Ahsoka, “Time to Fly”, Review!

Ahsoka continues with one of the best Star Wars stories in film, animation, or live action series! Re:cap - “Toil and Trouble”; Ahsoka and Hera were at the shipyards on Corellia when a hyperdrive engine was taken away. Ahsoka dueled with Marrok, but he managed to escape in an Eta-class shuttle with his ally, still unnamed in the show. Hera pursued the transport ship in the Phantom II with Chopper. He threw a tracking device on it before the transport jumped to hyperspace. Hera and Ahsoka watched as the Imperial workers were taken into custody by the New Republic. At the Lothal capital, Sabine, in her full Mandalorian armor, looks at the mural of Ezra Bridger. She turns to see her former master. Huyang has heard from General Syndulla that the transport reached Seatos. Aboard her shuttle, Ahsoka tells Sabine to make the hyperspace jump and adds, “Padawan.” An awesome moment! 

The transport with the hyperspace engine heads towards what looks like a massive hyperdrive ring, The Eye of Sion. There was a Sith Lord during the Great Sith War named Darth Sion. He was introduced in the game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2004). The engine is loaded in place. On board the control room, Morgan, is met by Bayan, his apprentice, and Marrok whose holograms melt in place! She says the installation of the hyperdrive has begun and asks Baylan if he is troubled about Ahsoka Tano. He says yes and his apprentice says they couldn’t have been tracked. Morgan asks Baylan to look in the Force, he closes his eyes, he can’t sense Ahsoka in the Force. Baylan knows that she will arrive and also that her death would be a loss with the “few Jedi left.” The holograms fade away. 

“Part Three: Time to Fly” continues with director, Steph Green, and screenplay by Dave Filoni. The beginning opens to clacking sounds of a Japanese wood instrument like the hyoshigi. Always great to have a Kevin Kiner score. Then, we get the swirling blue of hyperspace, this is kinda awesome, because it feels like what it would be like to travel though it. Aboard the shuttle, Huyang is calling out lightsaber moves with his four arms extended and projecting yellow lightsabers. Sabine is practicing with a wooden bokken, interesting, the younglings used low-powered training lightsabers, but I like this traditional samurai-like training. Ahsoka watches the practice. Sabine has good stance for a duelist. He withdraws his arms and analyzes Sabine’s strikes. Ahsoka brings up Zatochi. The technique hints at the Zatoichi, the blind swordsman of many samurai films. Sabine first trained with wooden sticks to learn how to use the Darksaber by blind Jedi, Kanan Jarrus. This was in "Trials of the Darksaber" (2017), FC-R3/15. Kanan goaded her into quitting. 

Ahsoka says Sabine’s skill is from her Mandalorian background, but not enough for what they face. Sabine checks her wound. She brings up Huyang’s comment that she is the worst Jedi candidate(!), I’m still not certain if this is to motivate her, but he says it is true. Ahsoka is a bit surprised. It was my understanding that ability in the Force is needed to use a lightsaber, it is so light and powerful that non-Force users will hurt themselves using it. Ahsoka gives Sabine a blast helmet, it’s right back to Obi-Wan with Luke and the remote, Sabine’s dialogue is almost the same too! Ahsoka wants her to be aware of her surroundings through listening to her voice, but it must be through the Force. She walks to Huyang, which where Sabine thinks she is, but Ahsoka is actually standing away from him. Deception is important. Ahsoka circles her and says, “Sense my intention.” She taps Sabine’s shoulder with her bokken and Sabine goes into several moves! 

Another tap and Sabine strikes Ahsoka’s bokken before retreating. Again and again, Sabine is able to strike several times before she swings wildly. She lost her form. Sabine blocks before Ahsoka’s bokken reaches her and Ahsoka calmly parries her strikes before her foot sends Sabine to the floor! This is one of my favorite lightsaber training scenes! Sabine lifts up the blast helmet visor panting. Ahsoka is calm and says that anger gives power, but “unbalances you.” This is all that is needed to know about the Force, the second part is really needed in any explanation. Ahsoka says they should spar again. Four New Republic A-Wings soar towards the rest of the fleet. In the corridors of Home One, Hera walks up to Lieutenant Vic Hawkins (Nican Robinson), he says the Chancellor and senators are waiting including Xiono. I like the Mon Calamari pilot at his side. 

She meets with the holograms of Chancellor Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) and four other senators. O’Reilly reprised the role in the Andor series. The chancellor asks about Jacen. Senator Xiono is impatient. Xiono! It took me a moment to realize that this is Senator Xiono who is the father of Kaz Xiono, the pilot in the animated series, Star Wars: Resistance! I didn’t think that there would be any connection to that show. Hera brings up the Imperial loyalists, but Senator Rodrigo (Jacqueline Antaramian) says that former Imperials work throughout the New Republic. This should be checked on. Hera then brings up Thrawn! She wants a task force sent to Denab. Strange, military leaders should be able to allocate forces as needed without government approval. The New Republic is weak. Xiono says Hera is using it as an excuse to find Ezra, but this is just a personal attack. 

She asks him if he was in the war and he says no. All of the senators are silent. Burn. Senator Mawood (Maurice Irvin) thanks her for her service, but says the senators are working for the people. Senator Rodrigo sees no threat with the scattered Imperial fleet, um, she has no authority to make judgments on military matters. Hera says she fought against Thrawn and wants their help to stop another war. Xiono says Thrawn is dead like Ezra. Chancellor Mothma calls for privately meeting with the senators. The other senator, a Gran, three-eyed goat-like alien, has been silent. We have previously seen Gran senators in the Galactic Senate. In the corridor, Hera meets with Jacen (Evan Whitten), her son, his father was Kanan Jarrus! We haven’t seen Jacen, a little boy by the time of the Battle of Endor, since the finale of Star Wars: Rebels! 

Jacen is excited that Sabine is training to be a Jedi. He was told by Chopper. Jacen wants to be a Jedi, yes!, like his father. Jacen was also the name of one of Han Solo’s twins in Heir to the Empire! He will play a signficant part if this goes to the planned movie by Dave Filoni. At the shuttle, Ahsoka compliments Sabine on her training, at the raised conference table, Sabine says, “I can’t use The Force.” This is stunning!, if she says she can’t use it, then she won’t until she trusts in The Force. Ahsoka says The Force is in “all living things” so Sabine asks, “Then why doesn’t eveyone use it?” She replies that “training and focus” is needed. She uses the Force to pull over a tea cup and adds, “Start small.” Ahsoka joins Huyang in the cockpit and he says the Jedi Order would not have accepted Sabine. He adds that there are not many Mandalorian Jedi. 

Ahsoka says she doesn’t want Sabine to be a Jedi, just herself. Love the dialogue! Huyang says Ahsoka is from a line of “non-traditional Jedi”! I think this shows the future of the Jedi that was hinted at with the entity, Bendu (voiced by the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker!), in Star Wars: Rebels who guided Ezra. Sabine eyes the tea cup, closes her eyes, and has her hand ready to Force push the cup. She fails. Ah!, Sabine learn from The Matrix, “There is no cup.” Ahsoka contacts Sabine about Hera’s report. Sabine says that the cup wins the round! Hera, in tiny hologram projection, says the Senate Commitee rejected the mission. Then, the transmission is cut off! Huyang says that transmissions are jammed at their approach to the Denab system. Ahsoka has Huyang drop out of hyperspace a distance from the planet. Huyang has detected another object, the Eye of Scion! There is an alarm as six starfighters, similar to Grievous Belbullab-22 heavy Starfighter from Revenge of the Sith (2005)! 

The apprentice with a gold headset comlink that was worn by Obi-Wan is pursuing the shuttle along with Marrok. He says, "As you wish", very Princess Bride, to her orders. The first time we hear him speak. She orders the attack with the other starfighters. Ahsoka sends Sabine back to man the tail gun! This scene mirrors the escape from the Death Star battle with the TIE fighters! The starfighters have several pulsing bursts from their blaster cannons. They fire on the shuttle as Huyang scans the new object. Ahsoka asks Sabine how she can help and Sabine replies that she will signal a maneuver. Three starfighters line up for attack and Sabine calls for Ahsoka to dive the ship! No hit. Ahsoka sees the two starfighters on approach, Marrok and another pilot. It’s a hit! Ahsoka has the wing of the shuttle go into a spin and Sabine takes down more starfighters! Huyang and Ahsoka see what they think is a hyperdrive ring. 

The apprentice contacts Morgan who has them fly clear to use the ring’s turbolasers! The turbolasers have an unusual explosion of smoke attempting to blast the shuttle. Huyang is starting to scan the Eye of Sion as Sabine rushes in to angle the deflector shields. Huyang is intrigued by what he has scanned and wants them to move closer. The shields are weakening and Morgan smiles. He finishes the scan as there is an explosion! A droid reports to Morgan that the ship is not detected. We see the damaged shuttle drifting and trailing debris. Huyang is shut down and Ahsoka wants Sabine to get the ship up and running. The apprentice snidely remarks to Morgan that the shuttle is still intact and she will go after them. A little rivalry here. Ahsoka sees the approaching ships and tells Sabine to work on getting the shuttle running while she goes “out there”, a space walk! The apprentice closes in on the shuttle. Ahsoka walks out of the airlock and ignites her lightsabers! A zero-g battle with lightsabers vs. starfighters! 

Ahsoka’s suit, blue and white, looks like a nun’s habit with the suit covering her montrals! They fire on her and Ahsoka pushes off the ship in a spin! This is an awesome move! Ahsoka deflects the cannon fire, flips, and severs a starfighter! Sabine sees the explosion and then Ahsoka drifting past the cockpit! She gets the shuttle running, turns the wing to catch Ahsoka who moves to jump into the airlock as cannon fire strafs the ship! Sabine takes the shuttle into atmo dodging the starfighters’ blasts. Ahsoka has detected something. Then, the massive form of the purrgils burst from the clouds! These are the whale-like beasties that end in tentacles took away Ezra and Thrawn in “Family Reunion - and Farewell” (2018)! Their ability to move into hyperspace is what eventually led to hyperspace travel. Both Ahsoka and Sabine smile. They have another link to finding Ezra! “Time to Fly” has strong character moments with Sabine’s training and thoughts on The Force, action, Hera dealing with politics, and the great callbacks to the best of Star Wars! 

Five+ Lightsabers out of Five! 

#Ahsoka, #TimeToFly, #StephGreen, #DaveFiloni, #RosarioDawson, #NatashaLiuBordizzo, #DavidTennant, #MaryElizabethWinstead, #GenevieveOReilly, #NelsonLee, #JacquelineAntaramian, #MauriceIrvin, #IvannaSakhno, #DianaLeeInosanto 

Ahsoka, “Toil and Trouble”, Review!

Ahsoka's second part episode, "Toil and Trouble", gathers most of the Star Wars: Rebels crew and Morgan Elspeth's plans are closer to being fulfilled! Re:cap - “Master and Apprentice”, Sabine at the communications tower has decoded the map, but she fights with an assassin droid while its counterpart takes the map! She takes up her lightsaber and then faces the mysterous woman and another assassin droid. The woman activates her lightsaber, a glowing, orange blade. Sabine advances in guard position. Then, she rushes forward with a strike that the woman blocks. Sabine is driven back by several strikes. 

Ahsoka charges up her shuttle and flies it from Lothal City. Sabine is grunting, her swings cut only air, while the woman is silent. She forces Sabine back still holding her lightsaber almost in a dancer’s position. They are both female apprentices, but Sabine’s opponent is more skilled. Ahsoka tells Huyang to pilot the shuttle. Sabine’s strike is parried and the woman drives her lightsaber through her side. This is not a lethal move, a shiak, but Sabine will need some bacta. The woman disengages, Sabine swings her lightsaber wildly, and she turns to see the shuttle. Sabine collapses as Ahsoka runs towards her! 

"Toil and Trouble" is also written by Dave Filoni. It is directed by Steph Green who previously directed The Book of Boba Fett, "Chapter 2: The Tribes of Tatooine" (2022). The episode's title refers to the witches' chant in Shakespeare's Macbeth, "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble." A hint of Morgan Elspeth, Witch of Dathomir? We hear water droplets, medical fluid?, in the darkness when the episode begins. The stark white resolves to Ahsoka looking at Lothal City while she hears Sabine’s question about Ezra. This is Sabine recalling Ezra saying he is counting on her. We see Sabine recovering on a bed, not a bacta tank?, and Ahsoka turns to see her. 

Her memories go to meeting the woman with the lightsaber when Ahsoka rushes over to wake her up. She sees a Too-Onebee medical droid and Huyang at the other side of the room. Sabine tries to get up saying the droid took the map, but Ahsoka tries to calm her. She says she unlocked the map. Sabine says there are two galaxies with a path between them. Ahsoka asks if there was a starting point from their galaxy, but Sabine says she didn’t have time. She leaves. A downwards wipe, Filoni knows Lucas’ directing style, at a red forested world with seas, Seatos, the Eta-class shuttle lands. At a stone circle with jagged pillars around it, Baylan approaches with his apprentice. He places the map cylinder on a stone and it begins to rotate. Baylan tells his apprentice to contact Morgan about the reflex point.

 

A Loth-cat perks up in a grassy field outside of the communications tower. Ahsoka is there tracing the lightsaber battle like Prince Humperdink in Princess Bride (1987). She sees Sabine’s helmet and speeder. Ahsoka sees Sabine’s Loth-cat before entering her work room and activates her hologram of Ezra. The Loth-cat hisses and Ahsoka spins with her lightsaber severing the assassin droid’s head in a Sai cha! She says that she expected the droid to be there, most likely to track the other one. The Loth-cat is the best early warning device, they should bring it along on their adventures. 

At the medical wing, Sabine examine’s the assassin droid head while we also see the hologram of Hera. She starts to remove the droid’s covering, nice to see the inner workings, and says it has back-up systems. Sabine was always a tech. Huyang notes that its memory can be used to find its base. Sabine starts slicing into the droid’s memory, it starts to overheat, then Huyang deactivates it. She has discovered that it came from Corellia. Hera asks the New Republic shipyard. Ahsoka notes that Morgan Elspeth has Corellian shipyards and Hera says she will meet her there. 

Sabine doesn’t want to be left behind and speaks with Hera who says Ahsoka needs her help no matter what she says. Night, Morgan has arrived on Seatos, Baylan points her to the map stone. He asks who built it and Morgan says it was built by an “ancient people from a distant galaxy.” They step forward and Morgan begins swaying her hand over the map, her Dathomiran power?, it levitates with a green flame. The map projects the galaxy and then projections start to rise from the circle forming a half-globe. Another galaxy is projected by one of the pillars. 

A new galaxy is something never dealt with in other SW material! The map shows the way to Peridea which is what Baylan calls it. He says that is what it was called in the Jedi Temple as a fairy tale. Morgan closes her eyes and says Thrawn is calling to her! This is an improvement over what was in the so called Sequel Trilogy. The map deactivates and Morgan says The Eye of Sion, a ship?, is on headed to them. Baylan says Marrok will have things ready. Now, I’m in the Unknown Regions here. Morgan leaves. The apprentice asks Baylan what will happen when Thrawn arrives and he says war! For others, “a new beginning”, Empire?, Sith? He sends her to Corellia to help Marrok.

 

Ahsoka’s T-6 shuttle enters Corellian space, the first time we have seen it since Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), it passes a spherical station to head towards the surface. Ahsoka pilots the shuttle to a shipyard which is on a harbor with two Star Destroyers about to de-commissioned. She heads towards a curved hangar and meets with Hera and Myn Weaver (Peter Jacobson), a supervisor. The swarmy bureaucrat says Morgan’s shipyards were taken apart, but he is too busy to show them the shipyards. Hera convinces him to take them to Morgan’s shipyards.

Watching them is the familiar orange dome of Chopper, part of the Rebels crew, and a C1 astromech doid. He is voiced by Dave Filoni. The only other group member of the Spectres missing is Zee, whom we last saw in The Mandalorian, "Chapter 21: The Pirate" (2023). Weaver says all of the workers are ex-Imperials so that would mean they could easily turn over the ships to the Imperial Remnant. I’m not certain why the New Republic would use Imperial workers, the Imperials worked at the Kuat Drive Yards relatively close to Corellia, but Imperial tech is not as versatile as Corellian ships. A little gap in logic there. 

Hera asks Ahsoka to take back Sabine as her apprentice. It is strange that even now, Ahsoka would have judgements of an apprentice when she was so resisted by Anakin to take he as apprentice. The Too-Onebee droid takes off a medical patch, strange he doesn’t say a word while doing so, that reveals the lightsaber wound. Huyang is there and picks up her lightsaber, Sabine corrects him that it is Ezra’s, and he says Ezra passed it to her. He says she has modified it so the lightsaber belongs to Sabine. Huyang tells her about training, Sabine says Ahsoka won’t train her, and he tells her to move forward. It doesn’t matter what Sabine thinks of her relationship with Ahsoka, if she wants to train, then she should train. 

She doubts her abilities compared to Ezra, again she is making excuses, a person determines how they will fare as a Jedi. Huyang holds out her lightsaber. He is not a great instructor, no Cin Drallig, but Sabine takes her lightsaber. Weaver takes Hera and Ahsoka to a control room over looking the shipyard. Hera points out a hyperdrive core, Weaver says it is from a Super Star Destroyer, and when Hera asks what it is for, she is told it is classified. A general of the New Republic? She should close immediately close down the facility calling a fleet. He calls over C1-D1 (voiced by Shelby Young), a red protocol droid. Young voiced Princess Leia in Forces of Destiny. Ahsoka asks about HK-assassin droids and C1 says she saw one and that it is leaving on a ship. Hera tries to stop it, but then the workers shout, “For the Empire!” 

They are taken down by Ahsoka and Hera. Ahsoka tells Hera to ready the Phantom, a new model transport shuttle to replace thir old VCX-starfighter. Ahsoka shatters the control room window with her lightsabers and then drops down to run after the ship. She stops when confronted by black-armored man, Marrok, with a red lightsaber and handle and assassin droid. Marrok was on Skoll meeting with Morgan, Baylan, and his apprentice. Hera tries to order the transport back, but instead blaster cannons are turned on her and she is fired upon. No response from Corellia? No fighters dispatched at an armed conflict? Ahsoka duels the assassin droid and Marrok. She has fought Maul, Dooku, and Grievous, I’m not certain how both opponents could possibly be anywhere near her level. 

Ahsoka skewers the droid and then turns upon the other who has activated his other lightsaber blade. Hera has Chopper throw a tracking device before the ship jumps to hyperspace. Again, I think at minimum Hera could bring in an escort of two cruisers and six X-Wing fighters. Marrok gets a signal on his wrist comlink and throws his lightsaber, but Ahsoka leaps over it, very cool. He sees the shuttle that starts to strafe blaster cannon fire around him as he runs up. Then, leaps on the landing ramp with Baylan’s waiting apprentice. Marrok calls his lightsaber, which Ahsoka shrugs as it flies past, actually her control of the Force, she could easily keep it. 

The Loth-cat sees the arrival of Sabine at the communications tower room. Sabine starts to set her Mandalorian armor on a table and then her helmet! She is the only Mandalorian whom helped the New Republic until Din Djarin. Sabine is meditating and then takes out a vibro-knife, cutting her hair, before picking up her helmet. Ahsoka and Hera watch as New Republic officers take away the traitors including Weaver. Chopper is still trying to track the ship. Hera enters her shuttle, she sees a signal, and activates a hologram transmission. It is Sabine in her Mandalorian armor, short hair, and says, “I’m ready.” Um, round 2 of a lightsaber duel, I would worry for her opponent. Ahsoka episode 2 has the heroes catching up as Morgan prepares to find Grand Admiral Thrawn, but Sabine is now ready to join Ahsoka Tano! 

Five Lightsabers out of Five!  

#Ahsoka, #StephGreen, #DaveFiloni, #RosarioDawson, #NatashaLiuBordizzo, #DavidTennant, #MaryElizabethWinstead, #RayStevenson, #IvannaSakhno, #DianaLeeInosanto, #ShelbyYoung  

Happy Birthday Jack Kirby!

 Happy Birthday Jack Kirby! To understand how comic books, superhero comics, the work and its appeal, you have to understand Jack Kirby. His extreme poses and action exploding out of the panels are the language of superhero comic books today. The King of Comics, started as an in-betweener at the Fleischer Studios working in animation. Then, he started work at the Eisner & Iger studio creating artwork working in many genres for Wild Boy Magazine. Kirby moved to Fox Feature Syndicate working with writer Joe Simon on the Blue Beetle comic strip. The duo worked together on Captain Marvel Adventures #1 (1941) for Fawcett Comics. They joined Timely Comics, which later became Marvel Comics, and created Captain America Comics #1 (1941). It sold out and became an iconic character for Timely/Marvel. Captain America was the subject of a movie serial in 1944, some movies in 1979, a film in 1990, and entered the MCU played by Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Kirby wrote and drew Captain America with issue #193 (1976). 

The Simon and Kirby duo created romance comics with Young Romance #1 (1947). Kirby then worked for DC creating the Challengers of the Unknown, a quartet of explorers who survive a jet crash to investigate strange dangers in Showcase #6 (1957). In Challengers of the Unknown #3 (1958), written and drawn by Kirby, the group gets super powers including projecting flame and invisibility. He worked with Stan Lee introducing monsters like Groot in Tales to Astonish #13 (1960). The tree-creature was featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (2023). What launched the Marvel Age of Comics in the Silver Age was Fantastic Four #1 (1961). There have been numerous films that tried to capture the magic of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s creation. There was a cameo of Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). They turned a monster into a hero with The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962) who was in the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) series. Then, Thor in Journey into Mystery #83 (1962). His latest solo film is Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). They co-created Ant-Man in Tales to Astonish #35 (1962) with Larry Leiber. Also, the Wasp in Tales to Astonish #44 (1963) with Ernie Hart.  

Their latest film is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). Next, the team co-created Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #39 (1963). 2008's Iron Man started the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Lee and Kirby brought the heroes together in The Avengers #1 (1963). The blockbuster, Avengers: Endgame, featured the characters. They also created Black Panther in Fantastic Four #52 (1966).  The character was featured in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). The Lee and Kirby duo created the X-Men and villain Magneto in X-Men #1 (1963). Professor Xavier, leader of the X-Men, had a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. When Kirby went to DC Comics, he created the Fourth World drawing and writing New Gods #1 and also their nemesis Darkseid, who Kirby introduced in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134 (1970). Kirby returned to Marvel and created The Eternals in The Eternals #1 (1976). Their film was out in 2021. The work of Jack Kirby is found in issues of Jack Kirby Quarterly. Jack Kirby was pioneering in comic books, animation, he created film concept art that was used by the CIA seen in Argo (2012). He died in 1994, but his legacy will always be remembered by fans and audience members who love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Happy Birthday Jack Kirby! 

#JackKirby, #JoeSimon, #CaptainMarvelAdventures, #CaptainAmericaComics, #CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger, #YoungRomance, #ChallengersOfTheUnknown, #Groot, #TalesToAstonish, #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3, #FantasticFour, #DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness, #IncredibleHulk, #SheHulkAttorneyAtLaw, #Thor, #JourneyIntoMystery, #ThorLoveAndThunder, #AntMan, #Wasp, #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania, #TalesOfSuspense, #TheAvengers, #AvengersEndgame, #BlackPantherWakandaForever, #XMen, #FourthWorld, #NewGods, #Darkseid, #SupermansPalJimmyOlsen, #TheEternals, #JackKirbyQuarterly   

A Birthday Tribute to Paul Reubens!

It is the birthday of Paul Reubens! Pee Wee Herman appeared on film in the comedy film, Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (1980). In 1981, Reubens was in the HBO movie, The Pee Wee Herman Show. Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure (1985) launched the career of Tim Burton as a director. It was also co-written by Reubens. He created, wrote, and directed Pee Wee Herman's Playhouse (1986-1991), the best kid show since Sesame Street. He even appeared as Pee Wee in three episodes of that show. It ran for five seasons with one Christmas special and won six Emmy Awards. Reubens voiced the sentient ship Max in Flight of the Navigator (1986). In 1987, after voicing Max, Reubens voiced RX-24 for Star Tours! Really the best part of the ride, every trip was fun with RX. 

Pee Wee Herman’s Schwinn DX cruiser, Hollywood Museum, photo by the author. 

A sequel to his iconic movie, Big Top Pee Wee hit theaters in 1988. It was also co-written by Reubens. He was given a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame that year as Pee-Wee Herman. He played the father of Penguin in Batman Returns (1992). Reubens had a great part as Amilyn in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992). Then, again became iconic voicing Lock, part of the trio, Lock, Shock, and Barrel in the animated classic, Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Reubens played the superhero Spleen in the superhero comedy, Mystery Men (1999). In 2011, Reubens brought Pee Wee to the stage with Pee Wee Herman's Show on Broadway. He reprised the part in the Star Wars: Rebels episode, "Droids in Distress" (2014). Reubens returned one last time as Pee Wee in the Netflix comedy, Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016). 

Pee Wee Herman’s Star, 6562 Hollywood Blvd., author’s photo.

Paul Reubens appeared as Lock in the production, Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert, at the Hollywood Bowl (2018). Jokey Smurf was voiced by Reubens in the live action/animated Smurfs (2011) and Smurfs 2 (2013). He voiced Bat-Mite in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon show. Reubens also voiced the villainous Pavel in Tron Uprising. The father of the Penguin, Elijah Van Dahl, was played by Reubens in the Gotham series. Paul Reubens was in a single episode of What We Do In The Shadows in "The Trial" (2019). Also that year, Reubens returned to voice DJ-R3X at Oga's Cantina in Galaxy's Edge He voiced the sinister Dybbuk in several episodes of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. He voiced Pontius Pig in the Tom and Jerry Show episode, "Sock it to me" (2021). A final role for Reubens was voicing Oliver in the animated short, The Crown with a Shadow (2021). Memorable, iconic roles for a comedian and creative person. Happy Birthday Paul Reubens! 

#PaulReubens, #PeeWeeHermansBigAdventure, #PeeWeesPlayhouse, #FlightOfTheNavigator, #StarTours, #StarWarsRebels, #GalaxysEdge, #BatmanReturns, #BuffytheVampireSlayer, #NightmareBeforeChristmas, #MysteryMen, #Smurfs, #TronUprising, #Gotham, #WhatWeDoInTheShadows, #LegendsOfTomorrow, #TomAndJerryShow, #TheCrownWithAShadow 

Days of the Dead: Day 2!

Today was the second day of horror popculture convention, Days of the Dead: Los Angeles! This is at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel and takes place over three days, the last day is tomorrow! More information can be found at: https://daysofthedead.com. There were free posters of That’s A Wrap which had at table featuring writer, Joe Knetter, Sarah French (Harper), and director, Marcel Walz. Their q&a is on Sunday! There were panels for the Millennium Godzilla actors; Tsutomu Kitagawa, Godzilla in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002), and Motokuni Nakagawa, the suit actor for Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003). 

                                                                                        Days of the Dead, the International Ballroom, author’s photo. 

Later there was a panel on the Heisei Godzilla; Watau Fukuda, played Godzillasaurus, in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) and Hurrican Ryu, Godzilla Jr. in Godzilla vs. Destroyah (1995). A film festival and photo ops were at the Plaza Ballroom. also a few Alien displays from the Hollywood Horror Museum!  The International Ballroom had vendors and celebrities from wall to wall! Alyssa Sutherland had a table featuring her photos from Evil Dead Rise where she played one of the sisters, Ellie. Next was comedian Tom Arnold from the True Lies (1994). One of the retailes was Preston Poulter of Pocket Jacks Comics. He wrote the graphic novel, White Lily (2020) about two Russian fighter aces, Lydia Litvyak and Katya Budanova  

A number of the cast members from Aliens (1986) were there; Cynthia Soctt (Corportal Dietrich), Ricco Ross (Pvt. Frost), Daniel Kash (Pvt. Spunkmeyer), Jenette Goldstein (Pvt. Vasquez), Mark Rolston (Pvt. Drake), William Hope (Lt. Gorman), Michael Biehn (Corporal Hicks), and Carrie Henn (Newt). It was great to see Mark Rolston especially with his memorable role as Boggs in Shawshank Redemption (1994). Rolston noted the rehearsal process that bonded the Colonial Marines. Biehn mentioned that his role as Lang in The Mandalorian was from Tombstone (1993). In the back was Tom Woodruff, Jr., Academy Award winner for Death Becomes Her (1992).

                                                                                                    An Alien from the Hollywood Horror Museum! 

Towering in the room was Ian Whyte, who played Gregor `The Mountain’ Clegane in season 2 of Game of Thrones. On the other side of the room was Damien Leone, writer and director, and David Howard Thorton (Art the Clown) from Terrifier (2016) and the sequel, and Amelie Mclain (The Little Pale Girl) from Terrifier 2 (2022). There was a a photo op of Thorton and Mclain in costume! Bin Furuya was a special guest who had played Ultraman from the first series in 1966 to Shin Ultraman (2022)! Mizuho Yoshida played Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)! I’m a fan of his work as the deadly alien in the sci fi sentai movies; Zeiram (1991) and Zeiram 2 (1994)! 

Hiroshi Kanatani had new sketchbooks of Godzilla and Ultraman and drew sketches in each one! Many of the cast from Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors 3: Dream Warriors (1987) also had tables. Ken Sagoes played Kincaid who has the distinction of being the “first African-American actor to survive a major horror film”! Also there is Jennifer Rubin who played Taryn, “In my dreams, I’m beautiful - and bad!” Other actors include Ira Heiden (Will), Bradley Gregg (Phillip), and Rodney Eastman (Joey). There were a few cosplayers and even a line of nuns for the promotion of The Nun 2 which opens 8 September! It is always to meet the creative people who make a cosmos of sci fi, Kaijus, and crazy clowns come alive! Days of the Dead is a fun convention with many celebrities out of our fears and others who are in favorite movies and television. 

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Top Five Movies of 2023 (so far)!

Summer’s end is the time to go over some of favorite films of 2023! It strangely began with M3GAN. Then, the bizarre Shin Ultraman, before I was stunned by Missing. This was followed by Pathaan which was a great Bollywood action movie. Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania which really eroded my interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

It was not an easy time for me recovering from surgery which lasted months. I missed the anime movie, Suzume, to focus on healing up. I did manage to see Spirited Away: Live On Stage consulting with my nurses. I also missed the one movie that I had wanted to see, The Magic Flute, since it quickly disappeared from theaters. It was time to get back to the theaters with Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

Then, it was time to go back to catch films that I had missed out on before they left theaters, John Wick: Chapter 4. I finally caught The Magic Flute on streaming. I have missed documentaries like STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie, dramas like Air, and films like Past Lives. The summer was filled with movies like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and The Flash soaked with CGi, but fun in their own way. This will be the top five movies of 2023 to the summer releases. 

What is interesting is films that are unexpected surprises, offering worldbuilding visuals, and exceeding expectations. #5 Missing, this movie was stunning with its complex mystery, the fear of losing a family member, all within the parameters of ScreenLife; a story told with computer, cell phone, and television screens. It has a great lead with Storm Reid, June is a normal teen, but is forced to be clever and work out what happened to her mother! Streaming on Netflix now. 

#4 Barbie, yup, it is a sensation, but it exceeded the toy doll come to life premise, really used the fantasy to reflect real life, people and their problems, plus the designs are wild and fun, great music and cast with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, it has a message and is funny! It is currently in theaters. #3 The Last Voyage of the Demeter, a perfect horror movie that is about tension, a brooding sense of evil, that again captured the “feel” of the Bram Stoker novel which I thought would never be possible. 

The film expanded on the story, but events and characters were in line with Stoker’s tone. Also, presenting the character archetypes we know so well, the skeptical scientific guy, perfect for setting up who will be a victim. The visuals are stunning; the rain-soaked decks and the pale figure of Dracula in the darkness! Corey Hawkins as the ship’s medic is a great point of view character who uncovers what is happening with the ship! The movie is still playing in theaters.  

So our top two, #2, you might have already guessed it, The Little Mermaid. The animated classic really launched Disney animation and is a great cinematic experience. The live action reached this high bar and surpassed it in certain ways. Musically, very strong in presenting the well known songs. Halle Bailey was stunning not only in her singing, but on screen charisma very much like what I see with the character of Ariel. Beautiful world building, again The Little Mermaid: Guide to Merfolk book gave details that the film could only offer a glimpse. 

My favorite movies are memorable, I can flash through my memory of it to any scene, and also offering a world that I want to know more about which is Mermaid and also Demeter. It still in theaters and will stream on Disney+ on September 6th. This also applies to #1, The Magic Flute, I saw the brief scene in Amadeus, but this really introduced me to the full opera, but contemporary characters with a fantastic lead with Jack Wolfe, a funny performance by Iwan Rheon, and everything from themes of bullying, love, creativity, that is more than what I could expect. The Magic Flute is VOD at Amazon Prime, Applet TV, and Vudu. These are few of my favorites, are there films that are on your favorite list? 

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