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GIVEAWAY: SOLO in 4K!

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Young Han Solo finds adventure when he joins a gang of galactic smugglers, including a 196-year-old Wookie named Chewbacca. Indebted to the gangster Dryden Vos, the crew devises a daring plan to travel to the mining planet Kessel to steal a batch of valuable coaxium. In need of a fast ship, Solo meets Lando Calrissian, the suave owner of the perfect vessel for the dangerous mission — the Millennium Falcon.

The winner will receive a copy of the Solo: A Star Wars Story 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Steelbook Edition.

To enter, simply like or share our post on Facebook and answer the following question in the comment section: Who do you think is the best pilot in the Star Wars series? Why?

For a bonus entry, like or share the post on Twitter and Instagram.

All entries must be completed by 11:59pm on Monday, September 24th, 2018.

 

SOLO: A Star Wars Story will be released on Blu-Ray on Tuesday, September 25th, 2018

4.19 Saving SOLO

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With the release of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, Disney wants to take you back in time to meet a young Han Solo before he even thinks about joining the Rebellion. However, with struggling box office receipts, even they were left reeling by the film’s mixed response. (Could there actually be a Star Wars film that loses money?!) This week, Steve welcomes David Peck (Face2Face Live) and director Nathaniel Draper to talk about the reactions of Star Wars fans, the nature of freedom and what it means to be the ‘good guy’.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

4.19 Solo – A Star Wars Story

Thanks David and Nate for joining us!

Solo: A Star Wars Fan War Continues

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Has the Star Wars franchise peaked? Is it running out of steam? If you listen to some of the voices in the fan base, or certain critics, you begin to get that impression.

I don’t think so.

On FilmRejects.com, Max Covill states the film “didn’t connect with audiences.” I’ll address that assertion in a moment. Covill goes on to say why he thinks the movie didn’t live up to box office projections (a bit different assertion):

A few explanations come to mind for what might’ve happened to this latest entry in the Star Wars canon. The biggest of which might be box-office fatigue. The Last Jedi launched in theaters around Christmas time and that meant only five months between the release of Star Wars features. Never in the history of the franchise have movies released that close to one another. Star Wars has always been positioned as an event film. When you make it a common occurrence, it becomes less exciting. Disney might have thought they could get away with it, given how their Marvel movies have been released, but it doesn’t work for Star Wars. The series’ next entry, Episode IX, won’t launch until Christmas 2019. By then, the fever for a new Star Wars feature will be higher than right now for sure.

Covill doesn’t believe the franchise is over, by any means, but that this particular film just doesn’t live up to Star Wars standards. I’ll let you decide for yourself if this is true. Just, please, watch the movie for yourself before you decide if you like it, and then consider what I have to say below.

Before I get into the movie itself, I want to clarify some things about the box office numbers, and the connection with the audience.

  • If you look at the box office records for every Star Wars film which opened on a Memorial Day weekend, Solo is number one. The only other Disney film which did a better box office on that holiday weekend is Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
  • Solo was the number one domestic movie from the day that it officially came out until Friday, June 8, when Ocean’s 8 (deservedly) took the top spot. Solo was number three, behind the newcomer Hereditary, and still ahead of Deadpool 2 and Avengers: Infinity War. May and June have been very competitive months, and the matchups certainly have hurt the numbers for Solo.
  • Solo is the number 5 box office movie of 2018, hitting that mark in only its second week in theaters.
  • The audience has connected with the movie. As of this writing, Rotten Tomatoes gives it 71% critics score, and a 65% audience score. These are not nearly as high as the scores for Rogue One, but the audience score for Solo is higher than for The Last Jedi. The audience seems to be more critical when it comes to Star Wars films that resurrect main characters, which is understandable. But, while The Last Jedi was much preferred by the critics, Solo is preferred over Last Jedi by the general audience.

So much has been said already about Solo that I have decided to go a little rogue with my review of the film. There will be spoilers ahead, so if you have yet to see the film, I would recommend you view it before continuing. I contend there are some great things in the movie, and I’d hate to spoil the fun. My concentration will be not so much on the plot, but how Solo fits into the Star Wars universe, and whether the harsh criticisms made about it are justified.

When we first meet Han Solo in the 1977 movie which started it all, we meet a jaded man who is all about himself. Leia tells him, “If money is all that you love, then that’s what you’ll receive.” Han has lived the greater portion of his life serving the underworld. He is about survival, and has learned to fear gangsters more than the Empire.

But, as we find out at the end of that movie, there is a “good guy” side to him, too. Han doubts along the way, but he always comes back, becoming an important part of the Rebellion. However, when the New Republic fails, it is no wonder that in The Force Awakens we find back to his old pirate ways. Even then, when he meets up with Rey and Finn, he tell them the stories about The Force are “all true.” There is still a small hope alive in him after all he’s been through.

Ironically, the Han we meet in Solo is hopeful in an era when hope had been lost. He dreams of leaving his taskmasters, with Qi’ra at his side. He is not the jaded man we saw in the original trilogy. He is only interested in money as a means to escape and give himself a chance. Even his experience of war doesn’t completely destroy the altruism which lies beneath the surface. He is happy to let Enfys Nest have the coaxium, even if he is unwilling to join her group, which apparently is a germ of the Rebellion.

Qi’ra, however, has her own agenda. She certainly still has feelings for Han, but not an unconditional, sacrificial love. Nor does she believe Han would love her back if he knew what she had done. She only knows how to use him for her own advantage. At first it looks like Qi’ra betrays Dryden Vos simply because of her love for Han, but she has a more insidious purpose. She wants power.

Qi’ra now takes Dryden Vos’ mantle, and the movie sets itself up for a sequel, or at least a potential television series. It is also revealed Crimson Dawn is under the control of Maul (formerly Darth Maul). Some have complained about Maul’s appearance in the film, but many who have watched the animated series and read the comics know how he fits. If you are interested, here is a good place to start: Star Wars Solo movie: How did Darth Maul survive? What is Crimson Dawn?

The movie ends with Han being betrayed by both Qi’ra and Beckett, whom he shoots first—an obvious reference to the controversy over who shot first in the bar scene in A New Hope. With all he has been through, Han still has a positive attitude. He goes back to beat Lando at his own game, and wins the Millennium Falcon. He then talks about going to Tatooine to work for the Hutts.

Some of you who have made it this far into my piece are asking, “Who cares?” And you have a right to ask. Some of you don’t care about the minutiae of Han Solo’s life; you’d like to just leave him as you knew him in the original trilogy. And that’s fine.

But some of us want to know. We want to know how Han got his last name and what making the Kessel run in 12 parsecs means. (I was delighted to know I was right in saying, all these years, that Han had to be talking about distance, not speed.) We want to know how Han met Chewbacca. We want to know the story about how Han got the Millennium Falcon.

I am one of those guys who actually plodded through The Silmarillion because he wanted to know the backstory. Admittedly, it was not as pleasurable as reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I watched the Star Wars prequels, too. Not because they were top-notch movies; they weren’t. But they satisfied an itch that could not be satisfied any other way. I wanted to know. And there is a certain satisfaction in knowing.

And apparently millions of others wanted to know, too.

Solo: Love Finds a Way

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A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away….

Lucasfilm/Disney are now 4 films in on their revitalized Star Wars plans. The plans so far have been clear: Honor the past while looking toward the future and a new generation. Star Wars purists have had mixed reaction to the new canon, but there is no denying that the franchise is bigger today than ever before. A few years ago, they took a risk for a standalone story that fell within the timeline but introduced us to a band of new characters. Rogue One proved to be a very good to great film (or neither, depending on your view) that both felt like Star Wars but also stood on its own merit. The film worked on many levels and gave us new characters to love. It’s success certainly opened the door for more risks and standalone films.

Bring on Solo: A Star Wars Story, the next standalone film set within the timeline. Solo brings us the beginning of everyone’s favorite scruffy-looking nerf herder that helped save the universe and married the princess. The film introduces us to how Han became a smuggler, his first encounter with Chewbacca and how he got his ship from the stylish cape-wearing Lando Calrissian (and, of course, finally shows us the Kessel Run). The film itself is fast-paced, action-filled and, at times, even inspirational. However, it’s also forgettable and didn’t really knock it out of the park. It has several plot issues and character development issues that never quite move the film’s overall quality from decent to good (or even great). Solo is a heist film, mixed with a little Mad Max, set in the Star Wars world. It’s fun, but that’s about it.

“Let the past die, if you must, kill it…” Kylo Ren, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Ren’s quote really resonates within this film. As a big Star Wars fan, I am in the camp that believes that, as much as I love nostalgia, Star Wars needs to move on from the status quo in order to last another 40 years of love, it . Rogue One got that right, understanding that we could stay in the time era as the originals and still feel new and fresh. Solo is a step backwards and mainly I believe that the issue in its execution. Outside of Donald Glover (who was amazing as Lando), the characters fell flat. It is hard to capture the essence of Harrison Ford, but Alden Ehrenreich tried and, unfortunately, fell kind of short. He just didn’t feel like Han Solo. I understand it’s hard to imitate someone else–and this is way before the scruffy nerf herder we meet in Episode IV–but everything seemed forced, trying to recapture his essence while trying to be different. There are moments where he shines, but the overall performance felt like a different character other than Han.

Going into the film, Q’ira (Emilia Clarke) was one of the characters I was most interested in seeing. To finally show Han Solo’s love interest before Leia, it seemed like there’s no better story to tell. Although their story is nothing out of the ordinary, it is the character’s development that is by far the most disappointing. From the moment we first meet her though, it seemed forced and really hard to believe. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. No matter what we’ve done or been forced to do, love finds a way. When used without conditions, love is patient, kind, forgives and gives itself up for others. Sin corrupts, and can make the heart go cold but love always penetrates deeper and burns hotter. Love even reminds us that, maybe, the “bad guy” is really good, and can change others as well. Q’ira’s arc defies this belief but, without proper development, it was hard to see how she could. (On a side note, her arc ends with a cameo appearance of a character that even canon wise, the films, books, animated shows, just doesn’t make sense in the timeline, especially if you are one who watched both The Clone Wars animated films and Star Wars: Rebels. I feel this character was nothing but fan service that did the writing a disservice.)

Still, the one character that offered a true representation of what it means not judge a person is Enfys Nest. This is the only character that I want to see more from (outside of maybe a Lando film). I want this character’s story to be told, either before or after Solo. This character was one of the most interesting parts of the film and the film leaves us wanting more of their story.

Overall, Solo: A Star Wars Story is an ok film that could have been better, but won’t rank at the top of the Star Wars franchise. In the end, it’s a fun ride with some good inspirational moments.

Solo: A Star Wars Story – Do We Need This?

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One of the things I liked about the original Star Wars (now Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is that we come into a story in the middle, yet it captivated audiences. That’s one of the reasons I wasn’t fond of the prequel trilogy. I never believed the backstory was necessary or helpful. I did appreciate Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for the way it brought something new into the mix. The newest addition to the Star Wars canon is Solo: A Star Wars Story. The question that needs to be asked is will Han Solo’s backstory improve our understanding of the overarching story, or just feed our hunger for all things Star Wars?

In terms of the Star Wars timeline, this film fits between The Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One. We meet Han (Alden Ehrenreich) as a street urchin on a corrupt, crime-ridden planet. He is in love with Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke), and the two are planning an escape from the crime boss who controls their lives. But when they are separated, their lives take different trajectories. The story goes on to show us the various things that lead Han into the life of smuggling. Along the way he meets and makes friends with Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), comes under the sway of the leader of a band of crooks, Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), is reunited with Qi’ra who is now the top lieutenant for an upscale crime boss, first crosses paths with Lando Carissian (Donald Glover), who also appears later in the canon, and gains possession of The Millennial Falconer. The story is a mix of heist film, origin story, and space opera.

The Han Solo we see in this film is brash, reckless, self-assured, and charismatic, much like when Harrison Ford plays him. Ehrenreich manages to get much of Ford’s inflection right enough that we can believe this is the same person. But who is Han really? He wants to be an outlaw (and self-identifies as such), but Qi’ra tells him what we all know about him from following the Star Wars saga: that he’s the good guy. Let’s face it, we all already know who Han is. This film won’t give us new insight. And, like my appreciation for A New Hope for its abruptness, I prefer meeting Han for the first time in that Tatooine bar. In A New Hope we learn to like Han. Solo, if one were to watch the canon in the story’s chronological order, would undermine that process.

Now that I’ve said what I don’t like about the film, let’s look at some of the issues it raises that are worth noting.

While much of the Star Wars saga deals with the direct battle of good and evil (and the attempt for the evil to seduce the good), Solo is more about pragmatism as a survival tool. Nearly everyone in this story is just trying to make things work. Each character makes choices that will affect others. Do they take those effects into consideration, or only what is best for themselves? The result of this is that the issue of trust becomes paramount as Han relates with each character. Is he too trusting? Are any trustworthy? Is Han?

The bit in the film that actually does feed into the overall saga narrative deals with questions of freedom and oppression. From the beginning of the story, Han is seeking to find his freedom. For him that is defined as getting his own ship and flying around the galaxy. But as Qi’ra tells him late in the story, “Everyone serves somebody.” We all answer to someone, and that is its own form of control and oppression. On each new world and each new circumstance, we see different kinds of oppression. At this point in the story, the rebellion has not yet begun, although one of the minor characters is seeking to kick start that revolution and fight for freedom. (Maybe that will be the next Star Wars Story.) The most entertaining voice for freedom in the film is L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Calrissian’s droid/co-pilot/companion. She is a vocal advocate in the story of equal rights for droids. And when she gets a chance begins an emancipation of droids and other slaves. While this actually may seem like a minor plot point in Solo, that theme is constantly in the background.

That takes us back to the pragmatism of the characters. As Star Wars plays out, of course, we see that the fight for freedom is never a matter of pragmatism, but of sacrifice and a commitment to justice. There are hints of that in Solo, but for the most part this is one of the most insubstantial and shallowest of the Star Wars canon.

 

Photos courtesy of Wald Disney Studios

The Martian: Survive or Die (Oscar Spotlight: Best Picture)

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The MartianHumans have, ingrained in their DNA, a desire and longing for community. It started when God realized that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone—his response was to create Eve as a companion and helper (see Genesis 2:18). But what happens if, by some unfortunate series of events, you’re the only one left on the planet—or worse, another planet? You really have two options—survive or die. This is part of the reason why the The Martian is up for a Best Picture nomination at this year’s Academy Awards. Based on the book by Andy Weir, it chronicles the harrowing adventures of astronaut Mark Watney on the planet Mars.  The film is actually up for seven different Oscars (including Matt Damon for Best Actor), but I’m going to focus on the Best Picture award.

First, a reminder of the plot. The Martian begins with an emergency escape from the planet when a massive storm appears at base camp. Five of the six astronauts make it onboard the rescue rover, with Watney left behind for dead after he’s speared by a communications antenna. Miraculously, he survives, but is in a world of hurt as the next mission to the Red Planet isn’t scheduled to arrive for another four years. With a limited supply of food and water, he has to decide what to do.  Watney’s decision: “I’m not going to die here.” Thus, he sets about trying to make life happen, all while recording his escapades via video journals.  His saving grace is that he’s a botanist and knows how to grow things. But that won’t last forever, and when the habitat depressurizes, destroying his crop, the fight for survival becomes more acute.

Watney and his plantsMeanwhile, NASA finally discovers he’s alive (after announcing his death) and sets out creating a plan to get him back, helped by scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Rushing things doesn’t work, as they find out the hard way on their next launch.  Director Teddy Sanders (Jeff Bridges) has to try something, and when out of options, gets help in the form of China’s space program. When an astrodynamics student named Rich Purnell (Donald Glover) comes up with a faster way to get Watney—but one that will keep the rescued astronauts in space for another year—the idea is dismissed.  But when it’s covertly shared with the crew, they agree to try it—risking their own lives in the process.  The world holds its collective breath as an unheard of rescue is attempted.

So what makes The Martian worthy of Best Picture status? First off, the landscape and set design is exquisite and conveys a planet of extreme isolation, complete with unpredictable storms and unforgiving terrain. The attention to detail even extends to the scientific terminology used, conveying the possibility that an event like this could feasibly occur.  Dialogue is realistic and doesn’t seem to be forced (outside of a) the constant references to Commander Lewis [Jessica Chastain] and her love of disco and b) the relationship between Johanssen [Kate Mara] and Beck [Sebastian Stan]). Speaking of music, the soundtrack is refreshingly sparse.

Tension is controlled by director Ridley Scott in ways that make the viewer experience a range of emotions—from shock to euphoria. Finally, the acting is on point, with believable and convincing characters (none moreso than Damon’s intriguing portrayal of Watney). As a result, the viewer is transported from the theater into a very delicate situation where one wrong move could mean a loss of lives.

The crew of the HermesOutside of the earlier reference to community, there are also many references to faith found in the film (not that they have any bearing on making a film Best Picture-worthy, but are still nice). The concept of mission is found as Watney emails Commander Lewis a note with the charge to tell his parents, “I’m dying for something big and beautiful and greater than me.” That sure sounds like something the apostle Paul would’ve penned—and probably the other apostles to boot. The ending also allows for the concept of complete trust to have someone save you when you have no ability to do it yourself (see Romans 5:8).

In the end, The Martian is a worthy film to be considered for this year’s Best Picture nomination. Will it win?  I’m not certain, as there are a number of films that take that title as well. But if it succeeds, I wouldn’t be surprised at all. With a compelling story, great acting, and fantastic visuals, you should give this one a viewing if you haven’t already. You’ll understand what it means to truly survive—as well as a few other things along the way.