STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI - But Not Least

Note: Spoilers to maximum. Prepare to fire.

"Amazing. Everything you just said was... wrong. The Rebellion is reborn today. The war has just begun."

- Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Star Wars: The Last Jedi

In the aftermath of The Force Awakens, the world got Star Wars fever all over again. It was cool again to like Star Wars as opposed to having to hide it away in public for fear of Jar Jar jokes. This was naturally due to the fact that multinational conglomerate Disney now owned the franchise (and as of this writing pretty much everything else). They followed it up the coming year with Rogue One, a standalone film that proved the franchise was capable of going in different directions if just for one film. But the next film would be the real test. Would audiences come back for more? Had the new cast garnered enough goodwill for fans past and present? And most importantly: would Mark Hamill actually get to recite dialogue?

Enter Rian Johnson: a true maverick filmmaker. Starting from his first film, the Joseph Gordon-Levitt crime mystery Brick, Johnson established himself as a director that would go after storytelling with raw emotion. Following this up, Johnson would lighten his tone with the con-man comedy The Brothers Bloom, this time teaming with actors Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo. This jokey action movie would later lead to him directing one episode of "Terriers", a short-lived but cult favorite television series (maybe we should give a big-time franchise movie to the guy who directed the pilot episode?). Johnson went back to his darker roots with three episodes of the critically acclaimed series "Breaking Bad", with his final episode "Ozymandias" quickly scoring a perfect 10/10 on IMDb after its initial airing. In 2012, Johnson directed his biggest movie (until today), Looper - a massively mind-bending sci-fi/thriller starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as one hitman at two different ages. With all of these achievements, and all of them being all original material, what could one of the world's most popular film franchises ever have to offer to Rian Johnson?

In the aftermath of destroying the massive Starkiller Base, the Resistance quickly begins an evacuation with General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) in charge. As they are escaping, they quickly discover that they have very low fuel reserves and are hours away from destruction by the pursuing First Order led by General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson). Together, ex-Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and a young Rebel engineer named Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) launch a plan to find a code-breaker to help them break onto a First Order ship and disable it, so the Resistance can escape. Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) has tracked down the missing Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) so that not only can he assist the efforts of the Resistance but so she can be taught in the ways of the Force. However, the years have worn down the formerly optimistic farm boy and Luke has become quite cynical and believes that the Jedi should die with him. However, after seeing Rey's determination, he reluctantly agrees to train her. Rey soon finds herself troubled by conversations she has through the Force with her nemesis, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who wants nothing more than to turn her over to his Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) and kill Skywalker - his former teacher - himself.

This was an exhilarating movie. The cast, most of which has returned from The Force Awakens, has never been better. Every character gets their time to shine, which is good considering there are a LOT of them. Finn & Rose, a new character we are introduced to, work well off each other as Finn is having to live up to the Resistance hero image that Rose associates him with. Poe and Leia have great back and forth dialogue, yet I cannot say I am happy with Laura Dern as Holdo. She gets introduced near the middle of the movie and she immediately takes a dislike to Poe, without any real motive. It gets hinted that she is a traitor to the Resistance but that is thrown out the window. Maybe she had more to do and more to endear audiences with in a longer version of the movie, but as it stands she does not offer much except for giving her life to help save the Resistance. 

Mark Hamill delivers a dynamite performance that gives laughs, cheers and even frights at times as Luke Skywalker. Naturally, after his 30 second performance at the end of The Force Awakens, many were confused and/or disappointed that Mark Hamill had relatively nothing to do. That is changed with The Last Jedi. Hamill is allowed to let loose with his performance, in very much the same way Harrison Ford did in the previous film. You get the sense that Hamill was tired of playing (and being identified as) the goody-two-shoes character that Luke was in the Original Trilogy. Here, he is giving broad drama where he feels much guilt for having failed Yoda and Obi-Wan at restarting the Jedi Order and for ruining the life of Ben Solo who became Kylo Ren. There is a series of flashbacks in the film, and while flashbacks are not centrally used in Star Wars, it shows both Luke and Kylo Ren's point-of-view of the night Kylo turned. In Kylo's version, Luke is terrifying with murder in his eyes. In Luke's version, he is "filled with shame" for having considered killing Ben with his lightsaber. We all make mistakes, even Jedi.

The big unspoken element of the film is that this is Carrie Fisher's final film. But to give the filmmakers credit, if this was to be her swan song, what a swan song it is. Leia plays an enormous part of the plot to the film and you can tell Fisher was enjoying every minute of it. She gets to literally slap around Poe Dameron in their first scene together and it is really funny. Without giving too much away, there is a segment in the film where Leia seemingly dies and I have to admit I was in disbelief. There was no way she was going to die in this movie if she had already died in real life; Carrie Fisher, tragically, lost her life but the character of Leia Organa is immortal. Naturally, she finds a way to survive and continues to lead the fight well into the end of the movie. The end credits dedicates the film to her.

Disney continues their hit-streak of bringing life back to Star Wars. They got Abrams to resuscitate it, had Edwards check its memory and now Johnson has checked its pulse. Weeks before its release, Disney and Lucasfilm announced that Johnson would be heading up his own standalone Star Wars trilogy after Episode IX. If this film is any indication, Johnson is not only well-suited but perfect for the job. Last Jedi is a thrilling, funny and riveting experience. There are quite a few nice surprises, jawdropping reveals and extreme excitement to be had. I highly encourage everybody to see it as quickly as possible. In IMAX, if possible. 

THE DISASTER ARTIST: What a Story

Note: Leave your stupid SPOILERS in your pocket!

"Los Angeles, everybody want to be star. You have to be the best and never give up."

- Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), The Disaster Artist

There is no one on Earth like Tommy Wiseau. Some have speculated he can not possibly come from Earth. But his story and how he became the 21st century equivalent of Ed Wood cannot be anything but some of the most human stuff you will ever hear about. I am talking about The Room, a 2003 film - a "dark comedy" masquerading as a Tennessee Williams-style melodrama - starring and written and produced and directed by Wiseau himself. It is a movie so laughably bizarre and enjoyably bad that it truly has become infamous. Hundreds of midnight screenings have been shown all over the world with Wiseau often attending and playing football with many of the attendees. But he has kept most of his own life shrouded in secrecy. It would keep even the most seasoned investigator up many sleepless nights just trying to decipher his accent. Fortunately, his best friend seemed to be up to the task.

Actor Greg Sestero, Wiseau's co-star in The Room and probably Wiseau's longest-lasting friend, found himself caught up in the cult cyclone following the film's release. The movie improbably had found an audience in people who loved “so bad it’s good” films. It had marathon showings on [adult swim] during April Fools’ Day (including an interview with Space Ghost). Wiseau and Sestero have both been on CNN, discussing the movie’s remarkable success story. Rather than dissuade himself from the potential embarrassment at being associated with it, Sestero decided to tell the full story of the making of the film. He and journalist Tom Bissell began writing the book, "The Disaster Artist" and released it in 2013 to worldwide acclaim. Fans of the film were delighted at all the behind-the-scenes madness being revealed while more serious critics were intrigued at the captivating story of not giving up on one's dreams. Naturally, Hollywood came calling. 

Greg (Dave Franco) is a young man struggling to make it in Los Angeles and to be taken seriously as an actor. In the midst of one of his acting classes, he finds himself awestruck by the fearlessness of one of his classmates, a mysterious man known only as Tommy (James Franco) who, despite having dubious talent, gives his all. Wanting to get to know him better, Greg begins a reluctant friendship with Tommy who agrees on the condition that Greg will never divulge anything personal he may learn about him. As the two of them become close friends, they become frustrated that no one in Hollywood will take a chance with them. Offhandedly, Greg suggests making their own movie. This throwaway comment lights a creative spark in Tommy that launches a major production: The Room. Greg warily agrees to play a role in the film as the best friend of the lead character, Johnny, played by Tommy. As their fellow cast and crew slowly begin to realize, The Room is not just a multi-million dollar vanity project by a madman but also the fast lane to the breaking of their sanity.

The Disaster Artist is the culmination of one of the most surprising underdog stories in Hollywood history. It is a vindication to all who have suffered through the film that there was something there that perhaps they did not see upon first viewing. In lesser hands, the movie would simply collapse on its "you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it" approach, but James Franco shines both as director and star. He builds a great camaraderie with his own brother Dave playing Greg. I must admit I had fears when the first teaser trailer was released as it seemed that James was simply doing a Tommy Wiseau impression. I am happy to say I was wrong and that he has enveloped himself in all things Wiseau in a way that almost does not seem possible, outside of Tommy himself. He perfectly captured Tommy's manners and speech patterns. The movie introduces a story element that does not come from the book so I am not sure of its authenticity: Tommy goes on various auditions and is eventually told by an acting teacher (Bob Odenkirk) that he may be best suited in playing a monstrous villain. Troubled by this, Tommy refuses this advice, believing he can be an American hero. This gives Tommy a humanity that might be harder to see without said motivation.

Where the movie falters is in the supporting cast. Ultimately, the movie is the story of Greg and Tommy. Casting a lot of famous faces brings the movie legitimacy but not much else. Naturally, fellow Frat Pack member Seth Rogen has a part as Sandy Schklair, The Room production's seemingly sole voice of reason, but he does not have many more scenes outside of what one sees in the trailer. Also, in the movie, he and Paul Scheer playing Raphael Smadja, The Room's director of photography, are fired off-screen. In the book, Schklair left the film's production because he was offered a job with Steven Spielberg's cinematographer Janusz Kamiński and Scheer's character stormed off the set after Tommy refused to find a new line producer after the job was basically forced upon Greg. I understand that it would have taken away a lot of screen time from the movie, but something better than nothing would have been preferred.

Another problem I have with the movie is the pacing. The movie, after a questionable "love letter" prelude featuring J.J. Abrams, Kevin Smith, Kristen Bell and Adam Scott, starts off on a breakneck speed going from scene-to-scene-to-scene. Once it stops and slows down to catch its breath, it does become very compelling. The book alternates chapters of the making of The Room and the real story of Greg and Tommy's friendship; it breaks up monotony and also allows for good laughs after very serious passages. The movie is straight linear from the first time Greg meets Tommy to the premiere of The Room; it takes forever to get to what the movie is being sold on - the making of the greatest bad movie ever made. There is also a whole section of the book dedicated to delving into Tommy's past; or at least a fairly convincing theory of his past. It is nowhere to be found in the movie. The ending of the movie finds Tommy quickly embracing the notion to call The Room a black comedy as opposed to the melodrama he intended it to be. This did not happen until after The Room was discovered by two college students in the final week of its bare theatrical release. But, I get it; it is only a two-hour movie and it needs a happy ending.

The Room is the best bad movie ever made. The story of how it got made is unconventional. The man who got it made is incomprehensible. The way it took the world by storm is unbelievable. I deeply implore you, if you have never seen the movie: please give it a try. You may be bewildered, you may be angered but you just might be enraptured by its madness. The Disaster Artist is the blaze of glory that The Room has finally attained; the same Hollywood that would not accept Tommy is now putting his implausible story onto the silver screen. As Tommy would no doubt say, "You can laugh, you can cry, but don't hurt yourself."

P.S. Wait around for the very end of the credits for a post-credits surprise.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

In the interest of full disclosure, this author must admit a serious bias towards the source material. In that I am a massive fan of The Room. I have been to both the RiffTrax version of The Room (in theaters, not live in Nashville) and the unriffed version (here in Memphis) with hundreds of shouting fans. I also bought The Room on Blu-Ray for $36 (it did not just come with the movie but also a draw-string backpack and the T-shirt you see me wearing above), but it was worth in that Tommy Wiseau signed it to me personally; you can request this if you purchase this through his official website. And to top it off, I was able to meet the one-and-only Greg Sestero when he came to town as part of a book festival. He talked about the book, Tommy, making The Room and near the end of his panel, he invited folks to come on stage to read from the original draft of The Room's script. When it came time to offer the role of Johnny, I turned around to see how many hands would go up. None of them did. Nobody was making their way to the stage. I thought, "Screw it. This is truly once-in-a-lifetime." So I went onstage to read Johnny in a shameful Tommy Wiseau impression opposite Greg Sestero. Greg was a true gentleman, very kind and patient. I responded by accidentally saying, "Hi, Mark," instead of his real name. Whoops! Still, the experience was genuinely thrilling. I got to take a picture with him, he signed my Blu-Ray copy of The Room and my hardcover copy of "The Disaster Artist". I think the world of Tommy and Greg and respect their immense talent. They have a new movie coming soon called Best F(r)iends that I am most definitely seeing the first chance I get. 

JUSTICE LEAGUE: Identity Crisis

NOTE: Faster than a speeding SPOILERS!

"It's good to see you playing well with others."

"May be temporary."

- Commissioner Gordon (J.K. Simmons) and Batman (Ben Affleck), Justice League (2017)

Outside of the failed Dark Universe, there is perhaps no other cinematic universe that has been tied to Hollywood's whipping post quite like the DC Extended Universe. Starting with 2013's Man of Steel, DC has been trying its damnedest to catch up to the goldmine that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Zack Snyder, director of comic book adaptations like 300 and Watchmen, was put in the director's chair and while early trailers seemed promising, the movie did nothing but alienate people from the world's most famous superhero.

And worse was to come. Bringing together DC's two flagship characters as well as the live-action debut of its most famous female superhero should have been nothing short of a movie miracle. They even managed to cast Academy Award winner Ben Affleck, hot off his success with Argo, as the new Batman. Yet Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice became a laughingstock of 2016 pop culture; Sad Affleck and "MARTHA?! WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!" spread across the Internet like wildfire. The salt was directly applied to the wound when Marvel Studios released Captain America: Civil War, another "superheroes fighting" movie, to both fan and critical acclaim. Marvel once again laughed its way to the bank, while DC limped back home with its pants down. DC's second shot in 2016 was the David Ayer film Suicide Squad featuring low rent DC villains (with the exception of Harley Quinn and the Joker) trying to be heroes, but the film was dismissed as a cheap imitation of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy.

However, coming into the new year, there was a bright light at the end of the tunnel; the world's first major theatrical live-action female superhero movie directed by a woman. With its proper balance of intriguing drama, thrilling action and well-placed comedy as well as a star-making performance from Gal Gadot, Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman became a runaway success both at the box office and with critics. Many were drawing positive comparisons to Richard Donner's 1978 Superman, as a seminal superhero film; Donner himself proudly bestowed a literal baton pass to Jenkins at a recent event they both were headlining. DC and Warner Bros. finally had the ball in their corner. All they had to do was make the right shot and pray for a miracle...

Following the death of Superman, Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) - racked with guilt by his part in the actions that led to that event - begins an ambitious plan to bring together an alliance of powerful warriors that can combat an enormous threat coming to Earth. That threat is Steppenwolf (voice of Ciarán Hinds), an alien dictator that is seeking three ancient artifacts that - once connected - will spell the end of the world. Joining Batman is the immortal Amazon warrior princess Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), the burly and saracastic Atlantean Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), the energetic yet untested Flash/Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) and the reclusive Cyborg/Victor Stone (Ray Fisher). All of these heroes will be brought to their limits but, though they are stronger together, they find they may need more help.

It is practically important (and potentially straight dishonest) to talk about this movie without at least touching on its difficult post-production process. Earlier in the year, Warner Bros. and director Zack Snyder jointly announced that he was stepping down from all duties related to Justice League. It was revealed that weeks earlier, one of Snyder's daughters tragically committed suicide and that he and his family needed time to grieve. In a show of uncharacteristic generosity for a major Hollywood studio, Warners agreed that this was best for all involved and wished him nothing but the best. In Snyder's stead, the studio hired Avengers guru Joss Whedon to jump from Marvel to DC (with Kevin Feige's blessing) to take over all post-production duties. Interestingly, Whedon is not credited as director (per DGA rules and a sop to Snyder himself) but he did receive a co-screenwriting credit. Which begs the question: how much Joss Whedon is in this Zack Snyder movie?

What garnered most of the Internet's attention were reshoots Whedon scheduled with the whole cast. While the exact circumstances that prompted the reshoots is still questionable, Justice League began filming weeks after the dismal opening of Batman v. Superman with no time for course-correction. Believing that working with Marvel Studios gave him the magical calculation to making superhero movies work, Warner Bros. moved heaven and earth to give Whedon what he needed. Almost humorously, this involved pulling a contractually-mustachioed Henry Cavill off the set of Mission: Impossible 6 and making painstaking efforts to digitally fix his upper lip. But all of this would be for naught if the movie itself was not received well by the public. And unfortunately for DC, history has a way of repeating itself.

Well, at least to the majority of critics. Rotten Tomatoes, a company owned by Warner Bros., held off from releasing the film's initial percentage scoring until the day of the film's release; a move seen as consciously duplicitous. Rotten Tomatoes, whether people like it or not, has become a popular deciding factor for people to pick and choose what movies are worth their time. Movies have essentially died on the vine if Rotten Tomatoes seemingly says they are not up to snuff. But when it comes to a Warner Bros. property, hiding Justice League's score until the day of release... it shows the company does not hold good vibes for its future.

So after all this, we have finally gotten to my take on the movie (as I am sure you have gathered by now, I rarely subscribe to the "TL;DR" nature of the Internet). And to be perfectly honest, I thought the movie was absolutely 100%... okay. Not great. Not even good. Perfectly fine. Serviceable. Which would not matter if it was just another movie. But this is the Justice League movie; a movie that not even Academy Award winner George Miller (you know, Mad Max, Babe and Happy Feet) was allowed to make. It has all the DC mainstays (without Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern but the Corps is still represented in the movie briefly). This should be even bigger than The Avengers. And it is just not.

The cast is a mixed bag for me. I have never gotten the hate over Ben Affleck's performance as Batman. He is better here than he was in Batman v. Superman but in that movie he was pretty much just a bundle of rage in a Batman costume. Here he actually plays the Dark Knight in a way that just feels right. Gal Gadot returns for her role as Diana and she brings back that sense of genuine care and good-naturedness that makes her character likable. The newcomers are a bit of different story. I did not care for Ezra Miller in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He is better here than he was in that film, but I could not muster goodwill for his take on The Flash. Jason Momoa plays Aquaman as the drunken badass of the group but that pretty much sums up his character. We get the feeling that he is resentful of his place in the world as someone who is half human. But that is not fleshed out in any way. Ray Fisher gets the short end of the stick as Cyborg - why he is in the Justice League as opposed to the Teen Titans is beyond me. He broods mostly and does not lighten up for anything. Even his trademark "Boo-ya" seems off.

Danny Elfman is the composer of this movie and he certainly is no stranger to superhero movies. He's composed scores for Spider-Man, Hulk and even Avengers: Age of Ultron for Joss Whedon. Most notably however is his theme for the 1989 Batman. When asked if he was going to come up with a theme befitting Ben Affleck's Batman, Elfman refused saying his theme personified Batman perfectly. However, Elfman also chose to bring back John Williams' classic Superman theme that was conducted for the 1978 Richard Donner film. Herein lies the problem: it is not that noticeable within the film itself unless you were actively hearing for it like I was. It can be heard, but themes that are that memorable call for memorable moments not just background nostalgia.

In most good superhero movies, there is almost always an inspiring speech that either the hero gives themselves or a loved one gives the hero. Something that sums up why they are the good guy, why it is important and why they should keep going. I can think of a few examples off the top of my head - Aunt May's "I believe there's a hero in all of us" from Spider-Man 2, Peter Quill's "Life takes more than it gives" from Guardians of the Galaxy and Nick Fury's "A group of remarkable people" from Marvel's The Avengers. Now where is this speech in Justice League? Just before their first battle against Steppenwolf where he is holding humans hostage, the Flash takes Batman aside and fearfully admits he has never actually done battle. Batman breaks it down for him,

"Save one. Save one person. Don't talk, don't fight. Get in, get one out."

I like how Batman breaks down the minutiae of supehero-ing to its core component: helping other people at risk to yourself. This could have been, should have been, a seminal moment for the movie. While it certainly seems to bolster Flash's courage in the following scene and in the rest of the movie, a more memorable signature moment would have been more appreciated.

If there is any improvement on any single returning character from the DCEU, it would have to be Superman, who is brought back from the dead by the Justice League in the second act. This is Henry Cavill's third run at this iconic character. And in this case, the third time might be the charm. At first, Superman is angry and confused; seemingly without his memory. Batman brings Lois Lane (Amy Adams) to him so she can help bring him back to himself. But naturally, the good old Superman we know comes in at the last minute to help save the day. He is smiling, cracking jokes and bringing his formidable powers to bear to help his fellow team members and civilians. This is as close to the Christopher Reeve Superman as we have gotten in quite a good long while; I do not count Superman III, IV and Returns (who would have guessed Kevin Spacey would have turned out to be a bigger villain than Lex Luthor). As long as Cavill is allowed to stay in this mode of Superman and not be the Big Brooding Boy Scout, I'll be glad to see Man of Steel 2. If it ever gets made.

DC's Justice League is not so much a misfire as it is a missed opportunity; an injustice if you will (be sure to tip your waitresses). The cast mostly plays well together, but the playground they are given could use some upkeep and maintenance. Trying to fix the mistake that is Batman v. Superman resulted in efforts too little, too late. I am not saying that the DCEU is beyond saving - Wonder Woman proved this - but it needs to be done quickly and smartly. I really like these characters and the comic book universe they reside in. It just needs more people who are willing to give the time and care they deserve to bring them to the silver screen.

P.S. Stay for the full end credits.

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY - A Previous Hope

NOTE: A long time ago, in a SPOILER far, far away...

“I'm one with the Force, and the Force is with me.”

- Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

In 2012, when it was announced that Disney had acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. and its main export, the Star Wars franchise, fans initially did not know what to make of it. Over the past decade, Star Wars under George Lucas – and his universally despised prequels and Special Editions – had basically become a pop culture punch-line. Lucas was starting to allow outright parodies of his work by fans like Seth MacFarlane and Seth Green in trilogies of “Family Guy” and “Robot Chicken” episodes; none of that adult-themed humor would ever be allowed through Disney. How would the Mouse House of all places be able to resuscitate a galaxy far, far away? It started by the appointment of longtime Steven Spielberg collaborator Kathleen Kennedy as the head of Lucasfilm. She devised a Story Group of authors, writers and other creatives to plan out the franchise going forward as opposed to waiting on the whims of a burned-out creative mind who genuinely hated the moviemaking process.

2015 brought the first fruit of their efforts, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams. It was a worldwide smash hit with critics and audiences, bringing back the love of Star Wars once again. The film successfully reintroduced fan favorite characters while launching new and intriguing characters to carry the franchise forward. But the previous three-year wait time between Star Wars films would not be enough for Disney. With their considerable resources, they would set out an ambitious release schedule: one Star Wars film a year for the foreseeable future. Every other year in which a Saga film would not be featured, Kennedy would set a date for what Lucasfilm would call Anthology films – films set in the Star Wars universe that did not have to obey the previously set chronology and would be based on events previously not seen or characters’ origins. The first film under this new banner would be called Rogue One.

A year beforehand, rising British director Gareth Edwards was adding the finishing touches to the biggest film he had ever directed at the time, an American reboot of Godzilla for Warner Bros. Pictures. It was then when he received a phone call from Kiri Hart, the leader of Kennedy’s Lucasfilm Story Group at Disney. It seemed his name had come up at the top of the list of potential directors for a standalone Star Wars film. After a meeting, it was decided that the perfect Star Wars film for Edwards’ sensibilities would be a war-themed film centered around the Rebel Alliance’s theft of the top-secret plans to the Death Star. This story had been developed by long-time Star Wars visual effects veteran, Academy Award winner and the man who gave the world Photoshop, John Knoll. Edwards was a die-hard Star Wars fan from a young age, even dragging his girlfriend to the then-abandoned Tunisian set of the Lars homestead on his 30th birthday so he could drink actual blue milk from the same table Luke Skywalker had. It killed him to not be able to tell anyone about his new project, even his mother. When the go-ahead was given to Edwards to tell anyone he wanted that he was doing a new Star Wars film, he gleefully had a guessing game with his mother over the phone. Clearly, this was a director after a geek's own heart.

Jyn Erso (Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones) grew up without a stable sense of family. Her father, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), was taken from her at an early age to go work for the Empire on the same day her mother was murdered. Years later, after her willfulness and bad attitude leaves her in an Imperial cell, she is broken out by resistance fighters Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his mouthy droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). They lead her to the Rebel Alliance and their leader, Mon Mothma. She is concerned about a new weapon the Empire is constructing to destroy any planet that stands in its way of galactic conquest. When asked why she should care, Jyn is stunned to learn that her father was the lead architect of what becomes known as the Death Star. Believing him to be a pawn of the Empire, she volunteers her services to help rescue him while obtaining the plans to the Death Star.

As many online have already pointed out, most of the movie does not reflect the footage the trailers advertised. The film notably went through reshoots months before its release headed by Tony Gilroy. Most feared Disney’s influence to lighten the movie to a childish degree, even allowing the characters to live at the end. In fact, the entire Internet had the story backwards. The original script was written with all the characters living at the end, because Edwards assumed Disney would not want them killed off. With Kennedy and Disney’s help, they agreed to go with Edwards’ preferred ending where Jyn and the Rogue One crew are all killed by the Death Star. As to the footage used in the trailers not seen in the film, it was deemed by Disney’s marketing that it would be useful to sell the film on without using the actual footage. Directors of films that go through immense post-production changes are often cagey in their responses to the press or simply disown the film outright. However, it seems Edwards had a great time working on the film and seems to be proud of it. He even joked that the demises of the heroes is, “…a great Disney tradition…. For every single character to die in all their movies.”

One of the major talking points of the film is the revelation of a supporting character played previously by an actor who has been dead for over two decades: Grand Moff Tarkin, performed in the image of Sir Peter Cushing. In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Tarkin makes a brief walk-on appearance near the end of the film portrayed by another actor in prosthetic makeup. The character has also appeared in both “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels”. Here, however, it appears digital technology has improved enough to allow for Peter Cushing to make an appearance from the grave. I must admit, I was quite taken aback at how much of the movie he was in. I have long been an advocate of performance capture but this is de-aging on a dead actor – something rarely attempted before. Is it utterly perfect? No, but it does well. It is an improvement on the de-aging effect on '80s Jeff Bridges in TRON: Legacy, but not as convincing as '80s Michael Douglas at the beginning of Ant-Man. The only thing that bothered me most was the gray, translucent quality of Tarkin’s face. You could almost see his veins through the skin and it did not rub me quite the right way. Still, it is an evolving technology and I hope to see more experimentation with it in the years to come.

Rogue One, while a story we all know the ending to, is a fine film with a lot of good action and characters. They all get something to do in the third act and it is thrilling to watch good practical effects in action. However, I think I must confess that I like The Force Awakens more: it moves the story we knew forward into the future while respecting the past. This is a movie that does respect the past certainly (almost too much for me, with that Ponda Baba and Evazan cameo), but we all know where it is going. You can literally watch the end of Rogue One, replace the Blu-Ray with A New Hope, and just keep right on going. Nothing bad certainly, and I did thoroughly enjoy the film, but I am ready for The Last Jedi to keep the Star Wars train rolling.

RIP Carrie Fisher and Kenny Baker

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017): Hermione Granger and the Reluctant Werewolf

NOTE: Be our guest, be our guest, put our SPOILERS to the test.

“If it's not Baroque, don't fix it.”

- Cosgworth (voice of David Ogden Stiers), Beauty and the Beast (1991)

There are not a lot of perfect movies out there, especially these days. But if there is a contender for such a title, Beauty and the Beast would be a welcome choice. I am, of course, referring to the 1991 Disney animated classic (you thought it would be Cocteau's?). The film came after Disney reinvented its animation studio following The Little Mermaid and caught the world by its collective heartstrings and refused to let go. To this day, it is the only traditionally-animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards (it lost to the Hannibal Lector film The Silence of the Lambs). From there, Disney continued to utilize the film's beloved characters in everything from direct-to-video spinoffs to theme park restaurants.

In 2010, Disney released Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland to massive box office success (chalked up to the then-reliable star power of Johnny Depp and the 3D ticket sales brought on after Avatar) and launched a new mission for the company: they would dive back into their own animated canon, remake them in live-action CG hybrids and profit off of parents reintroducing their children to timeless stories told by today's movie stars and directors. Remakes of Sleeping Beauty (soon after crafted into an Angelina Jolie vehicle titled Maleficent), Cinderella (directed by Thor's Kenneth Branagh) and Pete's Dragon (which surprisingly became a critical darling) would be greenlit. And if other Disney fans did not like them, they always had Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm to turn to. What could go wrong?

Belle (Emma Watson) is a beautiful young woman with an inventive mind and a spirit of adventure. Naturally, this makes her the topic of gossip in her little French village and the unwavering target of the affections of big game hunter Gaston (Luke Evans), who is vain and ill-tempered. Her doting and encouraging father Maurice (Kevin Kline) leaves on a quick trip to the market and winds up lost at the front of a massively imposing castle. When he does not return the next day, Belle sets off after him and finds him a prisoner of the castle's belligerent master, a large and hairy Beast (Dan Stevens in performance capture). Belle hesitantly agrees to take her father's place as his prisoner. Belle soon discovers the Beast is not the sole occupant of the castle; a large assortment of enchanted talking objects show her hospitality and kindness and gradually reveal they used to be human along with the Beast. What Belle does not know is that the Enchantress who cursed him and his servants did so because she saw he had no love in his heart; however, if he could love someone and have them love him in return, the spell would be broken. "For who could ever learn to love a Beast?"

The cast of the film had a lot to live up to despite their doppelgängers being hand drawn. Emma Watson delivers a fine performance as well as demonstrating keen musical chops. The movie simply would fall flat without her. Her compassion and grace is the most beautiful aspect about her character and livens up the proceedings. Dan Stevens is not an actor I am familiar with (I did recently see the pilot episode to his new FX series "Legion"), but his is probably the most difficult part in the film. Buried under a mass of CG fur, Stevens manages to work the performance capture technology to his advantage and maintains control of his facial expressions. Kevin Kline is not the spitting image of the original Maurice but his heart comes through with his scenes with Watson. He also is in the movie a lot more than I would have guessed and it is good to see Kline in such a mainstream movie again. Luke Evans and Josh Gad have surprisingly good camaraderie and work well off each other. I certainly would have preferred Gad to be dressed in the exact costume his animated counterpart wore but this is a minor nitpick. 

Where the movie really falls is in the voice cast comprising the castle's enchanted objects. It certainly is not for a lack of casting; Ewan McGregor (as Lumiere), Ian McKellen (as Cogsworth), Emma Thompson (as Mrs. Potts) and Stanley Tucci (as Cadenza, a character completely created for the film) are all vastly-talented actors who are pretty much miscast all across the board. McGregor has even said as much, saying his performance of "Be Our Guest" was fouled up by his attempted French accent which ended up sounding Spanish. In animated form, the original characters were all pleasant to look at and were clearly designed following in the footsteps of Disney's Nine Old Men. However, their realistic depiction here is just unnerving. How hard would have been to put Ewan McGregor's face in the wax of a candle? He is part of the candelabra in the final film and it just comes off as ugly. When the voice cast appears as themselves at the end of the film, it feels like their makeup was done by the team from that ghastly Nutcracker movie years ago; they look pretty horrid. 

The songs from the original (lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by master composer Alan Menken) had the world falling in love and credit goes to director Bill Condon for dissuading Disney from making a version of the movie without them. Anybody can make a movie based on the story of "Beauty and the Beast", but only Disney can make a movie with the song "Beauty and the Beast". The only song that Belle does not sing that I feel accurately stands tall next to the original is Luke Evans taking on "The Mob Song (Kill the Beast)". There are new songs in the film, but despite them coming from Menken, they are not nearly as memorable. They got it right the first time. The original Beauty and the Beast is my second favorite musical behind Mary Poppins (and the director of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is about to go mess that up too).

There is a certain phrase that goes, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." This story is nothing if not sincere, but this movie is nothing but a flattering imitation. Is it bad? No, not in the least. The animated Beauty and the Beast was and remains a perfect movie; lightning in a bottle with no live-action version necessary. However, if a movie like this has to exist, its sole benefit would be to point back to the superior version.

THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE: Bat-ter Up!

NOTE: Where does he get those wonderful SPOILERS?

“The first lesson is... LIFE DOESN'T GIVE YOU SEATBELTS!!!”

- Batman (voice of Will Arnett), The LEGO Batman Movie

It's often said - correctly - that Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed character in all popular media. Conan Doyle created a detective with a sharp critical mind and unparalleled wit and the world fell in everlasting love with the character. Perhaps this is why comic book co-creator Bob Kane directly drew from Holmes in creating the Caped Crusader Batman. From his initial conception in 1939 to now almost 80 years later, Batman has become just as iconic (if not more so) than the famous inhabitant of 221B Baker Street. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than the silver screen. 

From Adam West to Ben Affleck, there have been many, many interpretations of this classic character; some iconic, some infamous - but all of them memorable in one way or another. But in 2014, a new take on the character was introduced in The LEGO Movie. This Batman, voiced by Will Arnett, was bold, confident and a bit of an egotist. As well as a sick rapper, yo ("DARKNESS!!! NO PARENTS!!!"). The kind of guy who would seemingly skip out on his best girl to go hang with Han Solo and Chewbacca if given the opportunity. LEGO Movie became a huge success for Warner Bros., and they naturally wanted to do more; just as they were getting back into the DC superhero business (and from then to now have failed miserably).

Batman (voice of Will Arnett) is the number-one protector of Gotham City because, frankly, no one else can do it better. Or at least, that is what he keeps telling himself. After telling the Joker (voice of Zach Galifianakis) that he does not matter to him, the Clown Prince of Crime sets a plan into motion to make chaos for the people of Gotham unless Batman truly reveals how much he means to him. At the same time, Batman has to deal with a new adopted son in the endlessly energetic form of young Dick Grayson (voice of Michael Cera) and is pressured to make an honest effort out of raising him by his faithful butler, Alfred (voice of Ralph Fiennes). Another vital distraction is the entrance of Barbara Gordon (voice of Rosario Dawson), Gotham's new Police Commissioner who gives Batman an ultimatum: either join up with the police force in protecting the law or give up his life of vigilantism. And worst of all, Batman may just have to admit to himself that being alone is not the best way to live one's life.

This film is thoroughly hilarious and entertaining. Rotten Tomatoes has it listed as the highest rated DC Comics movie since 2008's The Dark Knight, and yeah, that is a fair assessment. Is it smart though? As only Chris Rock can say in his inimitable style, "Not really." What The LEGO Movie had that The LEGO Batman Movie lacks is the screenwriting talents of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Granted, they are listed in the credits as producers and I am sure they had some creative control - but distanced (as they are naturally across the Atlantic readying the new Han Solo-themed Star Wars movie). It has been pointed out numerous times that Lord and Miller have an uncanny knack for taking bad or potentially ill-conceived ideas for films and consistently knocking each one out of the park. The movie is a fast-paced joke-after-joke-after-joke movie and while a lot of them land, a lot also fall a bit flat. Lord and Miller, with enough time and thought, could pace out each joke so the punchline lands succinctly. This movie has SIX screenwriters, including the guy who gave the world Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. How this movie is any good with that kind of pedigree is beyond me. But it is very, very good.

One of my favorite video games of recent is "LEGO Dimensions". It is a thoroughly entertaining game where pop culture universes collide in LEGO form. Marty McFly can hang out with Dr. Peter Venkman in Springfield. Superman can chill with Scooby-Doo in Middle-Earth. Any of the Doctors of "Doctor Who" can take a joyride in Doc Brown's DeLorean in Metropolis. It is continually adding to its content, adding in franchises like the Mission: Impossible films, "The A-Team" and "Knight Rider". Taking more than a cue from this game, The LEGO Batman Movie brings in villains from other popular Warner Bros.-owned media, but then really does not do anything with them other than they are a part of Joker's army. You have Seth Green playing King Kong, a role which you can imagine would be taken with great comedic possibilities and really does not deliver. It is certainly not Seth's fault, but it is lacking in imagination on part of the filmmakers. He is certainly not alone; there are quite a few notable names in today's comedic world that are in the film as Batman's rogues' gallery but are only limited to one or two lines at best. They even went to the trouble of giving Billy Dee Williams the opportunity to play Two-Face after being denied the chance after playing Harvey Dent in the original 1989 Batman. The design of his character looks really great, but he is almost not even in the movie. Conan O'Brien plays the Riddler and I would not blame you if you did not know that unless you looked at the end credits. Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity is Ralph Fiennes as Alfred facing off against Lord Voldemort... previously played by Ralph Fiennes. I do hope these LEGO movies continue to crossover characters, but I only ask for some sense of logic and imagination into bringing these characters to life.

I know this review certainly sounds negative, but I am only offering some constructive criticism (pun not intended). I really did enjoy this movie. It is a welcome break from the dark and dour DCEU movies and it is a great-looking animated movie. Animal Logic is a powerhouse animation studio, one that can really give Disney and Pixar a run for their money while DreamWorks and Blue Sky continually humiliate themselves (at least The Peanuts Movie was darn good). Another LEGO movie is due later this year centered around the popular LEGO world of Ninjago, and I certainly hope for the best. In this movie's case, all the pieces click together, but I only wish the filmmakers had read more of the instructions (pun intended).

DEATH BECOMES HER: Looks Aren't Everything

RETRO REVIEW

It's no secret I'm a fan of the works of Robert Zemeckis. The man just seems to be tuned into my senses of humor, wonder and all-around fun. From the perfectly made Back to the Future movies, the Oscar-winning Forrest Gump and the breathtaking classic that is Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Zemeckis wows audiences with advanced technology while balancing clear story and characters.

However, his first film post-Spielberg does not get much acclaim outside of its cast. It definitely strikes more adult than both the Future trilogy and Roger Rabbit. Bringing his effects to bear, Zemeckis wanted to make a statement on the vanity of some Southern California women and their obsession with beauty. Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis and Goldie Hawn give this dark fantasy a comedic makeover with Death Becomes Her.

All their lives, Madeline Ashton (Meryl Steep) and Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn) have been in endless competition with each other over men. Madeline stole Helen's fiancé, the meek mortician Dr. Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis) and proceeded to make his life a living hell. However, Madeline is appalled to see Helen years after she stole her potential groom looking quite stunning and gorgeous. Fearing her own decaying mortality, Madeline reluctantly finds herself in the presence of a modern-day witch, Lisle (Isabella Rossellini), who sells her potion guaranteed ”[to stop] the aging process dead in its tracks”. After taking it, Madeline does gain a new lease on life with her revitalized body. However, her years of giving grief to poor Ernest has taken its toll and he pushes her down the stairs of their mansion. Without thinking about it, Madeline picks herself back up and realizes that her body has not only stopped aging, it has stopped pulsing. To all medical science, she is a walking, talking corpse. And to her and Ernest's astonishment, it seems as though Helen has taken the same treatment.

The above plot synopsis seems awfully complex and it is, because the film does span a few decades. It tracks the ups and downs of Madeline and Helen's lives and how they would naturally collide in this unnatural way. The film does not waste any time setting up these characters and has no fear of making them unlikable. However, it's clear that Streep, Hawn and Willis are at their best; especially Willis playing wildly against type as the manic Dr. Menville. Without going into much detail, I have never cared for the career of Meryl Streep and her countless Oscar nominations do not add much for me in her favor. Still her performance here is very satisfying and gives me a good chuckle. I should also mention Hawn is having a ball with her role, in particular the scenes where her character goes through an overweight crazy cat lady phase.

Apparently there is a least thirty minutes to an hour worth's of footage left on the cutting room floor including a subplot involving Tracy Ullman (best known as the host of the sketch comedy show that gave birth to "The Simpsons"). To me, this is evident in the standout sequences where Helen and Madeline are fighting, with their undead bodies taking massive damage. These seem to be the scenes the movie's promotional materials were built around but it does not appear to be all that was filmed. The fights end too quickly. Still, ILM's master animators and technicians did a brilliant job of keeping up the illusions and most assuredly earned their Academy Award for Best Special Effects.

Death Becomes Her is full of fresh ideas and on-point satire, but it feels lacking in what it was promoted as. This is, of course, not Zemeckis' fault. He delivered the movie he set out to make. It's not as thrilling as Back to the Future or as funny as Roger Rabbit, but it showcases another side of a great director. This ghoulish side would later reappear to develop "Tales from the Crypt" for TV and introduce America to future Best Director winner Peter Jackson with The Frighteners (interestingly, Alan Silvestri's score for this film was used in the trailers for Jackson's film). Maybe someday Zemeckis will indulge his spookiness again.