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Darth Vader.

Both legs chopped off.

Only one arm.

Left on the lave beds of Mustafar.

No, we're not talking about the end of 'Revenge of the Sith' here, but about part of what happens to Vader in this, the second compilation of Greg Pak's run on the Darth Vader series of graphic novels (here, comprising issues 6 through 11), at the behest of The Emperor, who has found out about Vader's previous 'failings' from Volume 1 (Star Wars: Darth Vader by Greg Pak, Vol. 1: Dark Heart of the Sith in which he allowed his personal feelings to get the better of him.

This run also introduces Ochi of Bestoon - who The Emperor has sent to kill Vader - and actaulyl makes a better attempt at tying together the Original Trilogy and the Sequel Trilogy (with Vader discovering about, and travelling to Exegol and encountering the Sith Eternal) than any of those latter movies did!
  
Star Wars, Vol. 2: Showdown on the Smuggler's Moon
Star Wars, Vol. 2: Showdown on the Smuggler's Moon
Jason Aaron | 2016 | Comics & Graphic Novels
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Note: this review is transposted from my personal review blog, and so was originally written several years ago. I figured if I reposted it here, someone might actually read it….

I very much enjoyed the first volume of Marvel’s ongoing Star Wars series, but many other reviewers took issue with it for playing things safe and giving us a story like many we’d seen before. These criticisms are not completely unfounded, I’ll admit, but neither are they completely fair. Either way, this is not a problem the series has going forward…. This second volume also includes the one-off flashback story THE LAST OF HIS BREED, featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi adjusting to his exile on Tatooine, which is discussed separately below.


Luke Skywalker has successfully escaped the clutches of the bounty hunter Boba Fett, but all he got for his troubles was the journal of Obi-Wan Kenobi–no small prize, but probably not all that helpful in furthering his Jedi training. So what’s the next logical step in learning about the Jedi? Try and sneak onto Coruscant to infiltrate the old Jedi Temple, of course! But when his attempt to find a discreet ship and pilot in a seedy bar on Nar Shaddaa goes horribly awry, Luke finds himself the prisoner of Grakkus the Hutt. In addition to the traditional crime and vice, Grakkus has made a name for himself as one of the foremost collectors of Jedi artifacts. Now Luke faces the battle of his life in Grakkus’ arena, billed as “the last Jedi” and pitted against a fearsome creature for the amusement of Grakkus’ fellow crime lords….Meanwhile, Han and Leia are out scouting potential locations for a new Rebel base when they run across a figure from Han’s past. Her name is Sana, and she claims to be his wife….

As with the previous volume, this was some stellar work. Jason Aaron nails the banter between Han & Leia, to the point where you can almost hear Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford delivering the lines, and Luke’s mix of cockiness and self-doubt is spot-on for his character and situation. Also of note is Stuart Immonen’s spectacular artwork. From the character closeups to the panoramic vistas, this was pure Star Wars. Also amusing was watching our entire cast wade into battle wielding lightsabers. Did Luke manage to salvage anything of value from Grakkus’ stash on his way out? I guess we’ll have to wait and see….

Then there’s the Obi-Wan backup story. It’s been seven years since the rise of the Empire, seven years since the death of the Jedi and the Republic. Formerly one of the greatest Jedi of his generation, now Obi-Wan Kenobi lives a life of obscurity on the desert planet of Tatooine. Where once he protected the innocent of the galaxy, now “Old Ben” forces himself to look the other way lest he draw the Empire’s notice as Jabba’s thugs extort water from the locals. All that matters is protecting the boy, Luke Skywalker, on whose unknowing shoulders rest the fate of the galaxy. But there are limits to the patience of even the greatest of Jedi….

This was a good one. The story was solid, and it’s always interesting to see Obi-Wan’s state of mind during his exile. Was this done better in John Jackson Miller’s KENOBI? Yes. That goes without saying, if only because he had more than twenty-four pages to tell his story. At any rate, KENOBI isn’t canon anymore, so we’ll not dwell on it. Simone Bianchi’s art here was stellar, I must say, and his Kenobi managed to blend Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness superbly. I would very much like to see more of these one-off excerpts from Obi-Wan’s journal appear in future issues of the comic.


CONTENT: Moderate violence, not too gruesome most of the time. Mild profanity. Mild sexual innuendo and flirting.


Original posts: Main story (https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/review-star-wars-showdown-on-the-smugglers-moon-by-jason-aaron-stuart-immonen/) & Obi-Wan Flashback (https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/review-star-wars-the-last-of-his-breed-by-jason-aaron-simone-bianchi/)
  
On July 21, 2017, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets came out in theaters the U.S. After watching the movie I found myself intrigued by the characters, world, and the passion shown by the director and writer Luc Besson showed for the project. I took this interest and decided to start reading the comic books. Thus far I have been able to read three of the volumes, as they are French comics they are not usually kept in stores and I have to order them.

The Valerian and Laureline comics follow Valerian, a handsome and cocky time and space traveler, and Laureline, his stubborn and beautiful partner. They travel together across space and time on missions for Galaxity, the capital of the Terran Empire in the 28th century. They explore strange worlds with fascinating creatures, deal with complicated political situations, and take the reader through rewritten history.

I immediately fell in love with the comics for the same reasons I enjoyed the film. The first is that the world that author Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mezieres created is truly fantastical. It falls under the same sci-fi mixed with fantasy genre that Star Wars is under. The great space galaxy is full of planets that are home to a wide range of alien species, each with complicated politics, cultures, and aesthetics.

The second reason is that I love the relationship between Valerian and Laureline. I am a very character driven person in both my reading and writing so I am a sucker for a good relationship, romantic, familial, or friendship. Valerian and Laureline start the first comic playing chess. Valerian is cocky and does not like to lose, but he is kind and smart and works hard to make the world a better place. Laureline is funny, stubborn, and unlike Valerian, she does not feel the same sense of loyalty to the Terran Empire and therefore is okay with bending the rules to save the most people. They make for a great team, and their fun banter adds to the overall charm of the story.

7810429The first issue of the series was released in 1967 and ran till 2010. Initially, all were written in French but has since been translated into English and several other languages. This series plays with a lot of the sci-fi/fantasy tropes that make you fall in love with stories in the genre, and has even been compared to Star Wars as the basis for several of the ideas used in the Star Wars films, such as the look of some of the characters and situations characters find themselves in.

This is a fun and exciting comic series that got me into reading101694 comics in the first places. I will certainly be continuing my reading of these books so that I can continue being apart of the Valerian and Laureline story. I also enjoyed the film and hope that the passion the Luc Besson showed will be enough to allow him to make another film in the series.

I would highly recommend this series!
  
Dark Star (1974)
Dark Star (1974)
1974 | Comedy, Sci-Fi
What Resolution?
Satirical movie revolving around bumbling astronauts on a mission to destroy rogue planets.

Acting: 8

Beginning: 0

Characters: 3
I honestly couldn’t tell you one redeeming thing about these characters. About the only redeeming quality was the weird ball monster that appears throughout Dark Star. Seriously, none of these characters sparked the slightest bit of interest for me.

Cinematography/Visuals: 8
I will say not bad for 1974, a year before the release of Star Wars. You get a legit space feel with this crew and I enjoyed the setpieces on-ship. The ball monster (again with this guy) was a bit offputting, but not a terrible job otherwise.

Conflict: 6

Entertainment Value: 4

Memorability: 8

Pace: 10
Sure it’s a kooky movie and you never truly understand what’s going on, but at least it’s a quick eighty-three minutes. Moves pretty quickly by the time it’s all said and done.

Plot: 3
Even after doing a quick Wiki search, I was still lost of what was going on. Just a bunch of weirdo shit happening that is random and not enjoyable. I’ve seen weird but this takes the cake.

Resolution: 0

Overall: 50
Say what you want about my scoring system, this movie got a zero in two categories and still managed to walk away with a 50. It starts off terribly and doesn’t get much better after that. Do yourself a favor and steer clear.
  
Lightyear (2022)
Lightyear (2022)
2022 | Action, Adventure, Animation
7
7.7 (11 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Visually gorgeous animation (2 more)
Sox
Designs of the insects, robots, and especially Zurg
Too much Star Wars influence (1 more)
Writing is a bit underwhelming
A Visually Gorgeous Nod to Science Fiction
Lightyear has a simple premise that fits it into the Toy Story timeline while also giving the film the freedom to creatively do just about whatever it wants. This on-screen version of Buzz Lightyear is what inspired the toy and this film was Andy’s favorite film.

Test pilot Buzz Lightyear (now voiced by Chris Evans) wakes up from hyper sleep to research and explore a nearby planet that is off the course of his ship’s destination. The mission results in Buzz’s entire crew being marooned on a planet overrun by giant insects and bothersome vines. With guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders, Buzz takes it upon himself to be the pilot responsible for hyper speed tests.

After spending a year on the planet, there’s finally enough resources for a test flight. But the mission fails and when Buzz returns, four years have passed. Intending to finish the mission despite the consequences, Buzz pilots test flight after test flight as each mission results in years passing while he’s away. He watches his friends age and die until he finally returns to a planet that now cowers to the ominous Zurg and his battalion of relentlessly inhuman robots.

After co-directing Finding Dory and while working as an animator for Pixar since 1998’s A Bug’s Life, Lightyear is the directorial debut of Angus MacLane. Written by MacLane, Matthew Aldrich (Coco), and Jason Headley (Onward), Lightyear is receiving a lot of backlash for including a same sex relationship as well as an on-screen lesbian kiss (some countries are refusing to release the film in theaters because of it). The relationship involves another Space Ranger named Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black, Steven Universe). Hawthorne and the life she builds on a planet she is essentially stuck on ends up being the inspiration for not only Buzz, but as well as Alisha’s granddaughter, Izzy (Keke Palmer). Even if you’re against homosexuality, Alisha’s relationship is undeniably the most sentimental aspect of the film. Lightyear wouldn’t be the same without its inclusion.

The film does some different stuff with Zurg as far as who he is and how he relates to Buzz that may or may not retcon what was established in Toy Story 2. Both the story and the writing of the film seem to play it safe as they take a predictable approach to what essentially could have been something more unique. The discussion that’s been floating around about the film is that the jokes, sillier moments, and more absurd lines of dialogue seem to always disrupt the film whenever it tries to take a step towards being a thrilling sci-fi film. It’s difficult to argue with this statement, especially since Mo Morrison’s (Taika Waititi) whole purpose in the film is to broadcast his incompetence and the film revolves around a team of misfits attempting to save the planet despite their shortcomings.

The film is visually one of the year’s best looking films; animated or otherwise. Taking inspiration from early sci-fi films and space operas like Star Wars, Angus MacLane wanted Lightyear to look, “cinematic,” and, “chunky.” If you see the film in IMAX, this is the first animated film to ever have sequences shown in the 1.43:1 aspect ratio (it’s usually 2.39:1) as visual effects supervisor Jane Yen states that a virtual IMAX camera was developed to shoot said sequences, which were then cropped to standard definition. The film is gorgeous and even looks different in comparison to other Pixar films. With its lush colors, heavy use of shadows, bright lighting for highlights, and character designs for insects and robots that seem to be directly inspired by the likes of Starship Troopers and Gundam, Lightyear is a visually delicious treat.

Angus MacLane has his love for Star Wars showcased a bit too often in Lightyear as certain sequences seem to be directly lifted from the George Lucas created franchise. Many of Zurg’s scenes are a direct homage to various Darth Vader sequences in the Star Wars films. When Buzz is carried upside down by a Zyclops as Izzy and the others try to help him free borrows heavily from The Empire Strikes Back when Luke is hanging upside down in the icy Wampa cave; Buzz is even wearing an orange and white outfit that resembles Luke’s when he pilots the X-Wing. The love for Star Wars is as much a hindrance as it is an inspiration. The film spends more time referencing its origins rather than putting more of a focus on establishing its own identity.

Sox is legitimately the most fun character of the film. He’s humorous and resourceful; a robot cat that is Buzz’s most useful tool and companion. If Disney doesn’t resurrect Teddy Ruxpin technology for a new Sox animatronic toy then it will end up being wasted potential to a soul crushing extent.

Like Toy Story 4, Lightyear is an unnecessary installment to the Toy Story franchise, but is enjoyable nevertheless. Its homage to science fiction makes the animated film feel more like a sci-fi actioner rather than an animated film the majority of the time. It has a rich and palpable atmosphere that is gorgeously animated and is filled with the laugh out loud and heartfelt moments Pixar is typically known for.
  
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) created a post

Jan 16, 2018  
I know that it's a few weeks late, but I finally got around to doing my Best and Worst list of 2017 movies.


Quick disclaimer: I did not see every movie that dropped in 2017 and because I live in the UK, there are some movies that have been out in the US for months that have yet to be released here.
Lastly, this is just my opinion, so feel free to disagree with any or all of it.



The Best

Split (Jan)
iBoy (Jan)
Trainspotting 2 (Jan)

War On Everyone (Feb)
Lego Batman (Feb)
John Wick 2 (Feb)

Logan (March)
Kong Skull Island (March)
The Belko Experiment (March)

The Fate Of The Furious (Apr)
Free Fire (Apr)

The Wall (May)

Wonder Woman (June)
It Comes At Night (June)
Baby Driver (June)

Spiderman: Homecoming (July)
War For The Planet Of The Apes (July)
Dunkirk (July)
Atomic Blonde (July)
Detroit (July)

Wind River (Aug)
Logan Lucky (Aug)

It (Sept)
American Made (Sept)

Blade Runner 2049 (Oct)
Brawl In Cell Block 99 (Oct)
The Foreigner (Oct)

Thor Ragnarok (Nov)
Murder On The Orient Express (Nov)
Justice League (Nov)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Dec)





The Worst

Fist Fight (Feb)

Life (March)

King Arthur (May)
Baywatch (May)
Pirates 5 (May)

The Mummy (June)

The Dark Tower (August)
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (August)

Kingsman 2 (September)

The Greatest Showman (December)
Bright (December)




My Top 10 Of The Year (In no particular order)

Trainspotting 2
Logan
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Blade Runner 2049
Spiderman: Homecoming
Wind River
War For The Planet Of The Apes
Detroit
Baby Driver
Dunkirk




I found that when I was doing my list this year, that there were a quite a few movies that I was struggling to place on either the best or worst side. For example, Justice League and Murder On The Orient Express sneaked onto the best list, whereas Bright and The Dark Tower only fell onto the worst list because although I didn't hate them, I wasn't willing to label them the best 2017 had to offer. Maybe next year I should introduce another column titled "Films I felt pretty indifferent about."
     
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Joe Julians (221 KP) Jan 17, 2018

Ah I really liked Life and The Greatest Showman!

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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) Jan 22, 2018

I can't deny Jackman's talent as a performer, but it just wasn't my thing

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
It was Ok I guess
Contains spoilers, click to show
The movie on the whole was pretty decent yet I felt there was something missing. I feel like there was questions left than answers given. I also feel they tried to mimic Empire just s bit too much especially with the opening scenes where the rebels were evacuating the base. I had hoped for a bit more information as to who Lord Snoke really was and as a character he was wasted. I felt Disney tried to Marvel the movie by adding unnecessary humour is Finn banging his head on his healing capsule and walking around half naked with tubes dripping or with Snoke hitting Rey in the head with a floating light sabre just to mention a few. That being said I did enjoy the movie and strongly recommend it to any Star Wars fans out there. The light sabre battle at the end between Kylo and Rey vs The imperial guards was worth the wait and Luke's triumphant return to the force was a spectacle to behold.
  
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TCBellflower (2 KP) Dec 29, 2017

I think the set up from The Force Awakening was diminished by this movie. It wasn’t as bad as the Episodes 1 - 3, but I had high hopes for this one. I did like the “remake” of Obi-Won scene with Darth Vader between Luke and Kylo. But it looked like they tried to add force humour to this one. I’m ready for the next one to see how it closes. I think changing directors is what did this one. The vision changed.