The Decline of Skywalker

by Ginny O'Keefe

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! 

I’ve been a die-hard Star Wars fan since I was four years old. I had been eagerly awaiting the release of Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker since 2017. With the film rapidly losing screens now in its 9th weekend and approaching a final box office tally that's significantly less than its predecessor, I began to think about my own enormous disappointment. I must not be alone. To preface my reaction I should say that I have seen EVERY SINGLE Star Wars movie that has been released since I was born more than once in theatres. Until now...

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1999 with Nick: "Stuart Little" and Visual (and Animated) Effects

This week, in advance of the Oscars, Nick Davis is looking back at the Academy races of 20 years ago, spotlighting movies he’d never seen and what they teach us about those categories, then and now.

This year, The Lion King joins Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) as only the third fully animated feature to be nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar. I’ve read that tidbit in several places and assume that it must be true, according to people who know better than I do. I wasn’t sure why the movie that defeated Kubo, the 2016 remake of The Jungle Book, did not belong on this list, until I remembered that Mowgli was played by a living, breathing actor, Neel Sethi. Actually, what I mean is that I remembered Mowgli was in the movie, period. And I actually didn’t remember, I had to look it up. The Jungle Book, like an incredible number of films nominated for Best Visual Effects since the category got expanded to a five-wide field in 2010, made almost zero lasting impression on me. Like Best Original Song, it’s a division where I gladly release myself from seeing all the nominees. So, sorry, Lion King. Sorry, Endgame. Don’t get smug, Rise of Skywalker, you weren’t much better. And, until I proposed this series to Nathaniel, which partly exists to fill my own viewing gaps, sorry to Stuart Little, a movie that really tested my sense of the line between animation and visual effects, especially in the context of 1999. That line only gets blurrier as time goes on, so I thought I’d dig in a little...

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What's next for the cast of "Star Wars"?

by Cláudio Alves

For actors, franchises can be a gift and a curse simultaneously. Money is a plus, certainly, and so is the newfound fame and recognizability. However, such treasures often come at the cost of artistic risks and availability to do anything other than the series they're then chained to. Long preproduction, long shoots and even longer reshoots fill the calendar and then there are endless promotional tours. In the end, the victims of the franchises are the performers' fans.

With the "end" of the Skywalker saga, it's a good time to ponder what comes next for the stars of the third Star Wars trilogy. Will these actors be able to ride the wave of popularity into exciting careers or will they forever be tied to these Disney-owned characters? We'll see…

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Review: "Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker"

by Cláudio Alves

"Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to." were the desperate words of an angry man. "The greatest teacher, failure is." was the philosophy of a wise master. Somewhere in between the two sentiments, those of Kylo Ren and Yoda, lies the ethos of Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi. There's no place for toxic nostalgia in that director's vision of the Star Wars universe, though a critical look at what came before is necessary or else we're bound to never grow. Independently of Episode VIII's other faults, one would think such a theme would be unanimously celebrated and generate little to no controversy. One would be mistaken. 

Johnson's Star Wars feature sparked a wave of antagonistic discourse that's still active two years after its release. While the perpetual litigation of that production's merits is no one's idea of a good time, it's crucial to consider its themes when analyzing the latest episode in the saga. If every film in a franchise is having a conversation with its brethren, The Rise of Skywalker represents a repudiation of The Last Jedi's core ideals. JJ Abrams' return to the saga is an open celebration of uncritical nostalgia. Indeed, it appears to have been conceived more as a cowed response to fans' complaints than as a satisfying narrative…

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