy and looks at it from a different angle, which may or may not be compelling depending solely on your point of view. As Obi Wan once said, “Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – review

The Star Wars movies evoke feelings of nostalgia for most of us. When I first heard a new movie was coming out I thought, “How can they make a new story that will be sentimental for fans while at the same time touching the nerve of nostalgia without crossing the line to just fan-service.”  It is obvious that J.J. Abrams is clearly a true fan. This movie is like watching a fan given reign to make what they feel would be a more grown up Star Wars movie.

Set about thirty years after the Return of the Jedi, Luke has gone into hiding. The Empire has become the First Order. Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Isaac, gets information on Luke Skywalker’s location on the desert planet of Jakku. Poe gives the map to his droid, BB-8. BB-8 escapes and makes friends with a scavenger girl named Rey. Together they must find a way off the planet in order to get the map to the Resistance.

The movie is beautiful and the mixture of CGI and practical effects is seamless. The acting is solid and the new heroes, Rey, Finn, and Poe are all fascinating and well-played characters that are a delight to watch and acted superbly. The action scenes are thrilling and the nostalgic cameos are used like a spice in a perfectly cooked dish.

There were a few welcome changes that I want to acknowledge. For instance, the casting of more female characters made the universe seem much more believable and diverse. It was also shocking to see blood in a Star Wars film. It added a level of darkness never seen before in the franchise. Creating more complex villains was a novel concept that really landed well. Kylo Ren, the film’s villain is a fascinating villain that goes from homicidal to petulant. It is interesting to watch the goings on in the life of Stormtrooper, which for the most part have been faceless minions for most of the films.

The Force Awakens is just what the franchise needed. It is Star Wars growing up and taking chances. Audiences are tired of movies playing it safe all the time and the prequels were all safe. You knew who would live and who would die by the end. In this this trilogy anything can happen. It is a great movie that uses silence and every shot to its advantage to tell a wonderful story. See it if you can.

Top Ten Ways I Would "Fix" the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy.

Here is how I would have fixed the Star Wars prequels if I was a producer working with Lucasfilm.

10. Have the central story be about Obi Wan.

9. Introduce Anakin as a teenager.

8. Remove all mention of midi-chlorians.

7. Remove the character of Jar Jar Binks.

6. Change Naboo to Alderaan.

5. Don't have C3P0 being built by Anakin.

4. End with the Death Star actually blowing up a planet.

3. Add young Grand Moff Tarkin as a character.

2. Keep Darth Maul alive to fight throughout the prequels.

1. Get rid of the Sith's "rule of two."

The Fun House Days of the Cinema

I've never been able to experience a drive in and I'm pretty sad about it. When you consider the experience of watching a B-movie like “The Return of the Creature” from your car, compared to watching it from your couch, the former is so much more appealing.  Although 3D movies are now the big expensive gimmick, I am still not a fan. This type of theater experience was attempted a bit in the 50s, with a smattering of movies here and there, but now it’s a fad like slap bracelets- and often just as useless.

Before the time when a moviegoer had to spend an arm and a leg for admission, a man developed an idea about how movies should be shown. His movies were not particularly good, but his gimmicks to get people into the theater and make the experience fun, were nothing short of genius.  This man was William Castle. Some of his best gimmicks included: A glow in the dark skeleton that would float over the audience; joy buzzers installed in the seats to give the audience a shock; and $1,000 life insurance policies given out in case you should die of fright. Novelty items like magic coins and cardboard axes were handed out during the movies in an attempt to make an effort to connect to the audience. Castle truly was a champion of promoting his movies.

​Castle wasn’t the only one to use these types of ploys.  Often, theaters would hire actors to portray characters, or even the monsters, in the films being shown.  They would then run up to the screen and create the illusion of someone being pulled from reality into the film, or vice versa.  The only time I ever saw anything similar was during the Star Wars Special Edition opening night when a guy came dressed like Darth Vader to give out door prizes.  Sadly, I don’t think you’ll be seeing much of that anytime soon.

The reality is that admission prices are rising; people continue to see movies in droves despite the high price.  It would be awesome if theaters took a look back at when going to a movie was a trip to a fun house. Where the audience came to experience a movie on a whole new level, and film venues put effort back into giving the crowd a more entertaining experience, instead of just making it a forgettable night that could’ve been spent at home.

Oops they did it again.

When I was in High School I got the Star Wars Trilogy on VHS before it came out in special edition format.  I decided I wasn’t going to go out and buy the trilogy again for the special edition.  It was just not worth it to me.  Eventually I heard about the original trilogy coming out on DVD.  So I bought it.  Sadly it was not as I remembered it.  It was a SUPER special edition.  Where Boba Fett’s voice is changed with a kiwi and the Jedi Spirit of Anakin Skywalker is cast by a most unwelcome Hayden Christensen.
These, of course weren’t the only changes.  Adding Jar Jar to the end of Return of the Jedi yelling “Weesa Free” killed my joy the most.  Still, I guess that Lucas heard the cries of the fan boys. They said “Han shot first.”   Sure enough a few years later he released another set of the trilogy which was supposed to be the original original trilogy.  This time I fell for it AGAIN. This time there were only slight changes but still changes nonetheless.  Now I know I have paid twice for a trilogy that was not even what I wanted.  A fool and his money were parted.  
This wasn’t the only time I paid twice for a trilogy.  When “Lord of the Rings” came out I rushed out to get them all. I was irritated to find out they later had an extended version planned out.  Luckily I missed those and waited just enough time to get the set that mixed the two varieties together.  So now I have a theatrical and extended version of “Lord of the Rings.”  Does the sickness end there?
Well now I just found out that in early October that they plan on releasing "Grindhouse" as it was seen in theaters.  So “Planet Terror” and “Death Proof” including all the fake previews they screwed you out of when you bought the separate DVDs.  That is weak.  Is every movie now going to do a director’s cut version too?  Nothing like getting something you like and realizing that they were planning on making a sucker out of you within a month.