Tag: George Lucas

11th I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards – 2023

I know. I didn’t just forget which year we’re in. We’re about to say goodbye to 2024, and here I am with a list of the very best films, shows, and whatnot from 2023? That’s certainly a choice, right? Look, I’ll be honest. I’ve been pretty busy this year, and I, around summer time, felt like I might as well wait until I had seen the two or three films that I felt I had to watch before publishing my lists for 2023. It kind of makes sense, right? If it’s already late, then I might as well make sure the choices are bulletproof, you know? Anyhow, here we are, and I’m going to be running you through all of my winners in a single post. Some awards have been canned (e.g. poster, trailer), other fresh ones have been added (e.g. stunts). It’ll take some time, but stick with me here. Oh, and look on the bright side, this way the wait between the 2023 and 2024 lists won’t be all that long. Anyway, let’s get to it (and happy holidays!). 

Continue reading “11th I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards – 2023” →

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) | REVIEW

A de-aged Harrison Ford in INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY — PHOTO: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Directed by James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari) — Screenplay by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp, and James Mangold.

When it was first announced that Steven Spielberg was not going to direct this fifth and supposedly final Indiana Jones big-screen adventure, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was filled with a feeling of trepidation. After all, even though Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull — the fourth Indiana Jones film and the final of the bunch that was directed by Spielberg — was met with harsh criticism from vocal online parts of the fandom, it still occasionally has that infectious Spielbergian magic and bravura (and it isn’t as bad as its online reputation suggests). Lucasfilm instead lined up Logan and Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold to take over as director of a film that also wouldn’t have co-creator George Lucas as a credited screenwriter. So, these were definitely uncharted waters for Indiana Jones fans. It did feel wrong to see it go on without Spielberg and Lucas, but, based on his talent as a filmmaker and his excellent recent filmography, I honestly trusted James Mangold to be the steady hand this endeavor needed. Having now seen the film, I can say that while you definitely feel Spielberg’s absence, Mangold has managed to make a genuinely affecting action-adventure film. I really enjoyed it.

Continue reading “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) | REVIEW” →

Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones Films | REVIEWS

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones standing next to the Golden Idol in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK — PHOTO: Paramount Pictures.

Putting into words exactly how much Indiana Jones means to me is not an easy feat. What I can say is that it holds a special place in my heart, and had the film series not existed I can say that I would have been a different person. Without Indiana Jones, I would not have pursued an archaeology school internship when I was very young. without Indiana Jones, I would not have been as excited to pursue academia. I can trace so many of my interests back to these films. They mean a lot to me. But I had never previously sat down to watch them with a critical eye and with the purpose of reviewing them. So, as Indiana Jones was set to make his return to the big screen this week with James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, I decided to finally review the four Indiana Jones films that Steven Spielberg directed.

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‘Star Wars Celebration 2017: Day One’ Reaction – Dagobah Day #31

Like millions of others around the world, my Star Wars Celebration 2017 is spent at home. I spent the entire day watching the official Star Wars live stream, and while we don’t always get to see everything, I thought that what we got here was absolutely terrific.

Now, in this little reaction post, I’ll be discussing some of the news that got out of day one of Star Wars Celebration 2017, as well as some of the panels that I was able to see — starting with the 40 Years of Star Wars-panel! Continue reading “‘Star Wars Celebration 2017: Day One’ Reaction – Dagobah Day #31” →

Star Wars Celebration Predictions 2017 – Dagobah Day #30

Over the next couple of days, Star Wars is being celebrated. Star Wars Celebration is happening in Orlando, Florida, and we are probably going to get the first trailer for The Last Jedi as well as some big announcements for the future of the franchise. Today’s Dagobah Day post is about trying to predict the answers to some questions I have about Star Wars Celebration.
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REVIEW: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Theatrical Release Poster - Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Theatrical Release Poster – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The following is a review of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Directed by Gareth Edwards.

In 2015, J. J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens proudly announced that the good Star Wars was finally back. Gone are the days of the disappointing and operatic George Lucas prequels. With The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm proved that the future of the Star Wars saga – the episodes – were in good hands. But what about the untold stories of the prequels? To answer several unanswered questions Lucasfilm will give us these spin-off films that they call ‘Star Wars stories.’ Continue reading “REVIEW: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)” →

RETRO REVIEW: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

Drew Struzan’s Release Poster – 20th Century Fox
Drew Struzan’s Release Poster – 20th Century Fox

The following is a retro review of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, a George Lucas film.

While I don’t love every film in the franchise, I clearly love Star Wars. I write about the franchise all the time. So while it is pretty obvious, it pains me to admit that The Phantom Menace wasn’t a good movie. I tried not to tear that film apart in my review of it.

I wanted to review this film right after reviewing The Phantom Menace, but, for some reason, it took me a very long time to finally muster up enough strength to write about this film. This review has been delayed for way too long. Let’s finally talk about the worst Star Wars film. Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)” →

Top 10 Best Moments in the Original Trilogy – Dagobah Day #15

Dagobah Day - 2016

Last month, Dagobah Day focused on the best moments in the prequel trilogy. It wasn’t always easy to point out what moments were good, in three movies that aren’t that great. Today I didn’t have trouble finding good moments. Instead, my biggest problem was to rank the greatest moments of the original trilogy. The original trilogy is one of the best trilogies of all-time. So, today I want to single out ten of the greatest moments in the original trilogy, to remind Star Wars-fans how lucky we are to have these films and these characters. Continue reading “Top 10 Best Moments in the Original Trilogy – Dagobah Day #15” →

REVIEW: Star Wars Rebels – Season One (2014-2015)

StarWarsRebels

The following is a review of the first season of Star Wars Rebels.

I was never sure that I was going to watch Star Wars Rebels. The fact of the matter is that I didn’t enjoy every season of The Clone Wars. But I decided to give Rebels a chance, and I was hooked almost instantly. I loved the first season so much that I bought it on Blu-Ray in December 2015, even though the entire season was available on Netflix Denmark.

The first season of Rebels is perfect for all ages, and you definitely don’t need to have seen The Clone Wars to enjoy it. I had some problems adjusting to the animation style of The Clone Wars, but have had no such problem with Rebels, to be perfectly honest.   Continue reading “REVIEW: Star Wars Rebels – Season One (2014-2015)” →

RETRO REVIEW: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Drew Struzan’s Release Poster – 20th Century Fox

The following is a retro review of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, a George Lucas film.

The first return of Star Wars didn’t go as well as planned. Way back in 1999, George Lucas resurrected the greatest movie franchise of all-time with The Phantom Menace. It included politics, fan-service, and a very young Darth Vader. Fans were certain that this franchise reboot was going to work, but, unfortunately, the end result did not live up to most fans’ expectations. To this day, the end result is remembered as one of the worst examples of prequel films, but, while I can’t say that I like the film, I don’t think it is as catastrophic as its sequel. Continue reading “RETRO REVIEW: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)” →