Top 10 Movies: January-June 2018 Edition

I'm keeping this short! For the past few years, it has become tradition of mine to list my "Top 10" of January-June and then July-December.  Without further ado here goes my first Top-Ten-Films list for 2018.

10. Solo: A Star Wars Story: PG-13 Action/Sci-Fi: I was going back-and-forth with deciding to add this movie on my list. I really liked it a lot and think that it got a bum rap being released so soon after The Last Jedi  The Last Jedi Review a movie I really didn't like at all. Is Disney ruining the franchise? Maybe a lot, so yes. 

9. Blockers: R Comedy: This movie was highly inappropriate and super funny.  This is like a senseless beach read.  A movie that makes it so you don't have to think, you just have to laugh and those laughs I got, were from John Cena. 

8. Game Night: R Action/Crime/Comedy: I love Jason Batemen. This was a very funny movie. Creepy Gary was, well creepy. 

7. Annihilation: R Sci-Fi/Horror: Padme and Poe in the same movie, it's like a Star Wars reunion. The horror isn't as bad as you would think. I'm not a fan of gore (gratuitous gore) but this was manageable. This was a creepy movie with an ending that is left up in the air.    

6. Adrift: PG-13 Action: Oh this movie broke my heart. I thought this was going to be a boring journey about being lost at sea. There was a "surprise ending" with clues leading you from the start.  

5. A Quiet Place: PG-13 Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi: This movie was so good. I honestly don't know how they were able to stay so quiet. I wouldn't make it, I know that for certain. 

4. The Incredibles 2: PG Family: I saw the original for the first time about a week before I saw this one. This is a case where the sequel (for me) was better than the original. It was a situation where my husband and I were out and decided to see a movie, but we had seen all of the other movies in the theater. Because I didn't like the original at all, I was hesitant in seeing this one. It was released 14 years after the first one. That's a long time to wait for a sequel. Unlike the first one, this held my interest. 

3. Avengers: Infinity War: PG-13 Action: I already posted a review about this one. Thor is my favorite and I usually don't prefer blonds. Avengers: Infinity War Review

2. Black Panther: PG-13 Action: I already posted a review about this movie.  Black Panther Review I'm hearing that it maybe even has the potential to be an "Oscar Award Winning" film? 

1. Three Identical Strangers: PG-13 Documentary: AMAZING. This is the story of triplets who were separated at birth, and adopted out to three different families. They became a media sensation in the early 80's and even had a small role in Desperately Seeking Susan. I recommend this movie to everyone. Believe it or not this documentary came with some shocking twists and turns. 

Here is a list of all films that I saw during this period. The ones in bold are those that I liked, but they just didn't make my Top-Ten-List. These are in no particular order and do not include those movies listed above.  There were so many more movie that I wanted to see, but didn't because of limited release. 

I Feel Pretty PG-13
Deadpool 2 R
Won't You Be my Neighbor PG-13
Book Club PG-13
Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom PG-13
Winchester PG-13
Fifty Shades Freed R
Pacific Rim Uprising PG-13
Pandas G (IMAX California Science Center)
Overboard PG-13
Life of the Party PG-13
Tag R
Ocean's 8: PG-13

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.