• Movies/Entertainment,  Off the Shelf

    Off the Shelf…’Solo: A Star Wars Story’

    In the post-trilogy landscape, there have been some really great Star Wars films that exist beyond the hallowed Episodes IV, V and VI. The Force Awakens, even as a thinly veiled remake of A New Hope is so much fun. Rogue One is the prequel you’ve been looking for, and along comes Solo: A Star Wars Story attempting to flesh out the mythology of everyone’s favorite smuggling scoundrel. Did it work? Let’s just say that in our theatrical review of Solo, we were not very kind (check that out here). But having seen this four times now, I have warmed to this story which is serviceable and quite thrilling in…

  • Interviews,  Movies/Entertainment,  Video Interviews

    Interview…Joonas Suotamo on Playing Chewbacca in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’

    For the third time in as many years, Finland’s own Joonas Suotamo dons the iconic Wookie get-up to continue playing Chewbacca in a galaxy far, far away. Suotamo, at 7 feet, certainly has the height to play the famous walking carpet, but how about his acting chops? Well, if you somehow thought Chewie was still being played by Peter Mayhew, then you can thank Suotamo’s thespian background for the seamless performance. We got to sit with Suotamo (who has a very Star Wars looking name) to discuss the role, the gestural and non-verbal delivery, his inspirations, and his hard to pronounce last name. I fell in to the trap inadvertently referring…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…Solo: A Star Wars Story

    A long time ago, as the story goes, there was a scruffy-looking space smuggler. Well, this story is about that beloved scoundrel, only younger and he had yet to herd nerfs. So goes Solo: A Star Wars Story. Aside from being a film people may have wanted (but audiences didn’t need), you might have heard stories about directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller leaving the project (from a script by Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan) and Ron Howard coming aboard. Yup, creative changes certainly abound when putting together a Star Wars story these days. The good news is that the film is steeped in reverence, and a lot of fun. And more…