MONDAY - (Show #642) - The Myth Awakens: Part I

Genre news and feedback from the past two weeks!

Covering the bottom shows of the week ending 15 Dec 2015:
3) The Librarians 2.08: "...and the Point of Salvation"
2) Elementary 4.05: "The Games Underfoot"
1) The Good Wife 7.10: "KSR"

WEDNESDAY - (Show #643) - The Myth Awakens: Part II

Covering the top shows of the week ending 15 Dec 2015:
3) The Expanse 1.01/1.02: "Dulcinea/The Big Empty"
2) Supernatural 11.09: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
1) Arrow 4.09: "Dark Waters"

Edmund and John give their initial thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Awakens!


FRIDAY - (Show #644) - The Myth Awakens: Part III

Finishing up the episodic discussion for the week ending 15 Dec 2015!

Feedback and Open Topics!

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(RE: 642) While the publicity results for “The Man in the High Castle” were a win for Amazon, I felt it was a loss for the first amendment. I can understand where the ad agency was coming from either way the subway ads were going to generate buzz for the show. New York commuters have always been avid readers. You cannot find an Express Bus or Train on a weekday that is not packed with people reading, be it newspapers, books or now kindles. They’re campaign would have definitely piqued the interest of most New Yorkers to begin with, even without the commotion. However with the controversy comes national, if not international exposure for their new show. However the fact that the Government intervened to have the ads removed out of some perceived offense flies against the spirit of the First Amendment. Ironically it was a State Assemblyman who cast the first stone and when the MTA initially refused to remove the ads the Governor overrode them. It’s a sad day when those entrusted to uphold free speech are the first ones to deny it.

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Knowing is half the battle......!!!

(RE: Show 643) “Star Wars: The Force Nods Off” – I found the most recent installment to the Star Wars saga to be uninteresting and at times frustratingly lacking in story detail. I can’t outright say I didn’t like it, but neither can I say I did, all I can say is Meh. Now I’m not one of those traditionalists’ haters who believe that nothing can replace or equal the original trilogy. Nor did I go into “Star Wars: the Search for Luke” with any belief that I would somehow be transformed into my five year old self again. No I followed the same personal protocol as I did with the prequels, I avoided all spoilers, and I waited to go until well after the premiere date (30 days unspoiled Danger Mouse, it can be done). And I treated the outing as any other movie visit. This worked out well with the prequels I enjoyed them quite a bit especially “the Phantom Menace.” At my wife’s insistence we even saw the new film in 3D IMAX and still I got nothing out of it.

What I can say is it wasn’t the actors, most of them gave a splendid performance though I did find ‘Kylo Snape’ and the ‘Supreme Leader that Shall Not Be Named’ to be a bit unthreatening. Even the use of Unicron as the First Order’s ultimate weapon didn’t do much for me. In fact for me it was Fin’s PTSD moment aboard the Star Destroyer that really gave me a sense of how dangerous the ‘First Order’ really is. What’s a real testament to Finn’s moment is the fact that the scene was overplayed in the trailers and it still felt fresh in the theater. I really look forward to when Finn receives his purple lightsaber like his Grandfather before him. I think what really did me in were the drastic changes to the fictional universe that wasn’t fully explored or explained. To be honest until I got home afterwards and checked Wikipedia I thought that it was Coruscant that was destroyed. The fact that the Senate had relocated and why wasn’t forthcoming in the film. Nor was there any real explanation as to how an incredibly strong faction of the Empire could survive for 30 years following the defeat of the Emperor. I would have honestly written them more as an Al Qaeda or ISIS type organization at this point trying to regain power. The excessive homage to the original trilogy also wore thin. A few Easter eggs hidden here and there would have been nice but it felt more like a reboot then a sequel.

In the end I think the animated series may have been my true problem. Both “Clone Wars” and “Rebels” have raised the bar of ‘Star Wars’ lore and storytelling so high that I just took it for granted that a big budget feature film would at least match it. And if I had any anticipation about “The Force Awakens” it was a hope to see a flesh and blood version of Ahsoka Tano. She is probably my most favorite character of the entire saga and I hope she doesn’t get left behind because she started out as an animation. At this point though I would rank “The Force Awakens” in sixth place just above “Revenge of the Sith.” Perhaps with additional viewings and the consumption of some of the literary primer created for this film will awaken me to why it’s been such a hit.

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Knowing is half the battle......!!!

Well, I only had to wait the three days or so to see the movie, and I, too, had some small issues with it. I've seen it four times now (fourth last week in fact): twice in regular 2D theaters, once in 3D IMAX (I know exactly the shot you mean, John, when the Star Destroyer is practically right in front of your nose), and then this last time was in 2D but in one of the LieMax "Large Format Theaters". I get it, though, that it was the first entry into that universe in a very long time, so it had to almost be a ripoff of the original STAR WARS just to get us all back. I'm just hoping the series can now breathe on its own. Marvel has already said they're going to make movies until we're all dead and buried. Same will be true for STAR WARS, I'm sure.

Speaking of STAR WARS, anybody else read the novelization of the movie, or STAR WARS: BEFORE THE AWAKENING that gives immediate back stories on Poe, Finn, and Rey? I did like the last one since especially the Poe section of the book. That pretty much leads up right to the movie. As far as the novelization of the movie, I did like it quite a bit. There wasn't as much back story on our three characters (Poe, Rey, Egon!), but there were a few scenes not included in the movie: what happens to Poe after the crash landing is one of them. There is something in the book, though, that I wish WAS in the movie. In the book, when Rey and Kylo are fighting at the end, Kylo specifically says, "It IS you!" acknowledging that he does know who she is. I guess you do get some small hints in the movie that he may know who she is (he has a moment when he's told that BB-8 escaped with a girl), but not quite that obvious.

Danger Mouse, so far I’ve only the Marvel Trade Edition of Shattered Empire. It was a good Comic, it felt very much like a Dark Horse book and it did provide some insights into the gap between the trilogies. I wanted to wait to read any of the “Journey To Star Wars: The Force Awakens” books until I had seen the film. I think a movie should be able to stand on its own without any supplemental materials (which it didn’t). Such things should be considered a bonus and not a prerequisite. I will probably read some of the other books as well although I’m not sure I’m going to commit to the entire catalog associated with the film.

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Knowing is half the battle......!!!