How Should Leia Be Written Out of ‘Episode IX’?

One of the unexpected tragedies of 2016 was the surprise passing of Hollywood icon, Carrie Fisher. She died shortly before Episode VIII was even given a title and throughout the entire process of marketing for The Last Jedi it was chilling to think that this would be Leia’s final appearance in a Star Wars movie. I remember when I watched The Last Jedi for the first time I was patiently waiting to see how they would release her from this franchise. Time and time again it seemed like she was going to die but by the end of the film I was legitimately surprised to see that she was still very much alive in the context of the story and seemed to have no signs of passing away anytime soon. So that left me (and I’m sure the writers of Episode IX) with quite a conundrum to figure out. How is Lucasfilm going to possibly write out such an important character at such a pivotal time in the Resistance? Well, I have a few ideas that I would like to share and maybe these theories will turn out to be correct. Who knows. 🙂

Leia Slowly Succumbs To Grief

Throughout Leia’s involvement in the Star Wars franchise she has experienced a lot of sorrow and heartbreak and The Last Jedi only built on that narrative. In The Last Jedi we got to see her having an intimate moment with her own thoughts and worries and it was one of the most profound scenes in the film as we got to see Leia vulnerable for the first time. While Rian Johnson, of course, didn’t know that Carrie Fisher was going to die it seems like he has perfectly set up this idea that General Leia has grown old and tired, she’s looking for newer, younger leadership to take her place in the form of Poe Dameron, and after the loss of her brother, Luke Skywalker, she slowly begins to give in to the grief that she has been trying to suppress since the annihilation of Alderaan. But does that tarnish Leia’s legacy?

For years she has been viewed as this strong, independent heroine who doesn’t take orders from anybody and refuses to be placed in the damsel-in-distress mold. Should a woman like this finally face death from a cause of immense heartbreak? I don’t know, honestly.

Netflix Delights With Two Original Movies

Last night after watching the premiere of American Ninja Warrior I was bored and desperate for a new movie to watch and so I went browsing on Netflix and I ultimately came across two Netflix Original Movies that were not only really fun to watch but actually very entertaining as well. So for all of you fellow Netflix subscribers and movie lovers I’m here to provide you spoiler-free reviews on these two original films.

True Memoirs of an International Assassin

If you love action movies and you love the comedian, Kevin James, this is a film worth watching for so many reasons. One, it’s got humor which is always a plus. Secondly, it’s surprisingly enjoyable if you’re just bored and needing a decent movie to satiate the new movie thirst. And three, it keeps you on your toes from beginning to end.

Kevin James’ character, Sam, is an aspiring author who writes a fictional story about an assassin and his top secret missions but when his publisher takes his story and spruces up the tale by tweaking the title and calling it “True” Memoirs of an International Assassin rather than its original title (Memoirs of an International Assassin) a lot of trouble and unwanted attention comes Sam’s way and he partakes in a non-stop adventure that’s truly exciting from beginning to end.

It’s also an entirely family-friendly movie with the exception of a bit of cursing and some violence but besides that there’s nothing inappropriate about this film whatsoever which is always refreshing. What would I give the movie, you might ask? I’d give 3.5 out of 5 stars and 84 out of a 100. It wasn’t the greatest action movie I’ve ever seen but it was very, very enjoyable indeed. Definitely take a look at it if you ever get the chance.

Arwen, Eowyn, Galadriel, or Tauriel: Who Was the Greatest Heroine?

Both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies were mainly male-dominated but amidst all of the lovable heroes there were a few powerful heroines who helped not only make the movies better but also shined in their own personal spotlights. So today I’m making a post to celebrate these incredible women and debate which heroine was the greatest. Enjoy!

Arwen

Arwen never had much screen time in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and for the most part she was treated as solely Aragorn’s elven love interest, which is super boring. Especially considering how great of a warrior she really was. She not only evaded the Nazgul as she transported a grievously wounded Frodo to Rivendell but she also managed to conjure the river to her aid to sweep the Nazgul away from those lands! That’s pretty awesome! She would probably be my favorite heroine if she had more scenes displaying her as a warrior instead of a sappy, smooching elf. I still love her though. 🙂

Tauriel

Tauriel was the only major female character in the entire Hobbit trilogy and while she was the only leading lady she definitely stole the show whenever she was around with her awesome fighting skills and her elven benevolence. Even though she was clearly beautiful I loved that the writers didn’t treat her as just a love interest and provided her a story that, while it wasn’t part of the actual book, helped make the films that much more compelling to watch.

5 Things That Could Make ‘Aquaman’ A Success

The DCEU (DC Extended Universe) has slowed down on the rate they are cranking out their movies but this December they’re bringing out a new installment in their franchise in Aquaman and that can be a good thing or a terrible thing. The only entry in the superhero franchise that was accepted with immense praise was Wonder Woman but the rest of the DCEU’s movies have been met with less-than-friendly recognition. Can Aquaman become only the second film in this franchise to change the negative narrative surrounding these superhero movies or will it lurk among the fishes like most of its other predecessors? And what changes will it need to become a film worthy of great reviews and tons of praise? That’s what I’m here to talk about and I hope you enjoy. 🙂

1. A Compelling Villain

While Marvel is one of the greatest franchises to ever be part of the cinematic world its biggest problem for nearly a decade was its villain conundrum. For the longest time the only compelling villain in the MCU was Loki and that was mainly because he wasn’t killed off in his first movie appearance. In the last couple of years the narrative around MCU villains has gradually begun to change and now with Thanos arriving in Infinity War the MCU villains have really become characters to fear and respect. This, however, wasn’t supposed to be a problem with the DCEU.

Throughout the comics these powerful superheroes in Wonder Woman, Superman, etc. have had to face adversaries that were just as impressively powerful in not only might but wit as well. This, however, hasn’t been translated into the movies very well. Man of Steel brought General Zod into the fold but instead of keeping the iconic Superman villain alive to pester Superman for years to come they killed him off, turning him into a worthless MCU-style villain who just so happened to be powerful enough to fight the Kryptonian hero.

Batman vs. Superman introduced Lex Luther and Doomsday to the DCEU, both of which didn’t make the movie any more compelling or epic. Wonder Woman had the Amazonian warrior face off against the Greek God, Ares, which sounds amazing but wasn’t as incredible a showdown as it could’ve been. And Justice League‘s villain, Steppenwolf, was a CGI disaster with a Thor: The Dark World level evil, world dominating plan that didn’t make any sense and that I honestly didn’t care about (because I knew the heroes were going to win anyway.)

If Aquaman is going to be a success it’s going to have to have an awesome villain that’s worth watching.

The New Trailer for ‘Mission: Impossible-Fallout’ Promises Action, Action, and More Action

Every few years there’s a new Mission: Impossible movie to enjoy and this summer’s sixth entry into the spy thriller franchise looks to be the most action-packed installment yet. Here’s the trailer.

I saw Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation in the movie theaters three years ago and it was positively awesome. This film seems to have taken that sense of exhilarating action to the next level as this trailer contains nonstop action throughout its two minute and thirty-three second run time and that is super exciting. It’s summer time and that means it’s blockbuster season and who doesn’t love thrilling blockbusters? I know I do.

I also like that this trailer provided a better insight into the new characters such as Henry Cavill’s CIA agent, August Walker, who is supposedly the main villain in this film. (Ha! That evil Superman theory is going to come true after all. Lol.)

And it seems that the stakes are kicked up yet another notch as Ethan Hunt’s arch nemesis, Solomon Lane, returns to enact his revenge. *rubbing my hands* Exciting.

All in all, this was a great trailer and now I’m beyond excited to see this film. Especially in IMAX. It’s going to be 100% amazing.

Here’s the official poster for the movie and I love it. It perfectly fits the tone of the movie and it’s just a well configured layout of a poster. It actually may be my favorite poster of the franchise so far which is definitely a good sign for the movie. Did I mention I can’t wait to see this film? 🙂

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a fantastic day.

My Favorite Disney Songs

One of the reasons why I love animated Disney movies so much are the classic songs that fill you with happiness and cover your arms in goosebumps. Those songs are what make movies like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin so incredibly memorable and enjoyable. Without these glorious songs I don’t think those movies would be quite as magical as they are still to this day. So, since I was thinking about Disney songs today, I’m going to share with you the ballads that make me the happiest and urge me to sing along. Enjoy!

“Under the Sea”

Who doesn’t love “Under the Sea?” I have never seen The Little Mermaid and yet this song is so amazing and fun to sing that I know it almost entirely by heart. Especially the last section of the song. It’s absolutely brilliant and it reminds me every time I hear it why I love Disney so much.

“When You Wish Upon A Star”

This just might be the one of the most beautiful Disney songs ever created, for its inspiring lyrics and melodic tone is legitimately lovely. This is definitely one of my favorite Disney songs.