Fifth Avenue Forum

That said, I can totally believe that when revisited in 8-10 years as a nostalgia piece, Shaf and Freddy could regard the movie much more favorably, and present-tense defenders like me could be more critical. I think it's just inherently that kind of movie. And I'm okay with that, because it means that - eventually - we all get a SW movie we like.

I want to be clear that I'm not normally a misanthrope when it comes to movies. But for some reason, the writing and character development really stood out to me, and not in a good way.

Why didn't they just let puffins be puffins? Puffins are awesome and they do look sort of alien.

I just read “Once Upon a Galaxy” which was a journal written by Alan Arnold (20th Century Fox publicist) during the filming of Empire Strikes Back. Evidently, Empire wasn’t universally loved when it came out in 1980. It wasn’t until the trilogy completed that the majority of critics and fans came around to it.

It’s a really interesting book, with lots of behind the scenes interviews and tidbits that have made it into Star Wars lore. Arnold actually miked Irwin Kershner during one days’ filming, and recorded the whole dialogue between Harrison Ford and the director concerning the “I love you” and “I know” scene during the carbon freezing scene.

If you can find a copy of it (long out of print), it’s worth the read.

Why didn't they just let puffins be puffins? Puffins are awesome and they do look sort of alien.

As far as I know, humans are the only Earth creatures that appear in SW.

The first SW movie to have overt messages of racial diversity and environmental conservation, "but for some reason..."

Hm.

The first SW movie to have overt messages of racial diversity and environmental conservation, "but for some reason..."

Hm.

This is part of the problem. Any criticism of the writing or plot is dismissed as butthurtness about diversity. I can't stand the trolls on Twitter, and what they did to the Rose actor is messed up. There is a middle ground between the alt right nuts and the "everything is awesome" crowd.

Ep IX begins shooting next week.

Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. New characters are being played by Richard E. Grant and Naomi Ackie.

Big news is they apparently found a way to pay off Princess Leia's character using unseen footage from Ep VIII.

Ep IX begins shooting next week.

Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. New characters are being played by Richard E. Grant and Naomi Ackie.

Big news is they apparently found a way to pay off Princess Leia's character using unseen footage from Ep VIII.

Keri Russell as well.

Billy

Dee

Williams

So Luke isn’t dead.

I don't have a good feeling about this

So Luke isn’t dead.

I'm guessing he comes back in ghost form.

Or they panicked when Carrie Fisher died. I love Lando but bringing him back smells like desperation.

Yeah, unless it’s a flashback, Luke is a Force Ghost.

And Lando is being brought back to die, so there’s that.

Lando coming back can be explained by two words: Donald Glover.

I think his role will be a glorified cameo, and he will not be killed off. There just isn't the emotional connection to Lando to bother with concocting a death that 'honors' him.

Lando coming back can be explained by two words: Donald Glover.

I think his role will be a glorified cameo, and he will not be killed off. There just isn't the emotional connection to Lando to bother with concocting a death that 'honors' him.

The idea of bringing Lando back first started to really gain traction after TLJ came out, but I agree that it picked up quite a bit after Glover's performance in Solo.

Collider had some good discussion about this recently...they could see him being brought back as some sort of benefactor/backer for the Resistance. I haven't read it yet, but they said that the Last Shot novel establishes some of the dealings Lando gets involved in post-Solo and pre-Empire that could be worked back into Episode IX and it would work.

I do think it'll be fairly limited, though. Billy Dee Williams is 81 now. He was on some of the panels at Celebration in 2017 and you can tell he's definitely slowed down.

I'll be interested to see what they do with him. I do think the Canto Bight scene would've been a good way to bring him back in the story; you could've worked in his enterprising angle from Last Shot into that as well and it would've fit right into the story. It probably could've helped salvage some of that sequence (I don't hate the Canto Bight scenes the way some do...I liked the "war profiteering" angle, but I wasn't a fan of the way it was written. Then again, Rian Johnson didn't ask me, so whatever).

Yes, I would imagine his role will be the guy they go to visit to get some sort of backing, like Stoosh said. He'll be hiding out on some planet somewhere.

I'm interested to see how Carrie Fisher appears in IX.

Sparingly.

welcome to twitter JJ. good luck

https://twitter.com/jjabrams/status/1024717847958892545

John Boyega?

Is that Rey in the co-pilot's seat on the Falcon with Finn standing behind her?

Why is the creature from the black lagoon in that movie?

New cartoon
https://youtu.be/bH_Ws7sA468