Star Wars, Geek Culture, and Power Converters
If you only see one film this summer, make sure it’s Pacific Rim. It’s a rare film with a decently diverse cast that completely delivers with its high stakes mecha-alien battles while remaining fun all the while. This is a film that’s not just about giant robot battles though: it’s about people. I feel comfortable saying that Pacific Rim is the best film of the summer.
Mild Spoilers beneath the cut
Marvel.com just announced that Robert Downey Jr. has signed a two picture deal to return as Iron Man for Avengers 2 and 3. This is on the heels of rumors that RDJ had been balking at returning as Tony Stark due to pay concerns for his other Marvel co-stars.
Other people have been looking forward to Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, Pacific Rim, or any of a number of other blockbusters coming out the summer.
But today is shiny and perfect because today, ladies and gentlemen, is Star Trek day, and if I have one thing to say to you all it is this:
Go see this movie. RIGHT NOW. I know, a lot of the reviews have been bad, but really, I don’t know if these people were watching the same film I watched this afternoon.
SPOILER ALERT – THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, INCLUDING A SYNOPSIS OF THE FILM – YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Ready for a wild ride? Continue reading
No trailer is complete without Harrison Ford glaring at something, I say.
So we’ve got both this and Catching Fire hitting theaters in November. It’s going to be a good month for movies, I’m thinking.
Probably my most anticipated movie of the year is The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (which shouldn’t be surprising considering how much Brian and I talked about the series on the podcast when we first read the books). Last night, MTV aired the “exclusive” teaser trailer during their annual movie awards. For those of you (like me) who didn’t bother staying up that late, you can watch it now online.
Personally, I’m really enjoying getting more of Snow in the films. He’s got that creepy Palpatine vibe that I find so repulsive yet so compelling. And since the books are told in first person POV, it’s nice to see what else is going on outside of Katniss’s world. It makes the story bigger and more compelling.
Just when we thought Disney couldn’t get any more awesome: Disney and Pixar announce that Dory, Nemo, and Marlin will be swimming back into theatres in 2015 in Finding Dory.
Lest you think that this is an April Fool’s joke that didn’t catch on until today, fear not. Deadline.com reported that Pixar had started work on a Finding Nemo sequel back in July 2012.
As for what’s going to happen, MTV.com has offered a quote from returning director Andrew Stanton on what Finding Dory will entail:
One thing we couldn’t stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met Marlin. In ‘Finding Dory,’ she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.
Finding Dory is expected in theatres 25 November 2015.
Lately we’ve been talking a lot about continuity and canon and multiverses on the blog. But with Disney buying Star Wars, I think it’s time to face the fact that our fandom isn’t going to cater to hardcore fans any longer–the ones like us, who blog and podcast just for the fun of it, the ones who have seen the movies ad nauseum, the ones who go to conventions. No, it’s time for Disney to focus on a new frontier of fan–those who haven’t seen any Star Wars films. Only then can Disney truly begin its era from a blank slate, not only without any Expanded Universe knowledge bogging down new projects, but also the pesky film backstory as well.
I asked my good friend Lisa what she’d like to see in the Sequel Trilogy. She was kind enough to write the following editorial for us. There’s no denying her insights are mind-boggling. We can only hope that J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt take some of her ideas to heart. – Nanci
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No one is denying how epic the movies in the Star Wars universe can be. I just think we can all agree that a new set of movies is the perfect time to shift the scope to smaller, more personal stories. Working on a smaller scale will also help them move toward featuring fan-favorite characters who haven’t had enough screentime in the past.
Not to mention that while the star wars themselves are a serious topic, there is plenty of room in the ‘verse for humor. Every movie doesn’t have to be Fate and Choice and War and Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! As a veritable Star Wars expert, I think it’s finally my turn to throw my hat in the ring with a few ideas for movies that should absolutely become part of the next trilogy.
Imagine Eddie Murphy’s head under there and Fett gets even more amazing.
Bounty Hunters: We Do Need Their Scum
Everyone’s favorite bounty hunters take the lead: I know Boba Fett gets all of the attention (probably due to his admittedly impressive accordion skills and theme song), but there’s a lot more to these bounty hunters than meets the eye. If we gather them all together for a family reunion, there’s bound to be enough drama (and let’s be honest- explosions) for a dozen movies. Depending on when in the timeline it’s set, the story could tie in with events from the earlier movies or be something completely new. Humor, adventure, bickering with the clone you raised as your own child…it’s basically everything movie audiences are looking for. Bonus point: they can cast Eddie Murphy as all of the Fetts!
Han and Leia: The Disney Version
Disney’s newest princess will definitely kick ass and take names: Star Wars is a timeless tale that will be passed down to our children and our children’s children, much in the same way that classic fairy tales were passed down to us- through catchy songs and an unstoppable marketing team.. Now that Disney has their hand in the pot, it’s only natural for their newest princess to get her own animated feature, complete with musical numbers. Leia is perfect for the new, snarkier direction Disney’s been taking their animated features in, and Han Solo is absolutely the love interest our daughters deserve. Besides, let’s be honest here- fairy tales don’t really count until Disney tells us they do. Bonus point: hook those fake nerd girls while they’re young!
Stormtroopers in Love
Now imagine they’re kissing!
The stormtrooper rom-com we’ve all been waiting for: They are, by far, the most ubiquitous characters in the Star Wars universe, but how much do we actually know about the stormtroopers? I’m not talking about things like their collective inability to hit a target or the fact that they’re all named Harry. That’s the simple stuff. We need to go deeper, if they’re going to get their own feature. We need to learn the important things, like their hopes, their dreams, and their workout regimen. At the end of the day, I think they want what we all want- to find love and gluten-free desserts in an uncivilized world. Isn’t it time they got it? Bonus point: finally, a Star Wars movie you can see with your girlfriend!
Crossover Appeal
Once the Star Wars cinematic universe is established as an undeniable part of our movie culture, even to the people who for some crazy reason have never seen a Star Wars movie, it’ll be time for the franchise crossovers to begin. My personal votes are for the Fast and the Furious (2 Fast Tatooine Furious?) or Step Up (a wookiee vs. stormtrooper dance fight will literally end all war on this planet) franchises, but there are so many possibilities out there!
The crossover that’s been waiting to happen.
Note: I will not be surprised if Episode VII bulldozes the entire post-Return of the Jedi era Expanded Universe. But that’s not the point of this post.
Lately I’ve been seeing people argue that Episode VII can’t and shouldn’t use elements from the Expanded Universe, else the story idea will be limited. I certainly understand that argument. Also, we already know that Episode VII will follow an original storyline, meaning Episodes VII, VIII, and IX won’t be The Thrawn Trilogy or some other EU book. People point to that statement as evidence that the Sequel Trilogy won’t use anything from the EU, because it would be too difficult to explain who these new characters are.
To that, I say bullshit.
Is it May yet?