Solo: A Star Wars Story gets passionate mixed reviews

Movie Title: SOLO: A Star Wars Story

Grade:  B

Rating: PG-13,

In a Nutshell:   It’s always really fun to watch a movie with an enthusiastic crowd, especially fans of a beloved franchise like STAR WARS.  I've been a fan ever since I was a young girl when the very first one hit the Big Screen.

The audience clapped every time a significant moment of introduction appeared on the screen, like when Han Solo got his name, when he met Chewbacca, and when he first set his eyes on the Millennium Falcon.  The audience I sat with cheered and clapped, but I admit I was surprised at how small the audience actually was.  Where is everyone?  Apparently, they’re busy Tweeting about how much they don’t like this movie.

After a lot of directorial drama and studio politics, Ron Howard directed this prequel after saying no to the gig 18 years ago when he was asked to direct Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.  This becomes the first time an Academy Award-winning director ever made a Star Wars film.  Was it worth the wait?  I'd love to hear what YOU think!

                                                            

Tips for parents: 

• Lots of fighting and violence with a very high body count.
• Some profanity.
• Han Solo and his team are in perilous situations almost all of the time.

Uplifting theme: 

• Good vs. evil
• Hope
• Trust and deceit
• Friendship
• Loyalty

                                                                 

Things I liked:

• This new edition to the franchise includes fan favorites like Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany, Donald Glover, and of course, Emilia Clarke.
• Alden Ehrenreich does a good job as Han Solo.  He’s charming and playful enough.  Some fans are complaining that this movie doesn’t deepen Han’s character, but that's due to the writing, not to his acting ability.  I finally remembered where I had seen Ehrenreich before...the movie Hail, Caesar! 
• Lots of fun, new creatures to entertain and delight audiences.
• There are a lot of impressive action sequences and CGI.
• I saw the film in 3D, but it’s also good without it.
• There is a fun cameo appearance at the end of the movie that made the audience squeal.
• Chewbacca is so awesome. 
• There are some respectful nods to former episodes.

Things I didn’t like:

• A lot of people are complaining that the movie feels like an obvious money grab. 
• A lot of the scenes are shot in dark places, so it might be hard to watch the movie on a TV or computer monitor once it goes to DVD or streaming.
• I was kind of hoping that the movie would include something that tied into how Han Solo (Harrison Ford) got that scar on his chin.
• While we get to meet the interesting L3-37 droid, the absence of R2-D2 and C-3PO is definitely felt.  It's the first time they are both missing from a Star Wars movie.
• Some lines seen in the movie trailer don’t actually appear in the movie.  In fact, some of the scenes don’t appear in the movie at all! 
• The pacing could use some help.
• I wanted an emotional moment that would make me cry, but it never happened for me.
• There’s no real evil villain that makes us shudder.
• "Social justice warriors" and Kathleen Kennedy are being criticized for always casting "strong" women in certain roles in the name of diversity, often weakening the impact of those characters.  What do YOU think of that?  There is a reveal in this movie that made the audience audibly roll their eyes, as in "Oh brother!"

Funny lines:

• “You’re 190 years old?  You look great!” – Han
• “What should we drink to?” – Qi’ra

“Let’s drink two and see where it goes.” – Han

• “You will never have a deeper sleep than when curled up in a Wookie’s lap.” – Rio Durant (voiced by Jon Favreau)
• “Sorry I punched your face.” – Beckett (Woody Harrelson)

“It happens more often than you think.” - Han

Interesting lines:

• “I’ve got a really good feeling about this. – Han
• “Assume everyone will betray you and you will never be disappointed.” – Beckett (Woody Harrelson)

“Sounds like a lonely way to live.” – Han

• “I don’t know if he said ‘tribe’ or ‘family’.” – Han

“What’s the difference?” - Beckett

                                

                                          @trinaboice

Jupiter Ascending gets an A for visuals and a C- for script

Here's what bad writing can do to a movie...


Movie: Jupiter Ascending

PG-13, 2 hours 5 minutes

Grade: A- for visually amazing

              C- for story and dialogue

In a Nutshell:  Wow.  Talk about sensory overload.  The special effects are amaze balls. I went with some friends to see this in 3D at a Galaxy DFX theater which enhances the sound and offers those awesome reclining chairs.  One of the ladies I sat with said she had to close her eyes several times because she couldn’t take it all in.  I wonder if you get a free vomit bag with your ticket when you watch this in those Dbox motion chairs.

This fantasy adventure feels like a visit to the cantina scene in Star Wars with crazy aliens coming together to fight over power and the ownership of planet Earth.  One of the scenes looks like it actually could have been filmed on Star Wars’ Naboo. The script is messy, but the costumes, set design, make-up, and CGI are extremely creative and impressive, surely eating up most of the reported 175 million dollar budget.  The Wachowski brothers (one of them is now female) brought us the epic The Matrix magic, but have now created a story that mere earthlings can’t quite comprehend.  Even still, it’s an entertaining ride if you don’t mind the odd moments.

Uplifting Theme:

·         “It’s not what you do.  It’s what you are.” – Stinger Apini (Sean Bean)

·         What would you do with your time if you had an endless amount of it? What price would you be willing to pay to get more time?

·         There is an awkward exploration of capitalism, greed, and morality.

Things I liked:

·         If you like action, this movie includes the non-stop variety.

·         I LOVE LOVE the hover boots that make Channing Tatum look like he’s ice skating through air.  I hope I can buy a pair on Amazon soon.

·         Beautiful aerial views of Chicago.

·         There is a somewhat humorous attempt at explaining crop circles and dinosaurs.  I always wanted to know the scoop on those two things.  Now I know.

·         I loved the see-through floor on Balem Abrasax’s space ship.

·         I didn’t know Tuppence Middleton was so pretty when I first saw her in The Imitation Game.  Her character as Kalique Abrasax in Jupiter Ascending looked obviously fake in the beginning, so I was glad when we got to see her true beauty later on. 

·         There was so much to see that I would like to study some of the images frame by frame.

·         The gay robotic bureaucrat scene was odd, disturbing and funny at the same time.

Things I didn’t like:

·         Mila Kunis plays Jupiter Jones who falls in love with Caine in less than 30 seconds.  It’s embarrassing how quickly she throws herself at him.  Caine, by the way, is played by a blonde Channing Tatum.  He goes shirtless for a longer than necessary and the blonde scruff makes you wince just a little bit.  Two good-looking people should create sparks, but their romantic dialogue falls flat.

·         One of the guys I watched the movie with noted that the musical score by Michael Giacchino was too overpowering.  That could have been because we were in a sound-enhanced screening, so it’s hard to know if others will experience the same effect.

·         There were some attempts at humor, but not nearly enough successful ones.  Want to see a sci-fi fantasy flick that will make you laugh out loud a LOT?   Guardians of the Galaxy!

·         Mila Kunis’emotional range as Jupiter Jones is pretty small in this movie. Even after her entire world is shaken, all she can muster is a “Holy Crap.”  Years ago I took a jungle tour of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.  The tour guide’s name was Jupiter.  He explained to us that it was because he was so “far out.”

·         I adored Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything and hope he wins an Oscar to go with his Golden Globe for it, but his performance in this film was odd and vacillates between monotone whispers and screaming, with nothing in between.

·         The elephant man alien appears out of place in what should be serious dramatic moments.

·         SPOILER ALERT: There is an icky Soylent Green moment.

·         Why were there so many bald women in this movie?

·         There is so much going on in the action sequences that it’s often hard to figure out exactly what’s going on.

Interesting lines:

·         “Technically speaking, I’m an alien, and from an immigration perspective, I’m an illegal one.” – Jupiter

·         “Off the record, I will tell you that you are a man of rare courage and I pray that your aim is true.” – Diomika Tsing (Nikki Amuka-Bird)

Lines that make you sneer:

·         “Men do not like smart women.” – Jupiter’s uncle

·         “My mom says true love is just a fairy tale for little girls.” – Jupiter

·         “I will never complain about the DMV again.” – Jupiter

·         “I am not your mother.” – Jupiter

“No, my mother never cleaned a toilet in her life.” – Balem Abrasax

Tips for Parents:

·         Some profanity, but no F-bombs.

·         You see the naked backside of a female and male in two different scenes, as well as a girl in her tiny underwear.  (She has amazing abs.)

·         There is a short orgy scene, but you don’t see details, other than faces.

·         There are sexual innuendos, lots of violence (some bloody), and evil motives.

Frozen will melt your heart

Movie Title:  Frozen

Grade: A

In a Nutshell:  Magical.  Visually stunning. Old school Disney romance with a modern feel, similar to Tangled.  This one is worth buying on DVD for the fam.  Somehow this is going to be made into a Broadway musical some day, right?  The detail and humor are Disney perfection.

Uplifting theme:  Love IS an open door.  It’s a bit of a dramatic illustration of believing the mistaken notion to “conceal it – don’t feel it.”  Embrace yourself and your unique strengths and weaknesses. Of your worries and stresses - let it go.  Girls, your handsome prince may not wear a suit with epaulets.

Things I liked:  Idina Menzel 's beautiful voice…yes please. All of the snow-filled animation is simply gorgeous from the delicate snowflakes to glittering snow packs to icy palaces, foggy breath, windy flurries, and a lively snowman.  You can hear the snow crunch and you feel like you’re IN the fog and cold snow storm….watch it in 3D if you can!  The human movement, facial expressions, and Kristoff’s awesome hair are all amazing.  We’ll probably see Kristoff’s boots for sale in the Ugg store pretty soon.  Elsa’s cute figure is inspiring and yet false advertising at the same time.  Kristen Bell did a terrific job too.

Things I didn’t like: The African chant music seemed out of place.  My son (the animation student in college) thought the artwork was so elegant that Olaf the Snowman seemed out of place and a bit of an annoyance a la Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars.  My sister disagreed and thought Olaf was a welcomed comic relief, connecting the two sisters to their childhood relationship.  Speaking of Olaf, lovable Josh Gad, who voices the enthusiastic snowman, praised Disney’s animation talent by saying “If there’s something snow can do, Disney animators have absolutely discovered it!”  The Art Direction team was sent to Norway for inspiration for snow-filled mountains and even costuming on the film.

Funny line:  “We finish each other’s….sandwiches.”

Things to look for:

• Famous artwork on walls in the palace.  I especially love the Fragonard. 
• Drool on Anna’s mouth when she’s asleep
• Aurora Borealis.  That’s on my Bucket List for things to see before I die.
• The axe in the beginning scene.
• Romantic robot dancing from the movie Hitch when Anna and Hans sing “Our mental synchronization can have but one explanation.”
• Anna sings through the keyhole
• So much to see in the troll scene!

Insightful quotes:

• “Only true love can thaw a frozen heart.”  – Pabbie/Grandpa
•  “Some people are worth melting for.”  - Olaf the Snowman
•  “Don’t know if I’m elated or grassy, but I’m somewhere in that zone.”  - Anna
•  “You sacrificed for me?”  “I love you.”  - Anna & Elsa   (something all sisters should say to one another)
• “The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded.” 
• "People make bad choices if they're mad or scared or stressed."  - Troll 

Tips for parents:  No bad language, but a tiny bit of a dark theme.  Enough action for the boys to be entertained, beautiful music for the girls to sing along to, and thought-provoking character development for adults to enjoy.  Thanks to YouTube, you’ll be able to watch some of your favorite songs and scenes again until the DVD hits store shelves.