Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
The Last Jedi made $45 million domestically on Thursday night, a number dwarfed only by The Force Awakens’ $57 million back in 2015. Variety predicts that the full Friday figures (which will include Thursday) will come out in the $95-98M range. The movie is expected to pass $200M over the entire opening weekend.
I’m not sure if there’s really any call for a discussion post on a blog these days (and I’m heading out to my second showing any minute now) but for those who want to start… Have at it! Spoilers ARE allowed, obviously.
Adam Driver was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night, where he talked about the difference between this and the leadup to The Force Awakens, and they play with some action figures.
The Last Jedi script originally called for 160 sets, which is “a ridiculous amount of sets,” production designer Rick Heinrichs told The Hollywood Reporter. The production ended up having 125 sets at Pinewood. He also reveals that George Lucas visited the set… And on that note, he’s seen the movie as well, calling it “beautifully made.” In London, Rian Johnson said: “To have a chat with him and to have him be so kind and gracious felt really good.”
StarWars.com has the first excerpt of Cobalt Squadron, a middle-grade novel that features The Last Jedi’s Rose and Paige Tico. The book by Elizabeth Wein (Code Name Verity) will be out Friday.
This week’s Star Wars Show takes us back to the World Premiere with a behind-the-scenes look at creating the livestream.
Continue reading “It’s the night before Star Wars, and George Lucas has weighed in”
In what may be the most hilarious thing out of the press tour yet, John Boyega and Gwendoline Christie play “Fear Box” with Vanity Fair. No spoilers, but there are reptiles.
Continue reading “John Boyega, Gwendoline Christie dare the “Fear Box””
There are a lot of commonalities in The Last Jedi’s reviews: It’s better, or at the very least more daring than The Force Awakens, the performances are great, it’s much funnier than the marketing would have you expect, the franchise has changed forever but who cares, the middle sags a little… But even the negative review(s?) still maintain that this is a fun one. (With or without a hefty dose of “best since Empire!” which become the cliche back when The Force Awakens was still racking up ticket sales.) So head under the cut for my favorites (unless you’re scared of even the tinest spoiler, in which case, move along. Yes, some of these do hint at plot points.)
Continue reading “Review roundup: (Almost) everyone is all-in for The Last Jedi”
Saturday night was the world premiere of The Last Jedi, but press screenings were held today – and the formal review embargo reportedly lifts Tuesday at noon. Until then, here are more (fairly vague) tweets.
There a new, wide-ranging interview with writer/director Rian Johnson over at StarWars.com today. Topics include porgs (naturally,) Snoke’s red room/gold robe, and why there hasn’t been much of Finn in the marketing. There’s also a super charming cast interview over at the New York Times.
The charity auction for the custom Louboutins has begin. (Currently in the lead is the Amilyn, for $9,500, followed by Rey, Rose and Phasma.) In true collector fashion, each auction winner will come away with two pairs of the shoe – one signed by Christian Louboutin and the actress, and a second “in the size of your choice” – which means yes, you CAN wear them.
Continue reading “Today in The Last Jedi: Rian Johnson goes long, Louboutins up for auction”
Wired’s Autocomplete Interviews are always fun, and this one with some of The Last Jedi cast (Mark Hamill, Laura Dern, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Daisy Ridley and Domhnall Gleeson) certainly delivers.
Continue reading “The Last Jedi cast answers (some of) the internet’s questions”
It’s The Last Jedi week, with the first screenings hitting the night of Thursday, December 14 in the U.S. (International dates may vary, but the bulk are this week.)
In the modern age of Star Wars, that also means that we’re getting the bulk of the film’s tie-ins on Friday, December 15.
Continue reading “The Last Jedi is out this week (and so are the tie-ins)”