5 Things Disney Has To Do To Make A Good Star Wars Movie

 I love Star Wars. It's my favorite film series of all time. I even like the prequels... Oh that's right, I said it. Even the prequels. I'm such a Star Wars nerd that I know how many main engines are on a Star Destroyer (it's 3) and I even know what planet Han Solo is from (its Corellia). So as you can imagine when I heard that there was going to be not only a Star Wars VII but stand alone movies about Han, Yoda, and Boba Fett, let's just say I got excited. REALLY EXCITED. Now that's not to say I didn't have reservations about it as well. I knew just how bad these movies could end up being cause we already have had bad Star Wars movies (I know I said I like the prequels but I do realize they suck. They're really guilty pleasures.). There are certain key elements that Disney must include in order to make Star Wars movies that can bring the magic that the originals brought to the big screen. And I'm going to tell you what those elements are. Here are the top 5 things Disney has to do to make a good Star Wars movie, by yours truly.

5. Include characters from the original trilogy: This has kind of been confirmed with the news that Harrison Ford is in talks to come back as Han. All we would need than, obviously, would be Fisher, Hamill, Dee- Williams, and Mayhew. I wouldn't mind seeing Daniels as C3PO and Baker as R2D2 again but in all honesty they don't NEED to be in it. If all these characters come back though, they shouldn't be the focus of the story. They should just be side characters sort of like mentors maybe to the other characters. Now obviously if they decide to put the sons and daughters of these characters in the movies than they would fit into the mentor roles seamlessly, but if the main characters end up being maybe Jedi than Luke would fit nicely into a Yoda- like role with Han and Leia just being allies (I kind of like this angle).

4. Make a movie for both parents and children: The original Star Wars came out almost forty years ago. Most fans of the series are parents by now with kids of their own who probably like the prequels while the parents stand by the originals. Probably the hardest thing this movie has to accomplish is to make a Star Wars that both generations of fans will love. One way of doing this would be to have the story have something to do with the new Jedi order that Luke forms. It would have the best things from both trilogies, good story and plot from the originals and the cool Jedi from the prequels, cause let's face it, that's really all the prequels had going for them.

3.Have ONE main villain for the whole trilogy: A big problem that the prequels have is that they have just too many villains. Yeah their all interesting and cool but it really bogs down the series when you have to introduce a new villain in each movie. It also really lessens the affect of the villain. For example, Count Dooku has a very interesting back story but it's only known to the viewer through dialogue. If Lucas were smarter, Dooku would have been a character in The Phantom Menace so that it could have been a surprise when he went to the dark side. He also would have been a much better and more fleshed out character and foreshadow to Anakin.

2. No Jar Jar: ...Self explanatory.

1. There has to be an actual war happening: It doesn't seem like it should be that big of a thing to bring up but this is one of the big reasons the prequels suck. I mean there isn't a war going on in episodes 1 and 2. No war. In a Star WARS movie. It's right in the fucking title for God's sake and yet Lucas thought it would be best to not have an actual war go on in the first two prequels and instead show a little whinny bitch cry about his bad dreams. Revenge of the Sith got better cause after two whole movies they finally got to the goddamn Clone Wars. It's pretty amazing actually that this point even has to be brought up but there it is. If we had had episodes 1 and 2 actually be about The Clone Wars as a whole the prequels probably would have been a lot better than they were (I can dream).

Well that's my two cents on it. They have a really good team working on episode VII and the stand alone movies that are planned so I'm optimistic. J.J. is a great choice to direct and Michael Arndt has proven that he can write characters and stories very well, and really that's what Star Wars is about. 2015 is a ways off and while I don't exactly know where life might take me by than, I do know that at midnight on it's release date I'll be right in that audience wearing my TIE fighter shirt and waving a lightsaber, ready to once again be taken to a galaxy far far away.

Netflix Reviews: Road To Perdition

 While browsing through Netflix I came across the Sam Mendes page and noticed that he made some films that I hadn't realized he made. Among them were Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, Away We Go, and Road To Perdition. The only things I heard about Road To Perdition before watching it were that it starred Tom Hanks, was based on a graphic novel, and that it was very underrated. I wasn't even aware that Mendes directed it. So I thought what the hell and put it on my queue. Now that I've finally watched it, I can honestly say that it has become one of my favorite movies of all time.

Road To Perdition stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig, Jude Law, and Stanley Tucci. Hanks plays a hitman for the mob in the 1930s. His boss, played by Paul Newman, thinks of Hanks like a son, even though he already has a son whose played by Daniel Craig. Hanks' character, Michael, is also married and has two sons. When his oldest son discovers that his dad kills for the mob, Craig's character, Connor, decides that he may tell people about what he saw and goes after Michael's wife and younger son. With the mob on his tail including an assassin, played by Jude Law, Michael tries to stay alive, and will do anything to make sure no harm comes to his son.

Let me start off by saying that film looks absolutely beautiful. This was famed cinematographer Conrad L. Hall's final film before his death in 2003 and it just may be his best work. He also worked on Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, and American Beauty, among other films. One scene in particular is that of one of the final ones in the film with Hanks and Newman in the rain. It's gorgeous and executed brilliantly.

Now I must admit I've only seen one film of Sam Mendes' and that's Skyfall but after watching that it immediately made me a fan of his and this film launched him into my favorites. He does a fantastic job hear, every shot is beautiful and every interaction is gripping. He totally gets the heart of the story and brings it out front and center, the relationships between fathers and sons. And not just between Hanks and his son but also Paul Newman and Daniel Craig. Both pairs start out about the same at the beginning but as the film goes on they become complete foils of each other, mainly Hanks' son and Craig.

Craig is basically what Hanks' son could be depending on what path he chooses to take with his life. Follow in his father's footsteps, or lead a good life away from crime and murder. This is an important point to the film and stays with it throughout all the way up to an ending that could have been ruined easily if Mendes were to let the son do something instead of Hanks. (Trying to keep it as spoiler free as I can.)

The cast is simply spectacular. I love seeing Tom Hanks in more gritty kinds of roles like this and he shines as the lead. Paul Newman is of course brilliant and does a great job as the mob boss. Jude Law plays a different role than his usual mo here as well and he is creepy and intimidating, just as he should be. Daniel Craig plays the scolded son just trying to earn his father's approval very well and shows that even back in 2002 he had amazing acting chops. Tyler Hoechin plays Hanks' son, Michael Jr, and even he does very well here too. The cast as a whole gives an amazing performance.

I'm kind of a sucker for father son stories that include  both a literal journey and metaphorical journey i.e. The Road, and this one is also fully developed and realized. The relationship that evolves between the two is really very touching to watch. The film even manages to bring some humor into it as well when the relationship really starts to bud.

I mentioned this before but the film really reminds me of Shawshank Redemption. Not just in reputation, but in plot and tone. Hell even some shots were almost exact. There's a beach scene that resembles Shawshank in such a way that it made think I knew exactly what was going to happen and yet the film still surprised me.

Road To Perdition is just an amazing film. Everything about it is just damn near perfect. The look, the story, the acting, the themes, even the music all of it just works and fits together so well that it makes a very brilliant and a very different kind of gangster movie. It was totally underrated in it's time and deserved way more nominations, if not awards themselves, then it got. I'm just happy that I got to see it and that this beautiful gem didn't fly under my radar. 

 FINAL GRADE: A+

The Cinema Lounge: Hitchcock

Good evening. Tonight we will be talking about Alfred Hitchcock, the legendary director known as the master of suspense. He's made such classics as Rear Window, Vertigo, North By Northwest, and Psycho. He is considered by many as one of the greatest directors of all time by many, including myself. The film Hitchcock follows the notorious director as he makes the film, he's probably most famous for, Psycho.

Hitchcock stars Anthony Hopkins as the man himself, Helen Mirren as his troubled but faithful wife, Scarlett Johanson as Janet Leigh, and Jessica Biel as Vera Miles. The film was directed by Sacha Gervasi. This is Gervasi's second film after the documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil. He has however written a few films as well including the Steven Spielberg helmed film The Terminal.

As I mentioned, the film centers on Hitchcock's time while making Psycho. It also explores his relationship with his wife, Alma, which really is the main focus of film. This kind of caught everyone off guard I think cause the trailers pointed tot the real focus of the film being completely about the making of Psycho. Now technically it could be argued that this is the main focus but the heart of the movie lies with the relationship between Hitchcock and Alma.

 I really enjoyed this film and I feel it's very underrated. For his first film Gervasi  does a very good job at making it seem as though Hitchcock himself had a hand in making this. The performances by everyone is stellar. Anthony Hopkins does a fine job at playing the film legend. He captures the essence of the man while being able to make it a character of his own. The lovely Scarlett Johanson plays off Hopkins well and their relationship touches on one of the many obsessive tendencies that Hitchcock had. The true stand out of the film is Helen Mirren who does an exceptional job as Alma.

The biggest problem with the film is the writing. It is at times predictable and has some tired cliches throughout it. It also has problems with tone but I felt that it wasn't that much of a problem and if you like some more macabre humor, which you should if you're seeing a film about Alfred Hitchcock, than you shouldn't have that big of a problem with it.

This film explores something that I've always had a personal interest in: fame and the effects of it on the famous and their loved ones. Alfred Hitchcock is now considered one of the greatest directors of all time and yet this film shows that he never felt good enough. There's a line Hopkins has in it which states "I just want them to tell me I'm good enough". I think this is a fear that all people in the film industry have and this film is all about that. Not only being good enough in the eyes of your peers and the industry but also in the eyes of your loved ones, in his case Alma.

I wish this got more recognition because anyone who's a fan of Hitchcock would find this movie at the very least interesting. However with it's terrific performances by a great cast and it's top notch directing by a reletive new comer I feel it was not only interesting but also very entertaining. I leave you with the words of the great master himself and bid you all, good evening.

FINAL GRADE: A-

Reruns: The Sopranos

Welcome back to, the newly renamed segment, Reruns. On this installment we will be looking at another television series that is considered by many, me included, as possibly the best. Known for its language, violence, brilliant writing and directing, gabbagool, and Italians. Lots and lots of Italians. I am of course talking about the HBO series The Sopranos.

The Sopranos spawned from the mind of David Chase. Before he created the New Jersey mafia show he was sort of vaguely known in television for some mediocre kinds of shows that for the most part were short lived. Though in the 90s he came to HBO with and idea that no one had any faith in,  not even himself. But when the Sopranos debuted in 1999 it was an instant hit.

The series centers on New Jersey mafia boss Tony Soprano as he deals with business, personal life, and the struggles of balancing both. Right off the bat the show was different from any other mafia project ever done. For one thing it showed the in struggles and turmoil that a mafia boss actually goes through and it gets very personal. The series is also unbelievably well written with a lot of depth to it.

I got into The Sopranos in only this past year and one of the first things I noticed was the similarities to Breaking Bad. Both shows are probably the best of their times and go way beyond your average television drama. They're made more like films and each are made with visuals and dialogue that have much deeper meanings than what they construe on the surface. One aspect of this that is very interesting is from season two on Tony experiences different visions and dreams of remorse for killing his long time ally Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero. They are done in very subtle ways and it's not just about Big Pussy... Ahem. One thing the show is known for is it's very cryptic dream sequences as well, and I could spend hours talking about those and the meanings of them so just know that they are brilliant and that they alone are worth watching the show for.

On to the cast. Being that this is a mafia show obviously people die. This allowed for a lot of characters to be featured and they all deserve to be talked about so I'll try to touch upon most of them shortly.Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is the main focus of the show. His "family" family consists of Carmela (Edie Falco) his loving and sometimes troubling wife, A.J. (Robert Iler) his son who I despise, Medow (Jamie-Lynn Singler) his smart and attractive daughter, and his over baring mother Livia (Nancy Marchand). Unfortunately Nancy Marchand died in 2000 so obviously her character was killed off as well but I'll talk about that more later.

As far as Tony's "business" family there are tons of colorful and entertaining characters. There are a few who spill over from his actual family into this category as well. Junior Soprano (Dominic Cianese) is Tony's uncle and for a time was the boss of the family, Janis Soprano (Aida Turturro)
Tony's sister who always somehow got involved in the business one way or another, Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) who is considered Tony's nephew even though he's actually a cousin by marriage. Tony's actual gang consists of Paulie (Tony Sirico), Silvio (Steve Van Zant), Big Pussy (Vincent Pastore), Bobby Bacala (Steve Schirripa), and for a time Ralph (Joe Pantoliano). There is also one more key person in Tony's life that is his therapist through out the series Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco).

The cast as a whole is phenomenal. They all have great chemistry with each other and are hilarious and threatening when ever they need to be, but on top of that every character in the show truly is endearing. You really care about each and everyone of these characters, even the scumbag ones like Ralph. By the way the episode entitled "Whoever Did This" is one of the best of the series and has a terrific performance by Pantoliano in it. Lorraine Bracco is also extremely good throughout the series and has some of the best parts of it. And of course James Gandolfini is perfect in the lead role.

One other thing about the series that's pretty fascinating is the very odd choices it often makes. For as many of the brilliant moments in writing and directing shown in the series there are some bizarre things going on too. This brings me back to Nancy Marchand. I mentioned that she had died in 2000 and before that the producers of the series seemed to have no intention of killing off her character any time soon. So naturally when she died in real life her character died as well. One would assume that the producers would just have the character die off screen in the next season and have a nice send off to the actress and character. However they took a very weird turn and instead CGI'd her into one last scene with Tony where they use old dialogue clips that made no sense to be in that scene. The end result was eerie, weird, confusing, a bit insensitive, and bizarre.  A few other wierd moments like this pop up in the series during it's run.

The Sopranos ran for six seasons with the last one being split into two parts. As a whole the entire series is one of the greatest television shows of all time. It was one of the first to really go beyond just being a T.V. show and was very smart, inventive, and utterly brilliant. Every other cable drama on afterwards was based on this. Not only was it one of the first of it's kind but in my opinion it's the best drama series ever created.

Thank you once again for joining me on Reruns. When we return we will take a look at show involving a weird magic island, black smoke that kills people, and a shit ton of questions with a few answers.

Netflix Reviews: The Watch

Okay so I've finally seen the critically panned comedy The Watch. When this first came out I was actually looking forward to seeing it. I mean it starred some of the funniest guys in the business today plus it was the first prominent American film role for Richard Ayoade who some may know from the British comedy show The IT Crowd. What I'm saying is, it had potential.

The Watch stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, and Will Forte. The plot centers around a small town that has been invaded by aliens that kill people and wear their skin to blend in. Ben Stiller's character, Evan, takes it upon himself to form a neighborhood watch to protect the town from the alien invaders.

In all honesty, I didn't think this movie was that bad when I was watching it. It had some funny lines and the cast was decent enough. Probably the biggest problem is it doesn't leave a lasting impression really. It's not a quotable kind of film either like Anchorman or Dodge ball, though it does aspire to be. 

It kind of reminds of the movie Role Models. Both have some good ideas and both got some laughs out of me. Not huge laughs, mind you, but a few here and there. Both also don't live up to their full potential and could be really hilarious but just end up being okay.

It's definitely not as bad as all the reviews for it say but it could've been better. The characters are likeable enough, though Vaughn can get a bit annoying after awhile. Do I recomend it? Not exactly but if you're a fan of the cast and debating on whether or not to see it, I say go for it. You come away with a few laughs at the very least. If you want a hilarious comedy though I'd go with 21 Jump Street which was the funniest comedy of the year.

FINAL GRADE: C

The Cinema Lounge: Mama

 Before going into this movie I decided I was gonna have a little drinking game going while I watched. The game was very simple, take a drink every time the word mama was said or seen on screen. Now unfortunately for me I had no alcohol on me at the time so I just used water instead to see how long it would take for me to finish my drink. Took about a little over half the movie for one water bottle. However if I had come prepared and brought a large bottle of whiskey with me it would've been gone in the last thirty minutes. Anyway, let's dive in.

Mama is a horror film produced by Guillermo del Toro and is directed by Andres Muschietti in his first feature length directorial effort. The film came about when del Toro saw Muschietti's short film that the movie is based on. Del Toro being impressed he decided that the short film was worthy of a feature length counter part. Now I've seen the short film and if that alone impressed del Toro, than the man is easily impressed.

The cast is a pretty decent one. Jessica Chastain stars in the lead role hot off the success of her Oscar nominated performance in the, over- hyped, Zero Dark Thirty. She does a fantastic job here as well playing a rather different part from any previous roles. She's accompanied by Nikolaj Coster- Waldau who plays her... boyfriend? fiancee? husband? I don't know it's not exactly clear but he does a fine job as well. Or at least until he's sidelined for most of the movie. Seriously, what's with these Jessica Chastain movies where the lead male has a big presence in the first thirty minutes but then just leaves for most of it and then pops back up at the end? I'm seeing a pattern here.

As far as the two little girls in the movie go, they do an okay job. Although they do stretch the boundary between cute and annoying a little to often. The older one, the character's name is Victoria, does most of the talking while the the younger one, Lily, is just there to creep everybody the fuck out.

Now on to Mama herself, or itself or whatever. Mama is basically just a ghost. One of the big problems with the film is that it's more of the same. It just copies every other modern ghost movie in ideas and images. Her design is where this is most apparent. I think back to The Woman In Black, a film that I very much enjoyed, and I remember the look of the ghost. In that it wasn't so much how vivid in detail or how great the effects were, cause they were maybe only a little better than Mama's, but it was how it was shot and it really created great fear and tension when ever the ghost was looming over a scene. In Mama, however, the ghost is reduced to nothing but shitty jump scares and effects that aren't good enough to show for long periods of time like they do.

The film does have a few good things going for it though. Jessica Chastain is great in this and she keeps the movie watchable. A few of the scares are decent enough, but only a few. The rest of the film is either average or just down right idiotic and lame. And the ending is so dumb, it was honestly hard for me not to get up, give the screen the finger, shout "Fuck you movie.", and leave.

It suffers from not only being a horror movie rated PG-13 but also from living in an age where CGI is over used. Now I personally do like CGI but only when it needs to be used and is so good you can barely believe it's not real i.e. 2009's Star Trek. CGI in a horror movie just doesn't work when the villain is all computer. Not only does it look bad but psychologically it's just not scary because you know for a fact that there's nothing there. I also feel CGI blood is a sin against nature, but one step at a time.

I felt that the movie deserved about a C for most it, but the ending brought it down enormously. It's kind of a shame cause I haven't seen a good del Toro produced horror movie in a long time. Here hoping that the awesome looking Evil Dead remake is as good as that trailer for it is. If you haven't seen it yet, get on over to Youtube and watch it cause you're in for a good time.

FINAL GRADE: D

The Cinema Lounge: The Last Stand

Well it's been about a decade since the governator has been in the role as lead action hero. His last true outing in the genre was in Terminator 3 then he went on to bigger things when he became the governor of California. Now he's back in the Jee-woon Kim directed action movie, The Last Stand.

The Last Stand centers around a sheriff from a small town on the Texas/ Mexico border. Along with him are his three deputies who are used to a simple life as far police work goes being that nothing ever really happens in their quaint little town. The sheriff is on his weekend off while most of the occupants of the town go with the high school football team to an out of town game. Meanwhile, the FBI lose a captive fugitive who steals an insanely fast sports car and plans to cross the Mexican boarder. But he makes a big mistake when he tries to cross through Arnold's town.

So the movie basically plays out how you'd think. Bad guy is smart enough to out smart the FBI, bad guy goes through small town, bad guy meets Arnold, Arnold beats the shit out of him. It's a simple enough premise and in theory it works pretty well as a return movie for Schwarzenegger. But let us keep in mind that this is, after all, A SCHWARZENEGGER MOVIE. So obviously this has some very bad and very dumb moments in it, with some fun action and gun play.

The main thing that brings down the movie is Arnold himself. He hasn't been front and center on screen in awhile and boy does it show. I mean the guy was no Gregory Peck, but in  my opinion he was never cringe worthy bad or anything. Unfortunately here, he's just that. Part of it has to do with the dialogue I must admit but I think he still needs some time to get back into the swing of things.

As far as supporting cast goes there are some familiar faces along with Arnold. The most prominent, or at least the most prominently made by the trailer, the poster, and every single T.V. spot I saw for this movie, would be Johnny Knoxville even though he's only in it for about 20 minutes altogether (thankfully). Forrest "If- there's- a- paycheck- involved- I'll- take- the- part" Whitaker does an over the top, but at times hilarious, job of being the FBI agent in charge of the situation, who also sucks at his job. The other two notables are Peter Stormare (Fargo) who plays one of the over the top villains and Luis Guzman... You know, that one guy who was in a bunch of stuff. Yeah him.

This was Jee-woon Kim's American directorial debut, though he does have a sort of cult following for his foreign films like "I Saw The Devil" and "A Tale of Two Sister", mostly horror work. For his first American movie, welllllllll, hey it could've been worse. I still have to see his other work but it does look promising.

The one interesting thing the film has going for it, is the fact that this is basically a western. Now not in the complete and utter literal sense but when you really analyze the film there are a lot of western elements to it. It was obviously heavily influenced by them at least. The film also has a weird theme through out between old verses new. For example, Arnold has a gun fight with one of the villains. The villain is holding an old timey Smith and Wesson looking gun, while Arnold uses a more modern day version of that. It's a bit odd and the message that they would seem to be conveying is "New good. Old Bad." which doesn't really favor kindly to Arnold when you think about it.

All in all the movie is along the lines of Commando. It's bad but it's not BAD. If anything it's at least enjoyable and that's really all you could want from a Schwarzenegger movie. The biggest problem with the film, aside from technical things that don't really matter in an Arnold movie, is that it isn't very memorable and doesn't leave a lasting impression really.

While this wasn't the mega success most people thought it would be, it was a decent enough starting point for Arnold to return to acting. And while it may not make the big bucks like it was predicted to, one thing's for sure, Arnold is back.

FINAL GRADE: C