Star Wars: Episode VIII (The Last Jedi) - SPOILERS POSSIBLE*

I looked it up. The score-only version will be available to those who redeem the code that comes with the physical release.

 

I so wanted there to be ropes around that platform.... ala WWF Wrestling.

I guess we need our "Star Wars" Daily Devotional Book/Podcast...

 

This is hilarious.

TFA Alt Ending - Streamable

 

Too bad it wasn't the actual ending. Its would have set up TLJ perfectly.

 

Yeah. I would have liked that ending much better!

 

New interview posted today...it still seems like Mark is still not completely happy with his character being faded out. Has he accepted it yet?

Mark Hamill: Still 'in denial' about fate of Luke Skywalker - CNN Video

 

Saw the blu-ray today at a store, but the 2D and 3D versions are being offered as two separate releases over here. I'll wait for the 3-BD set that will be released in the UK on April 9th.

 

Whatever actually happens with the Luke character, I think at some point a full-length documentary should be made about the fascinating, awkward passive-aggressive thing going on between Hamill and Rian Johnson (and to some degree the entire Lucasfilm/Disney operation). I'm sure the Last Jedi blu-ray documentary will be interesting, but a few years from now when Hamill can truly speak his mind, I think much more interesting things will come out.

I know that after many started pointed out how Hamill was arguably trashing the current Star Wars goings-on (to the point of people making YouTube compilation videos of Hamill arguably talking smack on the new film), he then went much more silent on the issue for awhile, yet Hamill posted online insisting Disney had not "shut him up."

But I'm pretty sure someone must have very firmly *asked* him to stop complaining.

In any event, it's clear as much as Rian Johnson has tried to portray that he "listened" to Hamill and worked it out, that Hamill was and is ticked off and annoyed and disappointed. Note that when Johnson has described "discussing" the issue with Hamill, he basically portrays it as "listening" to Hamill. It sounds like Johnson had to placate Hamill and let him blow off steam, but that he never has actually described *adopting* any fundamental character ideas that Hamill had. Sure, maybe he left a few Hamill ad-libs in and stuff like that. But it doesn't appear he altered *in any way* any of the fundamental issues Hamill had (Luke "giving up", Luke dying, etc.).

 

I think it's fine what happened to Luke. He can still come back a la Obi Wan! Still, it's a little bit strange we'll make it to Episode IX, without Han, Leia, or Luke.

 

Maybe it is my bi-polar disorder kicking in but I didn't really like the film the first time in the theater. Then after the second things clicked with me and I ended up seeing it 6 times. I just watched it on BD and am now back to being underwhelmed with it. Depending on what JJ Abrams comes up with I could end up just having the theatrical cuts of the OT as my Star Wars.

 

Probably his agent. "You want any chance of coming back for IX? Chill out."

I think people are more scared of the fangs of the Mouse than them actually being sharp implements

 

I'm at the point where I just have "Star Wars" as my Star Wars.

 

No Empire?

 

I wonder if watching it 7 or more times in such a short period had anything to do with the fact that you are suddenly underwhelmed by a film that you gave a 5 out of 5 to.

 

I like it but then I gotta deal with Return of the Jedi and the Muppets. Best to just quit with Luke and Han getting metals and be done with the whole mess.

 

Picked up the Target-exclusive BD set yesterday, which comes with a little book and also an extra bonus disc (to house one quick bonus featurette, on Porgs I believe).

I watched the film (again; I saw it a few times in theaters), and also the feature-length "Director and the Jedi" documentary, as well as the deleted scenes.

The deleted scenes were actually fairly substantive, for this type of big budget movie anyway. For those who didn't like the "Canto Bight Escape" stuff, prepare yourselves for an *even longer* version of it here that seems to go on forever.

The alternate Phasma scene is interesting.

There were a few bits I'm surprised they cut out, bits that work quite well. There's a tiny extension of the scene where Rey shoots a hole in the hut where the "Caretakers" stare her down. I thought this was hilarious (and also gives more context to her saying to Luke a few seconds later "I don't think they like me").

There's also an extension of Finn, Rose, and DJ "undercover." About 2/3 of this extension is quite good, with a pretty tense and then funny bit where a guy is eyeing them and coming after them, but they are able to get on an elevator in time, only to then have a door behind them open up to reveal a bunch of troopers. This works quite well, but then it gets pretty bad when the one of the troopers (with a seemingly goofy Southern accent?) recognizes Finn and slaps him on the butt. Weird.

As for the feature-length documentary, it's certainly longer and more substantive than typical docs for big budget movies. It doesn't really get into much of any acrimonious stuff. It readdresses multiple times that Mark Hamill hates Rian Johnson's vision for Luke. Credit to them for *not* trying to paint it as if Hamill came around to like what Johnson wrote. They leave it at Hamill not liking it but doing a good acting job despite it. But they also don't really get into it in any more detail. That is, Johnson doesn't try to contend he tried to compromise *at all* on the issue.

Indeed, while the doc portrays Johnson as having an obviously big weight on his shoulders fronting a huge movie like this, he really comes across no real adversity as presented in this documentary. There's never a point where Johnson wants something and is told he can't have it or can't do it. "Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner" this documentary is *not.* There is most certainly a story to be told someday about the clearly passive-aggressive, love-hate thing going on between Hamill and Johnson.

Johnson is an interesting but frustrating guy. He seems more into being forthcoming and willing to discuss nuts and bolts than someone like JJ Abrams. Yet, he seems absolutely unwilling to defer on anything relating to being the "Writer/Director" of this film. There's one quick moment where in a background interview Johnson describes wondering to himself whether the direction he's taking with Luke is correct. But then it's dropped, with the clear implication that he absolutely trusts everything he's doing and hasn't had to make any significant changes to anything at the behest of anyone. One would think he could have done Hamill a solid and tried to compromise *a little bit* on the Luke issue. It's almost like Johnson is afraid that if he gives on inch on anything, he'll open it up to having to make all sorts of changes.

To be clear, I like "The Last Jedi." I don't have the weird animus or vitriol for the film that some weirdly seem to have. I have issues with the film, though they tend to be somewhat different than the issues others have. My main gripe is that Hamill gives a surprisingly/stunningly excellent performance in this film, and regardless of whether they wanted to "kill him off", they should have given him even more screen time.

Note that in the documentary we get a few "deleted" bits that aren't in the "deleted scenes", including Johnson watching a playback of the Rey/Luke showdown after Luke "walks in" on Rey and Kylo where Rey asks Luke what he did to Kylo, and we get a deleted line from Luke, something to the effect of "you turned to the dark side for a set of pretty eyes." Why wasn't *that* in actual deleted scenes?

 

Having seen the film twice in theaters, I still haven't had much of a desire to rewatch upon home release, but I am sure I will one of these days in the near future. But yes, aside from the pseudo-social/political complaints (which I think may have *some* merit), my biggest beef with the film is the under-utilization of Luke/Hamill. I hope they find a way for him to have a role in IX, but I'm really not expecting it.

 

I would bank on Hamill being in IX. The question is whether it'll be a quickie deal (sort of like Yoda in TLJ), or now that they've established some expanded "powers" for "force ghosts", a larger role for "Force Ghost Luke."

 

I know that a lot of people didn't like TLJ because they wanted to see Luke in beast mode or they were upset by his death. I didn't feel that way, and neither did any of my friends. This guy really gets at the heart of our objection to the film.

 

I think one big mistake they made (for this whole new trylogy concept) is overlooking the fact that Mark Hamil (unlike Ford and Fisher) is in his prime as an actor, and they should have him as a major character with much screen time in all three movies.

 

I had the sense from the get-go before "The Force Awakens" even went into production that Disney had to be at least a little nervous about how Hamill and Fisher would do in a big "tentpole" movie like these. Fisher hadn't done a ton of acting recently, and Hamill hadn't done a ton of A-list on-screen jobs either.

I can't fault Abrams too much for not using Hamill, as the whole lynchpin for the thing was the big reveal at the end. But once the "dailies" started coming in on Hamill for "The Last Jedi", Johnson should have shifted his priorities a bit. Even if he didn't want to change detail one about Luke as far as being disenchanted and eventually dying, etc., Johnson should have *at the very least* saved every scrap of excellent Hamill work he could and not cut any of it out, and he also could have easily written more Rey-Luke stuff on the island. Let's remember, Johnson has said the deleted "Luke 'punk'd' Rey" scene included on the Blu-ray is NOT the "third lesson." So Johnson could have done more to highlight the frankly stunning performance from Hamill. I'm not saying he should have gotten an Oscar for it (though, all things considered, I wouldn't have been offended had he been nominated), but it had to have been a pleasant surprise for all those concerned with how he would come off in an A-list, tentpole "top billing" role. Johnson should have written a few more scenes, rejiggered things, etc.

Not that anything *had* to be cut to add more Luke, but if they did need to make that time up, they could have trimmed some other stuff. Poe's "your mom" joke didn' t *have* to be there. The Canto Bight stuff could have been trimmed even more.

There are some "deleted scenes", to Johnson's (partial) credit that I'm very glad he cut. The scene with the "Fathiers" crashing through the sauna room or whatever that was, with Warwick Davis in a costume that looks *way too much* like a piece of male anatomy; I'm glad that was cut.

 

I'm going to check out this video. I'm always interested in discussions of the film that don't consist of some neckbearded guy wearing headphones in front of his computer and screaming about "SJWs" and Kathleen Kennedy's "vagenda", etc.

I didn't to see Luke in "beast mode", but a bit more of him showing his strong capacity for "the force" would have been nice. In conjunction with his character needlessly being "bested" by Rey (yes, I know in the final confrontation we're supposed to assume Luke could squish Rey if he wanted to, but it was still sad seeing him smacked over the head with a stick by Rey), I do think Rey still has elements of the "Mary Sue" problem going on. (To be clear, I'm not dredging that debate back up, nor do I think she fits everybody's strict definition of a "Mary Sue"; I just feel across both movies she too easily accomplishes/learns things, etc.).

 

Bought the blu-ray....enjoyed watching at home...mainly because it only took an hour because I fast-forwarded through any scene not involving Mark Hamill. May the Force be with me!