Movies/Shows you're watching.

[Bosco]

Did he review the new trilogy too ? I have only seen his prelogy videos.

yup, they have one for Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and a brief one for Rogue One

[Ben_j]

I'm sure they'll be another attempt at a saga, where kid audiences of this generation, will be adults in the next, and have their nostalgia preyed upon. It's a timeless loop of "good vs. bad" that ultimately achieves nothing other than deprecating the clout of the original.

Star Wars Episode 12. Palatine is back! Rey and Finn's grandson has to find a macguffin to destroy him, yet again.

[Bosco]

Star Wars Episode 12. Palatine is back! Rey and Finn's grandson has to find a macguffin to destroy him, yet again.

SPOILERS!

[Csar]

For the folks who've already seen Ep. IX and want to chuckle away their dark side feelings because of it.

It's so hilarious how he that guy's playing the Hollywood exec. rubber stamping all ideas.

[ThePumisher]

Haven't seen Episode 9 but i can sign that Baby Yoda is the cutest thing ever that will be showing on your screen. Oh, and the latest Episode of Mandalorian is really good, which i haven't thought after the three episodes before.

[sandelic]

At risk of being called contrarian, I actually had fun watching Star Wars 9.
But that is easy for me to say - I was never big fan of movies (I always found original saga almost childishly simplistic - you know, light=good, dark=bad without going into much depth about it) and always appreciated games more. At least they explain 'ethics' of both sides.
So it was easy for me to shut my brain down and simply watch.
I expected nothing much and found myself enjoying it throughout.
Bar some scenes.
Can we at least appreciated how good of an actor Adam Driver is? 

[ThePumisher]

Can we at least appreciated how good of an actor Adam Driver is? 

Yes he is, but not as Kylo Ren. I don't like him in that role. But in Paterson, The Dead Don't Die, Blackkklansman an Marriage Story he's awesome.

[Bosco]

I've yet to see episode 9 either, but I want to agree that Adam Driver is a really good actor.

And I also agree the original films were simplistic. I would add, they have the perfect amount of subtlety where the audience could let their imagination run and fill in the blanks. Yet, they could show you the gravity of each individual scene without it being cumbersome. It's no mistake that the original 3 are atop of it's class in the Sci-Fi/Adventure genres. 'Return of the Jedi' would be the exception, though. It's probably the most bloated of the original 3, but it does offer a significant conclusion* and greatly expands the Star Wars universe.

*rumors has it this statement could be compromised in episode 9.


Red letter Media just released a 70 minute Half-in-the-bag review. It's no Plinkett breakdown, but I've come to appreciate these guys' fresh takes on movies.

[inchemwetrust]

Spoiler

GOOD
first 20 minutes was good with the hyperspace jumps and all
saber fight with rey and kylo near the end
kylo meets han ( the only part of the movie that had actual acting)

BAD
terrible sendoff for leia
chewy dies! ray says ' my bad'! no one bats an eye (or even a tear)
Finns character is diminished greatly compared to the last 2 films.

[satur8]

I enjoyed Episode 9 more than most of you. I had some issues with logistics regarding the volume of military ships and soldiers...especially in THAT location...but I think all three sequel films majorly struggle with military logistics in one way or another. So many people shit on the dark and layered Episode 8 because they were focused on those logistics instead of Luke and Rey's journeys (which I loved), but then what happened? Control was given back to JJ to make everybody happy and yet nobody is happy. I actually didn't mind the resolutions and call backs, and I think he did a lot with what he had to wrap up.

I've been a fan since 1977 and saw the original Star Wars in the theater during the first run. Here are my thoughts on the trilogies.

Original - Nostalgic, groundbreaking, fun and exciting. The pace and effects haven't aged well for younger people, but they are still classic and WAY ahead of their time. The plot points in ROTJ are REALLY bad. Fans hold this trilogy to an impossible standard, but realistically the timing and production have more to do with their success than dialogue or plot. And The Empire Strikes Back is by far a better film than the other 8, and that had to do with director Irvin Kershner. And let's face it. George's drive for merchandising rights and cash lead to the Kenner toys, and those helped make this brand a staple for decades. Star Wars was much bigger than one or three films, and that's why it has lasted.

Prequel Trilogy - Hot on the heels of the "special editions", these films are bad. Poor acting (save McGregor and McDiarmid). Terrible direction. Stupid stories. A lot of sloppy CGI, especially in the beginning. The force went from a mystical power anyone can wield to a genetic mutation. The Jedi go from iconic warriors to bumbling children stealing virgins that can't sense Sith in their own house. Anakin's  story was ridiculous and we experienced an all around failure to the Padme character. People seem to like ROTS..and Palpatine's arc was AWESOME...but this story was just as rushed as people claim Episode 9 to be. Sure, there is some fun to be had, but despite my love for Star Wars, I think Lucas failed himself and all of us. I, for one, and glad he sold to Disney. That said, I know a LOT of young adults grew up with this as the Star Wars of their childhood and I'm sure there is a lot of nostalgia for them with Maul and battle droids.

Sequel Trilogy - A new start with a bit of rehash. New characters with new motivations. Odd plots, but no more full of holes than ANY era of Star Wars. I don't think older fans were going to be happy unless these were pure nostalgia fests, and then they would have complained about that. But in reality, these are by far the most visually stunning of all the series with excellent cinematography and clean effects. The acting was good and the direction was good. The pace was modern and fast, and kids loved it. As a Dad I was happy to share these with my children. I think people are too hard on this trilogy considering what we had in the 90s/00s, but I also know many disagree with my opinion. However, objectively and as an old school fan, I don't think these plots are any worse than the other two trilogies. They just weren't "our" trilogies. And honestly, the worst part about Star Wars in modern time is the fanbase.

Rogue One/Solo - I loved Rogue One and was impressed by the level of darkness that Disney allowed in. It also made more sense than most Star Wars films, and falls in my personal top three. However, I consider Solo to be an apology movie. It was fun, but it was a film based on cheeky callbacks when it had potential to be so much more. It also reconnected a very perfect "Legends" backstory for Han (from AC Crispen). Regarding Solo, I think Rebels and The Clone Wars are much better examples of "new" Star Wars cannon.

But maybe we can all agree..The Mandalorian is the right direction for Star Wars. I'm looking forward to the Obi-Wan series with Ewan McGregor.

[Ben_j]

I'm bothered by a lot of set ups that didn't get a payoff, or payoffs we got that nobody asked.

Spoiler

How did Maz get Luke's lightsaber ?
What was that part in Rey's force vision with the Knights of Ten ?
What did Finn want to say to Rey ? Okay, Abrams answered that, but it makes no sense to keep the part where he says he's got something to say and not keep the part where he actually says it... It also makes no sense he doesn't want to tell her and only her.
Finally, the explanation for Rey's memory of the ship leaving feels completely pushed. You can tell that was not JJ's idea from the begining...

[Conn6orsuper117]

I have 3 problems with this movie:

Spoiler

You can tell leah was CGI despite the budget, and her voice was spliced. (there was a sentence she said and you can tell some words were pitched lower to fit her tone)

I thought the Knights of ren had lightsabers in force awakens so why were they resorted to standard star wars melee weaponry

what was the point of the kid with the broom at the end of Last Jedi

At least in this one, the cons are outweighed by the pros:

Spoiler

Such as the return of all the past Jedi actors: such as ewan mcgregor, Liam Neeson, Frank Oz, and Samuel L Jackson ("feel the force in your vein's Mothafucka"). I think I also heard several jedi actors from the video games and shows (I swear I heard Ahsoka in the mix) but it could be my excitement.

Lando is back (looking back on my last Jedi rant 2 years ago, when I was a noob member)

and that epic force switch between the lightsabers.

and many more that I can't list on the spot but its worth going back for a 2nd viewing.

I have a theory that the fugitive storm trooper girl and Finn could be brother and sister considering the background between their characters.

[Ben_j]

I have 3 problems with this movie:

Spoiler

You can tell leah was CGI despite the budget, and her voice was spliced. (there was a sentence she said and you can tell some words were pitched lower to fit her tone)

Spoiler

She was not, they took unused shots from 7 and 8. She was CGI in the flashback, though, when she's training with Luke.
https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/2019/12/20/21030452/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-spoilers-leia-carrie-fisher-cgi

The problem, though is that they built dialogues around the footage they had. The result is Leia feels very detached from the conversation. Also you can tell she was digitally inserted in the scene, there's a kind of glow around her.
That's one of the many things that set me off...

[FranzDT]

I saw last night "The Irishman". Well, I can say I am very disappointed. The only way to see this film in a different perspective is, perhaps, to think of it as a cinematographic testament of Scorsese, bringing together Pacino, Pesci and De Niro.

[ThePumisher]

Now that i was in the cinemas yesterday => worst star wars ever. ben_j & stefan are totally right. except for the comedy parts in this movie, i don't want sw to be a comedy. some fun here and there - ok. but not in every scene. and the pace...

Spoiler

and how did palpatine manage to build the largest fleet ever, dead, without anyone notice?

[satur8]

Spoiler

and how did palpatine manage to build the largest fleet ever, dead, without anyone notice?

This is the sentence between spoilers...quoting Pumisher.

Spoiler

This is what bothered me. Even if the Emperor had a secret cloning lab and the dark side force brought him there through a special path that nobody could reach, where did he get the resources to build this army? Ships. People. Trained soldiers. Uniforms. All of it. The sheer number was ridiculous, too, and then it was easily defeated. And how did they get back and forth? How did they train? How did they eat? Where did they come from?

Again, military logistics and the volume of soldiers on both sides, great or small, was my biggest issue with the new trilogy. I still liked it better than the prequel trilogy.

[WhiteNoise]

I wasn't drunk enough

Spoiler

Palpatine doesn't need to be part of the story. You can erase him, and hit all of the same locations and story beats, by refactoring the story it as Kylo's independent quest to find an ancient Sith relic to increase his power unimaginably and give him CONTROL OVER THE GALAXY - and Rey chasing and trying to stop him... or beat him to it. You now have a classic treasure hunter plot, spiced up with Star Wars flavor, that explores Rey and Kylo, the temptations of the dark side and motivations for pursuing power, Kylo's jealousy, and their relationship - all consistent with the themes of episode 7 and 8 and a shitload better than dropping the Emperor and a gigantic fleet of planet-killing Star Destroyers in from nowhere.

I liked the first hour / hour thirty. I loved them finally fleshing out Poe a bit, and giving him and Finn more to do.

Whatever. Disney can put any Star Wars movie out, they make some large percentage of two billion dollars back, it doesn't matter. This is a product. They don't care, so I don't care. I say this having mostly loved Episode 8, having absolutely loved Rogue One, and having no quarrel with Episode 7.

[whirlygirl]

After all the Star Wars 9 anti-hype which lowered all expectations, the hubs and I concluded... it was fine. I avoided spoilers even though my husband and son knew the reveals and diminished character arcs, and other points of contention mentioned already. For me, the Palpatine what-the-actual-fuck twist was a rather grotesque surprise. I mean, ew?

But yeah, anyway. It was fine. I pretty much agree with Satur8 here.

[Born In Planet Dust]

It is canon that the Emperor has sex.  I'd prefer to think it is as The Emperor (not the dashing Chancellor) and that is consensual.  Also, picture every one of his lines in the og trilogy being something he'd say during sex.  You're welcome. 

[ThePumisher]

Also, picture every one of his lines in the og trilogy being something he'd say during sex.  You're welcome.

i hate you