The Last Jedi Isn't For Every Star Wars Fan, But It's Still Very Good

The weekend has passed, and Star Wars:  The Last Jedi has been a massive hit. It's earned 241 million in the states, and half  a billion worldwide.Maybe it'll hit a billion in a month. While many have enjoyed the movie, some hard core fans were surprised or dismayed over certain things like changing what someone with the Force can do.

Well, they're wrong. They have to remember this is a new generation of Rebels, and the ones we knew before are also different because they're getting older.
On top of that, Last Jedi is different because it doesn't need the past as a guide. If we get some surprising twists which later make sense, that's a good thing.
Besides, don't be fooled by the title.

The movie itself is mainly two plots:  the Resistance try to stay literally one step ahead of the Empire, and Rey seeks out Luke Skywalker to be trained in the ways of the Jedi. Finn does wake up, but in a clumsy manner, while Poe Dameron and BB8 take wild risks for the cause. Right off the bat, he goes after one of the dreadnoughts, while a girl is just able to release a lot of bombs before dying. Oscar Isaac is truly the heir apparent to Han Solo

Rey's (Daisy Ridley) storyline was more interesting because of her relationship with Luke, which starts when she returns his lightsaber and his response is unexpected,. It's clear he's not interested in training new Jedi, especially after what happened with Kylo Ren. A return to the Millennium Falcon and a vision from the past, changes his mind. He also sees Rey's  potential inside her, and that worries him because someone else had that strength.
She's also searching for info on who her parents really are, taking her to a cave that gives her a certain point of view.

The biggest surprise is that she actually talks to Ren, even light years away. This is explained, but seeing opposite sides of the Force trying to understand each other is quite a trip although it worried a lot of fans. Also, Ren doesn't have as many "tantrums" but he is trying to establish his power as the heir to Vader. Rey still thinks maybe he can be redeemed, but that is not possible. You need a bad guy for this section of the Star Wars Saga, and it's him. She still wants to try, especially when she learns what really happened the night Ren left Luke. Driver is very good as Ren, whether ruthless or quiet and calm in his efforts to win over Ren.

The efforts by the Resistance to stay alive are still interesting, though. When the Empire's fleet damages one of the ships  and puts Leia out of business for a while, she's replaced by Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern). Aside from the fact she looks like she came from The Hunger Games, Holdo seems to be a commander who's not making the right decisions (at least according to Poe). The revelation that she really knew what she was doing was a bit sudden, although telling Poe would have made it easier (another complaint, but she was trying to establish herself). Fisher does a great job in what is her swan song in the franchise. She's all business, even when she's talking to Poe. There is a scene what will shock people, but they'll be even more shocked about what she does about it.

Because Holdo wouldn't admit her real intentions, Ren and Rose decide to find a code breaker who could help them buy time and help the fleet escape the Empire ships. They have to go a planet called Canto Bright that's Evil Vegas, where the upper elite (including some weapons dealers who sell to both sides) gamble and party like crazy. They find a guy named DJ (Benecio Del Toro) and he seems helpful but he's no Lando Calrissian (or is he?).

Then there's the scene where Ren brings Rey to Snoke, and it's a battle over who controls the Force more is very tense, especially what one of them decides to do. Yet there is a moment of a possible alliance that sounds good. Then you remember who these people really are. Andy Serkis should get an award for making mo-cap characters so real, aside from his work in the Planet of the Apes series. He makes Snoke truly menacing, if he spends much of the time sitting on his throne.

There's also a major confrontation towards the end that will excite fans, and then blow them away at the end.

Last Jedi was smart not to be The Empire Strikes Back. No massive revelations, but there were several unexpected twists. It was a great sendoff for Fisher, and a big advance for Poe, Rey and Finn as they take their places are the new Heroes of the Resistance. Don't forget BB8, who was more involved in the battle with Poe that R2D2 ever was. Just remember, the round robot makes a lousy piggy bank but is a good mechanic.
Also, don't forget one more return that is sudden, but this character puts it into perspective.

While we'll have to wait two years for the final chapter (and maybe four months for Rifftrax's "response" which will include a lot of jokes about Holdo and Canto Bright), at least there's the upcoming "Solo" movie next May.

Review of Star Wars, The Force Awakens: And So Does the Franchise

Star Wars may be compared to, say, the New York Knicks, Montreal Canadiens or entertainers who have residency in Branson, Missouri. They used to be great, but lately are now a shell of their former selves.

When it was announced JJ Abrams would direct the seventh movie, there was a lot of skepticism, mainly thanks to the Star Trek sequel. When the first trailer came out, and we heard Han Solo say, "Chewie, we're home", our hopes started to improve.

Then the movie came out last Friday, and the Force came back with a vengeance.
Due to my warehouse job and the Christmas rush, I didn't have a chance to see the movie until now, but I was lucky to avoid any spoilers or reviews that told too much of the story. That really helped my enjoyment of this movie,

What's more, it started with something simple: what if Luke Skywalker wasn't around to make sure the Republic would stay strong? That happened because he tried to train new Jedi, and one of them turned on him and jumped into the Dark Side. That guy, of course, is the main Big Bad in this story, Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver. This is a man who is determined to be the heir to the darkness of Darth Vader. It's a title he wants, and he'll get it by wiping out the rebellion against his First Order.

The heroes are Finn (John Boyega), a Stormtrooper who was trained from birth, and Rey (Daisy Ridley), a girl from Jakku who lives through scavenging old ships. Finn decided to reject his role after his first battle, and helps Rebel Pilot Poe (Oscar Issac) escape via Tie Fighter. They're shot, though, and crash in Jakku. Poe seems to be dead when Finn wakes up. He crosses paths with Rey, who just found a droid called BB-8 with a very special message to the Rebels.

The way Rey and Finn seemed a bit too "meet cute", mainly because he pretends to be one of the rebels, and needs BB-8 to cover for him, Once the First Order show up, it turns back into an action movie and stays there. The point when I was convinced it would work is when Rey and Finn looks for a way to escape, and she prefers one ship because the other one is garbage. When that ship is destroyed, she heads to the garbage ship...and one look tells us the ship she takes (and learns how to fly on the spot) is anything but garbage,

Later on, Han Solo and Chewbacca find them, and get involved in getting BB-8 to the rebels. Things haven't worked out too well for Han over the years, but Harrison Ford shows the character really has aged well. He's still got it as the wise-cracking sort-of-sketchy pilot we know and love. Still, he has a very important role in the story and his connections are deep. In fact, I'd make a good case for him to be considered for Best Supporting Actor come Oscar time.

As I saw the movie, it dawned on me that this was a variation of Episode IV, which brought Luke Skywalker, Leia and Solo into the battle against the Empire, Here, Finn doesn't want to be part of the battle and Rey wants to be home, hoping her family will come back to her. There's even a "cantina scene", but it includes Rey receiving something very important from Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o). There also a couple of "Alec Guinness moments" as I call them. One of them involves Ren using a certain trick to escape, and the other is an important confrontation.

As for Ren, he wants to finish what Vader started, and considering his family tree, he's certain he has the chance. He is guided by Smoak (Andy Sirkis) who leads the First Order but is mostly seen via hologram. Ren is someone who is strong with the Force, but also is very destructive with his lightsaber when something goes wrong.
The biggest shock is when you see his true face. He's still intimidating, unleashing his Dark Side for all to see. Yet you get the feeling he wonders if he took the wrong path, but it's a path he can't change.
In any case, he has the weapon to stop the Rebels in their tracks, and it's something that literally makes the Death Star look like a peashooter.

Someone on the 'net called the movie mainly a reunion of the franchise's "greatest hits", and everyone does come back at one time or another. The thing is, the classics are there to give the new hits (Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn, Poe and BB-8) their launch so they can lead us fans through the next two chapters. That is done very well, right to the end.

The best news is that we don't have to wait long for the next episode, only until the summer of 2017. Until then, we can speculate what's next, and have Marvel and the Batman-Superman clash to distract us. At least we'll know the Force will really be with us, always...or at least until 2019 or so.

Review of Inside Llewyn Davis: Behind Unknown Music

For every Bob Dylan or Kingston Trio, there was a thousand Llewyn Davises who filled stages at coffee shops in 1961. Maybe they make an album, but not much more than that.

Joel and Ethan Coen, who have made movies that ranged from a kidnapping gone wrong to a screwball comedy, a western to film noir, turn their attention to a musician who struggles to fins a place to sleep, much less his next gig. Inside Llewyn Davis shows that this man's career is affected by bad luck, and maybe himself.

When we first see him, he gets clobbered by someone outside the Gaslight Cafe in New York for some reason. He crashes at a friend's house, then accidentally lets the friend's cat escape. He has to carry the cat everywhere, while he deals with an indifferent record executive, talking to his sister, and then to the flat of Jean (Carey Mulligan), an ex-girlfriend who says she's pregnant--and she's not even sure is Llewyn is the father. Seeing them talk about her dilemma shows that he sees himself as an artist who wants to be above money and career. That is, until he agrees to be a backup musician for a song written by Jim (Justin Timberlake), called "Please Mr. Kennedy".

We later find out Davis used to be part of a duo, but his partner committed suicide. They were known for a song called "If I Had Wings", which has been featured in the trailer.

Davis soon hitches a ride to Chicago, hoping to talk to a club owner about a gig there. It's a tough drive that includes Roland Turner (John Goodman), a boozy jazz singer, and his driver, Johnny Five (Garrett Hedlund).

What's interesting about Davis is that he's a good enough singer/songwriter, but he is sometimes plagued with the weirdest bad luck. Aside from losing the friend's cat, he almost gets in another accident trying to avoid hitting another car. When he tries to get a job with the Merchant Marine, his licenses get thrown away by accident. This isn't about an unknown singer who finds stardom. It's about an unknown singer who stays that way, because that happens most often.

Isacc is great as Davis, and his performances of folk songs are also very good. While the audience at the screening I attended at the Century Stadium 14 did laugh during some parts of this movie, it's more of a character study of one of the countless folk singers who weren't heard as much as he had hoped.