‘STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER’ Blindly Resurrects the Past To Finish The Saga

December 18, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Carrie Fisher, Chris Terrio, Daisy Ridley, Harrison Ford, J.J. Abrams, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Star Wars, Star Wars IX, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Leave a comment

If the central tenet of Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi was to kill the past to make way for the future, The Rise of Skywalker is all about bringing the dead back to life. After the divisive middle entry to this new Disney-helmed trilogy, The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams was tasked with the Herculean feat of pleasing both the fans and detractors of The Last Jedi and with The Rise of Skywalker decides to just lean into resurrecting and regurgitating the past as much as possible, much like he did his first time out. The most obvious example of this comes in the form of our old pal Sheev, the Senator-turned-Supreme-Chancellor-turned-Emperor, whose appearance was teased to fans from the very first trailer, and his handling is a microcosm of the film’s issues writ large. Read More

It’s the End of the End with Last ‘STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER’ Trailer

October 21, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Trailers Tagged J.J. Abrams, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Trailers Leave a comment

A long time ago, in Hollywood, Star Wars roared to life, forever changing the blockbuster landscape and fan culture worldwide. Eight Skywalker movies later (and a few spin-offs with many, many, many more down the line) and we’ve finally reached the end of the road for Luke, Anakin, Leia, Rey, Chewie, Kylo, and that pesky Palpatine fellow. Allegedly. With Disney busy brewing not one but two new trilogy series and a number of smaller screen projects (from the highly anticipated The Mandolorian to a Cassian Andor spin-off and the return of Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan) sliding onto Disney+, it’s finally time to let the past die. And with it, so concludes the nine-film installment now referred to as Skywalker Saga. Read More

Every Generation Has a Legend in Trailer for ‘STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER’

April 12, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Trailers Tagged Adam Driver, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, J.J. Abrams, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Lupita Nyong'o, Oscar Isaac, Star Wars, Star Wars Episode 9 Trailer, Star Wars: Episode IX, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Trailers Leave a comment

Cue the John Williams’ drumroll please, as it’s finally here: some long-awaited details and a stunning first look at the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX, now officially titled Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Lupita Nyong’o, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels and even Carrie Fischer (!!!) and Mark Hammill is the 11th overall Star Wars film and the third of the third trilogy, which is said to be the last dealing with the Skywalker legacy. Read More

Out in Theaters: ’10 CLOVERFIELD LANE’

March 10, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged 10 Cloverfield Lane, Damien Chazelle, Dan Trachtenberg, J.J. Abrams, John Gallagher Jr., John Goodman, Josh Campbell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Matthew Stuecken, Out in Theaters, Reviews 1 Comment

10 Cloverfield Lane is predicated on a beautifully simple catch 22: I am trapped in a room with psychopath but if I leave said room, I will most certainly die. The only safe solace in a decimated post-apocalyptic world, a bunker shared with a dangerous captor named Howard (a never-better, totally Oscar-worthy John Goodman), is indeed no safe solace at all. To hostage Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), this post-op lion’s den houses clearly seems to house a hulking threat; a man who percolates with such clear-eyed ferocity, unwavering mania and steadfast paranoia that the probably poisonous air outside seems an amenable option. But then again, what if he’s not a psychopath after all? Read More

The Best and Worst Aspects of ‘STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS’

December 20, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged Adam Driver, Best and Worst, Best and Worst of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Daisy Ridley, Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, J.J. Abrams, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac 1 Comment

There has been an awakening. With a $238 million opening weekend, the box office roared to live, stoked by the Mustafar-sized conflagration of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, quickly making this seventh Star Wars film the biggest opening of all time and putting it on track to dethrone the highest grossing films ever. But all money aside, the real question on everyone’s lips were, is it good? Thankfully, the answer was a resounding yes. With a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics and fans alike have rallied around the J.J. Abrams product like Ewoks on a post-Empire Endor. But that doesn’t mean that the film didn’t have its share of lows amongst the highs. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS’

December 16, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Adam Driver, Carrie Fischer, Daisy Ridley, Harrison Ford, J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt, Oscar Isaac, Out in Theaters, Peter Mayhew, Reviews, Star Wars: The Force Awakens 1 Comment

A long time ago in 1977, Star Wars (back then there was no ‘A New Hope’ to it) struck a cultural nerve, resonating like a tuning fork to the farthest reaches of the known galaxy. A flurry of rabid fans stormed the theaters, salivating for a product that was by and large rejected at first glance (Fun Fact: Fox had to strong-arm theater programmers by withholding the right to screen The Other Side of Midnight unless they also screened Star Wars, a film 99 out of 100 people probably don’t recognize today.) If they only knew the power of this sci-fi behemoth, one that even today holds the record for second highest grossing film when adjusted for inflation, there is no doubt that they would have flooded their holy grounds with screening after screening of the lauded space opera but history is a fickle thing. Just ask all those people caught on the news praising Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Read More

AHMYGAWD Watch the New ‘STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS’ Trailer NOW

October 19, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Trailers Tagged Carrie Fischer, Daisy Ridley, Harrison Ford, J.J. Abrams, John Boyega, Poe Dameron, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Trailers Leave a comment

I usually don’t watch trailers. I couldn’t help myself with the first teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and I couldn’t stop myself from watching this next (and potentially final) trailer. Join the dark side and watch Han (Harrison Ford), Chewie (Peter Mayhew) and Leia (Carrie Fischer) join new Star Wars members Finn (John Boyega), Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to battle New Order Sith Lord Kylo Ren. But don’t take my word for it, watch it yourself. Read More

Worst Case Scenario Casting for STAR WARS VII

March 6, 2014 by Chris Bunker Posted in Casting News Tagged Adam Driver, Adam Sandler, Episode VII, J.J. Abrams, John Travolta, Kevin Hart, Star Wars, Zac Efron

“The horror…the horror.“

According to recent reports, Zac Efron has (maybe-potentially-hopefully-not) been in discussions with Director J.J. Abrams regarding potential casting in Star Wars: Episode VII. This, following earlier news this week that Adam Driver is set to portray a Sith Lord in the newest Disney-sponsored saga. For anyone who’s seen Efron’s work—most recently That Awkward Moment, quite possibly the year’s worst film to date—this could spell disaster for the film, which already seems like it’s on a galactic crash course. At least this isn’t the worst possible casting, as it certainly could be worse. Here are some actors we definitely don’t want to see anywhere near this trilogy.

1. Kevin Hart

With Abrams’ reboot, there certainly will be creatures of all shapes and sizes floating through hyperspace. Let’s hope Kevin Hart, nuisance personified, isn’t one of them. He’s everywhere these days. He’s like the force, a constant presence you don’t see but definitely feel; you couldn’t escape him if you tried. Whether it’s terrible movies (recent examples: Ride Along, Grudge Match, and Think Like a Man), the NBA All-Star Celebrities’ Game, or all over BET, KHart has burned himself into the intergalactic rolodex. Though it would be funny to see him bouncing around with a lightsaber, this shouldn’t happen in any dimension.

2. Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler hasn’t made anything worthwile since 2002, and pretty much everything he touches turns to space junk. It would help if he were still funny, but that Sandler is in a galaxy far far way. Just imagine Sandler trying to fly the Millenium Falcon. And really, how many roles would he play? It’d be great to see him play Chewbacca, Han Solo, Leia and Luke simultaneously. We beg you, Adam Solo, stay away.

3. John Travolta

Is it wrong that I think it would be aweseome if John Travolta was brought into the Star Wars galaxy? How many names would he mispronounce? So much intentional comedy would ensue with Travolta trying to pronounce “midichlorians” (mardiacloritis) and “Dagobah” (Deborawr). Okay, maybe this one should happen. Get on it Abrams, you’re our only hope!

It remains to be seen how the rest of the cast will be filled out as production starts in April. With Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 6 set to release Friday, and all the castings sure to come out in the next month, this is sure to be a force-filled March. As Travolta would say: Mary the frost be wart yew.

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