Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir. Ron Howard
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Star Wars movies used to be major cultural events. With long gaps between the films' release dates, the hype was strong with this franchise - the 16 years between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, and the 10 years between Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens, gave fans the chance to speculate and mouth-froth for a good chunk of the calendar. Now, risking quantity over quality as well as audience hype, Disney plans to release a new Star Wars film once a year, and it remains to be seen if this decision to oversatiate people's willingness to see yet more lightsaber duels, "pew pew pew"-ing, and nostalgic references to past films will continue to thrive. It's concerning to see that this is the state of the modern blockbuster, but at least Solo: A Star Wars Story is a ton of fun!
The story follows a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich), who at an early age was taught to steal in order to survive. However, his plans to run away from his local criminal gang (led by a wonderfully-imagined bug queen) alongside his girlfriend Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) are foiled. Qi'ra is captured, while Han escapes and signs on to join the Imperial Navy as a pilot. Three years later, Solo is kicked out of the Navy, and we see how he eventually joins a gang of criminals posing as soldiers, lead by Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson). Eventually this ragtag crew is tasked with stealing a shipment for Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), a high-ranking crime boss who - what do you know - is in a "relationship" with Qi'ra! The film pretty much boils down to a heist film and a tense love story that totally evokes the clean, simplistic storytelling of "old Hollywood" cinema.
Directed by the "workmanlike" Ron Howard after directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street) were booted off the project for creative differences, Solo doesn't exactly shake the genre up in unexpected ways. But for me personally it better captures that elusive feeling of the original trilogy than the other recent Disney-brand Star Wars movies - especially the dour bore that was Rogue One. The action set pieces here are fun and evoke classic westerns; there's a space version of a train heist that's thrilling and dynamically-staged, and the "smuggling" side of the Star Wars universe is wonderfully brought to life with underground centipede crime queens, marauders on speed bikes, and a devilish, mustache-twirling crime boss.
The characters are all fun to watch and the actors have a fantastic chemistry together. Alden Ehrenreich - despite stories of him needing an on-set acting coach to get through the part - is totally charming in the lead role; even if he sounds nothing like Harrison Ford, he still has that Solo "swagger." Emilia Clark is surprisingly not wasted as Solo's love interest, Donald Glover nails it as the suave and egocentric Lando, Woody Harrelson is so naturally cast as Han's smuggler "mentor" that he could pretty much sleepwalk through the role, the droid L3-37 is an unexpected new feminist icon, and Chewbacca is as lovable as ever. As opposed to Rogue One, I really enjoyed hanging around with this crew, which gives all the pointless noisy action scenes more stakes, despite the prequel problem that we know certain characters must live at the end of the day.
For whatever reason, critics and audiences have been lukewarm on this movie; I must be crazy because I thought it was my favorite of the Disney Star Wars offerings so far. The only knock I have against this film is a problem with this series as a whole - the constant "winking" references to past films and the unnecessary "oh, that's where that came from" moments (how Han got his name is seriously eye-rolling). But Solo is a completely solid, fun space adventure with well-done action, characters you want to be around, and a story that, while generic and not groundbreaking in any way, left me completely satisfied. It made me feel like a kid again and it's pretty much everything I'm looking for in a Star Wars movie!
Final Verdict:
SEE IT!
Disobedience
Dir. Sebastián Lelio
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Two of the best "Rachels" in the movies - Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams - star in Disobedience, the latest from Sebastián Lelio, who recently won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film for A Fantastic Woman. Here the Rachels play childhood friends-turned-lesbian lovers living in an Orthodox Jewish community. Making matters even worse is that McAdams happens to be married to Weisz's cousin! Awk-ward! This very dark drama explores the push-and-pull between sexuality and faith, and of course all the acting is amazing.
I'm really not sure what didn't work for me in this movie, but I had a similar reaction to this that I did with 2015's Carol. You'd think that such a heightened state of forbidden love as these two women share would result in a lot of emotional intrigue and intense passions, but Disobedience felt slow-burning and icy rather than the kind of melodramatic Sirk-ian taboo love story I was hoping for. Not a bad film, just not one I would have any reason to see again or even recommend.
Final Verdict:
WAIT FOR NETFLIX
The Rider
Dir. Chloé Zhao
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The Rider literalizes the adage to "get back on the horse." Starring Brady Jandreau more or less as himself, the film follows a young, gifted cowboy whose days of being a rodeo star are over when he badly injures his skull. Or at least that's what the doctors told him - Brady still determinedly wants to ride. The Rider is his search for an identity and struggle for control after his "life" is taken away from him.
What I loved about The Rider is that it was sort of like The Wrestler for rodeo stars, capturing the fascinating psychology of why someone would willingly put themselves in harm's way. It paints an authentic slice of life of this seldom-seen part of America (in the movies), blending fact with fiction seamlessly; the director apparently found Brady while she was doing research, and was awed by his nearly spiritual connection with his horse. While a bit slow-paced at times and depressing as hell, The Rider is a beautiful tribute to the connection between man and animal.
Final Verdict:
SEE IT!
Beast
Dir. Michael Pearce
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I LOVE going into a movie knowing next-to-nothing about it. It's pure; you get a true reaction unsullied by expectations or trailers. Beast is a psychological thriller from Britain that I knew nothing about other than its genre, and it blew me away!
The feature film debut from writer-director Michael Pearce, the film follows a troubled young woman, Moll (Jessie Buckley), who doesn't fit in with her overbearing family. After running away from her own birthday party, she finds her "escape" in the arms of a mysterious, rugged man, Pascal (Johnny Flynn), whom she slowly forms a relationship with. However, Pascal soon comes under suspicion for a series of local murders, and Moll - facing the scorn of her family and the law - wants to defend him at all costs.
I absolutely loved this movie. The performances are incredible, especially from Jessie Buckley, who, if there's any justice in the world, will get higher-profile roles after this. Her repressed rage and emotions are amazing and cinematic, caught between her own "bestial" desires, family expectations, and her quest for normalcy and happiness. I also loved the Hitchcockian guessing game that happens as both the audience and Moll question the background of her new boyfriend. It's a thrilling, simple premise and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! HIGHLY recommended!
Final Verdict:
SEE IT!
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