X-Wing Fan Film

I've found a recently posted Star Wars fan film about X-Wing and Y-Wing pilots in combat against Imperial forces in deep space. And that's it. No Jedi, no light sabers, no light saber duels. Just intense dogfighting between spaceships. That's the whole 50 minute movie, here. And it's marvelous.

This is what I wanted when Disney+ first announced they were doing Star Wars TV shows: an enthralling adventure set within the Star Wars universe that took place in space. It finally took a fan production to deliver it. Thank you very much to everybody who worked on this, you did a magnificient job.

What Could Have Been

I found this on the web. It's tantalizing, not just because of what it shows, but what could have been. If the lead actress had looked like this--even in just one scene--then the Star Wars sequels would have been far more enjoyable for me.

Ahsoka: the First Two

So I watched the first two episodes of Ahsoka, and I loved them. The first episode starts off with a jail break of Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), the villain who was captured by Ahsoka (with help from the Mandalorian) in "The Jedi," which was Rosario Dawson's debut as Ahsoka in the second season episode of The Mandalorian. This opening scene gives us an impressive first look at Baylan Skoll (the late, great Ray Stevenson) and his apprentice Shin Hati (the wonderfully intense Ivanna Sakhno), two force wielding mercenaries who easily take down the entire crew of the New Republic battleship that was transferring the imprisoned Elsbeth.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka reconnects with Hera Syndulla (the perfectly cast Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Sabrine Wren (a superb Natasha Liu Bordizzo) as they all try and get to the bottom of what this new group of Big Bads are up to (hint: it ain't anything good). Even if you've never seen Star Wars Rebels--the animated series from which Ahsoka continues its storyline--don't worry, because the Ahsoka series is its own unique beast that quickly comes together in a self assured manner within the first two shows (although fans of SW: Rebels will be tickled pink at all of the Easter Eggs). The result is that we're promised a sprawling, epic story ahead of us that truly feels like a worthy sequel to the classic Star Wars saga.

The production values look great, with Ahsoka's personal ship being a highlight (I love the dining room table, and chairs, that emerge from the floor), and the cinematography is cinematic in its look and style. Kevin Kiner's marvelous score wonderfully re-creates the grand, orchestal John Williams soundtrack that elevates the proceedings nicely. Of course, this is just the first two episodes, but if the remaining six episodes uphold this level of quality, then Ahsoka will be a keeper.

Beach time with Leia

July Third of this past week was the hottest day ever in recorded history, all over the planet. Let that sink in for a moment--or, instead, sink into these photos that I've found around the net.

These are photos of Carrie Fisher, clad in the metal bikini that she wore as Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi, on the beach with some friends.

It was a photo shoot for the cover of Rolling Stone, which ran a feature article about the film back in 1983. This photo set is the same age as ROTJ, 40 years old.

Carrie was barefoot during these beach shots, and I fondly recall running out back then to buy a copy of this particular issue of RS, just to get the BF picture of her on the cover.

In recent days, people have posted these unused pictures from that shoot, some of which are better than the picture they used for the cover. These shots really make me wish Leia had been barefoot when she was clad in the metal bikini in ROTJ.

We're heading into what will be a very hot, sweltering summer, so please do whatever you can to keep cool--even if it's looking at pictures of a barefoot space princess.

Ahsoka TV Series

The first trailer for the new Ahsoka TV series on D+ has dropped, and it looks very good. Ahsoka is one of my favorite Star Wars characters that was created by Dave Filoni for the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series (and first given life by the voice-acting goddess Ashley Eckstein). She's played (very well) in live action by the marvelous Rosario Dawson, first in the Mandalorian and then in The Book of Boba Fett.

Another favorite SW animated character of mine, Sabine Wren, from Star Wars: Rebels, will be making her live-action debut in Ahsoka, played by actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo.

Sabine's comrade in arms from SW: Rebels, Hera Syndulla, is also making her live-action debut in Ahsoka. She'll be played by the always good Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Chopper, their droid, will accompany them.

Ray Stevenson appears as a former Jedi named Baylan Skoll, who survived General Order 66 by venturing out into the Unknown Regions (good for him--bad for our heroes).

Ivanna Sakhno also appears as Shin Hati, an apprentice of Baylan's, and--based on what I saw of her in the trailer--I want her action figure RIGHT NOW.

And then there's this guy: Grand Admiral Thrawn, who was first introduced in Timothy Zahn's excellent book trilogy Heir to the Empire (and which this new TV series is reportedly based on). To say that I'm looking forward to this series, overall, is putting it very mildly. You can see the trailer below:

Have a very Happy Easter, and Passover. No matter who or what you celebrate, I hope you stay safe and happy.

Daisy Talks Star Wars

One of my favorite actresses, Daisy Ridley, talks about my favorite scene, the throne room battle, in my favorite Star Wars sequel, The Last Jedi. Getting her perspective on this scene is both fascinating and funny.

And I have to admit that I *REALLY* love the outfit that she wears, here. The actual clip can be seen below:

May the Fourth

Happy May the Fourth, as in May the Force be with you, day. To celebrate, here's a Star Wars-themed update with Felicity Jones from the fantasic Rogue One. The first picture shows her getting cuffed by a stormtrooper.

Felicity gets cuffed several times throughout Rogue One. And I can't thank the makers (or maker?) enough.

Here she's being seized and getting her wrists cuffed once more by a band of brigands.

But Jyn Erso is as cool as a cucumber, as always.

And on top of getting cuffed again, she's blindfolded with a bag over her head.

Happy May the Fourth to you! May the Force be with you. Hopefully your day will be better than Jyn's.

Bossk: Scorekeeper

There's a new Star Wars fan film out called Bossk: Scorekeeper. And it's very well done, with great production values.

The plot is basically the same as Predator, but set in the Star Wars universe, with Bossk being the "predator" hunting a team of soldiers from the Rebellion through dense woods. The Rebellion soldiers even have a bound captive with them, just like in Predator.

But the effects, the makeup, and the costumes are all very well done, as is the acting. Also, there is something "for us" here in that this lovely lady is cuffed throughout the film (she's not BF). Bossk: Scorekeeper is a lot of fun and highly recommended. You can see the film at the YouTube link below:

This is the way

Kara thought she had ditched the bounty hunter when she moved to a new planet. But the Mandalorian proved to be a hard enemy to elude. Find out what happened to Kara in my latest Poser picture right here.

Happy May the Fourth

Happy May the Fourth (as in "May the Fourth be with you")!

In honor of this Star Wars Day, we have Natalie Portman, from Attack of the Clones, making sure she's able to get herself out of some chains by slipping a metal piece into her mouth.

When she gets chained up by the bad guys (large flying bug-like dudes), Natalie immediately starts working on her escape while the future Darth Vader whines like a sniveling little bitch.

Thankfully, Natalie escapes from her chains before getting clawed by a beastie in the arena. Portman would do one more Star Wars film before going on to be Thor's girlfriend and an Oscar winner.

Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker

I've finally been able to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I enjoyed this movie immensely, seeing how it was a big blast of science fiction/fantasy that arrived just when I needed it most (Disney actually released the digital version earlier than expected--it will be out on physical media on March 31).

Rey (Daisy Ridley) is my favorite character from the sequel series, and the third film has her showing off her Jedi powers in fine form (her battle with the TIE fighter was really cool). The film is a fast-paced visual feast, offering plenty of the interstellar eye-candy that one would expect from a Star Wars film. Highly recommended. And one more thing: Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

The Witcher...now with lightsabers!

I've mentioned several times now that I'm a big fan of Netflix's The Witcher. A sure sign that you've made it atop the pop culture heap is when they start taking scenes from your show and turn them into lightsaber battles.

To be honest, I thought the swordfighting in the scene was so great that it didn't need anything else, but I still enjoyed this clip all the same. Warning: the gory parts have been left in. This scene makes me wish we can see an R-rated lightsaber battle someday in Star Wars.

Top Ten TV Shows of 2019

In no particular order, here are my favorite TV shows from the past year:

The Witcher (Netflix) -- a fun, enjoyable blast of high fantasy with a solid performance from Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), who's very good as the titular star.

Russian Doll (Netflix) -- a hysterically funny comedy about a woman (Natasha Lyonne, who's great) reliving the same day over and over with side-splitting consequences.

The Boys (Amazon Prime) -- fantastic adaptation of the graphic novel series about superheroes who are even more dangerous than the threats they supposedly protect us from. Karl Urban is magnificent in this.

Mindhunters (Netflix) -- the second season of this serial killer series is even better than the first. This shows that office politics (as well as regular politics) can be just as intriguing as the hunt for the killers.

Good Omens (Amazon Prime) -- a really charming series about the unlikely friendship between an angel and a demon, and how they work together to help people. A great cast, working from Neil Gaiman's book.

The Man in the High Castle (Amazon Prime) -- the fourth and final season of this dark SF series proved to be very satisfying. This marvelous show had such a nightmarish theme that, as sad as I am to see it go, I'm also glad to bid farewell to its darker aspects, too.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix) -- while I liked the movie well enough, I thought this prequel series was extraordinary. The attention to detail in all aspects of the production, the sheer imagination on display here, is simply amazing.

Unbelievable (Netflix) -- taking the standard police procedural and turning it into a deeply absorbing (and touching) series about a woman who's been victimized twice--first, by her rapist, and then by everyone around her--makes this a searing, but riveting watch.

Star Trek: Discovery: Season Two (CBS All Access)-- the second season is far better than the first, thanks to Anson Mount's great performance as Captain Pike. Bring on the Captain Pike series!

The Mandalorian (Disney Plus) -- Star Wars thrives on the small screen in this action-packed adventure featuring one of the mysterious, armor-clad warriors as its main star. It's basically Lone Wolf and Cub in outer space, and it works very well.

The Rise of Skywalker final trailer

This looks like it might be very good. I'm still hoping that Palpatine's appearance here will be more than just a cameo. Hopefully, he's a major player who shakes things up in the Star Wars universe.

I can't help but notice a classic design Star Destroyer rising from the water at one point in the trailer. And while it's a cool shot, it reminds me of when the USS Enterprise was submerged in Star Trek: Into Darkness, which was also directed by JJ Abrams. He seems to have a thing for sinking starships, doesn't he?

Rise of the Mandalorian

This snazzy new poster for Rise of Skywalker, the reportedly final saga film in the Star Wars film series, has been released. And all I can really say is....

I can't wait for The Mandalorian.

Watching the trailer for the new live-action series The Mandalorian gave me the same chills and excitement that I felt when I first saw the trailers for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It truly feels like we're returning to a "long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." The fact that The Mandalorian takes place right after the events of Return of the Jedi, during the original saga timeline, really appeals to me.

Maybe the powers that be at Disney made a mistake when they started making Star Wars sequels that took place thirty years after the original saga timeline. Maybe they should have stayed within the original saga timeline--like what Rogue One and Solo did; both Rogue One and Solo wound up being my favorite of the newer Star Wars films produced by Disney.

I realize they had no choice but to set the new saga films thirty years ahead, since the original actors were that much older. But, having re-watched The Force Awakens recently, I feel as if they really should have had Han, Luke, and Leia all together for one last ride in that film, side by side with the newer characters, and passing on the torch to them--Rey and the others would have taken over in the rest of the new trilogy.

Still, I look forward to seeing The Rise of Skywalker; I hope it's a grand and proper end to the Skywalker saga. But I'm really looking forward to enjoying The Mandalorian in the comfort of my own home. I want to see more of this wondrous galaxy that George Lucas gave us.

Happy (real) Star Wars Day

I know it's hip to celebrate Star Wars on May the fourth, but for me the real day to celebrate Star Wars is the 25th of May, which was the original date that the first Star Wars premiered back in 1977.

To try and keep to the theme of this blog, I 'capped the scenes of Rey (Daisy Ridley) being brought before Grand Leader Snoke by Kylo Renn. From Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Rey is manacled for the whole scene.

Until she's not--that's when Snoke wants an up close look at her.

In a weird way, this is kind of like Kylo bringing his girlfriend home to meet dad.

But, in this case, Dad winds up being a homicidal maniac. Rey was right in wanting no part of this family. Happy True Star Wars Day.