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kuwaiti-kid · 5 years ago

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The 20 Best Star Wars Books of All Time (Canon and Legends)

With the recent reveal of the Star Wars: The High Republic mixed-media series, now seems like a great time to look back on the novelizations, stand alones, and book series that have been an integral part of building the rich and expansive universe that we know and love today.

The first Star Wars novelization was released six months following the premiere of Star Wars: A New Hope. Ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster, but credited to George Lucas, Star Wars: From The Adventures of Luke Skywalker was the first venture into worldbuilding beyond the cinematic universe.

Over the course of forty-three years, nearly five hundred books have been added to the Jedi Archives, uh — I mean the Star Wars library. In 2014, almost four hundred of these novels were decanonized by Lucasfilm to refocus the canon around The Walt Disney Company’s restructuring of the franchise.

The Expanded Universe was rebranded as Star Wars Legends, but it was far from forgotten by its fans or the authors of the new canon novels.

The Ten Best Star Wars Legends Books

Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn (1991)

You would be hard-pressed to find a fan of the Star Wars Expanded Universe who doesn’t love Timothy Zahn’s novels. He introduced us to beloved characters like Mara Jade and Thrawn.

Set five years following The Return of the Jedi, Zahn kickstarted the Expanded Universe with an enthralling story that followed the continuing adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. Grand Admiral Thrawn attempts to track down a pregnant Princess Leia, while Luke Skywalker faces off with the smuggler Mara Jade (who just so happens to be the former Emperor’s Hand).

It is by far one of the best stories in the Expanded Universe.

The Han Solo Adventures (Trilogy) by Brian Daley (1979-1980)

Daley’s series recently returned to Star Wars discourse after High Republic author Cavan Scott tweeted out his current reference material for another project.

The trilogy follows Han Solo and Chewbacca through their days as smugglers in the capitalistic Corporate Sector, as they uncover a slaving ring, rescue kidnap victims, and face-off with a religious cult.

If you loved Solo: A Star Wars Story, you’ll love this trilogy.

The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime by R. A. Salvatore (1999)

Set twenty-one years following the destruction of the Death Star, Salvatore did the unthinkable in Vector Prime. Sanctioned by George Lucas himself, the character death depicted in this novel is the only original series character to die in the Expanded Universe.

It is the first novel in a nineteen-book series entitled The New Jedi Order. While this novel sacrificed the life of a beloved character, it also introduced the villainous race of the Yuuzhan Vong.

The original trilogy characters are paired off with the younger generation (the Solo children) throughout the novel, before converging at the crux of a devastating battle.

Star by Star by Troy Denning (2002)

The Yuuzhan Vong continue their ruthless campaign throughout the galaxy, leading Anakin Solo to concoct a dangerous plan to thwart their attacks. Denning’s novel delved a devastating blow for the Solo family as their youngest son Anakin Solo sacrificed his life to buy time for the rest of the team to kill the voxyn queen and escape from the Vong.

This is a book filled with death and destruction, and it proves to be a real page-turner.

Dark Journey by Elaine Cunningham (2002)

If you love Jaina Solo, then the tenth novel in The New Jedi Order series is the one for you. Dark Journey follows Jaina as she struggles with despair and her need for revenge following the death of her brother Anakin Solo and the Vong’s capture of her twin Jacen.

They retreat to the Hapes Cluster, where they encounter the grieving Teneniel Djo and the familial struggles of the Hapes. The Former Queen Mother attempts to arrange a marriage between Jaina and Prince Isolder — an offer Jaina rejects.

Enemy Lines (Duology) by Aaron Allston (2002)

This pair of novels can easily be read as a singular story. It follows Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker, Han and Leia Solo, Lando Calrissian, Wedge Antilles, and Jaina Solo as they respond to the Yuuzhan Vong’s capture of Coruscant.

Wedge is a stand-out character throughout this novel, and I believe this characterization is one of the reasons that he remains a beloved minor character. The rebellion’s determined efforts lead them to a victorious battle on Borealis, though the Vong are far from defeated.

Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry (1996)

This novel was Perry’s contribution towards the ambitious mixed-media series (also called Shadows of the Empire) created by Lucasfilm in 1996. The series included both a novel and junior novelization, a comic book series, a video game, action figures, a soundtrack, trading cards, role-playing games, posters, and so much more.

Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the novel introduced readers to the Black Sun criminal overlord, Prince Xizor, whose primary motivation is to seek vengeance against Darth Vader. He does that by plotting to murder Luke Skywalker once his heritage is revealed. It’s a brilliant book that can be read as a stand-alone or as part of the mixed-media experience.

Survivor’s Quest by Timothy Zahn (2004)

Three years following the marriage of Luke Skywalker to Mara Jade, the couple struggles to balance their marriage and their duties as Jedi. Led by an urgent transmission, they journey together on a quest to locate the remains of the Outbound Flight expedition, which had been destroyed by Grand Admiral Thrawn on the planet of Niruan decades ago.

Expecting to find a graveyard of destroyed Dreadnought ships, they are surprised to find intact vessels and signs of life among them. Luke and Mara Jade come up against the vicious Vagaari to rescue the survivors of the errant Outbound Flight project. If you love Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker — this is the novel for you. They are at their best when they’re working together.

Black Fleet Crisis (Trilogy) by Michael P. Kube-McDowell (1996-1998)

Sixteen years following the end of the Original Trilogy, Kube-McDowell’s novel picks up with an era of peace for the New Republic. This trilogy of novels sits somewhat outside of the canon of The New Jedi Order and X-Wing series and provides a slightly different approach to the beloved heroes of the universe.

Chewbacca returns to Kashyyyk to be with his son; Luke works towards higher Jedi enlightenment in a self-built hermitage on Coruscant. Unlike other novels that focus on the characters and their arcs, this series is more focused on political and military plots.

The story follows the genocidal campaign of former Imperial slaves, referred to as Yevethan forces, as they seek to conquer the Koornacht Cluster.

This story deviates drastically from what we know about Luke and Leia’s mother, Padmé, thanks to the prequel trilogy, as Luke travels to the planet Fallanassi to learn more about his mother’s homeworld. Overall the trilogy makes for a great Star Wars story.

Wedge’s Gamble by Michael A. Stackpole (1996)

Wedge Antilles and his X-Wing pilots, the Rogue Squadron, plan to infiltrate the Imperial High Command controlled Coruscant. Still, first, they free the imprisoned Black Suns criminals in hopes of bringing down the Empire.

The story is a race against time for the rebels as they work to take down the planetary shields protecting Coruscant. In the process, allies are lost, and a traitor is discovered among their ranks.

It’s the second novel in a ten-part series and proves to be a fast-paced read.

The Ten Best Star Wars Canon Books

The Last Jedi by Jason Fry (2018)

Of the three novelizations included in the Sequel Trilogy era, Fry’s work stands out. He masterfully adapted Rian Johnson’s screenplay, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and shed new light on aspects that may have been lost to the casual viewer.

The book provides readers with a look inside the heads and hearts of nearly every character seen in the movie — which genuinely enriches the story.

Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Grey (2016)

The novel delves into the ramifications of Senator Leia Organa’s heritage, as trusted allies turn against her at the revelation that she is Darth Vader’s daughter.

Grey delivers an incredibly poignant look into Leia’s psyche throughout this ordeal as well as how she handles balancing being a mother and a senator.

Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse (2019)

If you were not overly thrilled with the dynamics between Finn and Poe in The Rise of Skywalker or were hoping to read more about Leia’s last days with the Resistance, this novel is a surefire favorite. Roanhorse truly knows these characters inside and out, and she brings a fresh, exciting adventure to bridge the gap between the Battle of Crait and the Resistance’s base on Ajan Kloss.

Leia works diligently to rally the forces after their defeat at Crait, which brings the familiar Inferno Squadron members, Shriv Suurgav and Zay Versio, into the picture. An interesting element of the novel is the recruitment of defecting Imperial forces that are welcomed into the Resistance. Overall the stakes are low in the story, but it still manages to deliver a memorable read.

Last Shot (Star Wars): A Han and Lando Novel by Daniel José Older (2018)

Created as a tie-in to Solo: A Star Wars Story, Older’s novel covers five storylines told in five parts with a mix of flashbacks between Han Solo and Lando Calrissian as they face a new threat by an old foe.

It also covers aspects of Han’s marriage to Leia, as well as his relationship with his young son, Ben Solo — which helps readers understand how things fell apart by the time The Force Awakens occurs. If you loved Daley’s Legends series about Han Solo, you’ll love Older’s novel.

Star Wars: The Aftermath Trilogy by Chuck Wendig (2016-2017)

The trilogy expands the extensive period between the end of Return of the Jedi and the start of The Force Awakens. Wendig introduces readers to Norra Wexley and her teenage son Snap Wexley (later seen on screen) and delivers an engaging storyline for Wedge Antilles.

The story follows the New Republic as they work towards defeating the remaining members of the Empire. This series also introduces Emperor Palpatine’s Observatory on Jakku — an exciting piece of foreshadowing for The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn (2017)

The first in a series of three novels, Zahn returns to Star Wars and reintroduces Grand Admiral Thrawn to the Star Wars canon. The story begins with the exile of the Chriss warrior, Mitth’raw’nuruodo (Thrawn), and follows his path to the Empire alongside Imperial Cadet Eli.

Thrawn offers to serve Emperor Palpatine in order to protect his people. Throughout the novel, Thrawn’s calculated tenacity allows him to climb the ranks within the Empire, ultimately rising to the position of Grand Admiral. Thrawn is a fan-favorite, and this series is just the beginning of his storyline.

Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno (2016)

If you watched Rogue One and wanted to know more about Orson Krennic or Galen Erso, this is the novel for you. It covers Erso’s research into the energy kyber crystals under the Celestial Power project and follows his concerns as he realizes his research might be used for something devastating.

It’s an interesting approach to members of the Empire and shows the duality among the ranks and the inner confliction at the advent of the Star Destroyer. Familiar faces like Tarkin and Saw Gerrera also appear in this novel.

Battlefront II: Inferno Squad by Christie Golden (2017)

Golden’s novel follows the members of the Empire’s elite team of soldiers, the Inferno Squad, as they deal with the ramifications of the theft of the Death Star plans. The central characters, Lieutenant Iden Versio, Lieutenant Junior Grade Gideon Hask, and Lieutenant Commander Del Meeko, are all featured in the EA Game’s Star Wars: Battlefront II.

Versio and her team are tasked with eradicating the remaining members of Saw Gerrera’s Partisans, newly reformed as a terrorist cell known as the Dreamers. Gideon and Del infiltrate the Dreamers, while Iden is arrested for alleged sedition after intentionally revealing her disillusionment towards the Empire — which leads to the Dreamers rescuing her.

It’s not often that we get to see how members of the Empire fully believe that their actions are the right actions, and this novel delivers.

Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed (2019)

The first of a trilogy of novels focused on a group of New Republic pilots. The series crosses over with Marvel comic series Star Wars: TIE Fighters and has a forthcoming sequel novel Shadow Fall arriving in June. The book explores the costs of war in the wake of the Battle of Endor as it follows Yrica Quell, an Imperial defector.

Freed introduces readers to a colorful group of pilots (featuring X-Wings, U-Wings, and Y-Wings) who react with different degrees of suspicion when Yrica joins the squadron. It’s a compelling piece of fiction that is rooted heavily in the military aspects of Star Wars and strongly reminiscent of the 1990s X-Wing series.

Star Wars: Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston (2016)

Dave Filoni created Ahsoka Tano for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and she quickly grew into one of the most beloved characters from the Prequel Trilogy era. The young adult novel starts with Ahsoka during the Siege of Mandalore and explains how she came to adopt the pseudonym Ashla after fleeing to the remote Outer Rim Moon, Raada.

In the shadow of the growing threat of the Galactic Empire, Ahsoka works alongside Bail Organa and the Rebellion to evacuate the at-risk villages on Raada. Obi-Wan Kenobi also appears in this novel and struggles with the grief of Anakin’s betrayal as he remains in hiding on Tatooine. Overall it’s a great novel exploring an aspect of Ashoka’s life that had yet to be explored.

The final season of The Clone Wars is currently airing on Disney+.

Choose Your Adventure

While we endure the post-The Rise of Skywalker world, there is an entire galaxy’s worth of Star Wars novels out there to read.

Check out your local library or used bookstore and track down some of the older Legends books or jump on Amazon and pre-order the new The High Republic series.

Choose your own adventure, and as always, may the Force be with you.

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smokeybrand · 8 years ago

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Smokey brand Movie Reviews: They Don’t Deserve Her

Let me be clear and up front. Wonder Woman was outstanding. It is a solid film with a solid lead and i am by no means dumping on this flick because there’s a chick taking front and center. I f*cking LOVE Diana. She is literally my third favorite DC hero. It’s Batman, Power Girl, and Wonder Woman. And, to be perfectly honest, Power Girl and Wonder Woman are more 2A and 2B rather than 2 and 3. That being said, i don’t think this version of Wonder Woman, this film, is as good as it could have been.

The Good

BUT DAT SCORE, THO!!

This is easily the best of the DCEU films, bar none. It’s everything everyone wanted BvS to be and more.

Goddamn, Gal Gadot IS Wonder Woman! Her acting was a little suspect in certain scenes, especially when she was still on Themyscira, but overall, this is the best performance i have ever seen her give. Bro, seriously, when she lost her sh*t on Ares? Boy, howdy!

Patty Jenkins directed her ass off. She had a vision and it as executed as best she could. I think the film itself should have been a little bit longer but what we got was damn fine considering cuts. I sincerely hope we get one of those infamous “DC Extended Cuts” for this because it feels like there was more she wanted to say but didn’t get a chance to.

Chris Pine gave a pretty solid performance. He was Kirk, but he does Kirk so well. I’m not all that upset about it. Charming, suave, and a legitimate, believable spy. Good job!

The chemistry between Steve and Diana was beautiful They’re banter and interactions drive this film. I thought Diana’s whole fish-out-of-water situation was outstanding.

This film is goddamn lovely. Like, ridiculously so. The de-saturation of all that Snyder emo-sh*t is a far cry from what we got here. Oh my god, was it dope seeing actual color in an actual DC film! I feel like, in a lot of ways, Patty Jenkins borrowed heavily from the MCU formula and it worked out dope for her. For the whole DCEU future! This is Captain America: The First Avenger where Wonder Woman is Cap and Steve Trevor is Peggy Carter and i am okay with that. It works out brilliantly, especially considering where we came from. This is a Marvel movie masquerading under the DC banner.

The costume design was outstanding. Not just Wonder Woman’s armor but everyone’s garb. It felt authentic to the WW1 Era. Everything did. From the gas masks to the tanks to the little .22 sidearms; Everything. When that cat threw a bomb out of his biplane by hand, i almost lost my sh*t.

Steve’s rag-tag band of assholes and heroes was one of the highlights of this film. I would have liked to have seen more of them. Well, you see a lot of them. I would have liked to see them DO more, particularly Saïd Taghmaoui. Of the supporting cast, i was most intrigued by his. He’s such an excellent actor and they really didn’t give him much to do.

But dem action set pieces, tho!

Themyscira was super dope. All of the training montages, that whole society; dope. I wish we’d have had more time there to develop the world of the Amazon. maybe in that extended cut. Hopefully in that extended cut. Better be in that extended cut...

The Bad

Not enough Antiope.

Where the hell was Artemis?? wait, was she in it? apparently. so... More f*cking Artemis, assholes!

Queen Hippolyta was obtuse for the sake of the plot and not true to her character at all. Chick was ridiculous. Seriously. I’m a fan of the the Wonder Woman universe. This Hippolyta is NOT Hippolyta .

The villains in this flick were super weak. When i said they borrowed heavily from the MCU, they unfortunately, borrowed that, too. That’s not to say their performances weren't decent, just that they were weakly written. Neither Dr. Poison or Ludendorf had clear motivations.well, let me rephrase that, they had simple motivations. One wanted to perfect a formula, the other just wanted to keep the war going. pedestrian at best. Not really something Dian, Princess of Themyscira should be dealing with. And Ares, himself? Quite forgettable. I say weakly because they were adequate just not expanded upon.

The climax was a little meh. I was surprised by how pedestrian it was and, again, how much it was like the end to the first Cap flick. Sh*t was almost hilarious.

I mentioned this earlier, but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. I think two dudes and Snyder wrote this. Let me check... yup, Zack Snyder, Allan Heinberg, Jason Fuchs. These guys can’t write a movie for sh*t. Particularly Snyder. That guy is the worst. I was actually surprised how good this movie was considering the authors behind it.

Overall, this flick feels rushed. It’s almost 2 and half hours long but it seems like less than that. I left adequately satisfied with what i just saw, but i don’t think it got to what it wanted to be with this theatrical run time. It feels like there should have been more movie.

The Verdict

Wonder Woman has the ill distinction of existing in a world with The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight is the best Cape Film i have ever seen. It transcends that moniker and because literally one of the best films ever produced. Wonder Woman, while an outstanding Cape Flick, easily the best DC film made since The Dark Knight Rises, is only a good film, overall. Logan is a better movie. The Winter Soldier is a better movie. Deadpool is a better movie. I think the hype for a female lead superhero flick is kind of distorting the reviews a little. They see a woman before they see the movie for what it is and that’s fine. This flick is historic. As i left the theater, i saw little girls as hype as i was when i first saw Spider-Man and if you don’t think that’s the dopest sh*t ever, you are a goddamn problem. We should celebrate the fact that this film is carried by a beautiful woman giving a magnificent performance. But we should also be a bit more realistic, a bit more honest, with our praise. Wonder Woman is NOT Dark Knight level. it is arguably better than any MCU film, outside of Winter Soldier, to date.

This is a outstanding cape flick. This is a damn good character study. it is a poignant social commentary. It is a well executed period piece. It is a good film. Good. It is not a great film. It’s definitely not as great as everyone wants it to be but it’s still very good.The best in the DCEU thus far. Again, i’m not poo-pooing on this flick. i enjoyed the hell out of it. I f*cking love all things Wonder Woman and i highly recommend you check it out, just temper your hype a little bit and you’ll enjoy it much more than if you hadn’t.

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weekendwarriorblog · 6 years ago

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND November 2, 2018 - Bohemian Rhapsody, Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Nobody’s Fool

It’s November…hurray! Usually, this would mean the end of the slower fall months (not this year!) and the start of the profitable holiday movie season (ditto!), but we’re going to start off a little slower with a couple medium-profile films before building to the more anticipated holiday tentpoles over the next couple weeks.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (20thCentury Fox)

Probably the most high-profile release this weekend is this biopic about Freddie Mercury and ‘70s/’80s rock legends Queen, which has been anticipated by so many of the band’s fans but has also been plagued from the early days of development with actors and writers on then off the project, plus even bigger problems once it started shooting.

Director Bryan Singer took over the project a few years back as his follow-up to his recent X-Men sequels, and Singer’s involvement is part of the controversy surrounding the film since he was fired halfway through filming for vague reasons involving his private life. A few years earlier, Singer was accused of sexual assault long before the #MeToo movement that took down his good friend and collaborator Kevin Spacey, but Eddie the Eagle director Brendan Fletcher took over the project. Only Singer received directing credit, and you have to assume that even some of the critics who saw the movie might have watched the movie with the above in mind. There’s also been rumors that there will be a new exposé about Singer published this week, which will bring these things back to the forefront. (Other movies where directors were replaced like Justice League and Solo also received mostly negative reviews.)

There’s so many things to consider for this movie but the first and foremost is that it’s the most high-profile leading role for Rami Malek, the Emmy-winning actor who broke out from playing the lead in USA’s Mr. Robot. Malek has serious Oscar chances for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury – a role that was once going to be played by Sacha Baron Cohen – and even the critics who panned the film have said that he’s the best part of the movie. The movie also stars Lucy Boynton (Sing Street, Apostle), Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzelo, Aidan Gillen and Gwilym Lee as Brian May, but no one is really talking about them much.

There’s an interesting dichotomy about Queen in that it’s considered hard rock or even metal but it was a rock band with a predominantly gay lead singer, which likely helped them acquire some level of gay audience. That audience might also be interested in seeing how Freddie’s sexuality is handled, because there were a lot of concerns that that side of Freddie’s lifestyle and his death from AIDS has been softened up for the movie.

But will the macho guys who chant “We Will Rock You” and sing “We Are the Champions” at football games and generally love Queen’s music go out to see a movie about the band’s openly bisexual frontman that includes a number of strong homosexual scenes (as much as PG-13 will allow). Equally, there are worries that Freddie’s gay side and other debauchery has been softened up in the movie for that very reason.

At one point, I thought this could match the opening of A Star is Born, but with the mixed reviews so far and the potential backlash against Bryan Singer, that could keep it somewhere in the mid-$30 millions, possibly even lower. We’ll have to see how audiences react before determining if it could be another $100 million plus grosser or falls just short.

If interested, you can also read my positive review of Bohemian Rhapsody RIGHT HERE.

NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (Walt Disney Pictures)

What kind of world are we living in where the “sure-fire” Disney holiday movie based on one of the most beloved ballets ever, could possibly bomb? That’s the question that some might be asking on Monday as the Mouse House releases one of its weakest movies in years, because this spin on the Tchaikovsky ballet. I haven’t seen the movie yet, because just like every Disney movie for the last two years, I haven’t been invited to attend a press screening, so I’ll have to just assume the movie is bad because the trailers look like shit.

Of course, there have been other Nutcracker movies, but you assume that when Disney takes over a property (like The Muppets), it will automatically attract an even bigger family audience, since they have marketing to family audiences down to a science.

This film was originally directed by Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallström, but Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger) took over as a co-director to finish the movie when Hallstrom wasn’t available for reshoots, and they’re both credited.

The film does have a great cast surrounding young Mackenzie Foy (no relation to Claire), which include Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and Richard E. Grant, but the movie is being promoted by those from other avenues of art including ballet dancer Misty Copeland and Andrea and son Matteo Bocelli from the world of opera doing the original song “Fall on Me*” for the film. (*Mark my words: this song will get nominated for an Oscar.)

In previous years, a family film kicking off November would do well since there’s a lack of family films in theaters, but this year is different, because we’ve already had The House with a Clock in its Walls, Goosebumps and Smallfoot, so kids probably won’t be driven to go to the movies for this one.

My first instinct is that there’s no way this movie makes $20 million, but this is Disney, a company that has the family audience wrapped around its corporate finger, so it’s likely to make more than $20 million only because Disney will saturate theaters with the “Nutcracker” name-brand helping to bring in important family business.

NOBODY’S FOOL (Paramount Players)

The other bit of cross-programming from the kiddie film and the all-white Queen biopic is the latest movie from Tyler Perry, as he shifts his deal over to the newly-formed Paramount Players. This is the second film of the year from the popular playwright, although his thriller Tyler Perry’s Acrimony was one of his lower money makers, grossing just $43.5 million, which is on the lower end for his films. Before that, Perry had slightly more success with last year’s Boo 2! Which grossed just $47.3 million compared to the $73.2 million grossed by Boo!A Madea Halloween a year earlier.

Nobody’s Fool is one of Perry’s first comedies not starring his cross-dressing character Madea, who seems to be the primary draw for many of his bigger films, so it will be interesting to see how this will fare without Madea. For this one, Perry is joined by the ever-popular Tiffany Haddish, coming off the success of Night School ($70 million grossed so far)and Ike Barinholtz’s indie The Oath. She plays a woman released from prison whose sister (Tika Sumpter, who appeared in the hit Ride Along movies) has been in an online relationship with a man who Haddish’s character believes isn’t real. Hilarity ensues.

The movie also stars Omari Hardwick from Power, who recently appeared in the Sundance hit Sorry to Bother You, as well as veteran Whoopi Goldberg, who appeared in Perry’s adaptation of For Colored Girls. Even with an impressive African-American cast, much of the film is riding on the recent success and popularity of Haddish.

The premise and marketing for the film has been fairly spot-on, not bad for Paramount, who haven’t had many hits with African-Americans in recent years other than maybe Denzel Washington’s Fences, which rode its Oscar buzz to $58 million from a mid-December limited release. The only other African-American targeted film from the studio was Chris Rock’s Top Five, which wowed critics at Toronto but only grossed $25.3 million domestically.

In most cases, I could see this movie opening with $20 million based on the combination of Perry and Haddish’s popularity, but I feel this is coming into a market with other options including Fox’s The Hate U Give and that might keep it just below. Having not seen the movie and there being no reviews, it’s hard to tell whether Perry’s fans will help give it legs over the rest of the month or it will get swallowed up by stronger films (like Steve McQueen’s Widows).

A couple wider expansions this weekend include Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria remake going into 250 theaters and the family drama Beautiful Boy expanding into 350 theaters, although it’s hard to think either will make more than $2.5 million, which would be required to break into the top 10. After last week’s surprise expansion of Jonah Hill’s Mid90s, I’m not sure what to expect from either of these films that have done just as well in their platform releases.

Considering that two or three of the new releases will dominate, this week’s Top 10 should look something like this…

1. Bohemian Rhapsody (20thCentury Fox) - $37.5 million* N/A 2. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (Disney) - $21.3* million N/A 3. Nobody’s Fool (Paramount) - $18 million N/A 4. Halloween(Universal) - $14.1 million -55% 5. A Star is Born (Warner Bros.) - $9.5 million -32% 6. Venom (Sony) - $5.5 million -48% 7. Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween (Sony) - $4 million -45% 8. The Hate U Give (20thCentury Fox) - $3.3 million -35% 9. Hunter Killer (Lionsgate/Summit) - $3 million -55% 10. First Man (Universal) – $2.5 million -49%

* A couple minor changes with the updated theater counts for the weekend, although I’m not going too crazy with either movie, since they both have things working against them.

LIMITED RELEASES

The good news this weekend -- especially if you have no interest in any of the wide releases above and are in a big city -- is that there are a lot of great specialty options, and actually three movies I highly recommend.

First up is Joel Edgerton’s second film as a director BOY ERASED (Focus), based on Garrard Conley’s memoir and starring Lucas Hedges as Jared, a boy with a preacher father (Russell Crowe) and worrying mother (Nicole Kidman) who is sent to conversion therapy under the tutelage of Victor Sykes (played by Edgerton) in hopes of “curing” his gayness. This powerful and timely drama opens in New York, L.A. and San Francisco this Friday and then expands to other cities on Nov. 9. I was really impressed with Edgerton’s adaptation of a book that I’ve yet to read, but also, Lucas Hedges proves that he’s the real-deal with a performance that bolsters his Oscar nomination for Manchester by the Sea a few years back. You can read my interview with Joel Edgerton over on NEXTBESTPICTURE.com.

Rosamund Pike gives a similarly compelling performance as war journalist Marie Colvin in A PRIVATE WAR (Aviron), directed by Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, City of Ghosts), as it follows her daring exploits trying to get exclusive stories in the Middle East that eventually led to her death in Syria. Pike is fantastic in the film, really embodying Marie Colvin, particularly her heavy Long Island accent that really adds to the illusion. Jamie Dornan from Fifty Shades of Grey is also good as Marie’s photographer Paul Conroy, and the film also stars Stanley Tucci and Tom Hollander. It opens in select cities, but I’m hoping it will expand wider this month.

Over a year since it debuted in Toronto’s Midnight Madness section where it won the People’s Choice Award, BODIED (YouTube Originals/Neon) from Torque (and music video) director Joseph Khan will open in select cities. It stars Calum Worthy as Adam, who becomes interested in battle rap as a thesis subject until he becomes obsessed with it and starts taking part in them himself. I loved this movie when I saw it at Sundance earlier this year and sadly, I didn’t have a chance to see it a second time before its release but hopefully Neon will help get it out into theaters before it ends up on YouTube’s premium streaming network.

Tying into their streaming releases, Netflix will give Orson Welles’ long-lost and unfinished The Other Side of the Wind and Morgan Neville’s related doc They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead. Apparently, Welles was filming this over the course of fifteen years in what would have been the precursor for all those found footage movies I hate so much. The late John Huston plays a filmmaker throwing a party to show a rough cut of his latest “masterpiece” – and it’s obvious that whatever Welles was going for did not translate well into whatever was put together (by the likes of producer Frank Marshall and others) after his death. You can read more about the former in my New York Film Festival coverage, but both will stream on Netflix as well as get a nominal New York (IFC Center) and L.A. release.

Although Halloween is almost over (depending on when I get this posted), that doesn’t mean there won’t be a few more indie horror/thrillers this weekend.

For those who didn’t get enough creepy nun horror with The Nun, there’s Tommy Bertelsen’s Welcome to Mercy (IFC Midnight) starring Kristen Ruhlin (also the screenwriter) as a single mother named Madaline, who is struck with stigmata (essentially bleeding on the palms), so she’s sent to a remote convent where her and her friend August must confront the demons trying to possess her. It will get the typical limited run and VOD release of most IFC Midnight films.

The absence of the impending Halloween is also not gonna stop Chris von Hoffman’s horror/thriller Monster Party (RLJE Films), which stars Julian McMahon and is about three thieves who post a daring heist posed as waiters at a fancy Malibu dinner party only to learn that the dinner guests are not what they seem, forcing them to fight a desperate battle to escape.

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Opening at the Metrograph Friday is Shevaun Mizrahi’s Distant Constellation (Grasshopper Film), a cinema-verité doc filmed in a Turkish retirement home where the inhabitants talk about their lives and two of them ride an elevator up and down. This really wasn’t my kind of doc, although I’m sure others will find it compelling.

German filmmaker Margaret von Trotta pays homage to the Swedish filmmaker that inspired her with Searching for Ingmar Bergman (Oscilloscope Labs), which opens at the Quad Cinema on Friday. Co-directed by Felix Moeller and Bettina Böhler, the documentary is made-up of interviews with his collaborators like Liv Ullman, as well as other filmmakers he’s inspired such as Olivier Assayas. It will open in L.A. on Nov. 9 and other cities to follow.

A little mix-up last weekend, because I thought the documentary Maria by Callas (Sony Classics) from filmmaker Tom Volf opened last weekend, but it actually opens in New York and L.A. on Friday. Its title is fairly self-evident… that is, if you know opera (as I do).

I also somehow didn’t include Texan filmmaker Patrick Wang’s two-feature film A Bread Factory Part One and Two last weekend, but his second film The Grief of Others (In the Family LLC) will follow them at the Village East Cinema in New York and Laemmle Monica in L.A. (You can still see both parts of A Bread Factory starring Tyne Daly and Elisabeth Henryin those cities Weds night and Thursday.) The Grief of Others deals with the death of a baby mere days after its birth and how the parents and family try to get back to their previous lives.

South African director Nosipho Dumisa’s thriller Number 37 (Dark Star Pictures) will open in L.A. at the Laemmle’s Glendale and on Nov. 9 in New York at the Cinema Village. Set in the down-and-out neighborhood of Cape Flats, the film (based on Dumisa’s short of the same name) looks at the residents of one block of apartments filled with all sorts of criminals, low-life as well as a few cops. One drug trafficker has lost the use of his legs so he gets out to the rest of the world using his binoculars but before you can say, “Hey, this is the same plot as Hitchcock’s Rear Window!” he’s hatched a get-rich blackmail scheme after witnessing a crime. Dumisa is one of South Africa’s first black female feature directors and her film won the Cheval Noir at Fantasia in Montreal over the summer after premiering at SXSW.

STREAMING

As mentioned above, Netflix will start streaming the long-lost unfinished Orson Welles film THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND as well as Morgan Neville’s related doc They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, which is about the making of that movie. The family holiday comedy The Holiday Calendar stars Kat Graham as a photographer who discovers an advent calendar that might be telling her future. Also, streaming Friday is House of Cards Season 6… I haven’t even watched the first five seasons and not sure if I should bother at this point.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

Spring Dreams: The Cinema of Huang Ji & Yang Lina features four movies from the two woman directors from China, including Egg and Stone (2012), Foolish Bird (2017), Looking for the Rain (2013) and Old Men(1999) – I have never seen (or even heard) of any of these films but I trust the Metrograph’s programmers/curators. This weekend’s Playtime: Family Matinees is the animated The Secret of Nimh, showing on Saturday and Sunday at 11AM.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Visconti’s Senso continues to show as well as the American remake The Wanton Contessa on Sunday afternoon.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Although it’s already sold out, the 50thanniversary of the Monkees concert movie Head with Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz in person takes place on Thursday night.

AERO (LA):

Charlize Person will be there on Thursday night to show a double feature of her recent film Tully and Patty Jenkins’ 2003 movie Monster, for which Theron won an Oscar. Friday sees a double feature of Harold Becker’s thrillers Sea of Love and Malice, and he’ll be there in person as well. Krasinski will show A Quiet Place on Saturday night… yeah, I know it only came out six months ago.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

In conjunction with the release of her new doc Looking for Ingmar Berman (see above), the Quad will have a special Margarethe von Trotta: The Political is Personal retrospective that includes most of her films like Rosa Luxemburg, The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (on a special imported 35mm print), Sheer Madnessas well as some of the films she’s appeared in like Fassbinder’s Beware of a Holy Whore and The American Soldier. I have not seen a single one of these.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

I just realized this past week the connection between the IFC Center’s Coen Brothers and Shaw Brothers retrospectives… it wasn’t so obvious until I saw both names on the marquee. The Coens’ Weekend Classics this week is the Oscar-winning Fargo (1996) – both at 11AM and at midnight Friday and Saturday --while the Shaw Brothers offering at midnight Friday and Saturday is Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972). Directed by Orson Welles ends on Thursday with Chimes at Midnight (1965)andF for Fake(1973).

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

The 1979 doc The War at Homewill open here with director Glenn Silberg in person doing Q&As on Friday and Saturday night.

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

A new addition to this section! The beloved uptown theaters of the Film Society of Lincoln Center! Okay, there’s nothing repertory starting this week but next week, for sure.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

Another new addition! On Friday, they’re screening Ousmane Sembene’s 1966 film Black Girl with shorts Fannie’s Film and Fucked Like a Star. It kick-offs BAM’s program Women at Work: The Domestic is Not Free, a series that includes Todd Haynes’ 1995 film Safe, starring Julianne Moore, as well as the amazing Brazilian film Good Manners.

MOMA (NYC):

Modern Matinees: Vincent Price is over but Catalan Cinema’s Radical Years continues through Nov. 10

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

The self-explanatory The Coen Brothers Go West runs from Friday to Nov. 18, including Blood Simple, No Country for Old Men, True Grit and more, leading up to their Western anthology The Ballad of Buster Skruggs, which is released on Nov. 16.

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smokeybrandreviews · 8 years ago

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Smokey brand Movie Reviews: They Don’t Deserve Her

The Good

BUT DAT SCORE, THO!!

This is easily the best of the DCEU films, bar none. It’s everything everyone wanted BvS to be and more.

Chris Pine gave a pretty solid performance. He was Kirk, but he does Kirk so well. I’m not all that upset about it. Charming, suave, and a legitimate, believable spy. Good job!

The chemistry between Steve and Diana was beautiful They’re banter and interactions drive this film. I thought Diana’s whole fish-out-of-water situation was outstanding.

But dem action set pieces, tho!

The Bad

Not enough Antiope.

Where the hell was Artemis?? wait, was she in it? apparently. so... More f*cking Artemis, assholes!

The climax was a little meh. I was surprised by how pedestrian it was and, again, how much it was like the end to the first Cap flick. Sh*t was almost hilarious.

The Verdict

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