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Rogue One retrospective: Sacrifice and inspiration

Disney’s foray into the world of Star Wars with its first major motion picture under the banner, “The Force Awakens,” was an outstanding success, garnering near-universal positive critical reviews while becoming the greatest North American box office money-maker … ever.

If it had a failing, it was its tepid steps into the realm of being called a “rehash” or “retread.” Without a doubt, it was a joyous experience for many (and deemed a “return to form” by many more), but there is also no denying particular calculated decisions that were meant to call to mind the original trilogy — from style/design work to practical effects to actual plot elements to character development.

Hey, in this case, it was obviously proven wise. Nostalgia works.

Perhaps in an effort to combat the “rehash” criticism somewhat (but more likely just to keep Star Wars relevant in the inevitable production gaps between its main “saga” movies), Disney made the interesting choice to stagger its saga films with stand-alone stories meant to explore the universe in different ways.

The first and most successful of these attempts was “Rogue One,” which made no bones about its desire to also tap into our nostalgia as directly as it possibly could within its plot and setting, but simultaneously brought us several brand-new characters, a darker, grittier tone, and fleshed out the lore in ways that were often surprising.

The end result? Anyone craving a more “adult” Star Wars finally had something to hold onto — a film they could justifiably declare was meant for them.

Indeed, ask most any kid which Star Wars movie is their least favorite, and most will point to this one.

The folks who were kids back in the early 1980s had been demanding a film tailored to their more adult-like sensibilities for decades. Here, finally, they had it. “Rogue One” was simply a different film for a different audience.

(Tangentially, I wonder what reaction George Lucas might have received had he released THIS in 1999 instead of the much-maligned “The Phantom Menace” … hmmmmm.)

Should one purchase a Genesis Mini?

So should you buy a Genesis Mini?

I’m going to hedge. Know this upfront.

Most articles like this won’t admit that in plain, written English. But it’s what the majority do.

“If [so-and-so] then yes, absolutely you should buy this.”

That’s where we’re going to end up, so skip to the end if that’s why you’re here.

But if you want to see me wax nostalgic for a bit (and maybe bring back some good memories of your own), feel free to ride along for a little bit. Because if there’s no other lesson to be taken from mini gaming consoles making a killing in the video game market right now, there’s this: These things call to mind a different time and place.

And they do it well.

The Force Awakens retrospective: We’re home

“Let me show you something, that will make you feel young, as when the world was new.”
— Carol Marcus, “The Wrath of Khan”

Aging is a motherfucker.

One of my favorite aspects to the Star Trek movie franchise featuring the original cast members was how it dealt with aging. I mean, by necessity it had to, as the series predated the films by over a decade. The actors got older. We couldn’t very well ignore that. These were still our favorite characters, except further weathered by the experiences around them.

(I find this more and more relevant as I, myself, age.)

“Wrath of Khan” in particular did a masterful job of incorporating the theme of aging and wrapping a narrative around it. In that movie, our main protagonist, Captain James T. Kirk, must come to terms with his own physical breakdowns, face the demons (and angels) he’s created in his former life, and ultimately come to grips with death in a very personal way. The lessons are simple and, well, ageless. To wit:

As we get older, we have to come to terms with how we have been unable to “fix” the world or live our lives in quite the way we might have wanted to.
We have to see the people we love leave us.
And we have to endure.

When Disney announced it was making more Star Wars films following its purchase of the property from George Lucas in 2012, thoughts immediately turned to reuniting the “big three” — Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher — on screen once again. Miraculously, within months it had been confirmed: the fans’ primary wish was coming true. More adventures for Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia were on the way!

Getting our favorites back after thinking it would never happen again (particularly with Ford, who had notoriously been luke-warm at best on his character for years) was a bit like Capt. Kirk cheating death throughout the runtime of “Star Trek II.” It was a thrilling thing to witness.

The downside to this should have been obvious, thanks again to the lessons learned in that previous sci-fi classic. With aging characters, you’re left with things like disappointment and loss as your major themes.

In short, The happy ending of “Return of the Jedi” could not last.

Revenge of the Sith retrospective: Gratitude

Over the course of the late spring and summer of 2005, as “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” hit theaters to conclude George Lucas’ epic six-movie story, Star Wars-mania took hold of me and wouldn’t let go.

This movie, which was to be Star Wars’ swan song (but actually ended up being Lucas’ instead), represented the end of an era and could have realistically been the end of Star Wars in movie theaters … forever.

That thought motivated repeat viewings in a way no other movie had before or since, at least for this writer. Four in-theater viewings remains my record for a single film to this day.*

* This total, high by my standards, but low by some Star Wars fans’, I am comfortable with. I like that this film holds the record … and also that I never got up to five.

Given what we knew at the time, that this movie could be the last of the series, it was a time of great reflection and celebration … but only for those who were still bought in (like me). Many fans had by that point been disillusioned by “The Phantom Menace” or couldn’t recapture the magic through “Attack of the Clones.” And to their point, “Revenge of the Sith” didn’t exactly break the mold of the other prequels. A sudden turnaround on the prequels at large just wouldn’t be engendered by this movie.

Non-fans were more impressed, whether because they wanted to be more charitable coming into it or they simply didn’t feel burned in the same way. Regardless of the reasons, the box office rebounded significantly from Clones, while the Tomato-meter bounced up from 54% to 66% and finally to 80% as the prequels went along.

Many non-fans (and many fans as well) were grateful to have the series go out on a relative high note.

Attack of the Clones retrospective: Swinging for the fences

In the game of baseball, an almost infinite amount of outcomes can occur whenever a hitter steps up to the plate. It is one of the most charming things about the game in general, that the potential for seeing something you’ve never seen before exists on every single pitch.

The strategy involved, by all parties, can wildly affect different outcomes. But right or wrong, it’s the hitter’s mentality that often receives the most scrutiny by observers. Is the hitter swinging for the fences? Is he putting a little extra pop into his swing, risking the biggest of whiffs in the process, but also giving him the opportunity to change the game in one swing with a deep shot? Or is he “playing it safe,” hitting for average and just trying to get on base?

The sport is littered with guys who took that “swing for the fences” mentality to extreme levels, guys like Sammy Sosa and Andres Galarraga retiring with a stat line full of both homers AND strikeouts … the ultimate feast or famine hitters.

There are many coaches who try to drill this out of guys, preaching the classic “don’t be a hero” line, and certainly the sport has plenty of space for different schools of thought on this topic. No one is exactly right or wrong, per se.

But…

I like home runs.

Therefore, I like the pursuit of home runs as well. There’s nothing quite so thrilling as a zero sum game — all or nothing — played out over the course of a couple of hours. What can I say? I respect an aggressive mentality, or perhaps more accurately, a willingness to shoot for the stars … even if failure can be the end result.

Enter “Attack of the Clones.”

There’s value in nostalgia

I’ve gone and done it. And by “it” I of course mean, “convinced my poor wife to bless my purchase of another micro video gaming system.”

In this case, it was the TurboGrafx-16 Mini, an absurdly niche system that was only available for pre-order on Amazon.com … probably so that the manufacturer could get an accurate head count on just how many machines to produce. The original system was not a big seller when it debuted in the United States back in the late 1980s, so prudence, it would seem, is more than justified here.

This system joins the hallowed ground of the NES Classic, Super NES Classic and the soon to be purchased Genesis Mini as micro-consoles occupying a place of prominence in our entertainment center.

For lots of people, these systems serve as collectible trophies, trinkets to be displayed but basically non-functional. For me, they’re so much more.

The Phantom Menace retrospective: Things change

“I don’t want things to change.”

“But you can’t stop the change … anymore than you can stop the suns from setting.”

As I watched “The Phantom Menace” — George Lucas’ fourth entry in his Star Wars saga, an initial prequel tabbed appropriately “Episode I” — for the first time, late in the summer of 1999 (months after a negative backlash had already begun to take hold among some critics and fans), I couldn’t help smiling as I heard these lines of dialogue in my darkened theater.

Ostensibly, they were meant to convey and ease the suffering of one of our protagonists, Anakin Skywalker, as he must prepare to leave his mother to pursue his dreams of becoming a Jedi.

Instead, in that moment, they read as a direct warning to fans who had grown up and away from that childhood sense of wonder that had so taken hold of them as kids.

“You are different. These movies are different. Accept that and you’ll do well.”

Spoiler alert: A lot of people didn’t accept that.

60 Video games I’d recommend to anyone

Let’s throw some love out there. These are my favorite video games of all time. Yes!

As is always the case with a list like this, mileage may vary. Tastes differ, and more importantly, unless you’re a fanatic collector or work in the industry in some fashion, it’s impossible to play everything. To wit, I have a giant honking blind spot in my list for basically anything released over the last 15 years or so. I thought of calling it “favorite retro games” or some such, but let’s just go with this.

But the point is this: it’s my list. These are 60 games I’ve loved experiencing, and I thought in the interest of saving my thoughts for posterity — in case anyone would find them of value — it would be good to have it all written down. Maybe my kids will look at this list someday and want to explore it or my wife will get better insight into my gaming life, or maybe it will drum up nostalgia for you regardless of your connection with me. Cool, mission accomplished!

Return of the Jedi retrospective: Innovation into formula

If “A New Hope” felt fresh and new (because it was), and “The Empire Strikes Back” felt bold and interesting (because it was), then surely George Lucas and the creators of “Return of the Jedi” would have to come up with something entirely different for the third film in his masterful Star Wars trilogy.

Necessity is the mother of invention, after all. Lucas had by now, famously, begun to suffer burnout. Limiting his saga to three films,* instead of the originally envisioned nine or 12 (depending on your favorite version of events), was his most obvious concession, but if you look closely, you’ll see loads of details that acknowledge this fact.

* Though I will once again acknowledge the brilliance of turning a three-act play into a trilogy of movies, regardless of how or why he came to that decision.

Observe the actors’ performances, which mostly begin to feel bored or frustrated. Their characters’ inevitable triumph feels more like a relief than a celebration.

Or consider the plot of a “second Death Star,” which even at the time felt lazy and uninspired.

Or observe our return to planets we’ve visited before in Tatooine and Dagobah.

Or notice that the entire last half of the movie is set on a “forest moon” that uncannily resembles Lucas’ backyard.

Pretty much everything signaled that this enterprise had begun to become a struggle.

Hiring on a director to take the helm in his stead (for the second straight film, this time in the form of Richard Marquand) was another clear admission that the creator himself needed help — understandable, given Lucas’ attempts to build multiple companies from the ground up while simultaneously suffering through a contentious divorce — but even the choice of director in itself reflected much. Marquand’s bonafides were more than a little lacking coming into the project. Lucas would need to remain heavily involved, which would have the benefit of allowing him to communicate his own vision, but would also require his presence on set.

While he was juggling everything else.

Burnout.

It is within that basic framework that we can begin to understand what “Return of the Jedi” actually is, and why it is the way it is.

What should you watch before Avengers: Endgame?

What should you watch before Avengers: Endgame? This is an easy question with a complicated answer.

I would argue, on the one hand, that you should watch everything from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get the full experience. You’re going to be so hopelessly lost about certain characters, plot developments, and, heck, minor background details, that you’ll end up in a theater full of people chuckling and nodding their heads and crying and you’ll have no earthly idea what any of them are responding to.

It’s also sort of impossible at this point to recommend just a few of these movies, since there are so many characters, and each of them has his or her own story threads to navigate. For example, you might want to know everything there is to know about Thor. Well, that’s the three Thor films at minimum, along with the other movies he appears in (which if you include cameos, means eight movies in total). And that’s one character out of dozens.

Of course, you could read a cheat sheet to get caught up. A year ago at this time, I wrote a significant amount of word salad trying to catch folks up on all of main plot beats and characters of the MCU in advance of Avengers: Infinity War. If you’ve missed some (most? all?) of the movies along the way, or if you’ve just forgotten some of the details, it’s still a decent guide. You can read it here.

But really, where I ended up, after all of that, was to recommend a short refresher to anyone who was at all already familiar with the series. For Infinity War, I recommended watching Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: Civil War, and Thor: Ragnarok to make sure you were caught up (I stand by that recommendation.).

I feel like an abbreviated refresher this time around is good too. I mean, if you’re new, watch ALL the movies or read a guide like the one I linked to above. If you’ve been around for awhile, however, picking and choosing just some of the movies to revisit should suffice.

But which ones should you pick?