Star Wars Comics Review/Recap (Spoilers!) – Star Wars #23

Issue number twenty-three of the main Star Wars comic is the third part in the current story arc. We last saw Luke, Han, and Leia on the bridge of the Star Destroyer they stole. In the last issue we didn’t get why they stole the Star Destroyer or even how they survived the reactor blast. This was all explained in non-linear storytelling during this issue. The crew went on the mission to steal the Destroyer to help break up a blockade around Tureen VII, and they survived the blast by jumping to hyperspace as they jettisoned the reactor.

I like this story. I like the setup and the adventure the crew is going on. The execution of some of the interactions between Han and Leia and Luke and Sana seemed forced. Jason Aarron has been fantastic at writing the Star Wars main line, but for this issue there was too much force feeding of the story. I don’t need a line from Sana telling me how much Han and Leia love each other and their fighting is a show of this. If you are reading this comic you know this, just let the interactions speak for themselves. I liked the race Han and Leia had to the bridge to claim being captain of the ship, it was cute and flirtatious, and it should have stood on its own. I’m also not sure if they are trying to set Sana and Luke up as a possible love story or he is just trying to get her to sign up with the Rebellion. I’m thinking tragedy may strike for her though with the arrival of the elite Stormtrooper crew.

The best parts of the issue were some of its humor. The race between Han and Leia was cute, but it seemed out of place when the crew is trying to save themselves and others. It was still nice to see, and there were a few other times I laughed out loud. Chewie and Han and one fantastic interaction. The overall setup for what is to come was also well done. This was mainly a setup issue, and it tried to give us some good moments between Han and Leia. I’m just not sure they were in the right place for the situation the crew found themselves in. I guess one could argue Han trying to make moves on Leia in the belly of an alien on an asteroid wasn’t great timing either. That didn’t seem as forced in like this did though.

Overall this issue didn’t live up to some that have come before it. I’m not sure if it was the non-linear storytelling which gave too much exposition or some of the character interactions. It just didn’t work as well as some of the other issues. With this issue being mostly setup and the arrival of the elite Stormtroopers I expect the next issue to be a return to form, and for a few extremely exciting issues over the next few months.

What did you think of this issue? Did you think the character moments where forced or did you like them? Comment and let me know. 

Star Wars Rebels S3E1 - Steps Into Shadow Recap/Review (Spoilers): Solid...

The first episode of the third season of Star Wars Rebels had about everything a fan of the show or of Star Wars could hope for in a premier. The show started off with a bang and didn’t let up for the entire hour. The introduction of Grand Admiral Thrawn as the main villain of the season was handled perfectly. The change in the characters was also handled well for a transition to a new season. Rebels opened overall to a solid effort which leaves me excited for where the show will go during season three.

The best parts of the episode where the action and seeing how much Ezra has progressed with his force powers. Seeing him easily handle anything the Empire threw at him was the perfect way to open up the season. It then transitioned to show the dangerous path he is walking. He controlled the Imperial Walker pilot’s mind and forced the pilot to kill the other Stormtroopers and then sent the Walker over a ledge. It was a great sequence to watch for the action, but also to highlight how Ezra is starting to use the dark side to get jobs done.

One reason Ezra has been able to progress down this path is due to Kanan dealing with the loss of his eyesight. Anyone would be shaken by the loss of their eyesight and Kanan at the start of the season has stopped going on missions and has become reclusive from the other crew. Ezra is shown to be resentful of this fact, and Hera points out that he feels partially at fault for Kanan’s loss of eyesight. Kanan goes on his own journey of discovery and talks to a new interesting force sensitive creature. The new creature, Bendu, tries to show him another way of looking at the force to balance Kanan’s perspective. I’m not sure I completely like the addition of Bendu. The character does fit the overall universe, I’m just not sure it is needed. We know Yoda has reached out to Ezra and Kanan before, I’m not sure why he wouldn’t have been used in this scenario instead of Bendu. I guess Yoda has only been able to communicate with them when they have been near a Jedi structure. However, having a strong force sensitive creature living on the world the Rebels set their base up on seems a little to coincidental.

I still liked the interaction Kanan had with Bendu, and it introduces even more grey area for us as fans to consider when it comes to the ways of the force. Everything can be colored and balanced from a certain point of view. The best lines from Bendu were the words of wisdom he imparted about the Sith Holocron. He stated that an object cannot change a person. It is the person who has to change themselves because they want the forbidden knowledge for power or maybe even to try and do good. This was some great Star Wars wisdom to impart and very Yoda like, and also great to include in a show aimed at kids. The idea is a good one. The actions you decide to take throughout life define the person you become. Bendu is a good character, I am just not sure he is needed when you have Yoda lurking around and who has already been used in the show. I also would have preferred Kanan actually going off world in search of peace and balance instead of finding Bendu on the same planet he was on.

The only other small gripe I had from the episode was how whiney Ezra became after the first mission and while he was leading the second mission. He was fantastic during the actual action, but the whiny teen act is a little tiresome for the third season. Granted Ezra is a teenager and this is still a good reflection of how most teenagers might feel and how conflicted they are overall. I just would have preferred it scaled back a bit for this episode.  This was the only part of the episode however which seemed out of place, everything else flowed well and was perfectly paced and explored.

One of the things handled the most deftly is the introduction of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Too much in the first episode and it he might seem incompetent, too little and it ruins the buildup to the season premier. Filoni and team found the perfect balance in the first episode. We saw how cold and calculating he is, and how he plans to draw the Rebels in and bring down their destruction. The crew had to expend a bunch of firepower to recover only a handful used Y-wings, and it might not have been worth the effort. My hope is we get more of Thrawn than we did of the inquisitors last season. He needs to be a constant presence felt the entire season to drive the crew into making mistakes.

Star Wars Rebels hasn’t disappointed in the first two seasons, and the start of the third was more of the same. The introduction of Thrawn was as perfect as it could be, and showing how the two Jedi are handling their current situations was well done. The first episode was simply everything a season opener should be. It gave us reminders as to why we love the show to begin with along with what to look forward to in the future.

What did you think of the season premiere of Rebels? Did you like Bendu? What were some of your favorite moments or least favorite parts? Comment and let me know

Star Wars Rebels Season 3: Thoughts and Predictions

The first episode of season three of Disney XD’s and Lucasfilm’s hit animated television show Star Wars Rebels drops on September 23. I am nearly as excited for Rebels as I am for Rogue One. This is largely due to the return of one of my favorite characters from the Legends books, Grand Admiral Thrawn. I was a big fan of the old Legend books and own every one book published up until 2001. That may be bit of a dubious honor to admit. Having Grand Admiral Thrawn become cannon again is fantastic fan service for loyal fans of the old books.

Thrawn is one of the biggest draws to the season and I’m excited to see how he’s used. I don’t think Dave Filoni and the story group will use him frivolously, and I don’t think he will be a single season villain. He will be the main villain for the season, and probably defeated, but not killed. I have hopes he may fail to complete his task and the Rebels ultimately succeed in the season, but he is just sent to the outer rim or unexplored space to patrol so he can be used again. The story group might even have Thrawn succeed to a degree against our team of Rebels and end this season on a darker note as Empire Strikes Backs does. This would take guts for a show still primarily aimed at kids, but it still could be done. The possibilities with Thrawn are immense and I am beyond excited he is being introduced to a larger audience who may have never read the legends books.

Besides Thrawn one other major story to follow is Ezra’s path and if he will turn to the dark side. All last season I thought he wasn’t going to turn, but it’s hard to dispute him turning now. The only thing I will offer is that Filoni may be setting us up to think he is going to go dark, and instead have him reject the turn and stay on the light side as Luke does. He is going to flirt with it greatly this season, without a doubt, and be pushed by Maul to embrace dark elements. We have already seen a glimpse of this in a clip from the season where Ezra takes control of a Stormtrooper’s mind who is driving an AT-ST (or an AT-ST like vehicle) and starts killing other troopers while controlling the trooper and the vehicle. While Obi-Wan and other Jedi have influenced the weak minded, they never did anything like this. It may still be a grey area, but it borders on the darker side of the force. I’m still not one hundred percent certain he is going to turn, but it is certainly setup for him too.

Kanan’s loss of eyesight and the struggles he will have to go through will only add to Ezra’s chances of turning. Kanan will have to go on his own journey of discovery after losing his eyesight and won’t be able to help Ezra with his training. I had entertained the theory last year that Kanan would be the Jedi to fall to the dark side after a loss, and the loss of his eyesight might send him down this path. I doubt it, but if Hera were to be killed as well he could be pushed over the edge and Ezra may be the only one to prevent his fall. It would be an interesting twist and one many people would not expect, but I doubt they go down this path with a show whose primary audience is again for kids.

Rogue One could also have an impact on this season of Rebels. I think the first half of the season could focus on the team discovering the Death Star. They set this up last season when they went to Geonosis and found the system devoid of life. They questioned why the system had been eradicated, but it didn’t go any farther than that episode. I think since the team has set up a base they could now start to investigate what the Empire is up to and why they need so many resources. It would be a great tie in for fans of the show if the crew of the Ghost are the ones to discover the building of the Death Star. They don’t have to discover what it does, but just that it exists and know more must be found out about it. The discovery could play right up until the mid-season break and then Rogue One would be released.

The season would still continue, and still take place before the events of Rogue One and Episode Four. The team would just be pulled away from finding more about the Death Star. The last half of the season would be where Thrawn would have the greatest impact, and start to close around the crew of the Ghost. Thrawn could use the crew’s discovery of the Death Star against them and lure them into a trap when they are eager to learn more about the new secret space station. They can go almost anywhere with Thrawn and from the small amount I’ve seen of him it seems they are on the perfect tract for the character.

This season of Rebels has the potential to be the best of the previous two, and that is more because of how well they have built the first two seasons of the show. Filoni has a plan for where the show is going, and he has built the narrative extremely well. The show is simply for Star Wars fans even if it is found on Disney XD. People who haven’t jumped on bored the bandwagon there is plenty of room, and there isn’t a better time to get caught up and enjoy the new season. 

Seven Samurai - Movie Review: Still Holds Up

The genesis for the team up movie.

Seven Samurai, the epic film released in 1954, directed by Akira Kurosawa, and starring a host of very talented Japanese actors whose names I don’t feel like butchering. There really isn’t a bad performance from anyone in this sprawling epic. Seven Samurai tells the story of seven roaming samurai who come together to protect a town against a band of raiders. The raiders want to steal the villages food for the winter. The villagers go in search of Samurai to protect their village, but only can offer food for service and not money which many Samurai require to take the job. The seven who end up taking the job have varying degrees of experience, but do their best to ensure the survival of the town.

I’ll admit watching a three hour subtitled black and white film from the 1950’s isn’t for everyone. It takes some commitment to sit down to watch this type of film. There is nothing wrong if someone has no desire to do this, but if you have any curiosity to see where the team-up movie genre came from then this is worth the time and effort. By the end of the film I wasn’t even noticing the subtitles, and was just engaged with the story. The characters and plot maybe standard for some films today, but they get their ques from this movie. I loved all of the characters in the movie, and each one gets their moment to shine within the film. Kurosawa was a masterful director and was able to give each character depth and a purpose within the movie.

I don’t know exactly what I expected the first time I watched Seven Samurai, but it wasn’t the touching and reflective story found within the film. This movie was released nine years after the end of World War 2 and I would be surprised if it didn’t draw some influence from veterans from the war, and what they struggled with. The characters in the film want to help the people, but they feel separated and cannot fully integrate with them. Throughout the story the villagers are both terrified and happy the Samurai are helping them. When they first come to the village they hide the women and children because they are worried how the Samurai will treat them. They are quick to run and ask for their help when a fake alarm is sounded and they think the raiders are on the attack. The warriors are out of place and while they feel the need to be honorable, in the end they are the ones who suffer and lose so the villagers can go on living.

The pacing of the movie is something I was also surprised by. The film didn’t feel like it was three hours long. The only part of the movie which felt to drag just a bit was at the start when the villagers were looking to recruit the first Samurai. This was still interesting and I enjoyed the setup, but it does take some patience since it requires you to read all the dialogue. After this the story is paced in a way that you are never bored while watching. I was invested in each character’s story and wanted to know what would happen when the raiders eventually show up.

The action is of course dated for when the movie was made, but I still found myself on the edge of my seat when the action ramped up. This is accomplished by how well the film built to the ending climax. The Samurai carefully plan their defense and you are invested in seeing if their plan will work out. Each Samurai has their own specific skill set and is put to use during the final battle. I also wasn’t expecting the comedic moments throughout the movie and laughed quite a bit while watching. Toshiro Mifune, arguable the most iconic of the actors to come out of Seven Samurai, has most of the comedic moments and plays them brilliantly. He also is one of the more tragic figures in the film and is able to pull both off throughout the movie.

Seven Samurai is simply just an excellent movie. I understand those who don’t want to watch a movie over three hours with subtitles, but if you are at all curious about the movie give it a chance. If you allow yourself to become engaged in the story the subtitles will disappear and the runtime will go by without notice. It is this good of a movie, and I would watch it again. I freely admit I was hesitant to give the movie a try because of the language, and runtime, but I’m glad I did and I think most will after watching.

Let me know if you have watched Seven Samurai and what you thought. If you haven’t would you consider watching the classic? Comment and let me know. 

Weekly Trailer Recap: Hodgepodge

There wasn't any real theme to the trailers released this week. We got some Oscar contenders, some January dumps, a few kids movies, and the one millions of women will want to see.

Fifty Shades Darker: 

Well I'll say this, it's popular. The trailer had the most views in one day and broke the previous record held by Star Wars set last year. I didn't see the first movie and haven't read the books. My wife has read the series, but has no desire to see the films, so I won't be watching.

Miss Sloane:

A serious Thank You for Smoking vibe is what I got from watching this trailer. The film is obviously shooting for Oscar buzz, and it could be a great movie. I like Jessica Chastain and if the buzz is good I will probably check this one out. 

Trolls (Trailer #2): 

Hmmm I don't know what to think about Trolls. On the one hand it looks like complete kid nonsense, but then it's from Dreamworks and this could be another Shrek like franchise. The first trailer didn't impress me, but I'll admit I'm a little intrigued. If they can infuse some adult humor throughout the film it could be worth checking out. Who am I kidding my four year old is going to love this and I'll see it regardless. 

Moana:

Moana feels like a classic Disney movie using new animation techniques. I am excited to take the family to see the film, and I might be even more excited to get my hands on the soundtrack which has songs composed by Lin Manuel Miranda. 

Nocturnal Animals: 

I'm intrigued. The cast is fantastic and the story has me interested. Just from the trailer I want to know what Amy Adams' character did to Jake Gyllenhaal's character.  I want to know how much of what was shown was the story he wrote or real life. Guess I'll have to go watch and find out. 

The Bye Bye Man: 

Well it's a horror film being released in January, so It won't be one I'll be seeing. The trailer was trope after trope and nothing original. I understand horror films are easy to make and easy to turn a profit. I hope the people involved make their money back from the film, but I won't be giving any money to it. 

Annabelle 2: 

I didn't know there was an Annabelle film, so the fact that there is an Annabelle 2 is surprising to me. Another horror film, and the first wasn't well received. It isn't getting dumped in January so maybe there's hope for it to be good. I still probably won't see it. 

Bastards: 

Well if there is a runner up to dumping a horror film in January it is dumping a comedy in the month. Maybe this will be a great buddy road trip type comedy, but I don't like that they already anointed it this during the trailer.  Who knows maybe it will be a surprise hit, but if the studio had faith in it they would be releasing it later in the year. 

Flock of Dudes: 

Haven't heard of this film, and it is coming out on September 30th. It looks like a standard buddy film in the eyes of Old School. It looks to have a somewhat funny premise, and has some funny comedians, but I'll still probably pass unless it gets great buzz. 

Ordinary World: 

Well this was an unexpected trailer to see. Billie Joe Armstrong in a movie. It looks like a Bachelor Party like movie, but with a mid-life crisis twist. The best thing about this movie is that Billie Joe is making music for the film. It looks like a fairly typical mid-life crisis family movie, but I'll at least check out the music. 

Should Independent Movies Release in Theaters and to Rent Simultaneously?

Over the past two weeks I have rented and watched two movies, Blood Father and Imperium, which had limited releases in theaters and are now available to rent on demand. Since there weren’t any movies that looked great in theaters I checked these out instead. I enjoy watching new independent movies this way since they were not playing in my area. Should more Independent movies release on demand while they are still in theaters? Would theaters even allow them to do this and still be played in theaters?

Theaters are not going to want a film to play on their screens if they don’t think people are going to come out to see it. If an independent film releases online at the same time they release to theaters, and theaters turn them down, then they run the risk of not getting the exposure of being in the theaters. I don’t know if this is really a bad thing. Smaller independent movies don’t make much money in the theater and it might be more advantageous to release films digitally and try and promote through those services.  This also has a downside. There are so many movies which come out every week the new independent films which don’t have much buzz can get lost in the shuffle. I can spend an exorbitant amount of time browsing Netflix and Amazon Prime and may not land on an independent film because they don’t get pop up on my suggestions. This could an issue with online stores which allow you to rent movies digitally.

I recently heard a great idea on Collider Movie talk which might make releasing films at the same time doable. If a film is having a limited release in LA and New York let it also be released online for rental. Film nuts like me are going to search out and know about bigger independent releases. If I lived in a bigger city I would go, see them in the theater. Since I don’t and some limited releases never make it to my mid-west city it would be nice if these films were released to be rented digitally at the same time. Doing this would make the film more money and spread word of mouth. I have talked about Blood Father to almost everyone I know recommending they check it out because of Gibson’s performance.

I also think it would be easy for theaters to establish a blackout area. If a movie is playing in a theater within a certain distance from where the person lives, then it could be blacked out from renting it online. If major league sports leagues can do this, so can movie theaters and online stores. Fandango would be perfect to pioneer this type of project. They acquired a movie streaming service where you can rent and buy movies, and they already are a leader in online ticketing. It could work both ways for them. If a movie is not playing in your area, here go rent it from our streaming store. If it is playing, instead of renting these are the show times in your area.

I think the way we currently consume movies is changing. Netflix and Amazon Prime are starting to acquire the rights and produce movies on their own. Beast of no Nation was a fantastic movie to come out last year and it was produced by Netflix. Many theaters wouldn’t show it because it was released online at the same time as it was released to theaters. If Netflix would have tried the blackout idea, then it might have been played in more theaters and maybe more people would have gone out to see it. I think it is great that independent films are getting these opportunities from the streaming services and I hope it continues to give more freedom to artists to create the stories they want to tell.

People say Hollywood only makes remakes or sequels, but there is a vibrant independent film community which is producing original content all the time. I think allowing streaming services to release the films at the same time as they are in theaters could grow the popularity of the films. There were a few times this summer where I wanted to see a movie, but it wasn’t playing in my area. I would have gladly given them my money if it was only available for me to watch. The landscape of streaming and the way movies are viewed and consumed is constantly changing, and I hope it leads to more good films being made.

Let me know your thoughts and if you be more likely to rent a film in limited release on a streaming service or wait for it to come to your area. 

Weekly Trailer Recap: Oscar Season Starts to Take Shape

This was a great week for trailers, as Oscar contenders are starting to be revealed:

Goat (Red Band):

This one looks interesting. I wasn't in a frat, and never cared to be, but hazing when I was in college was looked upon as harmless fun. With many news stories coming out about college kids losing their lives to hazing incidents there has been a  crackdown. In the trailer the frat looks down upon the new rules imposed. For the new pledges either they participate or not make the frat. I'm interested to see how dark this movie goes and how much it looks at the issue of hazing. 

Collateral Beauty:

Will Smith is going to try anything and everything to get his Oscar.  I admit I was moved by this trailer. Having two children and thinking about losing one is a devastating thought. Writing to the universe for answers doesn't seem like a bad idea to help cope with the loss of a child. The universe actually answering back is where either this movie will succeed or fail. You couldn't have picked a better actress to play death, and if Helen Mirren came to take me to the after life I probably wouldn't mind. I am interested to see a new Christmas Carol type story. It can go either way, too campy or the right amount of emotion. Hopefully it is the latter and Smith gets an Oscar nod if he is deserving. 

Underworld: Blood Wars: 

I have never been a big fan of the Underworld series. This trailer does little to get me excited to see a new one. I loved the concept and was excited to go see the first movie. I was extremely disappointed in the movie. I think my expectations were to high for the Underworld, but I've tried to go back and watch again and I can't get into it. I even tried the second film and couldn't stand it. I won't be seeing this installment, but more power to the fans of the series that keep getting sequels green lit. 

Mr. Church: 

This seems like a cheesy sappy heartfelt movie. There is nothing wrong with these types of films if they are executed well. I want Eddie Murphy to do more work, and actually get back to doing more edgy films than this.  Mr. Church has been getting some early reviews and they aren't positive. I was hoping this would be the good kind of heartfelt story, but early signs point to no. Maybe it still will be worth seeing, but I didn't get that feeling from the trailer. 

Gold: 

This, just all of it. From Matthew McConaughey with a come over and in whitey tighties, to Dallas Howard with 80's hair. This trailer was fantastic and a movie which wasn't on my radar is now a must watch. This trailer did everything right and gave me just enough of the true life tale to get me interested in the story. I'm not sure I will see this on Christmas Day, but I'll be seeing it close to then. 

Live by Night: 

Ben Affleck has turned into a fantastic director and Live by Night looks to be another great film. This is one of my favorite periods of history and I'm excited to see Affleck's take on it. I did think Affleck looked a little out of place as the character in the trailer, but I won't judge until I see the final result. The fact that this movie is going to get a limited release in December and then a wide release in January speaks highly to Warner Brothers faith in the movie. They think it has a big chance for the Oscars and are probably going to push for its consideration. Affleck's first three directorial films have made his movies must watches. 

Free Fire (Red Band): 

This movie debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival this week and was met with a decent reception. It is being called a extremely dark comedy, and I'm all for it. This looks like my type of dark humor and I'll enjoy going to see this film when it is released to a wide audience. Brie Larson was fantastic last year in Room, and I look forward to seeing her in this. 

The Free World: 

I'm not sure about this one. I like Elisabeth Moss as an actress because of Mad Men, but I haven't seen many of her movies. I can't decide from this trailer if this is a film I would want to see. If the film gets some Oscar attention I might check it out, but the trailer did little to get me interested in seeing the movie. 

The Promise: 

Another Oscar Bait type movie. Historical period piece about an oppressed people during World War 2. This doesn't mean the movie will be bad or good, it is just setting itself up for an Oscar push with the talent and the subject matter. I hope it is amazing, because it deals with a part of the world that is looked over during many historical movies set during the time period. It has great talent and a good director, so the film has promise. I am a sucker for historical war movies, and if the reviews are good I'll probably see it.