Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

As far as film franchises go, few are revered and beloved by its fans like Star Wars. The baffling thing about these fans however, is how they never seem to be satisfied.
Latest point of contention: "Episode VIII: The Last Jedi"
Reactions have varied from "Too different; BAD!" to "Beautiful BECAUSE it's so different!" Quite honestly though, as a movie being judged on its own merits, without taking into account previous installments, hours of TV shows, and endless pages of official fanfiction, erm, expanded universe, it is a great story about how different kinds of people are trying to move past tragedies and other past sins & failures...while set in space and also revolving around space wizards.

Stop me if you've heard this one:
A youngster with so much potential ends up before an old master who has become jaded and bitter at the world, begging to be trained by him so that purpose can be established. For a good chunk of the movie, this is the parallel of the bits of "Empire Strikes Back" with Luke training under a green Muppet who lives in a swamp that complains about aggravating birds, but not a complete copy/paste job. The now-crotchety Luke Skywalker is truly a treat to behold, incorporating elements of both of the masters he's had, Obi-Wan's relative calmness and Yoda's mischievousness for example. Mark Hamil, after acquiring over 30 years of acting experience, has really stepped up the performance, bringing us a Luke Skywalker to be remembered fondly for years. His interactions with his Force-wielding proteges, both Daisy Ridley's Rey and Adam Driver's Kylo Ren, are also pretty darn amazing, letting him showcase his acting chops.

While the young-protege-learning-from-old-master-on-another-planet bit is about the only real parallel to other famous 2nd installments in this franchise, an argument can be made for rebels on the run from the oppressive, constant threat of the bigger, badder, more well-equipped enemies. But while this happens, the audience is treated to what happens when hotshot mavericks get humbled by their superiors. Poe Dameron, given the shaft in character development last movie, receives character development in massive spades this time. His itching desire to fight to his last breath against the First Order is palpable as he's constantly held down (sometimes forcibly) by General Leia and another higher up that looks like she came from the Capitol in the "Hunger Games." Throughout the events of the movie though, he learns how to be a wiser leader, made very important in the last scenes where he finally values the often-distasteful-in-movies tactful retreat.

So this busy film has a 3rd story, which involves Finn, BB8 and his new female companion Rose, because his dynamic HAS to be with a lady who knows more about this galaxy than him. They travel to a different kind of hive of scum and villainy that has been in the audience's scope yet in the movies: war profiteers. These one percenters who have become ridiculously wealthy because of all the hardware that have been given to both sides of the conflict are who surround our former Stormtrooper and engineer gal. While they try and find someone who can help them break into the enemy ship and disrupt their diabolical machinations, they also cause a little havoc in this town of pampered fat cats, in a way, still fighting the power in a little way. They end up on that enemy starship and things go downhill further, which is great for the audience since it's always satisfying to see how people can get out of an impossible-seeming pickle.

All three stories converge on a planet made of rocks and salt as a showdown for the fate of the fortunate few Resistance fighters, and it is absolutely fantastic. The environment and color scheme are utilized to great cinematic effect, with red on white like blood on snow, culminating to a duel that almost echoes a Western shootout at sunset. As a side note, so much cinematography props must be given to several scenes in this movie. So many still shots and action shots range from wonderfully composed to breathtaking, and that is commendable for a movie franchise renowned for being groudbreaking.

At this point, with so many different ways the movies have gone, in what can be arguably good or bad directions, I feel like this film is moving forward in a bold direction, even going so far as to have the major metaphor constantly being thrown around by several characters be the simple phrase of "burying/killing the past." After easing the movie-going public back into what Star Wars is about with the "Force Awakens," primarily cleansing out the sour taste of the prequel trilogy, this installment brings forth thought-provoking material & commentary, a fair amount of humor, characters you can actually care about now, and of course, hot action that'll scratch that spaceship dogfight and swordplay itch very well. Overall, worth watching to see how the film breaks conventions and expectations.

For a creative overview from a fellow movie-reviewing friend that lists three pros and three cons, please go here. 

Sadly no singing Mark Hamill...but thankfully a madman from the Internet provided a full version.

    

Coco

Faulty theology aside, Pixar's new animated feature "Coco" is pretty good.

After having to sit through an incredibly schmaltzy "Frozen" themed musical short (Olaf is apparently now essential, nay vital, to the sisters' characters and happy memories), the audience is treated to the tale of "The Little Mermaid," "Tangled," "Brave," and "Ratatouille" but with a twist: a young character bound by family to be one thing while there is a burning desire of doing more, but alas, that desire is forbidden and poo-poo'd by the family. Yet through some happenstance that's never truly explained, the young character is whisked away on a truly life-changing journey with the chance to live out that dream. Along the way, truths are revealed about both the family and the character's own remarkable capabilities.
So just replace the mermaid with a young Mexican boy destined to be a shoemaker but dreams of being a master chef, I mean musician.

The trademark Pixar A-game is on full display with this film: heart, humor, action, adventure, more heart, and gorgeous art via moving pictures. The main character wants more but never seems too bratty and his family and their prejudice against music doesn't seem unreasonable based on what happened in that family's past. The movie's version of the Afterlife is not only vibrant and lively, but filled with fun yet never unbearable characters. An interesting twist is that just like "Spirited Away," the boy finds himself becoming more and more like the locals; so it's a race against time as well as a race to find the forgotten member of his family with the intent on becoming a musician like him.

Now the inevitable comparison will be made to the other well-known Dia de los Muertos-themed animated feature, "The Book of Life," by ReelFX and Fox. And while there are comparisons that can be drawn, (the culture, the setting, the main character and his struggle with family, rivals in ambition, etc) they are as different films as apples and oranges are different fruits. Prime amongst the differences is the tone of the movies. The one with Zoe Saldana as the object of affection between two men who also are trying to live their personal dreams is an interesting one, even without the supernatural rulers of the afterlife meddling in their affairs like the myths of old, as the climax has the living and the dead team up to defeat a bandit king and his army that has been billed as a major threat throughout the whole movie. The one with the modern-day boy finding himself inexplicably transported to the land of the dead, who also have inhabitants who look like sugar skulls and skeleton puppets sold by the vendor on the side of the lonely street, has a major focus on music and how he wants to achieve his own dream, and the climax has him realize that his family had his back the whole time because they themselves had a passion for music. Thus, one is like an old-school myth with the higher beings manipulating the mortals like puppets (har har), and what Pixar has offered is more a story along the lines of "Alice in Wonderland" with the protagonist finding himself transported to a weird and wild world.

Overall, this hot "Coco" is a wonderful take on a culture's notion of what happens after life and just how important are memories of the departed,  a lesson on how lives can be enriched by something as simple as music, and a big ol' reminder to cherish your family, whoever they might be.

And since my culture is definitely not one reminiscent of the people south of the border, here are some actual legitimate film reviews by the people this movie honors:
http://remezcla.com/lists/film/latino-film-critics-review-pixar-coco/

I know it's a different...well everything, but would've been hilarious to see these guys referenced.