#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!

[atomic-chronoscaph]

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.

[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

[cloudyfacewithjam]

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

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Peter Mayhew and Harrison Ford - Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

[acmeoop]

Star Wars Animated Cel Set-Ups (1978,1985)

[gameraboy2]

The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

[heyclickadee]

With Ahsoka coming out, all I really have to say is that my approach to Star Wars is that sometimes Star Wars is good, sometimes Star Wars is bad, sometimes it’s just not for me, or so for me that I get a little mentally ill about it, but whatever it is, Star Wars is pizza. I like pizza. Almost universally. And sometimes pizza is this amazing stone-fired creation, a chewy crust topped with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, and blackberries, and sometimes it’s a totinos pizza roll filled with cubes of something that’s kind of like pepperoni but definitely isn’t. The former is obviously better, but I can enjoy the latter, too. Doesn’t mean I won’t criticize it, that I’ll like everything about it, or that I’ll be satisfied with totino pizza roll Star Wars (heeeeeyyy Rise of Skywalker, you messy disaster), but it does mean that I will probably enjoy some small part of it on some level, and that I’ll probably talk about the parts I like more than the parts I don’t, mostly because I’m tired and complaining about things that ultimately don’t matter that much stopped being fun a while ago. Long story short: There’s probably going to be a lot about Ahsoka I like, and a lot I don’t—I wish it were animated, for one thing—but you probably won’t hear that much about the parts I don’t care for unless I actively despise it. I’m cautiously excited.

I’m also incautiously excited about the soundtrack. Because you know what’s always good? Star Wars music. More Star Wars music is ALWAYS a good thing.