Year Released: 2019
Directed by: 2019
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega
(PG-13, 155 min.)
Genre: Action and Adventure, Science Fiction and Fantasy

“First Order wins by making us think we’re alone. We’re not alone. Good people will fight if we lead them. What our mothers and father fought for, we will not let die. Not today. Today we make our last stand, for the galaxy. For Leia. For everyone we’ve lost.” Poe Dameron

Different Drummer is surprisingly with the critics on this one. Better than the horrible Last Jedi fiasco, but not compelling in its own right. Too much time taken to try to clean up that sour taste of Luke renouncing the Jedi, Yoda helping him burn the sacred texts, and the fractured mess of Hans, Leia, and their devil spawn.

Of course, my 15-year-old grandson, an aficionado of the whole Star Wars opus, including all the Disney shows, thought it was very good. But that is, I think, owing to his affection for the saga itself. I mean in between his demanding studies and basketball commitment, he finds time to build intricate mock ups of most of the battleships from the series. Just for fun!

And Different Drummer must admit, she walked away from the theater thinking The Rise of Skywalker was pretty decent, but the real test of a film is what you think of it a week later, after all that Hollywood glitter and nonstop action has worn off. Just as I once said about pizza, if it is good cold, then you know it’s a winner. (My mother’s homemade was as delicious Saturday morning as it was on Friday night.)

Well, The Rise of Skywalker hasn’t aged well in the week or so since I saw it. And some of that is due to the very heartfelt and persuasive essay penned by John Nolte, a dedicated film critic who pulls no punches.

He points out something that was an “aha” moment for this prior English teacher. Hardly any of the leads change from the beginning of this new triology. And a protagonist, by the very definition, must change. The title of Nolte’s essay, “A Limp Apology for the Last Jedi” says it all. But here are some specifics:

(Referencing Luke Skywalker’s first appearance in Return of the Jedi (1982). What an arc that character had — from a starry-eyed, somewhat spoiled child in Star Wars, to The Empire Strikes Back’s unseasoned and impatient warrior eager to do his duty, to this… Look at Luke now. Look at his poise, his confidence… He’s a Jedi! No. Better. He’s a man.

In fact, all three of our heroes in the original trilogy were given transformational arcs. Leia went from a somewhat bratty (but always brave) princess to a military leader, Han Solo went from a mercenary love-em-and-leave-em pirate to a faithful and selfless hero.

Okay, now look at Rey, Finn, and Poe.

Bland.

Blander.

Blandest.

The eloquent Nolte goes on to point out how Rey is really no different from the girl we met in the opening scenes of The Force Awakens (TFA), that Finn’s transformation ended 30 minutes into that same film, and for Poe, played by the always excellent Oscar Isaac,

He was charming, brash, funny, and capable in TFA. Another link The Last Jedi (TLJ) turned him into an ignorant sexist with terrible instincts. ROS retcons him back to the guy we loved in TFA, but there’s no depth, no growth, so he’s nothing close to interesting. No one in this trio is.

Make sure to read the whole thing. Not only is it persuasive, but you know you are not dealing with a typical detached observer kind of critic, but a true lover of the cinema who puts all of his brains and passion into what he says.

In fact, I could possibly just preprint Nolte’s whole essay and be done with it, but it is the New Year, and Different Drummer is not going to be that lazy…yet.

Sadly what has gone on with the latest reincarnation of Star Wars has been happening elsewhere on screen, as well, from a pathetic, dehumanized, and hedonistic reinterpretation of Sherlock Holmes to the recent James Bond darkened, diminished and deconstructed.

Another source of this lackluster end of a franchise – I wouldn’t be the first to compare it negatively to that polished sendoff to the Avengers franchise – is the time arc. The Avengers began in 2008 with the original Iron Man and bowed out just 11 years later. So the actors hadn’t really aged that much, and most were known quantities and accomplished thespians in their own right even in the nascent stage of the franchise.

In contrast, Star Wars was a surprise hit, a space opera that took the country by storm and really launched the high-flying stardom of Harrison Ford. But newbies Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill never really recaptured their stardom afterward. So forty odd years later, what do we have – a dead and actually dying (The Last Jedi) Carrie Fisher, a (excuse me) has-been 68 year Mark Hamill not looking a day over 80, and an eager but 77-year-old Harrison Ford. And to top that off, in reality, the only one supposed alive in this film is Fisher, who actually met her demise shortly after filming The Last Jedi in 2016.

Not to worry, they bring her back to life via old film imagery and other magic, which several have noted seems very contrived and artificial. But she is not the only one to return from the dead. In fact, seven characters do in this final epic, and that says you don’t have a very deep bench, or that you are not using the one you have, as is the case with a poorly written and inconsistent Poe (Oscar Isaac ).

And finally, we do not have much memorable dialogue. It’s all action, action, action; mainly a reworking for the umpteenth time of the same plot lines, now for a second generation. Methinks that is due to the studio’s moneyed eye on the international film market. They don’t want to confuse non-English speakers with too much to translate. Sadly, they do not realize that those memorable classic American film lines are actually half of what sold our movies to the foreign market. I once met a Chinese entrepreneur in Macau who spoke perfect English. She said she owed it to watching old American films, especially John Wayne movies.

So, if you are a fan, you will probably enjoy this final saga. The characters come back with a modest redemptive arc, but the iconic franchise dies with a whimper not a bang, if you ask me.

–Kathy Borich
3 Drums

Trailer

Film-Loving Foodie

If you’ve watched the first trailer for Star Wars Episode: The Rise of Skywalker, you probably noticed an ominous chuckle at the end that sounded suspiciously like Darth Sidious, aka Palpatine. But wait, isn’t he dead? We’re pretty sure Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker offed him at the end of Return of the Jedi. Either way, Palpatine (or his ghost) has probably been sipping on a Corpse Reviver since then. –Nicole Raney

Here is how to make it, with Different Drummer’s own alcohol free version as well.

Corpse Reviver Cocktail

The original Corpse Revivers were hangover cures,

.. but often the one with the most credibility and effectiveness — and negative stigma — is hair of the dog.

Corpse Reviver is a line of cocktails from before Prohibition, and the drinks are often a concoction of multiple spirits. –Pat Evans

Corpse Reviver No.1

§ 2 parts brandy

§ 1 part apple brandy

§ 1 part vermouth

Method: Shake well and serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with revenge. Laugh as you drink. Shoot lightning out of your fingers.

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For the kiddos, I might suggest Apple cider with tonic and/or Sevenup. Maybe a lightsaber swizzle stick, too. Different Drummer has used Pirouettes, with either dark or light filling, as lightsaber swizzle sticks. They can be found in the gourmet cookie aisle of most food stores. I get mine at Sam’s. –DD

The Manual.com