I didn’t get that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; I am sure it is a terribly clever elegy but it just struck me as superficial. Maybe that’s its depth. Hey do ho.
In the right mood it is very deep.
I keep coming back to Edgar Wright saying, in response to if he ripped it off from Pulp Fiction; “No, I ripped it off from Scorsese, like Tarantino did”
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Star Wars - THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
The embargo keeps me from posting any detail until tomorrow.
But I can say this: it is absolutely magnificent. The most thoroughly entertaining and emotional rollercoaster blockbuster I have seen this decade. A movie which has so many expectations to deal with, so many tasks to complete - but it carries this burden with youthful enthusiasm and tireless inventiveness. It is just plain fun, perfectly and exuberantly directed, scripted, shot, scored and acted, from the tightly worded title crawl to the last scene. It not only gives every character wonderful moments to shine, it ties every story strand of these nine films together.
If you grew up with the original trilogy you will tear up many times, not just out of nostalgia, but also due to the feeling of closure and the knowledge that this story now, after 42 years, is finally over.
STAR WARS (A new hope) was, together with THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, my introduction to cinema, it showed me the chance of being transported into another world, simply by the telling of stories in images and words and sounds and music. Watching this first Star Wars film for the first time my life changed completely. Without it I would not have chosen my profession, and everything would have been different.
Today, this last Star Wars film again elevated my spirits and inspired me anew. Yes, that might sound corny - but it is true. This film again can make you feel like a spellbound kid again, and still it gently makes you also realize that life is full of consequences and that we all have to grow up.
But a really great movie can always make you feel young again.
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SAF, I plan on seeing the movie on Thursday and I am avoiding spoilers, but I have to ask: having LOVED TLJ and liked TFA, will I be satisfied or disappointed? Do you think it did a good job completing this particular sequel trilogy?
Absolutely. For me, it is the best third film of any trilogy - Star Wars or any other series.
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Dang, high praise SAF, you’ve got me hopeful that the sequel trilogy can stick the landing. Early reviews I’ve seen have been mixed, but that doesn’t really mean anything. For me, the best third installment of any trilogy is Toy Story 3. If it can upend the finale of that film, then RoS will cement itself as maybe the greatest ending in film history. That said, I probably won’t be seeing for a little while yet, as I just don’t know when I’ll have the time. I’ve already missed 2 films I’ve wanted to see badly: Midway and Knives Out. It’s entirely possible for me, that Rise of Skywalker will follow the same path.
Reading those first impressions and reviews of TROS I get the impression that many reviewers had made up their mind about the film before watching it.
Which was to be expected, I guess. In my hometown paper the (always) snarky reviewer begins by saying that the film is a total disappointment… when one loved how Rian Johnson deconstructed the saga in “The Last Jedi”.
A statement not based on any facts, unfortunately. I watched both TFA and TLJ last week, and actually, Johnson (whose work I adore in every of his films) did not deconstruct anything. He took a surprising step by having Kylo Ren kill Snoke, and he also surprised by not revealing Rey´s parents to be related to any Skywalker. But every other idea actually was in line with what came before. Luke´s decision, for instance, to withdraw was only the logical one since it was already part of TFA´s story that his training of Ren failed horribly - how could he have stayed the idealistic Luke of the original trilogy? It was only believable for his character to become embittered.
As you can see, I thought about this a lot. A lot more than the average reviewer who considers these films mainly as a big money machine for the dreaded Disney corporation. The reviewer in my hometown paper even puts in a sentence about Disney forbidding to tell anything about the story. Completely untrue as well. I was at the same press screening, and the PR lady just politely asked journalists not to reveal story spoilers - as it is custom now for any big film.
Also: when I left the press screening I overheard the usual suspects blabbering on - even those who came late to the screening (yes, happens all the time) or who went out during the film because they consumed all the softdrinks and coffee they got for free, thereby missing several important story beats.
And don´t get me started on those guys who - before the screening started - loudly motormouthed their opinions on how they would have told the stories of the new trilogy.
Of course, anybody will have their opinion on the choices this film makes. But choices have to be made, obviously, and as a screenwriter myself (fanfare, please) I also had thought about how the story could progress. But the worst mistake one can make when watching any movie is being disappointed when a narrative does not follow one’s own ideas. How can it, really? Someone else made the picture. And it is much more relevant to follow that narrative, considering whether it works, whether it has a logical structure and how the intent is realized.
This is, for me at least, what makes me enjoy a film. And enjoyment is what it´s all about. If I only watch a movie in order to tell other people afterwards how superior my perspective is, well, than that is a very strange state of mind.
Again, all opinions on how much a movie succeeds are relevant. But they should be based on facts, not agendas.
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Yeah, I get that impression very strongly. I’ve liked the ST, and get to see TROS tomorrow. I’m aware of the leaks and I’m on board with them. It seems to have a fun, pulpy charm akin to The Last Crusade with a fast pace, sense of adventure, charm and emotion. Your posts here have excited me even more.
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Having looked around (read; Everyman and his dog wanting tell me what they fink) regarding TROS, it does seem to be what you said about people having decided what they were feeling about it before they saw it, as, regardless of what you’re looking for, you can find a review confirming it. “Masterpiece”, “the worst two hours of my life”, ‘meh”, “good, but I preferred the last one”, “it didn’t make me feel like Return of The Jedi did when I was 7, but it’s not as bad as the prequels”
My favourite critique
“It’s the most divisive Star Wars has ever been”
…so it’s a Star Wars film then.
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And that’s why it’s no fun talking about Star Wars.
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Person I know only in passing “I just saw the new Star Wars movie! it was s…”
Me “can you wait, right there”
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Other possible contenders:
The Godfather, Part III (Francis Coppola)
The Good, the Bad and The Ugly (Sergio Leone)
Once Upon a Time in China, Part III (Tsui Hark)
VERONICA VOSS or LOLA (R.W. Fassbinder–depends on whether the BRD trilogy’s chronology is looked at story-wise or production-wise. I would support either film as a strong contender)
THREE COLOURS: RED ( Krzysztof Kieślowski)
STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH (George Lucas–he cannot write dialogue and I have never been swept up by the STAR WARS’ narratives, but Lucas is a fine example of filmmaker as conceptual artist, and in EPISODE III, he he mastered digital filmmaking. As an experimental piece of cinema, it is valuable and enjoyable. In some ways it fulfills the promise of THX 1138 in terms of abstract film-making).
Sorry–did not mean to post twice
I’m also a fan of The Dark Knight Rises.
12 hours until I see TROS!
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The Good The Bad and The Ugly for sure, I also enjoy the inevitability of the conclusion to the Godfather. Last Crusade?
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How about Goldfinger?
Although I suppose it doesn’t officially qualify as part of a trilogy.
Forgot one more which would be a strong contender for me:
Pasolini’s ARABIAN NIGHTS–the third part of his Trilogy of Life.