Menor the Destroyer

Hell, why not? Of course who knows what there will be to track but pennies are certainly better than nothing.

Yeah but I think 450m is quite optimistic for this. I mean the heavy lockdowns in the USA surely contributed to the performance of Trolls 2. Now yes, Covid is out of control in the USA and many people are still at home, but compliance is not at the level it was in April and who knows what things will look like on September 4th. I think this one is gonna be very hard to predict.

I mean it's his own score...not well-versed in the rights to these things but I doubt there would be any will to sue over this.

I'm with you on this. It's way too similar to be coincidence. Pretty much all film composers do this anyway so not surprising. I guess you could argue that it might be done unconsciously, one can never read the composer's mind after all, but it's definitely not just by chance.

Ah, I see. I don't usually pay much attention to the Emmys so I was just surprised that something like Mando would even get nominated for Best Drama.

Interesting. I liked it quite a bit but this is very surprising.

At long last, the MCU is coming to Christmas.

Hmm, I guess it depends on the effectiveness and timing of a possible vaccine. If we get a vaccine by January that gives a strong level of immunity, my gut feeling is that people will be going back to theaters in big numbers by December 2021. Admittedly, I could be totally bullshitting as I tend be too optimistic about things.

It almost feels like karma for how crazy 2019 was, with all the massive successes and huge bombs. But I guess I'm an optimist and I think we'll be back at some point, even if it takes a while.

When I was a kid, I somewhat agreed with the general consensus on this movie. I did enjoy it, but I thought it was certainly the worst of the SW films. Mainly, this was because I disliked romance subplots in action movies in general. However, at some point around the release of TFA, I began to really warm up to this film. When I rewatched it in anticipation, it (along with the other two prequels, but this one especially) was far better than I remembered. Hayden Christensen's performance was actually...good? The romance was...fine? The story was...fun? At that point, I realized I had been completely wrong about this film. Despite a few rough moments, this movie's high points make it one of the best in the saga (currently, I have it at #3, just ahead of TPM). This film probably has the best action of any SW film. The Coruscant chase shown in the GIF is a highlight, visually striking and I love the banter between Anakin and Obi-Wan. There's also the brawl between Obi-Wan and Jango on Kamino, the amazing sound effects of the chase in the asteroid field, the (underrated and fun) droid factory scene, and of course the action-filled climax, which is just full of great moments. From the initial battle with the creatures, to the arrival of all the Jedi into battle, to finally the arrival of the Clone army, to Yoda pulling out his lightsaber against Dooku -- it's constantly one-upping itself and has exactly the kind of thrill I expect from Star Wars. In fact, this section is why I prefer this film to TPM -- TPM has a couple of issues in its (still entertaining) third-act battle, like Anakin destroying the ship by accident. AOTC's on the other hand is just great from start to finish. I also love how this film gives us a glance at a different side of Star Wars. From Yoda teaching the younglings, to Dex's diner, to Padme's lake house on Naboo, it really has a lot of types of locations that you wouldn't normally see in this series. And of course these are also quite beautiful locations, especially the lake house. Hayden Christensen is excellent in this film. He captures Anakin's inner turmoil well, along with the whininess and the teenage angst and the awkwardness of someone raised by the Jedi, along with the earnestness and sincerity that draws Padme to him. His performance in the Lars garage is a highlight of the saga, and the film's emotional highlights are his scenes on Tatooine. I have never understood why he gets so much hate. Anakin in general is quite well-written and characterized, with his attachments drawing him ever closer to the dark -- and if you call Anakin "whiny" in this film, but don't have the same problem with Kylo Ren who is literally 30 years old, I feel like that's a double standard. . Obviously the romance is the most-criticized part of this film. I happen to quite enjoy it, however. While I can see how it's a bit much in the fireplace scene (although I have always interpreted Anakin's dialogue there as a prepared speech he was giving to Padme), everywhere else I feel like the over-the-top, corny dialogue works quite well and feels honest to the characters. The meadow picnic, "aggressive negotations", even the infamous sand scene all are great. Padme is attracted to Anakin's emotional honesty and willingness to be himself (contrast this to her attendants who are very formal), while Anakin still idealizes her as the girl who he met all those years ago on Tatooine (of course, this "love" isn't healthy on Anakin's part, that's the point). Obi-Wan is excellent in this film. You can see his unreadiness to truly train Anakin, yet he has also clearly gained wisdom since his days as a Padawan in TPM. Ewan McGregor is amazing and he is probably the funniest character in the film. His detective subplot is a lot of fun and it introduces the excellent planets of Kamino and Geonosis, both very unique locations with memorable races living on them. A few more highlights: The political subplot. Now, I will say that the motivations of the Separatists could and should have been explored further. Yet I feel like TPM gives enough context to the Republic's corruption that their desire to secede is understandable. However, what I really love here is the way Palpatine manipulates Jar-Jar to give him the emergency powers. Beautifully ironic. The tonal mix. The beginning scenes with Zam have a bit of a noir feel to them, while the scenes on Naboo have the look of an old-fashioned romance, the Kaminoans and their facilities and atmosphere remind one of gray aliens from a different type of sci-fi. Very unique in visuals and tone. Dooku. Not the most developed villain, but Christopher Lee is always a highlight and he has a nice aristocratic demeanor. The music, obviously. Across the Stars is a highlight and so is "The Arena" and the Kamino/mystery motif. However, this is probably the weakest score of the first six films, mostly due to the end battle being full of chopped-up tracks from TPM. A couple criticisms: Needed more polish. Not in the way you're probably thinking, though. I'm thinking of stuff like Padme saying "I think Count Dooku was behind this" in order to get Mace to deliver exposition on Dooku. The production on this film was very tight and it does show up in some of the visuals, lines, and music in the ending battle. Deleted scenes. Some of these should have been kept in the film. Especially the one with Dooku trying to get Padme to join the Separatists and the scene with Jocasta telling Obi-Wan about Dooku and the Lost Twenty. But these are quibbles, and overall, this film is a ton of fun, with great action, mystery, and romance. A testament to the imagination and creativity of George Lucas. Grade: 9/10, A

One of my favorite movies. The imagination in every frame is what every blockbuster should aspire to. It's full of beautiful images and has spectacular action sequences (both Duel of the Fates and the podrace are some of the best I've ever seen in a blockbuster), but more than that it has a freshness and wonder that has been lacking in SW films of late. It focuses on telling a unique and engaging story in the Star Wars universe, rather than on excessive nostalgia or meta commentary. I love the ensemble -- Qui-Gon has always been one of my favorite Jedi, young Anakin has just the right amount of innocence, Padme has the strongest arc in the film going from a naive idealist trusting the Republic to save her to a bold, confident leader who takes her people's fate into her own hands, and Jar-Jar is a fun slapstick character -- plus I've always loved the way his revealing the Gungan army plays into Padme's arc. On the villainous end of things, Gunray is hilariously incompetent while Darth Maul is awell-done mysterious menace, and behind it all is the true "Phantom Menace", Palpatine/Sidious, whose brief role nonetheless leaves a strong impression. (case in point, this brief action sequence is just so memorable and fun. It allows Jar-Jar to play off the Jedi in hilarious manner ("you overdid it") while showcasing an extremely cool underwater setting. I miss these types of scenes in newer SW films) (the key point in Padme's character arc, one of my favorite scenes in the film. The Coruscant section is oft-derided for being too "talky", but I think it's the strongest section of the film and one of the strongest in the entire saga. It showcases the decadence of the Republic along with Anakin's attachment to his mother. The setting is just beautiful and the scenes have this atmosphere of fading glory that makes them really fun to watch. Of all the saga's sunsets, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon staring out at the Coruscant sunset is probably the most underrated one. The sun is setting on the Republic and the Jedi, and the Coruscant scenes really drive that home. And midichlorians changed absolutely nothing about who had access to the Force from Return of the Jedi, so...that particular criticism of these scenes is just BS.) (Droidekas are awesome. The entire opening scene on the Trade Federation ship is just awesome. We're transported into an entirely new era, full of wondrous visuals and sounds and DROIDEKAS (did I mention they were awesome?), while we also see two Jedi Knights kicking all kinds of ass) Other highlights I couldn't find a GIF for: Anakin leaving his mother. For a film that is supposedly "emotionless", my eyes get pretty watery at that scene. Jake Lloyd and Pernilla August play it perfectly, but what really makes the moment is the powerful rendition of the Force theme. And somehow I made it through all this typing and I just thought about John Williams now. His score is brilliant and has been deservedly lauded, beyond Duel of the Fates both "Anakin's Theme" and "Augie's Great Municipal Band" are very intelligent compositions, along with the great Indiana Jones-reminiscent Trade Federation theme. More personal favorites of mine are the score when the Royal starfighter escapes Naboo and the Darth Maul motif. And finally, the most-criticized part of this movie's plot, the supposed focus on "trade disputes". It takes up far less screentime than claimed, but this aspect is one of my favorite things about the film. A saga this huge is kicked off by an event (the taxation of trade routes) that is seemingly so trivial. Very true to life. Is this a perfect movie? No, but no movies are perfect. It is, however, a movie that is immersive, interesting, and extremely fun. In the end, that's the goal of any Star Wars film. Grade: 9/10, A

That was really an excellent episode. It could have come off as a cheap trick to bring Ahsoka back (and I admit I sort of had that idea when I heard about her return back in 2018) but Filoni really committed to it in a way that made everything feel organic. The way the Loth-wolves were intertwined with the plot of the whole season and tying the WBW into the Mortis gods made it feel like that whole plotline was part of a grander tapestry that we'll never quite get to see -- though I do hope we get to see more of that realm in future SW. I also hope we get more Jedi temples like the Lothal temple, it was really a unique setting compared to the Coruscant or Dantooine ones. Felt a lot more mystical and almost had a life of its own. Every episode involving it was a highlight of the series.

Man that finale got me. The last season was just great, elevated everything that came before. Hope we get a sequel in the near future, I need to know how Ezra's doing and see him reunite with the family.

Same, the sense of scale that blockbusters can bring makes them absolutely thrilling when done right. Which is also why I get very disappointed in blockbusters that deliberately restrict themselves.

There is a problem with racism in the Indian-American community though. Like among a lot of older Indians and some of the younger generation as well there is racism/contempt/resentment towards both Hispanic people and (especially) black people. I feel pretty lucky that my parents aren't like this but it definitely exists in the community. That said, the "complicity" thing is really, really stupid. I think it's really dumb to keep calling people "complicit in white supremacy" just for existing in a world where they have advantages, even if they haven't done anything to support white supremacy. That is no way to win allies to the cause. Also, holding people in the community responsible for not "fixing" the racism in their community is just ridiculous. As if one person could correct an entire ethnicity. Like my Indian parents and my Indian-American friends are not racist and are pretty educated on most political issues, wtf am I supposed to do about "personally addressing the anti-blackness in the community"? Honestly the whole thing feels like Indian-Americans with racist parents/families/social groups assuming that everyone else shares their experience, either that or virtue signaling.

I would be interested to see where The Phantom Menace and The Sorcerer's Stone stack up against say the Avengers.

Yeah it's possible, there just seems to be absolutely zero buzz around this. Like on HP fan sites I hardly see anyone talk about FB positive or negative. It seems like it has basically been forgotten.

Not comparable whatsoever though. I didn't mind CoG but its reception was much worse than Azkaban, plus the originals adapted massively popular books/characters so people had a reason to keep watching even if they weren't a fan of any particular film.

I didn't word it well, but what I meant was that people have plenty of reason and right to be offended by her comments even if you consider her opinion irrelevant. Her most recent post was full of dogwhistles and junk statistics. And I never said you were transphobic so I'm not sure where you're getting that from.

Just because you deem an issue irrelevant doesn't mean everyone else is obligated to do so.

My impression was that the theft itself was relatively recent (a couple of weeks) but Artemis Sr. and Beechwood had been working together before that. I guess Holly had only been working against this for a couple of weeks?

Well the franchise seems to have lost so much buzz/hype after Grindelwald and this stuff only adds to the disillusionment in the fandom.

Getting close to the finish of season 2. The show seems like it has really hit its stride the second half of this season. "Journey Into the Star Cluster" might be one of my favorite pieces of music in any TV show.

You really think it won't be addressed? I could see them sweeping it under the rug if we didn't meet other Mandalorians, but I don't think Filoni would have overlooked something obvious like that. I'm sure he has come up with a reason, and it would seem natural to explain it given that we're meeting Mandalorians who never had an issue taking off their helmets. Especially since the show seems interested in exploring the Empire's effect on Mandalorian culture (with the namedrops about the Great Purge and Night of a Thousand Tears).

At the very least, meeting Sabine and Bo-Katan will finally give us the answer as to why the helmet rule is a thing in this show.