The Film Experience™ was created by Nathaniel R. All material herein is written by our team. (This site is not for profit but for an expression of love for cinema & adjacent artforms.)
Han Solo isn’t exactly a character that has our affections enmeshed in his origins. As played in the original Star Wars saga by peak hunk Harrison Ford, Han is about 50% swagger, 30% smart ass, and 20% emotional walls. He’s a crucial element, but one whose history isn’t essential to the story we all know and love - so in tracing his beginnings, Solo - A Star Wars Story needs a strong point of view to be more than a spin on the hampster wheel. It’s sadly almost there...
Chris here. We've got only a month or so before we finally feast our eyes on the much reported troubled production of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Was Ron Howard able to steer the film to safety after original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller notoriously clashed with Lucasfilm brass? Depending on which reports you believe, Howard either completely reshot the entire script or just the major set pieces. Whether the final product succeeds, expect the "who shot what" discussion to continue into Star Wars lore like "Han shot first".
Adding to the concern has been a lack of footage to pore over, but await no longer for a full trailer is finally here! While the delayed glimpse at what is in store hasn't done much in the way of damage control, the actual trailer doesn't quite help either. We're served a mishmash of murky imagery and what looks to be an overadherence to formula, particularly in its character lineup. If you can already sense there are too many cooks in the kitchen from this short assemblage, it might be time to believe the worst. Doesn't it feel like the titular hero (and our beloved Alden Ehrenreich who plays him) is being backgrounded? Shouldn't our heart race immediately at the sight of the Millennium Falcon?
But the trailer isn't without its highlights: Donald Glover being sexy in space, ample capes, Woody Harrelson being weird again, and whatever it is that Thandie Newton is doing (but speechlessly so? Why?!). And thanks to Fleabag, we still couldn't be any more excited for whatever Phoebe Waller-Bridge's android brings. For now, we wait nervously on the rest...
Time for a link roundup so recent news doesn't entirely escape us...
movies • AV ClubPhantom Thread deleted scene -- an actual food fight between Cyril and Reynolds! Daniel and Lesley are clearly enjoying themselves • IndieWire March Madness movie brackets. This A24 one is a nightmare. How to vote against so many great movies? • THR Hugh Jackman's next two projects are The Front Runner and Bad Education (despite the familiar famously queer titles I'm disappointed to say that neither of those are adaptations of famous gay love stories or drag Almodovar movies.)
More after the jump including Cameron Diaz, Roseanne, Broadway movie adaptations, Ben Affleck, and more...
Your childhood memories are about to get Beyoncé'd.
Disney's The Lion King is getting the live-action treatment and previews for it have already shown great promise. Disney has now revealed the list of stars that will voice your most cherised prepubescent traumas. Standouts include James Earl Jones as Mufasa (he also voiced the original in 1994), Chiwetel Ejiofor as maybe-gay uncle Jafar, and budding singer/song-reader Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. The voices of the new King features great diversity that we hope is indicative of the crew behind-the-scenes.
Happy Still Thinking About the Emmys Day, everyone! Kim from Head Over Feels here to break down the Handsome Men of the Emmys. Covering Men’s Fashion can be hard sometimes because it’s basically like “Here’s a bunch of really handsome men in tuxedos! Enjoy!” Which, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a handsome man even in the most basic of suits.
Lately though the fellas have, as a whole, started to make more daring choices as of late, embracing color and prints and statement accessories. (And excellent tailoring. All the slim fit suits, please and thank you.) Let’s take a look at the Gents who brought their A-Game to the Emmys, shall we?