#a star wars holiday special

[greensparty]

Stuff I'm Looking Forward to in December

I can't believe it is now the END of 2023 and it's the last month of the year. In addition to Pearl Harbor Day (Dec. 7), Hanukkah (Dec. 7-15), Winter beginning (Dec. 21), Christmas Day (Dec. 25), Kwanzaa (Dec. 26-Jan. 1) and New Year's Eve (Dec. 31) here is what's on my radar:

Movies:

Silent Night

John Woo is one of my personal filmmaking heroes. I even made a tribute to him with my short film To Be John Woo. He has not made a film in the U.S. in twenty years and now he's back with an action-packed revenge film. Opens 12/1 (review to come).

A Disturbance in the Force

The 1978 TV special Star Wars Holiday Special has become legendary…mainly because it was so critically reviled and George Lucas has tried to prevent it from ever being re-broadcast or released. I got my bootleg DVD and I’ve written about it quite a bit here. Now there is a documentary about the SWHS. It’s directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak. Coon co-directed Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, which I named my #14 Documentary of the 2010s! Blu-ray and streaming release on 12/5.

Wonka 

I have a very special place in my heart for Roald Dahl's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In third grade we did a production of it and I made my acting debut as an Oompa Loompa. Tim Burton's 2005 remake got a bad rap, but I kind of liked it and dug how they tried to get into his background. Now there is a new prequel about Willy Wonka's early days and the lead up to his becoming a chocolate king. I would call myself cautiously optimistic about this. Opens 12/15.

Ferrari 

I can't say I love every movie Michael Mann has made, but when he's good he's really good and whenever he has a new film I always check it out. This biopic of Enzo Ferrari looks good! Opens 12/25.

The Boys in the Boat

George Clooney has directed some of his best work when it's based on real life, i.e. Good Night and Good Luck and The Monuments Men. This one is about the 1930s University of Washington rowing team. Opens 12/25.

Occupied City 

Steve McQueen's directed some great narrative films and now he has a new documentary about Amsterdam from World War II to now. It's also 4 hours and 6 minutes (not a typo). Opens 12/25.

Music:

Peter Gabriel I/O

Peter Gabriel hasn't released a new album of original material in 21 years (there's been covers and re-recordings since then), so this new album he's been teasing throughout the year is cause for celebration. Album drops 12/1.

TV:

Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too?

As the singer and bassist for Rush, Geddy Lee has amassed quite a cult following. Now he is doing his version of a travel show, where he meets with other notable bassists to do some of their favorite activities, see their home and area, talk shop and yes, compare bass playing tips. Series premieres on 12/5 on Paramount+.

John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial

The 1980 murder of John Lennon is one of the great tragedies in that he was such a tremendous talent taken from us at age 40 by a deranged "fan". This 3-part docuseries deep dives into that killing and the aftermath. Series premieres on Apple TV+ on 12/6.

End of the Year Lists:

As anyone who knows me knows, I wait until after the year ends to begin unveiling my best-of-the-year lists (you never know, something great might be released on 12/31!), so expect my lists to be rolled out beginning in January. In the meantime, I’ll be reading all of the Best of 2023 lists that begin dropping this month!

[thestuffedalligator]

I want them to make a sequel to the Star Wars Holiday Special. I want it to be a very serious family drama about Chewbacca’s family, how he drifted apart from his wife to pursue space opera shenanigans in his shitty space Winnebago, how his relationship with his son Lumpy fell apart because yeah, Chewie, you were saving the galaxy, and we’re all very proud of you for that, but that doesn’t mean you were my dad. You were never here. Do you know what that did to mom? Do you know what that did to me??? Lumpy was raised by his mother and his grandfather and Saun Fucking Dann, the guy who was played by Art Fucking Carney in the holiday special, and Chewie might as well have been a fucking ghost the way the family talked about him. And when the war was over, did you come home? Did you settle with your Wookiee wife and be a Wookiee father and smoke your Wookiee pipe while reading the Wookiee newspaper. Of fucking course you didn’t you went off gallivanting through the stars again in your shitty space Winnebago with your shitty space roommate, because the idea of being still for even a fucking instant made you terrified. And I want a holiday special where all of this comes out when Chewie deigns to come home one year for Life Day.

And — and this is very important — I want all this family drama delivered through untranslated Shyriiwook. No subtitles no nothing just three hours of wookiees going “Aaaaaaargh ghhhhhrn gaaaaaar”

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Mark Hamill - The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

[ignotussomnium]

[gameraboy2]

Animation cel from The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

[im-yotsu]

Besties <3

[omaano]

As promised earlier today, here's the separate post of the new guys and their icons :3 Well. The guys who have something new to show for themselves (as is the case with Maul, Kit and Shaak Ti). I took some extra care to make Luke and Leia have the same face and eye shape, same with Omega and a younger Boba. I'm also sorry about Fives' blue tint, okay? TBB!Echo just fit better to stand out without a body and a whole character T^T (You guys, I cannot wait to get to Sabine and Ezra's character drawings!!)

And then there are these babies too: they are squishy and adorable Q^Q

More of the Star Wars meets Hades AU (I'm trying to give monthly updates on my progress with it), and the other collections of character icons for the Mandalorian half and the Prequels bunch specifically.

[lesbianwyllravengard]

Rewatching the Star Wars Lego Holiday Special with my brother and uh. What the fuck was this.

[wookieefan]

Han and Chewie hug Star Wars Holiday Special.

[star-wars-forever]

Filming the Falcon cockpit for the Star Wars Holiday Special

[pestopastaenjoyer]

I completed every sw fan’s right of passage

[knightscanfeeltoo]

Boba Fett just didn't want Bridget to become a Ruthless Bounty Hunter like he used to be...

(boba fett being a guest character in guilty gear would be cool too...)

[quinton-reviews]

Jokes on you, I never had integrity

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

[cloudyfacewithjam]

Kylo Ren & Armitage Hux in The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)

[gameraboy2]

The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)