A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Movies Page 21 of 28

‘The Last Jedi’ Official Trailer Has Arrived!!

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!

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?

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.

 

Movie Review – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One A Star Wars StoryRogue One: A Star Wars Story

Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Felicity Jones, Alan Tudyk

My Rating: [rating=5]

A second Star Wars movie in a year is a dream come true for Star Wars nerds the world over. I saw this movie in a Dolby Cinema off of Times Square in New York City. It’s one of 10 Dolby Cinema theaters in the country and this should be the only way to watch a Star Wars movie.

Rogue One takes a different approach to telling a story in the Star Wars universe. It’s a movie that isn’t part of the main story but it does make a significant contribution to the original story that we all first fell in love with.

This is a war movie and honestly, it isn’t a happy movie. In fact it’s probably one of the most depressing movie of all the movies (from a story perspective). I saw this movie the day after Carrie Fisher passed away so the final scene was probably the most heart-wrenching scene in the whole film. If you have seen this movie then you know to what I am comparing it to.

It Changes ‘A New Hope’

I talked about the story this movie was going to tell and I was right on the money. Granted that isn’t saying much because it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out the plot of the movie. Jyn Erso discovers a message that tells her there is a weakness in the Death Star. If the Rebellion could obtain those plans, it would change the outcome of the war (which we all know it does).

Rogue One could literally be Part One of A New Hope. After watching the former you will want to go home and watch the latter immediately. It will change the way you see it.

Many other fans have said they think this movie is how Episode III should have ended. I can see their point but I liked the way III ended and I loved Rogue One. It was not better than The Force Awakens but it does present an interesting thought. Considering the success of the first two Star Wars after George Lucas sold the rights, perhaps Lucas was the problem with the prequels.

/MTFBWY

film_reelThe 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

 

 

TBT: One Year Ago, The Force Awakened

The Force Awakened

It was actually December 18th, 2015 when The Force Awakened but it’s Throwback Thursday and the 18th is Sunday. As I sit on the cusp of the premiere of another Star Wars movie I love thinking about the success of The Force Awakens. I’m really happy how well it was received not only by Star Wars fans, but the majority of movie goers. Here are a few *numbers I found:

  •  It earned $935 million domestic, thus making it the biggest-grossing movie of all time in America
  •  It was the first movie to earn $750m on an initial release and the first to earn $800m, $850m, and $900m.
  •  By the end of the tenth day, it had earned $540 million domestic
  •  It ended up selling more tickets than all but maybe ten other movies in all of cinematic history.

The Force Awakens wasn’t everyone’s cup-of-tea but you can’t deny the amazing success the movie has had. I still remember the feeling I had as I was sitting in the theater waiting for the movie to start. The same feelings I had for several hours after the movie was over. The Force awakened the child in all of us because we all felt 10 years old again that day. Any reservations and skepticism we felt because Disney now runs the franchise were also blown to pieces.

Rogue One has a Tough Act to Follow

Tonight the first of the Star Wars spin-off movies premiers to the public. Rogue One: A Star Wars story will have a tough act to follow. I’ll be honest, I’m not setting my expectations very high because I think this movie is going to have a different appeal. We already know it will not have the iconic opening crawl and the score is not composed by John Williams (but fear not, Michael Giacchino is no slacker). So far the preliminary reviews are fairly positive with an 83% on the “Tomatometer“. I really don’t expect this movie to be as extraordinary as TFA but I do hope it will be loved by all the real Star Wars fans.

The movie does have all the right ingredients to be successful. As long as the acting is solid, the music is great and everyone understands how the story fits in; I think it will do well in the theaters. I am excited to see Rogue One but probably not as eager as I was to see TFA. There was a certain amount of mystery in The Force Awakens that Rogue One will not have, obviously. Even though Rogue One will not be quite as inscrutable, I still think our inner child will still be waiting with bated breath. A feeling that Star Wars has always inspired and that which Disney has fully restored.

* Numbers come from this Forbes article

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

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars: Final Rogue One Trailer Looks Exciting!

Final Rogue One TrailerHere it is folks! The final Rogue One trailer before its December release! I reiterate, this movie is definitely a movie for the fans. I do not expect it to produce the same box office cash as The Force Awakens. After watching only four seconds into the trailer and I was amorous! Michael Giacchino is the composer for Rogue One while John Williams continues to focus on the main story line. However, I think the score is going to be just as good as a Williams score. Jyn is going to be a fantastic new Star Wars hero and Donnie Yen looks to be as much of a bad ass as Ray Park was for Darth Maul. Oh, and then there is Forest Whitaker!

Enough Commentary!

All right, enough with the verbose introduction (just trying to meet some of the SEO requirements for a post 🙂 ). Here is the trailer!!

I admit that I’m geeking out a little bit. I’m really excited for this movie and I can’t wait to see it with my other Star Wars buddies! If you are not sure whether you are going to go see this movie then be sure to come back here after its release. I will make sure that I provide a relevant review of the movie and I hope it will help you make your decision.

/MTFBWY

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

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