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. 

Star Wars Movies Ranked

I just finished reading The Princess Diarist, written by the late Carrie Fisher. In honor of the book, I am going to rank all the Star Wars films from my least favorite to favorite. I know that some of my choices as favorites will be controversial and I'm just fine with that. This is solely my opinion and I'm fine that people disagree with my choices.

Not included in this list are the following: The Ewok movies from the 80's, The Clone Wars cartoons or any other cartoon series that may have been created.

9.  Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace. (1999) This movie was the most boring of the bunch. Even with Ewan McGregor as a young Obi Wan, I can't get on board with this movie and it is my least favorite. A boy grows up on a desert planet and hates sand, said boy leaves planet to become a Jedi, the most powerful Jedi in all the galaxy. Sadly this boy whines and complains all the time.

8. Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi. (2017) This crushed any hope I had for the series. I think I may be in the minority on this one, or maybe the majority if you're reading Flixster. I wrote an entire review on this film in another post so I won't go into detail about my complaints over this movie in this post. The Last Jedi Review

7. Star Wars IV: A New Hope. (1977) Another boring outing. So much of The Phantom Menace mirrors A New Hope. It's the same story, just different players. A boy grows up on a desert planet and hates sand, said boy leaves planet to become a Jedi, the most powerful Jedi in all the galaxy. Sadly this boy whines and complains all the time. Wait you'll see a pattern.

6.  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. (2016) It's fitting that it should be the entry right before A New Hope. The story is getting interesting with this one. It's nice to see old characters again, (Jimmy Smitts as Bail Organa), and new characters thrown into the mix too.

5. Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. (2015) I liked this one so much better than The Last Jedi. At least with this one there was hope, a new hope that the franchise would get better with age, just like a good wine. What I didn't like was the following: A girl grows up on a desert planet and hates sand, said girl leaves planet to become a Jedi, the most powerful Jedi in all the galaxy. There is also a boy who sadly whines and complains all the time, because he isn't as powerful as his granddaddy, the most powerful Sith in the entire galaxy.  Oh wait, we've had two versions of that story already. Please pick a new theme, thanks.

4. Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones. (2002) There's fighting, there's romance, there's some comedy Hayden is hot, Ewan is hot. There's not much more to ask for.  So this is where I begin to get controversial. Most people will not agree that this movie should be in anyone's top five. I know I'll hear that they acting was bad and seems forced, but looking at the originals, the acting is bad in those too! The actors are only as good as the director and the script.

3. Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back. (1980) "No, I am your father" best reveal ever. The kiss between Luke and Leia is icky. "That boy was our last hope. No, there is another," cut to Leia. Obviously it was known that Leia was going to be Luke's sister. The foreshadowing is written all over the proverbial wall.

2.  Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. (2005) Finally George gets to use Revenge in a title. The battle scene between Anakin and Obi Wan was probably my favorite in any Star Wars film. I don't care what anyone says, this was a great movie.

1. Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi. (1983) This is the best Star Wars movie in the series. The story comes full circle. Anakin fulfills the prophecy and destroys the Sith. Good vs. Evil and good prevails. Anakin risks his life to save his son. Let's not forget those adorable Ewok who help the rebels save the day. Luke and Leia realize that they are brother and sister (how is that kiss feeling now?). The series ends positively, Leia and Han are in love and everyone in the galaxy is happy, what more could you want? 

In just a few weeks I will be creating a list of my favorite films July-Dec 2017.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

I can't remember a time when Star Wars wasn't a part of my life.  My first memory was watching The Empire Strikes Back at my preschool friend Adam's house. We had a movie day of Superman 3 and The Empire Strikes Back.  Obviously one film was better than the other. This childhood friend was also my "first kiss", which I don't remember because we were still in diapers. My mom still has the photo to prove it. I digress. I think I feel a Force connection to these films because we were both born 40 years ago. As a matter of fact I'm writing this blog post on my 40th birthday.  Because the movies are released on or around my birthday every year, I feel like the films are my presents. I can't help but feel disappointed in my gift this year.

I was invited to the Star Wars Global Press Junket earlier in December, and was excited to see the cast, especially Luke Skywalker aka Mark Hamill (or is it the other way around??).  After hearing the cast and director, Rian Johnson, speaking about the film (what they could anyway) my inner geek started counting down the minutes until the Thursday, December 14th. I was actually looking forward to this film! After being slightly disappointed in The Force Awakens, I was happy that they were finally doing the films justice, so I thought.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those who hated the prequels. I actually liked them. At it's core this story is about good vs. evil, a sentiment expressed by Gwendoline Christie during The Last Jedi press panel. It just so happens that the story is also centered around one family, whom fans love. Anakin Skywalker's journey to the dark side was important and while yes, at times, Ani could be a bit whiny, I still knew that through him we would get Luke and Leia and I wanted to see that story. I miss George Lucas, I'm sorry so many fans hated on your films. I liked them. I had heard of his treatments and story ideas for Episodes I, II, III and VII, VIII, IX way back in the early 90's. They were in the books which are now called "Legends" but I still call "Canon".  The Last Jedi missed the mark on so many levels, here's why....

What a waste of a character Luke was in this film. After the look he gave Rey at the end of The Force Awakens, we get a shell of the former hero in The Last Jedi. We've been waiting 34 years for this moment. Was this movie supposed to be funny? It was't. Harrison Ford is funny, he has a dry sense of humor that works well with Han Solo. Luke's attempts at being funny were just campy. "I want to see Luke drink breast milk from an alien," said no one ever!!! Then to kill him off the way they did. I hear that he's rumored to be coming back for IX? Obviously as a force ghost like Yoda and Obi-Wan in the originals. I was expecting more from him. 

I expected more from you Luke

The Originals were campy, I get it, but they were made in the 70's and 80's. The prequels were more serious and I appreciated that. Kylo Ren is the worst character on so many levels. Anakin was whiny, but Kylo is just a spoiled adult brat. I can't believe that he is the only Skywalker link we have left. What a terrible way to represent. Anakin was so upset because he couldn't save his mother, someone he loved so much, he killed a bunch of Tusken Raiders. Kylo just killed his dad. The end. Kylo, you're a horrible human. At least Vader had redeeming qualities, you have none, you killed Han (let's just pretend Harrison Ford didn't want Han Solo to die). 

The way Kylo killed Snoke and that fight scene, Kylo and Rey vs. Snoke's guards, was amazing. This is the ONLY reason for me to watch this movie in theaters for a second time. Now on Snoke's death, what was that? Seriously, why introduce a villain, just to kill him off and not give him a backstory. I hope that they explain Snoke, who he is (was) and how he got a hold on Ben Skywalker. I was so disappointed in his lack of character development. The same can be said with Captain Phasma. How disappointing it was to see her die so quickly.

One of the worst things about this movie is the reveal of Rey's parents as drunken nobodies, who just sold her as a slave. She's a nobody? Really? I hope this was just a ploy made by Kylo to get her to turn to the dark side. If not, if they really are saying that Rey isn't connected to the Skywalkers in some way, then I think I'm done with this series. Some will argue that Anakin was a nobody, but at least he was a part of the prophecy to bring balance to the Force. He had meaning. I'm still hoping that Kylo Ren only lied, similar to how he threw Rey under the bus when General Hux questioned him about Snoke's demise. We know he's a man child who lies. 

Another idiotic move, Yoda's Force ghost burning the Ancient Jedi Texts, which we see again in the Millennium Falcon, because Rey has stolen them.  Yoda was not the wise Yoda of old (old as in prequels). This was another example of pure velveeta cheesiness.  He acted like he did at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, when he first met Luke and he acted like a silly little green alien on the Dagobah System. His Force ghost CGI wasn't even up to par with the prequels, why? Because he's a puppet again. It was more of a mockery than anything else. 

The absolute worst things that Rian Johnson did to this film was have Jedi Leia fly through space. COME ON!!!! Even Obi-Wan couldn't do that. Even with being Force sensitive, the rising of Leia should not have happened, it doesn't make sense. Another character wasted!! While yes, it wasn't the films fault that Carrie Fisher passed away, it was the way they sent her off that was horrible.  My entire life I wanted to be a Jedi Princess. Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia was a Force (ha ha) for young girls to look up to.  While at the press event, all of the ladies on the panel seemed to agree that Carrie was a role model. I love watching films with strong females, who can kick a little but like their male counterparts, Buffy, Black Widow, Wonder Woman, Padame (in Episodes I and II) and her daughter Leia. To see her end the way it did, which was in no way at all, seemed a little disrespectful to "Our Princess".

While this review leans more towards the dark side of the Force, and by that I mean negative, there were a few scenes that I loved. The fight scene, mentioned earlier, with Rey and Kylo against Snoke's guards, was spectacular. I love the scenes with Finn and Rose. Although Rose can be a bit annoying at times.  The best thing about these new films are Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. Laura Dern sacrificing herself for the Resistance was a great scene too. Anything with Poe is amazing!! Could he be the next Admiral?  Could there also be a spark between Poe and Rey? I love Oscar Isaac!

I feel sad that that I couldn't like this movie more. I had super high hopes and was disappointed at the way the story was handled. My hope is that J.J. Abrams can fix what was so horribly done. Didn't Rian Johnson say this was his baby?? Is there a way to have a redo? The more I think about this movie the angrier I get. 

I wish that I could give it more Gerber Daisies, but alas, to this I give only 2. 

On a side note, please Star Wars "Powers That Be", give Ewan McGregor his own Obi-Wan film.  Oh, and George Lucas, please come back!!!

The Force Awakens, Or Not?

It's 12:34 a.m.. The hubs and I have just gotten home from playing laser tag with my brother and nephew. I should be reading Allegiant, coloring in the adult coloring book my mom got me for my birthday or trying to catch some zzz's.  The sleeping is not going to happen, 1. my neighbor has a bright light on, and it's shining in my window and 2. I had a double shot cappuccino, dark roast.   Tomorrow, my Christmas vacation comes to an end and it's back to the daily grind. So many exciting things happened over this break, one in particular being Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

May the Force be with you!

I love all things Star Wars. I have a geeky side too and I'm proud of it! I often ask my students, "Wouldn't be cool if space was really like that?" Not so much the "wars" part, but all the other stuff. These are the things I think about in my spare time!

So many theories have come out debating Rey's parentage and backstory, from she being Han and Leia's daughter, to Luke's daughter or Obi-Wan's granddaughter.  I would like to think that she is Obi-Wan's granddaughter, but if this story takes place 30 years after Return of the Jedi, that doesn't seem possible.  I'd also like to see an Obi-Wan movie with Ewan McGregor reprising his roll as Ben. I remember hearing somewhere once that Lucas had a vision for how he wanted episodes 1-9 to go. The prequels, 1-3 were to be about Vader, which we got. Episodes 7-9 were to be about the Solo twins (Could this be what we're getting?). Lucas said that he wasn't going to make anymore after the prequels because he'd be in his 90's when 7-9 would be finished.

Let's face it, George Lucas has/had amazing story IDEAS, but his execution is/was horrible. I'm a part of the minority that believe the prequels weren't that bad. They were entertaining, I liked them. I loved the actors, even Hayden Christensen. He did a phenomenal job in Life as a House.  The actors didn't have much to work with though. The lines were terribly cheesy and their acting seemed forced.

My husband and I were discussing episodes 1-6.  Everyone's favorite movie is Empire Strikes Back, why? Because George Lucas DID NOT write the screenplay or direct the film. He came back to write the screenplay for Return of the Jedi.  Guess what? People HATED the Ewoks ( I can't say they hated them as much as Jar Jar Binks, but whatever, I liked them, they're cute!).

I started watching the movies in sequential order back in November, (Thanksgiving) to get ready for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. I finished right in time for my Thursday, December 17, 7:30 p.m. viewing. I noticed a lot of elements taken from all of the previous films.  Random thought....I also believe that Snoke is Darth Plagueis.

Random people in costume at a special Star Wars Night.

Everyone's heard the comments made by George Lucas about The Force Awakens. He didn't really like the movie.  He had another vision for episodes 7-9. I was a little disappointed by the movie, myself.  I felt like it was just a regurgitated Star Wars: A New Hope. Many people I've spoken to feel the same way.  So many things were just too predictable. Guess what, the acting was terrible in this movie too! The lines were incredibly cheesy! The acting also seemed forced.  Will these actors get as much flack as the actors in the prequels? Nope! I think they played the movie/story line way too safe. I love J.J. Abrams, I think he's an amazing storyteller. I wish the envelope was pushed a little further.

I liked the villain Kylo Ren.  I thought he was scarier than Darth Vader.  My husband disagrees. Maybe it's our age gap. He told me as a kid he was scared of Vader and Ren's got nothing on Vader.

My little Samwise Gamgee in his Chewy Harness. He obviously hates it. 

Overall, I thought the action was great, there were quite a few laughs, and it was nice to see beloved characters again.  I enjoyed the movie and can't wait to add it to my Star Wars DVD collection! Because it's Star Wars, The Force Awakens gets 5 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies. 

"The Force is strong in my family."-- Luke Skywalker

A couple of side notes:

1. Today we played laser tag, it's the closest thing I'll get to being Princess Leia (my laser tag name) or Padame Amidala.

2. We saw The Force Awakens Thursday, December 17th, the night before it actually came out. After the trailers ended, we were expecting the "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away"... and there was nothing!  We had all that build up and NOTHING! The projector broke down. It took them 30 minutes to fix it.

3. Disney, please make an Obi-Wan movie with Ewan McGregor, oh please, oh please, oh please!  #EwanMcGregorIsHot