So Who REALLY Shot First?

One of the biggest arguments over the last 20 or so years has been, "Who shot first?" and you're either in one party or the other.  There's no "meh" with this one.  So with Solo: A Star Wars Story coming out in a couple of days, the argument is back in full "Force."  Ha! Like what I did there?  Anyway, what would be the odds of a prequel answering a question about something that hasn't happened yet?  Where's C3P0 when you need numbers done.

Okay, it won't necessarily answer it, but it will...kinda.  Let me explain.  Star Wars legend Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon were the screen writers for this film and they both feel the same way about who shot who first.  Passionately about it.  So much so that they revealed in an interview with Uproxx that they addressed this argument directly in this film.

Lawrence Kasdan: Yeah.  It was very important to me, like top of the list.

Jonathan Kasdan:  To both of us.  We are firmly in the camp.  In the script, the description literally says, "There can be no doubt Han shot first."

Is it really that shocking?  Lawrence wrote The Empire Strikes Back!  Before George went all wonky with the CGI and flipped the script when the Original Trilogy was re-released into theaters!  Han shot first.  End of story.  Lawrence has spoken.  It's not just Lawrence and Jon saying this, but so did Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, and Paul Bettany.  How can so many people be wrong?

They haven't revealed exactly how they address this in the movie, but we will all find out in just a few days.  

Where do you sit on this argument?  Do you think Han shot first, or did Greedo shoot first?  Let me know what you think about this in the comments section down below.

Lucas Almost Ruined Disney's Solo: A Star Wars Story

I'm back! Should have at least three or four this week, so keep an eye out for them, and again, thank you all who keep reading this blog.  Did you know that this has been read in over 70 different countries?  The one place I haven't had a hit from that I'm trying for is Antarctica.  So if anyone out there knows someone down there...just asking.  Okay, onto the meat of the article!

Solo: A Star Wars Story come out in the states May 25th, 41 years to the day after A New Hope hit theaters, and believe it or not, it almost never happened...and it would have been George Lucas' fault!  I'm serious!  Let me explain.  When Revenge of the Sith came out in 2005, we were treated to a scene on Kashyyyk (Wookie home world) that had Chewbacca and Yoda fighting off the clone soldiers after Order 66 had been given.  But there was a time where a 10-year old Han Solo was to be fighting along side them.  George Lucas wanted to have him fighting along side Yoda and Chewie, in what many felt was going to be the last Star Wars movie.  He actually was to play a pivotal role in the movie.  Han was to "discover a droid transmitting signals from Utapau, pointing the Jedi in the direction of General Grievous."  Problem was, it kinda didn't work considering in A New Hope? Han said he didn't believe in the Force.  How could he not believe in the Force after fighting alongside Yoda?  Not only did he fight alongside Yoda, young Han even had a line in the movie where he told Yoda about the droid he had found, so yeah...he knew who Yoda was. 

So if George was to put that part of the story in Revenge of the Sith, we wouldn't be seeing the movie that's coming out this weekend.  In Lucas' film, Han was a 10 year-old living with Chewbacca.  In Solo, a 10 year -old Han is out "running scams on the streets" with his friend Qi'ra.  He doesn't meet Chewie until he's an young adult.  I think this way works much better.

What about you, though?  Which idea works better for you?  The Lucas version, or the Solo version?  Let me know after you see the movie and leave your comments in the section below.

30 Year Sequels Seem To Be Becoming A Thing...

Well, you can thank Mad Max: Fury Road and Star Wars: The Force Awakens for this.  No, I'm not going to include Blade Runner: 2049 in this list because...well, let's face it.  It sucked. Ron Howard, the man who rescued Solo: A Star Wars Story from disaster, said that there are discussions going on for a sequel to Willow.  Yes, another sequel that is 30 or some odd years in between movies may soon be making it's way to a theater near you.  While nothing has been set in stone, it seems the nostalgia bug got a bite on Howard.  Remember, Willow was a Lucasfilm movie...just like Solo.  

If you don't know what Willow is, go rent it.  While it wasn't what you would call a block buster when it came out, it's become a kind of cult classic ever since it was released on video.  It followed Willow (Warwick Davis), a wanna be sorcerer, after he came across a baby, Elora Danin, and headed out to return her to where she belonged.  But, as we all know, nothing ever goes as we plan. Along the way he befriends Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) and Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) as they protect little Elora from the evil Queen Bavmorda who is trying to kill her.  I know, it's not really original, but damn it was a fun movie.

While there wasn't a lot he could say about this, it sounds like it won't necessarily be a sequel, but more of a spin-off, finding Elora 30 years later and we find out if she is actually as powerful as she was suppose to be.  Of course, Willow would have to make an appearance...throughout the movie.  I actually would love to revisit this world and it's characters.  Going to say that I hope this one happens.

What do you think?  Willow sequel/spinoff a good idea or bad idea?  Let me know your thoughts in the section below.

Impersonations Are His Thing, So.....?

Before we get started, two things.  One...I made the mistake of listening to something that Mark Hamill said, and thought that C3P0 was going to show up in Solo.  Looks like I was wrong.  I know, first time for everything, right?  Second, I'm kind of easing back in to this so don't expect a post everyday for a while, but I will try to pop up here at least a few times a week until I get back in the groove.  Okay!  On to the today's topic.

So someone out there (Josh Dickey, entertainment journalist) finally voiced something that has been bothering me since I saw this movie.  Oh, we're talking about Avengers: Infinity War.  What was going on with Bruce Banner during this movie?  He seemed a bit off during this film.  He couldn't become the Hulk, and (what was more troubling) he had trouble working the Hulkbuster suit.  I mean, he's a brilliant man, who is almost the equal to Tony Stark intellectually, so he shouldn't have had that much trouble working the suit, right?  So what was going on with him?  Maybe it wasn't Bruce Banner at all...

You probably already know where I'm going with this.  Actually, I'm hoping that you've figured it out already because I'm spoon feeding it here.  Yes, what if Loki didn't really die and he's impersonating Bruce Banner?  I mean,  as awkward as Bruce is, he was especially odd this go around.  Does it really seem logical that the Hulk was scared of Thanos and that was why he didn't come out?  Or did Loki know if he "turned" into the Hulk, he wouldn't be able to fake the Hulk's strength so he pretended that Hulk wouldn't come out?  There are other little things, like his knowledge of the Infinity Stones...where did he learn all of that?  When he was the Hulk?  Bruce didn't remember fighting Thor on Sakaar while he was Hulk, so if he happened to learn anything while fighting as a gladiator "Bruce" probably wouldn't remember any of it.  He also seemed to remember things on the Asgard ship while he was the Hulk that he shouldn't have been able to remember.  Just saying...

So while this is just a theory, it's a pretty damn good one.  I'd put more than a little stock behind this one.  What are your thoughts?  Does this seem plausible to you?  Let me know what you think in the comments section down below.

The Solo Movie That Almost Was...

Solo: A Star Wars Story is getting ready to open to record audiences.  It's early tickets sales have already beat Black Panther early ticket sales.  This is pretty impressive since it Solo had been riddled with worrisome stories detailing problems behind the scenes.  The biggest one of these emerged when the then-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were let go after four months of shooting.  I mean, this was huge!  It was unprecedented for this to happen that far into production.  Disney and Lucasfilm hired Oscar-winning director Ron Howard to take over and he got started right away.  Reshoots were numerous and almost doubled the movies original budget, but it's looking like it will pay off in a big way.  The movie's trailer has the whole Star Wars universe buzzing with excitement.  But why did the original directors get fired in the first place?

Early rumors started to leak out that the directors, Lord and Miller, were fired for trying to turn the movie into a comedy.  Not like an Airplane or Top Secret type of comedy, but a Guardians of the Galaxy type of comedy.  In fact, Lord and Miller actually wanted to make just that, a Guardians type movie.  It seems that those rumors were true.  Kathleen Kennedy had to step in and take control of things when she realized that it wasn't going in the right direction for a Star Wars movie.  I am curious why it took two whole years for her (and everyone else involved) to change course.  For whatever reason it was, at least it happened.  Now we'll get the Star Wars movie we deserve.

Look, don't get me wrong.  I liked Guardians of the Galaxy a lot, but when you are involved with a movie series where the first movie set the standard for "outer-space" movies, why would you try to copy something from just a few years ago?  In fact, Guardians used Star Wars as a model for Star Lord.  Chris Pratt based his portrayal of Peter Quill on Han Solo and Marty McFly.  If Miller and Lord had their way and made the movie that they wanted to, I'm fairly certain that it would have gotten destroyed by Star Wars fans.  While Star Wars movies have comedy in them, they aren't comedies.  Not saying Guardians is a comedy, but there are a lot more funny parts to that movie than all of the Star Wars movie funny parts put together.

With May 25th fast approaching, we'll be able to see if the change was for the better...or for the worse.  

I told you that I would let you know what was wrong with the picture from my last post. In that picture from Avengers: Infinity War it shows the Hulk running into battle with everyone...but Hulk was a no-show for that fight.  Bruce Banner was there in the Hulk Buster Iron Man suit.  The directors made a clip using the Hulk for movie trailers to throw fans off what was going to happen, a misdirect.  Jacob, you were right!

Feed Back On Avengers: Infinity War

***WARNING!!!  SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR ARE IN THIS POST!!!***

Welcome back!  Before we get started, can anyone tell me what's wrong with the picture above here?  Tell me your answer in the comments section down below.  The first person who answers correctly will get...well, bragging rights, I guess.  Still, it'll be fun to see who gets it right.

I'm noticing some things when it comes to reactions to the movie Avengers: Infinity War.  Actually, two things in particular.  Here's one:

I went and saw Infinity War opening weekend with my dad.  After it was over, I asked him what he thought.  He was kind of iffy on it.  He thought there were too many plot lines going on, and got lost with some of the characters.  I can understand the latter.  If you don't watch these movies over and over again, it's easy to forget about something or someone.  On the "too many plot lines," I have to disagree because I actually thought that the Russo brothers did a good job of giving everyone a role to play and not pushed back into the background.  You know, seen but not heard type of thing.  And while I thought this was just my dad's opinion, I soon learned that a number of my friends' fathers thought the same thing.  Starting to think that this is a generational thing.  I don't know, it's just something that I noticed.  Have you heard this as well?  I'm curious to find out.  Anyway, let's move on to number two.

(heh heh heh..."number two.")  The second thing that I've witnessed kind of irritates me.  In the day and age that we live in, it's nearly impossible not to hear things, whether you want to or not, about upcoming movies.  You know, like how Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 and Black Panther 2 are being filmed, or will start filming soon.  So when I hear all of these people saying that this was the "biggest cliffhanger in movie history,"  I'm calling BS on all of that.  First of all, most of the characters that "died" in this movie you know will be coming back to life.  Let's start with Spider-Man as an example.  Do you really think that SONY would let Marvel kill off their movie property?  Are you kidding me?  Of course not!  Black Panther just had one of the best runs in Marvel's short history.  Do you think that Marvel and, more importantly, Disney would really kill him off?  No.  This isn't a "biggest cliffhanger in movie history" movie, it's a "so how are they all going to come back to life" movie.  Besides, everyone knows that Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back had the biggest and best cliffhanger in movie history.  Deal with it.

Look, I know that this is just my opinion.  Maybe Peter Parker stays dead and they bring in Miles Morales instead, or they just pass the mantle of Black Panther on to someone else.  Maybe...but I doubt it.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below.  Oh yeah, I'll let you know what's wrong with the picture up top in my next post.

Mmmm...That New Spaceship Smell!

In just a few weeks we are going to be able to see the latest "stand alone" Star Wars movie.  Even though Rogue One did amazingly well with fans, it didn't re-cast beloved characters with a new actors.   While this has some fans nervous, it doesn't seem to ebb the flow of ticket sales for the movie as it has passed Black Panther for early ticket sales.  It's for good reason, too.  Check out the trailer below:

For me, the most exciting character that will be making an appearance isn't C3P0 (yes, Anthony Daniels will be showing up at some point, making him the "Stan Lee" of the Star Wars universe), but the Millennium Falcon.  Why?  Because of the obvious difference of appearance it has, which makes me want to know what happened to it to make it look like it did in A New Hope.  Don't know what I'm getting at?  Let me show you what I mean.  

The obvious difference between the two is the front of the ship.  My guess is that the missing portion from the front of the ship is a shuttle craft of some sort.  I may be wrong, but it kind of jives with other spaceships from the Star Wars universe (i.e. the Ghost).  Not only does it's exterior look a lot different, but check out the interior:

Look how clean and new it looks!  It almost doesn't look like the same spaceship!  

The interior from A New Hope definitely gives it that "lived in" feeling.  I kind of like the darker interior as opposed to the bright new Falcon we'll be seeing in Solo.  Who knows? Maybe after seeing it when it comes out on May 25 I'll change my mind.  Let me know your thoughts on the Falcon, both old and new, in the comments section down below.

Did Thanos Kill You?

Hello all of my friends, I am back...but for the time being, it will be a bit sporadic!  I have gone through a number of life changes since we last spoke.  I started a new career, moved to a new state and I'm the process of settling into a permanent residence.  I am able to do all of this because I was able to survive Thanos' desire to kill of half the universe.  How do I know this?  Let me explain...

By the way, if you haven't seen Avengers: Infinity War yet (and unless you are in China or Russia, I don't see how that would be possible) there will be a MAJOR SPOILER coming up, so be warned!  Still with me?  Good!  Let's get started.

The movie Avengers: Infinity War left fans knowing that the MCU had changed forever...well, at least it's changed everything until Avengers 4 comes out and brings everyone back to life. With the snap of his fingers, Thanos was able to kill half of all living beings in the universe.  Just so you know, THAT was the spoiler.  Since you saw the movie, you already knew that.  But did you survive Thanos' destruction?  There is now an easy way to find out!  

To find out if you were one of the many that died, or find out out if you survived, you will need to go to www.didthanoskill.me to find out.  Once you go to this site, it will tell you if you lived or of you died.  Once you visit the site, whatever answer you are given will be permanent.  If you visit it later from the same device, it will not change (slight hint at getting multiple results are in that last sentence!)  

So did you live or die?  Let me know your results in the comments section below!  I'll be back a lot sooner next time, and I appreciate everyone who still checks in to this site from time to time!