I owe Solo an apology!

Hi, I’m Lisa, and I’m a fangirl.  I’ve never been ashamed to admit that I am a fangirl.  In fact, I wear like it a badge of honor. I love many fandoms, but one of my favorites is Star Wars. When I was little, the Stormtroopers freaked me out so I was hesitant to watch Star Wars: A New Hope. In the end, my mom convinced me I would like it, and all these years later, here I am, a proud nerd.  I love everything about Star Wars (ok not the prequels…Jar Jar…blue screen…so much whining…let’s save that for a different blog). I love the new movies, yes, even The Last Jedi, sorry to those fanboys and girls that still feel betrayed over it, but I liked it and I’m excited to see where the last one takes us.  Rouge One: A Star Wars Story was fantastic in my opinion.  I loved the story and the characters, and it reawakened a feeling in me that I hadn’t really had since I discovered Star Wars so many moons ago.  Then came the announcement of Solo.

To be fair, I wasn’t thrilled they were making it in the first place.  I don’t know if everything needs to be explained in a one-off movie, and I thought there were other stories to explore besides Han’s story.  I was happy knowing what I knew about Han from the movies. I didn’t think I needed a movie to show it to me.  I also couldn’t imagine anyone playing Han Solo like Harrison Ford! I mean…it’s Harrison Ford!  So, when they announced Alden Ehrenreich as young Han, I wasn’t sold at all.  I might have yelled NOOOOOO! (picture Darth Vader, you get the idea).  Then the first two directors were fired and Ron Howard was brought in to finish the movie.  This was the one beacon of hope I had left for the film.  I admit it, I was that fangirl that shit all over Solo without seeing it, I thought the casting was wrong and then to hear there were production problems, a directing change. I was out!  I’m not usually like that, I’m usually overlypositive about all movies to the point that my friends and fellow nerds discard my opinion because I love everything.  

Regardless of my initial feelings, I was going to see Solo anyway even if only to confirm my pre-movie feelings that it wouldn’t be good.  I sat there in the dark theater, arms crossed, waiting…then it happened.  The movie kicks off with such a fun action sequence, that despite myself, I was already hooked and then it was just a damn fun ride for the rest of the movie.  I don’t want to give any spoilers in this blog, but there are so many great moments throughout the movie and a surprise at the end that will have Star War fans going crazy like they did in my theater.  Also, thank you Ron Howard for the little wink to Willow! 

I loved the cast! I never thought I would say it, but I really loved Alden Ehrenreich portrayal of young Han.  I think he did a great job of showing us how Han evolved into who we love today.  Donald Glover was great as Lando and Woody Harrelson is just fantastic in pretty much everything he’s in.  L3 was fun to watch and had some great moments and of course Emilia Clarke as Qi’ra leaves me wanting to know everything about her character!  

I was so wrong about this movie! Solo, I’m so sorry for shitting on you for months without seeing the movie first.  Lesson learned, I will never doubt the power of the force again! Do not let your feelings about The Last Jedi or anything that makes you have a grudge against Star Wars/Disney cloud your judgment from seeing this film.  It is worth your time and money. I recommend seeing it in IMAX (just my 2 cents).

Bottom line, watching Solo made me feel like a kid discovering Star Wars for the first time.  It made me laugh, cry and fall in love with Han, Chewy and the Millennium Falcon all over again! What more can you ask for in a movie?

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, a Fangirl Review

Happy 2014, everyone! I know we’re more than three weeks in, but this is my first blog of the New Year, so I hope I find you all well and sticking to your resolutions!

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to see more movies in the theater.  I know January is the month where movies go to die, but their trailers make me want to see them. Maybe the Academy should start giving out Oscars for best movie trailer.

My first movie of the year was “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.”  Originally, this was slated for release in December, but for some reason it was pushed back to January.  I’m not sure why the studio didn’t stick with the original release date, but once I read about the push back, my hopes sank a little for the film.  Thank goodness it didn’t persuade me to not check it out.

I’ve enjoyed the previous installments of Jack Ryan including “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger” and “The Sum of All Fears.”   Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck were all good in the lead role, but when I heard that Chris Pine was slated to take over, I was excited to see what he would do with it, given his reincarnation of Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek movie series. 

“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” is essentially a reboot of the series.  In this installment, we meet Jack before he became a CIA agent.  After 9/11, Jack leaves the path to Wall Street and a lucrative job to join the Marines and serve his country.  A helicopter accident leaves him with a broken back and an unclear future.   With the help of his Doctor and future love, played by Kiera Knightly, he begins to heal both physically and mentally, which attracts a top level CIA agent, played by Kevin Costner, to recruit Jack to become a financial spy in the world of Wall Street in order to uncover hidden international bank accounts that may be used to fund the next terrorist attack.

 

“Shadow Recruit” is a straight-up drama/action movie with a solid plot and no gimmicky twists.  Kenneth Branagh does a great job directing, giving the movie a terrific balance between character development and action.  With most spy/terrorist movies focusing on North Korea or Arab countries, it’s refreshing to be back in Russia, and there is definitely a post-cold-war feel to it throughout the feature.

It’s a shame more people didn’t see this opening weekend.  Maybe the studio should have marketed it better and kept the original date.  Hopefully, it will find an audience over the next few weeks in the theater and/or when it’s released on Blu-ray and DVD.  This movie is definitely worth your time and money.  If you like a good spy thriller with plenty of action, then Jack Ryan delivers.

We’d love to hear from you! Here’s all the information you need to find us!

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Thanks for reading and listening,

Lisa