Thoughts on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

I saw Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker almost a week ago so these thoughts are a bit delayed. One of the biggest flaws in my opinion is the film feels as though it was overstuffed and crammed with story that needed a bit more exposition than what we received, specifically, the stuff involving Emperor Palpatine (spoiler alert) who is in fact alive and ready to unleash his own fleet of soldiers The Final Order. Bringing Palpatine back into the fold here ultimately brings up more questions than answers. How did he survive the Death Star explosion? How did the Final Order start and how is it different than the First Order? Palpatine being alive also negates Dark Vader’s sacrifice in Return of the Jedi. It just feels as though this was all thrown together and not a tightly wound narrative. The pace of the movie is frenetic as well as the main characters travel to multiple planets in the span of minutes. There is never a chance of meditation or true character interaction which was a staple of the original films.

Another issue with Rise, and really the trilogy, is that Disney and the people who have continued this story seem to be afraid to let go of the past. These new films don’t seem that interested in having anything new to say on their own. There’s nothing that we learned in this new trilogy that we didn’t already learn about in the original films. A good example of this is the fake out death of Chewbacca. The scene is genuinely shocking and took me aback when I viewed it. It felt as though they were going for it, injecting some real stakes into this story, only to reveal five minutes later that the character survived. It felt very cheap. There was no moment the rest of the movie that had that level of emotional impact and unfortunately it was undone because of a resistance to moving on from the original characters.

There is some stuff that works, notably, whenever Rey and Kylo Ren are on screen together. The relationship between these two along with ending the battle with the First Order could have provided enough fuel to push this trilogy to the finish line. Instead, it just feels as though director J.J. Abrams forced Palpatine into the story to erase some of what Rian Johnson did previously with The Last Jedi, specifically, giving Rey no family. What Johnson did in the previous film worked much better and could have been built upon with here. Instead, Abrams chose to play it safe and seemed content to back track over Johnson’s story as well as shoe horn in characters and story that just didn’t fit.

My Most Anticipated Films of 2020

2019 turned out to be a great year for movies. Although there were too many remakes/reboots for my liking, there also turned out to be some great original movies as well. Looking ahead to 2020, I’m going to list the films that I’m most excited for. This list ranges from blockbusters with giant budgets to smaller indie pictures, along with many that fall in-between. Before we start, even though the film ‘1917’ technically came out in 2020 I’m not counting it, as it is up for awards with the movies from 2019.

–HONORABLE MENTION-

Stillwater

If Tom McCarthy can capture any of the magic from his Oscar winning film ‘Spotlight’ then you could put this film right in the thick of the race for next year’s awards season. It certainly helps having Matt Damon as your star. I might’ve had this movie listed higher if I knew anything else about it. All I know is the current synopsis, “A father travels from Oklahoma to France to help his daughter who has been arrested for murder.” Hopefully we get a trailer soon. This is supposed to hit theatres in November.

West Side Story

Anytime Sir Steven Spielberg is at the helm you know the movie is going to be good. We all know Ansel Elgort can both act and sing and with Rita Moreno returning, I’m sure this movie will capture all the nostalgia of the original. I’m not huge on musicals in general, so that’s the only thing holding back my excitement. This is supposed to hit theatres in December.

-COMIC BOOK MOVIES-

Black Widow

Marvel is a well-oiled machine, so any movie they put out is going to garner excitement. Although this movie should’ve been made a few years earlier, I’m still very eager to check this one out and see where it fits in to the ever-expanding MCU. Coming off a 2019 where Scarlett Johansson picked up two Oscar nominations, I’m sure she’s more than ready to finally have her own Marvel project. This is expected to hit theatres on May 1st.

Wonder Woman 1984

When it comes to 2020 comic-book movies, the women are certainly in control. Almost all of the films of this genre are going to be directed by female directors and many are going to have trailblazing female leads. Following up on the success of the first Wonder Woman movie, Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot are looking to re-create their magic once again. The trailer for this one got me really excited to see it as I’m a sucker for anything with a 1980’s feel. This is expected to hit theatres on June 5th.

10. Coming 2 America

The first movie was a classic and while I’m happy to see Eddie Murphy gracing the big-screen again, I’m not sure if this sequel needs to be made. If this movie isn’t good I would hate to see the franchise and these characters get a bad name. If anyone can pull this off though it’s Murphy, Wesley Snipes, James Earl Jones and Arsenio Hall. Some of the best stars of our generation are in this film, so I think we should be in good hands. This is expected to hit theatres in December.

9. The Way Back

Ben Affleck and Gavin O’Connor reunite after 2016’s ‘The Accountant’ for this movie, which stars Affleck as a former High School basketball phenom who struggles with alcoholism and lands the head coaching job at his old school. This has the potential to be a gritty, redemption story set in the sporting world. After watching the trailer, I feel making this movie was important for Affleck as he’s had his own personal struggles with alcoholism. I’m all in for this one, I can’t get enough of these kinds of movies. This hits theatres on March 6th.

8. The Many Saints of Newark

This is going to be a polarizing movie. With the way ‘The Soprano’s’ ended and the death of James Gandolfini, many people are curious about how this film will turn out. With key alumni of the show returning, which includes, creator David Chase and director Alan Taylor, it should have the same feel of the classic show. And if you’re casting a young Tony Soprano, who better to pick than Gandolfini’s real life son. I feel like this one could go either way but I’ll be watching regardless. This is expected to hit theatres in September.

7. The Trial of the Chicago 7

Not too much is known about this film except for that it’s, “The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. What I do know is that Aaron Sorkin is both writing and directing, so I know it’s going to be good. His other writing talents include, ‘Molly’s Game’, ‘Steve Jobs’, ‘Moneyball’, ‘The Social Network’, ‘Afew Good Men’, ‘The West Wing’ and ‘The Newsroom’. If that’s not enough, it stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Redmayne, Michael Keaton, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Rylance. The loaded cast and Sorkin have me excited for this one. This is expected to hit theatres in October.

6. No Time to Die

The Daniel Craig era of ’James Bond’ has brought us some of the best movies of the entire franchise and this one looks no different. I’m not even going to name the cast of this because it’s too loaded and with one of the best directors in the business (Cary Joji Fukunaga) at the helm, the visuals and set pieces should be stunning. Rami Malek as the new villain and the fact that this is most likely the last time Craig will be playing Bond, I’m sure he’ll want to go out with a bang. This will hit theatres on April 10th.

 

5. Top Gun: Maverick

Over 30 years in the making, I’m sure any man over the age of 30 is really pumped up for this. I admit, when I first heard the news of this movie I wasn’t on board but after watching the first trailer it brought me right back to the world of Maverick. I’ll probably watch the original 100 more times in anticipation until the new installment hits theatres on June 26th. Also, it’s been over 30 years and Tom Cruise looks exactly the same.

4. A Quiet Place part II

‘A Quiet place’ came out of nowhere in 2018 to be one of the best and most original films of the year but when I heard this sequel was being made I thought there was no need for it. With that being said, John Krasinski said he wouldn’t do a sequel unless he had another original story that wouldn’t ruin what he did the first go-around. After watching the new trailer, I’m back on board and can’t wait until this comes out. It looks as if we get flashback scenes of when the monsters first arrive and with the additions of Cillian Murphy and Dijimon Hounsou, it looks as if the universe is going to expand. Also, not being in the film as a lead gives Krasinski more freedom to focus on directing, which should be a plus. This will hit theatres on March 20th.

These last 3 films may not be on the top of everyone’s lists but they’re being made by 3 of my personal favorite directors and should be some of the best films to come out this year.

3. Mank

Nothing is really known about this movie at all but David Fincher is behind the wheel so you know it’s going to be something special. The only bio we have so far is that it,” Follows screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz’s tumultuous development of Orson Welles’ iconic 1941 movie Citizen Kane” Fincher has made some of the best movies of this decade and with Gary Oldman in the lead role, this should start the new 2020’s the right way. There’s no official release date and all is known is that it will debut sometime in 2020 on Netflix.

2. Dune

This film might star literally every person in Hollywood. The cast includes, Timothee Chalamet, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgard, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Dave Bautista and a horde of other great actors. This is a remake of the 1984 movie of the same name, which is a legendary science-fiction story. I don’t trust anyone any more than director Denis Villeneuve, who proved he can handle science fiction with movies like ‘Arrival’. He proved he can do remakes as well, with films like ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and he handles great storytelling with movies like ‘Prisoners’, ’Sicario’ and ‘Enemy’. This one is going to be good. Expected in theatres in December.

1. Tenet

Last but not least. My most anticipated movie for this coming year is legendary filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s, “action epic revolving around international espionage, time travel and evolution.” With a bio like that and an insane trailer, I literally have no idea what to expect. All I know is that the cast is great, starring 2019 breakout star and son of Denzel, John Davis Washington. The cast also includes Robert Pattison, who has a huge 2020 in store, Michael Caine and a bevy of star-studded talent. The budget is stated to be over $200 Million, which proves that Nolan has something massive up his sleeve. If there’s one person I would trust with that budget it’s Nolan, one of the last filmmakers to truly make “event movies”. I shouldn’t have to go over his resume, but it includes ’The Dark Knight trilogy’, ’Inception’, ‘Dunkirk’, ’The Prestige’, and ’Interstellar’, to name a few. This has the potential to be something we’ve never seen before and possibly won’t ever see again. Expect to hit theatres July 17th.

An Ode to the Strangest Person in Sports

Zack Greinke has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB for around 16 years now and the average fan doesn’t know a single thing about him. I say “average fan” because he has become something of an enigma in the inner circles of the game of baseball. He gives extremely awkward interviews and this can be attested to his battles with depression and social anxiety, which almost ended his career about a decade ago. With that being said, I can’t get enough of Greinke and I think not only is he one of the best pitchers of this generation but he may possibly be the most amusing.

The legacy of Greinke will never not be entertaining. I’m going to lay down some of his more famous quotes and let you decide for yourselves.

“Some of you guys have been doing the number two and not washing your hands. It’s not good. I noticed it even happening earlier today. So if you guys could just be better about it that would be great.”

“To talk to people, I have to spend energy talking to them. If I expend my energy on talking to people and making friends, it takes away from the energy I could focus on getting ready to pitch.”

“There’s more people to ignore in New York or Boston than there are in Milwaukee, but I would still ignore them, probably.”

“You’re not allowed to write about me if you haven’t seen ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ See it, and then get back to me.”

“I’ve only kept one award in my whole life, and it’s the coolest thing ever. Mizuno gave me a samurai sword for winning the Cy Young. It’s awesome.”

“I like the guacamole. Now, I don’t really love the guacamole. So I get it when I feel like it. They changed their guacamole from $1.50 to $1.80. I mean, $1.50 is already pretty darn high. So they changed it to $1.80, and I’ll never again get guacamole. It’s not about the guacamole itself, I just don’t want to let them win.”

“Brad Pitt has something about him to where he’s played different characters in all his movies, and every single time after he’s done, I want to be him.”

“There definitely will be flying cars, but whether there’ll be flying cars for most people to use, it’ll probably take a long time to straighten everything out, all the rules and hassles. It’ll take a while to figure out how to keep people from crashing into each other.”

 

I can go on for hours, there are a ton more quotes. I always hear New York Yankees fans bash him because they say he’s scared to play under the pressures of New York. Maybe that’s true, maybe it isn’t, but we all need to celebrate this man for the alien the is.

‘Knives Out’ Review

It took me a little while but I had a chance to see “Knives Out” last night and it ended up being one of the most enjoyable theater experiences of the year. It is also the type of movie that we need more of in a time when it seems that sequels, reboots, and remakes are all the rage.

The plot follows the death of Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), the patriarch of the Thrombey family and a hugely successful and wealthy mystery writer, the night of his 85th birthday party.  The death is ruled a suicide however as Harlan was found with the murder weapon in his hand, indicating that he ultimately slit his own throat. The film opens with a pair of detectives (LaKeith Stanfield and Noah Segan) investigating the children and other family member of Harlan just to cover their bases. The pair are joined by private investigator extraordinaire Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) , hired by one interested party to do his own independent investigation into the death.

The film plays as a whodunit and it is clear that writer/direct Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Looper, Brick) seems to be having a blast keeping the viewer guessing as to just what happened to Harlan. The opening fifteen minutes of the film are very effective in setting up all of the vital characters to the story and giving each one of Harlan’s rotten children possible motivation as to why they could have something to do with it.

The cast are all on the top of their games and is loaded with top tier talent (Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Jaime Lee Curtis) but the real stand outs were Chris Evans as Ransom, the grandson of Harlan, and Daniel Craig as Detective Blanc. It was fun to see Evans play an entitled trust fund jerk. Daniel Craig is the star of the movie though as Detective Blanc as he produces an instantly memorable character. He is really going for it with the southern drawl and it is a similar performance to the one he gives in Logan Lucky.

The film mostly takes place inside the estate and on the surrounding grounds of Harlan’s mansion which puts the characters into tight spaces with one another to bump the tension. While the plot becomes a little more complicated as the mystery unfolds the movie never gets overly complex. Johnson leaves enough clues to keep the viewer guessing and while there are a fair amount of “talky” stretches in the movie the dialogue is written in such a way that is engaging and entertaining. Flashbacks are also inter-cut at points throughout showing where all the main players were the night of Harlan’s birthday party. These also never feel out of place and help viewers keep track of where the chest pieces are. Some characters do eventually get less screen time and less import as it goes but with a cast this large that is probably bound to happen. Some of the political and social commentary didn’t really work all that well for me but was only a minor quibble.

Ultimately, you should definitely check this movie out. It is a highly entertaining two hours and the last fifteen minutes deliver a satisfying payoff to the mystery. There have been rumors that Rian Johnson would be directing his own trilogy of Star Wars movies but I think I would rather have him stay in this space of original workings.

Rating 8.5/10