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the-celluloid-correspondent · 2 years

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans of the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction.

Ever since Disney took over Star Wars, the fandom has become incredibly divided. With the sequel trilogy destroying the legacy of what came before it, to the fandom coming back together with The Mandalorian, Star Wars has gone through numerous phases over the past couple of years. However, it is heavily agreed upon in the fandom that one of the best media pieces to come out of the Disney take over was Rogue One. From its gritter take of the world of Star Wars, to its emotional climax, this film was a massive surprise. Still to this day, this is one of my favorite projects that has come out of the Star Wars universe.

What surprised me most about Rogue One, was its story. Throughout the film, you constantly felt the stakes that were at hand. The tension does not stop building and every single emotional beat in this film hits the mark. Nearly every action piece is well shot, and truly feels like classic Star Wars film. However, my biggest surprise of this film, was how much I cared about all of the characters in this film. They had more development and heart than all of the characters in the sequel trilogy. None of them felt like tokens and every single one progressed the story. You truly would think that Disney might have learned something based upon the reception of this film.

With the great cast of characters came some great acting. Felicity Jones is front and center in this film and she is truly fantastic in this film. She brings a relatable and flawed character to life that every Star Wars fan will love. Diago Luna also gives a fantastic performance showcasing the morally grey side of the rebellion and I look forward to his Disney+ series. Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang also give some of my favorite performances in this film. Their chemistry together really brought a smile to my face in this film. Riz Ahmed gives a fantastic showcase of his acting skills in this film. Furthermore, Alan Tudyk proves again he is one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. Lastly, Ben Mendelsohn is a great villain in this film. He puts the villains in the sequel trilogy to shame.

I would say that Rogue One takes the cake for the best-looking Star Wars film. The cinematography is gorgeous, especially the shots with the Death Star are hauntingly beautiful. The visual effects have overall aged pretty well. Michael Giacchino has proved himself to be a worthy successor to John Williams with his score in this film. His score with the destruction of Scarif to Darth Vader's hallway murder spree is truly spectacular. That score, with the haunting cinematography, truly makes that hallway sequence one of the best scenes in Star Wars. I can watch it over and over again without getting bored.

Now despite all of the praise that I am giving, this film does have some problems, and those problems are the first half of this film. In the first half, the story is a bit clunky with a lot of planet jumping. The story jumps around a bit causing the first half to not really flow well together. Hell, I even remember watching this film in the theater, and not really vibing with this film for the first half. If it was not for the second half of this film, it might have been a disaster for Disney. However, that being stated, this is still one of the best Star Wars films to date.

All in all, Rogue One is a great addition to the Star Wars universe. It is one of the best projects to come out of Disney and it shows that Disney can do Star Wars right when they focus on pleasing the fans instead of Twitter.

I am giving Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a B+.

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atelier-dayz · 4 years

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The Conception and History of AtaLao

This is just a post for me to ramble on about how Ata and Lao (and Asha but he’s like 1/2 not an OC) got started as OCs and recount some of their history leading up to their roles in Under the Desert Sky. So for the one or two of you interested in reading this:

(GIF from awhiteshirt)

It’s long and convoluted so everything is under the ‘read more’ link.

Otherwise, just carry on scrolling through your dash! 8D

The Beginning

To talk about the start of AtaLao, I first need to talk (briefly) about Rogue One and The Lost Bladesman.

So I watched Rogue One and fell deep into Chirrut/Baze. That of course meant watching movies that Donnie Yen (DY) and Jiang Wen (JW) were in, which included The Lost Bladesman.

The Lost Bladesman was set during China’s Three Kingdoms period and starred DY as Guan Yu (GY) and JW as Cao Cao (CC). And lemme just say, in this movie (and in several other Romance of the Three Kingdoms adaptations, including at least one of the Dynasty Warriors games), CC is HELLA THIRSTY for GY. Which kicked off an interest in CC/GY and led me and two friends to evocates’ phenomenal Romance of the Three Kingdoms/The Lost Bladesman series a guide to (dis)honouring your deities which had an interesting approach to A/B/O.

Between that fic series and the many Hong Kong triad films and old “classic” HK films we watched, my friends and I ended up writing an A/B/O HK Triad AU in which CC was the head of a recently resurrected triad trying to protect/build up their home-city, while GY was one of the few good cops in a (obviously) corrupt system.

Anyways, getting to the AtaLao part...

On the left is General Zhang Liao, who acts as CC’s right-hand man in The Lost Bladesman. So naturally, he became CC’s second-in-command in our Triad AU! And look! He is, in fact, Asha! 8D Hence why I say Asha technically is and isn’t an OC LOL

As our Triad AU grew bigger, we added three “elders” to CC’s triad, people who had been important members of the triad before its collapse (due to the police) and were pulled back out of hiding when CC resurrected the triad. One of them, we decided, would be Elder (Ata) Zhang, Asha’s father. (Which was how CC also met Asha.) Elder Zhang had been The Accountant for the triad pre-collapse, knew where all the money in the triad was and went, highly trusted and held in high esteem. He was never arrested by the police, though they did pull him into interrogation once with...not great results for them. (Keeping this PG with minimal violence LOL I can talk about this another time if anyone is interested.)

I, on a whim, decided Elder Zhang’s facecast would be...

Tony Leung because it’s Tony Leung.

CC had his work cut out convincing Elder Zhang and Asha to support his bid for lead of the triad. *nods*

But what happened to Elder Zhang’s mate? Asha’s other parent? (Lao?)

(Aside: Andy Lau as his facecast because I LOVE HIM. And he and Tony Leung have SUCH AMAZING CHEMISTRY and ALL THE FODDER for me to use for inspiration, but I’ll stop myself here before I pic spam.)

WELL.

He died when Asha was about 5 or 6. He was shot and killed by the police while he and Ata were out on a date under suspicion of being a triad member. (”He has the face of a gangster,” they said.) The irony is, he is actually a normal civilian, a low-level architect, and has nothing to do with the triad other than being Ata’s husband.

Thus, by the time our AU took place, Lao hadn’t been present for...over 30 years and was only rarely referenced as a near mythical figure. (;﹏;)

So there we have the beginnings of AtaLao.

Their backstory makes me incredibly sad all the time. Especially when I think about their childhood/courtship and their dreams and plans for their future. I have lots of art drawn, content made, and thousands of words written for them so just say the word and I’ll share LOL

Proper AtaLao

What do I mean by ‘proper’ AtaLao? Well, when we were working on the Triad AU, none of the characters outside of the canon characters GY, CC, etc had names; we just abbreviated actors’ names. (Asha was just called Zhang. Ata was Elder Zhang. Lao was AL.)

Sooo that brings me back to Rogue One and....

The Ascension of the Lord of Imwe *jazz hands*

With so much inspiration material thanks to the movies DY and JW were in (and because I’m a martial arts nut), I started writing a Chirrut/Baze epic wuxia AU titled the above. It involved Chirrut inheriting the title of Lord (Baze as his right-hand / retainer), a power struggle between households to gain/hold the favor of the Emperor, and the Imwe household working to prove the murder of Chirrut’s father. (It is not posted anywhere. Don’t think it’ll ever see the light of day, but it exists. LOL)

Since the story involved such a huge cast, I thought, why not pull in Zhang to help Baze with security. And if I’m gonna bring in Zhang, I should bring in Ata and Lao! And give them a happy ending. ;u;

And as it turned out, Ata worked perfectly to serve as a parallel for Chirrut (and AtaLao for Chirrut/Baze).

(And this part, you’ll notice, I took to fill in his backstory in Under the Desert Sky.) Ata Zhang was the firstborn son of a prominent family, but he was born mute (a reference to an...incident in Triad AU) and treated poorly because of it. He would have been selected to inherit the family title, but was passed over for his “normal” younger brother. He took over the family’s bookkeeping (a reference to his role as The Accountant), and later, bowed to their wishes to an arranged marriage, from which he got Asha.

(Chirrut is the firstborn son of the Imwe family, fully expected not to inherit the title because of his originally sickly constitution and failing eyesight. To the surprise and consternation of many, he did in fact inherit the title.)

As for Lao, he was an orphan taken in by the Zhang family and initially raised to be a servant, before they switched him to security. He met Ata when they were tiny children, and he accidentally found Ata crying over the way people were treating him. Lao ended up promising to always protect Ata, and eventually becomes Ata’s personal bodyguard.

Please know there’s a LOT of PINING, and longing looks, and knowing they have feelings for each other but never acting on them, and then there’s Ata’s marriage, and baby Asha imprinting like a duckling on Lao, and-- aaaaaaaaah (　ﾟДﾟ)＜!!!!!!!!!!!

Eventually though, as I reference in Under the Desert Sky, Ata’s wife leaves, causing a scandal, and the family takes their displeasure out on Asha, which is the last straw for Ata. He takes Asha and leaves, but of course Lao goes with him. They finally work things out, and when we see them in the fic, they’re an old(ish) married couple who joined the Imwe household along with Asha to protect Ata from his younger brother, who is trying to assasinate him to secure his leadership in the family.

That is AtaLao.

(Please look at this picture of them that my dear friend Kei / kannibal on here and twitter drew for me and that has been my phone wallpaper ever since. ♡ฅ(ᐤˊ꒳ฅˋᐤ♪))

And since they already were in a fic with Chirrut and Baze, I figured, why not include them in Under the Desert Sky, an actual SW divergent AU and not just something wildly AU LOL And it works out perfectly as a pseud-parallel(?) with Ata as a Guardian, Lao as a Mando vs Obi as a Jedi, Jango the Mando. d(￣◇￣)b

Other Existing Iterations of AtaLao

I will keep this brief in the form of bullet points:

Infernal Affairs AU - After watching Infernal Affairs, I had to, had to write a mash up of it and our Triad AU. In it, Ata is still an accountant for the Triad, but was planted by the police. Lao is the mole the triad places among the police. Ata and Lao have a sort of missed connection history when they meet in the fic. I do want to finish it someday because I love what I have written so far. Maybe for the zine I’m hypothetically making one day...

In addition to Triad AU, we also ended up creating an epic high fantasy/Three Kingdoms AU and made two additional variations on top of it. The Main AU involved Lao as a High Priest and healer who ends up mentoring one of the Emperors’ daughters in the healing arts, while Ata is a major in the Emperor’s army who ends up leading a lot of supernatural investigations alongside Lao.

Modern AU is a urban fantasy version of the high fantasy AUs, with everyone in similar roles, just updated for the modern age.

AAAAND THAT’S IT. I’ll do a post on AtaLao in Under the Desert Sky sometimes since I know their backstory won’t be much of a focus in the fic. :)

PS I ended up making a little diagram to make sense of the AUs that ended up popping up in what order and from what influence. Not sure it’s actually helpful to anyone but here is it:

#miya rambles #atalao #my ocs #long post #probably not of interest to most people so just carry on 8D #I could yell about them all day #under the desert sky

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grxywaren · 7 years

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Henry Cheng HCs

Ever since I read his first lines in BLLB I loved him from the bottom of my heart.

And I have quite some headcanons for him so buckle up.

1. His chinese name is Cheng Yi Xin. 诚意心 (means something along the likes of honest will)

2. He's rich as we all know. But he is like extremely rich rich. In an asian way. Part of the "rich 2. generation" of asian kids driving their fancy cars around, listening to higher brothers and DEAN. Having a thing for streetwear. I'm talking Supreme, Off-White, ASSC, Bape, yadda yadda

Probably follows hypebeast on instagram

3. Insta famous. Like. Ridiculously many followers. 400k+

4. Actually a really sweet and somewhat cheesy person. Heart of (24k) Gold

5. Is the middle son. I headcanon his father as a business man from Hong Kong. Seen as Cheng is a chinese name, I think he is able to speak many languages including Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and English. A tad little bit of Japanese too left from his anime weeaboo phase he will not talk to you about (his favorite one was sailor moon)

6. Has an older brother, an older sister, a younger brother and a younger sister. His oldest brother, I'll call him Cheng Xu, is 100% chinese, already 25 years old and ready to take his fathers place. A bit like Declan.

Older sister is Cheng Ming Ye, also chinese (around 20) and is successfully launching her career as an influencer on Weibo. Models for Gucci if she feels like it

His younger brother is half korean, just like him. The both of them share the same mother.

7. They were all born in different countries and have different citizenships. The only ones who have chinese passes are Cheng Xu and the youngest sister Cheng Xiao Ning (4 years).

8. Henry was born in Korea, but received american citizenship in his childhood.

9. He's a dork. But an intelligent one. Has weird amounts of knowledges about weird things. Very random. Talks in Pop Culture references. Sometimes watches Ryan Higa in his free time. Jay Park is his role model.

10. Had a rebellious phase once and a small tatto on his back. 真诚 which means honesty.

11. Likes to read all sorts of stuff. Murakami, Kafka, Sartre and Kundera.

12. Loves the old Hong Kong films to the moon and back. Especially Wong Kar-Wais. Calls Donnie Yen his Dad unironically. Cried for real when he saw Jiang Wen and Donnie in Rogue One

13. Listens to G-Dragon and Rich Brian sometimes. Loves DPR Live

This is so messy lmao wait for more

#I'd post a lot more lmao #they're all yet to come #maggie stiefvater #trc #trk #bllb #the raven king #the raven boys #the raven cycle #henry cheng #sarchengsey #chengsey #gansey #the gangsey #pynch #my boyyy #henry cheng hc

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peeringthroughthe4thwall · 7 years

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Donnie Yen: The Beauty of Kung Fu

Since the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in December one man seems to have caught the world's attention. He is someone who, it seems, also caught the world slightly unawares. It was as if he had come from nowhere and, for many viewers and critics alike, this could well have been the case. This is especially true in a world which seems to try avoid films in any language other than English.

The man in question is, of course, the great Donnie Yen.

Rogue One had a plethora of action scenes, massive special effects and huge set pieces, but it was Yen's performance as the blind Chirrut Îmwe which got people talking. His relationship with Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang) provided an unexpected heart to Rogue One which millions of viewers seemed to connect to. He was the spiritual link with the main saga, the only proponent of The Force. But what began as a way of attracting an Asian audience to a franchise that many in China (the world's second biggest market) had not yet bought into, turned in to something a whole lot more.

The fact that an actor like Donnie Yen could be so new to so many people even though his career spans over thirty years and over 70 films, is unfortunate but absolutely predictable. Not only is there a language barrier, as most of Yen's films are in Chinese, but there is an availability factor too. If you want to find some of his best films you really have to search them out, although the rise of Video On Demand services like Amazon Prime and Netflix will hopefully remedy this.

Firstly, I need to be entirely honest and admit that I have not seen a great deal of his films. There are huge parts of his filmography that I have yet to watch, but I have seen enough to realise what a great talent the man is. So this is not an overview of a career, not an appreciation of a complete filmography, but a personal perspective, an attempt to put into words my admiration for this great artist.

I think the first time I saw Yen was in the 1993 film Iron Monkey. Donnie Yen plays Wong Kei-ying, a physician and martial artist who is suspected of being the mysterious Iron Monkey – a Robin Hood character who the people of the town adore. The real Iron Monkey is another local physician - Yang Tianchun (Dr Yang) who dispenses traditional medicines to the town's people for free (he is able to do so by overcharging rich customers).

Early in the film the two physicians meet and fight, Wang does so in order to prove he is not the Iron Monkey, but eventually they develop a friendship and at the end, both adopt the Iron Monkey persona to defeat the bad guy. Iron Monkey is full of the most amazing fight displays of Martial Arts, including traditional fight scenes - the final act in the fire, balancing on burning poles, is outstanding - to a wonderfully brief moment when someone opens a door and the wind blows papers into the air. Dr Yang and his wife jump into the air, collecting the papers as they float around the room. I've always enjoyed Martial Arts because they are a form of exquisite dance and this scene illustrates this perfectly.

Iron Monkey was the film which opened the door to Kung-Fu for me and a short while later I was able to see the Once Upon A Time in China movies. Although known as a vehicle for Jet Li, part 2 features two brilliant fights with Yen. Here Yen plays a bad guy to Li's hero. Once Upon A Time in China 2 was made before Iron Monkey (1992) and was probably the film which brought Yen to prominence. I would highly recommend all three films which are great fun and feature some brilliant moments.

Throughout the 90s and into the new century Yen continued to flourish with parts in the TV series Fist Of Fury (based on the Bruce Lee film) and Guillermo del Toro's actioner Blade II but for me his next great role was one which he is possibly most famous for these days – Ip Man.

For me, the three Ip Man movies that have so far been made, are amongst the greatest Kung Fu films ever made. It is a genre that has some truly great films – from the beauty of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero or House of the Flying Daggers, to the sheer joy and daring of Jackie Chan and energetic beauty of Jet Li. They are films which can be packed to the rafters with the most elegant fight sequences whilst becoming more than mere action flicks.

Ip Man is a rich man. He spends his time devoted to his friends and practising his martial arts. He is a quiet man who is completely in control of all aspects of his life apart from his wife who wants him to spend more time with her and their son. He takes challenges amiably, treats people with respect and is never boastful of his achievements. He is also the very best in the town and, when a new gang defeats every martial arts teacher, they all turn to Ip Man to preserve their honour, which dutifully he does (a great fight in which he uses a feather duster as a weapon).

The tone turns darker as China is invaded by the Japanese and Ip Man and his family are left with nothing. Too proud to beg, he pawns off everything they have for food. After a friend of his fails to return from fighting the disciples of a Japanese general who believes Karate it better that Kung Fu, Ip Man's frustrations, rage and national pride comes to the fore. The finale is a tense battle between men, cultures and loyalties.

Ip Man is a great character wonderfully played by Donnie Yen. The way he stands, the purposeful way he moves, the passive strength in his eyes, all combine to make a very fascinating character.

Yen returned for two more Ip Man films, in the second taking on an arrogant English boxer, and in the third the bad guy is none other than Mike Tyson. It is a character that is so well rounded and likeable that even going head-to-head with the former world heavyweight champion doesn't come off as too preposterous. A fourth Ip Man film is currently in production and I, for one, can't wait.

Kung Fu films don't always hold a great deal of depth or beauty. Not all films can be like Wong Kar-wai's masterpiece The Grandmaster (another telling of the IP Man story, you can read my review here), a film of almost transcendent beauty, where fights are allegories for seduction, where each kick is a kiss, each punch a flirtation. Most are there to simply entertain, to present beautifully intricate fight sequences in which the very best battle the very best.

The last film in this very brief appreciation of Donnie Yen is Kung Fu Killer. As you can tell from the title, the film is not about subtlety. It is a straight forward thriller about a convict who joins forces with the police to tackle a killer who is determined to beat, and to kill, the very best in each of the various Kung Fu disciplines.

The film maybe a straight forward actioner but a very good one, especially the final battle on a busy road where lorries barrel passed the hero and his opponent as they fight to the death. Yen's character is very different to the others I have described here but there are certain things which hold each role together.

Firstly, of course, it’s his athletic ability: in each film the fight sequences are presented as forms of modern dance. This is the reason I love Kung Fu and Wuxia films. The fights can be brutal, they can sometimes be bloody, but they are always beautiful to behold. Even simple moments like preparing a meal are presented stylishly with intricate and precise motions (see Iron Monkey, for example). This is one of the reasons a small man like Donnie Yen can beat Mike Tyson – it's not about power, it's about grace and poise.

Secondly, Yen portrays each of these characters with a quiet dignity which commands respect.

Finally, there is an issue of faith: Be it his belief in the Force, a belief in the law or a simple belief in honour. This is the core feature that Yen can bring to a good guy and makes him so relatable.

I started out with a little disclaimer – this is not an overview of a complete career, it's an appreciation of a selection of those films which are readily available and which represent the very best of this great action star. This article is, in my own small way, an invitation to all those fans of the action genres who have never seen a Kung Fu and Wuxia (or any form of Martial Arts) film to take that leap, to plunge into a strange and foreign world in which a battle between two or more people can be as beautiful and elegant as dance. Donnie Yen is the Fred Astaire of modern action movies and I encourage everyone to discover why.

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#Film #kungfu #donnie yen #martial arts #ip man #ip man 3 #ip man 2 #ip man 4 #Movie #China #Action

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marcuserrico · 7 years

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'Rogue One' Blu-ray Details: 'Star Wars' Easter Eggs, Yes; Deleted Scenes, Not So Much

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Soon enough you’ll be able to revisit the adventures of Jyn Erso and her Rogue One crew from the comfort of your own couch. Lucasfilm has announced that the standalone Star Wars story will arrive on Digital HD and the Disney Movies Anywhere service on March 24 and then be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and on-demand on April 4.

To mark the news, Lucasfilm released a new trailer (watch above) teasing the bonus materials available with the home edition. Depending on which format you choose, you’ll be able to get in-depth info on the idea that launched the first Star Wars Story outside the “Skywalker Saga,” behind-the-scenes breakdowns of all the newly introduced heroes and villains, a look at the digital wizardry involved in recreating Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia, and a featurette on the myriad Easter eggs referencing previous entries in the Star Wars cinematic universe.

Related: The Ultimate Guide to ‘Rogue One’ Easter Eggs and ‘Star Wars’ References

What you won’t get: a director’s commentary and deleted scenes. As has been widely reported, substantial amounts of Rogue One were tweaked during reshoots, and fans have been clamoring to see some of the excised material (some of which will be revealed in the Marvel comic adaptation also coming in April) and alternate footage. Alas, none will be included here.

Related: ‘I Rebel’ and Other Scenes That Didn’t Make the Final Cut of ‘Rogue One’

Likewise, Gareth Edwards will not be providing a commentary track that might shed further light on the plot and how it evolved over the course of production. Of course, the biggest complaints with the initial home release of The Force Awakens last April was the absence of a J.J. Abrams commentary and only a scant amount of deleted scenes; both were eventually included in the subsequent four-disc collector’s edition that came out in November. So there might still be some hope for Rogue One fans.

Related: An Exclusive Look at the Concept Art of ‘Rogue One’

In the meantime, here’s a look at everything that will be included on the Digital HD and Blu-ray Combo sets:

A Rogue Idea – Hear how ILM’s John Knoll came up with the movie’s concept — and why it’s the right film to launch the Star Wars stand-alone films.

Jyn: The Rebel – Get to know ‘Rogue One’s defiant, resourceful survivor, and hear what it was like for Felicity Jones to bring her to life onscreen.

Cassian: The Spy – Diego Luna shares insights into his complex, driven character, who becomes a hero through selflessness, perseverance and passion.

K-2SO: The Droid – Explore the development of this reprogrammed Imperial droid, from initial pitch and character design through Alan Tudyk’s performance.

Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills – Go deeper into the relationship between these two very different characters, with Chinese superstars Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen.

Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary – Forest Whitaker and Riz Ahmed reflect on Saw Gerrera, the broken Rebel leader, and Bodhi Rook, the Imperial pilot who defects.

The Empire – Meet a dangerous new Imperial adversary…and cross paths once more with the most iconic villain of all time.

Visions of Hope: The Look of Rogue One – The filmmakers describe the challenges and thrills of developing a bold new look for the movie that can fit within the world of the original trilogy.

The Princess & The Governor – See what it took to bring the vibrant young princess of ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ – as well as one of her most memorable foes – back to the screen.

Epilogue: The Story Continues – Filmmakers and cast celebrate ‘Rogue One’s premiere and look forward into the future, to the ‘Star Wars’ stories yet to be told.

Rogue Connections – Uncover Easter eggs and film facts hidden throughout the movie that connect ‘Rogue One’ to the ‘Star Wars’

Related stories:

How Darth Vader Got His Groove Back in ‘Rogue One’ Thanks to Last-Minute Tweak

‘Rogue One’ Creator Defends CGI Tarkin, Says Carrie Fisher Loved Her Digital Self

‘Rogue One’ Sound Editors Reveal How They Found Princess Leia’s ‘Hope’

#news #rogue one #_revsp:wp.yahoo.movies.us #_author:Marcus Errico #movie:star-wars-rogue-one #_uuid:96472317-dfc1-3440-8c55-37f2170d090a #star wars #_lmsid:a0Vd000000AE7lXEAT

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spacecravat · 7 years

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Which of Jiang Wen's movies do you recommend seeing for someone who's never watched his movies before?

Keep in mind I haven’t watched all that many of his movies yet, so I’m undoubtedly missing things here. That said:

If you’re here for Rogue One, then The Lost Bladesman has both him and Donnie Yen in historical China ~200 CE

If you like really fucking weird movies that are also funny, then absolutely watch Let the Bullets Fly (tw for a scene where the villains rape a woman and some gore, though)

#anonymous #asks

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mina-goroshi-blog · 7 years

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Rogue One made me hate Star Wars

But not in the petty way that that title implies.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is Disney’s latest ploy to separate fanboys from their greasy fanboy money installment in the Star Wars franchise, and the first that doesn’t directly tie in to the overarching plot of the “Skywalker saga.” As such, it represented an opportunity to branch out in different directions, taking chances that the installments of the main plotline couldn’t take - or, it risked stagnation and boredom, pandering to fans in a cynical effort to shift more merchandise. Curiously enough, the viewing public can’t seem to decide which of the two scenarios outlined above actually applies. I, at least, know exactly where I stand on the issue. Rogue One tells the story of a desperate band of rebels’ struggle against the Galactic Empire, as it concludes construction on the Death Star. Years after Jyn Erso’s father is kidnapped by the Empire to serve as the chief engineer of the Death Star’s superlaser, she is recruited by Cassian Andor, an agent of the nascent Rebellion, to help track down Saw Gerrera, an extremist former Rebel turned terrorist ringleader. Gerrera has received a transmission from Jyn’s father - still overseeing the engineering project, he has intentionally built in a fatal vulnerability. Right at this moment, the Empire tests the capabilities of the Death Star by demolishing a nearby city. Jyn and Cassian manage to escape the blast, along with the Imperial pilot and two locals - on whom more later - and attempt to rescue Jyn’s father. As the stakes ratchet up and war becomes inevitable, Jyn must decide whether to cast her lot in with the Rebellion or wash her hands of the matter.

Spoilers follow. If you’re one of the five people on earth who haven’t seen this film yet, read no further.

Jyn, of course, ultimately sides with the Rebellion, wanting vengeance for the death of her father. The Alliance hesitates to commit to an outright war, so Jyn and Cassian commandeer a shuttle and sneak onto an Imperial-owned planet to acquire the plans to the Death Star. A band of Rebels launches a diversionary attack while Jyn and Cassian battle their way through the complex, eventually managing to transmit the plans to a supporting Rebel fleet. The tide of the battle turns, though, with the arrival of the Death Star, which destroys the entire facility (killing every main character - I thought this was a Disney movie!) while Rebel soldiers scramble to escape with the plans. At the last moment, they are safely taken onto a ship we all know as the Tantive IV, which launches into hyperspace with an Imperial Star Destroyer in hot pursuit, leading directly to the opening of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Right off the bat, the viewer is struck by how much darker this film is than its predecessors. I went into the film, having assiduously avoided spoilers, under the assumption that someone was gonna die - after all, none of the characters show up in the main Star Wars continuity and they’ve gotta up the ante over Han Solo’s surprise death in The Force Awakens - but was completely blindsided by the film’s murder of all its main characters, one after the next, in the finale. Jyn and Cassian’s final scene, in particular, is tremendously emotionally effective, as they huddle together trying to find solace in the knowledge that they’ve planted a seed of hope while the blast wave inexorably rushes towards them. The Star Wars films have always struggled to find their emotional tone, veering from moments of slapstick comedy to pulpy adventure to tragedy within a single film - and that was before the release of the really dreadful prequels, which gave us the cartoon Jar Jar shocking his tongue as well as Anakin Skywalker’s mass murder of children. Rogue One’s grim ending, then, really serves to establish the Empire as a threat and locks in the theme, paid lip service to but seldom made much of, that the (star!) wars are a desperate struggle against a near-invincible enemy. Strangely, the fan reaction has been very mixed. Red Letter Media, the deviants geniuses people responsible for the infamous and wonderful Episode One review, dissect Rogue One at length as part of their Half in the Bag series, and I found myself disagreeing with their points they raise there exactly as strongly as I agreed with their take on Episode One. The bulk of their criticism centers on the characters being weak, which I’m don’t think is entirely valid. I’ll agree that Jyn Erso, portrayed by British actress Felicity Jones, is not particularly compelling; a combination of somewhat weak writing and Jones’ staid acting result in her seeming a little lifeless. But I think that many people are missing the point when they level the same accusation at Cassian Andor (Diego Luna): he isn’t shallow, he’s sad. Andor is a man worn down by years of violence, tired of fighting but at the same time unwilling to concede. You see that resignation and pain in his eyes as he’s handed down orders to assassinate another target or take part in whatever the next mission is: a spark of humanity, struggling to stay lit. Two supporting characters have come under fire from reviewers as well: Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), a Force-sensitive Zen monk type (but NOT Jedi!) and Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang), his machine gun-toting companion. The charge leveled at them is that they’re improbable and feel out of place in the film, which I suppose is somewhat valid in the case of Baze Malbus - his character design is a bit silly - but completely off the mark when it comes to Chirrut. I found his portrayal of devout folk spirituality - the first hint we see of devotion to the Force outside of the space!monastic orders of the Sith and Jedi - to be extremely compelling. Indeed, I found the portrayal of the Force in general to be one of the best aspects of this film within the context of the broader canon. We get a sense that it’s a true universal in the Star Wars galaxy, not the exclusive purview of a handful of monks. If it really is “ ...an energy field created by all living things” that “binds the galaxy together,” the extreme scarcity of interest paid to it by all but a very few in the previous films is baffling. Religion, after all, is virtually a universal aspect of human societies; especially in a setting where the Force demonstrably exists, it seems bizarre that no one pays it much heed. Rogue One does a fantastic job at restoring a sense of wonder to the Star Wars universe (on which more here) and undoing the damage done by the prequels’ “medichlorians.” As much as I enjoyed the democratization of the Force, I liked the different origins of the characters even more. Classic Star Wars operates on a more or less fairy-tale level: its heroes are space!knights and princesses, rogues and wizards. The central characters are related by blood and more or less destined to greatness, which the prequel trilogy reinforces to ludicrous extremes by making Anakin the result of a virgin birth. Nor can we escape from this in the sequel trilogy: we’re right back to watching the exploits of another Skywalker descendant, Kylo Ren. (And smart money is on the other protagonists of The Force Awakens having some other shoehorned-in connection to the Skywalker clan.) George Lucas, of course, was cribbing from the likes of Lord of the Rings and Joseph Campbell’s “monomyth” as he wrote, but something about these space aristocrats doesn’t sit right with me. Why are we only following the story of Luke Skywalker, the Space Jesus, when we have an entire galaxy to explore? What about the soldiers on the ground, who we mostly see being curb-stomped by storm troopers to establish the danger the Empire poses? What are their stories? Don’t they matter? An added bonus to this approach is that, when we do see Darth Vader in action in the closing scene, he is palpably more frightening: by placing him side-by-side with ordinary people, we see the fearful power that the Force grants him. In making all these changes to the Star Wars formula, Rogue One breaks decisively from its predecessors. War, in this film, brings out the best and worst in human nature; its heroes are ennobled and dehumanized by their experience. The characters of Rogue One face impossible odds without the benefit of plot armor or good breeding; all they have to their name is grit, determination and hope. Fans are right to say that that Rogue One is not equally as good as the other Star Wars films: it’s better.

#film review #star wars #the force awakens #rogue one

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chrystalliize · 6 years

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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a young girl runs back home against the backdrop of a lush, dark, and viridescent landscape. Overhead in the clear, blue skies, a shuttle ominously flies by and later, its occupants are seen walking on the black sands of the planet. A white-caped Imperial officer and his squad of death troopers stop before the homestead of the young girl's family, where her father stands, alone but unflinching. "The work has stalled. I need you to come back," Director Orson Krennic beckons scientist Galen Erso, in a tone that leaves no space for negotiation. The scene is somber, if not outright distressing, and it perfectly sets the tone for Rogue One, a film that goes rogue against the Star Wars franchise's usual flow and atmosphere.

With an abrupt start to the film's moody prologue and the trademark opening crawl nowhere in sight, Rogue One firmly establishes itself from the start as a story separate from the Skywalker saga. Providing a breath of fresh air in its choice to focus on people other than the Skywalkers or the Jedi, Rogue One serves as a prequel to the original trilogy, narrating the story of a group of rebels who bring it upon themselves to steal the plans for the Death Star, a weapon of terrifying capabilities built by the Galactic Empire.

Gareth Edwards takes the seat of director, a daunting task for a film that's supposed to kick off the Star Wars Anthology. But he does with job with flair, bringing to audiences a darker and more mature take on the space opera, with a war film that has undertones from the heist genre. In Rogue One, Rebel Alliance recruit Jyn Erso, the daughter of the scientist who helped bring the Death Star to life, leads the titular crew of insurgents, all of whom are welcome additions to the growing canon of the Star Wars Universe. English actress Felicity Jones spearheads the diverse cast that includes Diego Luna as the shifty but steadfast Captain Cassian Andor, Riz Ahmed as Imperial pilot-turned-rebel Bodhi Rook, Donnie Yen as the blind warrior-monk Chirrut Îmwe, Jiang Wen as imposing mercenary Baze Malbus, and Alan Tudyk as the reprogrammed droid K-2SO and the film's source of sardonic humor. The film's cast do a stellar job of bringing gravity to their respective roles, delivering the film's weighty dialogues with inspired performances. Additionally, Mads Mikkelsen remains a heavy presence despite being a supporting character as the tragic figure Galen Erso while Ben Mendelsohn shines as the villain Orson Krennic, whose fury and vainglory are palpable as they radiate off the screen.

But introducing a barrage of new characters also causes the film to stumble when it comes to character development. The space for them to grow is present but is not completely filled throughout the story. But that doesn't make the riveting, heart-stopping, and cleverly edited third act any easier to watch when you start seeing these characters waging their own wars, both on solid ground and high up in the air. Here, the stakes are high and the dangers feel very real — no one is truly safe. The thrilling narrative of the film makes up for its underdeveloped characters, driving them towards the finishing line of their journeys and helping the film end on a high note.

For devotees of the franchise, Rogue One is the prequel they didn't know they needed — a dramatic reinvigoration for the Star Wars Universe that the prequel trilogy didn't quite live up to be. For first-time viewers, however, Rogue One may not be the perfect place to begin with, as majority of the film is dedicated to contributing to what is already there. From the numerous callbacks for fans to spot, to the film's plot that serves to cover up one of the biggest plot holes in the very first Star Wars film, Rogue One is heavy on the fan service.

But that doesn't make Rogue One any less convincing as a tale of sacrifice and courage. To help pull you into its sci-fi world of intergalactic empires and moon-sized space stations, its gorgeous sweeping shots of scenery and outer space, striking shots of a returning villain waiting in the dark, and a soaring and spirited score embellish the gritty narrative. Also boasting top-tier CGI that helped to literally bring back to life classic characters from Star Wars canon, Rogue One has its jagged edges but ultimately reveals itself to be a gem, a worthy addition to one of pop culture's biggest franchises.

"Rebellions are built on hope," Jyn Erso says in her impassioned speech during one scene. Not only does her eponymous squad's daring mission lend hope for the Rebel Alliance in the future, in the aptly titled A New Hope, but Rogue One also delivers as a solid prelude to the original trilogy and provides hope for the franchise after its stumble with the prequel trilogy. The iconic universe that George Lucas began building four decades ago continues to grow and is exhiliratingly revisited in Rogue One, reminding audiences how they fell in love with the franchise in the first place while making them fall in love all over again.

[ RATING ] ★★★★☆

#film review #review #rogue one: a star wars story #rogue one

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anerdsmovieblog · 6 years

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Best of 2016

Honorable Mentions:

Arrival

Doctor Strange

Hacksaw Ridge

Moana

A Monster Calls

10. Kubo and the Two Strings

Directed by Travis Knight

Starring Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei

This was a wonderful stop motion animation film. The characters are so well developed, the visuals are beautiful, and the story is exciting. The film has such heart as well, and deals a lot with the concept of family.

9. 10 Cloverfield Lane

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg

Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.

I had waited all this time for a Cloverfield sequel. And then Bad Robot surprised us by making it under a fake title. While very different from the original in terms of style, the theme of a mysterious character that might be a threat is still important. The performances are all so engaging, especially Winstead and Goodman. It is one very nerve wracking ride from start to finish. And by the time it’s over, it proves itself as a fantastic sequel.

8. Lion

Directed by Garth Davis

Starring Sonny Pawar, Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham, Rooney Mara

This movie told one of the most inspirational stories of the year. And it was true. The first half of the film follows a young lost boy, with the other half is an adult remembering and seeking his family. These two halves blend seamlessly, and give us the full experience of what this man went through. Dev Patel is incredible, as are the supporting cast.

7. Manchester by the Sea

Directed by Kenneth Lonergan

Starring Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Matthew Broderick

Where to begin with this one. The heaviness and levity of this film each work well, without ever undermining the other. Many scenes have such tension. The differing reactions of an uncle and his nephew to a tragedy hold such weight. Casey Affleck gives one special performance as a man who is almost a shell of himself, until we understand why. Wonderful writing and performances make this one of the top movies of the year.

6. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Directed by Taika Waititi

Starring Julian Dennison, Sam Neill, Rachel House

This is wonderful. Heartwarming. Adventurous. All the words. This is one of the special films that don’t always get seen. But this one needs to be. It’s intense and funny. Many scenes are emotional. And somehow it balances all of these feelings. It never feels like it’s trying too hard to be one or the other. The cast is fun to watch. The story of a man and a boy escaping in the wild somehow reaches all the places you want a movie to go. And it’s an instant classic.

5. Zootopia

Directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore

Starring Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, J.K. Simmons

Disney does it again. Not only does this movie tell a fun story, it goes into some tough issues. It touches upon ideas that adults can recognize, without being too obvious. But what it shows us about different people being stereotyped or outcast echoes so much of our society today. And perhaps it can be an inspiration for what we can do together. The movie is also great in its humor. Everyone loves the sloth scene, and so you should. Wonderful movie.

4. Finding Dory

Directed by Andrew Stanton

Starring Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Hayden Rolence, Idris Elba

This is one of the best movies of the year. Some will say it’s a sequel that was not as good as its predecessor. But that does not do it justice. It is a worthy continuation. But more so, it has something special of its own. The story shows us very realistic portrayals of mental illnesses, even better than many other films that try to explore them. For someone with anxiety disorders, this was an inspirational film. Dory doesn’t get better at the end. But her friends and family support her, and she uses various methods to combat her illness. Plus she is portrayed as a normal character, not the “crazy” character. It is a rare thing few movies have captured. And this does it the best.

3. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Directed by Gareth Edwards

Starring Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Forrest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Guy Henry, Spencer Wilding, Ben Mendelsohn

2. La La Land

Directed by Damien Chazelle

Starring Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend

1. Captain America: Civil War

Directed by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johanssen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastion Stan, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, William Hurt, Martin Freeman, Daniel Bruhl

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liveforfilms · 7 years

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Watch the ending of Rogue One going into the beginning of Star Wars: A New Hope

Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) directed Rogue One, which tells the story of resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star. The film stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, and Riz Ahmed. I loved the film, especially how it all tied […] http://dlvr.it/Nhf1mc

#action #All #Film

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brian-lozano91 · 7 years

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story movie review.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the 8th film in the Star Wars saga and the first spin-off film in the canon and takes place right before A New Hope. It’s directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters and Godzilla 2014) and it stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. In Rogue One, scientist Galen Erso’s peaceful life is ruined when Orson Krennick a former friend of his, forces him to work on the ultimate weapon. Jyn escapes and grows up. She realizes that her father has the key to destroy the Death Star, so in order to avenge her father she teams up with the rebel alliance to find the plans and to help them destroy the Death Star.

Rogue One is a good movie, not the greatest and in my opinion completely overblown and overrated. People were comparing this film to the Empire Strikes Back and I don’t understand what their saying. But regardless there are positives so let's talk about it. (Spoilers) The first thing is the acting is excellent, everyone does a great job they take their roles seriously. Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso was really good, you feel for her character because of her acting. Her character is strong, tough and caring. You want her to succeed and redeem her father. Then we have Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) who is a rebel alliance captain, who in the movie is told to do some terrible things and he struggles on doing the right thing and to doing his job. Then we have K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) who is the comic relief, who is like 3PO but more of a dick. Who only seems to be helping because he was told to instead of actually wanting to do it. He is really funny and at first I thought he was really forced but watching it a second time he was really good and one of the best parts of the whole movie. Then we have the supporting characters Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) and Saw Guerria (Forest Whitaker). They also do a good job, serviceable. We also have Tarkin in this and the two actors who portrayed him (the body stand in and the voice actor) do a great job it felt like Tarkin, despite some things which I’ll talk about in the negatives. Then Vader was used in this perfectly.

Also I thought the filmmaking in this was outstanding, the different shots and angles were awesome. As well as the cinematography, it was so beautiful. Every shot look like a work of art and if this doesn’t get nominated for best cinematography then I don’t what the academy is thinking. Then I think the special effects in this were great better than the force awakens minus two things. The way the ships look, the planets all the effects were top notch. Going back to the ships, the ships look like puppets from the original films that’s how good they look. I could go on about the technical detail of this film but that would take to long, I’m just happy that their is actual filmmaking in this movie. I also love the grittiness to it look like a war film and felt that way. I also like (SPOLIERS) that all the characters died at the end, that is so neat and different and puts a finality to the story that I wish more movies would do this.

Now let's get to the negatives. One of the negative’s of the film are the characters, now the actors do a good job conveying emotion and making you care enough for the characters however that is not enough. You need character development, and hardly any of the characters were developed. Jyn had some so you cared for her more, but we needed to see her daily life. What has she been doing, why does she run place to place. Cassian is the same we are told briefly what he has suffered but we don’t get more, we needed more. Then Cassian and K-2 are suppose to be partners or Cassian reprogramed him I don’t know. But how about we get a relationship with both of them like a Han and Chewie relationship. Then Donnie Yen’s character is barely given any character development. We are told that he used to be a jedi guard but we don’t get any more detail on that. Then Baze gets no development what’s so ever. Then we hardly know who Bodi is. Also Forest Whitaker doesn’t get any at all, we don’t see his relationship with him and Jyn, explaining why she hates him or dialogue explaining why he’s crazy. Then Mads Mikkelsen is wasted in this he’s barely in it and we don’t really care only through the acting do you care but that’s not good enough. We also have the worst villain in Star Wars, Orson Krennic. He sucks, all he does is complain and basically whines to his bosses that he should be in charge of the Death Star. Which sucks because in the beginning he seemed like he was going to be a good villain. That beginning was cool, then he just complains the whole movie. I just hate the fact that in the prequel novel Catalyst Krennic is manipulative and cunning and he does nothing here.

Also the cameos in this film were stupid, you see the two guys that were in the cantina in the first film and it was distracting. Also 3PO and R2 was unnecessary and distracting, than having Vader and Tarkin in here really makes Krennic look weaker. Also I know it’s a tie in to the first movie but you don’t need Vader and Tarkin, maybe just Tarkin but not Vader. Talk about them or hologram but they didn’t need to be in here, but it was cool. Going back to the villain, since Krennic was so weak why didn’t you just Vader as the main villain, would’ve worked better. Then the worst part are the dumb CGI faces of Tarkin and Leia, but mostly Tarkin my god they looked so faked. Ok Leia wasn’t that bad but Tarkin looked faked and the problem is that he is the movie for a lot of the film. They should’ve shot him differently to try to hide it more. I don’t know why they didn’t use make-up would’ve been better. Then the score is not good, it’s serviceable but not memorable at all. Last thing nitpicky, the ending felt a little too much fan service but I loved it at the same time so whatever. Also the reveal of Bail Organa was silly but I’m glad he was in it, just the reveal of him was weird.

However despite the negatives I do like this movie a lot and I do feel this is a step in the right direction, would watch it again. A right small step but a good one. If Lucasfilm would listen to the negatives about this movie and fix them for future spin-offs then I feel they would have better films. This was an experiment and if paid off but that have to be careful now. The movie is fun and cool and it’s neat how it ties into the original film and expand on the lore just needs better character development, also I’m sure will see these characters again in other spin-off movies, novels or comics. But would recommend it just try to look at without nostalgia glasses and not be blinded by the final act of the film. 3and half out of five stars

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