The Snyder Cut is Coming

The Snyder Cut is Coming

For years, since the release and controversy of the original 2017 Justice League, fans have been clamoring for a director's cut of the film from Zack Snyder. Now, their wish has been fulfilled. According to The Hollywood Reporter, and coming from Zack Snyder himself, Synder and Warner Bros will release a cut of the film on HBO Max in 2021. Not only will they do that, but WB will also be putting in 20-30 million dollars to help complete this film. No other words have been said regarding a specific release date. 

Black Panther 2 Looking to Start Production in 2021

Black Panther 2 Looking to Start Production in 2021

Black Panther 2, allegedly the first film to come out for Marvel in their Phase 5, is easily one of the biggest films for Marvel in the coming years. While not much has been known about it, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it's not being reported that the film is eyeing to begin production in 2021, which means it aims to begin shooting shortly thereafter. While the other Marvel productions have been halted, save for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier which has resumed some of its production as restrictions in the Czech Republic have lifted, it's good to see Marvel feeling like they can continue forward with their films, even amidst this difficult situation. 

Marvel Schedule Overturned Amidst COVID-19

Marvel Schedule Overturned Amidst COVID-19

With the massive success of Marvel's Infinity Saga, it was clear that they would have huge plans moving forward into their next phase. With Black Widow set to launch the next wave of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, everything looked like it was good to go. However, with the recent disruption of COVID-19 and the delay of Black Widow, it was only a matter of time before all of the Marvel films were pushed back as well. Now, with the delay of the third untitled Spider-Man film, we have our new MCU Phase 4 schedule (barring any other delays due to COVID-19). tThe launch dates for the TV shows, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision, already in production and shooting, remain unknown at this time. 

The new schedule for Marvel will look like this:

Phase 4

Black Widow - November 6th, 2020

The Eternals - February 12, 2021

Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - May 7, 2021

Spider-Man 3 - November 5th, 2021

Thor: Love and Thunder - February 11th, 2022

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - March 25th, 2022

Phase 5

Black Panther 2 - May 6th, 2022

Captain Marvel 2 - July 8th, 2022

In addition, Marvel has a plethora of other confirmed films they are currently developing for Phase 5 and beyond, which include Blade, Ant-Man 3, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, and Fantastic Four. 

Pattinson Refusing to Work Out for The Batman?

Pattinson Refusing to Work Out for The Batman?

Robert Pattinson, the latest in a long line of actors to take up the mantle of the Caped Crusader, has been met with mixed reception at the news of his casting as the Dark Knight. Many fans, most familiar with Pattinson's work in the Twilight franchise, were skeptical. However others, including many critics, were vocal and quick to point out Pattinson's many Oscar-caliber performances in recent years, most recently, in the film The Lighthouse. 

However, while production on The Batman has been halted due to the ongoing COVID-18 pandemic, GQ was able to catch up with Pattinson, and had a chance to ask him about his quarantine, specifically about his workout regimen, which has many fans questioning Pattinson's commitment to the role. In response to a question about his workouts, Pattinson had this to say: 

"I think if you're working out all the time, you're part of the problem," he says, sighing. By "you" he means other actors. "You set a precedent. No one was doing this in the '70s. Even James Dean--he wasn't exactly ripped."

Many have been vocal in saying that this is the wrong mindset to have regarding The Batman, especially with such an iconic role. Pattinson has not commented since. 

Tom Cruise to Film Movie in Space

Tom Cruise to Film Movie in Space

Tom Cruise, known these days as the daredevil in Hollywood, has been pushing the boundaries for stuntwork for the past several years. With an underwater stunt in The Mummy, and new aerodynamic tricks in the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise seems to be constantly challenging the limits of stunts and physicality in film. But now, it looks like he'll be taking it one step further.

According to reports, Tom Cruise will be filming his next film in the International Space Station, orbiting Earth's atmosphere. Details about the project are scarce, but Cruise remains committed to heading into space to be the first actor in history to film part of a feature-length film in space, continuing to push the boundaries of filmmaking. 

Starr Wars: The Clone Wars (Season 7) - Review: While It Felt All Too Short, the Series' Ending Cements Its Status in Star Wars Glory

Starr Wars: The Clone Wars (Season 7) - Review: While It Felt All Too Short, the Series' Ending Cements Its Status in Star Wars Glory

Starring: Ashley Eckstein, Sam Witwer, Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, Tom Kane, Katie Sackhoff

**DISCLAIMER**: This is a subjective, opinionated article that does not have, nor should have any effect on your opinion. As such, my opinion is entitled to change over time and whatever is written here at this point in time may not and should not be held to me in the future. You are not meant to agree with me 100 percent of the time, because the nature of subjectivity is we see everything differently. If there is something you happen to disagree with, I absolutely respect your point of view if you will respect mine. Please keep this in mind. 

The Review

Disney Star Wars has not been doing well as of late. With the divisive Last Jedi, and the seemingly universally hated Rise of Skywalker, Kathleen Kennedy has needed to rethink her strategy when it comes to live-action films in the future of the galaxy far, far away.

However, one department that seems to be quietly thriving for Star Wars has been television. With the smash hit show The MAndalorian already finished shooting its second season, we turned to the return of the beloved animated show, The Clone Wars, as it made its triumphant return for a final season. 

The show, which was discontinued shortly prior to the acquisition of Star Wars by Disney, was allowed to return for one last hurrah as it merged straight into Revenge of the Sith. This show, which got off to a rocky start in the late 2000s, gained an enormous fanbase, including myself, as showrunner Dave Filoni was allowed to explore the period of time between Episodes 2 and 3.

Immediately, as we start out with the first arc of the Bad Batch, two of the key components that made this show so successful are showcased straight out of the gate. The first of these are the clones. The clones in the films are nameless, faceless soldiers that fight for the Republic, later turning on the Jedi. But what this show has done in the previous six seasons was show how the clones truly have an identity, especially with troopers like Captain Rex. 

The Bad Batch gives us a look into a different type of clone trooper, ones with genetic mutations that might be favorable in combat. It was an extremely solid arc, as we see Captain Rex return, struggling with his allegiance to the Republic while also working with an extremely unorthodox group of clones.

But the second element of Clone Wars that's made it so unbelievably successful has been Anakin Skywalker. From the very beginning, this iteration of Anakin Skywalker immediately replaced Hayden Christiansen in my mind as the true chosen one. This Anakin was assertive, he was quippy, he was grounded, he had emotions, he was subtle. I know that part of the problem was Lucas's script for the prequels that led to the downfall of Christiansen, but regardless, this version of Anakin IS the definitive Anakin for me, and whenever I think of Anakin, this is who I would think of.

So it comes as no surprise that the war general is featured prominently in the latter half of the first arc, getting to showcase some hints of the dark side. Without spoiling any plot, there's a line delivered by voice actor Lanter, where he yells, "I don't have such weaknesses!" that truly made me feel like Anakin, still the same good, pure Anakin, inclinations towards the dark side. This animated series truly did what two films could not, and for that, it has to be commended. 

However, this season is not without its faults, and the fault lies squarely in the second out of the three arcs, where we follow Ahsoka as she figures out her life after leaving the Jedi Order with two sisters, Trace and Rafa. Without pulling any punches, I would say this is one of the most terrible Clone Wars arcs they've ever done.

And that's a true shame; with only twelve episodes to bring fans back into the world, the fact that Filoni used these four episodes that could have been used for something else, say an arc featuring General Grevious or Count Dooku (both notably missing in the series save for one shot in the opening montage of the first episode), would have been much more welcome.

Instead, we get an absolutely horrendous arc as these two sisters, seemingly idiotic in their decision making, make mistake after mistake after mistake. One of the episodes was so horrendously bad that the characters literally end up in the same place they started in, from start to finish. 

That being said, and all that aside, we reach the final episodes of the show.

And they were truly breathtaking. 

The final four episodes primarily take place during the events of Revenge of the Sith. We see some very, VERY subtle and clever crossovers in places where it would make sense for the canon. Anakin and Obi-Wan make a triumphant return in the first episode of the arc, which is the best out of the four in my eyes, and both showcase why they are two of the best generals in the entire war. 

From there, Ahsoka is reunited with her master, and we begin the Siege of Mandalore, the eventual Order 66, and the fall of the Jedi. 

Granted, I do have two rather minor complaints about the last two episodes, before I gush about the overwhelming number of positives. The first of these is that the episodes felt much too short. The episodes in the final arc are partitioned into parts, and I wouldn't be surprised if Lucasfilm releases all the episodes put together as a film. It would certainly one absolutely incredible piece of cinema. Regardless, the episodes, four in total, are only about twenty minutes, and even the last episode was about 23 minutes in length. It did leave a lot to be desired; I really do wish that Filoni and his crew had just added the extra 5-10 minutes to each episode to make them longer. It would've made the last arc seem so much more meaningful.

The second grip e I have is rather small, and granted, a little wishful, but I feel like Filoni missed an opportunity to directly show at least a couple of moments from Revenge of the Sith with these characters. The Matt Lanter Anakin Skywalker is so incredibly different and more nuanced from the Christiansen version, that even seeing him turn against Obi Wan would've had so much more emotional weight. I can just imagine the scene where Mace confronts the Chancellor, and Anakin runs in. He sees the two, and starts telling Mace that he needs him, thinking about Padme, thinking about Ahsoka and how the Jedi Order failed her. That would have had so much more weight.

But we don't get any of that, and to their credit, the team behind this masterful show decide to focus primarily on Rex and Ahsoka. And that's pretty great as well.

One thing that has to be praised is the animation. Even between the first two arcs and the last one, the animation SIGNIFICANTLY improves. It's movie-level quality; gorgeous wide shots, the expressiveness of the characters, it's absolutely stunning. And another unheralded strength of this show has been the music. Kevin Kiner scores the last four episodes brilliantly. There were even moments in the first episode, before the credits rolled, that I legitimately thought John Williams came back to score these final four episodes. 

And let us not forget about one of the fan favorite additions/retcons that this show brought to the Star Wars universe: Maul. He's back, and his duels with Ahsoka are absolutely breath-taking. The animation was so clean and crisp, and seeing their fight was undeniably one of the best in recent Star wars, because each stroke felt like it had purpose behind it. 

In the end, this final season of Clone Wars left a lot to be desired, given that this was the final twelve episodes of the show that we would ever get. But as the show came to its glorious end, I couldn't help thinking that the series, started so many years ago, had come to a fitting, beautiful end that it deserved. And for that, I cannot thank Dave Filoni enough. 

Sherlock (BBC Series 1-4) Review: The Definitive Sherlock Holmes for the 21st Century

Sherlock (BBC Series 1-4) Review: The Definitive Sherlock Holmes for the 21st Century

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Mark Gatiss, Louise Brealey, Andrew Scott, Amanda Abbington, Rupert Graves, Una Stubbs

**DISCLAIMER**: This is a subjective, opinionated article that does not have, nor should have any effect on your opinion. As such, my opinion is entitled to change over time and whatever is written here at this point in time may not and should not be held to me in the future. You are not meant to agree with me 100 percent of the time, because the nature of subjectivity is we see everything differently. If there is something you happen to disagree with, I absolutely respect your point of view if you will respect mine. Please keep this in mind. 

The Review

This is a slightly different kind of review, seeing as this article will encompass the entirety of the show to date, which includes seasons 1-4 but does not include the special in which the cast goes back to the original late 1800s setting. That being said, even though in four seasons, and over 15 hours of content, I feel I can holistically review this show as a unit rather than in each individual season. And that purely stems from the fact that this show is so unbelievably consistent, that you don't feel like there are seasons at all. You feel like each episode bleeds into the next as part of one, giant episodical anthology.

While casting may not always be everything to a show or film, it can certainly be critical, especially when adapting from a source material, and especially when dealing with as iconic a duo as Holmes and Watson. And the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes may have been one of the best castings in the twenty-first century. Because with the new spin on the show, taking place in modern-day, Cumberbatch delivers an arrogant, sociopathic ,erratic, and yet endearing performance as the great detective.

Not ot be undone, Dr. John Watson, played wonderfully by Martin Freeman, takes center stage as well, unlike in the books where he often takes a backseat. There are certain points in the show where Watson, in fact, is more the central character than Holmes himself, and he serves to truly bring the humanity out of them both. But while each individual works so well on their own, it is truly when they are on screen together the show takes off and elevates to another level.

And truly, it is the showrunners' (Moffat and Gatiss, the latter brilliantly playing Sherlock's elder brother Mycrot) love for the source material that really, TRULY makes this show so special. Each and every episode is laden with careful, reverent references to the novels while also bringing their own unique, fresh twist. It is evident with each and every line of dialogue that the two have such a love for Conan Doyle's work. 

With the show of the format being such that each episode is essentially a short movie, we are able to truly dive into each mystery as if they had a true beginning, middle, and end. These are not part of a larger arc, necessarily, although some beautiful character moments and arcs are allowed to flourish rather subtly. But each episode serves its own purpose. I suppose on that basis alone, there are certain arcs and episodes that don't work nearly as well as others.

For example, a couple of the episodes towards the end of season 4 where new plot elements were teased but fell through didn't seem to be quite as interesting. The more interesting episodes really seemed to revolve around Sherlock, Watson, and the villain Moriarty. 

Now, when James Moriarty is first introduced to the show, I was taken aback. He was not the suave, menacing equal to Sherlock, but rather a goofy, terrifying opposite, which brilliantly was perhaps even worse. Andrew Scott plays the character in such a way that makes his chaotic nature so unpredictable, and yet so well-thought out, you can't help but marvel at his prowess. 

I could sit here and nitpick the show to death, going episode by episode and finding small elements I didn't like, and episodes as a whole that I found unsatisfying, but the bottom line is this. Sherlock is one of the best pieces of storytelling that I have seen ever. The care put into each script, each character, each performance is so tangible, that it sweeps you in to whichever narrative you happen to be watching. Regardless of the episode, you'rer always going to be invested in the adventure of Holmes and Watson, and just like the books, that's just how it should be.

The Rise of Skywalker - Upon Second Viewing

The Rise of Skywalker - Upon Second Viewing

I'm going to say this up front because after rewatching the supposed finale to the epic nonology that was the Star Wars saga, my opinion on this has not changed. In my opinion, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a complete disaster. 

But not in the way you might think.

Because, much to my genuine surprise and amusement, I actually did enjoy the Rise of Skywalker upon second viewing. If you look to my first review, I said I enjoyed the film despite its massive missteps. In the time since, nearly everyone on the internet has had their say about this film, many of whom believing this is the single worst piece of Star Wars cinema put out to date. And upon further reflection, the problems that I had with the film the first time continued to bother me even more, especially as Lucasfilm tried desperately to backtrack and cover up their mistakes.

Palpatine was a clone you say? Not only was Palpatine a clone in The Rise of Skywalker, but also in Return of Jedi? Not only were they BOTH clones, but Palpatine's son was a FAILED clone of the Emperor? Give me a break. You tried, you failed, Disney, time to move on. 

And yet, after sitting down and seeing the film again for the first time since late December, expecting to dislike this film even more for its horrid plot decisions, I came to the realization that I really didn't. I rather mildly enjoyed the movie, and I will stand by that opinion because just as much as anyone out there is entitled to hate this film and call it an utter piece of garbage, I an entitled to my opinion as well.

But again, let be be clear, to me this film is an utter disaster. This film represents the exact opposite of the prequel films, most namely Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith (we don't talk about Jar Jar and his endeavors in the Phantom Menace). Episodes 2 was a terrible movie by most standards, but I do believe it was a great Star Wars movie. There's a difference. Let me explain.

You see, as a film analyst, I have to look at movies a certain way, through a different lens, if you will, pulling apart structure, story, characters, etc. However, for franchises with the longevity of Star Wars, Pixar, or Marvel, where I have preexisting emotional attachments, it's extremely hard for me to separate the respective films from their predecessors. How does one simply ignore the events of Infinity War when watching Endgame and judge Endgame as a standalone? It's near impossible.

But to the best of my ability, as I look back upon the Rise of Skywalker as a standalone film, it's fine. It's very fine. There are some classic, cliche moments of foreshadowing, such as the force healing of the worm that saves Rey later, there's a nice little redemption arc for Kylo Ren, Rey defeats the Emperor, and good triumphs in the galaxy.

But as a Star Wars fan?

Kylo Ren was REDEEMED?

The mere fact that JJ Abrams so flippantly decided to redeem a character who had killed his father, killed his master, taken over as the dictator of a Nazi-Germany-esque regime,  and tried to kill Rey is absolutely absurd. And before anyone says anything about Darth Vader, let me be quick to point out that Darth Vader's struggle towards the light was apparent. In that final moment, and in fact, all throughout the trilogy, Vader wasn't trying to kill Luke. He was trying to bring him over to his side, however twisted that may be, and what finally got in the way of the dark side for him was his love for his son. Kylo Ren attempts the same thing with Rey, except there is absolutely no tangible emotional connection OTHER than the kiss (oh, the horror) that JJ Abrams decided to add in (which, by the way, I believe to be the single worst scene of "romance" in any Star Wars film, INCLUDING Anakin and Padme in Attack of the Clones). Throughout this entire trilogy, rather than hinting towards a lingering good in Kylo Ren, the filmmakers, namely Rian Johnson in Episode 8 for better or for worse, decided to buckle down and commit Kylo Ren fully to the dark side. He is the SUPREME LEADER.

And force healing? It would've been helpful if Obi-Wan knew how to do that when Qui-Gon was dying. How about Luke when Vader was dying? Where was this knowledge obtained? A simple explanation, a sentence, even a few words saying that Luke had discovered this from Force-Ghost Yoda would have at least helped.

Lest we forget that JJ Abrams resurrected the single biggest villain in the entire galaxy and one of the most iconic characters in movie history and DIDN'T SAY HOW. 

And of course, there's the plot convenience of the dagger happening to line up with debris of a broken Death Star that probably should have moved over the last thirty years, Anakin's lightsaber that was clearly split in two and is now back with no explanation... 

This film is a disaster. 

And yet, it was still enjoyable. Once I was able to sit back and enjoy the numbing action of Star Wars lightsabers swinging at each other, or giant star destroyers fighting the scrappy Resistance, I had a good time. But there is something to be desired when you watch the Anakin v. Obi-Wan fight compared to any battles in this new trilogy. Even if the movies were not nearly as good, you can feel the emotion, the bond, the struggle between those two characters as they fight. 

At the end of the day, I just wish that the people behind the film had the presence of mind to have a plan. To hash out a story that spanned 3 films and THEN go for it. The ONE SCENE would have made this movie infinitely better isn't even a scene in this movie, but a hypothetical scene in Episode 8. If, at the end of Episode 8, there was a cackle coming from an intercom and Palpatine's voice calling out to Kylo Ren saying that he had fulfilled his training in killing Snoke, THAT would have made this movie infinitely better. Now, Palatine's return feels earned, even if it wasn't explained.

But this is what we got instead. And for better or for worse, the Skywalker Saga is now over.