The Last Jedi Didn't Break Star Wars. It Broke the Fans

"You're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view"  -Obi-Wan Kenobi 

Marvel Saga

Now that a new Infinity War trailer has dropped and we've all had time to watch it a thousand times, I want to make a commentary on the journey taken with these films. The Marvel Cinematic Universe films have been an unprecedented endeavor and success in so many ways, but the one I really want to focus on is the long form storytelling. They have basically told an epic saga usually only seen in books and serialized television shows, only they've done it in bite sized, self-contained films. The entire films series (disregarding TV shows) follows a giant 3 act structure.

For those of you unaware, a 3 act structure is a story telling formula heavily favored by Hollywood and many other creators. If you don't know what it is, I guarantee you've seen it without knowing it. Here's how it goes.

What Doctor Who Fans are Waiting for from Big Finish

The Adventures of Martha and Micky

We last saw Mickey "The Idiot" Smith and his former U.N.I.T. bride, Martha Jones, in The End of Time, Part 2 where they were shown fighting a Sontaran. Martha made a reference to them recently "going freelance" which we can only infer as the couple defending the Earth on their own terms. Like most former companions, we've heard nothing from them since, but unlike most other companions, the story potential is endless. What are their lives like? Do they have day jobs? Who do they work for as freelancers? Are they Earth's new A Team? If the actors would be willing to sign on, Big Finish would have no problem pumping out a few action packed stories about this alien fighting duo.

An Open Letter to Chris Chibnall Concerning Doctor Who

Dear Mr. Chibnall,
I'm not going to mince words here, you have an uphill battle ahead of you. You've been given command of a sinking ship and asked to keep it going. This particular ship sprung a leak a while ago, but no one seems to have noticed or done anything about it, and now you're already halfway underwater.

But I want to help you. Doctor Who has weathered worse problems than this and a new Doctor is always an opportunity to win a new audience. Here's what I think you can do to get the show back to the basics that the fans know and love.

Wolverine and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Films

Second only to The Dark Knight Trilogy and The Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men is among the most successful superhero film franchises of the 21st century.  The original film was among the opening lineup of what has become a very popular Hollywood genre.  That said, there have been some very noticeable missteps in some of the films and the harshest criticisms are leveled at the Wolverine spin-off films; 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine and 2013's The Wolverine.  At face value, this seems a contradiction.  Hugh Jackman, who plays Wolverine, has headlined all the other successful films of the series except one, so why are the films so much weaker with a different supporting cast.  Blame is thrown around to writing, direction, casting and other things, but after some research, I think I've pinpointed the root of the problem to the business management of the series by its studio, 20th Century Fox.

Why the War Doctor Was a Pointless Act of Creative Cowardice

It's been almost a year since the landmark 50th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who aired. Upon repeat viewings, the episode does still hold up, but there is one thing I now find irksome; the War Doctor really didn't need to be there. Either the 8th or 9th (preferably the former) would have functioned in that role without a massive retcon and the creation of a zero sum character. Let's look at Moffat's reasons for bringing in the 8.5th Doctor and see why they are invalid and just created more problems. 

The Most Epic Movies Never to be Made

So we all have a few film ideas rolling in our head.  Films we'd like to see made and, if done right, would be great.  Odds are, though, they will never enter production.  As a prospective filmmaker, I have more than a few, and while I'm usually paranoid about sharing my ideas in case I actually get around to making them, here's a few I don't mind letting loose in case someone in Hollywood picks up the baton.  

Waiting for the technology

I've been thinking a lot about the phrase "waiting for the technology to catch up."  It's been used by a lot of filmmakers who want their projects to be heavy on special effects.  They usually announce the project and push the release back a bit so the hype can build up a bit and then finally release it.  Here's my question, has it really been worth the wait?  Are the final products better now than they would have been 10-15 years earlier when the idea first germinated?  The answer would be purely speculative of course, but I'm going to examine the issue using a few films as case studies.  Here we go.  

Masters of the Timelords

The new season (or if you speak British, the new series) has begun of the long lasting Doctor Who.  The first half of this season marks what I hope will be the beginning of the end of the second phase of the contemporary series.  The first phase was the Russell T. Davies era and the second was the Steven Moffat era.  There are thematic and stylistic differences between the two that extend beyond just a different Doctor and companions.  Which of the two is better is as much a battle as Kirk vs. Picard, so I'll try to stay objective.  Each one has different things to offer.  

The Dark Knight Journey

The newly completed Dark Knight trilogy forms a tightly knit story about a lone hero in pursuit of justice.  Each film explores the issue from a different angle and creates a comprehensive psyche of both Batman and Gotham City.  Both pass through the different stages of life and face the various trials therein.  Batman follows a very simple progression: birth, life, death.  The story of a boy who became a man who became a legend.  A true hero for the books, through and through.  

3D in Adolescence

Over the past few months, I've come to the realization that 3D is going to be around for a long while yet.  Unlike 3D fads in previous decades, it's not going out of style anytime soon.  As a viewer, the decision and progress is out of my hands.  The question is, where does the industry stand? 

Avengers Assemble, But Only For A While

After a four year drumroll, The Avengers has arrived and it's a hit.  Marvel now has the commercial leverage it needs to pursue further films within the Cinematic Universe, and in stand alone series like the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man.  That clout puts Marvel producers in a rather unique and unprecedented position.  They can produce multiple films in the same universe at the same time and release up to several per year.  While it may sound cool for fans, Marvel faces a danger of going too far too fast with their films.  Multiple films means a longer investment in the characters and a risk of formulaic stagnation.  Then there's the difficulty in adaptation that the writers are already facing, and which will only get worse.  If Marvel isn't careful, their franchise could run away into multiplicity, and then, oblivion.  

The Great Actor Migration

I've noticed a lot of established feature film actors appearing in television shows lately.  This is a little unusual given that Hollywood films are usually considered the top tier of prestige and status, not to mention paychecks.  For most of Hollywood history, many actors would become famous or at least established on television before transitioning to the big screen.  Very rarely would they go the other way around.  Here are some examples of big screen actors who have appeared as regular cast members on prime time television shows in the last couple years:

The Conspiracy Syndrome

I've watched a number of crime dramedies on television and I've noticed that each one tries to include some sort of larger recurring mystery and/or conspiracy to hook the audience.  What I find interesting is that the recurring mystery is rarely the reason for their ratings.  Most often it's characters, humor, and the mysteries of the week that attract viewers.   So, why do producers continually write one in and what effect does it have on the show itself?  Let's take a look. 

The Phantom Menace Indeed

No, I haven't seen it yet, but the numbers are finally in and in its opening weekend, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 3D rated number 4 at the Box Office.  The film (in its second theatrical release) came in during the lower competition season and, while it no doubt drew a few more people to theaters than normal, I'm afraid it may be a small beginning of what will turn into a larger issue. 

Lost TV of the 21st Century

Probably one of the most influential sci-fi shows of the 2000's was ABC's Lost (2004-2010).  The success of the series (along with Battlestar Galactica) gave rise to serialized shows and spawned a number of imitators, most of which were unable to capitalize on its elements.  Despite the praise, the show had a number of flaws (including, but not limited to, the ending) and the unfortunate truth is that most of the imitating shows replicated those flaws rather than the points of the series that made it successful. 

The Cinematic Significance of Bruce Almighty

While watching the 2003 religious comedy, Bruce Almighty, on TV the other day, I realized the film marked a critical turning point in the careers of two actors: Jim Carrey and Steve Carell.  It's not very apparent within the film itself, but after its release, Carrey's popularity and marketability began to wane, while Carell's increased.  What's funny about the whole situation is that it wasn't planned or expected; just another day at the office for everyone involved. 

The Decline of the Opening Title Sequence

Some of you who regularly watch television, or even shows on Netflix and Hulu, may have noticed that fewer shows nowadays are using a full Opening Title Sequence.  Most just throw up the title in a few seconds, then make the Act I credits longer.  Title sequences have varied through television history and some have had a hand in shaping a show's identity.

Long Past Sci Fi Prime

Since I mentioned SyFy Channel in my last series on Stargate Universe, I thought I'd do a little blurb on them.

Despite anyone's idealized version of history, Sci Fi Channel was not created so science fiction television would have a permanent home.  It was a business venture of USA Networks (then owned by Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios) to create an outlet for the large volume of classic sci-fi shows and films that the studios had in their archives but had no place to air.  These included Dracula, Frankenstein, Night Gallery, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, etc.  Now this provided a moderate income, but with its success, some original programming was added to draw even more viewers.  This eventually led to the Sci Fi Prime lineup on Friday nights (hosted by that wonderfully creepy lady).  The network aired their flagship original programming during this time block, as part of the "counter-programming" approach I mentioned.  Most networks don't air shows on Fridays because they figure most people will go out to the movies, parties, dates, etc.  Sci Fi Channel could get away with it since it could be argued their viewer demographic was a bunch of nerds/geeks who don't have a life.  This is a gross generalization to be sure, but not without merit.  

Flight of the Bumble Bee (in 3D)

I just want to be clear about several things.  I'm a fan of the Green Hornet.  It first came to my attention when I was introduced to Bruce Lee (whom I'm also a fan of).  I've seen several episodes of the various serials.  I was extremely excited to see the new film.  Not only because it was a new version of the hero to enjoy, but the film also appeared to be outside the streamlined superhero films that have been coming out lately.  It's not often you see such a goofy vigilante and I was fully prepared to give them full props for taking such a risk.  However, when the moment came for me to go see it, I refused.  I couldn't find a showing that wasn't in 3D.

The 3D fad of Hollywood has gotten way out of hand.  It started as a cute little gimmick for younger audiences and has now grown into an expected form of prestigious film polish.  For some reason, the studios think that the audiences think that 3D is cool.  Maybe they're right, but I rarely enjoy watching 3D films (so far the only exception out of five films has been Tron: Legacy).  3D works great with big special effects films.  During the course of the Star Wars marathon I've been writing about, one of my cousins remarked that the films would have looked great in 3D (tune in in 2012).  In average action film, 3D conversion does very little to enhance the film and only damages the film's quality as it becomes darker and only slightly 3D.  The conversion adds $4 to the ticket price for what?  An ill colored effect that's being implemented before the technology is ready.

3D did not belong in The Green Hornet.  It's an action film with minimal computer effects.  The conversion would only damage the film and encourage an ill suited fad.  I refuse to see the film until it comes to DVD. Maybe not even then.