Han Solo, With Some Spoilers

A few weeks ago I was invited to watch Solo and then attend the Han Solo press conference in Pasadena. Let me start off by saying how much I hated The Last Jedi. Fans of the original Star Wars franchise were, made to feel ashamed and stupid for not "understanding" the film. The way they handled the Luke Skywalker character was shameful. (And) Disney is still using Rian Johnson to create even more Star Wars films, WHY??? 

Fast forward to May 25th. I'd heard all the rumors, watched all the videos, read all the stories. Solo: A Star Wars Story, was going to be terrible. You know what, it actually wasn't. Maybe it was the fact that I went into the theater with much lower expectations, but I really liked this movie. To make one thing clear, I'm not saying I loved this film, or that I liked it because I went to the press junket. I actually also went to the press junket for The Last Jedi and I panned that movie in a review. I loved the way the cast interacted with each other. It felt like they actually got along. I thought everyone had amazing chemistry and the story line was good. There were some new characters and I was interested in learning about them. 

Alden Ehrenreich is actually a lot of fun as Han Solo. He may not look like Harrison Ford, but he's cute, and he has this adorable twinkle in his eye and adorable smirk on his face. I also loved Donald Glover, as Lando Calrissian. The two of them together is amazing. Unfortunately, the next time we see them together is in Empire Strikes Back, so a sequel with the two would be out of the question. Chewie is amazing. All of the actors in this film are good. I really liked what the writers and Ron Howard did with Solo. We even get to see some of the events mentioned in A New Hope through Return of the Jedi. For that reason alone, I was pleased with the film. They didn't forget about the fans.

Qi'ra, Solo's love interest, is mysterious and now I want to know more about her, thank you Disney and Lucas Films. Could we please get another movie with Qi'ra? Is this what they are opening the door to? Solo learns from his "master" smuggler (remember there is always "one master and one apprentice"), Tobias Beckett, (played by Woody Harrelson) to, “Assume everyone will betray you, and you’ll never be disappointed.” Words he's lived by ever since. 

Now, the big event at the end of the movie, the big unexpected WOW, the return of Darth Maul. I knew he didn't die, we all knew that. Rebels and The Clone Wars already establishes this fact. We also know that Obi-Wan eventually kills Darth Maul. Here's my hope. Obviously an Obi-Wan film has been rumored for a long time. Everyone LOVED Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace. Let Obi-Wan and Darth Maul's story line continue in the new films. Could this be their plan anyway? 

Obviously my mind is running with all of the possibilities. Looking at the Rotten Tomatoes Scores of both films, there is a huge disconnect between critics and fans. Right now Solo has a 71% Fresh rating with critics and 57% with fans, whereas, The Last Jedi has a 96% with critics and 46% with fans. Did the critics inflate their ratings with The Last Jedi, just to stay on the "right" side of Disney? Is their slight disapproval of Solo a way to appease the audience? I really think Solo deserves a much higher score from both critics and fans. 

No Disney, we are not trying the sabotage the franchise. We just want to be heard. I think Ron Howard did a fantastic job with telling the Han Solo story. There was some nostalgia to this film, that I didn't feel with The Last Jedi.  There are no light sabers in this one, but I'm ok with that. There were a couple of scenes I thought didn't work, like Qi'ra and Han's reunion, but at least no one is floating in outer space like Mary Poppins. 

Things I don't want moving forward with this franchise 1. a Boba Fett movie. I never knew why there was so much interest in him anyway. 2. Stop putting out a new Star Wars film every six months. I think Disney and Lucas Films should have waited a bit before releasing Solo. Many still haven't gotten over the disappointment they felt with The Last Jedi. 

Something I want moving forward, an Obi-Wan film starring Ewan McGregor.

Ok, so I did also attend the press conference and I saw some pretty awesome things. I'm obsessed with Funko Pop! figures. As a matter of fact, I have a wall of Pop at my work. My students love them. As with most movie releases, there were so many new figures released with this film. 

Look at all these Pop! figures, I just bought a Chewie last night

The highlight of the press conference for me was sitting on the Millennium Falcon with Chewie as my co-pilot. 

I got to see many amazing costumes from the film as well. 

Overall, I really liked this movie. Were the story and acting perfect, no but it held my interests from start to finish. In essence, it was a cowboy movie in space, starring a much beloved scoundrel. I would give Solo: A Star Wars Story 4 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies. 

Sugar Bloom Beauty Boutique: Pamper Yourself

It's not a secret that I'm obsessed with makeup, skin care and all things organic. I had the pleasure of trying out a spa that recently opened in La Mirada called, Sugar Bloom Beauty Boutique. Sugar Bloom Beauty is owned and operated by makeup artist and esthetician,  Kristy Bradvica. Full disclosure, I've known Kristy for a very long time. She was the makeup artist for my engagement photos and wedding, over ten years ago.

Sugar Bloom Beauty Boutique is located at the Phoenix Salon Suites in La Mirada, California. The cool thing about Phoenix Salon Suites is that it's like a one-stop-shop for beauty lovers. Each proprietor rents their own suite, not chair. The experience is more personal and relaxed. Each suite is decorated to the owner's tastes.

The space was very cozy and comfortable. The products that Kristy has chosen for her facials are organic. She pays particular attention to the ingredients she uses on her clients.  She said she did a lot of research before choosing the skin care line, Skin Script. She likes how she can customize facials to her clients' needs and knows that the ingredients she is using, are healthy for us too, both inside and out.

I had the May special, the anti-aging Blackberry Facial. Kristy stated that, "Anti-aging care should begin in your twenties."  The smell of these products was amazing. You think, 'it's blackberry and it smells amazing, maybe I could eat it', but I was told, unfortunately, it wasn't edible.  The facial was divine. The Blackberry Mask, Kristy said, might tingle on the skin. I didn't notice much of a tingling sensation, for me it was more of a cooling sensation. No one likes pore extraction, but it's the price we pay for beauty. You can ask to skip that part if you're too sensitive, but what's the point of a facial if you don't clean your pores. After the pore extraction, Kristy used the cooling globes all over my skin. These glass orbs cool and refresh the face.

Kristy doesn't just specialize in facials and makeup, she's also licensed in spray tanning and sugaring. This was the first time I tried sugaring. Sugaring has been around since the time of Cleopatra. It's organic, water soluble and works with the temperature of your body. To find out the benefits of sugaring over waxing take a look on her Facebook page Sugar Bloom Beauty Boutique. To say that sugaring is like tiny kittens licking the skin, would be a lie. You do feel it, slightly, but you also feel waxing, hello you're pulling out the hair from your body. Sugaring had a resurgence in the 90's, remember when Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Chandler were stuck in Monica's room on Friends? That was sugaring. There are numerous benefits for the skin in sugaring. 1. The ingredients are natural  2.There's no damaging the skin, like in waxing and 3. Sugaring smooths and exfoliates the skin.  

Kristy also sells many of the amazing products that she uses. Facials begin at $65 with the option for add-ons, (like the refreshing cooling globes). Make sure to check for specials, like May's Blackberry Facial for $60.  Right now Kristy does accept walk-ins, but it's always best to make an appointment. 

Products used in my Blackberry Facial:

• Green Tea Cleanser
• Glycolic Cleanser
• Ageless Hydrating Serum
• Vitamin C Serum 
• Acai Berry Moisturizer 
• Blackberry Enzyme Mask
• Vanilla Bean Hydrating Mask
• SPF 30

I think that it's so important to support local businesses and to support companies using organic products.