ANTHONY BREZNICAN wrote:What inspirations will we hear in the music?
It does borrow from traditions that both John [Williams] and George Lucas borrowed from when they made the original Star Wars, you know. George was looking at Flash Gordon, the old serials, and John was looking at [Gustav] Holst and different composers along the way to get a baseline for what he wanted to communicate. There is a wonderful musical language that John put together for the original films. I wanted to honor that vernacular but still do something new with it, something that was still me in a way.
Did you incorporate many elements of John Williams’ score?
I think absolutely there are a couple of times when you want to hit upon something that was from the past. For me, even as a fan, it was about going, “Oh, this particular idea would be great if we did it here. I would want to see that if I were watching a Star Wars movie.” As a kid who grew up with John’s music and who was catapulted in this direction because of what he did, I had a very specific idea of what I wanted to use and how I wanted to use it. That being said, I’d say the score is 95 percent original but with little moments [of Williams’ classic score] here or there to accent. If I were sitting in that seat and I heard that, it would totally raise the hairs on my neck.
Can you describe the opening title theme? Do you use elements of his work there?
It’s done slightly differently here because it’s not one of the saga films, it’s not one of the trilogies. It’s sort of its own thing and the whole idea from the very beginning was these should be standalone movies. So it’s going to be a slightly different way to get things kicked off.
Josh Rottenberg wrote:Unshaven and slightly rumpled, with a laid-back demeanor and dry sense of humor, Gareth Edwards doesn’t instantly strike you as the type of person who would command an army, cinematic or otherwise. But if “Star Wars” has taught us anything, it’s that warriors come from unexpected places.
Growing up in England, the 41-year-old Edwards was inspired to become a filmmaker by his deep passion for George Lucas’ beloved space opera. Now, as the director of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” — the first in a series of planned standalone spin-off films set in the galaxy far, far away, distinct from the ongoing episodic saga — he finds himself a key player in the creative expansion of the franchise.
Set shortly before the events of 1977’s “A New Hope,” “Rogue One,” which hits theaters Dec. 16, chronicles the mission of a ragtag group of rebels to steal the plans to the Empire’s planet-destroying Death Star. Featuring a diverse ensemble cast including Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker and Donnie Yen, the film is the closest thing to a full-on war movie ever seen in the “Star Wars” series, blending the familiar spectacle of interstellar dogfights, droids and laser battles with a gritty cinema verite style, a visceral kind of violence and a degree of moral murkiness new to the franchise.
Getting the film to the finish line was something of a battle in itself. Over the summer, reports emerged that “Rogue One” was undergoing extensive reshoots, with screenwriter Tony Gilroy — who shares final screenwriting credit on the film with Chris Weitz — reportedly being brought in to help iron out issues with the story, including the film’s ending. While reshoots are standard practice on big-budget films, “Star Wars” fans, ever sensitive to the slightest tremors in the Force, aired their worries en masse online.
so sorry wrote:I have my tickets for next week...so I'm outta this thread until then!
Ribbons wrote:The results are in! And they're... on the good side of okay:
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/rogue-one-reviewed-is-it-time-to-abandon-the-star-wars-franchise
(Some of the reviews are more positive than this.) It seems like an emerging feature of Gareth Edwards films is a combination of brilliant visuals and a complete lack of interest and/or facility in creating three-dimensional characters.
Ribbons wrote:(Some of the reviews are more positive than this.) It seems like an emerging feature of Gareth Edwards films is a combination of brilliant visuals and a complete lack of interest and/or facility in creating three-dimensional characters.
Ribbons wrote:The results are in! And they're... on the good side of okay:
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/rogue-one-reviewed-is-it-time-to-abandon-the-star-wars-franchise
(Some of the reviews are more positive than this.) It seems like an emerging feature of Gareth Edwards films is a combination of brilliant visuals and a complete lack of interest and/or facility in creating three-dimensional characters.
Cpt Kirks 2pay wrote:Well, don't ask me how I know, but there is a crashed X Wing part buried in a village/town square on an occupied planet. And Donnie Yen beats up Stormtroopers that outnumber him with a stick-like weapon - despite the fact that he can't see them. So I'm told.
TheButcher wrote:Cpt Kirks 2pay wrote:Well, don't ask me how I know, but there is a crashed X Wing part buried in a village/town square on an occupied planet. And Donnie Yen beats up Stormtroopers that outnumber him with a stick-like weapon - despite the fact that he can't see them. So I'm told.
Kirks you were right ... Tell your sister... you were right...
Cpt Kirks 2pay wrote:TheButcher wrote:Cpt Kirks 2pay wrote:Well, don't ask me how I know, but there is a crashed X Wing part buried in a village/town square on an occupied planet. And Donnie Yen beats up Stormtroopers that outnumber him with a stick-like weapon - despite the fact that he can't see them. So I'm told.
Kirks you were right ... Tell your sister... you were right...
Wow. It talks.
But did you see ME in the film?
When Felicty Jones goes into that town square and is looking for Partisan Rebels to join her cause, there is a shot of 3 men standing there looking shifty, giving suspicious looks. One of them is a big Bounty Hunter. No I'm not him, but I'm to the... left of him, you can just see my eyes.
Fried Gold wrote:Cpt Kirks 2pay wrote:TheButcher wrote:Cpt Kirks 2pay wrote:Well, don't ask me how I know, but there is a crashed X Wing part buried in a village/town square on an occupied planet. And Donnie Yen beats up Stormtroopers that outnumber him with a stick-like weapon - despite the fact that he can't see them. So I'm told.
Kirks you were right ... Tell your sister... you were right...
Wow. It talks.
But did you see ME in the film?
When Felicty Jones goes into that town square and is looking for Partisan Rebels to join her cause, there is a shot of 3 men standing there looking shifty, giving suspicious looks. One of them is a big Bounty Hunter. No I'm not him, but I'm to the... left of him, you can just see my eyes.
It means you can now take part in scifi conventions, selling signed 8x10s.
Fried Gold wrote:Ribbons wrote:(Some of the reviews are more positive than this.) It seems like an emerging feature of Gareth Edwards films is a combination of brilliant visuals and a complete lack of interest and/or facility in creating three-dimensional characters.
Which is strange considering I thought Monsters had three-dimensional characters and wasn't solely about the visuals.
Maybe he's not a director that should have particularly big budgets.
Peven wrote:it seems an emerging feature of people who swallow "industry insider" bullshit over actually watching the movie itself and forming there own opinion instead of being told what to think about a movie. the people I know who saw it last night LOVED it and they are real fans of both the franchise and quality genre movies. i take their opinion a lot more seriously than some random internet reviewer looking to make a name for themselves by acting too cool to be impressed by a Star Wars movie.
Anthony D'Alessandro wrote:6TH UPDATE, 9:54PM: Disney’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is higher than everyone imagined with a Friday that’s grown to $72M, putting the film on course for an opening that’s close to $156M for the three-day weekend at 4,157 theaters.
Like Force Awakens, Rogue One earns an A CinemaScore, and Disney can take that to the bank because the halo of that grade will take this prequel to higher echelons at the holiday B.O.
Should Rogue One stay the course toward its current opening, it will become the 12th highest opening of all-time, the sixth Disney release to open north of $150M and as we’ve always expected — the second best ever for the month of December after Force Awakens all-time record of $247.96M. There’s a chance that Rogue One could fall toward the mid $140Ms, and that wouldn’t be the end of the world. As we mentioned, there’s less kids off school on Monday than a year go and that could impact Sunday’s business.
Director Gareth Edwards has even more bragging rights tonight: Rogue One‘s ‘A’ beats the A-s earned by all the George Lucas prequels (2005’s Revenge of the Sith has the highest FSS at $108M). Currently, Rogue One is playing -37% behind Force Awakens, a trend that started the day at -46% with Disney seeing steady growth through the hours. Rogue One earned straight As throughout all demos with males repping 66% of all ticketbuyers today with 60% over 25. That audience makeup isn’t that far from Force Awakens which hooked 64% guys, 67% over 25. Episode VII also drew A+s in certain pockets (i.e. females, under 25, under 18 and 35-49).
Peven wrote:Saw it today and it was great, best Star Wars movie yet. if only the entire SW franchise could have been done with the same sensibility it would be a science fiction saga on par with LOTR
Fievel wrote:Peven wrote:Saw it today and it was great, best Star Wars movie yet. if only the entire SW franchise could have been done with the same sensibility it would be a science fiction saga on par with LOTR
Unfortunately, the other seven films put it even with the Critters and Universal Soldier franchises in film history.
caruso_stalker217 wrote:Some people are criticizing the Giacchinaoon score. Saying it's bland and uninspired. Eh, I guess I didn't walk out humming any of it and I am not a Giachino fan personally, but I think he nailed the John Williams Starwar sound. He just needs to write some themes to go with it. You're almost there, Gua chnin.
Ribbons wrote:caruso_stalker217 wrote:Some people are criticizing the Giacchinaoon score. Saying it's bland and uninspired. Eh, I guess I didn't walk out humming any of it and I am not a Giachino fan personally, but I think he nailed the John Williams Starwar sound. He just needs to write some themes to go with it. You're almost there, Gua chnin.
I haven't seen the movie yet so I don't know if I will like the score or not, but they brought Giacchino on to write it like five weeks ago. So the guy deserves a little slack, I think.
caruso_stalker217 wrote:"Are you kidding me? I'm blind!"
CARUSO REVIEWS ROGUE WON
This film is some kind of miracle. There are those who will disagree (and probably should) but I think this thing is almost perfect.
First off, from a technical standpoint, ROGUE WON is a marvel. I mean this is just a handsome goddamn picture. This should be up for a fancypants Oscar for Best Looking Picture. Gareth Edwards may be lacking in some areas as a director, but visually he knows his shit.
Some people are criticizing the Giacchinaoon score. Saying it's bland and uninspired. Eh, I guess I didn't walk out humming any of it and I am not a Giachino fan personally, but I think he nailed the John Williams Starwar sound. He just needs to write some themes to go with it. You're almost there, Gua chnin.
Things to write home about:
The "grittier" and "grounded" approach to making a Starwar. For the first time since maybe EMPIRE STRUCK BACK and maybe since never I got the feeling that people really live in this topsy-turvy galaxy. Everything feels appropriately lived in and maybe even a little smelly. These people look like they might possibly stink occasionally. They have real human emotions. They do real human things like shoot good people in the back even when they are supposed to be good too. It's a fine line between good and bad when you can shoot a crippled in the back and still be considered like one of the good guys. Han shoots first? Fuggeddaaboutddid. Child's play. Kiddie stuff. Not-Han Rivierea will shoot you for The Cause. He'll do it much less charismatically too because it's More Real.
2) Almost feels like they had a script for this one. I know that's some faint praise, but in this day and age of Hollywood Blockbuster the concept of the filmmakers actually having some idea about what is actually going to happen in the 200 million dollar film they are making is kind of rare. At least it seems that way. I could drive all sorts of trucks through THE FORCE AWAKENS, and I even liked that one. But they were big trucks, guys. Yuuge. That being said, I'll bet this film doesn't make a fuckload of sense either. But those problems were not apparent to me upon this first viewing. Whereas FORCEAWAKEN left me with all many sorts of questions to ponder like, "Why did any of that happen?"
b) Anybody get a Kurosawa vibe from this thing? Maybe that scene at the beginning where Madds Manimal looks like some kind of badass samurai or something. This ties back to the film being just really fucking nice to look at. They put a lot of effort into this, guys.
3. K-19 was a cool character. A sassy droid who can also beat ass, unlike Threepio who was merely sassy. K-19 is like the badass Threepio. Such a performance from Twodick.
5) For the first time in my life a Starwar made me want to cry. I got misty in a couple scenes. Like when Gin was looking at the Dadogram and getting all emotional as he said some stuff about the Deathstar. It made me want to cry too. Something about a reactor.
6. Preserved continuity in the form Of Jimmy Schmidt and the woman who played Mon Mothma sort of in REVENGE OF THE SITH. It was cool to see the Prequels represented to kind of bridge of the gap between those worlds. Less cool was the cameo by the assholes in the cantina scene from A NEW HOPE. I could've done without our main characters bumping into those guys just so we could say "Oh it's those guys that Obiwan chopped up to death in Episode 4. Cool." Others might disagree but I liked the Threepio and Artoo cameo. It felt organic and it was nice to see them there doing their droid thing.
Donnie Yen) Really there's nothing to add here. I'm glad he's in here. It makes China happy and he's actually playing a cool character who you like. He kicks ass, but does not breakdance unfortunately. I am won with teh Force.
5) Everyone dies (spoiler). Not really everyone, but basically everyone. The people who matter do not live, is what I'm saying. And I think people aren't giving enough of a shit about this. This is Dizney we're talking about. They bought the entire Starwar to pump out these soulless crowdpleasing entertainments and they were totally down with backshooting protagonists, Forest Whitaker as Watto, a big tentacled rape monster, and everyone in the movie dying like a DIRTY DOZEN or SEVEN SAMURAI or something. But even those movies had some of those dudes alive at the end. Not ROGUE WON. They kill all of these fuckers, and I'm glad. It shows that they're a small but crucial part of a bigger story, but they have their place in that story, and their place ends with them all dying horrible yet heroic deaths. It shows that the stakes are high. High enough to die for. The 8-track tape they steal is important enough to sacrifice themselves for. I like that in a film. Especially a 200 million dollar film about robots.
Things that aren't so good and are my primary criticisms of the film:
1) Freakish Paul Walkerfied CGI versions of dead/old people from the original trilogy. I guess I would've been more tolerant of the Tarkin scenes if there had only been one Tarkin scene, but he just kept coming back to be in more scenes. I was like, "Yeah but that's not Peter Cushing. He's dead. This is some kind of computer thing with dead eyes." It wasn't a dealbreaker, but it did take me out of the movie a bit. I definitely preferred the bits with Red Leader, becuase they used actual footage from the 1970s and inserted it into the film. Pretty well done I thought and it was cool to see him again. But the worst offender here is Paul Walkerfied Princess Leia. That was unpleasant to look at. She just looked like a cartoon or something. Unneccesary.
2) One Darth Vader scene too many. His appearance during the Mordor sequence was pretty fucking legit. I liked the stuff of him naked in that goddamn tube, oscured by steam and shit. And then when he strolls out to meet Cape Man. James Earl Jones is sounding pretty old these days and I think they could've pitched his voice a little higher to sound more like '70s Vader, but it was cool to see him in that scene. People don't like that he used a pun, but I thought he was one Bad Hombre in that scene, and the pun worked for me. I must say that I really could have done without his last scene, where he chops up a bunch of dudes. I think it was just an excuse for the filmmakers to have a lightsaber in the movie. I guess it's cool how they showed what the Rebels went through to get that fucking disk to the Princess, but I thougth the scene went on way too long with Vader throwing people with the Force and cutting them down. It was like, "Hey look guys it's Darth Vader isn't he so fucking cool?" Yeah, I guess, but that's not really what the movie is about. You alreadykilled everybody who mattered. This movie isn't about Darth Vader. I liked that they made it so you could see through his little eye goggles a little, just like in A NEW HOPE. They all saw A NEW HOPE, guys. The filmmakers saw that movie and they want you to know it.
3) They should've cut the last minute out of the movie. The Darth Vader stuff and then showing weird Leia. We didn't really need that either. "They gave us hope or whatever," she says. Like we didn't know that. But shit, man. I guess it's not that bad. I just think they could have ended it without that. Because she looked fucking weird.
Also, whose idea was it to end with an iris out followed by the classic Starwar end music? Did not fit this film at all and kinda doesn't gel with the whole concept of a standalone film. End it without the iris and put different music in there. This is not the time for some happy music and shit. Everyone just fucking died.
So there you have it. ROGUE WON A STARWAR TALE. Perfect? No. But almost. Tweak some things. Cut some things. Then it would be. As it stands, this might have just become my favorite Starwar. I liked it much more than THE FORCE AWAKENS, and I really liked THE FORCE AWAKENS.
Forrest Whitaker was kind of the Jar Jar of this movie almost. I don't know what he was going for there.
Hummel from Alcatraz, out.
Ribbons wrote:caruso_stalker217 wrote:Some people are criticizing the Giacchinaoon score. Saying it's bland and uninspired. Eh, I guess I didn't walk out humming any of it and I am not a Giachino fan personally, but I think he nailed the John Williams Starwar sound. He just needs to write some themes to go with it. You're almost there, Gua chnin.
I haven't seen the movie yet ...
Cpt Kirks 2pay wrote:caruso_stalker217 wrote:"Are you kidding me? I'm blind!"
CARUSO REVIEWS ROGUE WON
This film is some kind of miracle. There are those who will disagree (and probably should) but I think this thing is almost perfect.
First off, from a technical standpoint, ROGUE WON is a marvel. I mean this is just a handsome goddamn picture. This should be up for a fancypants Oscar for Best Looking Picture. Gareth Edwards may be lacking in some areas as a director, but visually he knows his shit.
Some people are criticizing the Giacchinaoon score. Saying it's bland and uninspired. Eh, I guess I didn't walk out humming any of it and I am not a Giachino fan personally, but I think he nailed the John Williams Starwar sound. He just needs to write some themes to go with it. You're almost there, Gua chnin.
Things to write home about:
The "grittier" and "grounded" approach to making a Starwar. For the first time since maybe EMPIRE STRUCK BACK and maybe since never I got the feeling that people really live in this topsy-turvy galaxy. Everything feels appropriately lived in and maybe even a little smelly. These people look like they might possibly stink occasionally. They have real human emotions. They do real human things like shoot good people in the back even when they are supposed to be good too. It's a fine line between good and bad when you can shoot a crippled in the back and still be considered like one of the good guys. Han shoots first? Fuggeddaaboutddid. Child's play. Kiddie stuff. Not-Han Rivierea will shoot you for The Cause. He'll do it much less charismatically too because it's More Real.
2) Almost feels like they had a script for this one. I know that's some faint praise, but in this day and age of Hollywood Blockbuster the concept of the filmmakers actually having some idea about what is actually going to happen in the 200 million dollar film they are making is kind of rare. At least it seems that way. I could drive all sorts of trucks through THE FORCE AWAKENS, and I even liked that one. But they were big trucks, guys. Yuuge. That being said, I'll bet this film doesn't make a fuckload of sense either. But those problems were not apparent to me upon this first viewing. Whereas FORCEAWAKEN left me with all many sorts of questions to ponder like, "Why did any of that happen?"
b) Anybody get a Kurosawa vibe from this thing? Maybe that scene at the beginning where Madds Manimal looks like some kind of badass samurai or something. This ties back to the film being just really fucking nice to look at. They put a lot of effort into this, guys.
3. K-19 was a cool character. A sassy droid who can also beat ass, unlike Threepio who was merely sassy. K-19 is like the badass Threepio. Such a performance from Twodick.
5) For the first time in my life a Starwar made me want to cry. I got misty in a couple scenes. Like when Gin was looking at the Dadogram and getting all emotional as he said some stuff about the Deathstar. It made me want to cry too. Something about a reactor.
6. Preserved continuity in the form Of Jimmy Schmidt and the woman who played Mon Mothma sort of in REVENGE OF THE SITH. It was cool to see the Prequels represented to kind of bridge of the gap between those worlds. Less cool was the cameo by the assholes in the cantina scene from A NEW HOPE. I could've done without our main characters bumping into those guys just so we could say "Oh it's those guys that Obiwan chopped up to death in Episode 4. Cool." Others might disagree but I liked the Threepio and Artoo cameo. It felt organic and it was nice to see them there doing their droid thing.
Donnie Yen) Really there's nothing to add here. I'm glad he's in here. It makes China happy and he's actually playing a cool character who you like. He kicks ass, but does not breakdance unfortunately. I am won with teh Force.
5) Everyone dies (spoiler). Not really everyone, but basically everyone. The people who matter do not live, is what I'm saying. And I think people aren't giving enough of a shit about this. This is Dizney we're talking about. They bought the entire Starwar to pump out these soulless crowdpleasing entertainments and they were totally down with backshooting protagonists, Forest Whitaker as Watto, a big tentacled rape monster, and everyone in the movie dying like a DIRTY DOZEN or SEVEN SAMURAI or something. But even those movies had some of those dudes alive at the end. Not ROGUE WON. They kill all of these fuckers, and I'm glad. It shows that they're a small but crucial part of a bigger story, but they have their place in that story, and their place ends with them all dying horrible yet heroic deaths. It shows that the stakes are high. High enough to die for. The 8-track tape they steal is important enough to sacrifice themselves for. I like that in a film. Especially a 200 million dollar film about robots.
Things that aren't so good and are my primary criticisms of the film:
1) Freakish Paul Walkerfied CGI versions of dead/old people from the original trilogy. I guess I would've been more tolerant of the Tarkin scenes if there had only been one Tarkin scene, but he just kept coming back to be in more scenes. I was like, "Yeah but that's not Peter Cushing. He's dead. This is some kind of computer thing with dead eyes." It wasn't a dealbreaker, but it did take me out of the movie a bit. I definitely preferred the bits with Red Leader, becuase they used actual footage from the 1970s and inserted it into the film. Pretty well done I thought and it was cool to see him again. But the worst offender here is Paul Walkerfied Princess Leia. That was unpleasant to look at. She just looked like a cartoon or something. Unneccesary.
2) One Darth Vader scene too many. His appearance during the Mordor sequence was pretty fucking legit. I liked the stuff of him naked in that goddamn tube, oscured by steam and shit. And then when he strolls out to meet Cape Man. James Earl Jones is sounding pretty old these days and I think they could've pitched his voice a little higher to sound more like '70s Vader, but it was cool to see him in that scene. People don't like that he used a pun, but I thought he was one Bad Hombre in that scene, and the pun worked for me. I must say that I really could have done without his last scene, where he chops up a bunch of dudes. I think it was just an excuse for the filmmakers to have a lightsaber in the movie. I guess it's cool how they showed what the Rebels went through to get that fucking disk to the Princess, but I thougth the scene went on way too long with Vader throwing people with the Force and cutting them down. It was like, "Hey look guys it's Darth Vader isn't he so fucking cool?" Yeah, I guess, but that's not really what the movie is about. You alreadykilled everybody who mattered. This movie isn't about Darth Vader. I liked that they made it so you could see through his little eye goggles a little, just like in A NEW HOPE. They all saw A NEW HOPE, guys. The filmmakers saw that movie and they want you to know it.
3) They should've cut the last minute out of the movie. The Darth Vader stuff and then showing weird Leia. We didn't really need that either. "They gave us hope or whatever," she says. Like we didn't know that. But shit, man. I guess it's not that bad. I just think they could have ended it without that. Because she looked fucking weird.
Also, whose idea was it to end with an iris out followed by the classic Starwar end music? Did not fit this film at all and kinda doesn't gel with the whole concept of a standalone film. End it without the iris and put different music in there. This is not the time for some happy music and shit. Everyone just fucking died.
So there you have it. ROGUE WON A STARWAR TALE. Perfect? No. But almost. Tweak some things. Cut some things. Then it would be. As it stands, this might have just become my favorite Starwar. I liked it much more than THE FORCE AWAKENS, and I really liked THE FORCE AWAKENS.
Forrest Whitaker was kind of the Jar Jar of this movie almost. I don't know what he was going for there.
Hummel from Alcatraz, out.
tl/dr
... oh I saw the bit where you wanted to cry. Oh please gimme a break. Over this? Get the fuck outta here. Grow some balls. Cry at Awakenings, a movie that really deserves your tears. Not this fantasy movie where the characters aren't set up well enough to care about when they die, or if you see them properly die at all (Bodhi, Baze I'm looking at you - well not when you died).
caruso_stalker217 wrote:Cpt Kirks 2pay wrote:caruso_stalker217 wrote:"Are you kidding me? I'm blind!"
CARUSO REVIEWS ROGUE WON
This film is some kind of miracle. There are those who will disagree (and probably should) but I think this thing is almost perfect.
First off, from a technical standpoint, ROGUE WON is a marvel. I mean this is just a handsome goddamn picture. This should be up for a fancypants Oscar for Best Looking Picture. Gareth Edwards may be lacking in some areas as a director, but visually he knows his shit.
Some people are criticizing the Giacchinaoon score. Saying it's bland and uninspired. Eh, I guess I didn't walk out humming any of it and I am not a Giachino fan personally, but I think he nailed the John Williams Starwar sound. He just needs to write some themes to go with it. You're almost there, Gua chnin.
Things to write home about:
The "grittier" and "grounded" approach to making a Starwar. For the first time since maybe EMPIRE STRUCK BACK and maybe since never I got the feeling that people really live in this topsy-turvy galaxy. Everything feels appropriately lived in and maybe even a little smelly. These people look like they might possibly stink occasionally. They have real human emotions. They do real human things like shoot good people in the back even when they are supposed to be good too. It's a fine line between good and bad when you can shoot a crippled in the back and still be considered like one of the good guys. Han shoots first? Fuggeddaaboutddid. Child's play. Kiddie stuff. Not-Han Rivierea will shoot you for The Cause. He'll do it much less charismatically too because it's More Real.
2) Almost feels like they had a script for this one. I know that's some faint praise, but in this day and age of Hollywood Blockbuster the concept of the filmmakers actually having some idea about what is actually going to happen in the 200 million dollar film they are making is kind of rare. At least it seems that way. I could drive all sorts of trucks through THE FORCE AWAKENS, and I even liked that one. But they were big trucks, guys. Yuuge. That being said, I'll bet this film doesn't make a fuckload of sense either. But those problems were not apparent to me upon this first viewing. Whereas FORCEAWAKEN left me with all many sorts of questions to ponder like, "Why did any of that happen?"
b) Anybody get a Kurosawa vibe from this thing? Maybe that scene at the beginning where Madds Manimal looks like some kind of badass samurai or something. This ties back to the film being just really fucking nice to look at. They put a lot of effort into this, guys.
3. K-19 was a cool character. A sassy droid who can also beat ass, unlike Threepio who was merely sassy. K-19 is like the badass Threepio. Such a performance from Twodick.
5) For the first time in my life a Starwar made me want to cry. I got misty in a couple scenes. Like when Gin was looking at the Dadogram and getting all emotional as he said some stuff about the Deathstar. It made me want to cry too. Something about a reactor.
6. Preserved continuity in the form Of Jimmy Schmidt and the woman who played Mon Mothma sort of in REVENGE OF THE SITH. It was cool to see the Prequels represented to kind of bridge of the gap between those worlds. Less cool was the cameo by the assholes in the cantina scene from A NEW HOPE. I could've done without our main characters bumping into those guys just so we could say "Oh it's those guys that Obiwan chopped up to death in Episode 4. Cool." Others might disagree but I liked the Threepio and Artoo cameo. It felt organic and it was nice to see them there doing their droid thing.
Donnie Yen) Really there's nothing to add here. I'm glad he's in here. It makes China happy and he's actually playing a cool character who you like. He kicks ass, but does not breakdance unfortunately. I am won with teh Force.
5) Everyone dies (spoiler). Not really everyone, but basically everyone. The people who matter do not live, is what I'm saying. And I think people aren't giving enough of a shit about this. This is Dizney we're talking about. They bought the entire Starwar to pump out these soulless crowdpleasing entertainments and they were totally down with backshooting protagonists, Forest Whitaker as Watto, a big tentacled rape monster, and everyone in the movie dying like a DIRTY DOZEN or SEVEN SAMURAI or something. But even those movies had some of those dudes alive at the end. Not ROGUE WON. They kill all of these fuckers, and I'm glad. It shows that they're a small but crucial part of a bigger story, but they have their place in that story, and their place ends with them all dying horrible yet heroic deaths. It shows that the stakes are high. High enough to die for. The 8-track tape they steal is important enough to sacrifice themselves for. I like that in a film. Especially a 200 million dollar film about robots.
Things that aren't so good and are my primary criticisms of the film:
1) Freakish Paul Walkerfied CGI versions of dead/old people from the original trilogy. I guess I would've been more tolerant of the Tarkin scenes if there had only been one Tarkin scene, but he just kept coming back to be in more scenes. I was like, "Yeah but that's not Peter Cushing. He's dead. This is some kind of computer thing with dead eyes." It wasn't a dealbreaker, but it did take me out of the movie a bit. I definitely preferred the bits with Red Leader, becuase they used actual footage from the 1970s and inserted it into the film. Pretty well done I thought and it was cool to see him again. But the worst offender here is Paul Walkerfied Princess Leia. That was unpleasant to look at. She just looked like a cartoon or something. Unneccesary.
2) One Darth Vader scene too many. His appearance during the Mordor sequence was pretty fucking legit. I liked the stuff of him naked in that goddamn tube, oscured by steam and shit. And then when he strolls out to meet Cape Man. James Earl Jones is sounding pretty old these days and I think they could've pitched his voice a little higher to sound more like '70s Vader, but it was cool to see him in that scene. People don't like that he used a pun, but I thought he was one Bad Hombre in that scene, and the pun worked for me. I must say that I really could have done without his last scene, where he chops up a bunch of dudes. I think it was just an excuse for the filmmakers to have a lightsaber in the movie. I guess it's cool how they showed what the Rebels went through to get that fucking disk to the Princess, but I thougth the scene went on way too long with Vader throwing people with the Force and cutting them down. It was like, "Hey look guys it's Darth Vader isn't he so fucking cool?" Yeah, I guess, but that's not really what the movie is about. You alreadykilled everybody who mattered. This movie isn't about Darth Vader. I liked that they made it so you could see through his little eye goggles a little, just like in A NEW HOPE. They all saw A NEW HOPE, guys. The filmmakers saw that movie and they want you to know it.
3) They should've cut the last minute out of the movie. The Darth Vader stuff and then showing weird Leia. We didn't really need that either. "They gave us hope or whatever," she says. Like we didn't know that. But shit, man. I guess it's not that bad. I just think they could have ended it without that. Because she looked fucking weird.
Also, whose idea was it to end with an iris out followed by the classic Starwar end music? Did not fit this film at all and kinda doesn't gel with the whole concept of a standalone film. End it without the iris and put different music in there. This is not the time for some happy music and shit. Everyone just fucking died.
So there you have it. ROGUE WON A STARWAR TALE. Perfect? No. But almost. Tweak some things. Cut some things. Then it would be. As it stands, this might have just become my favorite Starwar. I liked it much more than THE FORCE AWAKENS, and I really liked THE FORCE AWAKENS.
Forrest Whitaker was kind of the Jar Jar of this movie almost. I don't know what he was going for there.
Hummel from Alcatraz, out.
tl/dr
... oh I saw the bit where you wanted to cry. Oh please gimme a break. Over this? Get the fuck outta here. Grow some balls. Cry at Awakenings, a movie that really deserves your tears. Not this fantasy movie where the characters aren't set up well enough to care about when they die, or if you see them properly die at all (Bodhi, Baze I'm looking at you - well not when you died).
So did you get cut out of this too?
Peven wrote:quantum entanglement. get with the 21st century you philly neanderthal![]()
there are rebuttals to most of your complaints but this is the first day of my Christmas break and I just don't feel like it
so sorry wrote:Peven wrote:quantum entanglement. get with the 21st century you philly neanderthal![]()
there are rebuttals to most of your complaints but this is the first day of my Christmas break and I just don't feel like it
I know most of my complaints can be explained away with "its a SW movie" and that's acceptable. I guess my overall beef is that a more adult-themed movie could have had a more plausible plot. I can't let go of stupid shit like the fact that the only way to maneuver a giant signal tower is to go outside of a giant building and pull levers while standing on a precarious scaffolding hanging 40 feet away. It didn't have to be that dumb, I'm sure they could have figured out something more grounded and yet still (supposed to be) thrilling. Instead I just got a bunch of face-palm moments... again, I know its just me, and that's fine.
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