Bounty95

1M3
 
 

I'm bothered by the ommission of the alternate ending of "Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave" (which was used for the finale). Instead of including the utterly redundant "Leaving Port (With Alternate Ending)", which just fades out before the original ending, they could have included a track "Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave (Alternate)" with the new ending and without the pipes. 
 
This is still one of my favourite LLL releases and I wish I could relive happiness and excitement that I felt when I saw the announcement on FB. 

I'm bothered by the ommission of the alternate ending of "Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave" (which was used for the finale). Instead of including the utterly redundant "Leaving Port (With Alternate Ending)", which just fades out before the original ending, they could have included a track "Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave (Alternate)" with the new ending and without the pipes. 
 
This is still one of my favourite LLL releases and I wish I could relive happiness and excitement that I felt when I saw the announcement on FB. 

I'm bothered by the ommission of the alternate ending of "Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave" (which was used for the finale). Instead of including the utterly redundant "Leaving Port (With Alternate Ending)", which just fades out before the original ending, they could have included a track "Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave (Alternate)" with the new ending and without the pipes. 
 
This is still one of my favourite LLL releases and I wish I could relive happiness and excitement that I felt when I saw the announcement on FB. 

I do think MM would have made a better main program.

The book, theatrical re-releases of the films... Your move, Disney! 

I agree. Except that Pick 'em Up is just no main program material.

This can only be purchased via their own website and not on MB etc., right? 

I enjoy Oppenheimer quite a bit more than DoD. It's way, way more original.
 
I agree with some of the other winners (drama film, and documentary) and DoD being best adventure score? Sure. Not score of the year though, sorry peeps.

I did, yeah. 
 
I made the most foolish bet possible: I bet against John Williams not being nominated for an Oscar. Now I have to use LB's face as my avatar until February 23rd, and if JW somehow wins, it'll be until 2025.

The Patriot from Intrada
The Terminal and Gladiator from LLL.

Don't expect anything profound here.  My posts usually aren't.  Or maybe they are?   But here goes.
 
"We Go Together"
Bucking the ESB trend of splitting the heroes into two or more storylines, TROS keeps the gang intact.  And it's way more fun this way.  These actors were well cast, and it's sad that they never got to shed the baggage of the Legacy characters and truly have their own adventures.  This is as close as they got to having a story of their own.  With a little help from Williams, the actors are giving us camaraderie and warmth that just feels good to be part of.  They look like they're having fun, so I'm along for the ride.  There's no side trip to Canto Bight here, and the simple trajectory has me more entertained.  That beautiful shot of Rey glancing at Chewie in the copilot seat with Finn and Poe in the back of the Falcon cockpit warms my heart.  By the time the trio of humans embrace at the end, it is earned.
 
"You Didn't Say My Name, Sir, But I'm Alright"
C-3PO is fucking brilliant in TROS.  In fact, he hasn't been this well written since Return of the Jedi, maybe even Empire.  He is absolutely hilarious without the groaner puns of AOTC.  TROS is C-3PO at his funniest and, well, Threepoist.  He is finally himself again after what feels like a long time. It's not just Anthony Daniels reading the lines this time.  Goldenrod has a role to play, and for the one for whom Star Wars was supposed to be through his eyes, we get a glorious swan song for the character.   And just the little things like saying calling Rey "Mistress Rey", or saying "Sir" to his superiors.  "Terrible job, Sir!"  This is the Threepio Owen told to shut up.  AND THEN... he voluntarily wipes his consciousness to help his friends.  Can you imagine if you could only save your family by having all memories of them removed from your head?  "Taking one last look, Sir... at my Friends."  I'm not crying, you're crying.  Of course, they bring him back but we also get....
 
"Babu Frik?  He's One of My Oldest Friends"
If there are people who don't like Babu Frik, I don't want to know them.  It's even fun to say Babu Frik.
 
"Somehow Palpatine Returned"
JJ's mystery box writing often leaves viewers disappointed that there's no satisfying explanation or outcome.  I actually don't need to know how we got here.  Don't care, really.  They rolled the dice, and brought back the baddest villain for the final movie, to thread the first and last episodes of the saga together.  Wanna know whey they probably brought him back?  Because this is a goddam comic book episode.  It's Dark Empire, but done with more Star Wars style fun and cinematic action.
 
Zorii Bliss is cooler than Mando, Boba, and Jango
Zorii Bliss is an old-fashioned 2 dimensional, paper thin Star Wars character.  She looks cool, acts cool, is a fine foil for Poe.  But best of all, she never takes her helmet off.  They cast a big name like Keri Russell and they stick to their guns and never show her face.  That's the mystery writing I happen to like.  Sorry Boba, but they neutered your coolness over years of stripping away the mystery.
 
"Hallway Shooting"
There are some things that are just part of the SW visual vocabulary.  I don't need huge set pieces with hundreds of Mandalorians.  Instead give me that awesome scene of Poe, Finn and Chewie blasting through that corridor of Stormtroopers, and I'm back where I need SW to take me.
 
"The Knights of Ren.... Ghouls"
Who the fuck are this guys?  Who cares?  This line tells me everything I really need to know.  Leave it to the novels and comics to play with if they want, but I like not having all the dots connected.  SW is imagination fuel.  That's why I like having questions that are left unanswered.
 
"Hey Kid"
Rey and Ren are resolved really well in this movie.  Their force link saber duel is cinematically gorgeous.  Their team up and sacrifice at the end is properly emotional in a SW way.  I don't know what else really to say, but his redemption felt well earned.  I mean, we knew he was a Solo and had it in him to become one of the Good Guys again.  There was no "well that escalated quickly" in his redemption the way there was with Anakin's rapid descent in ROTS.  And the vision with Han Solo' just shreds me every time.
 
"There Are More of Us"
TROS brings back Lando Calrissian.  And he seems himself.   And it's beautiful.  He gets the "bad feeling about this" line which is nice.  It's just really really nice to have Lando back.  Of course the cavalry scene with the Falcon and the fleet is appropriately jaw dropping and deliriously heroic.   If I could've changed one thing to that scene... I'd have added aged Jar Jar Binks piloting some sort of organic looking Gungan starfighter.  And with that, I've confused all of you on what emoji to give this post.  But I would've loved to see Jar Jar thumb his nose at the haters and help out here.  Hey, Wedge was there so why not?
 
The Score 
Is really, really, really, REALLY good.  Sometimes I try not to listen to it too much and risk wearing out the emotional impact it has on me.
 
And that's all I got right now for specifics.  My appreciation for this movie isn't complicated.  Simply stated, it's just a really FUN movie.    I'm sad that more people don't like this movie, but it doesn't spoil it for me.  I was totally enchanted by this movie, which seems to exist simply to entertain and delight the young at heart.  That's basically why I love TROS, and you should too.
 
 
 

The thing I appreciate most about The Rise of Skywalker is that it affirms a big theme of the entire series that was established all the way back in The Phantom Menace--the idea that you can't and shouldn't always rely on a governing body to take care of all of your problems for you. Queen Amidala learns that the thing she was putting all of her hopes in--the Republic--was never going to be able to help her rescue her people. So what did she do? She did it herself. Her sin through the rest of the trilogy was that she didn't learn from that experience--instead of continuing that independence of thought, she bought into the Republic wholesale foolishly hoping to change it from within. This lesson is continued in a big way with the Rebellion--despite their mission being to restore the Republic, which is still an admirable position to take. The Rebellion was an alliance of different rebellions and when Jyn Erso learned that she couldn't rely on the Rebellion to help her take the Death Star plans she formed her own coilition to take them herself, and in doing so she inspired the rest of the Rebellion to shed their fear and make a move.
 
In The Force Awakens, it is Leia who forms her own breakaway organization--The Resistence--after she learns that she can't rely on the Republic to save itself from the threat of the First Order. And the Resistance struggles to inspire the free peoples of the Galaxy to stand up for themselves instead of living in fear--until the final moments of The Rise of Skywalker when the Resistance does what Leia did, what Jyn Erso did, what Padme did before them--they showed the Galaxy through their leadership that evil could be stood up to without having a crutch and relying on a power that is unwilling to help itself.
 
Whether this was intentional (and on some level, it is because it's baked into the story, but what I mean by this statement is 'whether this is a call back to the specific ideas brought up in the Prequels and the original films/Rogue One') remains to be seen, but it works so well as the conclusion to a thematic arc that starts all the way back in Episode I.

I liked the movie, I don't ever mention that because I don't want to argue about it, but I guess I can say it here. It had a lot of fun elements of adventure, I liked that Rey developed an altruistic Jedi-like attitude (helping children and animals), I liked Palpy even though he had no reason to be there, Exegol was cool, and not to mention John Williams was in it.
 
I LOVE the score, I feel like Williams was inspired. The new themes are cool, and the sound world of the score has lots of great nuances to it that give it a little more personality than the TLJ score for example. I almost lost my shit the first time I heard the Anthem of Evil track on the OST with the wonderfully understated vocals - a new angle for the Sith, quietly menacing, with the one big outburst to remind you that they'll still fuck you up. I like the uplifting themes in the title track, highlighting some of the more noble ideals our heroes have been fighting for as the fight comes to an(other) end. In the film I liked how much the Knights of Ren theme asserted itself, and always in a little bit different guise. Speeder Chase and A New Home are highlights as well.
 
 

I really enjoy this one. Not all makes sense, but the visuals are fantastic.
 
I actually really loved seeing Palpatine again and his power at the end of the film is really cool. And I thought the saber fight between Ren & Ray was great

When I hear this piece in front of my inner eye I don't really see a conductor conducting and orchestra but rather a DJ at a mixing desk mixing over and over several different layers on the beat.
Which is probably ok for a contemporary score for a sports movie, but not my favourite kind of film music.

Great discovery of the weekend!
While remembering the Blu-Ray menu gave us the clean version of the "Rey Training" cue which is unreleased, I wanted to see what the DVD menus had since those usually contain additional screens for the "Scene Selection" and "Language/Subtitles".
 
The amazing @crumbs found a complete DVD rip and we were able to find another previously unreleased cue, not featured on the Blu-Ray!!
 
It is the "Meditation" cue, featured in the "Scene Selection" menu:
 
tros-amp.mp3
 
 
Another DVD exclusive menu for the language setup comes with the section of "Reunion" that contains Rey & Yoda's Theme, which is on the OST, so no other unreleased music there.
 
This is all new information, right?

1:07:18 Mike says:
 
 
It can be anything, but my brain automatically shouts TROS and it gets me excited...and I know I shouldn't.

Thor be like: