Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Movies Page 17 of 24

Justice League Bombing and I’m not Surprised

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On November 24, 2017

In DC, Geek Canon, Movies

Justice League BombingI don’t know what DC is thinking. Releasing the Justice League movie right before a major holiday. I cannot imagine too many people decide to go see a movie the weekend before the largest travel week of the year. While I do find it mildly disappointing its doing so terrible in theaters, I also find it not terribly surprising. Justice League bombing has a few flaws with the movie, other than Ben Affleck, and I haven’t seen the movie yet.

It’s Isn’t Just Ben Affleck

It’s no secret that I am not a fan of Ben Affleck as Batman. I have made many DC comic nerds heads implode with my constant trolling of “Batffleck”. However, in this case I do not think its all because Ben Affleck is a terrible Batman. Keep in mind that I have not seen this movie yet, and I probably won’t pay to see it in theaters. The reason is for the same reasons I’m about to get into.

I freely admit that I wanted the movie to do well in theaters. I enjoy the fact that comic book movies are the only movies that seem to be doing great in theaters. What was once considered lame when I was growing up is now some of the most successful franchises.

Depictions Failing Expectations

So far Wonder Woman is the only successful member of the Justice League. Gal Gadot is nailing the role as the Amazonian warrior, but the success ends there. I don’t understand why Ezra Miller was cast as Barry Allen/The Flash after the success Grant Gustin is having in The CW’s series. I don’t think I can watch the Grant Gustin impostor and no feel disappointment.

I know all the women are swooning over Jason Momoa as Aquaman, but he doesn’t fit all the depictions of Aquaman. He was never some sex symbol. He is often depicted as a blond imbecile, and perhaps that is why he was changed for the film. Maybe it’s because I’m a guy but it just isn’t working for me. I think Ryan Hansen would have made a better Aquaman.

I think the Cyborg adaptation looks pretty good but I would have liked a stand alone film first. Perhaps we all would have benefited from individual movies for the other members. It is working for Wonder Woman and The Avengers. Clearly DC is rushing these characters because Marvel is far more successful. Sadly, I will most likely wait until Justice League is on Netflix before I watch it.

film_reel“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.”
– Stanley Kubrick

 

‘The Last Jedi’ Second Official Trailer

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On October 9, 2017

In Movies, Star Wars

We have all been waiting, very impatiently, for several weeks now for the next official Episode VIII: The Last Jedi trailer. Then, in late September, the Internet and Star Wars fans everywhere exploded with a tweet from Mark Hamill that alludes to the next trailer. It’s hard to tell if he meant to tell us or if he, inadvertently, let something slip. We don’t know if Disney’s original intention was to release the trailer during tonight’s Monday Night Football but you can’t say something like that and then take it back. The Internet won’t let you. If Disney’s intention was to postpone it, then we heartily thank you Mark Hamill!!

So here it is; in all its fantastic glory!

My hands are shaking. My heart is beating out of my chest. I’m pretty sure I was holding my breath for the entire 2 minutes of that trailer. Now lets go watch it again!

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

 

Despecialized Movies for the Specialized Fans

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On July 31, 2017

In Biggs On, Movies, Star Wars


If you are living under a rock then you are probably unaware of the fact that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Star Wars: A New Hope. The movie that created an unstoppable franchise and an endless universe. Perhaps the anniversary is why I am seeing a lot of talk about the “despecialized movies”. If you are unfamiliar with the “despecialized editions“, they are a version of the original trilogy before the Special Edition re-release in 1997. Obviously these were not created in an official capacity; it was Petr “Harmy” Harmáček, an English teacher in the Czech Republic that created them using a series of fan edits. He alleged that the altering of the movies for the Special Edition was “an act of cultural vandalism“. Whatever.

Troglodytes Unite!

On Star Wars Day (May 4th) I celebrated in typical fashion by watching the original trilogy. I was asked on three occasions if I was watching the “despecialized” movies. My reply was simply “I own the Blu-ray editions”. Apparently that drew some sneers which was confusing. I own a big screen television with surround sound, of course I will watch the Blu-ray versions because that will provide the best viewing quality. It’s baffling that 20 years after the release of the Special Editions and people still whine about the changes to the films. The digital enhancements of the movies are necessary to accommodate the advancing technology.

The feeling of nostalgia is a product of the story, the music and the characters. As someone who embraces home theater technology, I want to watch the movies that also embraces that technology. I’m not so old-fashioned that I will seek out hacked together fan edits that some troglodyte English professor created. The color adjustments alone are pivotal (i.e. correcting magenta tones), especially if you are watching the movies on bigger screens. Darkening the tones of some scenes creates a more ominous scene thus adding to the drama.

I Don’t Support All the Changes

Most of the technical changes I fully support because I believe it adds cinematic value to the movies. However, I don’t fully support all of the changes; I’m just not butt-hurt by them. The one that everyone keeps going nuts about is the infamous “Han Shot First” controversy and I agree changing this scene is ridiculous. George Lucas’ reasons make sense but the man is labeled as a “scoundrel”. A scoundrel doesn’t politely wait for the other guy to shoot first. However, this little change does not ruin the special editions for me.

There are really only two other changes that slightly bother me and it’s actually on the DVD release of the movies, and they occur at the end of Return of the Jedi. I did not like that they removed the Ewok Celebration song and replaced it with the Victory Celebration track. I understand why it was done. The music wouldn’t match the victory montage but I still prefer the Ewok track. Second, why did they remove Sebastian Shaw as the Anakin Force Ghost and replace him with Hayden Christensen? I prefer the image of the man who found his way back to the light, as opposed to the man who lost his way.

Everything else is just too petty and minute for me to care let alone allocate approximately 25 gig of hard drive space to store them. I’ll stick to the ones that are professional edited and produced. I just don’t agree at the despecialized movies are special enough for me.

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

‘The Last Jedi’ Official Trailer Has Arrived!!

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On April 14, 2017

In Movies, Star Wars

Last Jedi Official TrailerSince the official title was announced, we have all been waiting with bated breath for The Last Jedi official trailer. After the Star Wars movie panel at the Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, Disney finally put an end to our drawn out suffering. Please, feel free to watch it on repeat (that’s what I’m doing). Needless to say I will be drawing up my various fan theories and sharing them in the near future.

Breathe …
– Luke Skywalker

The perfect first word to hear in this trailer. We know that not only is Luke telling Rey to breathe, but the rest of us too. We have been waiting for so long to finally have a trailer! I will probably have this on repeat for the next hour so I can fully absorb its glory and brilliance.

/MTFBWY

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

 

Official Episode VIII Title: The Last Jedi!

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On January 25, 2017

In Movies, Star Wars

The Last JediDisney made the official announcement Monday, January 23rd, freaking out Star Wars geeks the world over. Star Wars: The Last Jedi will likely be about Luke Skywalker and where he has been since Ben Solo failed his training. Director Rian Johnson alluded to that in a recent interview. So it stands to reason that the title, while trite, sets the tone for Episode 8. I’m sure there are thousands of “so-called” fans rolling their eyes and crying that the title sucks (obviously Rian Johnson and Disney neglected to check with them first before making the title official). However I think the title is actually rather fitting.

Before you completely dismiss the title as hackneyed consider the following points. In the interview Rian Johnson explains that Episode 8 will answer the question “What’s going on with Luke Skywalker?” Why does he feel responsible for Ben turning to the dark side and now lives on an island like Oliver Queen? Also, in The Force Awakens they often reference Luke as “the last Jedi” so we knew back in December 2015. I mean, it seems fairly obvious to me!

The Plural Form of Jedi Is …

Then I was talking to my brother-in-law and he asked me a question that completely changes how to interpret the title. The plural form of Jedi is “Jedi” (just as the plural form of moose is “moose”). Talk about having my mind blown. Of course it’s possible the title has deeper meanings. George Lucas was never known for having deep, arcane names for his movies. I like a title that is subject to interpretation and the movie doesn’t clearly explain it either (ex: The Force Awakens). So “the last Jedi” could mean Luke and Rey because they are the last ones.

The title also has a connotation that it should be the name of the last movie in a series (i.e. Episode 9). While that certainly seems valid, the fact that it’s the title of the middle movie leaves me to believe that it’s about the present state of the Jedi and not foretelling the future.

Of course the thought on everyone’s mind now is when do we get the first teaser trailer??!? Perhaps during the Super Bowl (which is when we got the first trailer for The Force Awakens)?

/MTFBWY

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

 

How Will Star Wars Survive Without Leia?

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On January 8, 2017

In Geek Canon, General Cogitation, Movies, Star Wars

How Will Star Wars Survive Without LeiaMany of us are still lamenting the loss of our beloved princess. I know all of her co-workers are still beside themselves with grief. We all wish everyday since the Tuesday after Christmas, was a bad dream that we all will wake up from. Sadly that will not happen. We must endure and ensure every future generation knows the brilliance and beauty of Carrie Fisher (our Princess Leia). Aside from grief, we are all curious how will Star Wars survive without her?

WARNING: If you haven’t seen The Force Awakens (which is unheard-of) and you have, miraculously, avoided spoilers then stop reading. I need to talk about details of the movie to further this rumination.

Star Wars Without Princess Leia

It’s difficult to imagine Star Wars without Princess Leia. We were hopeful when she was stable, but when she passed you could have knocked us all over with a feather. Disney did confirm that all of her scenes for Episode VIII were complete but it still begs the question, what happens in Episode IX? After killing off Han it creates and interesting conundrum in regards to Kylo Ren’s story.

Kathleen Kennedy and the Lucasfilm team have a meeting coming up to discuss Leia’s future in the franchise. I do not expect that they will share her fate with us until the release of Episode VIII or Episode IX. I think their smartest move would be to kill Leia off-screen. Since Episode VIII is now in post-production, it’s possible they could edit something in at the very end. Personally I hope they edit in a dedication rather than an off-screen death.

The right move, I think, would be to write an off-screen death for the beginning of Episode IX and work it into Kylo Ren’s story. While Rogue One was fairly successful bringing Peter Cushing (aka Tarkin) back to life; I don’t think digitally inserting Carrie Fisher for all of Episode IX would be the right thing to do.

We’re Grieving. It’s a process.

Star Wars fans, the world over, will, beyond a doubt, miss our beloved princess. Episode VIII is going to be difficult to watch knowing its the last time we will see her. Granted it will nearly have been a year by the time the movie comes out and we will all have accepted her death by that time. I’m sure seeing her again will bring back some fairly painful emotions. I know that might sound ridiculous but, just as Robin Williams, she was a pillar of our childhood. I saw Rogue One the day after her passing and seeing her at the end, despite the fact it was digital, left me verklempt.

In a way, however, it’s almost poetic that Carrie Fisher’s last movie is Star Wars. She has done several other great movies (ex: Blues Brothers, The burbs, etc) but everyone knows her, and will remember her, eternally as Princess Leia. Disney has been far more successful and true to the franchise since they took the reins. I think Kathleen Kennedy will do the right thing. Star Wars will never be the same, but she will always be our princess.

/MTFBWY

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

 

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