Solo Review

My review of Tokyo Drift…

Or was it Max Max IV...

Or was it The Chewbacca Movie...

Well the Solo movie started out like a space version of Tokyo Drift, the least popular (but probably my favorite) chapter of the Fast and Furious franchise and transitioned into a little bit of a modern version of the Great Train Robbery then into of kind of a Mad Max movie.  Then they threw in the mandatory casino like scene, a whole crap ton of new aliens (yet no Ithorians, Weequay, Jawas, Bothans, and only one token Rodian and Tognath each) a short space battle and topped it off with a final surprise ending.

Solo was good.  The most important thing for me was that it might shut up a progressively louder segment of fandom.  I usually like things to maintain a certain pattern and consistency.  So, when it comes to the episodic films of my favorite franchise, I want to see a scroll, I want to see the a story that somehow involves the Skywalker family - even if the story has to be moved forward 20 generations to get away from the current time period and freshen it up.  I want to see a star ship cross in front of the screen in the first shot then a pan to a planet below.... you get the idea.  I like that R2D2 and that other irritant are somehow present, they are the glue that keeps it all one continuous story.  As for Solo, I like that it violated all of these “rules.”  - Oh yeah, SPOILERS ahead…

What Solo left out is what makes it unique and sets the mold for what future Star Wars (Standalone, anthology, Stories…) have to do – or rather maybe even more importantly, not do. 

One off directors-

Apologies to Lord and Miller, but I am glad that they got the boot and Ron Howard was brought in to helm this flick.  I think GL had the right idea to have his friends do the prequels, too bad they all turned him down.  Finally someone made the world right again, and Opey got his turn, let’s hope this leads to a Eastwood directed Kenobi film, or a Taratino directed Maul film…a Spielberg directed film on the imprisonment of the Wookies and Chewbacca’s return post RTOJ to liberate them. Needless to say, I am happy with the Howard treatment.  Despite the satisfaction on my part, I hope this is Howard’s last foray (at least for a while) into the Galaxy Far Far Away.  Fans are crying for diversity; well let’s start with the directors.  More JJ or RJ is not the recipe for success.

Crawl, Walk, Run-

I am good with no crawl for the one-off movies.  A few inches of lines of introduction is big enough (at least that is what she keeps telling me).  This worked well since we were already well versed in the Star Wars universe.  No one needed to be filled in on the Empire, Corellia, or criminal gangs.  There was just enough information to set the scene.  The test will be the first movie they do that is set out of the period from the Prequel Trilogy (PT) to the Original Trilogy (OT).  When they start to venture out beyond the known Republic-Empire-Rebellion canopy they how will they handle that.  I just do not think that the audience is going to want to have to study before going into a film, and crib notes flashing on the screen to catch everyone one up will have to maintain the KISS method.

Solo is soooo…ummmm

Alden Ehrenreich plays Han Solo.  Ok…when this was announced I was indifferent on the choice.  At the time, I figured I might get around to seeing it after it was out a week or two.  My viewing plans changed, but my opinion on the actor has not, maybe I have shifted from indifferent to ambivalent.  There were times when Han Solo on the screen where I rather forgot who he was playing.  The voice and inflection was fine, for me what took me out of the moment was more his facial expressions. Many people wanted Anthony Ingruber to be in the role.  After his YouTube video of his Harrison Ford impressions went viral he had quit the fan following.  His role-playing the younger version of a Harrison Ford in the Age of Adeline also fed many to question why he wasn’t given the role.  I do not know if he would have been any better.  It might have been worse.  One thing I can say is at least this Ehrenreich guy wasn’t doing an impression for two hours and fifteen minutes which would have been unbearable.

Lando

This is the one aspect that could have killed this movie for me.  I was not a fan of the casting choice.  I still am not a fan of the casting choice, but I did not hate it.  One thing that went quite well, just seconds before we are being introduced to Lando we can hear his voice.  I could have sworn that was Billy Dee.  I even wonder if they somehow took clips of his voice and layered it over Donald Glover’s voice to kind of ease us into it, like a septuagenarian getting into a warm bath… As far as Glover’s acting, he did ok.  I felt there were times he was forcing something.  I know he can act; his portrayal in Community was fantastic.  Let us put it this way, I did not walk out of the theater so it could not have been that bad.

“Woody” Beckett

Woody Harrelson plays what was supposed to be Han’s mentor.  I was fine with his role – at least it was more Haymitch Abernathy, with a mix of Larry Flynt and thankfully no Woody Boyd or Roy Munson.  I think 100 actors could have played it and it would have been as equal a performance.  He played a role that was so-far unestablished in cannon and was dead by the end of the movie, so no harm no foul. I know that I am in the minority on this, but when Han shoots him near the end of the film, I would have loved to hear him say something to the effect of “my last lesson kid – always shoot first…” I know, people would have rioted but sometimes I think we need a good purge.

Ewoks and B Actors

I was hoping to not get distracted by a sudden forced in appearance of R2 or that other guy.  On the contrary I was really was looking for the Warwick Davis obligatory appearance and the hopeful but not quite confirmed (I was spoiler free) appearance of Ron’s brother Clint.  They both got their cameos, the droids did not, all is right in the world.

That damn droid

All I can say about L3-37 is that the destruction of that droid is one casualty that I was thankful for.  I am NOT racist against droids. One of my bffs is a droid.  Anyway…I got chocked up when K2-SO dies(?) in Rogue One, I kept getting misty eyed even after the 14^th time I saw it in theaters.  However, when L3 gets blown up, I almost stood up and cheered.  I did like how they used her “brain” to make her part of the Falcon but everything prior to that was just irritating.  The whole “Free the slave droids” act was too much over the top.  I would think as a droid she could act without emotion and be more subtle about what she was doing.  The one cool part of her scenes it gave Ron Howard a reason to bring Clint in the action. The whole – did they or didn’t they, dynamic between Lando and the droid was unnecessary and I thought it was forced. It just made me feel the droid was delusional, and droids are not supposed to be delusional, are they? See how it just takes you out of the movie?

Maul  -

WTF? I am so glad I missed this spoiler. Not much surprised me throughout the movie. I was usually a step or two in front of the reveals and the double and triple crossing The Maul reveal however was the one thing that got me.  I am cool with the PT, never hated it and to be honest Maul was not my favorite part of TPM.  But I am glad he is back in the live action part of SW

Of course we had plenty of the requisite  explaining every facet of every off-handed comment made in the OT

Meeting Chewie, meeting Lando, Han’s time as an Imperial, Han seeing/flying the Falcon for the first time, the Kessel Run..all things that were covered and were probably the top of the list of everything we already knew about.  With a reference to Jabba, the (over inclusion) of the dice, and we covered about every possible reference Han made during the OT. We even got the anti “I’ve got a bad feeling…” I am not sure if we were explained to on why Han does not like to be told the odds, where the red stripe came from, and THANK GOD no Boba Fett. Not even a off handed reference. I’d have bet a crap-ton of credits that there would have been something related to Fett – whew, I dogged that one. Ahhh but LFL got me in the end.  I walk out of the theater, check my phone and see the news that they are planning a Fett movie. Couldn’t give me just a day?

One more reveal kind of showed how expecting fan service and everything how the idea that the Star Wars universe is one big trailer park where everyone and everything is related kind of messes with you –was the reveal of the Enfys Nest.  I lost a few minutes trying to figure out if that was someone I should already know. After consulting a few oricles of fandom I now know that I didn’t miss anything. She is new. Totally new. Meaning no backstory, no connection to anyone.  At least until LFL realized she needs a story, then she will end up being Kenobi’s best friend’s sister’s granddaughter. 

So overall I am good with it. There was a point in the middle of the movie, during the battle to get off Kessel, I got a a flash of - "man I'd love to see this crew in a second movie."  Of course half of them are dead now, and at least one is a traitor to the other (not that I blame her, I'd have done the same thing, chase the dollas!!!). But in the end I would support a Solo II; Not so Solo.

My predictions for Solo.

It has been no secret I dubbed the Solo movie, the movie that did not need to be made.  I don't care who thinks they said it first, I thought of it back in 1988. 

When the future Disney-Star Wars was being laid out and when the “stand-alone” aka “anthology” aka “Star Wars Story,” aka non-episodic films (whatever nomenclature KK is using this week) were announced, I was ecstatic at the idea.  Visions of a possible Rogue Squadron movie sparked my imagination - OT era or even post OT era would have been fine, just give me a movie where Wedge is the lead! Or a Kit Fisto film, why not? Right?

Admittedly, I scoffed at the idea of Rogue One, until I saw the panel at Star Wars Celebration VII (were we still using numbers back then?) in Anaheim.  I further scoffed, even louder, maybe it was more a “pooh-pooh” when someone mentioned a possible Kenobi movie.  However, after reading the JohnJackson Miller Kenobi book (July 2014) – published toward the end of the legends line, but in my opinion Disney should have put that in the so called “new continuity” (fail #346) – the idea started to grow on me.  Further making me want this (so far) non-movie were the stories from The journals of Ben Kenobi - Marvel Star Wars #7 and continuing on in a few more issues later down the line.  I point this out to add evidence that I am not opposed to the concept of non-episodic Star Wars movies, actually I am very much Pro-anthology.  

I am even willing to admit a small flaw in my personality where I am prone to making bad first judgments.  Despite originally thinking that Rogue One would add nothing. I now find Rogue One at #2 on my non-existent list of favorite Star Wars movies, since the list stops at #2 and all the others are tied for #3.  Where was I?

Oh yeah – right, I was getting to my predictions for Solo.  

So, Solo (hmmm that sound weird… Kind of like when someone says “when you do do that thing…”

Let’s try that again.  As far as Solo goes, I have come closer to the middle ground.  it is not like I was ever going to boycott. The people who are doing that simply because they hate TLJ are just idiots and are swimming upstream – but some people love rabid (under)dogs, and some people shoot them. Originally I planned on experimenting with the concept of NOT going to the opening night of a Star Wars flick and having a Sunday matinee be my first viewing.  I also kept with my strategy of avoiding all spoilers and not seeking out any information. I did not go to extreme measures, I just kept enough distance, and it seems to have worked (so far).  The few things I do know, are probably not going to ruin anything (except no Bossk - thanks TWISW). Either way, I don’t really expect much except to be pleasantly surprised.  It helps that I still have that “meh” feeling over TLJ and Lucasfim has moved the bar so low that I will probably enjoy the movie as long as it keeps me awake.  I may walk out and wished I had spent the evening talking politics with the dog or sharing some popcorn with her over a marathon session of the IT Crowd on Netflix. But really - it can’t be as bad or as lackluster as that travesty of last December. Or was it a non-travesty? I am not sure because I remain so ambivalent that I feel as if I might become an honorary millennial.

So, since I have nothing invested in this movie, other than a few bucks towards a ticket and some used DMR points to get a free official poster I made some predictions for fun.  This should be pretty spoiler free, because I know nothing of this movie.  All I know going in is, who wrote it, who acts in it, and the rough in-universe time period of the movie.  Oh and full disclosure, saw one part of one trailer where there is a train or something going through some mountains or snow – or was that the trailer for Snowpiercer? I don't know, I get confused and sidetracked easily now days. By the way, good movie based on a Korean novel.  I am still hoping for a sequel.

THE PREDICTIONS – da dha dummmm

Prediction number one – We find out that Solo is not just his last name, but a designation. He is the original template for a batch of cancelled clones.

Second prediction – Chewie is actually wearing underwear (a Disney mandated additive)  we just can’t tell because all the hair/fur that covers it.

C. Han Solo actually owned the Falcon long before Lando lost it to some third person, Lando then got it from that person, and finally Han cheats Lando to get it back. Orrrrr....we find out that the computer of the Falcon is actually the digitally stored brain of a ancient Jedi and that is why the Falcon survives against all odds and eventually finds itself working with Luke, Ben and then later Rey.

#5. We will be teased with a silhouette in the distance, or maybe an off-handed reference to Boba Fett. It will be a tease only and nothing more.  But if it happens be prepared for all the Boba-boys (those are Boba Fett fan boys that well...like Boba Fett - a lot) to squeal in the theater causing you to miss the next bit of dialog.  This will be Disney’s clever way of getting you to go a second time so you can hear what you missed – thus driving up the box office so Star Wars can take back the title from the Marvel Franchise.

Last prediction – Ok I lied, I have heard one other thing. So this is the only possible spoiler. Now is your chance to bail out- 

seriously no more warnings

really? still here?

Ok here it is

Apparently one of the screenplay writers only known to me as Laurence Kashdan’s son – so Kashdan Jr.? Either way, during one interview or some other situation where he has reason to jammer about the movie – he disclosed that Lando was pan-sexual.  Actually, I got all this from some anti-new Star Wars FB page, so who knows if this is true.  What I do know is there is a segment of fandom that has literally lost their feces over this news.  I am not fan of Billy…uh I mean Lando NOT being a ladies man (see him in the Ladies Man – another great movie!!!) and I take this comment as meaning not that Lando is Bi-sexual (not that there is anything wrong with that....Seinfeld anyone???) but that he basically bangs everything that moves (i.e. aliens).  So I went the long way to say that my last prediction is that -

We will see Lando in an orgy-like scene with some Twileks or some Ewoks or maybe even a Jawa or two.

End Credits

Credit one

Credit two

Credit three

….

End Credit Scene

A shot of C3PO and R2D2 doing something

Ok lets get this started…

I promise, this started out much worse than it ends up being.

What has been a yearly ritual since the release of Star Wars; Episode VII; The Force Awakens  (TFA), a few non-fanatic, friends have asked me “so what do you think of the new Star Wars movie.”  That question has led to a vast variety of conversational rabbit holes (otherwise known as rants).  In the past, I would likely give a list of the pros and cons, and come out with a positive overall grade.  In the past, I never bashed any of the movies - worse case, I may agree with some negative aspect (i.e. bad dialog, too much CGI, to cookie cutter) but at least I was animated and excited about it all.  In the past, I had a lot to say.  The longer I had to digest it, the more analytical I could get.  This year, well… it has been difficult to give anything more than a shrug of the shoulders and a sigh, in response to the question.

Why?

Every new franchise release since 1999, I have remained relatively spoiler free, and I usually watched each new SW movie with an un-biased and open mind.  I usually spend the first viewing trying to notice things – just open eyes and taking it all in.  I scan the screen for Easter eggs, I pay attention to background, foreground, soundtrack queues, and I just try to sponge it all in.  I caught it all in TFA - the lack of Chewie/Leia hug, the switch back to the gold arm, the practice drone that Finn comes across- all on the first viewing.  While in sponge mode, my mind was too occupied to judge.  This is why I usually cannot/will not, form a solid opinion until I have sat through at least a second viewing. 

Going into The Last Jedi, I knew only a few things.  In the lead up, I avoided speculation to the point of avoiding podcasts, blogs, social media, and cast interviews.  What I knew - I heard rumor of Frank Oz possibly being involved however, I also heard that Hayden Christiansen also might have been called in - so 50/50.  Just from living on the internet, there were things one could not avoid.  I knew of a few of the filming locations – Dubrovnik, Dingle Peninsula, and Skellig Michael.  From these sites I saw a “few” pictures involving production, so when the Canto Bight location was mentioned I kind’ov had an idea from the pics from Dubrovnik.  I also was tracking, but not obsessively on cast announcements.  I knew about Benicio del Toro and Laura Dern, but nothing about their roles and no preconceived notion on how they should be worked into the story.  I did patiently wait for the Billy Dee announcement, and still am… All this is to set up the situation in which I was going into TLJ, fresh, unsuspecting, and with only a few questions that carried over from TFA.

What?

Talking with others, I learned that I missed a few of those kind of Easter eggs that I usually notice.  Was I distracted?  Was it because the story was hard to follow (or hard to swallow)?

Answers or more questions?

I only got really excited three times – the moments right before Snoke’s death - I saw it coming but it was still pretty cool, the not quite so announcement of Rey’s lineage, – and, when I thought Luke was going to go all Frank Castle (with a green lightsaber) on Kylo… yet each of those times, after a good amount of buildup, after moving to the edge of my seat, talking a deep breath in…and each time ending in what? -Disappointment? I feel so “blah” about this movie that I am not sure that might not be too strong a word. 

I feel like Rian Johnson took the top fan questions that came out of TFA and purposely tried to give the fandom the most unsatisfying answer to each – on purpose.  The answer to Rey’s parents was almost like RJ took a stick and poked it at the audience, saying – FU, all that time speculating and it was all a waste of time for you to even care.  The same with the question of where Snoke came from.  I was good with how he was killed off, but some of the biggest and wackiest theories from TFA surrounded the speculation on who Snoke really was.  Did it matter?  No, and I am no fan of much of the speculation but, these answers, along with Luke never really having that one great battle left me feeling empty inside.  

Tearless despite wanting to ball like an infant.

The one area I expected to well up and drop some tears, was each time Leia was on screen.  At every turn, I was waiting on how the real world was going to affect the Galaxy Far Far Away.  How was RJ going to “write” Carrie Fisher out of the movie?  Early on, where Leia is blown out of the ship into space, I almost got up and walked out.  I thought for a brief moment that was going to be it.  Thankfully, it was not - but for me, the alternative was not much better.  To be fair, I am not sure anyone could get it right, maybe in this instance, the bar is set to high.  For me, the biggest thing hanging over Episode IX is going to be how they answer the Leia question.  It might be just a casual line about Leia passing or maybe something in the crawl.  Right now, I am just left feeling less than enthusiastic with how Han was killed off then how Luke just does a Copperfield impersonation and just…”pop”…disappears.  How they “kill off” the last of the main three is going to be a make or break for many OT fans.  Either way, I got more emotional over the CGI Leia in Rogue One than anything Leia related in TLJ, despite my willingness to be overwhelmed by how they gave Leia a final sendoff.  I will say, it was proper and great that the film was dedicated to her.  Seeing that in the end credits was about the only emotional part of the entire movie for me.

Speaking of death counts.

Whom didn’t RJ kill off?  Akbar was killed off by some random reference to being sucked out into space.  Then a new character is introduced.  Admiral Hodo or whatever.  Why couldn’t Akbar just fill her role in the movie?  I would have loved seeing him go kamikaze on the First Order fleet at the end.  He could have went out yelling – “Trap THIS MF’er..” Another wasted opportunity was Finn.  I get the whole arc where Poe learns his lesson about making the hard calls and knowing when to pull back to conserve your forces.  But despite Poe calling Finn back when he is making his suicide run on the First Order door buster, he is ignored.  It looks like Finn is going to finally do something other than try to mac on Rey, something that will benefit the cause.  Ahhh … but he is DENIED.  Actually we are all denied.  Him destroying that weapon and giving the Resistance a few more minutes would have been a high point, but that was just another “meh” moment.  Even so, RJ is pretty bloodthirsty.  He offs almost every character we know from the OT, even if only with a passing reference, he also kills off half of JJs additions (Phasma, Snoke) and one of his own (Admiral Hodo) and a couple of bbq porgs. Also, not really under the category of deaths, but more like fading away.  How much screen time did Chewie, R2, and C3PO get?  All combined, it might have been less than Luke’s total from the TFA.

Fan Service.

So in contrast to RJs blatant jab at the speculating set of fans that devoted the last two years to figure out the puzzle JJ left us, he seemed to offer some fan service to a few issues from TFA.

• Chewie got his hug from Leia.  
• Phasma got a “good death”, then again new theories already have surfaced on how she will get her version of climbing out of the Sarlacc and somehow survive
• Finn gets to use the - so we get a different version of the baton fight we got in TFA, while finding a way to sell another toy. 
• RJ gives an unnecessary Maz cameo, thus keeping the diversity ratio a little more even
• Even though not a direct answer to anything in TFA, RJ knows who pays the bills, so created enough Porg-straction (gratuitous porg shots) to ensure continued licensee sales.  Honestly, every time we see a “hero porg” shot, it took me out of the film.  I don’t hate them, and think putting them in to cover up the puffins that might have been caught in the background during principal photography makes sense.  Just not a fan of the silliness for the sake of drawing out a laugh.
• Another BB-8.  A black one.  Was this some kind of inside joke to answer all the cries about diversification or was it just placement to eventually sell more toys? But with all of three and a half seconds of screen time, is this the next Boba Fett?  
• Yoda makes an appearance.  I was good with this, but being a SW fan and never being satisfied, my mind immediately went to “ ok- but where was Ben or Anakin?”

So I finish this off a week and a couple days after I saw it opening day.  I still have not been back.  I had two other tickets on Fandango and cancelled them both.  One was so I could take the dog for a long walk, the other, so I could sleep in.  Maybe that answers what I thought about it more than anything else.  I did my part, saw it once, bought some of the merchandise and the soundtrack but maybe TLJ has moved me from being a “fanatic” to just an enthusiastic fan.  

Time will tell…

Two personal fandoms

Two personal fandoms of mine are colliding right now and in the most particular way.  And both are being saturated with Bandwagon fandom ™ drama. 

The two fandoms I am talking about are Star Wars and the Seattle Seahawks.

In a social media group I am part of and monitor the backlash against so called football bandwagon fandoms has been ongoing but since the Seattle victory in last year’s Super bowl the accusations of anyone claiming to be a number 12 faces a two front barrage.  One against the term/title of #12 (a whole nother story) and the accusation that they must be a new fan.  Criteria like knowing Shaun Alexander or that Warren Moon played for the Hawks are levied as minimum knowledge, which in itself might show how the accusers are themselves bandwagon fans that just happened to jump on the trolley a few years early to get good seats. 

Not sure of the year, but maybe the Christmas when I was in third grade was the best year I had for hitting the mother lode from Santa – I do think that was the year the other shoe dropped for me on that subject so maybe that was why the loot seemed so much more satisfying.  Not that I am poo-poo’ing any gift, I just mean as far as setting the bar high, “Santa” as well as all my relatives all hit a home run.  I got Seahawks loot like caps, and a Seahawk alarm clock (that old clangity clang kind of one) and some other football propaganda.  I was also a fan of Terry Bradshaw (and Lynn Swan and Franco Harris for that matter) so got a repo-autographed football from Bradshaw.  The crown jewel was the mutha’freakin Millennium Falcon!!!  Yeah still have that in an undisclosed basement – by far my most favorite toy in all my years of toydom. 

I had other Star Wars stuff before that and remember clearly the day I was surprised with the Death Star playset and my first figures (thanks Dad – I think he was trying to get on my good side…well that would do it).  However, that year with the Seahawks SWAG and the ship that made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs was when these two fandoms first collided.

Just like the dark years of the Hawks – pretty much every year until their first Super bowl appearance in 2006 Star Wars had a dark period.  Although I don’t quite recognize it as such, since due to the constant moving and living overseas I was more out of touch for both football as well as Star Wars until the mid 90s.  However, some claim the post RTOJ era until Timothy Zahn led the fandom out of the dark in 1992 was the dark period of Star Wars.

Let me explain the last part before the first part – because that makes sense in Gallo-land the world of Gallologic.  Star Wars had a Marvel Comics adaption that ran 1977 – 1986 when issue #108 ended it all. (side note as of this month they ARE BACK - check out Star Wars #1) It was not until Dark Horse revived the fanchise in 1991.  But many agree it was Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire published in the summer of 1992 that awaked the Star Wars beast.  It was for me at least.  By the mid 90s George Lucas (GL) was working on the special editions for the original three movies, A New Hope was released on January 31, 1997, followed by The Empire Strikes Back on February 21, 1997, and Return of the Jedi on March 14, 1997.  After the success of the re-release, 20 years after the original run of Star Wars, the prequels were fast tracked.  From the prequels, conventions were stood up, new toys, new tie-ins (Taco Bell Cup Toppers anyone?), and eventually a Cartoon Series. 

So the Hawks had some good years but COMEON… since 1976 only nine division championships, two Super bowl appearances (only one victorious) and all of this except the two AFC West championships were 2004 and later.  The exceptions being 1988 and 1999 when the Hawks took the AFC championship advancing no further.  After moving to the NFC they held the West title seven times.  So for years it took what I would call gimmicks (Brian Bosworth anyone?) or trying to cherry pick a rookie QB that they could develop only to suffer with years of watching mediocre talent that created apologists of the entire fandom (rick freakin mirer) .  So finally we get some good years and there is this overbearing cloud of most Hawks fans are bandwagon fans.  Where were you when Alexander was grinding out the yardage? Or who is Tez? – crap I went all the way to the HOF for Tez and followed up this year by making a return trip to see Walter Jones get the bronze bust.  Sorry I make no apologies for missing out on Largent’s induction I was a little busy keeping our country free of evil doers…

So I don’t feel any need to justify my 12^th man flag nor my cap that just came in the mail today celebrating the Seahawks position as NFC Champs, however it is ironic and funny I find myself on the other side of the debate concerning my other fandom.

To be a Star Wars nerd back in the 80s was sometimes dangerous, and it elicited strange looks in the 90s then after the prequels it could incite an argument depending on your opinions of the prequels, GL, Jar Jar ect… Even today there are too many actual hard core fans that shoot from the hip when it comes to hating the special editions or the prequels.  IF not for the special editions the transition from the prequels to the original three or original trilogy (OT) would be far more jarring than it already is.  Filmmaking had come along way from 1977 to 1999.  Sure there were some boring parts but for those that waited 16 years we actually wanted some explanation.  Crap, in our imaginations the clone wars, the origin of Boba Fett and the role of the Jedi order had already played out in thousands of variations.  Each fan boy (and girl) was a treasure trove of ideas of what the SW universe would look like sound like and be populated with well beyond anything the prequels could have covered.  So in a way we are lucky each movie was not eight hours long and full of exposition in order to explain everything we wanted to know.  In any case no matter how awesome or disappointing I was there.  I was there in  the years (years I may add that we had zero internet) that we might be lucky to hear the phrase “Star Wars” said in public and not mean President Reagan’s missile defense shield.  I was there and spent enough to finance a small country when the shelves bristled with new waves of action figures, comics, books, and tie-ins.  IF not for me and fans like me Star Wars may never have made a comeback.  I get no residuals, no kickbacks if the new trilogy and the stand-alone/spin-off movies make a crap load, my name is not in the credits, so where is my love?  I have to fight for a place in line along with all the other newcomers, or the ones who shunned Star Wars in the dark years.  I have to try to out bid for items on eBay with those whose only interest in the franchise (or fanchise for the matter) is grabbing as many exclusives from SDCC or other events as possible to resell after December 2015 when the brand explodes and make some big payoffs. 

So as it turns out I am not the Sherriff of the Star Wars fandom (if only I was….) and anyone calling me out about my Seahawks fandom is equally as unofficial in keeping fandom in check.  So what is the point of it all?

I have no freaking idea, just know that between the Super bowl in February and the SW convention in April and new release in December I am at the epicenter of the current demographic for marketing.  All that means is I need to win the lotto quick.

Dog needs a walk so rant over.