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The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2018)
Hypocrites United
Nothing that we didn't already know. Hollywood in true Hollywood fashion hi-jacks the trendy social cause of the day and dedicates one of its annual pat-ourselves-on-the-back shows to it. A list of people toss out one-liners about how female directors are underrepresented in Hollywood, while not naming any woman who is on par with Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, or Ridley Scott. FYI, you don't need a penis to be nominated for an award, you just have to be good at what you do.
Concerning all of the "Me Too" and "Time's Up" talk, let's be real. This industry was built on the objectification of women (and men), and has pushed the limits of acceptable sexual content from the beginning. Yet, its representatives want to turn around and ask why so many women are being assaulted and harassed? That would be like Sylvester Stallone making Rambo then speaking out for gun control. Furthermore, is any one really convinced that these people have been oblivious to the sexual misconduct that has been going on for decades? Do you mean to tell me that women like Oprah, Meryl Streep, and Jennifer Anniston aren't popular and/or powerful enough to speak up about this type of thing without repercussions? How about all of those self-righteous men in the audience who never stood up for the women in Hollywood? Of course, this is the industry that hailed Hugh Hefner as a great man and revolutionary after his death in the midst of this entire movement, despite spending his life building a company that was dedicated to the objectification of women.
There was a time when we could say,"I don't have to agree with the politics of the actors to enjoy their films." Well, considering most films released in the past year have some sort of PC/SJW message as opposed to good filmmaking, it's becoming difficult to draw that distinction.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Not the worst film, but......
I'll try to make this review quick.
The Good:
- Good effects and visuals
- Fairly solid story
- A couple of interesting scenes (Ren stops a blaster bolt, Ren reads minds)
- A couple of interesting characters (Kylo, Poe)
- Sets the stage for some potentially interesting developments in the next installment.
The Bad:
- Unoriginal, rehashed story. This is "A New Hope: The Remix".
- Little character development.
- Character personalities are inconsistent. Is Fin a jokey millennial or a serious defector struggling with the past?
- Ideological inconsistencies. Fin doesn't like war and killing, yet kills storm troopers whom he once worked with.
- Mary Sue. Rey starts as an interesting character, but quickly becomes boring when we realize that she's good at everything.
- Star Wars mythological inconsistencies. Apparently, any one can become a Jedi with literally no training, and go toe-to-toe with a trained Sith.
- Wasted characters (Phasma)
- Marvel Universe style script. Star Wars has maintained a certain speaking style throughout the saga, and this film shoots for a modern, millennial style that is completely out of place in the franchise.
- Comedic vibe. There is little or no seriousness to the film; everything is a joke.
There are other things I didn't care for, but that would take all day to get in to. The film is better production-wise than Episode 2, and far less cringe worthy, but I think the prequels in general still maintained the heart and soul of Star Wars, despite their shortfalls. This film, however, feels more like a Star Trek film more than Star Wars; a little too much Sci-fi, not enough fantasy.
Rogue One (2016)
What Episode 7 and 8 should have been.
I'll be plain with this review: this film fills the void that was created by Episode 7, and now Episode 8.
To point out some of the negatives, the script is pretty basic, but on par with every other Star Wars film, so it works. The use of CGI characters may annoy some viewers as it is done quite a bit, but thankfully it is done well enough to not stand out. In fact, I would say that it would not be noticeable other than the fact that we know the actors are deceased or just older than what the film portrays. Finally, there are a few "Easter eggs" and nostalgic elements which makes the film a little too self-aware at times, but far fewer and more relevant than what we see in Episode 7 and 8.
With that said, the rest of the film is excellent. The plot is solid, the characters are interesting and unique, the film is well paced, the humor is actually funny but fitting for a Star Wars film, and the seriousness of the story is never lost. The action sequences are well choreographed and fun to watch, and the ending leaves the viewer feeling satisfied. Some actors/characters that had been part of the prequels made an appearance, which was nice to see; I don't like the idea of "forgetting" that the prequels happened.
I remember feeling a bit speechless and shocked when the credits rolled, because I had actually set my expectations really low thanks to the "Episode 7 Effect". Once I came back to reality, I felt a sense of hope that a fantastic Star Wars film was still possible. I personally believe that this is one of the top 3 Star Wars films ever made.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Few redeaming qualities....
As a stand alone film, this movie is a 6.8 at best, mostly due to cinematography and a few good actors. When you take into consideration 40 years of storytelling, countless novels, comics, and fan fiction to use as reference material, and surviving cast and crew members who have considered the future of the saga, there is no reason to give this film anything higher than a 5. Combine all of that with one of the most (perhaps the most?) lucrative and successful production companies of all time (Disney), and this film should have been gold.
I won't go into all of the details, as most other reviewers have covered all of that. I will say that the biggest disappointment is not simply the direction that the writers and director took with the story. After all, no one really knows what is "supposed" to happen after RotJ, though we have speculated for years; the creators are free to create a story that they see fit. However, one would assume that that story would have some consistency and bare some resemblance to the universe that had been previously created; this film does not do that. It is as if the writers completely disregarded the existence of every previous installment.
I was not a fan of Episode 7, and gave it plenty of criticism. However, just as people who were disappointed with Episode 1 later found many redeeming qualities, I learned to focus on the positives of 7 and hope that some of the kinks would be ironed out in the next film, being Episode 8. However, this film seems to ignore all of the things that were established only one episode prior. The biggest questions such as Rey's parents, the Knights of Ren, who Snoke is, etc., are either not answered or quickly dismissed. New characters that seemed so menacing in 7 are either bumbling idiots or unintimidating, such as Snoke, Ren, Hux, and the wasted Phasma. If the film had stayed consistent within its own trilogy, it could have been good (not great), but it takes a huge step backward. Perhaps the biggest redeeming quality of 7 was that it had a fairly solid story/plot, and that it was enjoyable to watch as a stand alone film, but Episode 8 fails in plot, story, acting, script, and as a continuation of the saga.
To be fair, there were a few redeeming qualities. I think Mark Hamill's performance was good, though I disagree with how his character was written. The scene featuring Rey and Kylo in the throne room is very enjoyable and features a cooperation that we have never seen before in a Star Wars film. Finally, as unpopular as it may be to say this, I actually like Poe's character, and find him to be the most consistent and enjoyable of this film and the last.
If I were to sum up what this film reminds me of, it would be a combination of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Independence Day: Resurgence, neither of which were very good (especially the latter). However, due to all of the material that was at the writers' disposal, I have to rate this film well below those two mediocre efforts, and give it a well earned 4/10.