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The Force Continues
Learn the name Felicity Jones. Her 2016 movie calendar includes Inferno in October and Star Wars in December.
The Star Wars universe has never been limited to being mere movie events, but as a way of life. The experience does not casually start and end when you leave the movie theater. Speaking of which, did you just buy Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Blu-Rey?
(No, that’s not a misspell…).
Well, get ready to head back to the theater again this December to see Storm Troopers, the Death Star and an epic operatic space battle. The first trailer for Disney’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released this morning.
Two strong, daring female leads in the revamped Star Wars films signal a paradigm shift in the franchise’s narrative and branding strategy by appealing to a new fan base to its science-fiction adventures on the big screen. Rey was fantastic in The Force Awakens and Felicity Jones’ character is awesome in the trailer above.
Rogue One looks like one hell of a fun Star Wars story.
Filming in Space, You Are?
(Colin Trevorrow, Comic Book Cast)
“I asked the question, ‘Is it possible for us to shoot IMAX film plates in actual space for Star Wars?’,” he said.
“I haven’t gotten an answer yet, but they’ve shot IMAX in space.”
–Colin Trevorrow
Filming Star Wars: Episode IX in the stars?
Let the war for cinema’s best practical effects begin.
Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow, working on his second mega franchise with Star Wars, revealed this stunning news recently during a panel at the Sundance Film Festival. He and a few directors, including Christopher Nolan, were discussing the incomparable quality and necessary future of film as an alternative to digital for filmmakers when this golden nugget surprisingly made its way into the conversation.
The conversation for saving film as a means for making movies is a worthy discussion for another day.
Returning to the burgeoning and ambitious young director, Mr. Trevorrow clearly means business in preparing to tackle the Star Wars universe. If simply daring to direct his second prodigious blockbuster isn’t proof enough.
One of the primary consequences of Star Wars: Episodes I-III was a rejection of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) as central, interactive settings. This forced a return to the newest trilogy to feature locations that are rooted in practical effects. Add in supreme storytelling, better characters (ie-Jar Jar Binks) and a modern twist with a vintage, blue lightsaber glow.
Regarding the first film in the new trilogy, J.J. Abrams did an amazing job with The Force Awakens. The blockbuster utilized practical effects to the max. However, like any industry, innovation is paramount (the word, not the studio). Despite the lack of perfect effects, though groundbreaking at the time, the original Star Wars trilogy is cherished by fans for its revolutionary look and feel.
Episode IV, for example, looks like 1977. Watching this classic is like opening up a time capsule with a lightsaber inside.
Episode IX, with an expected release in 2019, could very well turn an important page for science-fiction epics in ways found only in our imaginations.
The investment in more practical effects correlating with demand for more realism in cinema is constantly increasing. The ROI has proven to be remarkable for movies that mimic real life to a certain extent, yet still give us what we want in a movie and in the theater: suspended belief.
Imagine a Star Wars battle scene, set in outer space, that’s actually filmed in outer space…
That would certainly be a new hope for the series.
Colin Trevorrow’s vision for Star Wars: Episode IX is bigger than any IMAX screen.
A Funny Thing Happened with Pluto
(CBC News/NASA)
While researchers have no direct evidence of the object, they did see strange perturbations in the orbits of objects deep in the Kuiper Belt — the group of icy bodies in Pluto’s part of space — that seem to suggest the existence of a planet one to 10 times more massive than Earth that orbits the sun every 10,000 to 20,000 years.
–Miriam Kramer, “How to name the possible ninth planet in our solar system,” Mashable
This deep-space discovery/observation is an exciting revelation. The universe continues to surprise us in ways that reinvigorate our sense of exploration. Looking up at the stars at night, flickering at distances that seem deceptively close is an experience in itself. To read today that, potentially, a ninth planet in our solar system may be been spotted behind the curtain of space should make anyone’s mind expand to new horizons.
In a cool way, this discovery validates the incredible space journey depicted in the space operatic epic Interstellar from 2014. Without revealing any spoilers, one of the planets they visit (as seen in the trailer) is covered in ice with relentlessly freezing temperatures. And, as mentioned in the quote above, the potential new planet would likely have similar conditions. Not even opening the debate to whether or not astronauts could one day step foot on this planet-like discovery, one of the important first questions to ask is how long would it take to travel through space to Pluto and into its orbit?
The most advanced propulsion systems we have today [2015] require 10 to 15 years to deliver a 1.6-kilogram (3.5 lbs.) spacecraft into Pluto orbit.
–Tim DeBenedictis, “What Would It Take to Send People to Pluto?” Space.com
Whether or not we this mysterious planet-like mirror of Earth is deemed a planet, the fact that this is a scientific debate and that manned missions to Mars and Pluto are being considered with various scenarios and logistics spells an ambitious future for humans.
Or a doomed future for the people of Earth.
Hopefully, Interstellar isn’t entirely accurate in this regard.
Also, Goofy could work as a name for this prospective planet hanging around Pluto.
Why not have a sense of humor about this that’s literally out of this world?
The Force Awakens: The New Hope
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now in theaters!
It all started back in 1977 with Star Wars IV: A New Hope. As we all know, it was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Good vs. Evil. Droids and Lightsabers. Storm Troopers and Jedi’s. Han Solo and Princess Leia. The Death Star and the Millennium Falcon.
The spoiler-free reviews and reactions from the privileged few who have already seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens have been stellar. And why shouldn’t they be? Embracing the out-of-this-world expectations, director and sci-fi aficionado J.J. Abrams seems to have delivered on the fresh reboot of the beloved franchise. The trailers look fantastic, the cast incredible (Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac), the story appears to have an intriguing premise and feel and, most importantly, the sets are rooted in practical effects.
The latter is paramount because green-screens can ruin even the most popular series (cough cough Star Wars prequels). Yes, there are digital effects in The Force Awakens. However, practical sets seems to have trumped digital wherever possible. This extra effort and attention to detail is a great tribute to the original 1977 and 1980s episodes IV-VI, which were driven by the story and its iconic characters.
Speaking of iconic characters, perhaps the best way to prepare for Episode VII is to watch the most famously pivotal scene from the Star Wars saga.
Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader.
After the disastrous prequels, The Force Awakens seems to be offering Star Wars fans optimism not only for this movie, but for the next two chapters episodes in this epic space saga.
J.J. Abrams + Company (Bad Robot and Lucasfilm) seems to have found the force within themselves and it has led them to their cinematic destiny:
The right side of the Star Wars universe.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 