Rogue One

Gareth Edwards, 2016

4/5

I take quite a bit of pride as being someone that has been able to completely dodge the George Lucas Star Wars Prequels. I have no plans to see them. I don't care one bit that I will have that blind spot through the rest of my life. I am going to push my daughter into seeing the original 3 as soon as she is old enough. But I will warn her about those prequels just like I will warn her to stay away from the troublemakers at school. Lucas basically went Adam Sandler on the precious Star Wars franchise, where it was evident that he lost his fastball. It changed the way the fans viewed Lucas. Maybe it was because he never seemed apologetic. Instead he was the opposite, he actually seemed quite smug about them. He made the concious decision with those films to not take cinematic risks and shoot for something edgy that pleased the veteran adult audience. He made characters like Jar Jar Binks for his kids. The closest you will get me to seeing those three would be to watch one of the unofficial fan edits, such as Topher Grace's version.

So let's rank the original three. For me (and most people I think) - it goes Empire, New Hope, Jedi. With a pretty big drop off from Empire to Jedi. I watched Jedi a few months back now and all I can really recall (and this is probably the 3rd or 4th time I had seen it) is the Ewoks' dancing at the end. 

So where does Rogue One land? Well, in all fairness - I still have not seen the Force Awakens. But I would place this film directly behind A New Hope. This is better, and far better than Return of the Jedi.

You kind of have to go into this with neutral expectations, sit and just kind of take it all in. I didn't know much about it and went into it not expecting to see any familiar characters, other than the digital recreation of Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing - who died in 1994). I will admit at first glance when he appeared on screen that he didn't quite look 100% authentic and some of the digital elements bled through. But in the following scenes he sort of blended in. The idea of a standalone film is interesting because it completely abandons the familiarity of the characters that are buried in the zeitgeist. The Force Awakens was able to deliver a dose of nostalgia. But Rogue One isn't set on providing a dosage of nostalgia. But there are certain elements for sure that bring you back to the Star Wars universe and make you feel at home. Walks through trade districts, where you see all walks of (alien) life - as Jyn (Felicity Jones) bumps into a strange figure who immediately snarls "watch where you're going". Reminiscent of the Mos Eisley Cantina in New Hope. One of the features of the Star Wars movies is how absorbing the world can be. Rogue One created this same feeling.

Rogue One for the most part fits into the Hero's Journey structure with some deviation. But it's visually stunning, sounds great, compelling, and completely engaging. If I were to criticize anything, its that once the plot is set up, you can kind of predict the direction things are heading and the pace it takes to get there starts to slow down in the second act. But ultimately it's another Star Wars installment that goes down easy and feels ripe for a rewatch.

The Theory of Everything

James Marsh, 2014

GoWatchit

3/5

This biopic shows the life of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) from his college days at Cambridge to his later years after suffering a rare neurological disease.

Theory is just a simple love story between two simple people. Nah, not really. It's actually a complicated love story involving a sweet young English girl named Jane (Felicity Jones) and a theoretical physicist who happens to be one of the most brilliant minds of our modern history. The film begins in Hawking's college years. His life is similar to that of many college kids. Roommates, beers with with buddies, busting chops. He has surrounded himself with loyal friends. They are close, respectful of each other. They encourage each other in their successes. Maybe that's an English thing. He meets Jane and it's quite obvious that it's love at first sight. There is the obligatory boyfriend roadblock that Stephen must endure (shortly) but after he does the sparks fly. But it's a unique relationship in the sense that Stephen can literally quantify the atomic mass of those sparks to interested Jane. Theory sort of takes on the Good Will Hunting approach of showing the guy working away on the chalkboard. He may as well be writing Chinese poetry for those who aren't fluent in advanced physics. But fortunately for dummies like me, the movie is more about the relationship between Jane and Stephen. And of course his sudden tragic illness. His illness hits at a point that is normally a healthy peak for most young men. At an age where most young men feel invincible. And why wouldn't they? You can literally go out with your mates and throw back pints all night and not even have a trace of a hangover the next day. Stephen is told that he has two years to live, misdiagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease. The doctor describes how his body will shut down slowly to the point that he will be completely paralyzed. He is quick to ask about his brain. Of course in pure ironic fashion, his precious brain will be unscathed. It's not only Stephen that realizes that he has this precious mind. Everyone around him is stunned to hear the news, and you get a sense that everyone is eager to preserve Stephen's mind. Jane is the one willing to take on the biggest workload. Through sickness and through health, as the saying goes. Her patience is tested, her commitment to the marriage. The movie examines the personal sacrifices and the devotion to your mate. Dealing with the unpredictable elements that life throws at you. Stephen can look up to the sky and make advanced calculations and probabilities of the universe, but he is so limited that he must rely on poor Jane to put his sweaters on or to feed him.

It's a really nice looking film. Lots of shifting colors. There is a constant golden glow that is reminiscent to fellow sharp mind story Limitless. Felicity Jones proves that she's one of the better young actors working right now. And Redmayne, well his performance is nothing short of remarkable. He so impressively manages to push through his physical deterioration with such authenticity and careful restraint. His smile shifts to one of young innocence to one of pure struggle as the story progresses. But it's a film filled with good acting - not one bad performance. It will have you appreciating the things you have, the people around you. You will sympathize, you will try to understand. Figures like Hawking are rare gems. Many are aware of his scientific achievements, but it's welcoming to see it on film. This biopic is right on time.

Like Crazy

Drake Doremus, 2011

GoWatchIt

2/5

Complications involving a revoked student visa separates couple Jacob (Anton Yelchin) and Anna (Felicity Jones), leaving Anna stuck in England and Jacob in Los Angeles.

Like Crazy works with some real romantic elements, largely due to Felicity Jones' layered performance. She is not only easy on the eyes she is loaded with on-screen charisma. You get a sense of her thought process, her intentions, her struggles. But there seems to be an overt miscast on the part of Yelchin with the Jacob character. His character largely falls flat and therefore affects the overall weight of their relationship dynamic. You can't help but wonder how the film would have played out if they had someone more able, like a Miles Teller or an Ansel Elgort in the role. Somehow these two women are pining over a guy who really doesn't bring a lot to the relationship other than carpentry skills and a love for Paul Simon records. When Anna spots him for the first time and shows interest in him, she shows vulnerability and honesty by showing him her writing. Not once does he go on any kind of tangent that brings you into his head. Instead he's the guy always looking at his phone, you know the guy that you have had in social situations who sits at one end of the table looking down all night while all of your friends are having a good time engaged in lively conversation. On the subject of the phone, there is a glaring lack of internet in the film that seems more convenient to the overall story than it does feel realistic. Anna is forced to return to her native UK because of the visa issue. But it seems like it only takes a short period of time before she is right back into the flow of everyday life without Jacob present. Yes, there is a time difference between Los Angeles and London. But it's 8 hours. So, you call in the morning on your way to work and she's on her way home. Or, you call at 11PM and it's 7AM on the other side. Or you use Facebook like everybody else is doing in 2011. This is getting nit-picky, but it just feels like they are two people that possess smartphones but have a total inability to communicate with each other without the one calling drunk late at night while the other person is in a deep sleep. To be fair, there are certainly some good shots in this movie. When they spend the summer together and there's the flash montage of them laying in bed together. The balcony on Catalina Island. There's just not enough meat on the bones of the love story, and the miscasting and poor editing outweigh the rather good cinematography and score.