Solo: A Star Wars Story, or simply Solo, is a 2018 Space Western based on the Star Wars character Han Solo. Directed by Ron Howard, it was produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the second Star Wars anthology film following 2016’s Rogue One. A stand-alone installment set prior to the events of A New Hope, it explores the early adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca. I was excited to see Solo based on trailers and my Star Wars history but wasn’t that happy about how Solo turned out. While I continued to be entertained, I didn’t feel as touched or as involved in the story as in the past. Could it be that there are too many Star Wars movies giving one the feeling that it’s just a competition piece without rhyme or reason? A money grabber, if you will.
On the shipbuilding world of Corellia, orphaned children are made to steal in order to survive. A young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and his girlfriend, Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) escape from a local criminal gang. They bribe an Imperial officer with a stolen sample of coaxium, a powerful hyperspace fuel, in exchange for passage on an outgoing transport, but Qi’ra is apprehended by their pursuers before she can board. Han vows to return and rescue her, he then joins the Imperial Navy as a flight cadet. Han is given the surname “Solo” by the recruiting officer.
In the meanwhile, three years have past and Han has been expelled from the Imperial Flight Academy for insubordination. While serving as an infantryman during a battle on the planet Mimban, he encounters a gang of criminals posing as Imperial soldiers led by Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson). He tries to blackmail them into taking him with them, but Beckett has him arrested for desertion and thrown into a pit to be fed to a beast – a Wookiee named Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo). Able to speak Chewbacca’s language, Han persuades him to work together to escape their confinement. In need of extra hands, Beckett rescues them and enlists them in the gang, which includes Beckett’s wife Val (Thandie Newton). They then plot to steal a shipment of coaxium on the planet Vandor. The plan goes awry when the Cloud Riders show up with their leader Enfys Nest (Erin Kellyman), resulting in the deaths of two crew members and the destruction of the coaxium. Beckett reveals he was ordered to steal the shipment for Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), a high-ranking crime boss in the Crimson Dawn syndicate. Han and Chewbacca volunteer to help him steal another shipment to repay the debt.
At this point, the film picks up a whole new adventure. There are many twist and turns and some surprises you won’t see coming. Solo is an excellent story with far fewer characters than some of the earlier Star Wars productions. You might note the character Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) who was formerly played by Billy De Williams has been replaced with a younger actor. Also, Han Solo was originally played by Harrison Ford but is not played by Alden Ehrenreich. Over all I think Solo is missing the grandiose feeling usually displayed in these type of movies but still is a very good film. Solo is definitely not worth seeing in 3D but is worth seeing in the regular standard format. Check it out!
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a crime film written, produced, and directed by Martin McDonagh. Simply put, “3 Billboards” is about a mother who rents three billboards to call attention to her daughter’s unsolved murder. It sort of reminds me of the TV hit, “Wisdom of the Crowd”. Instead of using computer technology it’s local, instead of involving the world, it only involves those who see the billboards and instead of having information at your fingertips, you have to make phone calls or rely on logic and whatever detective skills you may have achieved over time.
In my humble opinion, War for the Planet of the Apes is by far the best Planet Apes movie I’ve seen and I’ve seen them all. Incredible makeup, incredible acting, incredible story and incredible directing (Matt Reeves). The cinematography is outstanding and the message was loud and clear. This movie couldn’t have come at a better time in our lives. At one point I just weld up and as tears streamed down my face, couldn’t help but wonder why man makes an already difficult world so much more difficult by adding their egos and evil ways to the mix because one thing is certain, WE ALL WILL DIE SOMEDAY! Having said that, I had to give War for the Planet of the Apes a whooping 10.
I thought the first “Now You See Me” was clever and it was but the sequel has more substance and is even more entertaining. It’s just as clever plus they explain how most of the tricks are done, which is nice to know. The same crew is back with the exception of Isla Fisher who played Henley Reeves, the only female member of the Four Horsemen. Isla was replaced by Lizzy Caplan as Lula May, the new Illusionist. The rest of the crew consists of Woody Harrelson as Merritt McKinney, Jesse Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas and Dave Franco as Jack Wilder. Also back is their handler, FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Morgan Freeman as Thaddeus Bradley, an ex-magician who, for thirty years, has made money by revealing the secrets behind other magicians’ tricks. Thaddeus was arrested by Dylan in the original movie and appears as an inmate in the sequel. Mark seeks revenge as he blames Thaddeus for the death of his father, Lionel Shrike, who was also a magician. The sequel starts out one year after the team goes into hiding from the FBI. Upon further instructions from the Eye, who is the secret society of magicians they’ve been recruited by, their new mission is to expose corrupt businessman Owen Case (Ben Lamb), whose new software secretly steals data on its users for Case’s benefit. This assignment starts the Four Horsemen’s new adventures and makes for a pretty good sequel. Once again, Michael Cain does an excellent job as Arthur Tressler, the businessman who the Horsemen bankrupted in the original film. I enjoyed the movie and found it to be entertaining. I thought it was clever and well though out. I understand another sequel is in the works, slated to open in 2017. I takes a lot to come up with the tricks and plots that can hold your attention as the “Now You See Me” series has. Kudos to the writers.
Since 2012, I get a real birthday treat because a version of The Hunger Games is released. This year, The Mockingjay debuted and I, along with millions of other fans anticipated it’s arrival. I was not disappointed. The Hunger games, all versions, are so fantastic I’d hate to see them end. We started off with the world divided into districts and governed by the evil President Snow, played by Donald Sutherland. 2 kids from each district are forced to enter a competition called the Hunger Games. It’s a fight to the finish. Only one survivor is allowed so 25 children must die each year. After 2 years, District 12 winners have caused controversy, thus shutting down the games. Many VIP followers like Woody Harrelson, who plays Haymitch Abernathy and Phillip Seymore Hoffman, who plays Plutarch Heavensbee have fallen off the President Snow bandwagon and joined the rebellion against The Capital. Julianne Moore plays President Alma Coin, who leads the districts and the rebellion. Jennifer Lawrence who plays Katniss Everdeen, is the Mockingjay that heads the rebellion and gives hope and light at the end of the tunnel for the poor and the oppressed population that remain in the districts that haven’t been attacked or destroyed. Oops, that was sort of a spoiler. At any rate, this Hunger Games is one of the best and I for one, really liked it. I can’t wait for part 2. BTW: Lenny Kravitz who plays Cinna is not in this last one, boo ho. However, Josh Hutcherson, who plays Petta Mellark and the gorgeous Liam Hemsworth, who plays Gale Hawthorne continue to be Katniss’ love interest. May the best man win. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt 1 is worth all your attention and most certainly, the cost of a movie ticket.
The best thing I can say about Out of the Furnace is Woody Harrelson who played notorious Harlan DeGroat, a drug addicted gangster who ruled in the Appellation Mountains and Christain Bale who played Russell Baze, a steel worker that’s down on his luck. Their performances were outstanding. Other than that, it was pretty much down hill. This movie was oh so slow — even the music seemed slow except at the end when Pearl Jam’s “Release” permeated the screen. There were no happy endings and no real message that I could determine. The story takes place in North Braddock, Pennsylvania’s steel mill country and in the Ramapo Mountains of New Jersey. The plot is basically about Casey Affleck’s character, Rodney Baze (Russell’s brother) who goes missing after he agrees to take a dive in DeGroat’s bare knuckle fighting event to even a debt between Willem Defoe, who plays Bookie, John Petty, himself and DeGroat. Russell who lost his woman (Zoe Saldana) to Chief Wesley Barnes, played by Forest Whitaker, decided to go rogue while looking into Rodney’s disappearance. This movie presented many questions for which I didn’t get many answers. In fact, I had to read up on Out of the Furnace to find the truth. I recommend Out of the Furnace on DVD if you have some time to kill, it’s interesting at best!
I had no idea what the sequel to Hunger Games was going to be like. I absolutely loved it. The whole gang from the first Hunger Games returned to make this thrilling film. I have so much to say but I don’t want to spoil the movie. What I can say is Lian Hemsworth, who plays Dale, is even more gorgeous than before, but then what should we expect being the younger brother of Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor. I can also tell you that Woody Harrelson deserves an oscar for his roll as Haymitch Abernathy. The cast was fantastic, the story was fantastic and the special effects were fantastic. And of course, Jennifer Lawrence was equally fantastic as Katniss Everdeen, the ultimate warrior.
CAROL's WORLDS 