Tag Archives: Disney

Solo: A Star Wars Story

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Solo: A Star Wars Story

By Jonelle

I was worried. I heard the rumors. I watched the YouTube videos. Solo isn’t supposed to be a good movie. After watching this film, I learned that I shouldn’t listen to rumors. This movie is an all-out space western, starring an adorable cowboy, with a whole lot of heart.

I thought it was going to be difficult watching another actor fill Harrison Ford’s shoes. Let’s face facts, for a Star Wars geek like me, Han and Chewie are much beloved characters who we feel must be protected. Han Solo isn’t much older than this when we meet him in A New Hope. This story takes places roughly ten years before that film. Surprisingly, Alden Ehrenreich fills these massive shoes with ease. He’s the scoundrel we’ve all grown to love. In the end, he does the right thing, because he truly is one of the good guys. However, there may be many bumps along the way. 

The saga begins with Solo and his love Qi’ra, played by Emilia Clark, trying to escape their home planet Corellia. Don’t get me wrong, it’s strange to see Han Solo with anyone other than Princess Leia, but the chemistry between Ehrenreich and Clark is pretty amazing. Qi’ra is shrouded in mystery. Han escapes Corellian, but Qi’ra gets captured and sold to the dangerous and oh so creepy gangster, Dryden Voss. She, Qi’ra, and Han have been separated for years. We do not know what happened to Qi’ra all those years away from Han, but it must have been bad, she’s been branded.

They work with a smuggler named Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) to steal some pricey fuel for Voss. If not, it’s off with their heads, so-to-speak, but pretty literally. Who do you trust?   Beckett wisely tells Han, “Assume everyone will betray you, and you’ll never be disappointed.” Woody Harrelson is a cowboy on and off screen. Can he be trusted? 

What fans will love about this film, that was missing in The Last Jedi, is the nostalgia. We learn about some of the events mentioned in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I didn’t know that Han Solo was a pilot for the Empire. Of course, he doesn’t follow rules and gets thrown out.

Being introduced to a young Lando is a lot of fun. Billy Dee Williams played him with such charisma in the originals, Donald Glover does the same here. He’s sneaky and feisty. You can’t truly trust him. Let’s face facts, the real star of the movie the Millennium Falcon. The first time it was on screen, the audience cheered. You get to see more of the Millennium Falcon this time around. You finally get to see living quarters. I never realized just how livable the Millennium Falcon can be. I’d like a Millennium Falcon of my own please.

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Meet the Cast of Solo: A Stars Wars Story

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Meet the Cast of Solo: A Stars Wars Story

By Jonelle

Spending a day in Pasadena, California is always great, but spending a day in Pasadena with the stars of the new Star Wars film Solo: A Stars Wars Story, is even better. To say that I’m not mildly (or extremely) obsessed with the Star Wars universe would be a lie. So, when I was offered the chance to see a special screening of the film and to hear the cast speak in person, I jumped at the chance.

The press event was held at the Pasadena Convention Center. As soon as I checked in, I was ushered into the press conference where the other journalists were waiting patiently for the cast’s arrival. It didn’t take long.  Below are the talent and filmmakers that were in attendance. 

 Alden Ehrenreich (“Han Solo”)

 Donald Glover (“Lando Calrissian”)

 Emilia Clarke (“Qi’ra”)

Paul Bettany (“Dryden Vos”)

Woody Harrelson (“Tobias Beckett”)

Thandie Newton (“Val”)

Joonas Suotamo (“Chewbacca”)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“L3-37”)

Director Ron Howard

 Jon Kasdan / Screenplay

 Lawrence Kasdan / Screenplay

Donald Glover; Alden Ehrenreich; Emilia Clarke; Joonas Suotamo; Paul Bettany; Ron Howard. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Seeing this cast and crew in person, was amazing. When you go to these press junkets you only get a snippet from each actor. Director Ron Howard, discussed the fact that he was brought on later in the filming process and that he hoped he wouldn’t “F*** it up.” Trust me, he didn’t. He said that he loved telling the story and that he was going to, “treat this like it’s a true story.”

Everyone seemed to really have a strong connection and they looked like they had a good time working together. This is also evident in the movie. Thandie Newton told us a story about one of the days she brought her son to set. Being a two-year-old, he wasn’t yet a fan of the Star Wars universe. He walked up to R2-D2 and they ended up having a “conversation”.  What a special encounter this was for him. Newton said, “this is the stuff that dreams are made of.” I would like to have a conversation with R2-D2.

I had the privilege of viewing the movie the evening before the press junket. I’m going to be honest and say that I read all of the rumors about how awful this movie was going to be. What an awful actor Alden Ehrenreich was. It turns out we should never believe rumors because those rumors were very wrong, Ehrenreich is amazing, with that smirk and mischievous, smoldering twinkle in his eye!!!!! He was also given approval by Harrison Ford, himself, who surprised Ehrenreich that morning to tell him how much he enjoyed the film. Ehrenreich does breathe new life into a character so many of us already love. Ehrenreich has a lot of heart, and so does Han Solo. Donald Glover said it best, “you get to see why Han is complicated. Maybe he did the wrong thing but for the right reasons, or maybe the right thing was for the wrong reasons.” Isn’t that the Han we are introduced to in A New Hope?

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AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

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AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR 

By Erin 

From Marvel Studios comes the eagerly anticipated “Avengers: Infinity War,” which is the third installment in the “Avengers” franchise and the 19th Marvel Studios film to date. The release also marks the 10-year anniversary of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which began with the release of “Iron Man” in 2008.“Avengers: Infinity War” picks up as the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, but a dangerous menace has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, Thanos will stop at nothing to collect all six Infinity Stones in his quest to wield unimaginable power and his twisted will on all of humanity.

This past Sunday the press junket for the Avengers: Infinity War took place in Beverly Hills. It was way different from any other junket any of us had ever been to before. The crowd was abuzz and filled with wonder as there were 20 celebrities on the list of appearing talent, but no set up for where everyone would be sitting. Just a big black curtain with the Avengers logo on it. Were they going to make a grand appearance by flying down from the ceiling or through the big black curtain? So many possibilities, Marvel always keeps you guessing!

If you’ve seen Thor: Ragnarok, then you know who the Grandmaster is, Jeff Goldblum. This was a pleasant surprise as this was not something we were told about.  In bingo type fashion, he began to randomly choose ping-pong balls with a guest’s name or category on it. As we had less than an hour, this was a great way to make sure everyone would have a chance to speak. There were lots of questions, but not many real answers to make a long story short. Here’s all who were in attendance.

Dave Bautista (“Drax”)

Paul Bettany (“Vision”)

Chadwick Boseman (“T’Challa / Black Panther”)

Josh Brolin (“Thanos”)

Don Cheadle (“James Rhodes / War Machine”)

Benedict Cumberbatch (“Dr Stephen Strange”)

Robert Downey Jr. (“Tony Stark / Iron Man”)

Winston Duke (“M’Baku”) 

Danai Gurira (“Okoye”)

Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”)

Tom Hiddleston “Loki”)

 Holland (“Peter Parker / Spider-Man”)

Scarlett Johansson (“Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow”)

Pom Klementieff (“Mantis”)

Anthony Mackie (“Sam Wilson / Falcon”)

Elizabeth Olsen (“Wanda Maximoff / Scarlett Witch”)

Chris Pratt (“Peter Quill / Star-Lord”)

Mark Ruffalo (“Bruce Banner / The Hulk”)

Zoe Saldana (“Gamora”)

Sebastian Stan (“Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier”)

Letitia Wright (“Shuri”)

Director Anthony Russo

Director Joe Russo

 Producer Kevin Feige

We learned that they like bass fishing and there were some interesting fashion questions, but there were no spoilers, comments or information given out about the movie at all. The cast all commented that they knew nothing about the script and that they have never seen it.

Here is some fun info about the film though (no spoilers though of course) from the notes from the film!

*”Avengers: Infinity War” has been 10 years in the making, and putting together the greatest ensemble of Super Hero characters was the job of directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who were tapped by Kevin Feige to helm the studios’ biggest film to date

*“The story of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is the result of everything we’ve ever done to this point,” said Kevin Feige. “It is the unprecedented culmination of a series of storylines interlinked together, which had never been done before.”

*In the cosmos, the most powerful items one can possess are the Infinity Stones. Thanos learns of the stones and believes if he can secure all six, he can rule the universe. “The Infinity Stones represent the six different elements of the universe that create all life and power the universe,” explains Joe Russo. “The Infinity Stones in the movie represent the only way for Thanos to bring balance to the universe on the grand and cosmic scale he envisions in a permanent fashion.”

*With the Infinity Gauntlet securely on his left hand, Thanos begins his quest to fill the gauntlet with the stones, and thus begins the Avengers’ urgent mission to stop him by any means—and at any cost.

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