In an interview with Esquire published 4/24/18, Solo star Alden Ehrenreich accidentally let it slip that he signed on for a total of three movies for Lucasfilm. And since he was cast to bring none other than a young Han Solo to life, it's fairly obvious that he won't be showing up in 2019's Episode IX or any other future Star Wars film unconnected to the soon-to-be-released prequel devoted to the "Shoot first"-minded smuggler. When asked by interviewer Alex Pappademas how many movies his contract included, Ehrenreich answered: "Three...I don’t know if that’s officially, uh, public. But—yeah.” Of course, there won't be a sequel, let alone a trilogy, unless Solo lives up to Lucasfilm's and Disney's idea of success. We'll just have to wait and see. Solo hits theaters May 25.
When I saw the Superbowl ad for this movie I had zero interest in seeing it...ever. Not even on blu-ray or Netflix. It came across as completely corny in that commercial. The release of Iron Man 3 followed by Thor: The Dark World the year before seemed to signal a downward spiral for the quality of Marvel movies and the sight of Scarlett Johannson's bright, Kool-Aid red wig and Samuel Jackson's Matrix-wannabe leather trench coat just seemed like more of the same. By the way, none of the posters were any better. The revelation that the Falcon was in the film wasn't welcome news either. Sidekicks and characters with wings are usually massive red flags letting you know you're about to see something that sucks donkey nuts. I wondered if history was repeating itself like when 1989's Batman eventually devolved into Batman and Robin...or when Superman descended into Superman IV...The Empire Strikes Back begat Attack of the Clones...and on and on and on.As entertaining as The Avengers is, the truth is Captain America hadn't added much to the thrills. In fact, his goofy costume with the red pirate boots was one of the liabilities. Whose decision was it to put him back in the outfit that he himself (and everyone else) ridiculed in his first solo movie? I get it. It's his signature costume from the comic book, but Captain America: The First Avenger's director, Joe Johnston, wisely realized that it was impossible for that suit to be taken seriously in a live-action, real world setting.
Eventually, two things convinced me to give it a shot. First, I saw a trailer with an uncharacteristic somber tone that contained a single shot of Cap standing over about a dozen bodies. Second, the word-of-mouth was not just overwhelming, it was thoroughly positive. Everyone that I talked to gave it an enthusiastic recommendation. A female friend told me she'd gone to see it three times already and didn't mind seeing it again. At this point I still wasn't convinced. Hell, some people just like action, no matter how terrible the movie is. But I was curious.
From the very beginning it's evident that Winter Soldier is an entirely different movie than Marvel's previous offerings. The most striking disparity is between this film and the first Cap adventure. The sequel isn't a merely a departure. It belongs to another genre altogether. The First Avenger was a light-hearted, good vs. evil, period war movie about a superhero. Winter Soldier is a mostly sober conspiracy thriller loaded with paranoia, suspense, timely concern about government overreach, global surveillance, spies, assassins and shades of grey. According to the filmmakers, there was also a reassuring reliance on practical stunts and special effects and less dependence on CGI whenever possible. Luckily, somebody wised up and replaced the stupid blue lasers with bullets. There are no traces of mystical energy sources and no Nazis. Unlike in The Avengers, there are also no aliens, no Iron Man, no Thor, no Hulk, no Loki and best of all, no Hawkeye. Jackson's Nick Fury and Johannson's Black Widow do make appearances, however. This is the most grounded and mature Marvel movie so far but those two don't let you forget that this is based on a comic book when they're onscreen because neither one looks like they belong in the real world. Luckily, it's only the look that's distracting. They fit right in otherwise. But so far, neither of them is worthy of a solo movie. It seems like somebody overlooked some of the details somehow. Like, why the hell is BW's hair the same color as Ronald McDonald's? And why doesn't she, at the very least, put it in a ponytail when she goes on special ops missions? And as for Colonel Fury...why is he in all black leather when everyone around him is either in a uniform or a suit? Even in the office?!
Despite my reaction to the trailer, the Falcon's inclusion was a great decision. He's no more a sidekick than Black Widow is and his wings are way, waay more realistic than Jackson's wardrobe. Incidentally, he is Captain America in the comics, as he's currently traded in the wings and taken over the costume, shield and duties from Steve Rogers. Aside from the costume, Chris Evans' Steve Rogers hasn't changed drastically. His hallmark sincerity and stoicism's still there but he's a little more suspicious of people's motives now and there's the suggestion that he's disenchanted with his role as a soldier in today's world. This only serves to broaden and deepen the character and Evans portrays the new depth perfectly. There are a ton of superhero movies out there and lots more are on the way. Honestly, most of them are a big waste of time and money. Only a handful of them are actually good. There's the Dark Knight trilogy, The Avengers, this movie, and then there's everything else. In that order. Winter Soldier is the 4th highest-grossing film in the U.S. for 2014 and 7th highest-grossing film of the year, worldwide. It might have been #1 if it'd had a better trailer director.
I cannot imagine there being a more suspenseful film this year than “A Quiet Place.” While it's being promoted as a scary film it's more of an edge-of-your-seat thriller, in my opinion. The story, acting, scares, moments of suspense and more all combine for a great, original film. Kudos to John Krasinski for coming up with a great story and doing a fantastic job of directing it. What I love about this film is that from the beginning you're set right in the midst of the conditions of the time and don't have to sit through a ‘setup’ or long explanation of why the earth is like it is. You're immediately drawn into the family’s living situation and you adjust to it as if you're living it with them. The opening sequence is excruciating as you expect what happens to happen but then again you hope with all your might that it won’t. It's also ironic that the real hero of the film ends up being the deaf daughter, considering she's in a world where people who can hear have to be quiet on purpose. All of the actors did a great job and deserve accolades. Needless to say, I jumped quite a few times during the film and it made for a fun movie going experience.
The Star Wars folks get a chance to make up for The Last Jedi after only a five-month wait when Han Solo's story hits the screen at the end of the month.
May 4
Tully
May 11
Life of the Party
The Seagull
May 18
Deadpool 2
Pope Francis: A Man of His Word
Show Dogs
First Reformed
May 25
Solo
Han Solo hasn't had a decent showcase in 38 years. He nearly stole the show in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, but his ignominious send-off in The Force Awakens ranks up there with Boba Fett's and General Grievous' as one of the lamest endings for a cool Star Wars character. Until the moment Lando announced that he was alright, it seemed like he'd died with the utmost dignity in Empire. And 35 years later, he runs around like a moron having a mid-life crisis for an hour until he's unceremoniously stabbed in the gut and falls off a catwalk. There was no Vader or Fett to compete with and he still wasn't "the cool guy". Maybe he should've ordered some Dos Equis at Mas Canada's bar. Hopefully, everybody's favorite Corellian smuggler's solo film will wipe our memories clean of his most recent movie appearance.
In other news, Donald Glover has been cast as Lando Calrissian. Glover's funny but I've never seen him exude Billy Dee Williams' smoothness -- which is what makes Lando, Lando. Hopefully he has some game we don't know about.
Although the Cloverfield and Pacific Rim film series were originally conceived by two very different filmmakers (J.J. Abrams and Guillermo del Toro, respectively), they mesh so well that they may as well belong to the same overarching story. Technically, Pacific Rim and Cloverfield have nothing to do with each other but PR picks up where Cloverfield left off -- albeit from a different perspective. Check out how they synch up:
1. Cloverfield (2008)
Watch the events unfold by way of surviving footage from a hand-held video camera taken by 20-something party-goer Hud, who found himself in an all-night run for his life, along with a group of friends, during what turned out to be a colossal monster's rampage through Manhattan. You can't help but notice that the combined might of the Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division and a U.S. Air Force bomber is no match for the seemingly invincible creature. Oh yeah-- after the group retreats to the relatively safe confines of the subway system, they find out the hard way that the monster is crawling with parasites that aggressively pursue life-forms small enough for them to eat (Like people).
2. Pacific Rim (2013)
While Cloverfield provided a civilian take on a seemingly unstoppable monster's rampage through New York City, Pacific Rim details the world's military response upon learning that a lone Kaiju (PR's term for these monsters) that blazed a path of destruction through San Francisco was only the tip of the spear. It's revealed that the Kaiju originated in an alternate dimension and make their way into ours via an interdimensional doorway, called "the Breach", located on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Besides San Francisco, the initial attacks are directed at Sydney, Hong Kong and Manila. Realizing that campaigns against the creatures using conventional weaponry are too costly, an alliance of world governments institutes a program in which enormous robots are constructed to battle the Kaiju. Each robot, called Jaegers, is nuclear-powered and operated by at least two pilots who control its movements from the inside. Scientists studying the Kaiju discover that the monsters' rampages are prompted by aliens from the dimension connected to ours via the Breach. The aliens, intent on invading the planet have been using the Kaiju as an early strike force. The only real difference is that the alien appears to descend from the sky in Cloverfield while the Kaiju emerge from a fissure deep in the ocean. But since the PR invaders utilize an extra-dimensional portal, they could presumably just as easily have come from anywhere.
3. The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
This prequel to Cloverfield explains that a particle accelerator intended to provide limitless energy to the planet has been transported to the Cloverfield Space Station for testing, as its unknown what the unintended ramifications of operating such a device could be. It's been theorized that the device has the ability to rip holes in the fabric of space, thereby allowing unimaginable abominations access to the Earth. After the team of scientists aboard the station temporarily achieve stability after two years of unsuccessful attempts to operate the device, the particle accelator overloads, resulting in a power surge throughout the Cloverfield. The group, including communications officer Ava Hamilton, slowly begins to realize that they have inadvertently opened a doorway (in other words: a breach) between our world and an alternate dimension. One of the consequences is that Ava's husband, Michael, witnesses a gigantic monster roaming through the city in which he lives.
