This movie was really fun and enjoyable. Full stop.
So what was everyone’s problem?
Continue reading WhoDatJedi Podcast: Live movie discussion: ‘Solo’Tag: Solo
WhoDatJedi Podcast: ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ digital release review and going ‘Solo’
What do “The Rise of Skywalker” and the character of Han Solo have in common? Well, they fit into the theme of self-isolation, that’s what. Folks can now watch “Rise” at home thanks to the digital release (along with all of the behind-the-scenes bonus material), while Solo is synonymous with being … well, solo.
Continue reading WhoDatJedi Podcast: ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ digital release review and going ‘Solo’Solo retrospective: Crawling out of the sewer
“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.”
― Henry David Thoreau
Star Wars — since the very beginning — has been completely intertwined with the concept of rebellion. George Lucas, himself rebel-minded when it came to the existing shackles of the day in the Hollywood system, set out to not only tell HIS story in HIS way with the original “Star Wars” in 1977, he also burned the candle at both ends to ensure he would be able to continue to do so into the future. He then laid all of those threads of rebellion into his “space fantasy” film in as overt a fashion as possible.*
* Notably, his previous film, “American Graffiti” was overtly rebellious as well.
Indeed, strip out the magnificent world building and brilliant riffs on epic storytelling done in Star Wars, and what are you left with? What is the point?
Well, in a global sense, the conflict is the point, and said conflict arises from the yin and yang of oppression and rebellion.
As I’m fond of saying, it’s called Star WARS for a reason.
However, looking beyond the black and white conflict of the Rebellion and the Empire, you’ll still see this theme at play within the character of Han Solo, the handsome roguish smuggler who plays by his own rules and doesn’t adhere to societal conventions. Moreover, he actively seeks to avoid being trapped into situations that threaten his “freedom,” and in the process, he becomes one of the most iconic characters in modern film history.
If you decide, as a company, that THIS character’s back story is worthy of its own feature film (as Disney did), you also decide that themes of freedom, subjugation, slavery, conflict and rebellion are going to be a major part of said film.
Continue reading Solo retrospective: Crawling out of the sewer
Let’s talk “Solo”
I have a tremendous amount of respect for the people involved in making “Solo.”
It was a thankless task. I mean, not literally, but let’s quickly break this down:
- Re-cast an iconic character associated with a beloved actor.
- Struggle through re-shoots, a changes in director, and a ton of bad press.
- Tell a smaller story that will be seen by the audience as not being essential to the overall narrative.
- Release the movie just 6 months after the “more essential” movie had sucked up the oxygen (and pissed off a small percentage of the audience).
- Attempt to release the movie on the heels of a pair of the biggest movies in history had, well, sucked up the oxygen.