tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post5056484325492434754..comments2024-03-29T04:19:43.461-05:00Comments on F This Movie!: FTM 440 - SOLO: A STAR WARS STORYPatrick Bromleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00771837625286775607noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-45709457907043376752018-08-21T15:48:49.435-05:002018-08-21T15:48:49.435-05:00I'm really late to this thread, so I won't...I'm really late to this thread, so I won't comment other than to say I felt exactly like you did Mr. Epler. I really had a great time watching this. It's still very fresh as I just got home from the tgestth, but it might be my favourite of the Disney movies.Paul Calverthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11748440093206090195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-10154428689267640332018-06-10T21:19:19.606-05:002018-06-10T21:19:19.606-05:00I am late on this because I saved it until I saw i...I am late on this because I saved it until I saw it. I can't say I disagree with anything that JB, Jan (always wonderful when she make an appearance), and Patrick said other than one thing, really. The one thing is Maul. While I wasn't 100% sure when the story took place, it's obviously between Sith and ANH. Maul surviving TPM (ignoring the animated series) is fine and dandy. We don't know what's at the bottom of that hole, and I hope they have some kind of plan of where that's going. It felt like a weird dangling plot point at the very end. Someone else (Vader, Jabba, whomever) would have been tidier, but it Maul being alive, to me, less confusing or jarring that Poe showing up on whatever planet that was the Resistance is on in TFA. Since Maul has mechanical legs, obviously he was saved somehow. But yea, that lightsaber moment was pointless.<br /><br />I did want to share something that I have been worried about since they announced this film, which is what William Goldman says in "Which Lie Did I Tell." On a site like this, I'm imaging that many if not most folks have read it, but to be brief, he loved the script, called it one of his best (pre-filming) but knew it was sunk when producer Michael Douglas stepped into the role of Remington (they had trouble casting and someone suggested Douglas just play the part). Goldman wrote the character as a mysterious roguish hunter, but said it only worked if his history was a mystery. Once Douglas took the role, based on his star status and producer status, he knew that the role would need beefing up, and Douglas wanted a sympathetic backstory. Goldman said once you knew what the guy's problems were, his power essentially disappeared. <br /><br />Han Solo needs no backstory, as Patrick said, ANH is his backstory. The only reason I could look beyond it is that I thought Ehrenreich was so miscast, bringing none of the charm Ford had and really none of the charm he had in Hail Caesar. Honestly, there were times I had to remind myself he's supposed to be Han.<br /><br />More Jan in the future please!Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05847028304101424396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-90872865372591817252018-06-06T03:07:51.872-05:002018-06-06T03:07:51.872-05:00This minor bit of criticism regarding an otherwise...This minor bit of criticism regarding an otherwise fine podcast is offered in the spirit in which Princess Leia sings about Life Day in the Star Wars Holiday Special:<br /><br />Regarding the Kessel Run, Han was not cheating! It's not a race! It's not a contest! There are/were no rules concerning making the Kessel Run. It's a route. When Han brags about it to Obi Wan in Star Wars, it's not "Oh, but there should be an asterisk next to that." He actually did the Kessel run in 12 parsecs. Anyone who would know what the Kessel Run is, would know that the only way to do that would be to take a shortcut through the Maelstrom, which (according to this movie) should have gotten him killed. It's still an achievement, because there are apparently no other verified accounts of anyone ever having done it. And it speaks highly of the Millenium Falcon, because, outside of the escape from the gravity well, every few seconds in the Maelstrom threw a potential instant destruction hazard at any ship trying to get through it. The one problem I see with the Han's Kessel Run, which has become legendary by the time of The Force Awakens, is that I can see most of anyone who hears about it assuming the story is bullshit, or having no idea what that means (galaxies are big).<br /><br />Also, the timeframe of the movie is definitely between Episodes 3 and 4, probably during a few years near the midway point. On trying to leave Corellia, Han joins the Imperial Navy. There was no "Empire" until Episode 3, when the Galactic Republic became the Empire. Additionally, it's around 35 years between episodes 1 and 4. So if Solo took place before episode 1, Han would be in his 50s in episode 4. Darth Maul's appearance, which can understandably be confusing, merely incorporates into the live action continuity his resurrection from the Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon series (set between Episodes 2 and 3). As in that series, the lower half of the resurrected Maul's body was mechanical, designed by appearance to resemble the original organic body parts. Maul dies for good in the Star Wars Rebels cartoon series (set between Episodes 3 and 4), to tidy up the continuity.<br /><br />And it's not established that Han only does one job for Jabba the Hutt, and that it's on that job that Han drops his shipment, and the relationship goes sour. Han may have smuggled for Jabba, and others, for several years, without issue, before the incident referenced in the original trilogy. So, if there is a sequel to Solo, it does not have to pick up with the dropped shipment incident, or how Han and Chewbacca found themselves in the Mos Eisley cantina the day Obi-Wan and Luke Skywalker needed transport to Alderaan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-90507540332620122092018-06-04T14:07:21.083-05:002018-06-04T14:07:21.083-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.David Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14554159780770171990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-51363782569712745802018-05-31T21:29:55.459-05:002018-05-31T21:29:55.459-05:00Yes I did say "mayonnaiseness", and than...Yes I did say "mayonnaiseness", and thank you for noticing. That's the kind of badass word coinage that fans have come to expect from this quality podcast. Feel free to use it in everyday convo, Sol! Glad somebody out there "gets" me. :)janbottighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00126929026388305201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-5271773010934780372018-05-31T19:55:38.646-05:002018-05-31T19:55:38.646-05:00I've definitely laughed during horrifying mome...I've definitely laughed during horrifying moments in movies. Sometimes it's because it's cheesy, other times because it completely works on me or wins me over. I think there is a "Holy shit this rules" type of laughter that movie violence can elicit. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04686445390414460773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-54253060096619389982018-05-31T19:33:55.265-05:002018-05-31T19:33:55.265-05:00Not to pat myself on the back too hard, but when t...Not to pat myself on the back too hard, but when the Ravager pulled off her mask and the "this is shocking" music played, my first thought was, "Wait, are we supposed to know this character or something?" Took me a moment to realize, "Oh, this is supposed to be shocking because it's a young woman." Come on, dudes, women are awesome, we should all know that by now.Solhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03114869401584310369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-25079751803048504882018-05-31T19:29:58.662-05:002018-05-31T19:29:58.662-05:00Though I enjoyed your podcast more than I enjoyed ...Though I enjoyed your podcast more than I enjoyed <i>Solo: A Star Wars Story</i>, I did like it a lot more than I thought I would and Alden Ehrenreich pulled off the character way better than I expected. But, yeah, a lot of problems and I think you managed to touch on all of them - I don't have a lot to add but I have a couple comments to on your overall discussion:<br /><br />Patrick, to give you a bit of hope for the future (or at least the present), I can tell you that when our local film festival showed the restored <i>Suspiria</i>, it played to a packed house that never laughed ironically and gave the film the respect it deserves. The $15 ticket price probably helped keep out the riffraff but it was a mostly young audience from what I could tell, so all is not lost.<br /><br />And I replayed part of the podcast several times to see if I was hearing Jan correctly and I hope she reads this because I have to know: Did you say "the <i>mayonnaiseness</i> of [people's] own curated experiences" because I don't think that's a word but it should be because I totally get it, and if you didn't make it up (I googled it and there was NOTHING) I guess I did! I mean, "The Mayonnaiseness of America" pretty much sums up the whole problem, doesn't it?<br /><br />A couple other random points:<br /><br />- I also found the film very dark so yeah, I think that's officially just a thing<br />- I'd have to listen again and I haven't seen anyone else saying this, but I thought the music playing at the Imperial Recruitment place sounded like The Imperial March in a major key instead of minor. That is a thing you can find and it's very interesting how it's still recognizable but makes it sound kinda happy instead of foreboding.<br />- I'm sure everyone noticed "Get off of my ship!" as a little <i>Air Force One</i> reference - harhar.<br />- Fuck the dice, fuck "Solo" and fuck "Chewie" - if that stuff makes you hard, all the power to you, but I find it kinda insulting somehow.<br /><br />Thanks for the great podcast guys - it was a fun way to follow-up an okay movie!Solhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03114869401584310369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-42986159613244075792018-05-31T16:51:13.705-05:002018-05-31T16:51:13.705-05:00Good callGood callCharles Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08135869584272794906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-4230057142123865702018-05-31T11:42:08.935-05:002018-05-31T11:42:08.935-05:00Is the name thing silly or too on the nose? Eh, ma...Is the name thing silly or too on the nose? Eh, maybe. But is it any more silly or on the nose than a loner being born with the name Solo? I think that's why it never bothered me so much. <br /><br />You know what's ironic? This movie was planned before George sold Lucasfilm to Disney, so Kasdan actually had to pitch the film to Bob Iger... and it's the naming scene that got the movie greenlit.Michael Giammarinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18053181624489487644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-37159205140649277572018-05-31T09:42:09.544-05:002018-05-31T09:42:09.544-05:00Man, you all are mad at things that never would’ve...Man, you all are mad at things that never would’ve registered with me...that’s not a slight, just mentioning to show that as someone like me who isn’t into the lore of Star Wars can really really like this movie as an action movie, and Star Wars fans aren’t that into it. Kinda like Daniel said above. <br /><br />As far as the screenplay it felt Kasdan really tapped into old school mode here and it felt old school summer fun. I dunno. I thought Last Jedi was the movie that felt like it had 7 acts, not this one. What gives! benpetersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02680256171903996080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-7111249038277437272018-05-31T08:27:35.360-05:002018-05-31T08:27:35.360-05:00Unless these hipsters are in their 30s or 40s, it ...Unless these hipsters are in their 30s or 40s, it may just be a case of young pricks who don't know any better. Sometimes Facebook shows me my old posts from 7 years ago and I can't help but think "what a douchebag." I don't think we'll ever progress as a society to the point where 22 year olds aren't completely insufferable.Brian Sagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15266020828208581370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-10441967652011790842018-05-30T21:46:51.561-05:002018-05-30T21:46:51.561-05:00*SPOILERS*
Like kunider points out, Maul has been...*SPOILERS*<br /><br />Like kunider points out, Maul has been around for a while (*nerdnoise*) and as far as I can tell, they're just trying to tie the movies together to the other stuff in the canon (like they're always doing, this time only more glaringly). To me, this is really the one thing that fantasy has going for it as a genre - most of what happens in a fantasy movie has a great deal to do with the world it takes place in. There's a (not so) fine line when joining the dots becomes fan-service - I think most of it has to do with the proximity one SW-movie has to the other ones. I think the prequels were very careful in joining the dots and adding to the world, Rogue One too, but most of Solo was unfortunately standard prequel-jokiness. TLJ had some of this irreverance too, but that at least was a conscious choice. In Solo it just felt arbitrary<br /><br />As a fan, yeah I'm ready to fill in a lot of holes in these movies, because I think that's often how they are designed. Every movie is a piece of a puzzle, and like in classic mythology, I think we have to read the characters through what their actions represent. I don't think Star Wars has anything special going for it if they're just going to be conventional flicks, with your ABC-plot, charater motivations, familiar formulas and neat conflicts - but I'd accept it if that's what they're going for. Solo seems to be stuck somewhere in the middle, just like you say it really lacks personality. It felt like to me like Ron Howard organized the project more than he directed the movie.<br /><br />Also, would have collapsed during that Phenomena screening, or crawled out. I love that movie so.<br /><br />Great show, keep it up! I rarely comment (because I can't shut up), nor do I always agree with your tastebuds (budz), but yours is the only podcast I never miss an episode of. fredzillahttps://letterboxd.com/fredrikfyhr/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-52752515504565276332018-05-30T19:44:40.433-05:002018-05-30T19:44:40.433-05:00Did someone say Last Jedi?Did someone say Last Jedi?Rob DiCristinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13402698333999727219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-75533334716949396442018-05-30T18:16:44.470-05:002018-05-30T18:16:44.470-05:00I think the name thing is what we can all agree on...I think the name thing is what we can all agree on. ;)Daniel Eplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01866855763520017556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-78868097827336693772018-05-30T18:15:17.053-05:002018-05-30T18:15:17.053-05:00I think it hurts because a lot of people watch the...I think it hurts because a lot of people watch the kinds of movies we here love (Junesploitation type stuff let's say) because they think it's "so bad it's good". They treat it like THE ROOM, simply because it's the kind of thing they're not used to. It can hurt listening to people make fun of something you love while you're trying to enjoy it.Daniel Eplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01866855763520017556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-11375514305193166242018-05-30T18:07:42.910-05:002018-05-30T18:07:42.910-05:00I'm really excited about First Reformed, which...I'm really excited about First Reformed, which is coming to my local arthouse late next month. I'll be there for it as soon as I can.Daniel Eplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01866855763520017556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-58887008405799334612018-05-30T17:47:21.135-05:002018-05-30T17:47:21.135-05:00Shanghai Surprise (1986) with Madonna and Sean Pen...Shanghai Surprise (1986) with Madonna and Sean Penn is my pick for a "movie that is nothing". A definite "filmed deal" as JB says. benpetersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02680256171903996080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-42308279444264657212018-05-30T17:22:38.553-05:002018-05-30T17:22:38.553-05:00Not 'boom', i meant 'book'Not 'boom', i meant 'book'Kuniderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05872530831159876322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-4599742497384297682018-05-30T17:18:01.710-05:002018-05-30T17:18:01.710-05:00****SPOILERS for Solo****
About Darth Maul. He...****SPOILERS for Solo****<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />About Darth Maul. He doesn't come back in a boom, but in the cgi animated tv show The Clone Wars, which is a fantastic show. He also makes an appearance in Rebels, also good but less than Clone Wars. That makes me think Solo is set between episode 3 and 4<br /><br />In Clone Wars, if memory serve, he is revived by a bunch of witches from his planet and is given robot legs<br /><br />I do agree that the cameo, while interesting to me, is not well made, because less people saw the shows than the movies. Kuniderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05872530831159876322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-80111521258217435762018-05-30T17:16:49.879-05:002018-05-30T17:16:49.879-05:00I think there's still a lot of movies out ther...I think there's still a lot of movies out there, but they're getting forced out to smaller arthouse theaters even more now than they used to be. Theaters are all about maximizing attendance so we're getting situations right now where 2/3's of the screens in a theater are taken up by Solo, Deadpool 2, and Infinity War.<br /><br />Theaters like the one I'm at though are getting some good movies in right now though that aren't getting a lot of attention like Beast or First Reformed.Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05129602094443434975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-45755525044113029802018-05-30T17:09:32.736-05:002018-05-30T17:09:32.736-05:00In addition to the Castro theater, I've had go...In addition to the Castro theater, I've had good experiences at the Roxie in SF as well.Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05129602094443434975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-48320609940043140902018-05-30T16:57:53.962-05:002018-05-30T16:57:53.962-05:00One consistent complaint I hear is how it pushes a...One consistent complaint I hear is how it pushes a political agenda, and it really seems they're referring to all the strong women in it. There's a reason people like us can't understand the hatred. They're not really talking about a film.Daniel Eplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01866855763520017556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-15755172995932276162018-05-30T16:39:15.828-05:002018-05-30T16:39:15.828-05:00Same. My brain just can't grok the hatred for ...Same. My brain just can't grok the hatred for TLJ. Like, I get that some folks might not like some of the narrative choices. But I simply can't understand the hatred some of the fans seem to have for it. Like, are we watching totally different movies? adamarmourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04361116900351762285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-5747715129132265632018-05-30T16:31:11.656-05:002018-05-30T16:31:11.656-05:00Yeah, it's rough in the summer. I've been ...Yeah, it's rough in the summer. I've been wanting to go to the movies a lot lately but with the big movies making up multiple screens at a time, the option just aren't there. But I don't see it as a problem the rest of the year. You're right about Oscar season, that's a gold mine for the theater. Love it.Daniel Eplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01866855763520017556noreply@blogger.com