Few franchises have such enduring longevity and cultural awareness as Star Wars. For those either brought up on the affairs in a galaxy far, far away, or new to the series, the anticipation (and expectation) of a saga-capping generation-defining final chapter have rarely been higher. And it’s not like the creative team didn’t know that going in. In parallel to the climatic battle between good and evil on screen, there exists a struggle with similar stakes happening behind the scenes. To some, a great many if we’re being honest, this film is less about what happens to our beloved characters. It’s more about whose stamp and style and understanding of…
-
-
[Fantastic Fest 2018]…Quick Take Reviews: The Quake, Overlord, Werewolf, Piercing, Starfish, and The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
Fantastic Fest 2018 was one for the books. A blur of films, fun, and memorable experiences, it was the best 84 hours I’ve spent at a film festival yet. My time in Austin was limited, but I got a lot done: I saw eleven films, wrote four full reviews and sat for three interviews. The “quick takes” below are capsule reviews for a bite-size run down. Covering a festival means you have to split your time and put focus on what you feel is important and worthwhile. The brevity of each of these does not mean they aren’t worth seeking out. They totally are. I mean, if I didn’t like…
-
Off the Shelf…’Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
J.J. Abrams, after years in TV, proved his mettle revitalizing the Star Trek franchise on the big screen. He later left the galaxy where people boldly go, and ventured into another – this one far, far away. The first non-Lucas involved Star Wars episodic story expands on everything which came before. However, Episode VII, smartly, does not rely on nostalgia. The Bad Robot team knows this universe well, and they pick up on the previous saga’s material in ways both reverent and forward-thinking. Here, with a seemingly limitless canvas, Abrams and company offer, more or less, a new origin story and a true passing of the torch, err lightsaber to the likes of Daisy…
-
G-S-T Review…Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars: The Force Awakens continues to take the world by storm, but that shouldn’t be news to anyone. It is Star Wars after all, but with J.J. Abrams at the helm, things looked really good from the get-go. The film isn’t perfect (pacing is sluggish at times, and villains, at this point, are under-cooked), but it is highly enjoyable, and that’s all thanks to solid writing, and the collage of themes and characters both old and new. Abrams, after proving his mettle revitalizing the Star Trek franchise, brings us a story that expands on everything that has come before and, more importantly, hits the right chord with fans. Episode VII,…
-
Sweet Trailer…’Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens’
OK, by now there is no possible way (or excuse) that you haven’t seen the stellar trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII (man, just typing that gives me chills). But if this is your first time to behold the power and majesty of J.J. Abrams‘ foray into a galaxy far, far away, then please, let me keep you no longer. After all, The Force…it’s calling to you! A continuation of the saga created by George Lucas set thirty years after Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is directed by J.J. Abrams. The film, and long-awaited return to the Star…
-
G-S-T Holiday Trailer Round-Up
Aside from #Turkey and #BlackFriday, the interwebs were a blaze this holiday weekend with an equally searched for and buzzed about search: the official Star Wars Ep. VII teaser. Sure, you could see all 88 glorious seconds in a handful of theaters around the country, but it really got a fire strom of attention when it was released online. Rumor had it that the trailer picked up more than 4 million views in 72 hours. In case you need some perspective as to why a new Star Wars is huge news, wrap your head around this. The Force Awakens will be the first new SW film in which fans have…
-
Star Trekking Into Nitpicking
(Like most of my editorials, this piece contains really specific spoilers for the film being discussed, which in this case happens to be Star Trek Into Darkness. If you haven’t seen the film, you should first check out Go, See, Talk!’s dueling reviews by me and Bill, respectively; you should also avoid reading this piece, because it’s guaranteed to ruin the experience for you.) I am by no means a Trekkie. The last time I watched a Star Trek program during its televised run was in 1999, when the series finale for Deep Space Nine ran in June. I haven’t seen a good chunk of the Star Trek movies, but of those that I have seen, I only…
-
On Second Thought, Bill’s Take: G-S-T Review…Star Trek Into Darkness
There’s a vitality to director J.J. Abram’s latest foray into the Star Trek universe. While he may not be going where no man—or this series in particular—has gone before, it appears his goal is to give the series forward momentum that can be sustained even if he doesn’t return to the helm. Certainly, Abrams leaves the franchise in a much better place than where he found it. What you look for in a Trek film largely depends on what generation you belong to and outside of that, what series you most align yourself with. There’s a rich history through the various decades that Trek lived through on the boob tube.…
-
G-S-T Review…Star Trek Into Darkness
There are two layers to Star Trek Into Darkness. One exists at the surface level and involves everything that we see, hear, and experience while watching it in a theater, and the other involves the efforts that occurred below the line, prior to the film’s arrival at the multiplex. Just like its 2009 predecessor, the former layer proves to be the sequel’s saving grace and the latter holds it back from being truly great; the marriage between star-making, charismatic, invested performances and ham-handed, hackish screenwriting ultimately yields the same results J.J. Abrams got with his last venture into Gene Roddenberry’s beloved sci-fi iconography, a movie that works in the moment as blockbusting…
-
Sweet Trailer…'Star Trek Into Darkness'
Brace yourselves boys and girls, this morning (early morning) the latest little bit of marketing for Star Trek Into Darkenss has dropped and is perhaps the most epic looking thing we’ve seen yet. So what’s new? Well, this trailer for the big budget sequel to Abrams’ amazingly well-received Star Trek reboot gives us a glimpse of Peter Weller as a Starfleet Admiral as well as lots more sneering from Benedict Cumberbatch as the villainous… John Harrison. Okay, surely we all know by now that’s not what he’ll end up being called, but JJ, as always, is doing a great job keeping things close to his chest. Enough talk, just watch!! When the…
