Solo (Ron Howard, 2018)

Discussions of specific films and franchises.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Lost Highway
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:41 am
Location: Berlin, Germany

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#151 Post by Lost Highway » Mon Apr 09, 2018 3:08 pm

I wouldn't say I'm massive fan of Ford but for most people it's easy to see why he was the only one of the three leads to come out of Star Wars as a movie star.

User avatar
hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#152 Post by hearthesilence » Mon Apr 09, 2018 3:41 pm

David Thomson's entry on Ford in his Biographical Dictionary of Film is actually spot-on: there's often a chilly distance to Ford's screen persona, and while he's rarely tested his limits as an actor, he hasn't done all that well when he has, so it's probably for the better.

But he can been pretty effective. He has been pretty good with bits of comedy and this was again true when he was finally cast in a decent comic role in Working Girl. I think Blade Runner actually benefits from his naturally gruff cantankerous demeanor, and Thomson was spot-on in observing that around Frantic he was "growing an anxious gaze, like that of Gary Cooper." I don't think he was the only one to notice this, and it's a big reason why he made a bigger (if not great) impression on me in some of his late '80s and '90s roles than he did with his earlier ones. I'm tempted to say the best example of this was in The Fugitive - in a way, it's a thankless lead performance because at least with the movie (I've barely seen the TV show) you're dealing with a character who is usually avoiding contact with other people and doing everything they can to keep a low profile. (It's no surprise Tommy Lee Jones stole the show with a highly verbose part driven by his interactions with his team of U.S. Marshals.) Ford can seem introverted to a fault, but it works perfectly in this context and it's where that "anxious gaze" may have been put to best use.

beamish13
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:31 am

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#153 Post by beamish13 » Mon Apr 09, 2018 5:06 pm

Some directors have managed to elicit really great performances from Ford, particularly Peter Weir. I think what's diminished the
quality of his output is his obvious disdain for the industry (and perhaps acting in general).

User avatar
Ribs
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:14 pm

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#154 Post by Ribs » Mon Apr 09, 2018 5:47 pm

I like a lot of Harrison Ford performances, but I'm just a little bewildered by the common consensus opinion a lot of people have that he's, like, this particularly great actor. It's probably just because of being paired to his two big characters that give him this reputation. I don't really have any problem with him other than that standing, and in fact I'd say he's absurdly good in Working Girl. I don't think he made Han Solo into a particularly better character than any other working actor of similar type or build, is all I meant.

User avatar
Luke M
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:21 pm

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#155 Post by Luke M » Mon Apr 09, 2018 10:18 pm

I have always liked Ford but I wouldn’t say he’s an especially great actor. I think he’s there with Stallone, capable of turning out great performances but that’s not really his schtick.

User avatar
colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#156 Post by colinr0380 » Fri Apr 13, 2018 2:52 pm

I just wanted to agree with hearthesilence's mention of Thomson's note of Ford "growing an anxious gaze". That late 80s to mid 90s version of Harrison Ford is something quite different from what came before. Looking at something like Witness which is almost comforting in its straightforward goodies and baddies thriller plot, which is almost overwhelmed by bucolic scenes of learning about another culture, it is interesting to compare it to the paranoia creeping in with Frantic or even the Jack Ryan films. There are also a number of films about the internal fears within a family threatening to tear it apart rather than external ones: Regarding Henry is a silly film but one that is almost entirely grounded by Ford's performance; and I think Presumed Innocent is the best of all the crime thrillers of the period, neatly situated between the Jagged Edge and Fatal Attraction style of 'sexy thriller'...
SpoilerShow
(spoiler: with a gender-bending twist on who is the 'guilty' party! But then Ford's character was still having the affair, I suppose, so they're both guilty!)
and the run of John Grisham courtroom thriller adaptations that were soon to arrive.

But then more recently I think Ford has transitioned from that into the 'gruff father figure' role, perhaps as early as sending the young sailors to die in K-19: The Widowmaker, but brilliantly in Ender's Game (and then in all his revisits of iconic film characters in his three big franchises)
Last edited by colinr0380 on Fri Apr 13, 2018 3:01 pm, edited 4 times in total.

User avatar
aox
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:02 pm
Location: nYc

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#157 Post by aox » Fri Apr 13, 2018 2:56 pm

What about #42? Not a memorable film, but I think it might be the most un-Harrison Ford performance Ford has ever given.

User avatar
bearcuborg
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:30 am
Location: Philadelphia via Chicago

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#158 Post by bearcuborg » Fri Apr 13, 2018 3:59 pm

aox wrote:What about #42? Not a memorable film, but I think it might be the most un-Harrison Ford performance Ford has ever given.
That’s about all anyone can say for that movie. Other than it could have appeared on Lifetime.
Last edited by bearcuborg on Thu May 03, 2018 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

John Shade
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 3:04 pm

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#159 Post by John Shade » Fri Apr 13, 2018 6:34 pm

bearcuborg wrote:
aox wrote:What about #42? Not a memorable film, but I think it might be the most un-Harrison Ford performance Ford has ever given.
That’s about all anyone can say for that movie. Other than it could appeared on Lifetime.
I like the movie and saw it again somewhat recently; not great, but perfect for 7th graders. Ford has a certain quality that distinguished Indiana Jones from being a James Bond type figure (maybe a bad comparison?)--gruffness is the word. Earlier I had posted that Adam Driver might be the best actor to enter this series...I guess that wasn't as hot-takey as I thought.

User avatar
lacritfan
Life is one big kevyip
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:39 pm
Location: Los Angeles

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#160 Post by lacritfan » Thu May 03, 2018 7:50 pm


User avatar
Luke M
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:21 pm

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#161 Post by Luke M » Mon May 14, 2018 12:06 pm

I read some spoilers for Solo and they don’t sound good.
SpoilerShow
Han ends up at an imperial army recruitment center and joins. He tells the officer his name is Han and tells him he’s by himself. So officer gives him last name of Solo. Seriously.

In another scene, one of the characters is communicating with their crime lord boss who is... Darth Maul! Who apparently is a crime lord now. Also, this makes Han how many years old? Harrison Ford was only 35 when Star Wars came out and new actor is 29. 6 years apart. Meanwhile they went from 28 year old McGregor when Maul was introduced to 63 year old Guinness when Ford’s Han Solo was introduced.

I’m starting to sound like a fanboy so I’ll stop but jeez.

User avatar
bearcuborg
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:30 am
Location: Philadelphia via Chicago

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#162 Post by bearcuborg » Mon May 14, 2018 12:09 pm

Eh, I’m willing to give Kasdan the benefit of the doubt.

User avatar
Lost Highway
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:41 am
Location: Berlin, Germany

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#163 Post by Lost Highway » Mon May 14, 2018 12:14 pm

bearcuborg wrote:Eh, I’m willing to give Kasdan the benefit of the doubt.
Depends on which Kasdan. I believe Lawrence Kasdan handed over most of the writing to his son Jonathan.

User avatar
Big Ben
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:54 pm
Location: Great Falls, Montana

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#164 Post by Big Ben » Mon May 14, 2018 12:20 pm

It also depends on where you're getting spoilers. I believe there are still embargoes in effect.

User avatar
cdnchris
Site Admin
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:45 pm
Location: Washington
Contact:

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#165 Post by cdnchris » Mon May 14, 2018 12:20 pm

Worrying about age of characters between films in this universe can be kinda pointless I think since it could be argued easily that these "beings" could age differently in another part of the galaxy. But
SpoilerShow
didn't Darth Maul get cut in half?

User avatar
Luke M
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:21 pm

Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#166 Post by Luke M » Mon May 14, 2018 12:29 pm

Yes, to your spoiler. Unless he’s brought back.

The spoilers were posted on Reddit and could be completely wrong but thought they seemed legit enough to share here.

User avatar
Lost Highway
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:41 am
Location: Berlin, Germany

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#167 Post by Lost Highway » Mon May 14, 2018 12:30 pm

I’m not a huge fan of this rebooting of characters by casting actors who are a few years younger in a prequel then they original actors were when they started out. The X-Men prequels are moving into the 90s with the next movie, which is when the first film came out. And I still like most of the original actors better when I watch those films.

User avatar
Big Ben
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:54 pm
Location: Great Falls, Montana

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#168 Post by Big Ben » Mon May 14, 2018 2:17 pm

Regarding the "spoiler":
SpoilerShow
Darth Maul was alive in one of the shows they showed on Cartoon Network. He very much survived being cut into two pieces and he survived long enough only to be killed by Obi Wan many years later for good on Tatooine. At least that's what a quick google search has told me. It's entirely possible he's alive.
Last edited by Big Ben on Tue May 15, 2018 3:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Dr Amicus
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:20 am
Location: Guernsey

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#169 Post by Dr Amicus » Tue May 15, 2018 8:47 am

Re above Spoiler discussion:
SpoilerShow
Darth Maul is certainly alive in Star Wars: Rebels - at least as far as I have watched. For those not aware, it's set in the 5 years prior to the original film (and indeed they're supposedly in the background of Rogue One)

User avatar
Luke M
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:21 pm

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#170 Post by Luke M » Tue May 15, 2018 3:38 pm

I realize my post might seem kinda dumb to fans that watch Rebels or Clone Wars or other non-live-action movie things but my only reference is to the movies.

User avatar
Big Ben
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:54 pm
Location: Great Falls, Montana

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#171 Post by Big Ben » Tue May 15, 2018 3:44 pm

Luke M wrote:I realize my post might seem kinda dumb to fans that watch Rebels or Clone Wars or other non-live-action movie things but my only reference is to the movies.
My knowledge of Star Wars extends to the films themselves and a few video games I've played. Outside of that my knowledge is pitiful. There wasn't anything dumb about your post.

terabin
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:43 pm
Contact:

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#172 Post by terabin » Tue May 15, 2018 6:36 pm

The review embargo has lifted.

User avatar
Lost Highway
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:41 am
Location: Berlin, Germany

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#173 Post by Lost Highway » Wed May 16, 2018 2:50 am

Even the positive reviews aren’t getting me exited about this. So far every Star Wars prequel has been a dud for me.

User avatar
tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#174 Post by tenia » Wed May 16, 2018 4:11 am

French reviews are mediocre at best. Actors are most often criticized, along with a cinematography so dark it seems to be mostly trying to hide stuff from viewers. A lack of action is also discussed, it seems like the movie is rather light on that.
But Chewie has a very good scene.

User avatar
Lost Highway
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:41 am
Location: Berlin, Germany

Re: Star Wars Franchise (1977-∞)

#175 Post by Lost Highway » Wed May 16, 2018 4:18 am

Donald Glover keeps getting mentioned as the best thing about the movie in reviews I’ve read. Makes sense to me, I’m a huge fan of the man and a prequel around Lando Calrissian would have been a far better idea (admittedly I’m not the first one to make that point)

Post Reply