Road to Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker - Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi Review

Okay, let's just get this out of the way. Yes, I have already reviewed this movie when it came out. But it would've looked weird if I reviewed all of the previous movies and left out this one in what's suppose to be a road leading up to the newest installment. So I've decided to re-review it. Now with that out of the way let's review Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi...again.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (or simply Star Wars: The Last Jedi) is a 2017 epic space-opera and the second installment of the sequel trilogy as well as the eighth film in the Star Wars film series. The movie is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi was written and directed by Rian Johnson.





The story is Luke Skywalker's self-exile is disturbed when Rey comes to him asking for his help to learn more about "The Force". While Rey and Luke are training, Kylo Ren and the First Order are planning an all-out assault on what remains of The Resistance.

• Negatives

Now during my initial review of the film I was going to talk about a certain character death but I felt like it would have been too much of a spoiler, but it's 2019 and I can finally bring it up and I don't like that Luke dies in The Last Jedi. I really felt like he should have continued on into The Rise of Skywalker for one last hurrah to cap off "The Skywalker Saga" (I sure mean he'll most likely show up as a force ghost but I would have preferred him to be more alive if you get want I'm saying).

Another thing I still don't like about the movie is the lack of backstory for Snoke. Since The Force Awakens when his introduction then The Last Jedi should have given us more details on who he is. But sadly we didn't get that.

The final thing I didn't enjoy about the movie was Holdo's plan. Sure yes it's a good plan but it's never explained why her and Leia didn't tell Poe about it. Because had they done that then Poe wouldn't have been so pissed off and cause a mutiny.

• Mix

Now comes the mix bags, one of those being Finn and Rose's subplot. While I still understand it was important to the story because they have to get that fuel before the First Order can take out the Resistance's ship but like I said before it just went on for too long.

The other grey area is still the humor. Sure it's funny at times but other times not so much. I mean that scene where Poe suddenly trash talks Hux's mother is still odd to me even to this day.

• Positives

Very much like my initial review I still enjoyed Mark Hamill's performance. Like I said before he does an excellent job with this version of Luke that has lost all hope after his own nephew turned against him. Which in retrospective still makes me mad that we won't see him again in The Rise of Skywalker.

Speaking of Luke's portrayal in this movie I'm probably going to get so much sh*t for this but I actually kind of liked it. I mean people complained about him being a hermit but yet Obi-Wan and Yoda did the same exact thing. But that's not the main thing the main thing is that he's lost hope despite being so optimistic, I felt like it was only right to make him lose hope because 1) it's a big risk, 2) it add more emotional weight, and 3) think about it he at first thought he wasn't going to have to deal with anymore dark side after Return of the Jedi but here he is yet again having to deal with a family member turning to the dark side.

Another thing I still dug about the movie as Kylo still being conflicted about who he is. He still WANTS to be part of the dark side/the First Order but things in this movie happen that makes him question if he should maybe go back into the light side of things. I still to this day like that and I thought Rian Johnson handled that part of the story very well.

The other thing you'll enjoy about this movie is Rian Johnson's directing. Him and his cinematography pulled off such amazing shots, some of which are very breath taking might I add. I still get chills when Holdo uses lightspeed on the First Order ship. I could go into more detail about that shot but that's a case that words don't do it any justice.

The final aspect I'll give the movie praise is the action. We get some great action sequences throughout the movie. My favorites were the opening ship battle and that throne room scene with Rey and Kylo fighting the guards, that scene no matter how many times you watch it is still awesome.

So is Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi the best film out of the Star Wars film series, no. Is it the absolute worst, again no. It's a very serviceable movie, what with Hamill's performance, Luke's lost of hope, Kylo's struggle, Rian Johnson's directing, and the action scenes. The more mix things are the subplot with Finn and Rose and the use of humor. The real downsides with the movie were Luke's death and the lack of backstory for Snoke.

My final rating is Good. Now I gave this rating because I felt as thought the more brighter spots in the movie helped out weight the more negative things. So please put down the touches and pitchforks....Please?

Okay guys, that's all for me. Come back next time on Monday, Dec 2nd when I begin my Christmas season of reviews and the movie I picked to start off that season is The Polar Express. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

My Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Review Will Be Delayed

Hey guys. So originally this was going to be another addition of Is It True? but I felt like this announcement was more important. So yes sadly my review of Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker is going to be delayed. Mainly cause unlike some people I didn't by tickets the moment the final trailer was released so I'm paying the price for that. Now it won't be a really long delay the review will most likely be posted Monday, Dec 23rd. So that's all I wanted to tell you. Like I've said many times before I make these announcements to keep you updated.



So that's all I wanted to say. Come back on Thursday, Nov 21st for the final chapter of my Road to Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker with my re-review of Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Ford v Ferrari Review

Ford v Ferrari is a biographical drama film. The movie is produced by Chernin Entertainment, TSG Entertainment, and Turnpike Films and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Ford v Ferrari is written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller and directed by James Mangold.

The story is automotive designer Carroll Shelby has been told by Henry Ford II to build a car that can beat a Ferrari. Carroll along with British race car driver Ken Miles and a team engineers and designers must build this car and win the upcoming 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Initial Reaction

Now I was really excited to see this movie mainly because I absolutely loved James Mangold's Logan (2017). However my excitement would later go away not because I didn't think the movie was going to be any good it's because I didn't think my local theater would show it. That later changed when I found out they weren't going to show Doctor Sleep, then I got bummed out but found out they would show this movie. So my excitement came back and I was ready to see this film.

Cons



I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.








Middle Ground



Now while the movie does have a very quick pace despite it's runtime, there are scenes when this can drag just a little bit. Mainly during the more corrupt scenes but when all of those scenes are over the film goes right back to it's quick pace.








Pros



Now if you're going to see this movie expecting the companies of Ford and Ferrari going at it...don't. Because the film's real focus is on Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles. Which is by no means a bad because with the film being more character driven and not focusing on racing, the cars, and the two businesses you'll really get to know these two and by the end of the movie really come to like them. One thing I wasn't expecting from the movie is how relatable it was. I think we've all had those moments of fighting our inner demons, having a boss just run in and tell you how this should be done, and feelings of who am I. Like I said there are a lot of moments in Ford v Ferrari that are relatable. Another thing I liked about the movie was the humor. My favorite comedic moment was when Carroll and Ken fight while Ken's wife just calmly watches. Seriously that moment was hilarious. Now to discuss about one of two of the best things about the movie and that's the performances, Matt Damon and Christian Bale were just amazing in this movie. Especially Christian Bale, his performance was so good that you don't even see Christian Bale anymore you think your seeing Ken Miles. Hell even the supporting cast did an amazing job. Now for the other great aspect of Ford v Ferrari is the racing. Wow. Those racing sequences were very intense, so intense that it got to the point where I clinched my hand and was actually getting really into it.








Guys I strongly recommend seeing Ford v Ferrari. Yes there are a few moments when it drags but it makes up for it by having a great character driven story, relatability, humor, spectacular performances, and some nail biting racing scenes.








My final rating is Great








So yeah like I said give Ford v Ferrari a watch. But that's all for me, come back on Monday, Nov 18th because I'll have some news regarding my review for the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

What You Probably Didn't Know About George Lucas

Hey guys and welcome to a brand new What You Probably Didn't Know About. It's been a long time since I did one of these (a year. I haven't done these in a whole year) and with Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker coming out in only six weeks I thought it would be a great idea to tell you things you didn't know about the man who created Star Wars, George Lucas.











1. He's a fan of Seth MacFarlane's hit animated show Family Guy. MacFarlane has said that Lucasfilm was extremely helpful when the Family Guy crew wanted to parody the original Star Wars trilogy or other Star Wars gags.







2. He sold Lucasfilm's Computer Graphics Division to Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs. Which would later turn into Pixar Animation Studio.







3. His disowned the 1986's film Howard the Duck after the movie was released. Honestly I can't blame him.







4. His nickname in high school was Luke. This would later become the name for the hero in the original Star Wars trilogy, Luke Skywalker.







5. His was inspired by the iconic Marvel villain and archenemy of the Fantastic Four, Dr. Doom to create Darth Vader.







6. He provided the funding for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.







7. He along with Steven Spielberg conceived Indiana Jones while they were both enjoying a vacation in Hawaii. Lucas agreed to produce while Spielberg agreed to direct.







8. He based Han Solo on his friend and fellow film director Francis Ford Coppola.







9. He originally wanted to do a film adaption of Flash Gordon. However he couldn't obtain the rights to the character and his universe so he created Star Wars instead.






10. His dog "Indiana" was not only inspired the character of Indiana Jones but was also modeled around Chewbecca.







11. His favorite part of filmmaking is editing.







12. His considers THX 1138 (1971) to be the greatest achievement of his career.







13. Him and Steven Spielberg have made six of the ten highest grossing films of the 1980s.







14. Although 1958's The Hidden Fortress is a huge influence on Star Wars, his favorite movie is 1954's Seven Samurai.







15. When you spell his name backwards it's Egroeg Sacul. This name is used for the Disney theme park ride Star Tours.







16. He rewrote the ending to 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark to tighten it up because the scene would have been too busy. It originally ended with a mine-car chase which would later be added to 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.







17. He refuses to put critic quotes on his movie posters. This has made many critics mad.







18. Despite being called Hollywood blockbusters all of the Star Wars films (minus 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope) are actually independent movies. The only way George Lucas could get the money was to apply for studio funding. With the success of the first movie and it's merchandise, Lucas no longer needed to go to the studios. For Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back) and Episode VI (Return of the Jedi), he took out bank loans which he paid off for each film's earnings. For the prequel trilogy he no longer needed bank loans what with earning enough money to fund each film on his own personal savings.

Alright guys I am all done here. Come back next time on Saturday, Nov 16th for my review of Ford v Ferrari. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Raiders of The Lost Media - My Best Friend's Birthday

Hello and welcome to yet another addition of Raiders of The Lost Media. This time around I'll tell you the story of a partially lost film by Quentin Tarantino. Let's begin.

Part One - What is My Best Friend's Birthday




My Best Friend's Birthday is a black and white comedy film written by Quentin Tarantino and Craig Hamann and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film was developed from 1984 to 1987 while Tarantino was working at Video Archives in Manhattan Beach, California. The plot of the movie is a man is trying to do something nice for his best friend's birthday. However his efforts completely backfire on him.





Part Two - The Story of the Footage




The film began as a 30-40 page script by Craig Hamann. Then Tarantino joined then him and Hamann extended the movie's script to 80 pages. The movie was made a budget of $5,000 and filmed on a 16mm reel over the next few years. The film's complete cut runs for a total of 70 minutes. Before the film could be released it got destroyed in a fire at the processing lab with only 36 minutes of the film remaining. The remaining footage has been shown at film festivals but has never been given an official release and only bootlegs of the film have surfaced.





Part Three - Tarantino's Thoughts and Remaining Footage




Quentin Tarantino would later go on to say that the direction of the film was not great and always refers to as his "film school", what he means by that is the movie helped him gain experience that would later go on to help him for his future projects. So far the only things that remain of the movie is the fact that it was adapted for the 1993 movie True Romance (which Tarantino also helped write) and the first half of the movie. Other than that there's nothing left.

Well that's all for me. Come back on Thursday, November 7th for a new edition of What You Probably Didn't Know and this time I tell you facts about the creator of Star Wars himself George Lucas. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Terminator: Dark Fate Review

Terminator: Dark Fate is a science fiction action film and the sixth film in the Terminator film series. The movie also serves as a sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day meaning Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator: Salvation, Terminator: Genisys, and the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles didn't happen or as James Cameron puts it occurred in alternate timelines. The movie is produced by Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, 20th Century Fox, Tencent Pictures, and Lightstorm Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Terminator: Dark Fate is written by James Cameron, David S. Goyer, Billy Ray, and Justin Rhodes and directed by Tim Miller.

The story is it's been 27 years after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. A new liquid modified Terminator called Rev-9 has been sent to kill Dani Ramos, a hybrid cyborg named Grace has also came from the future but to protect her. They later meet Sarah Connor and an aging Terminator and together they will all fight for the future.

Initial Reaction



Now I was fully ready for a new Terminator movie. My excitement grew even more when I heard James Cameron was coming back to the franchise. Although I do admit Tim Miller's comment about how this movie will quote "scare the f*ck out of sexist trolls" did rub me the wrong way. Not because I'm one of those sexist trolls it's because Miller apparently doesn't understand that if anyone is seeing this movie is mostly likely because they're fans of the franchise. You know the same franchise with everyone's favorite female badass Sarah freakin' Connor! But other than that I was looking forward to this movie. The experience was going to be made even better because my dad was going to join me (he's a fan of the series just like me and come on who doesn't enjoy seeing a movie with their folks).








Cons





I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.








Middle Ground





One thing that I know for sure is going to cause a divide amongst both fans, the general audience, and etc. is the opening. I won't say what's about I will say it has something to with the Connors. Hell, I myself am conflicted with the opening. It's like that's awesome and is shocking but the same time you could have gone this route. Like I said it's definitely going to be a part of the movie that'll be heavily debated. The other mix bag is a very minimal amount of character development. It's like it's there but at the same time when I left the movie I was thinking maybe there could have been just a little bit more.








Pros





One thing I found enjoyable about Terminator: Dark Fate was the acting. Newcomers such as Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, and Gabriel Luna really did a good job playing their characters and their performances didn't disappoint. Now onto Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger, they were so great in this. Arnold plays a more humanized Terminator and Linda didn't miss a beat playing the badass Sarah Connor we know and love from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Now with a new Terminator movie we of course get a new Terminator, this one being the Rev-9. And I liked it. Now yes, it is another liquid Terminator much like the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the T-X from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and the T-3000 from Terminator: Genisys but with each of those they did have their own different ability and the Rev-9 did have that which I think will help it stand out. Another aspect of the movie I want to praise is the action. Tim Miller without a shadow of doubt brought us yet another action filled movie for this franchise. So if you're a fan of what he did for 2016's Deadpool and all of the action in there, then you'll love what he does here. The final thing I'll give credit where credit is due is the special effects. Throughout the movie we got good CG work. Especially for a younger Terminator, Sarah Connor, and John Connor. I mean they literally look just like they did in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Like you wouldn't believe that that was CGI on them.








Terminator: Dark Fate is a fine addition to the Terminator film series. It has good acting, a pretty cool new Terminator (Rev-9), great action sequences, and some good CGI. The more grey areas are character development and an opening that'll be debated on with no end in sight (kind of like how people are STILL talking about the quality of 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017's Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi).








My final rating is Good








Alright guys, that's all for me. Please come back on Monday, Nov 4th for another installment of my favorite segment on this blog Raiders of the Lost Media. And this time I'll tell you about a lost Quentin Tarantino movie. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.