The Mandalorian S2E3 The Heiress

 S2E3 The Heiress was awesome! I’m a huge fan of Bo Katan! And Katie Sackoff playing her character she’s voiced in TCW & SWR is Awesome!!! And the name she drops at the end of the episode to Din Jaren... YES!!! Can’t wait to see her in live action! Bo’s armor looked absolutely fantastic! 

The inclusion of Bo Katan just blew the doors wide open to a larger world and has, in my opinion, integrated Din D'jarin’s story more successfully into George Lucas’ Star Wars than the ST did by thousands of parsecs. The Mandalorian has brought a new hope to many fans across the world. Keep up the great work Dave and John!
This show is the way!

Movie Review: Alita Battle Angel

Now this is Motorballing!
I’m glad I was able to see Alita Battle Angel before it was taken out of the theater before it was replaced by Captain Marvel. Honestly the trailers did not do this movie any justice! I was very surprised how much emotion this film evoked. For a cyborg that kicked so much ass Alita has a surprisingly big heart....literally and figuratively! As I mentioned previously the trailers didn't grab me and when I saw Alita, her eyes took me out of it, but when I was watching the movie there is so much conveyed in her eyes and it really wasn't an issue for me at all. I've grown up watch anime so It was weird that the trailer bugged me so much.
The movie seemed pretty faithful to the source material at least for the first half, I never made it thru the Anime....maybe one of these days I'll get around to it.
Alita Battle Angel is a simple sci fi story that isn't bogged down with agenda's and expectations....it's refreshing and enjoyable!
There is a few scene's that are left unanswered that scream sequel which I hope get's green lit. I'd love to learn more about this "universe" like who/what is on Mars that built 99? What was the battle on the moon about? Why did the Martians want to destroy Elysium oops I mean Zalem.
The fights scenes were cool and I appreciate they didn't go crazy with the camera work.
I'm not entirely sure the Megaman Helmet was an intentional homage but it was cool, also I swear Cameron gave a nod to the Maker when one of the HK's at the Motorball race at the end dropped what looked ALOT like one of Anakin Skywalker's Podrace engines!

B

Solo a TLJ casualty....

I just watched Solo the other day and regrettably I think this movie is like the innocent person on the side walk minding their own business that gets seriously injured while a crazed mob is marching down the street with torches and pitch forks....Solo never had a chance. Before TLJ many, including myself, were saying I have zero interest in seeing a Solo origins movie. Then the Lord and Miller drama, then, the acting coach rumors, and to 80% reshoots rumors, then TLJ happened....but like I mentioned I just saw it and......I enjoyed it. L3 3T was irritating AF...I was glad to see "her" die. Donald Glover did fine as Lando, and I didn't think Ehrenreich was terrible. Woody Harrelson's character was so obviously gonna betray Han. For me the most interesting character was Emilia Clarke's Qi ra...that character has so much potential to add to the franchise! After watching Solo I wondered, what would Han have done if when he left Leia he bumped into Qi ra all those years later. My Fan boy spirit was reignited and I started to do the match and yeah Rey could be....and for that connective thread to be true it would make the ST just a bit better!
Solo isn't great but it was entertaining and there is some real impressive cinematography and there is potential to expand the Universe and flesh it out even more.
Oh and then there's the guest appearance by my favorite ex Sith. Now if you were totally perplexed by his appearance then you sir never watched TCW and SW Rebels and you sir are not a Star Wars fan, good day sir! But if you did recognize Sam Witwer's voice then congrats you are a fan!
All in all Solo is an enjoyable space adventure with Star Wars characters. Definately worth checking out post mortem....
B-

Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens Trailer 2 Thoughts and Impressions

The trailer was....good, safe...the most interesting parts for me was seeing Rey spelunking the wreckage of the Star Destroyer and the quick shot of the tall red droid in front of a temple.
By far the most interesting aspect of the trailer was what wasn't shown....Luke Skywalker! 
All in all a good trailer but I didn't get the feels😒
For those who say I'm not a true fan I was born in 73 and saw Star Wars in the theater...before it was ANH.

I'm kinda pissed I wasn't able to get tix to see it at the Zeidfeld Theater in NYC, like I did for the PT. But I did get tix for me, my wife and my friends. 

59 days left!

So what did you think of the trailer?

Movie Review: The Martian

When I saw the trailer for this movie and Matt Damon says " I'm going to science the shit outta this" I wrote this one off as another Ridley Scott sci fi movie with stupid fuckin scientists....yeah I'm looking at you Dr. Holloway! For some reason I also had a difficult time accepting Matt in this role...similarly to how I initially felt about Sandra Bullock in Gravity.......I was wrong in both instances.

The Martian was actually very entertaining if you don't go in with any preconceived notions of astronauts, botanists, or astro physics....not to say you'll be walking into something like Bayformers, but it'll help.
At first Mark Watney's monologue's seemed a bit contrived but over the course of the movie I grew used to it and these "conversations" seemed natural, like I was there with him and they brought leverage to a dire situation with his critique of Capt. Lewis's musical preferences....aside from it being an in joke, I have to agree, The Martian isn't gonna win any awards for best soundtrack.....but the soundtrack actually worked very well in the context of the situations in the movie.


Matt Damon did an amazing job in the role in my opinion and made Watney a much more relate-able character, he infused the character with personality which is a testament to not only Matt Damon but also Ridley Scott's casting prowess, just look at the cast of The Martian! Chiwetel Ijiofor, Kate Mara, Jeff Bridges, Michael Pena, Benedict Wong (Prometheus, Moon, Sunshine) and Sean Bean (Boromir)!
About half way thru there's a scene where a young astro physicist proposes a alternative to NASA's plan to expedite supplies to Watney code named..........wait for it.........project Elrond! It was a very funny scene and I suspect Sean Bean had a difficult time not saying

The movie is littered with funny scenes like this and is interlaced throughout so well the balance between the drama of a man stranded on Mars with only his intelligence and wits to survive and Watney coming to the conclusion that he is a Space Pirate works perfectly.

As I mentioned this was an enjoyable fun movie but there were a few glaring things that made me question the movie...

1. Would a Botonist know how to rewrite code for a rover? 

2. Would a Botonist know about Hexadecimal coding? 

3. Why was there speed tape in the decontamination chamber?

4. Even if the Hermes departed several months prematurely it still would only have been mission planned for only enough fuel for a round trip from Erf to Mars and back.....right?

5. So we have the technology to travel to the Mars, but we can't detect a Martian storm until it's within visual range....

6. What kind of magic batteries were in Watney's helmet cam??? 

7. Where's Wilson???

8. Is it THAT easy to walk into NASA and see the Chief Director and Administrator?

If I were Ridley I would've tried to get permission to show a frozen Clooney floating past the Hermes as they picked up the supply rocket during operation Elrond. But that's just me.

The Martian is a very enjoyable Sci Fi light movie from Capt. Sci Fi Ridley Scott, worth the price of admission! 

B

I will say this, I hate the one sheet for this movie. Can you imagine if the poster for BVS had a close up of Aflecks face in the Batman mask with the words I Am Batman.... the Novels cover art is better.

Star Wars The Force Awakens 100 days remaining

The Force Awakens for a new generation in 100 days! I'm excited to share the fun and excitement of this sequel trilogy with my son as my parent shared it with me when I was my son's age! 

I'm impressed how Lucasfilm and Disney have contained the leaks as well as they have, it's very difficult in today's day and age to keep a project of this caliber as secretive as they have.

I've enjoyed sharing my theories and speculation over the past few years and soon I'll see how in tune I am with the Force.

The Force is for all times and all generations. May the Force be with you!

P.S only 625 days until Episode VIII....