Disney Acquires Lucasfilm

Some days, news in the entertainment industry comes slowly. A new trailer, a new poster, a casting rumor. These are the big news events most days. Then there are days like yesterday.

Yesterday we got a megaton. Yesterday came an announcement so big that it will fundamentally change entertainment across multiple formats in the coming years. I had to check to make sure the date wasn’t April 1.

Disney purchased Lucasfilm!

Star Wars Episode VII will begin production, aiming for a 2015 release!

Lucasfilm is, of course, the studio behind Star Wars. Behind Indiana Jones. Behind special effects studio Industrial Light & Magic. Behind a lot of film properties and production companies. Disney owns them all now. Specifically, Disney purchased Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light &Magic, and Skywalker Sound for a whopping $4.24 billion. That’s a lot of cheese, most of which goes to previous owner Mr. George Lucas.

What does this acquisition mean for fans such as we?

It means a lot of cool things will be happening with these properties. One of the biggest and best companies in the entertainment industry now owns some of the biggest film properties and production studios around. Disney knows how to take big-time properties and make them huge successes. Look at what they did with Marvel. The Marvel Studios characters + Disney knowhow = truckloads of money. Disney recently brought Pixar back under its umbrella, and guys have a great slate of films coming in the next few years. This acquisition brings hope that Star Wars will once again be a major player across a wide range of media.

Disney is in the business of entertainment with their hands in film, television, amusement parks, music, video games, traveling shows, and probably a ton of other things that I can’t recall. Expect Star Wars and Indiana Jones to be a part of all of it.

What else provides hope for the resurrection of Star Wars? Lucas is effectively retiring. He has been hands-on with the franchise for the past 35 years. Every major decision, and a whole bunch of minor ones, went through him on a daily basis. But, he now wants to step away. Lucas can hand over the reigns to a more-than-capable group of people at Disney and watch them shepherd in a new era of Star Wars. Technically, he will be retained as a “creative consultant”, which is a fancy way of saying that Disney will politely call Lucas before making a big decision, listen to him chatter for a few minutes, and then go ahead with whatever plans they had. It sounds like there won't be any major changes in the structure of company management at any of Lucas' companies. It'll be status quo for a while during the transition of ownership. I’m actually quite happy for Lucas. He can do whatever he pleases now that he’s cashed out his most lucrative property, and his baby will be in great hands.

We’ll find out how well this arrangement will work in 2015. A few years ago, Lucasfilm copyrighted Episode VII, VIII, and IX, and word was that they had a master strategy for a new trilogy of films. Part of the acquisition announcement is that Disney will begin production on Star Wars: Episode VII for a 2015 release. Disney wants to bring that trilogy to life with Episode VII in 2015, VIII in 2017, and IX in 2019. Expect this story to dominate coverage on sites like this for the coming years.

So, today, there is hope for Star Wars. The once great franchise has had an unexpected breath of life. With Disney’s track record of success with Marvel and Pixar, I think it’s safe to start getting excited for Star Wars again.

Do you think the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm is a good thing for Star Wars? What would you do with $4.24 billion if you were Lucas? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

GTA 5 Coming Soon

Most of my free time is spent watching movies, but I occasionally dabble in video games. I recently picked up Madden 13, my first in that particular series for several years, and I am now hopelessly addicted to the Ultimate Team feature. It's fun to goof off in a virtual world every now and again (or dedicate a full day to a marathon session of gameplay). It looks like I'll soon have another great game to sink all of my spare time into.

One of the biggest and best-known video game series is Grand Theft Auto. Since the third full sequel in the series, including a few semi-sequels, these have been third-person action games set in large, open-world environments in which your character does dastardly deeds for various factions of organized crime. The player is basically given free reign to wreak havoc in a detailed cityscape. Jacking cars, random shootings, gunfights with mob-bosses, insane driving stunts, if you can dream of the mayhem, then it's in these games. They are some of the most fun games you can ask for, especially if what you're asking for is a chaos and mayhem simulator.

After the critical and commercial success of the fourth installment of the franchise back in 2008, it was a given that there would be another game coming. Recent reports told us that the franchise would be set in Los Santos and would feature a wide variety of settings, mission types, and activities. Awesome. Speculation was that it wouldn't be ready until sometime in late 2013 or early 2014. Now we get this:

Man, I hope this is legit and not a fake someone whipped up in Photoshop. The idea of running around these environments this Spring is too cool.

Who else is eager for a return to Grand Theft Auto gaming this Spring? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

Skyfall IMAX poster

You may have heard that James Bond will be back in theaters in the U.S. very soon. Skyfall, the third film starring Daniel Craig as Bond, is already out in many markets overseas, including it's native United Kingdom where it made some serious bank over the weekend. The film opens stateside on November 9.

Skyfall is getting the IMAX treatment, the super-high-definition format that is the best visual and audial experience you can get in theaters. IMAX films look crisp and sound fantastic, making it the format of choice for all movie experiences. If Skyfall plays in an IMAX theater near you, do yourself a favor and see it there.

IMAX viewers get a few extra treats. For starters, the film opens in IMAX one day early, on November 8. Also, those who catch the midnight screenings of the movie will get a limited edition poster commissioned just for the film. IMAX has been in the habit of giving away cool prints for most of its recent releases, and they often are cool-looking pieces of art. Here is the Skyfall poster.

I like this a lot. It has Daniel Craig front and center, the iconic Aston Martin in the foreground, and London in the distance. All nice components of what makes James Bond tick. Cool toys, suave attitude, and love of country.

Get your own print at your local IMAX theater at 12:01 AM November 8, 2012.

What do you think of the poster? Is it Bondy enough? Too subdued? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter.

Looper Review

There are some who say that originality is dead in Hollywood, that all the movies that come out these days are tired remakes or predictable sequels.

Those people need to rush out to see Looper right away. In fact, everyone should rush out to see Looper right away. There hasn’t been a science fiction film this good in a very long time.

Writer/director Rian Johnson has crafted a fantastically detailed futuristic world, populated it with rich, complex characters, and set them off on an adventure filled with action, drama, mystery, and emotion. The film combines a lot of elements to explore a central question:

How far would you go to change the future?

Would you assassinate people sent to you from the future? Would you harm others to send a message to their future selves? Would you kill innocents today if it meant stopping a monster in the future? Would you avoid a deadly future confrontation, or would you meet your fate head on?

Looper asks these and other questions in a gripping story that uses time travel better than most.

The story features Young Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as an assassin, called a Looper, who acts as a strongman for mob bosses operating 30 years in Joe’s future. The mobsters send people that they want eliminated back in time for Young Joe to deal with. One blast from his trusty blunderbuss is enough to solve the mob bosses problems and earn Young Joe a nice stash of silver.

When we are first introduced to Young Joe, things are pretty good for the lad. He is one of the few people in the dystopian society with money and possessions, and he spends his time living the good life. Things completely unravel, however, when the mob bosses task Young Joe to kill his older self. The arrival of Old Joe (Bruce Willis) onto the scene, and his subsequent escape from Young Joe touches off one of the most thrilling films of the year.

To discuss the plot in detail risks ruining this fantastic film, so I won’t write much about what happens. This is a film that you need to experience cold, with as few details of the film’s events spoiled for you. You only need to walk into the theater expecting to see a great science fiction film that blends time travel, telekinesis, and deep moral quandaries into a gripping narrative. What I will discuss is how well the components of the film fit together.

Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are great. They both are top-notch actors, and pitting the two of them against one another is inspired casting by the director. The two actors don’t look much alike in real life, but, thanks to a bit of makeup wizardry, you’ll believe they are the same person as they sit across the table from one another.  JGL even manages to capture some of Willis’ mannerisms, so they seem like the same person even when not sharing the screen. Leave it to Johnson to recognize that you get quality actors into your film no matter what it takes.

The world that Rian Johnson creates feels wonderfully authentic. The future according to Johnson is not pleasant. The gap between the haves and the have nots is not so much a gap as it is a gulf. The ones who are down and out will do anything to make ends meet, including steal and murder with impunity. It's a tough world meant for tough people. Those with money wield true power. They have the best of everything, and there is little to stop them from living out their fantasies. The social structure of the world is great, but the look of the world makes it feel very real. The production design takes our current technology, modifies things to seem a bit more futuristic, and then, importantly, rubs a little dirt on everything. It’s this lived-in quality of the world that really makes it authentic. This isn’t some high-gloss, ultra-clean civilization. It’s a real place in which real people struggle to make ends meet. The realistic quality of the setting reminds me of Children of Men, the wonderful film by Alfonso Curon from 2006.  

Some movies dealing with time travel become confusing muddled messes. It can be difficult for directors to keep the intricate plots, characters, and timelines clear, but there are no such concerns here. Johnson deftly manages a complex storyline and presents things in a clear, easy to follow manner. It’s remarkable that, despite the complexity of the story, every frame is packed with details and is electric in intensity. I wonder how many drafts of the script he needed to get such a tight story. However many it took, I applaud Johnson for putting in the effort to work out every detail and make sure that every moving part works well.

Few films are as well constructed as Looper. Few tackle complex themes in such a clear, powerful, and ultimately entertaining way as Looper. It’s original, deep, exciting, and it packs an strong emotional punch. Even coming into the film with very lofty expectations, Looper managed to surprise and awe me. Looper distinguishes itself as one of the best of the year and is a must see for anyone who values quality science fiction films.

5 out of 5 stars

The Master Review

I’ve been ruminating on Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest directorial effort, The Master, for a week now, so it’s about time I write my review.

Yes, it’s that type of film – the type that requires a week’s worth of thought-processing to pour over the complex characters, story, and themes presented. After a week of thinking about the film, I am comfortable saying that it is technically magnificent, but I’m still not convinced I should call it a masterpiece.

The story of The Master follows Freddie Quell (Joaqiun Phoenix) as a post-WWII Navy veteran who struggles to acclimate back to civilian life. He bounces from one odd job to another, staying in one place just long enough to blow his top, pick a fight, and leave town on the run. His unstable life is fueled in large part by the toxic brews he mixes from whatever chemicals he has available. He’ll down anything from paint thinner to Lysol for a kick, and these extreme measures for escapement usually result in bad news for Freddie. His life is a mix of booze, sex, and dangerous behavior.

During one of his rotgut-powered binges, Freddie finds himself crossing paths with Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) the leader of The Cause. Dodd is the opposite side of the coin from Quell. When asked who he is and what he does, Dodd responds with a laundry list of academic and important-sounding titles. He’s a man who relies primarily on his intellect to guide his life. But, just as Freddie’s life is complicated by his animalistic desires, Dodd’s life is complicated by the intellectual rabbit hole he has dug for himself. The Cause is a belief system wholly controlled by Dodd. He has literally written the book on The Cause, which details how all of our past lives are connected and helps people to reconnect with their past selves. The Cause is being attacked by outsiders who claim The Cause is merely a cult and eroded from within by family and friends who are losing faith and trust in Dodd. As the leader of the group to whom everyone turns, Dodd struggles to weather the storm.

Watching these two interact is the real draw of The Master. Phoenix gives a stunning performance as Quell. It is impossible to take your eyes off the manic, dangerous, injured, and lost soul portrayed by Phoenix. As great as Phoenix is, Hoffman is his equal. Hoffman carries Dodd as a confident intellectual, but you always feel the presence of a darker undercurrent to his personality. When the two of them meet, it’s like they suddenly have found the other half of themselves that they never knew existed. They feed off of each other, each trying to help the other through their difficulties in life. These two characters are unique and completely mesmerizing.

This being a Paul Thomas Anderson film, the presentation of the film is astounding. The look, the pacing, the editing, the feel, the shot composition – it all comes together to make a beautiful film. Every frame pops off the screen, and there are more than a few sequences and shots that will take your breath away. As just one example of his talent on display, Anderson makes a slow-motion shot of a boat’s wake emotionally resonant. Film students (and film directors) everywhere should dissect every component of this film; everyone in the movie business could learn from what’s on display here.

Despite my praise for The Master, I’m still not sure if I really liked it. There’s a lot going on in the film, and didn’t quite I get the message. Anderson spends a lot of time crafting a beautiful world and complicated relationships, but finding the main theme is a little hard. I would have liked it better if any of the major themes presented in the film would have had a strong resolution. Perhaps the ambiguity is part of the point. This is a film that demands multiple viewings and discussion with friends. With so much to process, finding what it all means doesn’t come easily. Maybe the only way to understand it is to talk about it with others.

At the end of the day (or week), The Master is a wondrous film to watch. Just don’t expect to take it all in during a single viewing. You’re going to want to revisit The Master time and again, but that journey for deeper understanding will be worth it for the talent and beauty on display.

4 out of 5 stars

What did you think of The Master? Are you enticed by a movie so deep that you know going in that you’ll have to see it twice or more to understand it? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!