Solo: A Star Wars Story - Review

Solo: A Star Wars Story

One of Harrison Ford’s iconic film characters is given a prequel of sorts aka “Hans Solo” in the now seemingly endless parade of annual Star Wars films in the 2018 latest titled “Solo: A Star Wars Story” starring Alden Ehrenreich as young Solo, Donald Glover as young Lando Calrissian and Joonas Suotamoas as a young Chewbacca, along with newer characters Woody Harrelson as Beckett, Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra and Thandie Newton as Val.

We again are thrust in the opening screen shot of the Star Wars story taking place “in a galaxy, far, far away” where we see a very young impulsive Solo and his girlfriend Qi'ra both scavenging about for some precious item to secure for enough funds to bribe and leave their “god forsaken rock of a planet” to go on a mutual life long adventure romantically flying their own ship among the stars throughout the universe. But per usual the best laid plans always go awry when they are both caught by the confederates of some Centipede looking female (I guess it was a she) called Lady Proxima who apparently Solo owns some sizeable debt to. Determined to keep his “precious funds” away from her Solo and Qi’ra try to make an escape only to be separated with Qi'ra being captured. Vowing he will come back for her Solo spends the next three years looking for the right opportunity to go back for his love when he meets up with an outlaw named Becket who has a plan not only to make every one rich but enough for Solo to fly his own ship throughout the galaxy.

REVIEW:  I think this is Director Ron Howards Best work in 15+ years as he takes us on this iconic saga with a much lighter, more romantic and more intimate personal touch that makes this film far better than the 2017 “SW: The Last Jedi”. Howard manages to take the lead character Solo and remove him from the clutter of him saving the entire universe or fighting an evil looking heavy breathing Vader or a red face Maul. No light sabers, no storm troopers and no menacing death star to distract him. No this film while as its premise is a science fiction tale, at its core feels, looks a lot more like an old style Cowboy Western with thrilling train robberies (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), showdowns at the OK Corral and clever conversations at card games for high stakes wagers (Tombstone).

Director Howard also incorporated some other trilling chases and plot points that clearly draw upon other films like Mad Max Fury Road and Star Trek the Wrath of Khan i.e. drawing upon both great films the feeling of narrowly escaping with their lives. And while the film will never go down as something memorable in the SW saga per se it does keep its thumb squarely on the pulse and pace gas pedal in a very good popcorn eating entertaining kind of way.

Feeling less like a leading character film, Solo: A Star Wars Story is more of a collaborative effort with Woody Harrelson providing the more notable performance in the film. He is smart, funny, energetic and overall was appropriately cast (as always) to be both an ally and scoundrel and ally again in this high flying twist and turning story that was pretty simple and easy to follow.

Now there are some technical problems in film. One of which was shooting way too many scenes especially early in the film in some misty dark milieu and on and off again throughout the rest of the film. For the life of me I cannot figure why these scenes seemingly felt out of focus at certain times that was never necessary to shoot that way at all, at least not for any plot point development affect.

In addition there also was a female robot characters who was a second officer pilot to Lando Calrissian ship “The Millennium Falcon” who had this technical sounding computer voice that was very difficult to ever understand what she was saying. The same problem also applied to some of the chase scenes where the noise of the chase and explosions were just drowned out completely to what ever they were saying or rather should I say "screaming" to one another. Still these were relatively minor defects that neither lasted that very long nor caused any real confusion to the films story.

On the plus side, it was really cool to see the origins of Solo and Chewbacca’s relationship, how Solo learned to speak “Wookie” and overall watch Chewbacca be more developed in this Star Wars back story that up until now has never been really explained. Chewie was fun to watch in this effort. He kicked ass – literally.

In the end Solo: A Star Wars Story is not some deep thoughtful moral film. Rather it’s just plain old fun to watch for its 2:25 minutes running time. Solo the film has a confident smirk about itself but it smirks in the right kind of way all the while taking us along for a pretty good ride. A uniquely Star Wars ride that while was executed with a light and not too serious touch around the edges, remained throughout something that was engaging, reasonably clever, reasonably charismatic and cinematically pleasing to look at as a solid intergalactic adventure to experience.

3.25 Stars

Deadpool 2 - Review

Deadpool 2

Actor Ryan Reynolds reprises his surprising 2016 comedic superhero hit “Deadpool” in Deadpool 2” where again we find the wisecracking, irreverent, sarcastic and yet smooth romantic mercenary "Wade" aka “Deadpool” joining forces with three other mutants Bedlam, Shatterstar and Domino to protect a boy with special powers from an all-powerful alien visitor named “Cable” (Josh Brolin) who has traveled back in time to kill the adolescent for some unknown mysterious reason.

REVIEW: To the point. It is not as good as the original. Specifically Deadpool 2 while it looks the same that's all it has in common with its more dynamic and fresher predecessor. Basically this 2018 effort is an excessively long movie. No actually the word should be an excessively stuffed and stiff filled movie with an endless array of fight scenes, crashes and gun battles that seem to occupy more of that space in its 2 hour running time than having anywhere close to an actual coherent story connecting the dots to something that makes sense or is believable. By the time the finale comes along the whole experience felt empty with nothing memorable to hold on to or to take home with me in the way of………. "Oh wow that was a great scene” . “That was funny as hell”. “That was so freaking cool”. Instead all I could think about was…………….. "Is it too late to swing by Chipotle before it closes? It wasn’t, I got my 2 standard veggie burrito bowls to go. Yummy.

Now I give “Deadpool 2” some measure of credit in that they did try to make a a new film that was both comedically subversive with a moral based story line, all the while holding on to some of the 2016 original’s charm, wit and clever infused action that was so much damn fun. They tried earnestly to raise the stakes a bit by having this film pull on your emphatic heart strings largely predicated on a dramatic event that happens to "Wade" in the first 10 minutes of this film. But in the end it does not work, not at all. At least for me it did not work. Instead all I found after watching DP2 for the remaining hour and half was a film overly saturated with old and some new characters that were equally annoying and underdeveloped which made my viewing experience feel like it was running on fumes, while also getting thinner and thinner in the way of interest every minute it went by.

It was if the director and the writer collaborated on one single principle idea to work on. All they had to do was make “DP2” into a story that was preoccupied with visual special effects, with some big city carnage and destruction and things will turn out just alright.  But it wasn’t right. These characters plight and their dilemmas were similarly to me watching out my window several of my neighbors standing on their side of the road watching the results of a car wreck on their side of the road who then themselves eventually get hit by another car who was watching the wreck on the side of the road.  

It has been my life long movie going experience that sequels to highly successful films are extremely hard to pull off. But the key has been to those rare sequel films that have been successful i.e. Godfather 2, Aliens, Batman -The Dark Knight and Mad Max Fury Road to name a few, is to always keeping their screenplay writing fingers away from the “keep it  generically safe button”. Those films listed above made great efforts, even took great risks and showed meticulous attention to extraordinary details in crafting and writing stories with well-rounded villain(s) and well-rounded heroes while also making the overall story itself have even more meaningful discerning appeal to a returning audience who came back to theaters to get more of the same thrills they garnered from the original. Meaning, creating something more imaginative, more provocative and more reflective.…………….."Deadpool 2 "misses its mark on all of these areas.

So in the end “Deadpool 2 ” does have just enough in it to be watchable, but that’s only if its 6 months from now when you are comfortable at home and you hit your remote control button and see where your cable provider is now showing it on demand for $3.99.

2.25 Stars

Lester 2018 Serious Movies Summer Guide

"Lester 2018 Serious Movies Summer Guide"

Everyone knows about those high profile - potential block buster films coming out from May to late August such as “Deadpool”, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and “Jurassic World – Fallen Kingdom”. Now here is my list of other films with much broader themes and intriguing plots that could be equally great that you should seriously consider putting on your cinematic calendar this 2018 summer.

‘Terminal’ (May 11)

Margot Robbie and Simon Pegg star in a stylish, twisty-turny crime saga about assassins on a mission, and the femme fatale who makes their assignment more complicated. If the plot is amazing then Terminal could be a real winner, but either way the big draw here is Robbie, hot off an Oscar nomination for I, Tonya and - if the trailer can be believed - giving a performance just about as wild as Harley Quinn.

‘American Animals’ (June 1)

From director Bart Layton (The Imposter) comes a based-on-a-true story about a group of childhood buddies who decide to steal the world’s most valuable book. Barry Keoghan (The Killing of a Sacred Deer), Evan Peters (X-Men: Days of Future Past) and Blake Jenner (Super Girl) star in a heist movie that had critics raving out of the Sundance Film Festival, and which looks like it could be a Bottle Rocket for a new generation.

‘Adrift’ (June 1)

Adrift is based on the true story of two avid sailors who set out on a journey across the ocean in 1983. Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp didn't anticipate they would be sailing directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. Shailene Woodley as Tami Oldham. Sam Claflin as Richard Sharp.

‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ (June 8) – Documentary

Filmmaker Morgan Neville examines the life and legacy of Fred Rogers, the beloved host of the popular children's TV show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

‘Hereditary’ (June 8)

From the studio that brought you The Witch and It Comes At Night, comes another low budget thriller with lots of critical acclaim. Toni Colette (The Sixth Sense) stars as a woman whose mother’s death reveals unspeakable, inescapable truths about her family history. As of this writing, Hereditary has a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting that its mysteries are well worth unlocking.

‘Oceans Eight’ (June 8)

The Ocean’s Eleven series continues with another all-star heist caper, this time with an all-female cast. Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina and Anne Hathaway co-star, in a film directed by Gary Ross (The Hunger Games), that promises to be just as slick and stylish as Steven Soderbergh’s original.

‘Hotel Artemis’ (June 8)

Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, HOTEL ARTEMIS is an original, high-octane action-thriller starring Jodie Foster as The Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only hospital for criminals.

‘TAG” (June 15)

A group of friends has been playing the same game of tag for decades, but now the game is ending, and everyone only has one chance to tag the champion, Jerry (Jeremy Renner). Jon Hamm, Hannibal Buress, Jake Johnson and Ed Helms co-star in a film about taking a schoolyard game way too far, combining action and humor in what could very well be an exciting way.

‘Under the Silver Lake’ (June 22)

Young and disenchanted Sam meets a mysterious and beautiful woman who's swimming in his building's pool one night. When she suddenly vanishes the next morning, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal and conspiracy.

‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ (June 29)

Denis Villeneuve’s crime thriller “Sicario” the sleeper film of the decade became a breakout critical success as well with an uncompromising view of border politics and violent drug trade. The sequel promises even more action and ethical compromise, as Graver (Josh Brolin) re-teams with the mysterious Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro) for another clandestine operation, which does not go as expected. Original Sicario screenwriter Taylor Sheridan returns to keep telling the story, this time directed by Stefano Sollima (Gomorrah). EARLY BUZZ. Absolutely on par with the 2015 original. Benicio Del Toro may get Oscar Nomination.

‘Damsel’ (June date TBA)

Samuel Alabaster, an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope. As his group traverses the west, the once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel.

‘Sorry to Bother You’ (July 6)

One of the most acclaimed films from this year’s Sundance Film Festival stars Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out) as a telemarketer who discovers that the secret to success is to talk like a white person. Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok), Jermaine Fowler (Superior Donuts), Omari Hardwick (Being Mary Jane), Terry Crews (Deadpool 2) and Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name) co-star in the feature debut of writer/director Boots Riley. The buzz is electric for this movie, so keep it on your calendar.

‘Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot’ (July 13)

After nearly dying in a car accident, the last thing Oregon slacker John Callahan intends to do is give up alcohol. Encouraged by his girlfriend and a charismatic sponsor, Callahan reluctantly enters a treatment program and discovers that he has a knack for drawing. The budding artist soon finds himself with a new lease on life when his edgy and irreverent newspaper cartoons gain a national and devoted following.

‘Searching’ (Aug. 3)

John Cho is David, a widower desperately searching for his missing daughter. Debra Messing is the detective assigned to the case. As David digs into his daughter’s Facebook and email accounts, he learns disturbing truths about her life.

‘The Happy Time Murders’ (Aug. 17)

From the director of The Muppet Christmas Carol comes a hardboiled murder mystery… with puppets. The Happytime Murders stars Bill Barretta as a puppet private eye, who teams up with a human detective played by Melissa McCarthy to stop a serial killer who is targeting 1980s TV stars. Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph and Joel McHale co-star in what might just do for puppets what Who Framed Roger Rabbit? did for cartoons, bringing them back into the limelight to be looked at with fresh eyes.

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ (Aug. 17)

Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel comes to the big screen, with Jon M. Chu (Now You See Me 2) directing the glamorous tale of love and affluence. Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat), Gemma Chan (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Henry Golding (A Simple Favor), Awkwafina (Ocean’s 8), Ken Jeong (The Hangover) and Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) star in the exceptionally promising new romantic comedy.

‘Alpha” (August 17)

Albert Hughes, the co-director of The Book of Eli and Menace II Society, makes his solo directorial debut with this prehistoric survival saga, about a young boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who gets separated from his clan, befriends a wolf, and fends off dangerous elements and dangerous carnivores in order to get home again. The caveman genre may not be a particularly popular one, but Hughes knows action, and this could be an unexpected late summer hit.

Tully - Review

Tully

The accomplished Academy Award Winning Actress Charlize Theron who in 2004 put on a large amount of weight to play the physically challenging role of the real life Aileen Wuornos of Florida, the only woman put to death in the US as a serial killer (“Monster). Now fast forward 14 years later and we find her taking on another weight challenging role by adding on 50+ pounds in the quirky dramatic film named “Tully”.

In “Tully” Theron plays a woman named Marlo. She is a New York suburbanite who's about to give birth to her third child. Her husband Ron is loving, hardworking and very supportive to her and his family, but as men go can sometimes be occasionally clueless about the emotional, psychological, physical and social demands motherhood puts on his wife.

One evening while visiting Marlo's wealthy brother named Craig, Marlo’s husband Ron begins discussing how this pregnancy is putting more stress on his sister this third time around. Craig immediately offers to Ron and Marlo to hire and pay for a nighttime nanny named Tully to help his sister handle the workload. Hesitant at first, Marlo and Ron soon after the baby is born do take up the generous offer with Marlo quickly learning to appreciate all that Tully does for her that results in them forming a special bond as a lifesaving new friendship.

REVIEW: Directed by Jason Reitman and Written by Academy Award winner Diablo Cody who collaborated on the highly acclaimed “Juno”, a film that also examined the ups and downs of a woman dealing with her pregnancy, works equally hard here to be as cutting edge, funny and introspective in their “Tully” as their predecessor “Juno”. And while Theron is her typically compelling self as the mother Marlo capturing just the right balance of loving her family while longing for the old days of her youth when she wasn’t over wright, wasn’t always tired and wasn’t so “unsexy”, the film’s story in the end left me more baffled and clueless at what the prevailing message was about for its 1:36 running time.

Now, the plot is very easy to ascertain. Night Nanny named Tully helps people navigate the stresses of raising a modern family. But the more personal intimate themes of the unique growing relationship between Marlo and Tully wasn’t as clear. From my perspective it was initially spot on as something modernly probative filled with real emotional complexity bringing along some real cynically clever funny moments about the simultaneous demands of motherhood and being a wife. But as the film progresses along I was left feeling far more unsympathetic as to what was this story - what Marlo's story was all about. 

Tully is a very well-intended about the positive joys that normally emanate from having a family with someone you love in your life. But it's directorial execution of that dynamic as a cross-section story from the perspective of pregnancy – of parenting – of being a wife, seemingly also suggested that as a personal life choice can also be inherently  a warning sign that it will also be grim and harsh with many periods of it filled with overwhelming uncontrollable sadness and exhaustion. The fact is after watching this story I thought this film should also be a poster PSA announcement titled “YOUNG WOMEN OF AMERICA - DON”T EVERY GET EVER PREGNANT”.

Yes, Tully held my attention, but in the end it left me more cold to the idea of what motherhood is about - should be about. It didn’t evoke the right amount of empathy that I think they were aiming for when they started to put words in the screenplay. I walked out of theater feeling oddly that I was less relatable to Marlo’s family life dynamic in the end of the story than I did in the film’s beginning.

In the end Tully wants to be a modern homage to motherhood especially with mother’s day coming soon next week. But the story gets to its appointed destination with a lot of chunkiness and unexplained conversational exchanges that just did make enough sense to this viewer to make it an immediate worth your while recommendation to see in the theater.

2.75 Stars