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Da Couch Tomato podcast, Episode 14, discussing Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, the deterioration of the titles in the saga, and how hard it is to please the Star Wars fandom.

Background music used is the Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker score by John Williams.

Hosts: Sting Lacson and Rachel

Rating: 6.7/10
11:01 AM
Chud

The Lego Movie isn't really the very first Lego movie. There's Lego: The Adventures of Clutch Powers. There's also Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite. Those two, however, converted the cute appeal of the Lego Minifigures into computer-generated characters. Which means in those movies, the Minifigures bend, and I mean in curves.

Bendy legs: great but unrealistic.

What makes The Lego Movie different from those other Lego movies is that this one tries – and succeeds – in achieving the look of the stop-motion fan-made videos on YouTube. The characters don't bend at the knees, and everything is made of Lego pieces – from waves to smoke to clouds to flames.

Some people may prefer the streamlined look of Ninjago or Chyma, so the stiff animation style may not appeal to them. But there are still several reasons why you should go watch this flick. Here are five.

1. "Everything is Awesome"
Yes. That annoying but damn catchy theme song.

The Lonely Island: annoying but damn catchy.

2. The Schizophrenic Good Cop/Bad Cop
Of course we'll hear Liam Neeson's trademark Irish drawl. But we'll also hear him in a high-pitched goody-goody voice.

"Release the Kraken. The boy is the chosen one, you must see it."

3. Super Heroes
By which I mean "DC heroes", specifically Batman, Superman, and the Green Lantern. Three guesses why there aren't any Marvel heroes in here.

Everyone is happy in this movie. Even Gotham's Dark Knight.

4. The Wizard Vitruvius being voiced by God
By which I mean "Morgan Freeman". I also love how they just dangle him on a string to simulate being a ghost.

"My voice acting talent fee is quite expensive." -Morgan Freeman

And finally…

5. The Millenium Falcon
Yes, that's Anthony Daniels and THE Billy Dee Williams as C-3PO and Lando Calrissian.

No photo of the Millenium Falcon available, so here's Abraham Lincoln and Superman instead.



The Lego Movie. USA. 2014.



Original rating: 8.0 / 10
Chris Pratt's genuinely happy voice: + 0.05
Charlie Day's trademark scream: + 0.05
The meta-ness of the entire thing: + 0.05
Will Arnett's Batman performance: + 0.05
Channing Tatum as Superman: + 0.05
Jonah Hill as the Green Lantern: - 0.05
Live action bit at the end: - 0.05
President Business not being Will Ferrell-y enough: - 0.05
Final rating: 8.10 / 10





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4:33 PM

George Lucas makes his millions again.

Yes, The Clone Wars is another money-making venture from Lucasfilm, and yes, it's a shameless way to plug the upcoming animated TV series for Cartoon Network. But it's still Star Wars, and the legions of nerds and geeks (yours truly included) will soak this up like a sponge.


The CGI quality of this movie pales in comparison to the cinematic standard set by Pixar. The voices are not the original; only the ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, Anthony Daniels as that effeminate droid Threepio, Matthew Wood as the battledroids, and the king of celluloid Christopher Lee as Count Dooku, return to reprise their roles. The music is obviously not by John Williams anymore (you'll know it's not your regular Star Wars when you hear electric guitars), and even the famous opening scroll has been replaced by a narrator's voice over.

Animation-wise, the characters are a bit too stiff, and their mouths lack motion (and emotion) when talking. But the animators succeeded in their efforts to try not to look like Beowulf or The Incredibles, for the style they came up with is totally unique. Basically, it's a 3D version of the 2003 Cartoon Network Clone Wars, and it may look a bit angular and dirty, but taken as a whole, the visual look is pretty nice. The vistas are spectacular, and the fight scenes are the film's saving grace. It actually puts the "Wars" in "Clone Wars". If you want battles, lightsaber duels, and outer space dogfights, this film has it all.

If you didn't like the film, that's probably because you're not a Star Wars fan, and this film wasn't made for you. George Lucas made this film for the fans, not for anyone else (who the hell cares about the Clone Wars anyway). Just don't watch this film with a non-Star Wars fan, if you don't want yourself bombarded by questions like "How did Anakin become a bad guy?" or "Why is Anakin stronger than the others?" Anyone new to Star Wars would be better off starting with A New Hope, just like the rest of us. Movies like these are for the more advanced freaks.


Rating: Three and a half stars.
4:37 PM
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